Commandments? Why bother?

Matthew 5:17-37

Are you watching the Olympics? I find the athletes inspiring. In order to chase a wonderfully challenging goal, they are willing to make so many sacrifices. They follow a strict regime of diet and exercise. Even if they do not win the gold medal, they continue to push themselves to be the best that they can be. This is what gives them joy and happiness. We can readily appreciate that Olympians need to follow demanding rules - or commandments - to succeed athletically. It is not as easy, however, for us to appreciate the need for us to follow rules and commandments in order to succeed as human beings. Today Jesus speaks in the gospel about the importance of the commandments in our life. Do we recognize this? Why must we follow the commandments?

Sometimes we have difficulty appreciating what role, if any, the commandments should have in our life as followers of Jesus. When it comes to the commandments, we can often fall into two opposite mentalities, both of which fail to recognize the true importance of commandments. 

• On the one hand, there is a certain way of thinking in the West that goes like this. Commandments? They are outdated. No one can say definitely that one way of acting is wrong for all people. Everything is relative. The Catholic Church is just full of rules. The only commandment in this way of thinking is “live and let live”. As long as you are not hurting anyone, you are acting fine. 
• On the other hand, some people, instead of dismissing commandments, focus overly on them. These people unconsciously think that God is like a schoolteacher in the sky who has given us a big exam in which the commandments are the test questions.  The most important thing in our spiritual life is not to break the commandments. Why should we not break the commandments? Because God told us not to. 

Both these viewpoints fail to consider that the commandments might actually be there for our own good. We too can have difficulty appreciating the proper role and purpose of the commandments in our lives.

The commandments, in fact, exists to help promote our happiness and fulfillment as human beings. To understand this, let us look at an analogy. Those of you who own a car know that there are certain things you need to do to a car in order that it works well. For example, when the tank is empty you need to fill it with gasoline. If you fill the tank with something else, say milk for example, what will happen? Obviously the car is going to break down. How do we know how to care for the car so that it runs well, whether the issue be what to put in the tank, how to change the oil or how to check tire pressure? The answer is the user’s manual that we find in the glove compartment. Who writes the user’s manual? The manufacturer of the car. Since they made the car, they know how to best keep it running. Like the car, some things will help for us “run well” as human beings, some will not. Some behaviors will contribute to our fulfillment and happiness. Other behaviors will cause us to break-down. Like a car, we too have a user’s manual given to us by our owner: the commandments. God cares that we live happy and fulfilled lives. In giving us the commandments, God is saying to us, “please do not do this action, you will hurt yourself and others!” The commandments themselves are not the most important thing. Obtaining happiness and fulfillment with God in this life and the next is our ultimate goal or destination. The commandments are like the signposts which point us in the right direction and keep us on track. The commandments exist to help us live happy and fulfilling lives.  

Jesus reveals fully how to live well as human beings. We could say that Jesus has given us the definitive user’s manual for human happiness and fulfillment. He can do this because He is literally our manufacturer. Some of you may remember the book The Da Vinci Code. This incredibly popular book was later made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. Though this book is a work of fiction, it makes many controversial statements about Christianity and the Catholic Church which it tries to pass off as fact. As a result, many people have become confused or misled by the book. One of the main claims of the Da Vinci Code was that Jesus never claimed to be divine. It was only the Church that declared that Jesus was God at a council 300 years after the death of Jesus. Today’s gospel shows that this claim is nonsense.  We hear Jesus saying several times “you have heard it said … but I say to you”. For example, “you have heard it said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. This is extremely significant. Jewish teachers would only ever explain the laws and commandments, they would never make new ones. Where had the people of Israel “heard it said you shall not commit adultery”? They heard it in the ten commandments, which was given to them by God. Only God could give the commandments. In speaking in this way, Jesus is showing that He understands that He is divine. Sorry, Da Vinci Code. As God, the maker of us all, Jesus can give us the most up-to-date user’s manual. He shows us fully how to live a fulfilling life.

In the Gospel, Jesus shows us that true happiness comes when we address the roots of our sinful behavior. Gardeners will be familiar with this principle. When they see weeds growing in their garden, they are faced with two options. They can either rip off the weed above the ground or else they can go under the soil and rip of the weed at its root. If they take the first option, the weed will just keep growing back time and time again. Ripping the weed out at the root takes more effort but it is worth it because that weed will never grow back again. In the gospel, Jesus is inviting us to do the same. Sometimes sin only becomes an issue for us when we have broken one of the commandments. When this happens we repent, but if we do not go after the problem at its roots, the sin will keep coming back. This will ultimately keep us unhappy and unfulfilled. Jesus invites us to tackle our sins at the roots:

“You have heard that it was said … You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.

“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you,

everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

We need to pay attention to the small things before it grows into something much more serious. We have a tendency to think or say things like “oh, what I did wasn't such a big deal, it's not like I killed someone” or “it was only a white lie”. Sometimes small actions or attitudes are signs that a fire is about to erupt. Jesus shows us that we will never find true happiness if all we do is try to put out the fires of our moral life. In order to be happy we need to address the roots of our sinful behavior.

To be successful, Olympic athletes need to pay attention to the small details of their life: what they eat is weighed to ensure proper nutrition, their training schedule is followed rigidly and their skills are analyzed to the finest detail. Athletes gladly pay attention to these details because they want to be the absolute best that they can be. Today Jesus invites us to do the same. Let us be the best we can be, the happiest we can be, the most fulfilled we can be, by choosing to pay attention to the details of our morals lives. We should not be scrupulous; we just need to remember that both good and bad behaviors start small. We need to encourage the good and eliminate the bad. Today, ask yourself a question: is there some behavior that you would like to rip out at the roots before it grows to seriously affect your happiness?

The thing with ask.fm

The popularity of ask.fm seems to be waning. Nevertheless, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the trend, particularly some interesting things it can tell us about human nature.

source: http://ask.fm/about/logos

What is it? Ask.fm is a social networking site in which users can ask each other questions, usually anonymously(more here). As of August 2013, the site boasted 70 million registered users.

Like other sites such as Twitter and Facebook, ask.fm is not in itself good or bad. It is a tool and as such can be used for either purpose. This said, ask.fm seems to pose some risks. The questions asked on the site range from basic questions (what is your favorite color?) to more personal questions (what do you think about X in our class? who do you have a crush on?). The very format of the site puts pressure on people to answer the questions, regardless of how intimate they are. Unsurprisingly, this was often a recipe for disaster. In fact, the site at times facilitated cyberbullying.

What can we learn from ask.fm? The very popularity of ask.fm shows that within each of us there is a desire to know and be known by others. This desire can certainly get distorted (ex. gossip, bullying), but the desire itself is good. What makes ask.fm troublesome is that it expects people to reveal their thoughts/desires/dreams to anonymous people. In fact, it seems to violate what I think is a law of human interactions:

Revelation is proportional to relationship.

If our relationship with someone is superficial, we will not share much about ourselves with them. The deeper our relationship is with someone the more we reveal to that person about ourselves. Likewise, the more we share with someone our hopes, dreams and opinions, the deeper our relationship with that person grows. The problem with ask.fm is that it demands personal revelation where no relationship is possible because the questioner is anonymous. When I think of ask.fm, I am reminded of Jesus' warning:

Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

Since we have have been made in the image of God, it is not surprising that for God too the principle that "revelation is proportional to relationship" holds. We see this in two ways:

1. Within the Trinity: the three Persons of the Trinity share a perfect relationship. As such, their revelation and communication with each other is perfect. As Jesus said: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27).
2. The Trinity working in the world: Over time, God has gradually and progressively revealed Himself to humanity. He has done this not to satisfy our curiosity but so that we would respond to what He has revealed about Himself and chose to enter into a relationship with Him. The greater the revelation, the greater the relationship requested. Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of God to the world. In Him we see the true face of God. This revelation is meant to provoke a choice: will we enter into a personal relationship with Him or not?

What's the point? We need to be aware that we all have a desire to know and be known by others. This desire is good. We should remember, however, that we should only reveal ourselves to others according to the depth of our relationship and as a way to grow the relationship. When this doesn't happen, people can get hurt. We need to be strive to grow in good, healthy relationships so that we can more and more reflect the One in whose image we have been created.

Holy Trinity, Andrei Rublev (1360-1430)

Can't preach the Resurrection with Good Friday faces

MT 5:13-16

Everything I really needed to know I learned in Kindergarten.

There is a lot of truth in this expression. The gospel of today, in which Jesus calls us to be salt of the earth and light of the world, reminds me of my time in Kindergarten. One day, my class stood up in front of the rest of the school and sang “This Little Light of Mine” while holding in our hands small torches that we had made out of Styrofoam cups with paper flames glued to the top. Many of you will remember the lyrics to the song:

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine.Hide it under a bushel? Oh no! I’m gonna let it shine.Jesus gave me the light, I’m gonna let it shine.

In Kindergarten I learned the important lesson that Jesus wants us to have a real positive effect on those we come in contact with. Christ calls us to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. The two images of light and salt would have been very meaningful for those who heard Jesus’ words some 2000 years ago. At that time, salt was a necessary part of life and a valuable commodity. In addition to flavoring foods, salt was used to preserve food in a time before refrigerators. Then as now, light is something of fundamental importance. Light dispels darkness and it it helps us to see; when light takes the form of a flame it keep us warm.  When Jesus tells us to be the salt of the earth, He expects that through our words and actions we season the world with love, justice and all that is good. Like salt we are also meant to be a preservative. We are called to preserves truth in the world, the truth about who God is and who we have been created to be as human beings. When Jesus tells us to be the light of the world, He is asking us to dispel from the world all the darkness caused by sin, hatred, violence and greed by bringing the light of joy, goodness, faith and hope. Being salt of the earth and light of the world means that as Christians we are called to transform everything around us for the better.

The best way to transform the world is one person at a time. Maybe you have heard this joke. 

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Jesus’ call to reach and transform the entire world can be very intimidating. We need to remember that this transformation starts one encounter at a time. Mother Teresa exemplified this principle.She is remembered for her vast worldwide network to help the poor. Interestingly, she never went out trying to eradicate global poverty. What she did do was strive to bring the love, care and kindness of Jesus to one person at a time. She would often say,

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.

If you have ever had the opportunity to see video showing Mother Teresa in action you will notice the remarkable attention she paid to however she happened to be with, rich or poor. When she was speaking to someone, she listened as though there was no one else in the world. She showed such care and interest in the person through they way she looked at them, touched them and smiled at them. She was salt and light to one person at a time. Do we do the same? Think about it. Are the people that you encounter and speak with during the day left happier and more full of hope and joy after having spent time with you? Are family members, coworkers and friends better off for having been in your presence? We are called to transform the world one person at a time.

vatican.va

Often we are not salt and light to those that we encounter. In the Gospel warns us against hiding our light or from becoming salt that has lost its saltiness, something that is good for nothing and thrown away. What does it look like when we Christians lose our saltiness? Christians who have lost their saltiness are a drain on people that they encounter. They have become pessimistic, cynical, sad and lacking in conviction. They are not pleasant to be around. In his speeches and writings, Pope Francis is known for some unique turns of phrase. Pope Francis explained recently that Christians who had lost their saltiness turn into “sourpusses” (Evangelii Gaudium, 85). As followers of Jesus we have been entrusted with the Good News that Jesus has died for our sins and has risen from the dead so that we can one day live forever with Him. This news should fill us with joy and affect the way that we behave. Certainly, we cannot be upbeat all the time, that is not realistic. That said, if Christians are habitual sourpusses, pessimistic and lacking in zeal there is something wrong. As the expression goes,

We cannot preach the Resurrection with Good Friday faces.

Often we are not salt and light to those that we encounter.

The good news is that we can regain our saltiness once we have lost it. We can make our light brighter if it has become dimmed. The secret to doing this is by remembering where we got this light from in the first place. This is something I learned in Kindergarten:

Jesus gave me the light, I’m gonna let it shine.

Jesus is the light of the world. As Christians, we are called to carry His light to others. This fact is symbolized in a powerful way during the rite of baptism. After anyone is baptized, they are given a lighted candle and told to “receive the light of Christ” and to “keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts”. It is very significant that the candle is lit from the Paschal Candle. This is the candle that it blessed at the Easter Vigil, the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The Paschal candle is a special symbol of Jesus’ resurrection. In order to brighten our light if it is dimmed or regain our saltiness, we need to return to the source: the resurrection of Jesus. Often the disappointments and struggles of life can get us down and defeated. We can turn into sourpusses without even being aware of it. We need to remind ourselves of the simple fact that because of of His resurrection Jesus has conquered everything: sin, hatred, greed and death itself. We need to remind ourselves that the war is already won. As Pope Francis said:

Nobody can go off to battle unless he is fully convinced of victory beforehand. If we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents.(Evangelii Gaudium, 85)

When we consciously remind ourselves of Jesus’ resurrection, we can restore our saltiness when it has been lost and brighten our light if it has become dim.

When we talk about being salt of the earth and light of the world, we must resist the temptation to think abstractly. God has put concrete people in our lives that we are called to impact in a positive way: family, friends, co-workers. In our encounters with these people, are we bringing them joy and peace? Whenever we find that our we are losing our saltiness or that our light has become dimmed let us remind ourselves of a powerful truth we learned in Kindergarten: our light comes from Jesus Christ who has Risen from the dead and conquered death.  Christianity is about Good News. Let us not be sourpusses but a light to others that can shine, shine, shine.