The following criticism was written about one of our U.S. Presidents; see if you canย guess which chief executive is being referred to:
โThe occupant of the presidency is littleย better than a murderer. He is treacherous in private friendships, a hypocrite in public life,ย an imposter who has either abandoned all good principles or else never had any.โ
Whoย do you think is being spoken of? Not Barack Obama, or George W. Bush, or Billย Clinton, or Lyndon Johnson, or even Richard Nixon. The subject of this criticism wasย George Washington. Thatโs rightโour first and perhaps greatest president, who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, one of the most admirable and beloved men in all human history, was scorned and despised by at least of a few of his contemporaries. Itโs impossible to satisfy everyoneโand sometimes we attract the most severe criticism when weโre taking a moral stance and upholding whatโs right.
We recently had a good example of this in the Archdiocese of Detroit. In responseย to growing efforts to legalize so-called โsame sex marriages,โ Archbishop Vigneronย announced that Catholics who support this morally-impossible idea should not comeย forward to receive Holy Communion at Mass. In doing so, he was merely upholding theย teaching of the Church on the nature and sanctity of marriage, and on the need to be in a state of grace in order to receive the Eucharist. Simply put, homosexual activity is aย mortal sin, and those who support a so-called โrightโ to commit mortal sin are themselves not properly disposed for Holy Communion. In response, last Sundayโs Detroit Free Press had many letters to the editor regarding the Archbishopโs statement. A few supported his effort to provide clear moral leadership; many letters, however, denounced it, with several of the letter-writers foolishly and misguidedly insisting that Jesus accepts everyone without requiring any sort of repentance or moral conversion. I applaud the Archbishop for defending the Churchโs teaching in his capacity as chief shepherd of the Archdiocese, and I pray for the enlightenment of those whoโwhether out of arrogance, or sincere but mistaken good willโcriticize or reject him for speaking the truth.
St. Paul wrote that โAll who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecutedโย (2 Tim. 3:12), and at the Last Supper Jesus specifically applied this warning to those Heย appointed to lead the Church, for He told His apostles, โIf they persecuted Me, they willย also persecute youโ (Jn. 15:20). The fact that, as disciples of Jesus, we will sometimesย face criticism, opposition, or even persecution doesnโt excuse us from our moralย obligations, including that of defending the truth and reflecting the light of Christ in aย world darkened by error and sin. Each one of us will one day be judged by Jesus, and ifย we have denied Him out of fear or the desire for worldly approval, He will deny us aย place in His Kingdom. If, however, we can point to our scars and show Him all the timesย we were mocked or criticized for upholding the truth in His Name, Our Lord willย recognize us as one of His true followers, and welcome us into eternal joy. As St. Peterย wrote, โIf you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace beforeย Godโ (1 Pt. 2:20)โand being open to this sort of grace will help us attain eternal life.
In the scriptures, we see that Saints Paul and Barnabas encountered fierce opposition when preaching the Gospel at Antioch in Pisidiaโbut though they had to leave that city, their efforts were not in vain, because many persons accepted the truth, and eventually became part of that great multitude St. John describes in the Book of Revelation. As one of the heavenly elders explained, โThese are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.โ Jesus is not only the Lamb of God; He is also the Good Shepherd, and in the Gospel He promises us that those who live as part of His flock will never perish or be snatched away by the devil or by his agents in this world.
Because of the theme of todayโs Gospel, this Fourth Sunday of Easter is alsoย unofficially known as โGood Shepherd Sunday,โ and so the Church quite naturallyย observes today as World Vocations Dayโa time for all of us to renew our efforts to prayย for and promote vocations, including vocations as lay persons, Church ministers,ย deacons, and religious. In particular, weโre stressing vocations to the priesthoodโin part, because of the growing shortage of priests within the Archdiocese of Detroit and other dioceses across the United States. The shortage is becoming severe, and in the short-term will only become worse. Many priests, while happy and fulfilled in their ministry, are stretched thin or overworked, and are also sometimes under-appreciated and misunderstood or wrongly criticized. We try not to complain about this; it goes with the territoryโbut we do fear for the future if there isnโt a turnaround soon in terms of the numbers of young and middle-aged men entering the seminary.
All of usโwhether priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, or lay personsโhave an urgent obligation to pray for and promote religious vocations, and all of us,ย without exception, are expected by Jesus to bear witness to His truth, regardless of anyย possible criticism, rejection, or persecution. Which do we value more: the temporaryย approval of this passing world, or the lasting gratitude and blessing of our Savior andย Judge? Each of us would do well to reflect on the words of Psalm 1: โHappy the oneย who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on His law day and night. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore in judgment the wicked shall not stand, nor shall sinners, in the assembly of the just. For the Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of wicked vanishes.โ If weโve chosen to travel the way of the just, the criticism of this world may sting, but it cannot truly harm usโand whatever price we may have to pay as Christโs followers will seem as nothing when we arrive at our true heavenly home.