Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Tassels. Tassels are ornaments used in décor and fashion. They are ceremonial wear within military and religious circles the world over. Fraternal orders such as the Shriners, the Elks, and the Masons like them. Throughout the Arab world tassels are worn to ward off demons. We switch them proudly from right to left sides of mortarboards at graduations. Tassels hang from rear view mirrors on cars. They can be sensual ornamentation, too, such as in exotic dances.
The people of Israel wore tassels to signify their covenant with YHWH. Ripping tassels off a man's tunic, as Saul did to Samuel, signified utter reputation. David cut the tassels from the fringe of Saul's royal garment while the monarch slept, akin to smashing his crown. The High Priest displayed tassels as did the lowliest Israelite. As a good Jew, Jesus of Nazareth wore them, too—both on his tunic and on his prayer shawl.
Mark tells us that the crowds seeking healing would grasp onto the tassels of Jesus. A woman with an issue of blood courageously broke all cultural taboos to do this.
Jesus scolded religious leaders for enlarging and exaggerating their tassels out of self promotion. The purpose of tassels was glorifying the God of covenant promise and not acclaiming human beings.
Are we any better? I know of a retired bishop who wears a bejeweled miter upon his head so enormous that all I could think of was an episode of I Love Lucy. In that '50s sitcom, Lucy hysterically tries to balance a gigantic garishly elaborate headdress--- while navigating a winding stairway. One US cardinal is known as “Cardinal Doubtfire” in Rome for his 35 foot long cardinal red silk train. Imagine the Jesus who cleared out the Temple entering into those scenes.
Pope Francis pulls no punches on such silliness, cautioning cleric and lay alike that God cares not for ranks or achievements or degrees or status. The Holy Father said, “Once we strip ourselves of robes, prerogatives, positions, and titles we are all naked before God because this ultimately we are all destined to do.” Hard truth.
I owe my faith to my Scottish immigrant grandmother who did not have the opportunities to study theology as I have had. I am most fortunate and it has been an undeserved grace. I am grateful. Yet sometimes I wish I just had her simple faith.
From time to time we all need to hear the wisdom that Joseph Cardinal Bernadine's immigrant Italian mother gave her son upon his elevation as archbishop of Chicago, “Stand up straight and try not to look too please with yourself.”
Timothy J. Cronin