Wednesday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

We have just heard the parable of the brats. Jesus calls his generation “brats,” impossible to please, always belligerent. Think of King Herod the Great, one of the worst brats of all time. Or, Pontius Pilate, a spineless brat who relished his power over life and death. Or, the Pharisees who cried out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Or, the Sadducees who tried to trick Jesus, and called John a demon, and Jesus a drunkard.

There are brats in every age. We see them today, beheading enemies, crucifying Christian converts, forcing children into military terrorism. Pope Francis speaks to the brats of our times, urging everyone to stop fighting, because all this belligerence may be the beginning of World War Three.

What are we to do? St. Paul tells us: Put an end to childish ways, pursue a love that is “patient and kind, not envious or boastful, not arrogant or rude, not irritable or resentful, a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”