Word to the Wise
Monday, November 16, 2009 - Monday in the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 and Luke 18:35-43]In those days there appeared in Israel men who were breakers of the law, and they seduced many people, saying: "Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us, since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us." The proposal was agreeable; some from among the people promptly went to the king, and he authorized them to introduce the way of living of the Gentiles......But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. (1 Maccabees)
Many of us grow up learning about the Greek and Roman empires and their cultural contributions to the "Western" way of living and thinking! We are shown pictures of ruined temples in Athens and Rome. We read about Alexander, Plato, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Cicero, etc. and perhaps we read The Iliad and The Odyssey or stories of the polytheistic heroes and heroines of those civilizations. There is no question that our own way of living in this country has been influenced by these ancient civilizations. We only have to look at the architecture of some of the monuments in Washington, DC! Our "secular" or "civil" religion has borrowed heavily from them. This may help us a bit to understand the story of the Maccabean revolt which the first scripture for today involves. When Alexander the Great died, his generals divided up his empire and one of them got the Middle East. Eventually one his descendants, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, decided to introduce Greek cultural practices in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. This included the polytheistic religion, dietary practices, entertainment, etc. that were part and parcel of Greek culture - all of which were forbidden in the Torah. There was no question that these practices were attractive to many, but an abomination to faithful Jews! Resistance to this led to the Maccabean revolt and the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty which itself became the subject of a revolt and which invited the Romans to come in! I mention all of this because I see a parallel in our own times with the process that underlay all this history. Our "civil religion," which we often clothe with the word, "patriotism," is highly attractive, but it comes with a price that can include elective abortion, military adventures, consumerism, economic policies that leave many without the necessities of life, etc.. Early Christians suffered considerably under the secular rule of the Romans. It is debatable whether Constantine did the church a favor by making Christianity a state religion! This brought an end to official persecution but it also introduced Christianity to many "seductive" practices. Our faith is not dependent on any cultural or civil secular heritage. The ruins of the the Greco-Roman buildings should be a warning to us. We have to stand firm against any government that introduces practices contrary to our faith. This faith will endure long after the White House, Capitol, and Supreme Court building become dusty ruins from the past. AMEN
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