RELIGION  AND FREEDOM 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Religion and Freedom.”

When it comes to becoming a religious person, as well as a spiritual person, we have to get our minds and hearts on what it means to be free.

It’s my sense from the gospels - that Jesus wants to set us human beings free. It’s my sense from the gospels that Jesus didn’t like experiencing the way his religion - Judaism - got so petty and picky - restrictive and binding.

It’s my sense from being a Catholic since birth, that those who take over are those who stress Law, Rules, Regulations, Have-to’s, instead of seeing all as gift and freely giving.

This message of freedom vs. the law is in all 4 gospels. Check out today’s gospel - and check out the 8^th Chapter of John.

GALATIANS AND ROMANS

Check out today’s first reading from the 5^th chapter of Galatians - as well as its parallel texts in Romans 6:15ff.

Would people who know me describe me as strict and severe or sweet and easy?

Paul - as we can glean from Galatians and Romans - is off on not being stuck in strictness - when it comes to religion and the Law.

Why are some people strict and why are some people a piece of cake?

Was it because Paul  was a zealot, strict, picky, picky, picky when it came to the Law?

We’ve all heard people who are on diets, wanting others to be on a diet as well. Reformed smokers or drinkers can become really pushy.

We would hope that people who have become free from addictions or what have you, would become more understanding of others who are still trapped.  

THE LAW

“Know yourself” - “Gnothi seauton”  - is one of the famous Ancient Greek STOP signs for every human being.

Know yourself - how you’re mouthing off - how your mattering.

Every thought matters.

They are us.

So it’s good to know ourselves, how we are thinking, what laws we go by….

The Law! To know Judaism - we need to know all about the Law. The Law was  supposed to be hedge to protect us. The Law was made for us - not the other way around.

But people tend to make the Law more important than the person - the law was made to serve. Instead of hedges, people made the law a wall with broken glass on top.

The key sense to have about the law - is its benefits - not its restrictions.

When we were studying our Laws - for our Province - I learned about the word “ordinarily”. Ordinarily, it’s good to add the word “Ordinarily” comma, before laws.

So it’s good to know ourselves, to know what’s going on, and to know the inner workings of a person.

To know Paul - and his letters - like today’s letter to the Galatians - we have to read autobiographical and biographic details of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles and in his letters.

The yoke of the Law was chaffing him. It was not the gentle yoke that Jesus often talked about.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel from Luke 11: 37-41 - Jesus runs into this same fix people can get themselves into when it comes to the law.

The Pharisees - Paul was one - were off on ritual washing - to the extreme - and they went after Jesus and his disciples who seemed to be free of any extremes when it came to the law.

Jesus said: you’re off on looking good on the outside - instead of going within. Become clean in there - and you’ll be clean.

Remember the beatitude, “Blessed are the pure of heart and you’ll see God.”

USING  GOING TO MASS AS AN EXAMPLE

Let me use going to Sunday Mass as an example….

People break a leg - or have to take care of a sick parent - and they can’t get to Mass. They feel guilty and feel they have to confess the missing.

Or they are traveling or on a cruise and they can’t get to Mass.

I’ve heard people say they want to change the word “obligation” to “opportunity”.  So we have Holy Days of Opportunity - or there is Sunday opportunity.

Notice the word religion has in it that word “ligament” - which means binding.

So when it comes to Mass - or when it comes to any situation, at some point - we need to be here not out of obligation or law - but because we want to be at this meal - because we want to be here.

When it comes to commandments - I rather see Jesus, the Word made flesh - showing me how to love the Father and one another - more than seeing the Ten Commandments written in stone.

CONCLUSION

So when it comes to religion, have we become free yet?