11-Dec-15

Gospel MT 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Reflection:
Frustrated by their refusal to open their hearts and minds to God's unconditional love, Jesus, said to the crowds:
"We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn."
A modern day equivalent might be, "It doesn't matter what we do. We just can't make you happy."
John the Baptist didn't drink alcohol and lived a spartan life in the desert. People said he was a mad man who raved about repentance.
Jesus associated with everyone including sinners; and people said he was friendly with outcasts that no decent person would befriend.
The truth is that the Pharisees, scribes and many in the crowd were focused on judging others and clung to any excuse to dismiss those who thought differently than themselves.
"But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Today, we would likely say, "The proof is in the pudding."
In other words, it is the final outcome that matters not what people say.
Jesus preached and lived in accordance with what he knew to be the will of God. He was never concerned with the opinion of others.
We, too, would do well not to be influenced either by the negativity or the approval of others, but to try to live in a manner that is pleasing to God alone.

"To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal." - Abdul Kalam