First Reading: Deut 4:1-2, 6-8
Second Reading: Jas 1:17-18, 21-22, 27
Dear friends, we are in the twenty-second
Sunday of Ordinary Time. In this era, the one thing which most of us find
difficult to keep in our life is rules and regulations of our place; be it
religious, secular or institutional. In general, we show some kind of dislike
in keeping them. One even gets delighted when s/he systematically avoids
keeping up the laws. Yes, the systematic violators of the law of religion,
country, institution, community and so forth are lauded as great people.
Today’s readings are addressed to those kinds of people. The laws are made in
view of common good and to facilitate well-functioning of the establishment.
The laws are born out of experience and history. As the centuries pass by, laws
get better clarity and get upgraded. For instance, the democratic constitutions
of various countries of today are much better than laws once humans had
followed in previous centuries under different form of governance. Astonishingly,
the laws which the ancient Israelites followed are much better than laws of any
of today’s establishments. It is something illogical to infer. How can a
population that is in slavery to massive power Egypt could formulate a law that
resonate the spirit of today’s democracy? It is highly impossible for an
uneducated and uncivilized group to possess a law that would ensure justice for
all kinds of people. Yet, the ancient Israelites had such dignified laws. Those
laws are not product of their intelligence and critical analysis. They are
sheer gift from the Lord God. And so, they are not dignified laws, rather divinified
laws to uplift the deplored humanity, represented by then Israelites.
In the first reading, Moses
instructs the Israelites to faithfully follow the commandments of the Lord God
in the land they are going to occupy across river Jordan (Deut 4:1). The Lord
God is not interested in protecting them in the new land with some
establishments as such monarchical system. Of course, in future the Israelites
themselves would demand to have monarchy (1 Sam 8:5-7). But in the beginning
the Lord God intended to show the world Israelites as the best nation in view
of their morality and wisdom. Thus, He empowers their moral life with high
ethical code. It is a gratuitous gift from the Lord God to Israelites. Can we
imagine a nation that is once under slavery could very soon form dignified laws
that resemble today’s democratic spirit that too without a system! In an era, when
power, greatness and wealth were conceived in terms of political control and
military valour, there is a nation which exhibits all those qualities (powers) in
terms of moral living and wise thinking. There is a nation which excels in
morality and human values in distinction that too without any official
government structure. This causes astonishment to other nations that struggle
to maintain law and order with mighty powerful structures. Yes, the Lord decided
to show the world that the real power, greatness and wealth consists not in material
affluence but in moral and upright living that is guided by wisdom. Israelites
were the instrument for this cause. The downfall of Israelites began with the
establishment of monarchy, avoiding the kingship of the Lord God (1 Sam 8:7). Slowly,
the commandments of the Lord were replaced by human traditions and
admonishments. This led to the depletion of dignified humanity in Israelites.
In the Gospel Jesus denounces
the Jewish leaders for their faithfulness in keeping the tradition and neglecting
the commandments of God. The Pharisees and Scribes question the impure acts of
the disciples of Jesus which are related to material purity. But they never
worried about people who violate internal purity. As leaders of the Jewish community,
they ought to confront and correct people who are not keeping the commandments
of the Lord. Did they do that? No, they only catch people who defile external
purity such as washing of hands and dishes (Mk 7:2-5). Jesus would have been happy
if they were to catch His disciples for not keeping the commandments of the
Lord. They did not do that, rather they had no courage and interest in doing
so. In this way the dignified humanity was not found among them. The community or
nation which God intended to excel in dignity by keeping up the divinified laws
was deteriorating. Today too when we replace God’s commandments at the pretext of
common good, we are acting like those pharisees and scribes. We are replacing
human folly for God’s wisdom. In the history, the systematic violators of the
law are lauded while they are on earth. But the faithful followers of the law
are deified for centuries after their demise. Thus, the real dignity of our life
consists in keeping the laws. The upliftment of humanity lies in following God’s
law without any excuse. Pope Benedict XVI would say, “The world offers you
comfort. you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” That greatness
is achieved in living a good moral life that is assisted by divine wisdom. May
the divine laws help us to dignify our lives that is deplored by worldly views.
Comments
Post a Comment