A Christian and a Jew were talking about the ways of their respective religions. “You people,” said the Jew, “have been taking things from us for thousands of years. For instance, the Ten Commandments.” “Well, yes,” the Christian said, “We took them from you all right, but we haven’t kept them!”
At least that Christian was being honest. We don’t always keep them, which is why we begin the Mass asking for God’s forgiveness. In today’s readings, we are told to carefully observe God’s decrees. We shouldn’t add to them, as the Pharisees did, nor subtract from them as some of us tend to, so that we don’t lose sight of what really matters to God.
And what really matters? James gives us a concise answer when he wrote, “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.” In biblical times, orphans and widows depended on others for their survival. Our response to the less fortunate says more about our heartfelt relationship with God than rituals.
What does James mean by keeping ourselves unstained from the world? For starters, we must acknowledge the reality of sin in our lives, a subject few of us care to dwell on. Sin and reconciliation are the very reasons why our religion even exists. Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins, dying on the cross so that we could be forgiven and be blessed with eternal life. In his book, Mere Christianity, CS Lewis wrote, “Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need any forgiveness.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus confronts one such group: the Pharisees. They criticized others for things like not washing hands before eating and improper care of utensils, yet they tended to ignore their own faults. Jesus provides them with an examination of conscience as he points out that what defiles a person comes from within: evil thoughts, the lack of chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and folly.
In short, Jesus calls a spade a spade. We don’t care to hear what he has to say about sin, so we often fudge a bit. For example, cohabitating has become an acceptable lifestyle. Our laws say that abortions are legal, but neither choice is morally right and like any sin, anything morally wrong has the potential to really harm others and us.
In giving the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, Moses urged them to “observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations.”
To paraphrase James, we should humbly welcome what God has given us and act accordingly. He is warning us that if all we do is listen, we are deceiving ourselves. God’s commandments are really meant to serve as blueprints for living life wisely and well, not burden us. When done, that brings us freedom. Not freedom in the sense of doing what we please at the expense of others, but freedom from what can and will harm us emotionally, spiritually, or physically.
God is urging us to set the example for the world around us instead of allowing the world to stain us with its profane examples. Like the Pharisees, some of us can easily lose sight of what matters and be more concerned, for example, with how our rituals are performed than the tragedy of abortion, domestic violence, world hunger, racism and homelessness. Did you hear today’s psalm? “The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” That is why Jesus is challenging us to be honest with ourselves.
Years ago, I ran across a poem entitled, The Devil’s Beatitudes, which warns that all that is needed for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.
“Blessed are those who are too tired, busy, or disorganized to meet with fellow Christians on Sundays each week. Their hearts are not in it.
“Blessed are those who enjoy noticing the mannerisms of clergy and choir, their hearts are not in it.
“Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked, I can use them.
“Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church. They are my missionaries.
“Blessed are those who claim to love God at the same time as hating other people, they are mine forever.
“Blessed are the trouble makers. They shall be called my children.
“Blessed are those who have no time to pray. They are easy prey for me.
“Blessed are you when you read this and think it is about other people and not yourself. I’ve got you too!”
Hopefully Moses, James and Jesus got you instead.