“Death is swallowed up in victory.” But death is not simply eliminated. There is a constant temptation in the Christian life to believe that since we love God and pray for things to go well, that we will somehow be spared from suffering. We tend to grow accustomed to this life, the many blessings we’ve received, all the projects and work we have to do, the planning needed etc. We can forget that Baptism is a sacrament that also represents death. Jeremiah the prophet was plunged into a cistern where he was sure to die, then lifted back out again. That’s what happens with baptism: being plunged into the waters in which we were certain to drown and perish, only to be brought back out again. Jesus talks about the baptism with which he longs to be baptised – He is referring to His Passion and Death. He does not long for suffering because He somehow enjoys it though – it is the joy of eternal life that draws Him through death.
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the main occupations of our human life has to do with filling up what is empty. We equate happiness with an experience of fullness. Many different areas of our lives need filling: our stomachs, our schedules, the gas tank of our car, our bank accounts, our hearts, our minds, our hopes, etc. The word “vanity” could be a synonym for emptiness. The difference is that what is vain often seems to be worthwhile at one level – we experience some degree of satisfaction – but it leaves us empty. Eating will satisfy a hunger for food, but eating will not fill the other areas of my heart that experience emptiness. That’s the foolishness of the man who has stockpiled food in today’s Gospel. As important as it is to fill your stomach every day, a full stomach is not the same as a full life. Imagining that you don’t have to worry about tomorrow anymore because you have an unlimited supply of resources is an illusion. Tomorrow isn’t just twenty-four hours from now, the real tomorrow is eternity. Any pursuit that tries to manage tomorrow as though it were disconnected from eternity is vain – empty. Any reliance on the situations and things of this world is vain because they will not follow in the next.
Saint Martha
Saint Martha will help us avoid activism in the spiritual life if we are open to receiving the correction of Christ as she did. Activism is similar to the dispositions we see in workaholics, but one is a religious malady while the other is human. Both are similar in that they cannot stand to be passive. Passivity is characteristic of death, irresponsibility, weakness, apathy, despair, etc. The activity of a workaholic is not noble in and of itself, but it creates the illusion that one’s life is full rather than empty. It is based on the presumption that the activity of work itself is always better than not working. A healthier conception recognizes that human life is more than just work and requires a balance of activity and passivity. This balance can only be established by discovering a truly human finality.