The Do'en Kind of Religion

Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Saturday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time


Reflection:

See what happens when Ezekiel finally lets the people of Israel know that they are the chosen people? The Scribes and the Pharisees, religious leaders of the people, start to get big heads. We have all heard the saying; “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is what has taken place over time within the Hebrew community. The leaders have come to view themselves as the font of knowledge relative to their faith. They have refined the rules and the celebrations and interpreted the Law and the Prophets (Torah and Talmud), placing intricate requirements for worship and sacrifice on the faithful.

This is what Jesus was warning us against in the Gospel. Can you imagine how popular our Lord is becoming among the religions leadership? Not only is he calling them out in their failure to practice the Law they preach, but he is pointing at the way they have taken symbols of their faith and exaggerated them; “They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels”. (Phylacteries: the Mosaic law required that during prayer small boxes containing parchments on which verses of scripture were written be worn on the left forearm and the forehead. Tassel: possibly "fringe." The Mosaic law prescribed that tassels be worn on the corners of one's garment as a reminder to keep the commandments.)

Jesus starts his harangue against the Scribes and Pharisees with the injunction to the people that they should follow the Law, even though it was imposed upon them by hypocrites. This is important because, those of us who attempt to lead others in faith, whether it is a family or a congregation, are constantly falling short in our own practice of the faith. All we need to do is think about the Great Commandment that we heard yesterday and we realize that we too can fall into the trap of not practicing what we preach.

I am reminded of a discussion last night at a CFM (Christian Family Movement) meeting. One of our group was very upset because of something he heard on an apologetics radio program. It seems that a caller had explained to the Priest who was fielding questions that he had recently converted to Catholicism and was married. He told the Priest that he had an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) and asked what he should do about having sexual relations with his wife.

What upset my friend was the Priest came back and said that condoms were not an option in the caller’s circumstance. In essence, my friend from CFM was upset because he thought the Priest in this case was, as Christ put it, “…tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.” Through the discussion we agreed that many times, in a public forum, the Church’s teaching must be clear and not watered down. However, a more pastoral tone may have been needed in private to come to grips with a personal tragedy. Still, we need to be careful about the burdens we lay on others.

The bottom line in what Christ is telling us today is best described by a quote from one of my favorite movies, “Sergeant York” where Walter Brennen, playing the preacher, tells Gary Cooper, playing Sergeant Alvin York he needs to have the “Do’en kind of religion.” Following the Lord’s word today we need to practice what we preach and, at the risk of being too cliché, do as St. Francis tells us; “Preach the Gospel always and use words when we have to.”

Pax