The term “Catch-22” comes from the title of Joseph Heller's 1961 novel. In the story, “Catch-22” was a rule followed by army doctors in the Second World War. If a frightened pilot tried to avoid a dangerous mission by claiming he was “insane”, this was seen as healthy and the doctor would diagnose him as “sane” and eligible to fly. In contrast, any pilot who actually wanted to fly was marked as “insane” and would not be allowed to do so. So “Catch 22” was the perfect example of an illogical rule which made everyone unhappy.[1]
Nothing seems to please many people, in Jesus’ time either, as they refused to accept the Lord’s invitation to new life. Comparing his contemporaries to children at play, Jesus makes the point that they are like children playing a dirge. John the Baptist called people to lament their sins. He lived a life of fasting and austerity, challenging people to change their ways. But people refused to accept his invitation and considered him mad. Jesus, on the other hand, invites people to join in a wedding feast, to dance in celebration of the Lord’s presence among them. But people likewise refuse to accept the invitation, dismissing Jesus as a glutton, a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. In the final verses, Jesus points out that some children are disenchanted yet others value the wisdom of God. What is the wisdom of God? LOVE.
Our English word love is better understood in Greek as “self-giving,” this is the meaning Paul emphasizes. It is worth substituting “self-giving” in this reading. “[Self-giving] is patient, [self-giving] is kind. It is not jealous, [self-giving] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests…” (1 Cor 13:4-5) This is when Paul’s meaning shines. Self-giving is a way to define God. When we hear “God is love,” we understand that Jesus showed us the way to the Father through self-giving. While reflecting on this I came across a timely Facebook post that said, “The hardest command we have from Jesus – and one of the most revolutionary – is love your enemies.”
The Church is an instrument of self-giving that becomes Christ for the world through its actions in the world. Just as a husband and wife witness God’s love by their own self-giving, we as the Church, the bride of Christ, are called to be a living sign, a sacrament, of the same self-giving the bride groom, Jesus, is for us. This brand of self-giving means, giving all that we have and all of who we are, expecting nothing in return. God is love (self-giving). Let us bring all we have and are to this offering, this gift of love (of self-giving) let it transform us so when we return to the world we can share God’s greatest and eternal gift, LOVE.
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