31st Sunday - "Hear . . ."

Mark 12: 28b - 34

Sunday Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110418.cfm

A story is told of two great Jewish rabbis of the early first century who were challenged by a questioner to teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one leg. One rabbi named Hillel answered: “Do not do to your neighbor what is hateful to you; this is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary.”

In our Gospel this Sunday we hear of another questioner, not standing on one foot but an unusually friendly scribe who seemingly has no intention to trap Jesus with some convoluted example as we might expect from other encounters he had with religious leaders of the time. Rather, his question seems indeed sincere and was a favorite debate topic. The answer given by Jesus expands that offered by Rabbi Hillel even more. It is as concise as that given by the rabbi and it is deeply familiar to any Jew, even today. It was an effort to find a rule of thumb, some guiding principle that could be used to act according to God’s will rather than laboriously wade through the hundreds of rules and regulations given to the Jews.  So he asks Jesus: “Which is the first of all the commandments?”

Jesus offers the great, “Shema” as he quotes their tradition: “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Any good Jew was required to recite this belief in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.  The scribe remarks with understanding of what Jesus proclaimed and Jesus affirms: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Nothing more to add.

Well, like any memorized answer in a catechism that would be correct.  But, in this case we are reminded that this great core proclamation reflects hundreds of years of Jewish tradition and religious experience.  Based in the first Commandment of the ten, it summarizes  the essential purpose of our human life and its guiding principle.  As we are created in God’s image, as Genesis tells us, he is indeed Lord and God who created us for himself. So that great “Shema” begins with a powerful word, “Hear.” Pay attention, listen, drop whatever you’re doing right now and attend to these words carefully. 

From the Book of Deuteronomy, our first reading, we hear the affirmation of the same and again the word, “Hear.”  If we asked Jesus how to live our lives he would answer us with a level of expectation and commitment that he fleshed out in other examples: heart, mind and soul would be an expectation.  Not halfheartedly, not with hesitation or second guessing, but “Sell what you have and give to the poor, then follow me.” Or as he called the first disciples from their fishing to “Follow me” he meant now, immediately, with no resistance.  Other examples are obvious to us that discipleship has an element of urgency and immediacy about it.  The gate to salvation is narrow Jesus implies. 

Where does leave the majority of us who find ourselves in normal hesitation and resistance.  I don’t know that I can just leave it all, drop what I’m doing and turn in a new direction.  I have too many commitments and responsibilities, friends, family, and other stuff I enjoy.  I’m not sure I want to let go of certain things in my life like my favorite sport or some part of me that is resisting conversion. 

In the end, for any of us, like those in Jesus’ time, we need reminders about many things.  The business of life creates all sorts of distractions and invitations that pull us away from the real essence of our Christian faith.  As it was for our Jewish brethren and therefore for Jesus himself, we need to be reminded that of all we care about and all we do, it all comes down to placing God first among all our priorities.  If we are serious about our Christian faith, about being authentic disciples of the Gospel, then it is a good reminder of where the mark is for us to stand.  With God first, all else takes its proper place. 

To see what we do through the lens of our faith is to see God active everywhere around us.  I don’t think any of us can realistically walk around with that thought consciously always before us.  You sit down to a delicious Italian meal with a nice glass of red wine and you’re there to enjoy not only the taste of the food but the fellowship of friends around you.  We don’t consciously see this as a religious experience.  Yet, at the end of the day for example, to give God thanks for friends, the gift of taste, the human ability to create such a pleasant atmosphere is a way to see God active in our life.  To have the time and opportunity to share in such an event is a blessing from God. 

Sitting now in the afterglow of All Saints Day we are reminded as to how the great Saints of our Church lived their lives so focused on the beautiful, the goodness of God and the charity they shared, yet lived normal lives but saw God active around them is a good reminder to us of where our main priority must always be. 

The increasingly secular culture we live in today creates a sense of indifference to the faith or simply brushes aside any serious commitment. It isn’t an easy way so we need to hear the words of Jesus taken from the ancient Jewish tradition that it is possible, through his grace, to rise above such worldly distractions to focus our attention ultimately on the God who invites us into a relationship with him.  Our celebration of the Eucharist is God’s promise of his loyalty to us and his desire for our growth in his love.