Who Do You Trust?

Oct. 16: Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

It's impossible to know everything. You can be a world-class expert in one field, and still know absolutely nothing about important aspects of everyday life. A physicist still hires a mechanic to fix his car; an architect still takes his cat to the vet.

We have to trust people. If we don't, we couldn't function in society. But who do we trust? That's the subject of today's readings.

Reading 1

Gal 5:18-25

Brothers and sisters: If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. 

Paul's use of the word "law" can be confusing to modern readers. He's not saying there aren't any rules or morals for Christians to follow. He's speaking specifically of the Law of Moses.

There are still sins we must avoid. What he calls obvious "works of the flesh" are what theologians and philosophers call "Natural Law." These are the things that are always wrong, in every culture and context.

The distinction is why modern Christians are expected to follow "all those weird old testament laws."

But more is expected of us than simply avoiding bad things. We're also expected to offer love, joy, peace, patience, etc.¹ The Spirit should move us in a positive direction, not just away from the negative.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

We must be careful who we allow to influence us. The starting point and source must always be God, in His wisdom and goodness. It would be a mistake to listen to someone who believes they can create their own morality out of thin air.

Alleluia 

Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We should always be listening for Jesus' voice, even when it comes out of the mouth of another person.

Gospel

Lk 11:42-46

The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces.   Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”

And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

The tithes Jesus speaks about are very small gifts that must be offered to the temple, according to the letter of the law. But, as per usual with the Pharisees, they're missing the point. Offerings should be a sign of love and gratitude, not begrudgingly meeting minimum requirements.

I love how the lawyers speak up at this point. "Um, you know, if you're not careful with your words, people might think you're talking about us, too."

And Jesus is all, "I am talking about you, too!"

But it's not just them. It's very easy to point at the hypocrisy of others. But do we do the same? Do we only fast when it's required, during lent? Do we offer the minimum at mass, and call it good? What about those in need? Is there more we could do?

1. Paul does like to run on, doesn’t he?