Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
The Church is always holy, always sinful and always repenting. Today’s gospel reminds us there are wolves in sheep’s clothing among us. They have been there since Judas Iscariot joined the group of twelve. They persisted during the earliest days of the church as a nuisance to disciples and a headache to apostles. All of the New Testament authors were well aware of criminals among us. Saint John would explain,
… now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
Recently, the church has suffered what many consider a scandal equal to the Avignon Papacy and the Great Western Schism. We are horrified to discover heinous crimes within our own rectories, sacristies and religious houses. We hope this trial will be a purgation of the Church, and that it will force us to follow our Penitent Shepherd more closely.
Today’s first reading also reminds us of the continual need for reform. Second Kings describes a reformation of Jerusalem’s temple worship. It seems the Torah (the core of the Old Testament) had been lost amid the many reconstructions of the temple. The old building was riddled with lost and secret passageways like the Parisian opera house in Phantom of the Opera.
And the religion too, like many an old building, had lost its original purpose. The holy city had long been home to foreign dignitaries and merchants with peculiar gods and strange beliefs. Each one came with a retinue of wives, slaves, children and hangers-on. The official religion of the city was tainted by popular notions that spoke in the current idioms and relevant ideas of a melting pot culture.
When the dusty tome was presented to the boy King Josiah, he read it with wonder and horror; he realized how far their religious practice had strayed from its Yahwist foundations. Immediately Josiah called for sweeping reforms of the rites, prayers and practices of the Jewish faith. He went so far as to gather the people and renew the covenant of Moses by reading the ordinances, statutes and decrees of God’s law, And all the people stood as participants in the covenant. And God blessed his efforts.
If only there were a fool-proof way to prevent our wandering.. We renew the covenant every day, every week and every year; we do that by our daily prayers, Sunday masses and Easter cycles. But there is something about the human spirit that refuses to be nailed to the cross of fidelity by oaths, vows, or promises. Despite our best intentions we can live only one day at a time, and every day we must decide again.
We might despair of our good intentions except that God is faithful. He comes for us again and again. He does not leave us orphans; he does not abandon us to our foolishness. It is God’s own spirit that gathers us and moves us to say, “Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
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.