Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
At first glance, today’s readings appear quite harsh. I’ll admit, I cringed a bit at my first pondering. I see our first reading and the Gospel representing two extremes – complacency in the spiritual life on one end, and a strict legalistic approach to religious life on the opposite. Either side of the pendulum swing depicts a misrepresentation of the life of a disciple of Christ. Today, let us seek to be centered in the Gospel and anchored in the hope that we have in Christ Jesus.
The first reading from St Paul’s second letter to the Church at Thessalonica basically offers a warning against idleness. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul had indicated that Jesus could unexpectedly return at any time. Apparently, some in the church took that indication so seriously that they quit their jobs and sat around idly waiting for the second coming of Christ. Verse six is also translated, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us” (NIV). This entire letter also serves to remind the church of the Gospel teaching that Paul had imparted to them previously. Evidently, they needed reminders around how to live lives evidenced by faith, hope, and love. We need those reminders, too.
In our Gospel text, Jesus blasts the teachers of the law and the Pharisees for their legalistic approach to their faith. Their rigid interpretation of the Jewish law blinded them to God’s love and mercy; their stubbornness prevented them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah of the New Covenant. Their insistence on strict adherence to legalism as the pathway to God posed a tremendous obstacle to authentic faith in God through Christ. The purpose of the legal system was to show how impossible it is to save ourselves and to demonstrate our need for Christ as Messiah and Savior. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day, however, remained convinced that adherence to a code of religious laws and practices was necessary for salvation. Sadly, sometimes we still fall into that trap, as well.
Today, I invite us to examine our lives and ask ourselves, am I currently stuck at one end of this pendulum swing? Perhaps today you recognize some idleness or complacency in your life. Are you sitting back like the Thessalonians, with your life of discipleship “on hold” or in the “waiting room?” Or might you recognize within yourself a false need to strive, following a misperception that you need to earn God’s approval by being “religious,” or that salvation is somehow about works. Today, let us ask God for whatever graces we need to re-center ourselves in the Gospel, actively exercising our faith, yet trusting in the finished work of Christ. And, may Paul’s blessing of the Thessalonians fall fresh on you this day: May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. Amen!
- Elizabeth Wourms