To break a stick.

People tend to say: “This is worthless!” Unnecessarily taking further steps for the sake of the other. It is resignation over the condition of another person or society. It makes no sense to waste precious time and energy that we can creatively invest and use to develop something else. We are discussing breaking a stick over an unavoidable reality and a hopeful investment in another. Today’s Gospel opens this space for us. In this, Jesus does not put a napkin in front of his mouth and explicitly says: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs and do not cast your pearls before swine…” Even though for the Jews, “dogs” and “swine” were the traditional names of the Gentiles, in this case, Jesus focuses on the evaluation of the students’ activity and its effectiveness.

This is not an assessment of a person who rejects the message. But it’s about evaluating an activity that has meaning and direction from a silly one. He does not break a stick over a person. Instead, it is an invitation to invest energy and creativity in those in which the authenticity of life becomes visible. We are talking about a change in mindset. That is, the message of Christ offered by us cannot be filled with style, as if it were a comfortable sofa, the purchase of which will bring comfort and virtual happiness. Here, Christ opens the space for creativity and reflection.

That is, love does not judge but thinks creatively. Indeed, it would be ridiculous to throw the Bread of Life and the Word of God in front of a person who does not know how to appreciate them. However, the love and sensitivity of the evangelist lead to thinking about when, where, and how to help the neighbor to be ready to receive them. Throwing the Truth between the eyes without preparation brings rejection and more hardening. Acting in such a way is disrespectful to man and also to the Truth.

On the contrary, good preparation and the announcer’s personal example work wonders. But that takes a lot of time and patience, which we need to get used to. It may be time to work on it.