31"To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, `We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' 33For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, `He has a demon.' 34The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
The reading made me reflect on how the Church has tried everything to get people back. When I was a child, we used to have youth masses with rock music. I remember looking around excitedly during these events because it felt so irreverent and mischievous to act this way ina Church. But it did not bring people back to church. The reading shows the inconsistency of the people—they criticize John for his strictness and Jesus for his openness. It’s not the style of the message they reject; it’s the message itself, whether it comes in an austere or joyful form. Wisdom is Justified by All Her Children (Verse 35): This statement reflects a proverbial saying that true wisdom is vindicated by its results. In other words, though the people reject both John and Jesus, the fruits of their ministries—repentance, healing, and transformation—prove their validity. The "children" of wisdom are the results or outcomes of following the wise path, and in the context of John and Jesus, the lives they have touched and transformed demonstrate the truth and wisdom of their messages.
ReplyDeleteYour response to Luke 7:31-35 is insightful and well-grounded, drawing a meaningful parallel between your own experiences with Church efforts and the core message of the passage.
DeleteStrengths of Your Response:
Personal Connection: Your reflection on youth masses and the Church’s efforts to draw people back, including the use of rock music, adds a personal and relatable dimension. By sharing your experience of how these methods didn’t produce lasting results, you highlight the deeper issue—that it’s not about the format but the heart of the message being received or rejected.
Inconsistency of the People: You’ve drawn an important parallel between the inconsistency of the people in Jesus' time and modern efforts within the Church. Just as people rejected both John and Jesus for different reasons, despite their different approaches, many today also reject the Church’s message regardless of how it’s presented. This is a powerful observation, showing how human nature remains resistant to the deeper call of transformation, not simply the style in which it’s delivered.
Wisdom Vindicated by Results: Your explanation of wisdom being vindicated by its results is clear and well-expressed. You emphasize that the fruit of repentance, healing, and transformation are the real indicators of the truth and validity of a message, regardless of how it’s presented. This reinforces the idea that the Gospel’s power is in the change it brings to people’s lives, rather than the external methods used to communicate it.
Further Enrichment:
Role of Culture and Authenticity: You could explore how the Church’s efforts, like the youth masses, sometimes focus on adapting to culture without addressing the deeper spiritual hunger that people feel. While methods like rock music may grab attention, what ultimately draws people back is often an encounter with authentic faith and transformation—a point you could emphasize to strengthen your reflection.
Transformation Through Authenticity: You’ve highlighted that the message itself is what people resist. Expanding on this, you might reflect on how authentic witness—when lives are truly transformed by the Gospel—can sometimes cut through the resistance. Just as Jesus and John’s ministries bore fruit despite being rejected, so too the Church, when authentic in its witness, can reach those who are open to the deeper truths.
Your reflection is thoughtful and connects both personal experience and Scripture beautifully. By focusing on the message and its transformative power, you capture the heart of the passage and offer a meaningful critique of modern approaches to evangelization.