The Greater Good

Seeking in God all our desires for being greater

10/16/2018

Luke 11:29-32 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."

Every year, October 15, holds a special place in my heart because it is the feast of St. Teresa of Avila. She lived in the sixteenth century and desired deeply to reform the Carmelite order which had grown lax in its observance of prayer and lukewarm in its love for Jesus. In her book The Way of Perfection, she criticized contemporary Carmelite customs, saying: “Be determined, sisters, that you came to die for Christ, not to live comfortably for Christ” (The Way, 123).

The reason October 15 holds a dear and deep place in my heart is because I spent three months living with the Carmelite friars (that is what the Carmelite men are called), discerning a religious call. Obviously, I did not stay because here I am today as a parish priest. But the desire that drove my discernment was to try to do more spiritual good for the Church. Consider this comparison. An electrician helps one family when they have an electrical short-circuit in their home. That is a good thing. But someone who works at the hydro-electric plant at the dam at the river provides electricity not only to one house, but to hundreds of thousands of homes. That does a lot more good. The electrician is like the diocesan priest, helping individuals and families; but the hydro-electric plant worker is like the Carmelite monk or nun, who helps the whole world. The electricity is God’s grace. Who do you think does more good for the Church and for the world? To me, St. Teresa of Avila stands as a symbol of doing greater good for the Church, “to die for Christ, not to live comfortably for Christ.”

In the gospel, Jesus invites the Jews to seek that which is greater, and he gives two memorable examples, namely, Jonah and the queen of the south. In the time of Jonah, you will remember, the Ninevites converted from their sinful ways because of Jonah’s preaching. But Jesus’ preaching is greater than that of Jonah, and Our Lord’s personal example of spending three days in the tomb – the belly of the earth – will be more compelling than Jonah’s three days in the belly of the whale. The queen of the south sought the wisdom of Solomon. But Jesus’ wisdom is greater because he is the Word of God – the Wisdom of God made flesh. Solomon was the voice, whereas Jesus is the Word, Wisdom itself, and therefore infinitely greater than the voice which merely serves as vehicle for the Word. In other words, Jesus begs the people: don’t you desire the greater good, to do more, to make a bigger difference, to help others more, or like the Army slogan said: “Be all that you can be”? In a word, do you desire greater happiness? You will find that greater desire satisfied only in Christ. But there is a catch, like St. Teresa cautioned: “Be determined that you came to die for Christ, not to live comfortably for Christ.”

My friends, we cannot all be Carmelites as we seek greater happiness and holiness in life. Still we can learn from and live according to three seminal virtues that St. Teresa highly urges for her sisters. Teresa writes: “The first of these is love for one another; the second is detachment from all created things; the third is true humility, which, even though I speak of it last, is the main practice and embraces all the others” (The Way, 66). As a diocesan priest I can practice greater love of neighbor – starting with being nicer to Fr. Stephen (which is not at all easy!) – detachment from all created things – like not looking at my phone too much! – and true humility – like not hoping for more “likes” on my homilies on Facebook! But notice the desire for greater happiness, greater holiness that drives these decisions: they are all an answer to Jesus’ invitation to seek him, who always stands greater than Jonah and Solomon. St. Teresa of Avila helps us channel our desire for the greater good, through love of neighbor, detachment and humility, and find that good in God alone.

In 1078, St. Anselm in his Prosologion came up with a philosophical conception of God, saying, “God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived.” Put positively: he is always greater than anything we can conceive.  In other words, our desire to do more good for others, to feel more fulfilled in life, to find more lasting happiness ultimately ends in God. God is always greater than all our desires, and that remains true whether you are an electrician or a hydro-electric plant worker.

Praised be Jesus Christ!