The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today take us through consideration of how we express affection and show hypocrisy even as we are aware of Divine omnipresence.
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| Focus on the Big Picture |
The reading from 1 Thessalonians is a thanksgiving introduction to Paul’s ministry among them.
* [2:7] Gentle: many excellent manuscripts read “infants” (nēpioi), but “gentle” (ēpioi) better suits the context here.1
The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze.
* [Psalm 139] A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1–6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7–12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13–16). Summing up Ps 139:1–16, 17–18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule—wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Ps 139:19–24).2
In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees focuses on scrupulousness on insignificant concerns.
* [23:23] The Mosaic law ordered tithing of the produce of the land (Lv 27:30; Dt 14:22–23), and the scribal tradition is said here to have extended this law to even the smallest herbs. The practice is criticized not in itself but because it shows the Pharisees’ preoccupation with matters of less importance while they neglect the weightier things of the law.3
Scott McClure shares that today’s readings from scripture ask a poignant question. It’s a question that is both fundamental and fair. It is also challenging: Are we focused on what really matters? Or do the most important things escape us?
As Christians, as human beings, we must empty ourselves. We must empty ourselves of self-absorption, of vanity, of self-serving, of the desire for praise – for recognition. Only when we do this can we orient ourselves to the service and care of others. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. (MT 20:28)
Let us all pray today that we may empty ourselves in such a way that we may be filled with the Spirit of God.4
Don Schwager quotes “Neglecting Weighty Matters of Love and Justice,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"Not only among the Jews but among ourselves as well, we find people sinning in these ways. They are swallowing camels. People of this type frequently show off their religion even in the smallest of things. They are rightly called hypocrites for wanting to exploit their religiosity before men but being unwilling to undertake that very faith which God himself has justified. Therefore the imitators of the scribes and Pharisees must be dislodged and sent away from us, lest a woe touches us in the same way it touches them. The scribes could be described as those who valued nothing found in the Scriptures except its plain sense interpreted legalistically. Meanwhile they condemn those who look into the very depths of God himself. Mint and dill and cummin are only spices for food but are not themselves substantial food. What substantive food would mean in conversion would be that which is necessary for the justification of our souls - faith and love - unlike these legalisms, which are more like condiments and flavorings. It is as if a meal might be thought to consist more of condiments and flavorings than the food itself. The seriousness of judgment is neglected while great attention is given to minor matters. Spiritual exercises which in and of themselves are hardly justice are spoken of as justice and compassion and faith. It is lacking in justice to treat these small parts as the whole. When we do not offer to God the observance of all that is necessary for worship, we fail altogether." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 19-20)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 23:23-26 comments that the Pharisees in today’s Gospel passage were like a coffee mug: clean on the outside but in need of a more careful cleansing on the inside. By keeping up with their tithes and the other details of the Law of Moses, they were doing what they thought holy men of God ought to be doing. And yet Jesus said they were neglecting “the weightier things of the law,” such as “mercy and fidelity” (Matthew 23:23).
Of course, Jesus is always pleased when you serve the poor or spend time worshipping him. He also knows that none of us can control every thought that comes into our minds. But you can do something. Whenever you realize that your attitude has wandered out of line, stop right away and ask the Lord for forgiveness. He knows you well, and he knows that you are trying to please him. He will be merciful and help you the next time you are tempted by judgmental, critical, or resentful thoughts. He may even flood your heart at that moment with love for the person you are judging!6
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Paul might have been rejected after his treatment in Philippi. Traditional maternal and fraternal love have blended affection and discipline. Friar Jude reminds us that motivation for our actions needs to be in our focus.
The Franciscan Media reflection on the Memorial of St Monica connects her life to our time by considering the value of patience.
Today, with Google searches, online shopping, text messages, tweets, and instant credit, we have little patience for things that take time. Likewise, we want instant answers to our prayers. Monica is a model of patience. Her long years of prayer, coupled with a strong, well-disciplined character, finally led to the conversion of her hot-tempered husband, her cantankerous mother-in-law and her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Barbara Holmes who is a teacher in our Living School, a former lawyer, professor, and author of several books. In her book Race and the Cosmos, she connects physics, culture, ethics, and spirituality. Here she explores how the synthesis of many ways of knowing was valued by primal and contemporary indigenous communities.
The attempt to separate culture and scientific knowledge began during the Enlightenment. Thousands of years earlier, ancient people considered the earth and the cosmos as a living continuum that sustained and permeated them. They did not separate a belief in the spirits and gods from the change of seasons or the struggle to survive. However, the story was primarily religious. To talk about the scientific methodologies of ethnic people is to talk about origins. From the beginning, the ancestors know intuitively that knowledge can be life-giving, for without it the people perish. By contrast, one of the legacies of the Enlightenment is that knowledge comes in particular forms and from particular cultures; all else is myth and mystery.
In our history and during our daily journey, we lose sight of our position in the “Big Picture” where guidance by the Spirit helps us to avoid distractions to over scrupulous attention to details we can master on our own.
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