Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
There is a common phrase these days, “I believe in God but not in organized religion.” Or, I have heard people say, “I am a spiritual person but not religious.” More and more people are finding this to be an attractive alternative.
However, all the readings today are all about organized religion. The first reading talks about the statutes and decrees that Moses gave to the people to observe (Deut 4:1-2,6-8). The second reading gives us James’ understanding of true religiosity. He says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (Js 1 27). And Jesus in today’s gospel tries up to correct false religiosity, particularly as he encountered it in his time. Quoting Isaiah he says, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts” (Mt 7:6-7). Jesus was clearly juxtaposing authentic religiosity against false religiosity.
Let me offer three points for reflection.
Why Religion?
Religion in its most basic sense regulates the human-divine relationship. Most religions have statues and decrees because religion is a not an individualistic phenomenon. Religion primarily is about the community’s relationship with God and the relationship of its members within and outside the community. Laws, decrees and statutes become important because they guide the community’s actions both spiritual and temporal.
Moses’ emphasis in today’s first reading, was that the religion of the Hebraic people consisting of the Covenant, the laws, the statues and decrees was not merely some community regulations but God’s gift to the community. The statues and decrees that God gave the people were a sign of God’s care, of God’s steadfast love and fidelity. Religion was not to be perceived as a burden, but rather as an opportunity and an invitation to participate in the life of God.
For us who are Christians, this is such an important point. We believe that God‘s love and care far exceeds laws and decrees. We believe that God did not just give us a religion but gave his Son. In Jesus we can call God “Abba.” In my own personal prayer, I address God as “Father,” “Mother,” “Creator,” and “friend.” We believe that Jesus too gave us more than just a new religion. Jesus gave us his own body and blood so that we can be one with Him and He with us; that He can remain in us and we in Him. All these things are God’s gifts to us. Today, let us be aware that our religion is not merely a set of laws and decrees. Our religion is a Trinity of person with whom we enter into communion. Let us also grateful for the gift of faith and for God’s self-gift to us which we hold as our Catholic religious faith.
The Power of Religion
Religion is powerful. Religion is powerful because religion gives identity to an individual or a community. Religion gives us our context and a grounding. It gives us a sense of our origin, our purpose, and our destiny. Because religion is powerful it is a tool that is often misused to manipulate others. Catholics and Protestants fought the Thirty-year religions war in Europe. Tens of thousands of people were slaughtered – all in the name of the same Christ who asked Peter to put his sword in its scabbard. The terrorists who flew the airplanes into the World Trade Center were invoking the name of God as they killed thousands of innocent people. Over the last decade Hindus have killed many Christians in opposition to Westernization of society. Even Buddhist monks have engaged in violence in Sri Lanka. Here is the US, in a nation that upholds the separation of State of religion, religion becomes a tool for gaining votes. Religion is powerful. It is a life-giving gift from God, but it can be used in manipulative and destructive ways.
If we take Jesus’ words seriously today, I see Christ asking us to separate false religiosity from genuine worship of God. We Catholics have our share of hypocrisy and falsehood. When worship becomes an obligation, or when we think that merely being Catholic entitles us to eternity, or to think that only way of worshipping counts, or when we think that God has a gender, color, ethnicity, or race, or when we think that there will only be Catholics in heaven, we give into false religiosity. Jesus separated false religiosity from authentic faith in his time and we must separate false religiosity and genuine religious pursuit in our own times.
Religion that is Pure and Undefiled
So what is religion that is pure and undefiled? James would say, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Jesus, repeating the words of Isaiah said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
From the Christian perspective, we have the teaching of Jesus who says, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” There was a scholar of the law came and asked Jesus, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Very quickly he added, “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22: 34-40). Jesus brought the entire Judaic religious tradition under two laws – love of God and love of neighbor.
And this is the radical creativity of Jesus – that when religion had lost its heart and soul, he brought it to life with his call for heartfelt devotion to God and genuine love for neighbor.
I began my homily saying that religion is losing it power in society. If religion must regain currency today, it will only happen because of our heartfelt devotion to God and our genuine love of neighbor. Heartfelt devotion to God means that we love God not for any worldly reasons or even or our own selves, but that we love God because of who God is – pure undefiled, and holy love. Similarly, Jesus’ definition of neighbor was not limited the one living next door. Because Jesus died for the world, the whole world is our neighbor. From the baby in the womb to the hungry children in our neighborhoods, to the homeless, to the immigrant, to the refugee, to those we dislike, to those we tolerate, and even our enemies. If religion must have currency in the world, it will only be through love.
This Eucharist is a celebration of love. It is central to our religions. If we do not take the love showed in the Eucharist to the rest of the world, then Jesus says, to us, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
- Fr. Satish Joseph