Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
Saint Jerome, early in the fifth century, insisted that ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Jesus. They might attend a Christian church and mouth Christian words but their prayers are empty if they do not echo the Church which was born from a Jewish Messiah's wounds on the cross, and preexisted in the descendants of Abraham.
That ignorance is more than foolish; it poisons the minds of youth and threatens the world with endless violence. We recognize it in virulent antisemitism, which has once again appeared in the United States.
The story of Eleazar, a Jewish martyr found in the Book of Maccabees, prefigures the courage and gentleness of Jesus. Both men, though one was a youth and the other advanced in age, proved their love of God by their suffering and death. They set a pattern which the Church keeps and honors in this new age of martyrdom.
Eleazar speaks to an aging congregation of Catholics in the United States. He reminds us that we must demonstrate our faith openly and courageously to young people. Remembering the formative presence of the Church in the United States, we must continually demonstrate our faith. People should see in us what God's people look like and how they behave in the face of ignorance, arrogance, and the threat of violence. We are not permitted to withdraw to our private prayers and ignore what is happening all around us.
The elderly appreciate the complexity of life and the challenge of freedom. Burdened as we are with choices we cannot ignore, we take responsibility for our political preferences, our elected officials, and the laws they enact. Not to vote may be more reprehensible than voting ideologically.
We must be Catholic. It should be apparent in our routines, travels, private interactions, and conversation. And like Eleazar, there are some boundaries we will not violate, and some laws we will not obey. We do not claim to know the mind of God; we leave that speculation to fools and atheists. Rather we live by the ethical and moral laws the Son of God has given us for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.