From the Pastor to His People

10-22-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Jesus rebuked the disciples sent by the Pharisees tasked to entrap him in speech. Behind the attempt to discredit Jesus in front of the people are the deeply envious Pharisees, learned in matters of the law but with Jesus were not only nasty but also full of malice. Jesus does not hold back strong words against this kind of people, calling them out as hypocrites; they are deceitful and prideful. They are good with words and preaching, but their deeds are completely opposite. They don’t walk their talk.

Pride is the mother of all sins, and it comes in bundles: selfrighteous, selfish, intellectually arrogant, and malintent. The Pharisees could not accept that a simple carpenter from Galilee might be the Messiah. They see Jesus as unschooled in the ways and the Laws to be a great Rabbi and much less a prophet endowed with the power to heal and drive away unclean spirits. The Desiderata did warn us about their kind and described them as vexation to the spirit. People who don’t see the good in others but always have an axe to grind want to prove something and project a false façade. To them, Jesus reserves the strongest rebuke, you hypocrites! Why are you testing me? For the intellectually proud, remember: Intelligence tempered with WISDOM and knowledge with HUMILITY.

Whose image is this, and whose inscription? What image do I project to my fellow priests and the parishioners? Unconsciously, all of us are image makers. We wear a mask or present a good façade. When I think about my image, I think about my identity and the many ways I can know myself. 1.) How I want others to see me; 2.) How others actually see me; 3.) How I see myself; and 4.) How God sees me.

1.) I want others to see me as a friendly and loving person, with or without my Roman collar. My uniform as a priest is not my Roman collar but the gentle smile of a loving soul. During my day off, I wear civilian clothes because I don’t want people to see me as a person in authority. Jesus stripped Himself of divinity to become like us in all things except sin - so people could walk with Him in their humanity. 2.) I know how others see me by their compliments or criticisms. I receive compliments for good homilies or always smiling in priestly works and others. But the best compliment I got happened recently on a pilgrimage in Italy. I was nowhere to be found during breakfast, and no one tried to call me or wake me up until we were ready to leave because everyone said: Knowing Fr. Bing, he woke up early and was probably already in the Vatican Square doing his morning prayers and rosary. Little did they know that poor Fr. Bing was dead tired from the flight to Rome, jetlagged, and even the alarm could not wake him up. In the negative, I received criticism for being an ambitious, weak leader, easygoing against wrongdoers, being liberal, being conservative, and for many more things.

3.) I try (my best) to be a good and holy priest. To live the Will of God in the present moment the best way I can. Finally, 4.) (2 Timothy 1:10) He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. I know you in your mother’s womb and wonderfully made. I love you, and you are mine; you are precious to me.

Give to God what belongs to God. All of us have dues we owe God. We have obligations and responsibilities to be met to something and someone greater than us, the Creator. It is sad when some people think they are not accountable to anything and anyone in this world. In the big picture, we are all passengers, and God is the Driver. The sooner we give the steering wheel control and allow God to drive us, to let go and let GOD, the better. Focus instead on service, ministry, and love. The earlier we belong to the heart of God, the broader and deeper we discover our mission. Our horizon and vantage point expand to see the world with the eyes of FAITH.