Producing Fruits

There is an online deadly viral challenge known as Momo Challenge that targets the mentally vulnerable children. It uses an image of a grotesque doll with big bulging eyes to throw a series of dangerous tasks encouraging kids to self-harm to the point of committing suicide. It is a form of cyberbullying spreading through social media such that if someone refuses to follow the instructions, the Momo intimidate them with dire consequences.

The perpetrators of this terrifying suicide challenge monitor the status of people on social networking websites to find out people with suicidal tendencies. Parents, therefore, should be more alert in monitoring what their kids are doing online. They need to teach their child to say no with confidence and learn to listen to them, instead of talking to them all the time. This social media challenge cannot be taken lightly because there are really people out there who are intent in destroying others or try to disturb our children.

Our gospel today (Lk 6:39-45) tells us that “a good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.”  Hence, each tree is known by its fruit. When a driver is honest, we know he is a good person. When a kid causes trouble in school, we recognize he has a troubled home. The fruit reveals a person. The creator of this Momo Challenge greatly reveals a troubled relationship. But a Christian, because he has the spirit of Jesus, ought to be a positive influence in the world. He brings sunshine and joy to others.

We need, then, to take care of our hearts because the good we do come out of the store of goodness in our hearts. On the contrary, the evil we commit is the product of the store of evil in our hearts. We are shaped by our thoughts. In the process, we become what we think.

Active Love

A story is told about a man who knocked upon heaven’s door asking to be let in. St. Peter asked him why he thought he should be let in. The man replied: “My hands are clean.” “Yes,” answered the Gatekeeper, “but they are also empty!”

Today’s gospel (Lk 6:27-38) reminds us that it is not enough to avoid evil; we must also make the world better. In the past, others have said: “do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.” This concept is the source of basic manners and politeness. But Jesus goes even beyond. He says: “Do to others.” Thus Christian ethics leads us to be a positive influence. Our presence should make the world more beautiful and more loving. The Irish philosopher Edmund Burke rightly wrote: “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Jesus challenges us to be a part of the force of goodness in the world. The gospel passage contains four commands from Jesus: love, forgive, do good and pray. They are guidelines of a moral principle that goes beyond the minimum requirement. It is an invitation to offer the other cheek to the one who strikes you or to bless those who curse you. It is acting out the love we have in our hearts.

It might seem to be a form of weakness. In reality, there is so much strength and bravery in forgiving rather than retaliating. In the end, Jesus challenges us to be like him in our willingness to endure unjust suffering for his own sake. Jesus wants us to take up our crosses daily and embrace our day-to-day sacrifices in his name.