The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess how our understanding of the Law impacts our relationship with God and our neighbours.
Sheep and Children
The reading from the Book of Leviticus describes Commandments for ritual and moral Holiness.
* [19:17–18] These verses form a unit and describe different attitudes and actions towards one’s fellow Israelites. A separate passage is necessary to advise a similar attitude toward aliens (vv. 33–34). Cf. 25:39–46. The admonition at the end of v. 18 came to be viewed in Judaism and Christianity as one of the central commandments. (See Mt 22:34–40; Mk 12:28–34; Lk 10:25–28; cf. Mt 19:19; Rom 13:8–10; Gal 5:14). The New Testament urges love for enemies as well as neighbors (Mt 5:43–48; Lk 6:27–36; cf. Prv 25:21–22).1
Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem.2
The Gospel of Matthew sorts people into sheep and goats at the Judgement of the Nations.
* [25:31–46] The conclusion of the discourse, which is peculiar to Matthew, portrays the final judgment that will accompany the parousia. Although often called a “parable,” it is not really such, for the only parabolic elements are the depiction of the Son of Man as a shepherd and of the righteous and the wicked as sheep and goats respectively (Mt 25:32–33). The criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that have been done for the least of Jesus’ brothers (Mt 25:40). A difficult and important question is the identification of these least brothers. Are they all people who have suffered hunger, thirst, etc. (Mt 25:35, 36) or a particular group of such sufferers? Scholars are divided in their response and arguments can be made for either side. But leaving aside the problem of what the traditional material that Matthew edited may have meant, it seems that a stronger case can be made for the view that in the evangelist’s sense the sufferers are Christians, probably Christian missionaries whose sufferings were brought upon them by their preaching of the gospel. The criterion of judgment for all the nations is their treatment of those who have borne to the world the message of Jesus, and this means ultimately their acceptance or rejection of Jesus himself; cf. Mt 10:40, “Whoever receives you, receives me.” See note on Mt 16:27.3
Edward Morse asks that when the sheep stood before the holy and spotless One, is it possible that they recognized a lifetime of shortcomings in this requirement for imitating God? They received grace and mercy; their sins were forgiven and their righteous deeds that reflected charity and mercy toward others were rewarded. As for the goats, is it possible that they were so self-satisfied that they could not grasp their own need for grace and mercy? Did that condition somehow contribute to the absence of charity during their lifetime?
It is difficult to assess these mysteries buried deeply within the final judgment. Certainty is hard to come by, as we are not the final judges! But caution is in order if we are to avoid the fate of the goats. We should consider as best we can how to imitate the sheep. When judgment is necessary, we must remain cognizant of our limitations, including our imperfect knowledge and subtle work of extraneous forces upon us. Let us ask the Lord to temper our judgment with wisdom and charity for all. And let us also ask the Lord to help us imitate the sheep, not only in their good works but also in a disposition of humility that recognizes our need for mercy – a need which we share with all of our fellow creatures. Thanks be to God, who offers that mercy to us through his Son. Amen.4
Don Schwager quotes “Gathering and Separating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.
"And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." So then, people on earth are intermingled, and not only intermingled in that the righteous live side by side with the wicked, but they are also indistinguishable. Between the righteous and the wicked there is no apparent difference. Even as in wintertime you cannot tell the healthy trees apart from the withered trees but in beautiful springtime you can tell the difference, so too each person according to his faith and his works will be exposed. The wicked will not have any leaves or show any fruit, but the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul. The sheep signify righteous people by reason of their gentleness, because they harm no one, and by reason of their patience, because when they are harmed by others, they bear it without resistance. He refers to sinners as goats, however, because these vices characterize goats - capriciousness toward other animals, pride and belligerence." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 54, the Greek fathers).5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 comments that the command—to be holy as God is holy—sounds impossible, and therefore a little frightening? We know that God is holy; we repeat it three times at every Mass when we pray, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.” And somehow we are supposed to be holy as he is? It does give us pause.
God has made you unique so that you can manifest his holiness as no one else can. So trust him when he tells you to be holy. Trust that as you cooperate with him, he will show you, day by day, how to grow in his love. Trust him to give you all that you need—wisdom, vision, strength, and energy. As you go through your day, keep opening your heart to the One who is the source of all life and holiness. And don’t be afraid—holiness is not impossible! “Father, thank you for inviting me to be holy. Show me how I can respond to that call today.”6
Friar Jude Winkler observes that the Commandments cited today from Leviticus give us guidelines on how to serve the Lord and our neighbour. Freedom is often experienced when children of over permissive parents relax in the home of grandparents who have more concrete rules. The sheep make much less impact on fields and water ways than goats. Friar Jude reminds us that in the Gospel of Matthew, righteousness is defined as compassion.
The actions of the “sheep” in Matthew 25, feeding, clothing, caring for feelings of separation, and attending to sickness are repeated daily by parents as they love their children.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on examples of individuals who were inspired by the “Jesus movement” to transform the “machines and monuments'' in their lives.
Francis of Assisi offers us a model of transformation because he did not attack the monuments or machines directly but went out to the edge and did it better. For his inspiration, Francis went back to the original dynamism and nonviolent style of Jesus the man. Assisi is surrounded by city walls. Inside those walls are the cathedral and the established churches, all of which are good. That’s where Francis first heard the gospel and fell in love with Jesus. But then he quietly went outside the walls and rebuilt some old ruins called San Damiano and the Portiuncula. He wasn’t telling the others they were doing it wrong. He just gently and lovingly tried to do it better. I think that’s true reconstruction. Remember, the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. That might be a perfect motto for all reconstructive work. It does not destroy machines or monuments but reinvigorates them with new energy and form.7
The Spirit prompts us to have compassion and a loving response to the needs of others on our journey as we accept transformation of our lives as sheep.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment