6th Sun OT-A’17
“Not the Smallest Letter”
Fr. Jeff Nicolas
“Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law…” So says Jesus about “the rules”.
Boy if I only had a nickel for every time someone, usually under the pretense of being more enlightened than I, has said to me, “Religion is just a bunch of rules that get in the way.” Maybe you have met a few of these people? Religion to these folks is just an archaic collection of rules that inhibit a person from getting to God, or at least from getting to fun.
But here is the TRUTH… the opposite is actually the case. You see, the “god” these folks are “worshipping” is really just a figment of their own imagining. Theologian Christian Smith captures their “god” with the term, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. “God is useful; he is like a butler who comes at our convenience when we call him; he wants us to be nice; and good people go to heaven.”
This is not a God of sacrifice, a God of discipline, a God of real love. Rather this is a “god” of the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and something they read about Zen and Buddha all wrapped up in one. This is not a “god” who saves; this is not a relationship with the real Jesus Christ.
Our Catholic religion brings us into relationship with the real Jesus Christ. Our religion doesn’t get in the way; it IS the way!
As my friend Fr. David Scotchie so succinctly explains, our relationship with the Lord is the heart of Catholic religion. How we live it out - the rules - follows from this relationship. The rules of religion exist to protect our inner relationship with the Lord. Using a banana to illustrate his point he writes,
“A banana has two parts, the skin and the fruit. No one eats the skin. Yet who would buy a banana without a skin? Without a skin, the banana fruit quickly becomes mush; it spoils and smells. The skin protects and preserves the fruit. In the same way the rules of religion protect and preserve the relationship with the Lord. As the purpose of the banana skin is to protect and preserve the fruit, so too the purpose of the rules of religion is a flourishing relationship with the Lord. Yes there are rules, but the living heart (the banana!) is your relationship with the Lord.”
Hence our Gospel reports Jesus clearly saying, “I have come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.” A real relationship with Jesus Christ is facilitated by our Catholic religion. Our religion transports us into the depths of a real relationship with Jesus Christ where we in our freedom can say to him, “I’m Your’s.”
But this relationship with Jesus must be chosen. This is why our Church has us hear the reading from the Book of Sirach today…
“If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose stretch out your hand.” God knows that if I cannot say “no” to Him, then my “yes” means nothing. This is why there is no such thing as a natural disciple; there are only intentional disciples.
As Lent approaches we as a parish are going to be given many opportunities to intentionally choose to delve deeper into our relationship with Jesus Christ. We have put together a wonderful offering… [list can be found on our parish website: stb2008.org]
The way has been prepared; the well has been dug, but all I can do is lead you to the water, you must choose to drink. Don’t let this Lent slip away. Cease this moment, make this your best Lent yet!
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