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-The Red HerringChristLife Even if you have never taken a formal course in logic, I am sure you have all heard the expression "a red herring." The red herring is a diversionary tactic employed when things aren't going your way in a discussion or a debate. The "red herring" is usually something true, but beside the point; it is an effort to keep things from arriving at their logical conclusion when you don't want that conclusion to be reached. The use of the red herring is something often acquired at a rather young age. For example, to chastise a child not eating all of his food a parent will remind them of all the starving children in the world. The child may respond that, at this point, it is too late. The food has been cooked and, whether he eats it or not, none of those starving children can have it, so what does it matter if he doesn't finish dinner? Of course, while that is true, it is not the point. Food is a great blessing and it is wrong to waste it - that is the point. A few years later the child may be getting reprimanded for a bad grade on a report card and, once again, the red herring to the rescue. The child may respond that, since he has no intention of ever being a philosopher, what does it matter if he gets a 'C' in philosophy? While it may be true that the child will never be a philosopher, that is not the point. The class has been paid for, it is the task at hand, and as a matter of principle you should do your appointed tasks to the best of your ability, whether it is what you want to be doing or not; that is the point. The use of the red herring to excuse oneself from unwelcome demands can extend to the moral and religious life as well. Adolescents may look at the world around them and think, 'compared to what most kids my age are doing, I'm pretty good,' and so excuse or even justify the exceptions they make for themselves. Their comparative good behavior may indeed be true, but that is not the point. The point is that there is one Gospel for every age, because it is eternal. Someone prone to fits of anger around the house may excuse themselves by saying 'I've had a stressful day.' That may very well be true, but that is not the point. The point is that your reaction to that stress is unacceptable, and you need to find an appropriate way to deal with it. Some who do not attend Sunday Mass may excuse themselves with the red herring, 'I can pray to God anywhere, I don't need to be in a church.' That is true, but it is not the point. The point is that only here do we receive His Body and Blood, and we worship God in the way He tells us, not the way we tell Him. On this Solemnity of the Ascension, Jesus commands His apostles to teach and baptize all nations. Now, if Jesus wanted all nations to hear and accept His Gospel, He could have done it Himself; instantaneously He could have converted the world to a man. Yet, this was not the point. The point was for the Apostles to accomplish this in His Name and by His power, but through their labors. All that they had received as a gift now became their responsibility to others. At this and every other Mass we see a fitting analogy of this same principle. If I were to place bread and wine on this altar and then leave, excusing myself from carrying out my duties by saying, "God is certainly capable of turning bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. He doesn't need me," what I have said is true. God certainly could do that, but He never would. That is not the point. The point is for Him to accomplish it through the means He has chosen, His priests, cooperating with His plan by carrying out the responsibilities God has given them. The reading we have heard from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians emphasizes this same point. We have all received gifts from God, and these gifts become our responsibility towards others. As we heard from the Letter of St. John, "If God so loved us, we also must love one another." And what was the greatest sign of God's love we have received? God Himself, in the Son whom He sent. If we are to love others as God loved us, then this must mean that extending the gift of Jesus and His Gospel is the greatest act of love we can perform for others. So we hear Jesus say to His apostles, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every living creature." Jesus gives this commission as an obligation, not an option. Our own time has witnessed a serious decline in both missionary activity and conversions. Again, I think many red herrings are introduced to try to justify our failure to live out the command of Jesus to evangelize. I believe that one aspect of this is that religion is often viewed as a purely personal, human reality - something like a nationality. It is fine for an Italian to love Italy, love its culture, even to encourage others to experience and enjoy his culture. It would be unacceptable, however, for him to assert that all other cultures are somehow lacking and that, given its superior origin and blessings, everyone else should seek admission into Italy. This latter opinion would not be tolerated, nor should it be. Yet, when it comes to religion, this is not the point. People have different nationalities, but not different Creators, nor different Saviors. "No one can come to the Father except through Me." This is the point. Another red herring is perhaps an apprehension about somehow conveying to others a sense of superiority in regards to the Catholic Faith; that it is unbecoming to suggest to others that what they have is deficient and only the Catholic Church can provide what is lacking. Again, this is not the point. I have heard it said that America grows enough wheat to supply the whole world. I don't know if this is true or not, but for the sake of this analogy, let's assume that it is. If another country were in the midst of a severe famine, would anyone here actually think, 'we had better not send them grain; that would seem condescending. They might think we are gloating that we can take care of ourselves and they can't, and that our land is better than theirs.' No one would hold such a ridiculous position. Instead, I am sure we would say, 'we have been greatly blessed and we have a responsibility to those who have not been. Let's share our surplus with them.' Should it be any different with the knowledge of God? Yes, we have the fullness of the Truth He has revealed with no admixture of error. We have the forgiveness of sins, the Body and Blood of Christ, and a 2,000 year old treasury of the saints and countless other spiritual riches. We have the responsibility to share these with people who have only accepted fragments of the Gospel or have not heard it as all. With God who is infinite, there is always an inexhaustible surplus to be shared. Another red herring is like the previous one, but on a personal level. In speaking to others we may refrain from giving witness to Jesus, as we should for fear of seeming "holier than thou." While this is true, it is quite undesirable to come off as such. It is not the point. It is not about you and me: it is about you and Him. I am not saying be like me - aim higher than that! The person to whom we are speaking may indeed be more pleasing to God in many ways than we are, but that is all the more reason that they should know the God who created them and seek to imitate Him, not us. Yet another red herring, which can excuse anemic evangelization: "Just as long as you believe in a God, that's enough." There is something of truth in this. Belief in a God in general shows an openness to the transcendent and a willingness to accept the fact that we are accountable to a higher authority and this can be a good place to start. Yet, this is not the point. A good place to start is not necessarily a good place to finish. What father, upon seeing his child day in and day out calling his neighbor "daddy" and showing him all the affection that children show for their fathers would say. "O well, as long as he believes he has a father - it's ok if he doesn't know it's me." This is, of course, absurd. He would pick up his child and say, "No, son, I am your father. Your life came from me and I work all day long to support and raise you." This is the point in evangelizing as well. God created you, His Son died for you and poured out His Blood that your sins may be forgiven and that you may be with Him forever in paradise, and a God who does all of this for His children deserves to have His children know the price He has paid for them. Likewise, children deserve to know their true Father and to know how much that Father loves and desires them. If God loved you enough to send His Son to die for you, and this Son is the only way to Heaven, how can I say I love you if I know this, yet don't share this knowledge with you? Each of us must discern our own way as to how we are to help spread the Gospel. It may be as a priest or religious, as a husband or wife, a teacher, through involvement in charitable efforts, or a life of hidden prayer. Many of you may still be discerning what that way may be, and next week's Feast of Pentecost is where we remember that God's Holy Spirit will guide us in our way, and give us the strength to follow it. In the meantime, even if we have questions about our particular way, of this we can be sure: we have been greatly blessed by God, and to love our neighbor means to extend that blessing. So, if we are ever tempted to follow that red herring which asks, "who are we to preach the Gospel to someone else?" we only need to recall the words of Jesus. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." So who are we to preach the Gospel? Jesus has given us a command; who are we not to? Used with permission. This article is derived from a homily given on the Solemnity of the Ascension by an anonymous author. It is considered a ChristLife original. If you would like permission to reprint this article contact us. |
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