The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the Wisdom attributed to Solomon that included aspects that rationalization since the 16th century has attenuated in our world.
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| Rationalism and Modern Idols |
The reading from the First Book of Kings describes the visit of the Queen of Sheba to appreciate Solomon’s listening Heart.
* [10:1–13] The sub-unit on Solomon’s wisdom contrasts with 3:16–28. There Solomon’s gifts led him to listen to the humblest of his subjects; he accomplished justice and was revered by all his people. Here the emphasis is on his clever speech to a foreign monarch. She is duly impressed by the glory of his court, but it is she, not Solomon, who recalls the monarch’s duty of establishing justice (v. 9). The unit is interrupted briefly by a remark about Solomon’s maritime commerce (10:11–12).1
Psalm 37 responds to the problem of evil, which the Hebrew Testament often expresses as a question: why do the wicked prosper and the good suffer?
* [Psalm 37] The Psalm responds to the problem of evil, which the Old Testament often expresses as a question: why do the wicked prosper and the good suffer? The Psalm answers that the situation is only temporary. God will reverse things, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked here on earth. The perspective is concrete and earthbound: people’s very actions place them among the ranks of the good or wicked. Each group or “way” has its own inherent dynamism—eventual frustration for the wicked, eventual reward for the just. The Psalm is an acrostic, i.e., each section begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section has its own imagery and logic.2
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus identifies it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.
* [7:17] Away from the crowd…the parable: in this context of privacy the term parable refers to something hidden, about to be revealed to the disciples; cf. Mk 4:10–11, 34. Jesus sets the Mosaic food laws in the context of the kingdom of God where they are abrogated, and he declares moral defilement the only cause of uncleanness.3
Sr. Candice Tucci, OSF, comments Jesus juxtapositions the physical body with the heart which is the dwelling place of spirit, of Holy Wisdom. A conscious awareness of our relationship to body, spirit, and mind, she adds, is what Jesus, in rather strong language, directs us to… She asks: What wisdom do we practice in the use of what we have? Our wealth, health, bodies and relationships? How do we discern the spirits in making choices about how we live and what to do with what we have? How do we discern or think before we speak or act.? What enamors us or captures us so completely that we would give an abundance, a lifetime, or life to obtain it? Good or evil? What do we give? What do we worship? What has become the new idols that give direction to our lives?
In a recent article by William T. Cavanaugh, Strange Gods, Idolatry in the Twenty-first Century, published in the January edition of Commonweal, writes, “Commodity fetishism is not simply an obsession with things. It is not materialism, but rather a kind of dematerialization. When use takes a back seat to exchange, commodities become vehicles for a flight into transcendence...Nike, for example, in an ad shows nothing but the swoosh and the words 'Write the Future.'”
Cavanaugh shares in his research that a 1901 advertising manual reports the results of mass production in writing “they have wants which they did not recognize before.” Have we left the high ground and wallow so low now to worship false gods, seek transcendence in manufactured items in and to the defilement of human nature? Humanity seems to be misplacing its true self for false gods.
Pope Francis from Evangelii Gaudium says, “We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.”
Cavanaugh does end his article with hope. He calls for systemic changes to “free people from false worship.” While it seems to be an overwhelming task, he points to Jesus telling his disciples, “For mortals, it is impossible, but for God, All things are possible.” Remember too, Jesus tells us that anything we ask in his name, will be granted.4
William T. Cavanaugh notes that in his exploration of the causes of secularization in the West, philosopher Charles Taylor has written, “Everyone can agree that one of the big differences between us and our ancestors of five hundred years ago is that they lived in an ‘enchanted’ world and we do not.”
the famed German sociologist Max Weber… So the gods eliminated by rationalization return in a different form to rule over us. In the political sphere, Weber describes how nation-states employ rationalized violence to protect borders, pushing religious scruples—like the pacifism of the Sermon on the Mount—into the private sphere of values. But war then out-religions religion, creating a new form of devotion to the nation-state. War, Weber writes, “makes for an unconditionally devoted and sacrificial community among the combatants and releases an active mass compassion and love for those who are in need…. In general, religions can show comparable achievements only in heroic communities professing an ethic of brotherliness.” Weber goes on to argue that the state does a better job than religion at giving meaning to death. In the economic sphere, Weber describes capitalism as the height of rationalization, precisely in its depersonalization of transactions. Money is “the most abstract and ‘impersonal’ element that exists in human life.” Weber adds, “For this reason one speaks of the rule of ‘capital’ and not that of capitalists.” Making money is no longer just a means to serve the life of people: “Man is dominated by the making of money, by acquisition as the ultimate purpose of his life.” In short, we continue to serve gods every bit as transcendent and irrational as the gods of old. The holy has not disappeared but migrated from the church to the state and the market5
Don Schwager quotes “The cycle of bitterness broken by forbearance,” by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Let us, then, his servants, follow our Lord and patiently submit to denunciations that we may be blessed! If, with slight forbearance, I hear some bitter or evil remark directed against me, I may return it, and then I shall inevitably become bitter myself. Either that, or I shall be tormented by unexpressed resentment. If I retaliate when cursed, how shall I be found to have followed the teaching of our Lord? For his saying has been handed down that one is defiled not by unclean dishes but by the words which proceed from his mouth ( Mark 7:15)." (excerpt from ON PATIENCE 8)
[Tertullian (160-225 AD) was an early Christian writer and theologian from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was a noted early Christian apologist who defended Christianity and the practice of Christians against the reproaches of the pagans. He promoted the principle of freedom of religion as an inalienable human right and demanded a fair trial for Christians before they were condemned to death.]6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 7:14-23 asks how many times a day do we find ourselves doing, saying, or thinking something we know isn’t quite right? But if we spend all our time exercising our willpower to fight sin, we’re going to get pretty exhausted! Not only that, but we’ll begin to reduce the Christian life to a matter of saying and doing the right things. We’ll lose sight of the purpose of all these commandments—to help us enjoy God’s love and peace. So instead of just saying no, we need to actively say yes: yes to virtue, and yes to God’s grace.
Suppose you are impatient and easily agitated when you have to wait for someone. Obviously, you want to try and be more patient. But don’t just make a vague resolution. Pick some concrete ways that will help you grow in patience.
For example, when you find yourself beginning to lose your patience, try praying a Hail Mary for whoever is holding you up. Ask the Blessed Mother to bless that person and to help you react more calmly and peacefully.
You may not see immediate results, but that’s okay. Change takes time, and God’s mercy is always available to you. He knows you are trying, and he is pleased with your efforts. Little by little, with his grace, you will start to see changes.7
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the things a wise king, like Solomon, would know included magic. Hebrew Testament discussion of Wisdom is understood by Christians as Jesus, incarnate as Wisdom. Friar Jude reminds us that conversion of our thoughts and motivations changes our attitude to living for others and not for ourselves.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects that settler colonial—and primarily Christian—countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa tried to destroy or at least seriously marginalize indigenous cultures. This now seems undeniable. Yet indigenous people and their practices persist, opening body and heart to deep wisdom. Today’s meditation introduces Steven Charleston, an elder of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Episcopal bishop. His way of knowing God and the Gospel reflect both his Christian and Choctaw heritage and his contemplative practice.
When I have attempted to explain this experience to others I have often laughed at myself because the voice I hear sounds as if it is speaking to a small child. I do not receive long and elaborate messages from God, probably because God is not sure I could understand them. Instead, I get the brief, direct words needed by a prophet with a short attention span. One of my images of God is that of Grandmother, the wise old Native woman with gray hair and eyes as ancient as the Earth. She takes my face gently in her hands and holds me in Her gaze as She tells me what She thinks I need to know, forming the words slowly so I can remember them and let them sink in.
I embrace this feminine image in the same way Hebrew tradition refers to the voice of God as the bat kol, the daughter of the voice. It is that mysterious presence that comes from some source beyond, a communication that defies our ability to categorize. Therefore, like the theologians of ancient Israel, I give the voice a female personification because I experience it in that way.8
We need wisdom today, that includes the mystical universe, and broadens our definition of reality to include our relationship in body, mind and spirit with God transcendent and immanent.
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