30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Reasonable and Prudent
October 28, 2008
The first time I drove in the State of Montana was nearly 40 years ago. As I crossed the border, I saw a sign that said: “Speed Limit: Reasonable and Prudent.” And sure enough, there were no speed limit signs – just reasonable and prudent.
Well, as a teenager, I think my idea of reasonable and prudent was probably different from the ideas many other people had, and I was actually a bit upset that I was driving an old Chevy Bel Air instead of a Mustang or a Corvette.
The advice Jesus gives us in today’s Gospel reminds me of Montana’s speed limit. Jesus didn’t say: “Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal,” and so on. Rather, he said simply: “Love God and love your neighbour.”
Now, you’ve heard Father Paul talk about natural law. He wasn’t talking about the Canadian political party. He was talking about our inner knowledge of what is right and what is wrong.
The idea of natural law fits with the words of Jesus today. If we believe in God, how can we help but love God? And if we are good people, of course we will treat other people with love and respect.
We rely on our conscience. We assume that our conscience is like Montana’s speed limit. As long as we follow our conscience, we can’t be wrong. But wait a minute! You know that if I had been driving a Corvette, my interpretation of “reasonable and prudent” might have been quite different. Won’t the same thing happen if we follow Jesus’ words in the Gospel? In other words, wouldn’t each of us interpret the words: “love God, love your neighbour” differently?
Some people view their conscience as a rudder – a guiding force that invariably steers us in the right direction. Well, in a way that’s true, but each of us has a conscience that has been formed in a slightly different way – so if it’s a rudder, each person’s rudder will take them in a slightly different direction. When I asked Father Paul about this, he had a better analogy. He said our conscience is like our eyes. Our eyes work quite well, but only if there is light. The light allows us to see the right direction and avoid the problems. So our eyes need the light.
The two great commandments that Jesus gave us in today’s Gospel provide the foundation for all the laws. But we have a whole bunch of more specific rules. We find them in the Catechism, the Code of Canon Law, and in many other writings of the Church. Are all these more specific laws necessary? Can’t we just say: “I love God, and I love my neighbour?”
I want to look at just one of these rules as an example. We have to go to Mass on Sunday (or Saturday evening), barring major health problems or other serious situations. Some of us might say: “I think that’s pretty arbitrary. Why can’t I go to Mass whenever I want – maybe during the week? And, for that matter, why can’t I just take a walk in the woods and pray and talk to God, and even sing?”
Well, the Mass isn’t arbitrary! I want to read to you a letter written by St. Justin in 155 AD – that’s about 1,850 years ago.
“On the day we call the day of the sun [Sunday], all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. [That’s the scripture readings.]
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things. [That’s what I’m doing now.]
Then we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves … and for all others… [The prayer of the faithful]
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss. [The kiss of peace – usually a handshake.]
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren. [At the Offertory, we bring the gifts to Father Paul]
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father … through the Son and … the Holy Spirit, and gives thanks that we have been judged worthy of these gifts. [This includes the Eucharistic Prayer and the Consecration]
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: ‘Amen.” [That’s the Great Amen after the Eucharistic Prayer]
[Then] those whom we call deacons give to those present the “eucharisted” bread, wine, and water and take them to those who are absent.” [I actually let Father and the Eucharistic Ministers help me with that.]
But isn’t that wonderful! More than 1800 years later, we celebrate the same Mass on the same day – nothing arbitrary here.
But we can go back even farther in our history. The Gospel of Luke describes the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday: “Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” Do this in remembrance of me – not arbitrary – not: “Do this unless you have a soccer tournament, or a tee time, or if you’ve got something planned with your friends, or ‘I’m too tired’.”
In the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom talked about whether it was OK just to pray to God by ourselves. He said: “You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.”
So we can see in the scriptures and in the writings and practice of the very early Church that attending Mass, and Mass itself is not arbitrary. And we see something else. Nowhere in these early writings do we hear: “You HAVE to go to Mass on Sunday – OR ELSE!” The celebration of the Eucharist is just that – a celebration. It was a joy for the early Christians to attend Mass with other Christians – and it should be for us. But we don’t always see it that way.
The Catechism tells us that if we don’t attend Mass on Sunday, we commit a serious sin. So many of us say: “I gotta go to church, because if I don’t, God will hate me, and I’ll go to hell, and I don’t want to go to hell!” So the idea is that I somehow hurt God, and God “gets back” at me by giving me a mortal sin – like a teacher would give out a detention – only worse!
But a sin is something we do to ourselves – it’s a detention that we give to ourselves. We lock ourselves in the classroom when our classmates have all gone home to their families. In fact, that’s a good analogy. The Church, and especially our parish, is our spiritual family. By not coming to Mass, we are locking ourselves away from that family.
Now, I’ve talked about the Mass and how it’s our obligation – but more importantly – our blessing and our privilege to go to Mass. And I’ve described in a very incomplete way why the Church requires us to go to Mass each weekend. On the day of the sun, on the day that Jesus rose from the dead, we gather as a family – as neighbours – to love God and to love our neighbours.
But this was just an example – an example of why we need some guidance in living our lives as Christians. Jesus told us today to love God and love our neighbours – that these were the greatest commandments. But at that time, the Jewish Law had 613 commandments, 365 prohibitions (things you weren’t allowed to do – one for every day of the year), and 268 prescriptions (things you were supposed to do – one for every bone in the body). And the Pharisees were obsessed with following all of these laws, like a dog chasing his tail. When they asked Jesus which was the most important, he didn’t say “All of those things are useless,” he reminded the Pharisees that all of the commandments arose from two great and fundamental commandments.
Beyond these two great commandments, our Church has given us the gift of centuries of insight into what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. Attending Sunday Mass is one example, and there are many others in the Catechism, the Code of Canon Law, and other writings of the Church. But if we live our lives afraid to do anything for fear of breaking one of the Church’s laws, we are no different from the Pharisees, and, like the Pharisees, we would eventually forget the source of all of these laws – to love God and to love our neighbours.
We need to find a sensible balance between trusting our natural understanding of right and wrong, and seeking the guidance of the Church when we have questions. This seems only reasonable – and prudent.
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Love, Sin, Judgment
October 6, 2008
A neighbour of mine just moved to BC. His name is Richard. He bought a house on about an acre of land, and it had a small vineyard on it. I got an e-mail from him the other day saying that after tending his vineyard all year and stockpiling empty wine bottles, all of his grapes were destroyed by mildew. So he will have no grapes this year and the treatment for the mildew will probably destroy next year’s crop as well. As you can imagine, he is very disappointed, but he said in a good-natured way that he will have to support the local wine industry this year.
I thought about Richard and his little vineyard as I reflected on the first reading today. Isaiah spoke about a very conscientious land owner who planted a vineyard. In fact, he was more than conscientious – Isaiah calls his story of the land owner and his vineyard a love song – the land owner loved his vineyard. He had excellent soil and found the best vines. And despite all his hard work, the vineyard produced wild grapes – grapes that were sour and not usable. So in his anger, he destroyed the vineyard. The vineyard had failed him.
When Isaiah was talking about the land owner and the vineyard, he was, of course, talking about God and the people of Israel. God had led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and settled them in their own land – a rich land flowing with milk and honey. And yet they turned to other gods. Just as the vineyard had failed the land owner, the people of Israel had failed God, and Isaiah was telling them that they would be punished, just like the land owner destroyed the vineyard. In Isaiah’s description of the people of Israel, we see first, love (the love of God), then sin, and then judgment.
Isaiah’s story is relevant even today. I have some friends who raised their children in a very loving and supportive environment. They weren’t wealthy, but they were good and loving providers. Most of the children grew up as you would have expected, but one fell into a life of alcohol and drug use. In the end he ran into trouble with the law and spent time in jail. So we see the same pattern of love, then sin – turning away from love – and judgment.
In the Gospel, Jesus told a similar story. He talked about a loving land owner who carefully planted and protected his vineyard and then handed it over to tenants who would look after the crop, harvest it, and give the land owner the produce. And we heard how the tenants treated the people the land owner sent – even to the point of killing the land owner’s son. Now, I understand that this is a parable, but I’ve always thought that the killing of the land owner’s son was a bit extreme, even for a parable. But, apparently, if the land owner had died without leaving an heir, the tenants would have inherited the land, so the story does make some sense. As in the story from Isaiah, we see the pattern of love (the land owner actually planted the vineyard himself – he did all the hard work), then sin, and then judgment – we heard that the land owner would put the tenants to a miserable death.
In Isaiah’s parable, it was the vineyard that betrayed the land owner (the people of Israel had turned away from God). In Jesus’ parable, it was those put in charge of the vineyard who betrayed the land owner. Jesus was talking about the chief priests and the Pharisees – and they would take God’s own son and kill him. It is an important distinction, because Matthew is not telling us that the Jewish people killed God’s son – but rather, it was those put in charge of the vineyard – the religious leaders of the time, who were responsible.
Now both of the parables we heard today are very dramatic stories that began with love, turned to sin, and resulted in a harsh judgment. And I told you the story of my friends’ son whose life followed that same pattern. And we say to ourselves: “I would never do anything that terrible.” And I don’t think any of us would. But we turn away from our loving God every time we sin. In the Gospel, the tenants were guilty of jealousy and greed. How often do we envy the things that other people have? How often, in our greed, do we take more than we need – ignoring the needs of others? The Pharisees rejected Jesus’ call to love their neighbours as they had been loved by God. How often do we put ourselves before others – push to the front of the line – try to get the best of everything at the expense of others?
Jesus calls us to love our neighbours as he loved us – every day – and God gives us opportunities to love our neighbours as he loved us – every day – sometimes in big ways, but more often in small ways.
I’ve mentioned several times the pattern of love, sin, and judgment. I think we all have some understanding of God’s love for us. And we are all probably too familiar with sin. But the idea of judgment is scary.
So how do we deal with the knowledge that we will be judged for our actions? St. Paul gives us some wonderful advice today. He said: “Do not worry about anything.” In some translations, this reads: “Have no anxiety at all.” He says we should let our requests be known to God –in other words, we should pray. And then he says: “Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” In other words, while we are all born in God’s love, and we will all be judged, turning to sin does not have to happen.
I sometimes talk with people after the death of a family member. There are times when I see the fear – the anxiety. They worry that their loved one had turned away from God and they worry how they will be judged.
And then there are other times when the family has – as St. Paul would say – “no anxiety at all.” I was privileged to preside at the wake service for Therese Heltman on Thursday night. I listened to the loving words and music of her children and her grandchildren, and although there was sadness at the passing of this wonderful and holy woman, there was: “no anxiety at all.” Rather, there was peace.
Today’s readings tell us about loving land owners who created their vineyards with care, but the outcome of their labours could not always be predicted. The readings remind us that we have our beginnings in God’s love, and that throughout our lives, we have the choice to act with love or to turn away – in fact, we have many choices every day. The readings tell us that if we choose to respond to God’s great love by turning away – by turning to sin, our judgment will be harsh. But if we respond to God’s love with love, we will be freed from all fear – from all anxiety – and we will know the peace of God – the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Federal Election 2008 Guide: Making Your Voice Heard
October 1, 2008
Introduction
1. As Canadian citizens, Catholics have an obligation to be interested in politics. They should exercise this civic responsibility by becoming involved in the electoral process and especially by voting.
2. Participating in the political process is an ongoing duty that reaches far beyond election campaigns. The Commission for Social Affairs of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) encourages Catholics to become better informed about the issues, to voice their concerns with the political candidates, to promote vigorous public debate, to consider running for office and, most of all, to vote. There is also deep gratitude owed to all who are running for or serving in political office, whether they belong to a particular faith community or not. Through their commitment and service, they are making a generous contribution to the common good of our society.
Political discernment
3. The Gospel does not give a specific program for social and political action. Nor does the Church “set forth specific political solutions to temporal questions that God has left to the free and responsible judgment of each person.”1 Each Catholic citizen has to exercise political discernment and prudential judgment. Within a democratic society such as Canada, a number of legitimate political approaches is possible. Even when basic Catholic moral principles have been clearly defined, there can still be a variety of ways for them to be respected and advanced in political life. There is a legitimate range of political opinions, attitudes, convictions and orientations in society, just as within the Catholic community.
Some basic principles of Catholic moral and social teaching
4. The following are some basic principles in Catholic moral and social teaching. They are not a political platform but a perspective in order to help examine and evaluate public policy and programs.
Respect for the life and dignity of the human person
5. As people of faith, Catholics believe that life comes from God, and that human life from its very beginning is a priceless gift. Each human being, created in God’s image, has inestimable worth and inherent dignity. Since life is the most precious natural gift that can be received, one of the greatest responsibilities of a Catholic is to love life, respect it and protect it. The sacredness of the human person is at the heart of the Gospel. Christ shows that each person is worthy of being loved, simply by being him or herself, and not because of what he or she can do.
6. Catholics believe in the responsible use of freedom to promote human life and dignity at all stages, from conception to death, no matter the circumstances. Choosing life means:
• Protecting the right to life for even the smallest – the human embryo and the human fetus – who are members of the human family, and also offering assistance to pregnant women who are facing difficult situations;
• Defending and caring for people in all circumstances, beginning with the most vulnerable and the poorest;
• Supporting and being present to people with disabilities and those who are elderly, ill, poor or suffering;
• Respecting the life and dignity of those who are dying, and accompanying them even in their last moments;
• Protecting all persons from possible exploitation in the use of biomedical technologies;
• Promoting peace and ending violence as a way to resolve conflicts;
• Encouraging policies that help people balance their family and work responsibilities.
Preferential option for the poor
7. For Christians, concern for the poor is not just a political choice, it is a Gospel imperative. Jesus had a special love for those who were weak and vulnerable; he identified with them and proclaimed the Good News in their midst.
8. Pope John Paul II said that the moral measure of a society is the importance it gives to human dignity.2 For this reason, Catholics are called to respond to the needs of the most destitute and to act against injustice. They are to give preference to those who are most at risk, to the poor and the oppressed. Given the importance of the economic factor in all this, Pope Benedict XVI has pointed out that “the logic of profit and that of the equal distribution of goods … do not contradict each other if their relationship is well ordered. Catholic social doctrine has always supported that equitable distribution of goods is a priority.”3 In other words, social priorities and public policies reflect the moral character of society.
Do the political parties promote access to safe, affordable housing for low-income families? Do they offer real solutions to the problems of child poverty and increasing food costs?
The war in Afghanistan
9. Canada has been involved in the Afghanistan conflict since 2001, collaborating with its allies in the struggle there against the insurgents. Although the situation is complex, our country has a serious responsibility to do everything possible to encourage dialogue leading to peace. War is never the best solution for people in solving a problem. The social doctrine of the Church is clear on this: “it is hardly possible to imagine that in an atomic era, war could be used as an instrument of justice.”4 Our country should be a leader in finding a way to resolve this conflict by focusing on the basic issues. For the Bishops of Canada, it is clear “there will not be peace in Afghanistan without a true peace process which involves all the parties. This is what Canada especially needs to promote.”5
Are the political parties ready to engage in a peace process for Afghanistan?
Environment
10. How to protect the environment is a fundamental debate that Canadian society can no longer ignore. The approach of industrial societies has been based on mass production and consumption, much to the detriment of the planet’s ecological balance. Too often, humans forget they are part of nature, and that only thanks to nature they can eat, drink and breathe. Respecting the environment means giving each person what he or she needs to live. In this way, love for God and neighbour involves love for creation, which calls for choices that go beyond short-term interests. Humanity must take responsibility for and care about its future generations so they can have a healthy environment. As our recent pastoral letter on the environment recalls, “We hope our elected representatives will remember first of all the heritage we are leaving our children when making important decisions. Because we love our children, what environment, what society do we wish to bequeath to them?”6
11. In Canada, ecological concerns often force governments to make the difficult choice between protecting the environment and saving jobs. This kind of dilemma is a symptom of a profound imbalance between economic activities and the place of the human being in nature. It is urgent to establish new and harmonious relationships between both realities. To fail to do so will mean an even more costly deadlock. While recognizing that “profit is legitimate and, in just measure, necessary for economic development,” Pope Benedict also goes on to stipulate that “when the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails,” it then becomes possible to develop an economy leading “towards an equitable, sustainable development.”7.True political wisdom means acting now to obtain long-term results. This is the opposite of pursuing only short-term political interests.
When it comes to the environment, do the political parties show concern for future generations? Do they have a specific plan for redefining the relationship between economic activities and the role of the human being in nature?
Exercising the right to vote and discernment
12. In a democracy, the right to vote is linked to freedom of expression and participation in political life. During an election campaign, the voters are invited to make choices. Catholics must consider this important responsibility as a priority for the common good of society. Exercising the right to vote involves making clear and thoughtful judgments about the political choices, and these choices can be tough. As an example, a candidate whose values agree with Church teaching may be a member of a political party whose policies are not fully in line with Church teaching. Or a party policy may reflect Church teaching better than does one of its candidates. To assist in such situations, the Church recalls that “In this context, it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.”8
13. In addition, the principle of choosing “the lesser evil” may also apply. Society has a variety of schools of political thought. Voters can find themselves facing crucial choices as they weigh their personal beliefs with those of the candidates, some of whom may even disagree with values that are basic to their party’s policies. Depending on the situation, a voter may feel it necessary to choose the candidate or the party that represents the lesser evil in terms of moral or ethical values, thus exercising prudential judgment as noted at the beginning of this guide. However, tolerating something that is wrong does not make it right. In a complex world, accomplishing good with courage and determination often means taking a round-about route. Doing good sometimes involves having the patience of a martyr.9
Conclusion
14. Political participation does not come to an end when the election results are announced. In many ways, this is just the beginning. Informed and responsible citizens engage their political representatives in ongoing public dialogue on pressing social issues. This is a sign of a healthy community, for which all its citizens should be striving and insisting.10 Canadian Catholics should settle for nothing less, if they are to be truly responsible.
15 September 2008
Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Archbishop Roger Ébacher, Chairman
Archbishop Bertrand Blanchet
Archbishop Brendan M. O’Brien
Archbishop Daniel Bohan
1 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note: On Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 24 November 2002, no. 3.
2 Pope John Paul II, Message for the World Day for Peace, 1 January 2001, Dialogue Between Cultures for a Civilization of Love and Peace, no. 8.
3 Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus message, 23 September 2007.
4 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 497, Libreria Editrice Vaticana – CCCB Publications Service, 2006.
5 Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Plenary Assembly 2007, report by the President.
Do the political parties represented in the upcoming federal election propose policies in support of these choices for life?
6 Commission for Social Affairs, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Our Relationship with the Environment: The Need for Conversion, 2008, p. 5.
7 Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus message, 23 September 2007.
8 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note: On Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, no. 4. See also the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2242.
9 Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, quoted by Jean-François Raimond, L’Osservatore Romano (French-language weekly edition), 17 June 2008, p. 10.
10 For examples of the social questions being raised by the Bishops of Canada, see the website of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops at www.cccb.ca.