Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 312

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

For freedom Christ set us free!" Saint Paul declared in his Letter to the Galatians; and every age struggles to understand what that might mean. 

That understanding certainly must include the authority Jesus gives his disciples to decide for themselves in every situation. We want to know and do the right thing but every situation is unique. There are precedents, of course. Should we deal with this problem today as we dealt with a similar one yesterday? Will yesterday's answer be right today? We may feel confident but we cannot have absolute certainty. Nothing in life is certain. 

Saint Paul's declaration of independence lends itself to reflection on today's teaching about the Son of Man and the Lord of the Sabbath. We have known the latter as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and we recognize his authority:

"I am the LORD, there is no other,
there is no God besides me."  (Is 45:6)

With the revelations of the Christian centuries, we profess that God has taken on human life, and we announce that a son of man is the Son of God. 

Here we are twenty centuries later facing the certain coming of "artificial intelligence." Something which has been made by "man," and has already invaded the consciousness of many young people. But AI has no conscience, ethics, or morals. It's only as useful as its data, and we have long ago lost control of its information and misinformation. We don't know what it "thinks." 

Because it lacks a conscience. it speaks with conviction. It does not suffer the doubt "that makes calamity of so long a life." And it may shorten many lives. 

In the face of this invasion, I believe that the Son of Man and the Spirit of God teach us the courage it takes to be human, 

"If I am not taking risks, I am not doing my job." 

AI knows nothing of taking risks. It may, like its creators, be filled with misinformation and informed by lies, but it knows nothing of the faith which has learned by meeting and trusting God. 

Saint Paul never heard of artificial intelligence, but he knew about something quite similar: the "power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient." He insisted that,  

...our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.

Is the world better off for having artificial intelligence? Or worse? I don't think it changes a thing. So long as we're human we will deal with powers and authorities who are wise and stupid, wicked and righteous; and we will rely on God to guide us in all our affairs. 

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.