Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 10, 2007 - Thursday in the Fifth Week of Easter
[Acts 15:7-21 and John 15:9-11]Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.
The speaker in this instance is St. Peter. The situation is the "Council of Jerusalem" in which the issue was raised about what should be required of Gentile converts to Christianity, who had no experience of the Mosaic Law. The "yoke" is a reference to that law and its burden. Remember Jesus' comment that HIS yoke is easy and his burden light? The solution in this instance was revolutionary because what the "council" did NOT require was circumcision which was truly the mark of the Jews. The only requirements had to do with idolatry, incest, and blood! The statement of Peter indicates a principal tenet of Jesus' teaching: the observance of the law is not what saves. It is faith. All that being said, we are still left with the question of distinct ways of expressing faith that are important to a particular faith community and the status of those observances. Are we placing obstacles in the way of faith by insisting on certain things? Peter expresses it" "Why, then, are you putting God to the test?" This requires a constant discernment. When I made my First Communion the church still required fasting from food OR drink (including water) from midnight! Now the rule is an hour and water/medication is not included. Further, local bishops' conferences can change that rule for good reason. I occasionally hear folks say that the Catholic Church has lost a lot of its distinctive qualities that distinguished it from other Christian denominations. That may be true, but one must be careful about embracing observances that have long lost their reason and have become simply oddities or eccentricities that have little to do with faith. Jesus lashed out at the scribes and Pharisees for teaching as divine law, mere human precepts. Our church has an abundance of popular religious observances that vary widely from culture to culture. But the sacraments are the same, and their simplicity of ritual reflects a desire not to complicate them with current cultural fads (ask any pastor about special requests for weddings!). On the other hand, the church itself can place obstacles to faith in the form of rules that are conveniences rather than matters of faith. The whole thing is fraught with emotional and cultural challenges. Respect for tradition should not exclude common sense, and especially it should not exclude good faith. AMEN
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