CONSEQUENCES

CONSEQUENCES -26th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B

            Many lives would be lived differently, and situations would be different, if consequences were considered! It’s difficult to always foresee what will follow from a given set of actions. A familiar human phrase begins “If I had known this, I would not have…I would have…” Many conclusions begin this way. “This was a mistake. Had we foreseen that this would happen we would…”

            We have so many diseases because consequences of given ways of living or not living are not considered. We have so many spiritual sicknesses and diseases and death because sin’s consequences are not considered. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” We have blocked so much good because consequences are not foreseen. “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

            We have lots of ways to learn about consequences. There are sources we can go to, if our own vision of consequences doesn’t reach far enough. We can observe the consequences of what others have gone through both good and bad. There is the faith history we have in the Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church, which can be helpful to us in many important life decisions and ways of living. A broader vision and a greater principle can help us decide on a given course of action leading to good consequences, and avoiding bad consequences.

            Many consequences affect people in the present, others in the immediate or distant future, and still others affect people eternally. A constant question for us needs to be: “What consequences will follow from this course of action and way of living?” It’s frightening to hear about or see people following ways and actions which have such terrible consequences for themselves and others.

            The Lord had taken some of His Spirit, which He had given to Moses, and given it to seventy elders. Joshua didn’t know that Eldad and Medad had received this spirit, which lead to prophesying. He wanted Moses to stop them. Moses said that was shortsighted and would lead to bad consequences. “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow His Spirit on them all.”            Jesus’ first disciples and many disciples today have to consider the similar consequences. The disciples tried to stop someone “because he does not follow us” from using Jesus’ name to cast out demons. Today Jesus might say to Catholics and Protestants, in various circumstances, what He said to the first disciples, “Do not prevent him…there is no one who performs a mighty deed in My name who can speak ill of me”.

            James warns those who aspire to be rich in the wrong way of the consequences. “…you rich, weep…over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted…and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire.”

            Many have ignored the consequences of their sinful methods of seeking wealth. “You have stored up treasure for the last days.” The Scriptures have many teachings and warnings worth considering in the area of possessions and how we live in this world.

            The use of the different members of our bodies and persons has definite consequences. Jesus offers sound spiritual advice. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” He says the same about the eyes and the foot. By extension we can include all the members of our person. Jesus is not speaking literally, but spiritually. We can make our eyes blind as far as looking on evil, our ears deaf to calls to sin, our hands and feet crippled as far as going about to do evil. “Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna…”

            Many who come to know the consequences of sin and evil in their lives prefer the physical forms of paralysis to the spiritual ones. The physical ones last for a time. The spiritual ones last for eternity! Consider consequences!