Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
When couples approach the parish for marriage preparation, they have to complete a pre-nuptial inventory form. One part of the inventory concerns the couple’s “spiritual assessment.” Among the questions in this segment is the question, “How do your religious beliefs influence the way you live your daily life?” Eight out of ten couples relate ‘religion’ and ‘being religious’ with treating others right, being good to others, not harming others and similar attitudes. And they are not wrong. However, that is only one aspect of religion, is it not? Today’s gospel reading is the passage I use to make the couples’ aware that there is more to religion that ethics and morality.
In today’s gospel reading the lawyer asked Jesus the question, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22:36). In reality, he was asking what religion and being religious was all about. In response, Jesus brought two aspects of Judaism and presented them as one seamless reality: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt: 22:37-39). And then, Jesus concluded by saying, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Mt 22:40).
Coming back to marriage preparation for couples, I invite the couples to include love of God and love of neighbor seamlessly into their understanding of religion and being religious. Believe it or not, the conversation takes on the totally new meaning.
In three points, let me reflect on the meaning of true faith and religion from the perspective of the scripture reading for today’s liturgy.
- Religious People or People of Faith? “How do your religious beliefs influence the way you live your daily life?” Do you think of yourself as a religious person or a person of faith? Is there a difference? If you search the internet, there are any number of discussions on the difference between faith and religion. As I read it, the difference between religion and faith that is displayed in the gospel reading. The Pharisees, the scribes and the lawyer were religious people. But were they people of faith? From Jesus’ critique of them, at least we know that they did not have faith in Jesus. The Pharisees’ focus is on the religious aspect of law and the commandments but misses the faith dimension. Their question does not concern the meaning of the commandments or ways to live the commandments meaningfully. Their focus is on legality. On the contrary, Jesus’ focus is on the God who gave the law. His focus simultaneously is also on the human persons for whom the law is created. But there is more. Instead of the legality of the law, he focuses on the love demanded by the law. “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” (Mt 22:37), and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:39). Hence, I conclude that religion becomes faith only when love for God and love for the neighbor define our religious practices. ‘Religion’ becomes ‘faith’ when love replaces legality. Here, then, is today’s first question for reflection: are we a “religious people?” or, are we a “people of faith?”
- Practical atheism? The lawyer’s question regarding the greatest commandments was about legality. He knew the answer to his question even before he asked it. After all, he was only testing Jesus on behalf of the Pharisees. Perhaps to his amazement, Jesus gave him not one but two commandments and linked them integrally as one, by saying, “The second is like it!” The greatest commandment, Jesus said, had two equally significant dimensions: love of God and love of neighbor. More importantly, these two commandments were inseparable. To separate one from the other leads to ignoring the very meaning and purpose of “the whole law and the prophets” (Mt 22:40). Pope Francis calls such religiosity (separating love of God and love of neighbor), “practical atheism.” In his Oct 21, 2020 talk for the general audience, Pope Francis emphasized the very point that Jesus makes about the connection between love of God and love or neighbor. Pope Francis says, “That everyday atheism: I believe in God, but I keep my distance from others, and I allow myself to hate others. This is practical atheism. Not to recognize the human person as the image of God is a sacrilege, an abomination, the worst offense that can be directed toward the temple and the altar.” Jesus response to the lawyer along with Pope Francis’ reflection adds another dimension to my question in the first point: are we ‘religious people,’ ‘people of faith’, or ‘practical atheists?” Like the lawyer who posed Jesus the question, we probably already know the answer.
- Love Without Boundaries. Both as Jesus and Pope Francis assert, love of God and love of neighbor are integral to a people of faith. Are there limits and boundaries to the love of God and neighbor? Today’s first reading compels us to reflect on a very contentious topic in our nation’s political discourse – aliens or those from outside the geographical boundaries. Immigrants and immigration are hot button issues in the upcoming election. God says in the first reading from Exodus, "You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan” (Ex 22:20-21). People approach the issue of immigrants from two perspectives: from the perspective of legality (using the term, illegal immigrants), or those who approach it from the perspective of the gospel command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:39). For example, in the latest presidential debate, attention was drawn to the 545 immigrant children separated from their parents. Reports indicate that authorities have lost track and cannot unite these children with their parents. The tragedy is that not only did we not aid orphans as Exodus 22:21 commands, but we made orphans out of children whose parents are still alive. I wonder if as believers we respond to immigrants, asylum seekers as a ‘religious people’, a ‘people of faith’, or “practical atheists?”
I want to assume that every person in this church today is not merely a religious person, or worse, a practical atheist, but a person of faith. As a person and a people of faith, Jesus invites us to respond not from the perspective of legality but rather love. In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, reflecting on the parable of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis draws attention to the reality of immigration and immigrants. He says, “All of us, believers, need to recognize that love takes first place: love must never be put at risk, and the greatest danger lies in failing to love.” It brings us full circle back to Jesus’ response to the lawyer, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Mt 22:37-40).
Let us approach this altar not as practical atheists, as merely religious people, but rather as a people of faith. Let us be a people that loves God and our neighbor unconditionally and without boundaries. Because, that is what Jesus, who will be on this altar in a few moments, taught us.
Fr. Satish Joseph