Archive for March 7th, 2021

Enough 3-7-2021

Sunday, March 7th, 2021

Enough, she said sadly. This wasn’t working. They had some
wonderful times together and he was a nice guy – but it was clear, at
least to her, that each wanted different things out of life. So, with tears
in her eyes and a smile on her face, she wished him well and they parted.
Enough, he said with frustration. The project was going nowhere.
They were wasting valuable time and resources. There were too many
competing visions and goals – and egos. He decided to cancel the next
meeting; instead, he spoke one-on-one with each member of the team.
He reviewed what needed to be done to move forward. Then he and the
team member decided together whether he or she should continue
working on the project. A smaller, more focused and in-sync group then
brought the work to completion.
Enough, they said. It had been a long year, with both Mom and
Dad working at home and the kids attending classes online in their
rooms. Living in the same 3,000 square-feet of space 24/7 can’t help but
lead to impatience, bickering, boredom, and frankly, loneliness. So Mom and Dad announced a cleaning day. Every room of the house –
yes, including your rooms, kids – would be vacuumed, cleaned and
dusted. Clothes would be hung up (laundered, if needed), books and
games put back where they belonged, and stuff not needed would be
donated or tossed. Everyone worked together cleaning the kitchen and
shared family spaces. The day ended with pizza and a movie. Dinner
was restored as “sacred time”, with everyone assigned a role and
attendance mandatory. With a clean and orderly house, they found that
their attitudes had gotten a bit more positive. The started to be a family
again. Just enough…..
We all reach the point of “enough”: when we’re tired of accepting
less than what’s possible, when what’s right and just eludes us because
of selfishness and avarice, when we refuse to remain silent any longer
for the sake of complacency posing as “peace”. Jesus reaches that point
of “enough” in today’s Gospel: “enough” of the commerce and profit
that has degraded the temple – the time had come to restore the temple
as a place of prayer, of welcome and peace, of charity and kindness. What Jesus does in the cleansing of the temple we must do in our lives:
“enough” of the merchants who try to sell us on a set of beliefs and
values based on self-interest and greed; “enough” of the “money
changers” who shortchange us of the time and attention we want for
family and friends; “enough” of the useless, the meaningless, and the
destructive that make our lives less than what God created them to be.
Amen