SIBLING RIVALRY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 18th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Sibling Rivalry.”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

When I read today’s first reading from Numbers 12: 1-13, I scratched my head and said, “Now what is this all about?” Next I thought: “No wonder we ignore the first reading for homily consideration at times - because this is too complicated. It’s too early in the morning. Will anyone get anything out of this first reading?”

I read the first reading again. Then I read what the commentaries say about the text. I smiled when I read that a few of them say it’s complicated. It has various threads of thought and experiences that come from various times and sources of Israel’s history. What I found most intriguing was the comment and the text is being used in struggles between two types of prophets in Israel in the 8th century BC - using a story that came down from word of mouth from earlier - from a story from the time of the Exodus - which some date in the 1400’s. [1] So because it’s a mishmash part of the stories about Moses and others, no wonder it’s a head scratcher.

Then a new thought hit me. That's what I am usually hoping for when reading the readings of the day and trying to come up with a short thought for a homily.

The new thought: people at times ask about how to read the Bible. New thought: why not suggest going through the Bible using the issue of Sibling Rivalry?

Someone could go through the Bible - cover to cover - and jot down any and every sibling rivalry story that comes up. Put down character’s names and then the text numbers like: Cain and Abel Genesis 1-16; Abram and Lot Genesis 13: 1-18; Ishmael and Hagar, Genesis 16: 1-16; and on and on and on.

It could be done. And here in Numbers 12: 13 we a sibling rivalry between a brother and a sister with their brother Moses.

SIBLINGS

When I was growing up, if someone asked me how many siblings I had, I would wondering if they were asking about a type of gold fish or a yo yo or what have you. I never heard the word, “Sibling” - so when I began to hear the word, I wasn’t sure just what it meant. Now it’s as common as words like “texting” or “twittering”.

THE RESULTS

By going through the whole Bible and jotting down various sibling rivalries - like the Prodigal Son and his older brother, James and John, and a whole list from the Old Testament - like Joseph and his brothers, we could do some heavy thinking about all this.

One thought would be the question of whether the world is hurting itself by less and less kids in families. What will China be like by only wanting boys and limitings? What will Europe be like by not repopulating itself and then comes the influx of folks from other parts of the world - who are having lots of kids? Kids are expensive. Kids are the stories of life.

The Catholic Church has always stressed the importance of children as the key to marriage and life.

How about listening to therapists and grandmothers and grandfathers and people from big families and people from small families? What’s their take and what’s their experience of where they come from?

Is it important for people to experience family - and their place in a family? Is it important for people to wonder about what it meant to be the oldest of 5 or the youngest of 6 or the middle child of 3 or the only boy of 7 or the only girl of 4 or to have experienced the death of a brother or a sister at an early age - or to get hand me downs - or be in packed bedrooms - or to think mom or dad likes so and so more than me or him or her. Is it important to deal with contrasts and comparisons? What it like to be the Black Sheep of the family - or to have teachers compare us to an older brother or sister - or to be an only child and one visits cousins in abundance from bigger families. What’s it like for an oldest in one family marry the youngest in another family? I’ve heard there are optimum situtations. What about step-children and adopted children - in the family mix?

It’s the stuff of story and it’s the stuff of Bible.

CONCLUSION

So today’s first reading begins with something that happens in various families. It begins this way: “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.”

Were they unhappy with their sister-in-law? Were they unhappy with their brother’s choice of a wife? Or was it something else? Jealousy? Comparison? What have you? Then Miriam gets leprosy - a skin disease and turns white. What is that all about? And God is described as angry with Miriam. Does God make us itch and scratch our heads and body when rivalry and messy family stuff is going on?

Scratch the surface of all this. Family stuff is Bible stuff. Family stuff is our stuff. Family stuff is learning stuff.

NOTES

[1] Cf. God Day By Day, Following the Weekday Lectionary, Vol. two, Ordinary Time: Matthew, Marcel Bastin, Ghislain Pinchers, Michel Teheux, page 183; The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, "Numbers", p.85, #28, by Conrad E. L’Heureux.