So much of modern Christianity is obsessed with self-interest and egoism. It consists in the acquisition of merit for oneself on the one hand and the pursuit of power, riches, and influence on the other. All of this is antithetical to the core of Christianity and the fundamental identity and mission of the Lord Jesus himself. The Incarnation itself is the self-abasement of God who assumed a lesser identity in order to serve the needs of a fallen humanity.
That too is our mission as Christians. It is not at all the mission of the Christian to seek worldly power, riches, and influence as so many do today. It is to humble ourselves and serve the needs of others just as Jesus himself did. In today's Gospel portion he tells us the measure with which we measure is what will be measured to us. When a bishop pleads for mercy for people, and a rabble of alleged Christians condemns the message and so many other people, each will be measured by their own rod and words.
The division we see in Christianity is not liberal and conservative; it is not about pre-Vatican II or Vatican II. This division has its origin in 1945: were you helping to rescue people from genocide and concentration camps, or were you helping fascists escape justice and flee to other countries? That is the deep division we have faced ever since. The measure by which we measure will be measured to us.
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