Easier and Harder

Learning how to love and follow Jesus

03/04/2023

Mt 5:43-48 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

One of the things we must always be mindful of when we read the Scriptures, especially Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, is that being a Christian is both easier and harder than being anything else. In what sense is being a Christian easier and harder? Well, Jesus says something rather hard in the gospel today. He says you have to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. And don’t just love all your friends and the people who love you. But love your enemies, the people who hate you. That’s certainly hard to do.

And yet at the same time, being a Christian is easier. How so? Well, Jesus is constantly talking about mercy, and forgiveness, and kindness, and being child-like. Those things are easy and enjoyable. So, there is always this two-fold expectation in being a Christian: it is both easier in some senses, because there is lots of mercy and forgiveness; and yet it is harder, in another sense, because the expectation and the standard is high to be holy.

This is very much what it was like growing up in my family. It was both easier and harder to be an Antony kid. Why? Because sometimes we saw the neighbors kids and our friends getting away with murder. And yet, when we went home there were very high expectations for us. You had to do your homework. And by the way, as an Indian immigrant, the children were not allowed to date in high school. So, you can just imagine the draconian expectations in my home: do your homework, don’t mess around with girls. So, it was a heck of a lot harder being in my home and in my family.

On the other hand, it was really easier being in my home because we had delicious Indian food, that my friends didn’t have. And we knew that our parents loved us. And more importantly than the fact that they loved us, is that they loved each other. You know that is what kids really want. It is not for their parents to love them – they already know that. Rather, they want to see their parents love each other (which is often in doubt). And in my house, we knew that our parents loved each other as much as they loved us kids. And so in my home, just like being a Christian, it was both easier and harder.

I think this is how sometimes my dog, Apollo, must feel. That is it both easier and harder to have me as his owner. It is easier because I spend all my time with him. He goes with me everywhere. He rides in the car. He meets all kinds of interesting people. I feed him three times a day. We do on walks. I pick up his poop. So, in a sense it is easy to be my dog.

But in another sense, it is very hard to be my dog. Because I don’t let Apollo get away with things that other people’s dogs get to do. He does not get on the furniture. He does not sleep in my bed. He does not eat people food. He is learning to sit, and to shake, etc. That is, the expectations are higher for poor Apollo.

And I’m sure sometimes when he sees other dogs he must feel a touch of jealousy. When we visit my brother and sister-in-law, Apollo see their dog jump on the furniture and sleep in their bed. But he has to go into his kennel every night and go to bed. So, for poor Apollo, life with Fr. John is both easier and harder, but maybe it is a very good life nonetheless.

And I am also convinced that this is the litmus test of whether or not you belong to the true Church. Because the true Church will be just like its Savior, Jesus Christ: easier and harder. And that is why in the Catholic Church we have such high expectations for our parishioners. You have to go to Mass every Sunday. You cannot live together before you get married. You cannot use contraception in your marriage. You are not allowed to have same-sex marriages. And you cannot remarry after a divorce without an annulment. Those things are hard in this household of God.

And often we see the neighbor’s kids, the people who attend other Christian churches and we might think: “Wow, that’s a lot easier over there!” Why can’t mom and dad (the pope and the priests) take it easy on us? And yet we must remember that in the Catholic Church things are much easier than in other churches. There is mercy. There is Mary. There is devotion to the saints. There is confession. There is reconciliation and prayer. There is Friday fish frys during Lent.

I am convinced that one of the signs that we are following Jesus closely is when we find in our lives this two-fold expectation. In some ways it is much easier to follow him, and be in his Church. And in other ways, it’s super hard. But that is when you know you are probably following Christ.

Praised be Jesus Christ!