Thoughts on frustration

In the second reading for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we find St. Paul writing a small Christian community experiencing persecution from those outside it, as well as divisions and factions within it. Although the Church today is vastly larger, some would see parallels between it and the Church as it existed soon after Christ.

Responding to the mess of it all, Paul exhorts the Philippians not to put the focus on themselves and their own desires. Rather, they need to look beyond themselves. How hard that is for all of us. I have sometimes stated in retreats that I may not be able to give an adequate theological explanation of “original sin,” but I am fairly confident of its ongoing consequence. And that’s the human tendency to be self-focused. We instinctually think of ourselves first, then of our “group” (family, parish, city, nation, race, denomination, etc.), and then if we feel up to it about others. In this regard, I am reminded of a quote from my friend Father Ralph Huse, S.J. who liked to remind folks that we give a lot of power over our own happiness to what we choose to focus on. When we focus only on ourselves, we are, perhaps paradoxically, bound to be frustrated. We will be happier if we put the focus beyond ourselves.

The antidote to this disordered situation is to put the focus on the very source of the Christian life: the self-emptying of Christ. Christ emptied Himself first of all by taking on human nature and then by living his life and undergoing death for our sakes. His obedience and mercy reverse our disobedience and vengeance, transforming death into eternal life.

If we take Christ as our guidepost instead of our own self-focused desires, we see what qualities should mark the Christian life. Our lives no longer are about how much we can grasp at nor about how much we get our own way. Rather, it’s about how much we can love and serve others as Christ loved and served us. We see that the Church is not a merely human organization rife with factions fighting for control but rather the community called by Christ to advance his gospel in the midst of the world.

Fr. Frank Reale, S.J.