Lent 3 - Year C
It is extremely helpful to have a scapegoat. Along comes a hurricane, it must be the fault of those who were killed or injured — recompense in the world. Here is an earthquake, we were hurt and that isn’t right so it must be our favorite out-group to blame — they are even worse than we thought. A flood rises, it is a god’s right to do in everyone for the fault of a few (remember the bargaining over Sodom) — cynics arise, you are right that steadfast love is not what it appears and there will be no pie, by-and-by, but we will all be in a pickle.
Without a scapegoat, a blamee, we have to look more closely at a longer time of reference. When we do so a wider view leads to greater patience and clearer points of decision.
Anyone want to blame the gardener for all the ills of the current state of affairs? If only we had cracked down more quickly and directly, there wouldn’t be the specific disappointments confronting us?
Anyone want to blame the owner or mechanisms of the economy for whom immediate productivity takes precedence over any longer term benefit called common-good?
I am going to die — so... — what do I have to lose to show patience to another and to nurture others at each stage of their growth in wisdom as well as stature? And what do you have to lose? What does our culture have to lose to gain perspective?
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