Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 76

I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

As I waited to escape a crowded parking lot I had to watch a perplexed driver remove an obstructing, enormous SUV from the roadway. This perplexed driver (henceforth known as PD – I will not identify the gender) was clearly unaware of the dimensions of said vehicle. Was it too close to another parked car? Was there room to navigate? Where are my fenders and bumpers?

I kid you not! PD got out of the car at least six times before moving it six inches each time, when there was still plenty of room for maneuvering. I should have gotten out of my own vehicle and coached PD but I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Surely PD knows there is more room to back; but no, “Let’s get out and check again -- and again -- and again.”

Managing difficult or challenging circumstances is like parking a car in a crowded parking lot. “Where exactly are my boundaries, my bumpers and fenders? Am I close enough or too close?” Athletic teams have coaches because the players do not know their own capabilities.

It’s not easy to know yourself from within yourself.

God knows of what we are capable. That should be obvious since God created us in God’s own image and likeness. Male and female God created us. We are capable of divine activities – if we only believed it.

In today’s gospel Jesus surprises us with our capabilities:

• “…go first and be reconciled with your brother.” In this context reconciliation is the alternative to murder. They seem polar opposites, light years apart, but they are actually very close. Can I be reconciled with someone I wish did not exist?

Jesus’ instruction doesn’t begin with that question because he knows it doesn’t have to come to that. His scenario begins with your approaching the altar and there remembering your brother has something against you. Well, for Pete’s sake, go and be reconciled with your brother first! Your sacrifice can wait. Go! Go! Don’t hesitate, just do it!

There are skills involved. Reconciliation takes practice and it’s good to have experience. Sometimes we need a little coaching. When I was in a leadership position one of the staff told me of her conflict with another member. She was paralyzed with fear of his gruff exterior. I told her, “He’s a puppy dog! Go talk to him!” It took a while but she finally went to him. They became best of friends! It was almost comical how she loved the balding old chihuahua.

How much of this world’s conflict would be avoided if we only took that initial step of going to be reconciled? The Coach knows.

• “You have heard that it was said, / You shall not commit adultery. / But I say to you, / everyone who looks at a woman with lust / has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Sometime after World War II pornography went main stream. Looking with lust became socially acceptable, a harmless entertainment. When some people objected they were challenged, “Scientifically prove that it’s harmful.” The spiritual link between lust and sexual violence could not be demonstrated and so it’s supposed to be harmless.

Is pornography harmful? Given the lack of “scientific proof,” one can as easily conclude that it is. My experience is definitive for me. Pornography scalds the imagination and one’s ability to see others as God sees them. Rather than seeing brothers or sisters, the afflicted see objects of desire or disgust. Even animals are distorted through the vision of lust.

Healing after exposure to pornography requires very deliberate prayer and meditation. I find it helpful to gaze upon images of Christ Crucified and his Most Blessed Mother. This gazing can eventually cover over and erase the undesirable images.

• Finally, the Coach says, “Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.” 

I have found that it’s better not to swear. In fact, it’s better to say something only once, without a whole lot of emphasis or exaggeration, and certainly without claiming the endorsement of a third party – God or someone else.

If the truth of what I say is not obvious to my interlocutor, perhaps its time has not yet come. There’s no point in getting upset about it. When the disciple is ready, the teacher will appear. Perhaps someone else will say it and be given credit for it. I don’t need to invest myself in any particular idea or insight. I don’t own ideas.

God knows we are capable of living by these and all his teachings. Jesus has set about proving that to us. God’s ways are reasonable, beautiful and desirable if only we open our hearts to the Spirit that is willing. "With God all things are possible."