Word to the Wise
Friday, February 29, 2008 - Friday in the Third Week of Lent
[Hosea 14:2-10 and Mark 12:28-34]And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
I wonder if Jesus made that reply with a smile. The scribe had to have been standing right in front of Jesus. So, quite literally, he was not far from the Kingdom of God! However, it is the scribe's understanding that brings about the reply. Many of the scribes we encounter in the gospel know the law and all its minutiae (613 precepts plus schools of interpretation) but Jesus often criticizes them for being more concerned for the trees than for the forest. This scribe shows that he understands the spirit and essence of the law of Moses which is the foundation of everything Jesus was preaching - namely, love of God and neighbor. No wonder Jesus was impressed. There is such a thing as a "hierarchy of values" and this scribe showed he understood which values were more important. It has been my experience that we Catholics can lose sight of the hierarchy of values. At one time, we were taught certain disciplinary rules (fasting from midnight, fish on friday) as if a violation of them would be as evil as murder! The purpose of a law should be clearly understood and the law obeyed intelligently and not just because it is a law. I sometimes will ask a penitent who has come in with a long list of offenses which one of those bothers him or her the most, and why? This helps me to know the state of the person's conscience. If someone considers missing Mass on Sunday to be a worse offense than adultery, there's some education to be done! In short, we don't want to lose sight of the Kingdom of God standing right in front of us because we're worried about where or how we're standing! AMEN
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