Friday of the Third Week
We are often called to reflect on what is truly important in our lives, and many find this difficult to do. So much of life seems to be predicated on accumulation: we crave and seek objects, status, degrees, whatever it is that we feel will fill us, creating ‘idols’ of these things that sap our drive and energy. The dialog that we see here between Jesus and the scribe shows the two men thoughtfully engaged in conversation about this very issue of ‘importance’. They come to the wise conclusion that regard for God and regard for other humans need to be the core of any moral understanding and of any religious impulse. A sad and enduring irony of religion is that in seeking most intently to be in God’s favor, we can make an ‘idol’ of religion itself, with ritual and practice becoming more important than a regard for justice, and a desire to connect with and understand our fellow humans. Loving God and loving neighbor is worth more than any ritual or sacrifice, as the scribe adroitly points out. Indeed, he is echoing a concept that has been known and grappled with throughout salvation history: the prophet Hosea echoes the same refrain. True renewal comes from turning to the Lord, reflecting on how we are being challenged to grow and improve, being encouraged to cast off our idols. To understand that the health of our communities and our human connections can be a reflection of our connection to the Lord is true prudence and true wisdom.
Lord, we live together on this earth, and ask through Your grace to live together in eternity. Help us to understand what it is You truly ask, that we may set our hearts on what is true.
Fr. Michael Carter, SSE ’12, Lecturer of Religious Studies.
Psalm 81:6c-11b, 14, 17
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
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