HOMILY FOR 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME—A
IN LAST WEEK’S GOSPEL, JESUS DEALT WITH THE TRICKY QUESTION ABOUT PAYING TAXES TO THE ROMANS AND GAVE US THIS RULE: PAY TO CAESAR WHAT IS CAESAR’S AND TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S. THE COIN WITH CAESAR’S PICTURE ON IT CLEARLY BELONGS TO CAESAR. TODAY JESUS TELLS US WHAT IS ON THE OTHER COIN, THE ONE THAT WE ARE TO PAY TO GOD.
AGAIN, THE PHARISEES MAKE UP A QUESTION THAT DESIGNED TO PUT JESUS IN A DIFFICULT AND POTENTIALLY EMBARRASSING POSITION. THERE ARE 613 COMMANDMENTS IN THE TORAH, THE LAW, THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 248 ARE POSITIVE COMMANDMENTS BEGINNING WITH “THOU SHALT” AND 365 WERE NEGATIVE BEGINNING WITH “THOU SHALT NOT”. IF ONE IS THE GREATEST, JESUS HAS ONLY A 1 IN 613 CHANCE OF BEING RIGHT.
HE, OF COURSE, GIVES THE RIGHT ANSWER: LOVE GOD AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. NOW THIS WAS NOT ORIGINAL WITH JESUS. LOVE GOD COMES FROM DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 6 AND IS CALLED THE SH’MA AND IS RECITED BY DEVOUT JEWS MORNING AND NIGHT. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR COMES FROM LEVITICUS CHAPTER 19. SO THE CONTENT OF WHAT JESUS SAID WAS NOT NEW TO THE JEWS AND THEY COULD ONLY AGREE WITH HIM.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT JESUS ADDS AND THAT SOMETHING SHOWS JESUS’ GENIUS. HE EQUATES THE TWO COMMANDMENTS. OF COURSE, YOU MUST LOVE GOD BUT TO DO THAT YOU MUST ALSO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. THAT’S THE COIN WE HAVE TO PAY TO GOD. ON THE FACE OF THE COIN IS OUR LOVE OF GOD, ON THE OBVERSE OUR LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR. FOR THE COIN TO EXIST, BOTH SIDES HAVE TO BE PRESENT. YOU JUST CANNOT HAVE A ONE-SIDED COIN.
WHAT DOES THIS LOVE OF NEIGHBOR CONSIST OF? IT NOT JUST HAVING WARM FUZZY SACCHARINE THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL PEOPLE ARE. IT’S NOT ABOUT WATCHING TV COVERAGE OF GENOCIDE IN SUDAN, POLITICAL OPPRESSION IN BURMA, FAMINE IN AFRICA OR PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS IN THE U.S. AND GOING “TSK, TSK, THOSE POOR PEOPLE”. IT IS ABOUT ACTION.
ST. JAMES IN CHAPTER 2 OF HIS LETTER PUTS IT VERY FORCEFULLY WHEN HE SAYS IF A PERSON NEEDS CLOTHES OR FOOD AND ALL YOU DO IS TO WISH THEM WELL, WHAT GOOD DOES THAT DO THEM? YOU HAVE TO ACT. IN FACT, ST. JAMES STATES THAT IF YOU DON’T ACT, IF YOU DON’T CLOTH THAT PERSON OR FEED THAT PERSON, YOU NOT ONLY HAVE FAILED THAT PERSON, YOU HAVE PUT YOUR FAITH IN GOD INTO QUESTION. HOW CAN YOU REALLY HAVE FAITH IN GOD IF YOU FAIL YOUR NEIGHBOR IN A TIME OF NEED. ST. JAMES IS REPEATING JESUS’ MESSAGE THAT LOVE OF NEIGHBOR IS THE SAME AS LOVE OF GOD.
JESUS HIMSELF PUTS IT EVEN MORE FOREFULLY IN CHAPTER 25 OF MATTHEW’S GOSPEL WHERE HE TALKS OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT THAT WE WILL ALL FACE. THIS, BY THE WAY, IS THE ONLY TIME JESUS TALKS OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT. IN THAT PASSAGE HE SAYS PEOPLE WILL BE DIVIDED INTO THOSE WHO MAKE IT AND THOSE WHO DON’T. THE ONES WHO WILL MAKE IT ARE THOSE WHO HAVE VISITED PRISONERS, GIVEN FOOD TO THE HUNGRY, WATER TO THE THIRSTY, CLOTHING TO THE NAKED, AND AID TO THE SICK. JESUS THEN POINTS OUT THAT IF YOU HAVE LOVED YOUR NEIGHBOR ENOUGH TO DO THOSE THINGS. YOU HAVE LOVED HIM TOO. YET AGAIN WE SEE THAT LOVE OF NEIGHBOR AND LOVE OF GOD ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING. WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING FOR A PERSON, YOU ARE ALSO DOING IT FOR GOD.
HOW THEN DO WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR? IT CAN BE SUMMED UP BY THE WORDS CHARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. CHARITY IS WHEN WE TRY TO MEET PEOPLE’S IMMEDIATE NEEDS. WE PROVIDE FOOD IF THEY ARE HUNGRY OR MONEY IF THE CANNOT PAY THEIR UTILITY BILL AND THEIR HEAT IS TO BE CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER. SOCIAL JUSTICE IS WHEN WE TAKE STEPS TO FIND OUT WHY SOME PEOPLE NEED FOOD AND WHY SOME CAN’T PAY THEIR UTILITY BILLS.
NOW ONE REASON MIGHT BE BECAUSE THEY ARE LAZY AND THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITY THAT IS BY TOUGH LOVE. IN OTHER WORDS, WE TELL THEM TO GET OFF THEIR DUFFS AND GET A JOB. BUT MOST OF THE TIME THE REASON IS DEEPER THAN THAT. MOST OF THE POOR ARE WORKING POOR. IT COULD BE BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT OUR ECONOMY AND OUR SOCIETY THAT PLACES PEOPLE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY CAN’T EARN ENOUGH TO BUY FOOD OR PAY THEIR UTILITY BILL OR MAYBE EVEN AFFORD A PLACE TO LIVE NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY WORK OR HOW MANY SECOND JOBS THEY HAVE.
THERE CAN BE MANY REASONS FOR SUCH A SITUATION. MAYBE THEY CAN’T GET WORK BECAUSE OF RACIAL, GENDER OR ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION. MAYBE THEIR FAMILY DIDN’T STRESS EDUCATION AND THEY ARE NOW UNDERQUALIFIED FOR WORK AND CAN ONLY GET THE MOST MENIAL AND LOW-PAYING OF JOBS.
OR IT COULD BE THAT BANKS AND INVESTMENT HOUSES DID IRRESPESPONSIBLE THINGS LIKE ISSUING SUB-PRIME MORTGAGES WHICH RESULT IN STOCK MARKET DEFLATION, ECONOMIC RECESSION AND JOB LAYOFFS. IN OTHER WORDS WHAT IS GOING ON NOW. HEADLINES IN THE LAST WEEK TELL US CHRYSLER IS LAYING OFF 25% OF ITS WORKFORCE, YAHOO 10%, MERCK THE BIG PHARMACUETICAL COMPANY 12%.
THAT’S WHEN SOCIAL JUSTICE STEPS IN. WE TRY TO IDENTIFY WHAT IT IS THAT CAUSES THAT SITUATION AND THEN TRY TO CORRECT IT.
AS CHRISTIANS, WE ARE GIVEN THOSE TWO TASKS OF CHARITY AND ACTION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, TASKS THAT JESUS MAKES CLEAR ARE INSEPARABLE FROM A REAL AND TRUE LOVE OF GOD, TASKS HE ADDS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR OUR SALVATION. OUR SAVIOUR HAS PUT IT ALL OUT THERE ON THE TABLE FOR US. WE MUST FOLLOW THROUGH.