No Finger Pointing Allowed

“She did it!” 

“No, she did it!”

And then it began . . . my three little girls trying to play Barbies together usually turned into a teachable moment; a lesson in sharing (albeit after many accusations and protruding tongues!). 

How easy it is to condemn another when things aren't going exactly as you planned or desired. Now, little girls playing Barbies are far from being Pharisees. But as we mature and become adults, we need to learn to point the finger inward, to see our part in the disunity. Where are we getting it wrong? Instead of blaming when wronged, pray for clarity. Speak as Jesus speaks, not as a Pharisee speaks. Proclaiming we have done all the work we need to do to change/grow only proves we have a long way to go. Listen to yourself when accusing another of needing more “fixing.” To live as Christ wants us to live, no finger pointing allowed. 

In todays Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), I know who I want to be on judgement day:

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In Anne a lay apostle’s book Climbing the Mountain, she gives us a prime example of achieving unity with Jesus and our brothers and sisters on earth:

“The lay apostle must be gentle in his service to others. We understand that the first will be last and the last will be first in that those who push themselves forward for special treatment are necessarily pushing others behind them. This is not the Christian way, of course. If my reader will pardon my attempt to extend this out in a concrete way, I will pursue this thought. We accept that we are to be the servants of others. In the simplest terms, we opt to be the one who is in the kitchen preparing the food and then cleaning up after the feast. This is good and this is the idea. Well done if we are here. 

But let’s look not only at the service but also at the spirit of the service. We opt to cook and clean and do so in union with Christ, and in great love and prayer for the others who are not serving but enjoying the party. Well done again and even better if we are here. Conversely, cooking and cleaning resentfully is not the idea. If we are here, we must ask Jesus to fill us with love for those we serve. Let’s move a bit further. We opt to cook and clean in union with Jesus, in prayerful petitioning for the ones enjoying the party. Those souls are ridiculing and mocking us for the very service we perform. They show us that they feel superior to us and even treat us with pitying disrespect. Because our service shines a light on their non- service and exposes them, they strike out at us in their guilt. They deliberately misunderstand our motives, which wounds us terribly. We take this and offer it to Jesus in union with His Passion for these very souls and beg Him for conversion graces and clarity for them. We feel the stings but soldier on, overcoming any urges to retaliate by showing them that we are not fools to be taken advantage of, but willing victims for heaven. We correctly see these urges as temptations to be overcome. This is very good and if we are not here, we must be at peace, as we will surely arrive at this destination if we have the desire. We cannot discuss service without remarking on the self-imposed or self-assigned martyrdom of many apostles on the hill. Please, let us not be martyrs unless we are quite certain that Jesus is in fact requesting this of us. We must not take our service and rebuke others with it. This defeats two purposes, which are the advancement of our own holiness and the example and love we give to others. Yes, we are all guilty of self-inflicted and enjoyable martyrdom at some time and that is why we must look closely and identify this as a trap that can turn us into a Pharisee. Some will cook and clean simply as a reproach to others, to hold themselves above others. They use their service as evidence of their holiness, and not contenting themselves with this mistake, they use their service further as evidence that others are unholy. Oh, dear. This is all wrong. It is far better, my fellow apostle, if we remain in the celebration and leave the service to others if our motives are those of self-promotion. As Scripture says, we will be enjoying our reward on earth, not in heaven.”

Lay apostles, where is your finger pointing today? At a loved one, a friend, a co-worker? If so, turn it around and see where you can improve! We can only control ourselves. When I finally came to this realization, my world became a much more peaceful place to live!

Thank you, Lord, for your re-direction when I am finger pointing. Please continue to teach me how to live as You lived on earth!

God bless,

Bonnie