30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 26, 2014
10 AM Liturgy
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
At the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, Steve Jobs
could often be heard shouting one of his famous mantras: “Simple
can be harder than complex.” It became a guiding philosophy for
all Apple products. The full quote even has biblical allusions:
“Simple can be harder than complex. But it’s worth it in the end
because once you get there you can move mountains.”
Getting simple is a theme that runs through all our readings
this morning. The easiest example is probably the Gospel story.
This is yet another “trick” question posed now by the Pharisees.
By the time Matthew was writing his gospel, those Pharisees were
much like the rigid pseudo-orthodox recently criticized by Pope
Francis. They are people bound by the letter of the law and often
just frightened by freedom.
Historians tell us that at that time in Judaism there were
more than six hundred serious legal commands to be followed.
Jesus simplifies dramatically. Jesus is not the first to conflate the
law into only two great commands. There are records of other
Jewish scholars suggesting much the same. In fact, this “new
commandment is really just a summary of two earlier Jewish
injunctions in Leviticus 19 and Deuteronomy 6 (the great schema
of Israel).
But Jesus links the two great commands of the law in a
strangely new way. Each now becomes intertwined with the other
such that one cannot love God without loving the neighbor, nor
love your neighbor without loving God.
Now that’s simple to believe. But it’s still hard to live.
Let’s turn now to the “simple” injunction contained in the
Book of Exodus. “You shall not molest or oppress an alien.” (Let
me be honest here. Someone approached me a few weeks ago after
liturgy and said “Father, you keep talking repeatedly about the
“strangers” and outsiders, and outcasts. I get the point.”) If that
person is here this morning, guess what? I’m going to do it again;
or rather, Exodus is going to do it again! I said to you often: I didn’t
write this stuff; I just have to comment on it! It’s not my fault.
I’ll try to be creative this time. When I see the word aliens,
my mind immediately travels to the old Star Trek show that started
on NBC in 1966 (That’s 48 years ago!). It continued, of course, in
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The Next Generation in 1987, and has had repeated incarnations in
films and on television ever since. There’s even an animated show
now.
The crew of the Enterprise had weekly intercourse with
aliens for decades. Sometimes in both senses of that word! They
encountered, for example, the Xyrillians who were gender
confused. Their men carried the babies and their women could
impregnate a man just by touching him. A strange race indeed!
There were the Catullans who could best be described as
“space hippies.” They constantly strummed their guitars and sang
enchanted songs as they traveled the universe searching for their
dream planet, called Eden. Needless to say, their fearless leader
was named Adam. When they finally find Eden and transport
down, they are mostly killed by poisonous grass (not that kind of
grass, just the real stuff).
One more example, Captain Kirk and his band also encounter
the Iotians. They are space mobsters and a violence-prone race.
They have recreated the worst of Nazi culture on their own planet.
There you have it, creative illustrations of aliens from the pen
of Gene Rodenberry: the sexually challenged, the violence-prone,
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and the simple drop-outs. You can start with those characters and
develop you very own list of who are the aliens in your life. They
are there, folks. Just keep looking.
But make sure you hear Exodus clearly. It’s very simple. Our
salvation depends on not excluding those people, caricatures or
not. Or maybe even especially the caricatures!
We are all enjoined today to keep it simple. And St. Paul
illustrates the second part of Steve Jobs’ mantra: because if you do
keep it simple, once you get there you can move mountains. That’s
just what Paul tells his beloved Thessalonians: “you became a
model for all believers…your faith in God has gone forth, so that we
have no need to say anything [more]. Did you ever think you would
hear St. Paul say “I have nothing more to say?” That’s how
powerful simple can be! Get to the heart of the message. Simple!
“Simple can be harder than complex. But once you get there
you can move mountains.” My brothers and sisters, so too in the
spiritual life! So too in a gospel-focused life. Try it sometime.
Pope Francis will be delighted. Simple is his mantra too! Peace!
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