Raising a Ruckus

Here he goes again. Jesus breaking the rules and raising a ruckus. Let us remember, though, that Jesus is not a “rebel without a cause”: Jesus has a cause. It is the Gospel of new life and love.

Jesus lived in a world where certain religious practices had gotten stuck—that is, they had become rituals that no longer encouraged greater devotion and faith. Jesus’ provocative words and actions challenged his followers to look deeper, to find God afresh in the time-honored traditions.

I laugh when I think about the rules I create for myself that get “stuck”— especially in my ministry. I fondly remember my first experience leading retreats in the Mexican community, coming in with my elaborate expectations and plans. I failed delightfully, learning instead from my creative and full-hearted retreatants. Thank God they broke my rules…we learned so much.

Where am I feeling stuck?

—Garrett Gundlach, S.J. is a Jesuit scholastic from the Wisconsin Province. He is engaged in Master of Social Work studies at Loyola University Chicago.