7th Sunday - Breaking the Cycle of death

There is a phenomenon in nature called a death spiral. It happens when ants lose their pheromone trail that leads them back home, then end up walking in a circle until they die.

Negative Feedback loops; these cycles that we get into in which negativity feeds negativity, feeds more negativity…until there is just a total collapse. A collapse of friendships, family, community, whatever. This can be how depression works: this negative loop keeps playing in our heads and we can’t shut it off.  We fall into our negative feedback loops, our death spirals, because we can become blinded to our reality, or we do not know how to live differently. There is no perceived way out. We get lost.

The irony is that we as Christians have been shown the way.

The Story, or saga, of King David shows so much of the human condition. Some day I think I will have to have some sort of class on that whole saga. In it, we see David struggling to be a king and a good king; he will fail again and again.  This section though he succeeds. Saul, in all of his own jealousy and insecurity, has been trying to kill David. He has relentlessly pursued David, his followers and his own family. Talk about a negative loop. David has the opportunity to end this quickly. He can kill this man with one swift blow. He will not take it.  He knows that if he were to do so then others would do the same to him. He knows that that act of violence, even if remotely justified, will just continue a cycle of violence. David breaks the loop,

Now in our modern more advanced days, some 3000 years later of course we are more enlightened. We don’t have to worry about all this violence, all these disagreements, all these negative feedback loops. Correct?

When all we see is negativity in our lives, how much comes from ourselves, and our refusal to end it? Truth can hurt. When we realize that we have been hurt or hurt others, it can hurt. What will be our response?

Parishes and schools can be amazing. Something happens and the information spreads like wildfire. Someone hears something, usually not accurately, and the story grows and builds and gains this force and next thing there is this death spiral of gossip, rumors, texts and emails etc.

How about resentments in families and marriages? Again, it could start off seemingly small, but for someone that small little comment, that small little oversight could mean a lot. Communication does not happen, and resentment builds.

Studies have shown that children raised with dysfunctional parents, abusive parents, often repeat this cycle with their own.

Disciples of Jesus Christ, we Christians, we Catholics, we have been shown the way that leads to life. We have been shown the way to break the cycles of violence and anger, cycles of victimizing and manipulation.  These past two weeks in our Gospels and especially today’s call us to think differently, act differently, be different that break those cycles.

Jesus never dismisses violence or abuse; nor never ever calls us to just accept it. If we ever face this, do not accept it; get out.  Jesus does call us to end violence, to end abuse. Jesus calls us to break the cycle of violence we encounter in our own lives.  

We break it with Love; that conscious desire to see and want the good in the other.

We break it with forgiveness, by sharing mercy, compassion, humility and understanding.

We break the death spiral by not rushing to email, not rushing to text, not rushing to gossip, not rushing to judge.  We sit, wait, pray, discern. We listen to what God wants.

God wants so much more for us and for this world. God involves us in transforming this world. God gives to us his Son to reveal this desire, to reveal the path.

We remember this and we give thanks for this in our Eucharist; Christ present to us truly.

We humans did something so violent to the Son of God; God never responded with violence. God did not continue a cycle of violence of death. God responded with life. This we give thanks for. For this, we respond in kind.