Our
readings today have to do with “being smart!” In our
world, in our day, in our age there seems to be no shortage of “smarts!” Now,
probably more than ever, so many people are virtually and remarkably “expert”
in a wide variety of topics. No doubt the “search engine of the ages: Google” has contributed to this glut of
information. To some degree it is very handy and comforting to know that all
kinds of facts and figures, definitions and recommendations are only a click
away!
But, at the same time that
this torrent of information is now available, there is a very unsettling
prospect that incomplete and inaccurate information may abound, and information
about what really counts, what really matters, what really is going to contribute to our
eternal salvation (which ought to be the first priority of every one of us) is
sliding down the priority ladder to a dangerously low level. And even the
information that we can get about “eternal salvation” by “Googling it” could have very little real accuracy to it, proper
context, or spiritual healthy recommendations from it!
And so the vague idea that
“God has something important to tell us” gets drowned out by a great load of
pointless, useless and even harmful information. But isn’t that really one of
the main reasons we come to church: to hear something different, something more
on-track, something more truth-sounding!
In fact, if we take a look at our readings today, we see that people
have been scanning the news for what they want to hear, rejecting what they
don’t like and filing the remainder in a cabinet in the back of the room for
ages unending! The people of Israel, for example, knew very well what God
expected of them – he was very explicit in dictating his commandments on stone
– “the latest form of email” that he could employ at the time; and he told them
“do not edit this text at all” – leave it “as is” and you will enjoy my favor,
my help and my protection. But as we will see, the people thought they were “smarter
than God,” and they edited the text quite a bit, they added a few things here
and there, and finally by the time Jesus arrived – the law was so modified and
edited that it was hardly recognizable!
In the gospel passage Jesus –bringing up the
whole matter in the context of simple discussion about table ablutions – makes
clear how far off the mark the people of God had gotten – thinking that
impurity comes into a man from the outside – he tells them emphatically that what defiles comes from within a man, from
his heart, such as evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed,
malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance and folly! No
question about it! Jesus hits the nail on the head! And the Jews are put in
their place!
We are called upon today by
St. James to be doers of God’s word and
will – just as he gave it, initially in the commandments, expanding it in
the Sermon on the Mount and the Golden Rule – leaving it alone after that - and
then all will be well – justice and charity will abide in the land and we will
be really be smart people in the way
that counts: the spiritual way that affects everything we do in the material
world!
Such
is your life, such is your vocation, O child of God!
You
shall never be disturbed if you live a life walking in the ways and commands of
the Lord!
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