Thrown under the bus

During breakfast, Jack said to Jill, “Lent begins in a few weeks. Why don’t we have a party and invite the entire neighborhood? I’m sure that Chip and Dale would agree and would help organize the party. They are good at such things. We can ask Fr. Curtis if we can use the church hall.” Jill agreed and said that she would ask Hilda and Lori to head a committee to send out invitations. Everyone in the neighborhood should be invited without exception. Fr. Curtis thought it was a good idea and said that he and Father Greg would do whatever to help. The church hall would be available for the party. Also, a notice would be put in the weekly bulletin inviting everyone in the parish to the pre-Lenten party.

Hilda and Lori knew just about everyone and got busy right away. Invitations would be sent out. However, Lori said that Gretchen, a single mom with four kids – all with four different men, should not be invited. Everyone in the subdivision knew about Gretchen and her loose morals. She just would not fit in! So, she and her kids were not given an invitation. What do you think?

Was it okay not to invite Gretchen? Gretchen was always pleasant and eager to please others. When asked, she would bake cookies, cakes, and pies for community events. She just found it hard to say NO to her men friends. Jack and Jill were furious when they found out what happened. They said it was wrong not to invite Gretchen since everyone else in the neighborhood was invited. On the other hand, perhaps it is okay not to invite such an “easy” woman to the party. Word got out and the neighborhood was abuzz! Chip and Dale were beside themselves and didn’t like the gossip and the ensuing controversy. So, off they went to see their pastor. Fr. Curtis reminded them of Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up disputes but love covers all offenses.

We know about the bad blood between Saul and David. Saul was jealous of David and wanted to kill him. However, David who had respect for God’s chosen king looked for a way to appease Saul rather than kill him. As we heard in the first scripture lesson, David had the chance to put an end to the rivalry. Under the darkness of night, David went into Saul’s camp and found the king and all the soldiers in the camp in deep sleep. Here was his chance. His assistant wanted to kill Saul; but David said, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished?” Should David have seized the chance to kill the king?

You and I probably would never be faced with such a drastic decision of life or death for someone who is looking for the chance to kill you. Yet, we might encounter a situation like the one in my opening story. Gretchen was a victim of someone’s chance to get even for some misunderstanding or false judgment. You may have had the experience of being “thrown under the bus” at one time or other. It’s not particularly unusual to be the victim thrown under the bus. Nor is it unusual to be the one who sits in judgement of a victim thrown under the bus. Our guiding moral principle is to do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way. If any one of these three factors in our decision or choice is evil, that makes the decision or our choice to do it – evil.

How do we know what is the right thing, the right reason, and the right way? Look to God for direction. Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” This is just the beginning. To really learn the moral way of life, Jesus says: Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.

We just sang in response to the first reading: “The Lord is kind and merciful.” Be like the Lord who said: “Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. . . . Love your enemies and do good to them…”

Fr. Curtis saw Chip and Dale to the door and said: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Good advice! Will they be able to convince Hilda and Lori to apologize to Gretchen for the wrong they did to her? Would Gretchen be able to forgive and attend the pre-Lent party with her children? We are reminded that God created each person with gifts that, when used in love, will draw all others closer to eternity. This is our hope, a hope that deepens faith and results in charity, a true love.

As pilgrims of hope in this holy year, you can learn to forgive someone who has hurt you by praying for them daily. If you stay faithful to this habit of prayer, God will transform your heart as you embrace the virtue of mercy. As we pray in the psalm: Bless the Lord, my soul, forget not all his benefits. He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion. Merciful and gracious is the Lord; he is slow to anger and abounding in kindness. As you journey through life, follow the Lord’s example. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

God be blessed! Now and forever. Amen.