Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 367

Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.

Today’s teaching from the Gospel of Saint Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount illustrates one of the great paradoxes of our Christian faith. Each of us must set out on the road to personal salvation, like Christian in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress; and yet none of us can be saved alone. Or, to put it in more current phrases, I must identify myself and my individuality; but I must also lose myself in the community. Or, I must recognize and honor my unique identity (haeceity) and, at the same time, recognize my interdependence with and upon others.

This paradox has been a flash point of recent history. Communist ideology would suppress the individual with his talents, insights and personal experience to serve the needs of the “masses.” Democratic states, on the other hand, insist upon the individual rights and freedoms of every person, especially the right to be left alone. But neither ideology can ever ignore its antithesis. In the United States libertarians represent the extreme of personal freedom; they are so far right they’re left. Conservatives and liberals  generally quarrel about both sides of every issue. Is the abortion controversy about the unborn’s right to life or a woman’s right to privacy? Is ubiquitous surveillance of phone calls, emails, Facebook and credit cards a violation of personal privacy or an assertion of the public’s right to security?

The Christian faith is no stranger to paradox: We believe in one God who is Trinitarian. We believe in Jesus Christ who is fully human and entirely divine. We believe Jesus’ mother is the Mother of God. We believe there is no salvation outside of the Church, and yet not everyone must be Catholic or Christian to be saved. We believe the Eucharist is Jesus Christ, although it still has all the accidental appearances of bread and win. And so forth. If anyone has compiled a list of all Christian paradoxes, it is (paradoxically) incomplete.

In today’s gospel, which is also proclaimed on Ash Wednesday, Jesus teaches us the necessity of acting for oneself in righteous deeds, prayer and fasting.  It is not sufficient to belong to the Church; one must also cultivate behind closed doors a “personal relationship” with God. No matter how well others think of me, I cannot be saved if the Lord doesn’t know who I am. As Thomas Merton said, “The Lord cannot save one who does not exist!” One’s reputation is only an idea shared by many. It has no reality in itself.

Finally, the Christian is one who is comfortable with paradox. This One enjoys private and public prayer, but suffers through long, boring sermons and desolate wastelands of personal prayer. This One gives generously to worthy causes and also sets the example for others. This One consumes no more than is necessary to sustain life, but also enjoys wedding feasts and banquets with sinners.

On this Juneteenth, thank God for the freedom to live in service to others.