December 7 is the memorial of St. Ambrose, the great Bishop of Milan who was influential in combatting heresies, mediating conflicts and converting people like St. Augustine to the faith. On this day, America commemorates the tragic 1941 attack on the Pearl Harbour, the surprise military strike on the US naval base by the Japanese, which led to the US’ entry into the World War II that ended in 1945 with the two bombings in Japan. But the US and Japan are today closest allies after taking the holy path of peace that has silenced all drums of war. This path was not an easy one, but it presents a moral high ground that focuses on the essentials and settles all sordid differences. It shows that you don’t always win over people by fighting them, rather by engaging them peacefully like St. Ambrose did to heretics. He defeated them by winning them over with a superior and more conciliatory argument that defiles all antagonism.
Today’s readings guide us through this path of holiness that is too pure for the unclean to pass over, too wise for fools to wander and too peaceful for lions and beast of prey to approach. It is the way for the pilgrims, the path for the redeemed and the ransomed (Is 35: 8-9), and of course the option for us Christians in moments of tests and trials. Jesus took the lead in this holy way, not only by lauding and rewarding the moral strength of the people who overcame the crowd pressure to assist their paralyzed friend, but also by cautioning the triumphalistic attitudes of the Pharisees and the teachers who take the combative path to show superiority and rightness. Today’s gospel begins with the message that Jesus was teaching, and among the crowd of listeners were Pharisees and law teachers who were there to challenge and fault his teachings.
We suffer great loss if we focus on showing how right our might is without giving a listening ear or helping hand to the other. The friends of the paralytic demonstrated great spiritual and moral strength in the face of challenges. Rather than take the aggressive option of forcing themselves through the crowd and consequently suffering great loss in the fight, they opted for a moral high ground through the sacrificial ingenuity of ripping of every roof of pride in them and going over the crowd with patience and perseverance to help a weak friend. They showed that the strength of their love depends on assisting their weak friend, just as the strength of a chain is in its weakest spot. This power of love trumps the love of power because “when they go low, they ought to go high.”
Jesus encourages us to show this strength against every opposition, just as he did to the Pharisees who denounced and attacked him for being compassionate to the paralytic. Rather than fighting back and hurting ourselves more, we can win like Jesus by taking the holy path of compassion, and making them realise the power in forgiveness. For we show greater strength by working on our weaknesses than by fighting for our differences, by winning over our enemies than by working hard to destroy them. It is easy to show mercy as Jesus said (“your sins are forgiven”), than to show power (“get up and walk.”). We must learn therefore that we do not win by fighting others for who they are, where they come from, how they look, who they support and what they believe.
To fight is fear but to forgive is strength. So I say to you, “be strong, do not fear”, for we lose more by fighting than by loving. For compassion is more effective than aggression. And when we learn this, our destructive swords and spears of aggression would be converted to productive plough shears of compassion, because we win by winning over.
[Readings: Is 35:1-10; Lk 5:7-26. Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church]
