I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain

Feb 12: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This past week, we read the story of the Fall of Man.¹ One thing that’s notable is that Eve and Adam are fully autonomous the whole time. Eve didn’t have to take the apple from the snake, and Adam didn’t have to take it from her.²

Today’s readings are all about the law, but on a deeper level, they’re about choice.

Reading 1

Sir 15:15-20

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 forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man's every deed. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.

I found the choices Sirach offers here a little confusing. Maybe it’s just me, but given a choice between fire and water, water seems like the “good” one, since it’s a basic necessity, whereas fire tends to represent destruction. But the parallel construction of the next sentence (“life and death, good and evil”) implies fire is the good option.

Of course, fire can be a good thing, when it’s cold. And water can be bad, when your tub faucet is leaking.³ Few things in life are always good or bad. Which is not to advocate for relativism, but nuance. It’s how we choose to use them that makes them good or bad.

The thing is, it’s not a free-for-all. God “understands man’s every deed.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

This is your basic, “God gave us the law, so you should follow it”-type of psalm. But the last couple of lines add an interesting wrinkle.

“Give me discernment, that I may observe your law.” In other words, even with the law, it’s not always obvious what is the right thing to do. We’re not robots; we have to use our own mental faculties in order to choose the right.

Reading 2

1 Cor 2:6-10

Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

I think Americans have a proud tradition of not trusting “the rulers of this age” when it comes to elected officials. We tend to have a healthy skepticism of politicians even when we agree with him. There are other kinds of rulers, however unofficial—the people in suits on TV, the lecturer with the credentials at the front of the lecture hall, the never-seen coder of with behind the algorithm. Right or wrong in any particular instance, they will still pass away, while God’s wisdom will not.

There are some things we can never figure out, no matter how smart we are. Some things come only through revelation. That’s where we should put our trust.

Alleluia

cF. mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Little kids don’t assume they’ve got it all figured out. They still listen to their loving parents.

Gospel

Mt 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

"It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

One problem kids have is, once you give them an explicit rule, they instantly become little legal scholars. “Bedtime is at 8:00.” Check on them fifteen minutes later, they’re under the covers, playing with their iPad. “But I’m in bed!”

The point of all of Jesus’ examples here is that following the letter of the law isn’t enough, if your aim is to avoid the spirit of the law. Yeah, don’t cheat on your wife/husband, but also, don’t check out other women/men. Don’t murder, but also don’t hate someone enough to murder.

Lucas is terrible at dialogue.

Don’t look for “legal” ways to weasel your way out of doing what’s right. What you know is right, what God told you is right. You can choose.

1. If you read the regular daily readings, instead of getting side tracked by various feast days, like I did.

2. That’s be an interesting alternate-universe story—what if Adam turned Eve down?

3. This is why today’s post is SUPER late.