WEIGHTIER  

THINGS  OF  THE  LAW

  

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 21 Tuesday in Ordinary Time - and the Feast of St. Augustine is, “Weightier Things of the Law.”

That’s what Jesus points out in today’s gospel. Then he tells us what  they are: judgment, mercy and fidelity.

Let me present these 3 choices and then give some quotes from Saint Augustine for each. Today is his feast day.

FIRST: THE ART OF JUDGMENT

The first of the 3 is judgment - “KRISIS” in Greek. It’s an art - a skill - to be able to make smart, healthy, life giving  judgments.

It means decision. It refers to crucial moments - junction moments in life. Do I turn right or left - or do I go  backwards or forwards?

We have the power to make judgments - choices. We make judgments with our conscience on laws - to do what is right - to do what is better for me, myself and I and  for all.

So we have the ability to judge what is right in everyday life.

We’re talking here about making judgments to do the right thing for others. That we be fair with each other.

So we need to use our brains to avoid doing the bad thing.

Here is a quote from St. Augustine telling us what we should be doing with our life. “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

Every day we have threshold moments.  We’re walking towards a door - and there are people moving towards that same door as well. Some people open the door and let others go in first. Then others - it seems - have no awareness of others. They come to a door - walk right into a room  - without any awareness of other people heading for that same door.

The same thing happens in parking lots moving around and then out of the mall or church parking lots or where have you.

Every day we have to make judgments about what to do. We make those judgments based on all kinds of training, experiences, education, upbringing. In Jesus’ time the Jews had well over 600 laws in the books and Rabbi’s talked about which ones had the most weight.

Recall in the scriptures, how many times Jesus was asked about laws and which one were the most important. He said they were two: to love God with our whole mind, soul,  strength and will and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Golden Rule is right in there.

SECOND - DOING MERCY

The second reality or gift or skill we should have in our soul  is mercy. In today’s gospel the word  “ELEOS” in Greek appears.  It’s having compassion and caring about others - especially when they are hurting.

It’s the gift of understanding - forgiving - bending - accepting others - especially in their weaknesses. We need to forgive. We need to be kind to others.

So we’re walking down the road of everyday - and there is someone in need.  What do we do? Do we stop to help the other? Or do we keep moving forward - passing them by?

There are a lot of folks who are hurting - not just the mugged and robbed.

The Good Samaritan story is a billboard - a scream - a hMMMM - to stop and show mercy to the person beaten up by life - not to keep the rule of “I have to get to the gym or church or play bridge.”

I found a telling quote from St. Augustine,  “In my deepest wound I saw your glory, and it dazzled me.” 

To me that could mean we can  discover God in the love others show us when we  are wounded - whether it’s a doctor who gives her or his life - in trying to heal folks - or to drive those who can’t drive any more to the doctor.

Augustine noticed that people were amazed at great spots of nature - but miss the great beauty of themselves and others.

I think of the Grand Canyon. Years ago, like so many people, I got to see the Grand Canyon. It’s a great rift - a great cut in the earth.

I ended up walking it from top to bottom - and up to the top of the other side. It was 27 miles from the North Rim to the South Rim. I did it  in a day - 5 AM till 7 PM.

Question. People are amazed at the Grand Canyon. But do I see the great cuts and canyons in others? Do I see the great carved out holes in other people - and go “Wow!”  When I see their predicaments, do they bring out in me a feeling of wanting to help them? If I stop to be with them, do they say down deep, “Someone knows my holes and hurts.”

Augustine put it this way: “We go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and we pass by others without wondering.”

THIRD: FIDELITY

Fidelity is the last of the 3 matters Jesus describes as weightier matters of the Law. Our gospel text uses the word, “PISTIN” in Greek, for fidelity. It  is ongoing presence, ongoing trust, ongoing conviction that God is with me and I am with God.

So it’s important to make that act of faith that God knows and loves me.

Augustine wrote, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

Augustine stressed that we do that for each other. Love the one you’re with.

The call is to be present to the other person as God is present to us.

He said somewhere, “Hear the other side.” I know I’m guilty of not listening to the other person - only the stories they trigger in me.

Augustine said that he was late in loving God. It took him a while. It takes a while to read his Confessions. It can take us a while - quiet, meditation, reflection, to discover we’re too wrapped up in self and we’re missing God and others.

Augustine wrote, “You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You.”

Augustine wrote, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” 

Augustine wrote, “Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?” 

Fidelity - faith - is breaking out of self and into the life of God and others.

CONCLUSION

So there they are 3 weightier matters that matter.

Put them in your basket.