Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 31, 2021 - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Deut 6:2-6; Heb 7:23-28; Mark 12:28b-34]One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" [Mark]
The "law of Moses: - the first five "books" of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch or Torah) - contained 613 precepts! If one goes to the Book of Leviticus, for example, one will find almost every aspect of life addressed. Since the ability to read and write was limited to a very small percentage of the population in Jesus' time, the scribes and Pharisees had a great amount of influence. The scribes could read and write and were considered "experts" in knowing what the law said. The Pharisees were known more for their observance of the law as they understood it. In the scene in today's gospel, it is one of the scribes who approached Jesus with a question that was commonly debated amongst them. How does one humanly prioritize one's observance when all 613 precepts are believed to come from God? Jesus answers with two of them: love of God and love of neighbor. He quotes from Deuteronomy for the first, and Leviticus (19:18) for the second. The scribe agrees, which leads Jesus to say to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God!"
In my own pastoral experience, I have encountered many folks who get lost in the labyrinthine corridors of church regulations, whether these be in canon law or other rules handed down from church authority. The whole world of "casuistry" (applying law to given situations) is built around this. (I call it, "Looking for loopholes!") It is easy to lose a healthy perspective. Jesus provides the perspective. The two most important commandments provide the necessary "filter" to determine whether or not a given law-rule-regulation-custom is binding in a given situation. A glance at liturgical rules in the period just before the Second Vatican Council could provide a good example of the problem!! (Is it any better now? Hmmmm!) While I sympathize with the scribe today, I note that the Code of Canon Law contains more than 2400 precepts and the Catechism of the Catholic Church an equally large number!! Again, Jesus provides the needed perspective. Can we "get it?" AMEN