30th Sunday in Ordinary Time10-25-2020
Today we have to go back into the annals of time. A wonderful time when God spoke to Moses and gave us His teachings on his desire for mankind. The people had escaped Egypt and were to be on their own. Like each of us as we have left our homes… full of excitement for all our new experiences, but yet very hesitant because with that comes responsibility. We grew up having a new home, but what about our spiritual maturity? That seems to be lacking in quite a few. How do we grow up surrounded by immaturity and so many that have not heard these words of God?
Theological Argumentation
If we were reading straight through the Gospel of Matthew, you would see the Temple leaders repeatedly going to Jesus with Theological arguments. You can see as time goes on one would think that the questions from the Temple leaders would get more obscure, but they seem to be getting more and more basic… First pay taxes to Caesar, then we missed it this cycle but questions on marriage and an amazing teaching for the Sadducees on Life after death. That truly is an amazing teaching.
But now with these questions answered they seemingly are now going back to the Book of Exodus to ask questions about the Ten words of God or as we better know them the Ten Commandments. These are the very essence of God. All that is good and holy is embraced here. One should note that all of the Ten are set in the negative narrative. Thou shalt not is the word of the day.
Changing of a culture
We wonder why, but it seems as if these what we call 10 things simply were not being done. These are things that now have been set in our psyche and just are. But obviously when these events happened, and they did happen… it wasn’t that way. The people were honoring other gods they were killing, look at the stories that are in Genesis and Exodus. The people needed Mount Sinai. They needed to be told these things you are actually doing do not reflect the true God.
We cannot forget that God is omniscient and omnipotent. All those things on our hearts such as hate, lies, deceit, thoughts of pain, thoughts of doing bad He sees those and he knows them. He knows far more than Google, Microsoft and Apple combined about you. They just want to manipulate things so that you do what they want… buy their products and make them money.
God has a greater calling
God has a greater desire for you and we have also grown. In the Book of Exodus one can almost envision a father correcting teenage sons and daughters. The language used has that feel but as with all people we grow and we mature. We at one point no longer need to be talked to as a youth, but we need to look out at life in a more mature way.
And as the Pharisees sent a scholar of the law, God was not looking into the heart of one with little knowledge, but a mature person with much information and informed by life. We are told little of this learned scholar. We believe he is a Pharisee, but all it says is he was one of them.
Who is it that they say I am
At this point after all of the parables and the questions it might appear that many are beginning to believe. The question would be very easy for someone of God, but very difficult for someone that was not from God. Can one imagine Satan saying this? Sure he may be able to say love God… because he is an angel and I am sure a great theologian. But his hatred for mankind would not allow Satan to say love the neighbor as yourself. Look at the focus that Satan had trying to seduce Jesus… food power and glory… not going to do much for God… but a mere worthless man. Read through The Screw Tape Letters to get an idea of how devils and demons think about mankind.
The Shema
So it would be now obvious that they were dealing with someone that came from God. But we must note here that Jesus’ response is not dismissive of them either. He could have gone to the basic youthful teaching of the 10 commandments., but He did not go there. He went directly to what is called the Shema
Hear, O Israel!* The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.
So Jesus appears to treat those who still disagree with him as well as those he has just converted with deep respect. Perhaps Nicodemus, perhaps Joseph of Arimathea.
Jesus deal with Listeners.. we deal with polemics
But perhaps what is most notable here is Jesus did not have to repeat the first part of the Shema. Hear O Israel! Israel was listening for his answer. But it is definitely the most important part of the Shema today. The art of listening is done quite rarely. Jesus is asking for this in our reading. Today we have much yelling, much discord, ad much argumentation.
We have to ask ourselves how would Jesus answer each of us today. Do we need to be told the truth as it is seen from the Book of Exodus? Do we need to have our hearts quieted own hearing the word of God as a child might? Have we forgotten how to listen that each and every piece of God must be said outright as if we are back in 1st grade
Spiritual education
For many of us we might not have gotten a very good education as a child and the words of God may need to be spelled out. How many outside of this Church have not heard the word of God. How many do not know God at all. This is a shame because it spells of some very bad news in the future. Those who will be running things not knowing the news of Jesus and of God.
They will need to learn but they will recoil because these words will have to go back to the very beginning. They will have to be read to and coddled so they can learn the basics. Are they running around shouting and hollering and arguing? Yes, and perhaps many of us are doing the same.
A Christian Christian.. not cultural Christian
We might feel good knowing that Jesus was able to explain to the wise and the learned as well as those of the children and non-learned. But we should be following his teachings and his way of life. This does not include hatred and malice. There is righteous anger and there is disruption and hatred.
Jesus does not hate… Even those who disagree with him wholeheartedly. But he does sit down if given a chance and speak at their own level and bring the true teaching of God to the world. And that is what we should be doing as well.
So do we speak the more mature Shema? Do we speak the 10 Commandments? Do we speak nothing at all? IF we are speaking nothing at all, how is anyone going to learn from us? We cannot simply keep talking the words of God simply in Church… I mean, think about it… if you are here… you have heard it already. And if you are not passing it on to neighbors, friends, how do you propose they will hear? We cannot be afraid to speak of our faith.
Cultural rebuke
I remember growing up we were told not to speak of politics or religion in a group… Why is that? We certainly don’t seem to be having too much problem talking about politics these days. So why don’t we talk to our neighbor? Because we are afraid of what might happen? What they might think what they might believe. Or is it we are afraid we do not know our faith as we should?
IN 55 years of life, I have always loved talking about God. And I have never once had anyone shy away from talking about God. Now of course let’s not walk about with a 2 x 4 bonking people. That certainly will not bring a positive experience to anyone. But happy calm discourse about someone we love. God spoke to us today and treated us with high regard by speaking at a mature and educated person… you. He did not treat you as a youth and tell you though shalt not…. He treats you with compassion and with regard… You should love me with your entire heart mind and soul and to treat your neighbor as yourself.
- He doesn’t give you every little detail…
- God recognizes your dignity and respects your image and likeness.
- He recognizes your neighbor’s dignity and their image and likeness.
Speak out loud
Speak proudly of God and love God and you can speak of Him. Perhaps not perfectly, but it does say in this great book of Gospels when needed He will give you the words to say. And quite honestly if you just don’t know… use the words of a great theologians and a great teacher… Let me get back to you on that after I find out. That is also how we grow… it isn’t magic, we don’t just know this stuff… We do have to read and listen a bit as well.
So let’s not be afraid… forget that Satan wants you to be afraid and to stay quiet. He is doing a marvelous job of keeping many Christians quiet. That is not our mission… but to speak of Christ and the Good news of the Gospel to the very ends of the earth baptizing the entire world in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
In the words of Saint John Paul II and our Lord Jesus Christ, “Do not be afraid.”
Be Good Play Nice Think God!
Readings for today can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm
