23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 7, 2014
10 AM Liturgy
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
Oscar Wilde once said: “The one who sees both sides of every
question, is the one who sees absolutely nothing at all.” Pope
Francis obviously disagrees with him.
At the start of another academic year, it is appropriate that
today’s readings offer the synopsis for a course entitled: “Conflict
Management 101 within the church.” The gospel comes from a
section of Matthew that is often called his “Sermon on the Church.”
And Ezekiel and Paul just offer supporting evidence.
But there is a broader context in which we might place this
“sermon.” And the context is one very dear to the Bishop of Rome.
At the Pope’s general audience, just last month, his first of the
summer season, he returned to a favorite theme. The theme has
almost become a mantra for Francis. It has appeared in so many of
his talks and comes up in so many places in Evangelii Gaudium. He
keeps repeating with a great sense of urgency how often Christians
must return to Matthew’s gospel in the 5th and 25th chapters, the
Beatitudes and the final judgment.
His insistence can be traced way back to when he spoke to
students in Rio. He told them he was impressed that they all had
memorized the Ten Commandments. But he wanted them to also
memorize the Beatitudes, suggesting they were at least as
important. That upset a good many sourpusses, as Francis calls
some of them.
Later at an outdoor Angelus talk in the Vatican, he actually
repeated each Beatitude and had the thousands in the crowd
repeat it after him: Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the
meek, blessed are the peacemakers; and so forth.
And every time Francis urges us to focus on the Beatitudes,
he also refers to the end of Matthew’s gospel, Matthew 25, the story
of the sheep and the goats. This, he keeps saying, is really how we
all will be judged. This is how life itself will be judged. Have I fed
the hungry? Have I visited the sick, the prisoners, the strangers?
Francis keeps insisting that the Gospel is given not so much to
be understood (especially not in neat but complex theological
assertions). No, the Gospel is given to be lived. It does not matter,
it seems, whether we understand it all or not. The Pope’s mantra is
taken from the Nike playbook: Just do it!
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To be a true Christian, to be a true member of this church,
requires a certain code of behavior, a certain ethics if you will. We
will be known as Christian by the way we act toward each other,
especially in conflict situations.
Ezekiel reminds us, in rather blunt language, that we cannot
ever just keep quiet and “mind out own business” when conflict
arises. One cannot just “look the other way,” or “keep your head
down.” Ezekiel is told his own blood will be required if he does not
speak truth to his fellow citizens.
St. Paul adds an even more simple way to monitor our ethics:
it is not just about sex or money. It is about loving each other as we
love ourselves. This is a hard saying! Especially when there is
conflict, disagreement on even basic principles, bitterness, and
even, occasionally at least, what feels like hatred of those who
insist on not agreeing with us!
St. Matthew offers a trick question for our final exam. When
conflict seems unresolvable, and you are really angry at another’s
stupidity, or vengefulness, then what do you do? Jesus says just
walk away calmly and treat that person as you would a Gentile or a
tax collector.
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Be careful here; it’s a trick question I told you. How are the
Gentiles and tax collectors treated in Matthew’s gospel? Just
walking away calmly is not the final answer, is it? Matthew’s
gospel suggests a remarkable hidden irony. The gospel ends (Mt.
28: 19) with the great commissioning of the disciples: “Go forth
and preach the gospel--to whom?” To the Gentiles, to the very ends
of the earth!
And who is the most famous tax collector in Matthew’s
gospel? You guessed it, a man named Levi, or Matthew. Remember
his dinner party with Jesus? The one at which he tells the story of
the Prodigal? You can’t give up on anyone, ever! In short, even the
most troublesome among us should be treated as a tax collector or
Gentile. That is to say, they will be welcomed with all other sinners
at the banquet of the Kingdom, just like Levi was.
This little “Sermon on the Church” ought to disturb us—at
least a little bit. There is no room for any “us” and “them.” No
room at all. All are welcomed, period!
So I want to vote with Francis on this one, and not with not
with Oscar Wilde. Sometimes, it appears, one can see both sides of
every question and still see clearly a much bigger picture. It’s
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called God’s reign on earth. Whatever you do, don’t miss the final
exam for this course in Conflict Management 101. Our very lives
could depend on it. Peace!
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