Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - Wednesday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 2:1-11 and Luke 11:42-46]Yes, affliction and distress will come upon everyone who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God. [Romans] "Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others.......Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them." [Luke]
The strong language of judgment characterizes both scriptures assigned for today's Mass. St. Paul criticizes both Jew and Greek for their failure to give God the recognition God deserves as creator of all things and instead embrace cultural religious practices. He warns the Jewish community not to think they are superior to the Gentiles (Greeks) and free of God's judgment! "There is no partiality with God." The "finger-pointing" that often goes with religious pride is out of line. God alone judges according to one's deeds. In our own time, notions of "exceptionalism" creep into our cultural consciousness and we may think "God is on OUR side." St. Paul's words should give us something to think about in that regard. Our own secular culture stands challenged here.
Jesus' strong words in today's gospel passage are actually delivered at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee! When the Pharisee reacts to Jesus not scrubbing before eating, Jesus takes him and all the Pharisees and scribes (scholars of the law) to task for their attitudes and behavior. In Jesus' time, the Pharisees and scribes formed a kind of "lay elite" that took pride in punctilious observance of all details of the Mosaic Law, but found ways to avoid it while imposing it on others. This attitude can be found in our own church when clerics and laity alike insist on observances that are oppressive and hyper-righteous, wielding the Catechism and the Code of Canon Law like weapons of judgment. Both Jesus and St. Paul today are serving as "prophets of challenge" to any superior or elitist thinking or behavior. God's judgment and mercy are the same for all. AMEN