The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our religious practices and seek the guidance of the Spirit for the path correction we may need.
The reading from Second Thessalonians advises awareness of The Man of Lawlessness
* [2:15] Reference to an oral statement and a letter (2 Thes 2:2) and the content here, including a formula of conclusion (cf. 1 Cor 16:13; Gal 5:1), suggest that 2 Thes 2:1–15 or even 2 Thes 2:1–17 are to be taken as a literary unit, notwithstanding the incidental thanksgiving formula in 2 Thes 2:13. (2 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 96 offers Praise to God Who Comes in Judgement.
* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. (Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
* [23:24] Cf. Lv 11:41–45 that forbids the eating of any “swarming creature.” The Pharisees’ scrupulosity about minor matters and neglect of greater ones (Mt 23:23) is further brought out by this contrast between straining liquids that might contain a tiny “swarming creature” and yet swallowing the camel. The latter was one of the unclean animals forbidden by the law (Lv 11:4), but it is hardly possible that the scribes and Pharisees are being denounced as guilty of so gross a violation of the food laws. To swallow the camel is only a hyperbolic way of speaking of their neglect of what is important.
* [23:25–26] The ritual washing of utensils for dining (cf. Mk 7:4) is turned into a metaphor illustrating a concern for appearances while inner purity is ignored. The scribes and Pharisees are compared to cups carefully washed on the outside but filthy within. Self-indulgence: the Greek word here translated means lack of self-control, whether in drinking or in sexual conduct. (Matthew, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB, n.d.)
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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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 23:23-26 comments that sometimes we need cleaning up on the inside as well. We may exert all our energy in doing godly things, but we do them with the wrong attitude or disposition.
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!
You can be clean both on the inside and outside. Turn to Jesus and trust that he can—and will—change your heart to become more like his.
“Father, give me a heart like Jesus, filled with love and mercy!” (Meditation on Matthew 23:23-26, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the author of 2 Thessalonians writes in Paul’s name not to believe rumours about the end of the world that may take some time to come and we are called to live as witnesses to Christ. Friar Jude reminds us of the hypocrisy of over scrupulous attention to the details that are not indicative of a change of heart.
Brian McLaren describes how Jesus often provoked disruption to move people beyond the status quo. McLaren invites us to trust the Spirit’s call to keep moving.
This disruptive revolution, this liberation, this great spiritual migration begins with each of us presenting ourselves, with all of our doubts and imperfections, all of our failures, fears, and flaws, to the Spirit…. You. Me. Everyone. No exceptions.
“The moving ever shall stay,” [twelfth-century Hindu mystic and poet] Basava said. [2] Those words contradict so much of our inherited religious sensibility. “Stay the same. Don’t move. Hold on. Survival depends on resistance to change,” we were told again and again. “Foment change. Keep moving. Evolve. Survival depends on mobility,” the Spirit persistently says. That prompting tells us that the migration we seek is not merely from one static location to another. It is, rather, from one static location to a journey of endless growth.
If you want to see the future of Christianity … don’t look at a church building. Go look in the mirror and look at your neighbor. God’s message of love is sent into the world in human envelopes. If you want to see a great spiritual migration begin, then let it start right in your body. Let your life be a foothold of liberation. (McLaren, n.d.)
We are aware of forces that attempt to distort our understanding of how we serve as followers of Christ and we invoke the Spirit to illuminate the path we need to choose for our transformation.
References
Matthew, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/23?
McLaren, B. (n.d.). Positive Disruption. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/positive-disruption/
Meditation on Matthew 23:23-26. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/27/1061394/
Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?10
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug27
2 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2thessalonians/2?1
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