Cor of the Law
In today's Sunday Gospel, Jesus unearths the heart of the Law of Moses.
The commandments of the Law are meant to be liberating, as they proscribe choices that thwart authentic human fulfillment; and prescribe choices that illumine the path of authentic human fulfillment.
'I can resist everything but temptation'
In Catholic lingo, humanity has been infected with a terminal case of concupiscence – that distortion of desire that gives us a proclivity to sin; to seek fulfillment by avoiding the path prescribed by the Law of the Lord. Or, as St. Thomas Aquinas might put it, concupiscence leads us to seek happiness in apparent, but not true, goods. In fact, Aquinas would say that even the most vicious sinner is pursuing goodness; though in a distorted and wrongful manner. In his own inimitable words, people "seek whatever they seek under the formality of goodness" (I-II Q16 Ac). This is why something that feels so right can be so wrong.
Roots and Shoots
Jesus' words today go beneath the unlawful behavior to target the lawless desire.
I used to work for TrueGreen lawncare, and our motto for weed control was: "treat the root, not the shoot." In other words, to eliminate the weed one could not be satisfied with eliminating its appearance above ground. Rather, weed control was at root about the root.
Wade in the Water
Sage counsel for us as we seek to permit God to deal with our sins in their entirety.
As I bring my sins before the Lord each night before sleep, or in the sacrament of Reconciliation, do I attempt to seek the spring beneath the fountain; the root beneath the weed; the desire beneath the behavior; the lie beneath the sinful habits that frustrate my deepest desire for authentic fulfillment in Christ? At my baptism, I was plunged deep into Christ's paschal tide; into the grace that alone can heal me to the deepest roots of who I am. Am I ready to jump into the Deep End?
Duc in altum. Set out into the deep.
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Tom,
ReplyDeleteNice job with tieing the words and pictures together. Good message! Especially likws the lesson from TrueGreen. (In the Kingdom of God, EVERYthing is parable.)
I think that the late Fr. Al Lauer summarized the meaning of the Gospel from Sunday's Mass when he said "Jesus' standards are intentionally impossible. Humanly speaking, we cannot meet these standards, no matter how hard we try. To do so, we would have to be born over again into new creatures. Jesus is not into self-improvement, but self-denial. We're not concerned with behavior modification but rebirth. We don't try to educate our old nature but drown it in the waters of baptism. We're not trying to make ourselves better, but to let Him make us new." SEE: http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
.ed. As ever, you have words that augment and enrich my own. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIf I cannot see you face to face, or hear you lector like the lion, at least I get to read your big soul in e-text snippets.
Thanks also for the great commentary by Fr Al.
Peace!
Tom
This Gospel reading cannot be clearer that the path to holiness is a continuous gardening of the soul. Without gardening out the distortions of faith and the “do what feels good” compass utilized in the majority of moral choices made today, it is impossible to grow the fruits (of the Spirit) which assist and challenge us to be more complete in our humanity. The resolve is to allow the waters of baptism to strengthen our resolve to do the right thing knowing that it is most frequently not the easy thing. The world will not understand and attempts to use its dingy waters of relativism and political correctness to dilute our expression of faith in order to create a false harmony. Parish members unfortunately can be guilty of assuaging instead of fortifying the congregation with truth. For these reasons, and so many more we turn to the Trinity within – given at baptism -- to point toward the humanity which is expressed perfectly in our Lord, Jesus Christ. With Jesus we put out our nets and become fishers of men – right into the deep!
ReplyDeletebeads2rosaries.
ReplyDeleteI think your points are excellent about the cultural sea that we swim in, and the immense challenge it presents to choose the deep waters of Baptism over the shallow swamp of relativism and hedonism. 'Turn to the Trinity within' - a lovely turn of phrase and sum of the entire spiritual quest! And what a paradoxical turn, as this turn-within is the most profound expression of self-gift human beings can make. From a Christian vantage, the most inwardly-turned souls are the most outwardly fruitful! Thanks for taking time to write, and for choosing those deeper waters...
This calls to mind the struggle of Francis Thompson who "fleeted" from the that Voice to seek shelter in what he thought was the "good." Sadly, however, the modern heart does not recognize what Thompson recognize: "having Him, I must have naught beside."
ReplyDeleteThe question, of course, is how do we present in a fruitful manner the Good-as-such so that it may replace the good-as-known? For God is still there with "unhurrying chase and unperturbed pace" speaking to the sinner: "All things betray thee, who betrayest Me"
Pho!
ReplyDeleteYou wax poetic in impressive ways, and beautifully get Thompson's view of that human obsession with the pursuit of fleeting goods. How do we present the Good-as-such in a way that catches the attention of man so-beguiled? Thompson might answer: "with saints!" Incarnate, real-time, electrified instances of having-been-discovered by the Hound. Icons of Amazing Grace!
Go for it, St.Pho.