In this Gospel passage, Jesus speaks directly about the spiritual immaturity He witnessed in His time. The religious leaders complained that John the Baptist was too serious and strict in his preaching, while they criticized Jesus for being too joyful and welcoming to sinners. Nothing seemed to please them. They wanted God to work according to their expectations, and when He didn't, they found fault with His messengers. This reveals something important about human nature: we often resist God's grace when it comes in ways we don't expect or prefer.
Here's the thing about God: He doesn't fit into our neat little boxes. Sometimes He sends us a John the Baptist, calling us to get serious about our relationship with Him through prayer and sacrifice. Other times, He shows up like Jesus at a wedding feast, reminding us that faith should bring joy and celebration into our lives. Both approaches are part of God's love for us. Think about your own family, sometimes you need a parent to be firm with you, and sometimes you need them to laugh with you and enjoy life together. God is the same way. He meets us where we are, whether we need a wake-up call or a warm embrace.
What really gets to the heart of this Gospel is when Jesus is called "a friend of sinners." Now, the religious leaders meant this as an insult, but honestly, isn't this the most beautiful thing you could say about Jesus? He doesn't wait for us to clean up our act before He loves us. He sits down and has dinner with the people everyone else avoids. He talks to the woman at the well, touches the leper, and welcomes the tax collector. This should give all of us hope because, let's be honest, we're all sinners in need of a friend. Every time we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist, Jesus is sharing a meal with sinners, with us. That's not something to be ashamed of; it's something to be grateful for.
You can tell if someone really knows Jesus by how they live their life, not by how perfectly they follow rules or how loudly they pray, or if they post it on the internet. Throughout history, the people who have changed the world for the better are those who learned to dance to God's rhythm instead of demanding that He dance to theirs. Whether it was Saint Francis giving up all his wealth to serve the poor, or Saint Teresa of Calcutta caring for the dying in India, or your own grandmother quietly loving her family through good times and bad, that is what the real fruit of wisdom is. They stopped complaining about how God should work and started letting Him work through them. The question for all of us is simple: Are we going to keep standing on the sidelines criticizing the music, or are we going to join the dance?
Living today's Gospel daily means choosing trust over control and love over judgment. When life doesn't unfold as we planned, we can remember that God's wisdom often comes disguised as inconvenience or challenge. Instead of criticizing the person who approaches faith differently than we do, we can choose to see Jesus Christ working through their unique journey. Each morning, we can ask ourselves: "How can I be a friend to someone who feels forgotten today?" Perhaps it's sitting with a lonely neighbor, offering patience to a coworker going through tough times, or simply listening without judgment to someone who is struggling. When we stop demanding that God prove Himself on our terms and start looking for His presence in unexpected places, in the smile of a stranger, in the opportunity to serve, in the quiet moments of prayer, we begin to see the real fruit of wisdom. Our lives transform from a constant critique of God's methods into a joyful participation in His love. This is how we join the dance: one act of love, one moment of trust, one day at a time. Today, tell someone that "Jesus Loves You."
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
