Measurements
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you. Luke 37-38I remember when Pope Francis visited Congress several years back (2015) and he used this scripture to illustrate his point about the selfish inclination of the Congress. I remember Boehner weeping behind him and thinking that he was having a conversion moment, (John Boehner is a devout Catholic). Not long after he announced his retirement. It really seemed like something happened that day, though honestly, I am not sure anything lasting did.
What the Pope was addressing at the time was the behavior of Congress toward one another and toward the people that they were suppose to serve by calling us to be better at working together. His attempt to cut through the politcal rhetoric and to remind us of our responsibility to the common good was clear and bold, yet gentle and kind. He was convicted as he reminded us of this scripture and because of his delivery and the impact of a weeping Speaker Boehner and a beautifully smiling Joe Biden (another very devout Catholic), I have been unable to seperate it from that moment of holiness that I witnessed on tv.
Jesus addressed the lawmakers of his day just as Pope Francis addressed congress and the message remains the same: you have been given a lot and whatever you do will come back to you.
This is a vital point to take to heart as we sit in the midst of a cultural tornado. I find it hard not to call people out for their hypocrisy and their duplicity. I have struggled with this since 2016. But I have also chosen to use this time in Lent (as I did the last two year) as a time to get better at being a follower of Christ who does her best to measure others fairly. Does it work? Who knows…sometimes, sure. Sometimes I can find myself pitying the people who make me crazy. Sometimes I say out loud that God loves them as much as he loves you and me. But there are other times when this quote comes to my head and I no longer care about measurements because the damage that is being done now is so severe and so unfixable that I will take my chances. It is a very difficult time. But the point is that I force myself to try.
God knows my heart when it is lovely and when it is ugly. God is never fooled by an outward comment when inside I am feeling the opposite. God is training you and me to regulate ourselves. By calling us back to him, we have the power to really make a change in our world. But it cannot just be you and me, we have to invite others to see that the answer is more love, real love. The kind of Love that we celebrate on Easter morning because that is a love the sacrifices everything for the common good.
By that Love alone can we be measured.
