Hear, oh Israel!
T’is the Season to Prioritize
October 26, 2008, 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Exodus 20:22-26 I Thessalonians 1:5-10 Matthew 22:34-40
To the churched and unchurched[1]
gathered in a temple not built by human hands[2]
First reading from Exodus 20:22-26
Thus says the LORD: "You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you in war. Your wives will become widows, and your children will be orphans. "If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."
The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 22:34-40
Glory to you, Lord.
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 22:34-40
Glory to you, Lord.
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees[3], they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the Law, tried to test Him with a question. "Teacher,” he asked, “which of all the commandments comes first?” Jesus answered, “’You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[4] This is the most important of all the commandments.” Then He added, “And the second most important commandment is like it: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’[5] The whole Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets depend on these two commandments."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction
The Shema
The Shema
After giving the Law to the people of Israel, Moses said to them,
“Shema Yisrael -- Hear oh Israel!
The Lord alone is our God. You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength.”
Dt 6:4
The Lord alone is our God. You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength.”
Dt 6:4
Then Moses commanded the people saying “Write these words on your hearts. Say them over and over again to your children. …Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” (Dt 6:4-9)
The people took Moses literally. They wrote the Shema text on little pieces of parchment and inserted them into little vials called mezuzahs and nailed the vials to their door-posts. They also inserted the Shema text into little boxes called phylacteries[6] which they strapped to their foreheads and wrists at prayer-time. To this day, the devout Jew daily recites the Shema three times. To this day, he straps a phylactery containing the Shema to his wrists and forehead so that in all his transactions and thoughts he might be ever-mindful and never forget the first and greatest of all the commandments. To this day he hangs a mezuzah on his doorpost so that in all his comings and goings he might never forget the great commandment. Every morning when he leaves for work, he reverently kisses the mezuzah on his doorpost.
The people took Moses literally. They wrote the Shema text on little pieces of parchment and inserted them into little vials called mezuzahs and nailed the vials to their door-posts. They also inserted the Shema text into little boxes called phylacteries[6] which they strapped to their foreheads and wrists at prayer-time. To this day, the devout Jew daily recites the Shema three times. To this day, he straps a phylactery containing the Shema to his wrists and forehead so that in all his transactions and thoughts he might be ever-mindful and never forget the first and greatest of all the commandments. To this day he hangs a mezuzah on his doorpost so that in all his comings and goings he might never forget the great commandment. Every morning when he leaves for work, he reverently kisses the mezuzah on his doorpost.
The question of priority for Jews & Catholics
In Jesus’ day, rabbinical tradition had turned the Law of Moses into a confusing and burdensome maze of 613 major laws plus a whole constellation of minor rules and regulations. The people had to pay tithes on the mint, cumin and dill. (Mt 23:23) They had to carefully wash their hands before eating and had to give ritual ablution to all produce brought in from the marketplace. They had to observe the correct washing of pots, pans and copper kettles. (Mk 7:4‑5) They had to follow minuscule regulations concerning the orthodox observance of Sabbath, and Jesus’ careless attitude in that regard often got Him into trouble. (Lk 6: 1-5; Lk 14: 1-6) Jesus was referring to that burdensome accretion when he said to the people, "Come to me all you who are heavily burdened and weary, and I will lift the burden from your backs." (Mt 11:28)
We Catholics shouldn’t point fingers! Before Vatican II (Oct. 11, 1962) dawned upon us, we, too, had to observe a confusing and burdensome maze of major laws plus a whole constellation of minor rules and regulations. We had laws about fasting from food and abstaining from meat at various times of the year. We, too, had Sabbath laws. We had laws that made marriages valid or invalid. Priests had countless laws to observe in the celebration of Mass.
We had laws regarding Confession. In that area of our Catholic lives we were terribly conflicted. Most of us were laced with a morality of sex that made it quite impossible not to sin many times. Yes, we, too, were very much in the same condition as the Jew of old. And Vatican II said to us, "Come to me all you who are heavily burdened and weary, and I will lift the burden from your backs." (Mt 11:28-30)
It was inevitable, therefore, that a question of priority would sooner or later surface for Jews of old and for Catholics: Which of all the commandments comes first? Which one comes second? Which one third? Which ones are at the bottom of the list, and which ones don’t count for much at all?
We Catholics shouldn’t point fingers! Before Vatican II (Oct. 11, 1962) dawned upon us, we, too, had to observe a confusing and burdensome maze of major laws plus a whole constellation of minor rules and regulations. We had laws about fasting from food and abstaining from meat at various times of the year. We, too, had Sabbath laws. We had laws that made marriages valid or invalid. Priests had countless laws to observe in the celebration of Mass.
We had laws regarding Confession. In that area of our Catholic lives we were terribly conflicted. Most of us were laced with a morality of sex that made it quite impossible not to sin many times. Yes, we, too, were very much in the same condition as the Jew of old. And Vatican II said to us, "Come to me all you who are heavily burdened and weary, and I will lift the burden from your backs." (Mt 11:28-30)
It was inevitable, therefore, that a question of priority would sooner or later surface for Jews of old and for Catholics: Which of all the commandments comes first? Which one comes second? Which one third? Which ones are at the bottom of the list, and which ones don’t count for much at all?
A Law-scholar with a question
One day, a Pharisee, a scholar of the Law, approached Jesus and asked the priority question. “Teacher, which of all the commandments comes first?” (Mt 22:36) Matthew says the man was testing Jesus. Rival schools sprang up around famous rabbis having different arrangements of the commandments according to importance. The Law-scholar simply wanted to know what Jesus’ arrangement was. Jesus answered him by simply reciting the Shema:
“Shema Yisrael -- Hear oh Israel!
The Lord alone is our God. You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength.”
The Lord alone is our God. You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength.”
Then, without being asked, Jesus added, “The second most important command is this: You must love your neighbor as yourself. [Here Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18.] On these two commandments depend the whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets.” (Mt 22:34-40) Jesus nailed together the two commandments to love God and neighbor in order to clear up any doubt (if there was one) that we cannot love God without loving our neighbor. Then He opened all the phylacteries and mezuzahs in Israel and placed a new Shema in them:
“Shema Yisrael -- Hear oh Israel!
The Lord alone is our God. You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
When the Law-scholar heard Jesus’ answer, he exclaimed, “Well said, excellent teacher! Yes, indeed, we must love God with all our being, and we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the Temple.” (Mk 12:32-33)
Another Law-scholar with a question
In the gospel of St. Luke there is account of another Law-scholar who sought to test Jesus with a question. His question, however, was not, “Teacher, which of all the commandments comes first?” His question was, “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?” In response Jesus asked the man, “What does the Law of Moses say about it?” Like Jesus, the Law-scholar answered by simply reciting the Shema:
“Shema Yisrael -- Hear oh Israel!
The Lord alone is our God. Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength.”
The Lord alone is our God. Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength.”
And then, like Jesus, he added, “And you must love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Like Jesus, he, too, nailed together love of God and neighbor. In response Jesus exclaimed, “Well said, young man! Your answer is correct. Do this and you shall live.” (Lk 10:25-28)
But the man, feeling guilty that there were some neighbors he didn’t love, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In response Jesus tells him the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
But the man, feeling guilty that there were some neighbors he didn’t love, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In response Jesus tells him the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
Prioritizing on the road to Jericho
The Samaritan, despised by Jews, had a mezuzah nailed to his doorpost, and in it he, too, like Jesus had the two commandments nailed together. As he was rushing out of his house one day to go to Jericho on some very important business, he reverently kissed his mezuzah. Then as he was speeding toward Jericho, he suddenly came upon a poor man waylaid by robbers and left half-dead. Suddenly he was forced to prioritize! The important business in Jericho would have to wait; the wounded man must come first. So he put a screeching halt to his busyness, stopped to pour the oil of compassion into the poor man’s wounds, then he hoisted him onto his beast of burden and hurried him off to the nearest inn. There he paid for the poor man’s care and cure.
After telling the parable, Jesus said to the Law-scholar, “You go, then, and do likewise. (Lk 10:29-37)
After telling the parable, Jesus said to the Law-scholar, “You go, then, and do likewise. (Lk 10:29-37)
Prioritizing in the church
In a letter of Oct. 23, 2006, Bishop William S. Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, asked his fellow bishops to inform all pastors that the extraordinary[7] ministers of Holy Communion will no longer be permitted to assist in the purification of the sacred vessels after Mass! That permission was granted back in 2002, and Rome recently refused to renew it.
Think of it! We are knee-deep in an acute crisis of a priest-shortage, and a whole system of pastoral care built up over a period of a thousand years, providing each congregation with a pastor to care for it, is now collapsing before our very eyes, and people in high places are worried about who may or may not do the dishes after Mass! Holy Mother Church, in God’s name, prioritize! Nail Jesus’ mezuzah to your doorpost and His phylactery to your wrists and forehead to remind yourself of what is of first importance, and what is of second importance and what is of almost no importance at all.
Think of it! We are knee-deep in an acute crisis of a priest-shortage, and a whole system of pastoral care built up over a period of a thousand years, providing each congregation with a pastor to care for it, is now collapsing before our very eyes, and people in high places are worried about who may or may not do the dishes after Mass! Holy Mother Church, in God’s name, prioritize! Nail Jesus’ mezuzah to your doorpost and His phylactery to your wrists and forehead to remind yourself of what is of first importance, and what is of second importance and what is of almost no importance at all.
Conclusion
T’is the season to prioritize
T’is the season to prioritize
All of us, prioritize! Know what’s really important. Then fasten it to our wrists and forehead and nail it to our doorposts. Prioritize! Know what’s really important. Then tell it to our children over and over again. Prioritize! Know what’s really important as we rush on our daily commute to Jericho. Prioritize! Know what’s really important especially in these days of financial meltdown not only on Wall Street but also on Main Street where most of us live. Prioritize! In fact, t’is the season to prioritize! Know what’s really important at this time of the rolling year when the first notes of Christmas are already being struck. Know what’s really important when you find yourself overwhelmed with gifts to buy, cards to write, parties to throw, decorations to hang and distances to cover.
A despised Samaritan rushing on the road to Jericho slammed on his breaks to prioritize and help a wounded Jew. Through the ages, that immortalized him as the Good Samaritan. What Jesus said to the Law-scholar after telling the parable, He says to us, “You go, then, and do likewise.
[1]] By the “the unchurched” is especially meant not those who have left the church but those whom the church has left!
A despised Samaritan rushing on the road to Jericho slammed on his breaks to prioritize and help a wounded Jew. Through the ages, that immortalized him as the Good Samaritan. What Jesus said to the Law-scholar after telling the parable, He says to us, “You go, then, and do likewise.
[1]] By the “the unchurched” is especially meant not those who have left the church but those whom the church has left!
[7] An extraordinary minister of Holy Communion is one who is not ordained.
