Pastor’s Notes

“Thou Mayest!”

Did you ever read John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden?  There is a great scene toward the end of the book in which Chinese cooks and wizened elders from San Francisco China Town, study a Hebrew text from “Sirach,” part of this weekend’s first reading. Are we predisposed to evil? Or just hopelessly set up for the “dark side?” Our lack of civility in politics and business, especially when we disagree with each other, makes one wonder these days.  But at the conclusion of Steinbeck’s wonderful story, the sages say “no!” We have a choice. We have the “where-with- all” to say yes or no.  That is so reassuring as we step through all the choices in front of us these days. You may; or – on the other hand, you my not.  

“Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.”

We have been given the power to choose, and with that power comes responsibility. God made we human beings so wonderfully interesting.  Religious faith is intended to be a guide to life, to choosing the good so that we can lead fulfilling and joyful lives.  Too often, though, religion is seen as stifling set of rules and demands on our time and money.   Much of the challenge of evangelization in our time involves helping people to see that faith offers them positives rather than negatives, that the church is a place that fosters a full and rich life of love and joy.  It is a holding place for our disagreements as we discern God’s voice in the midst of the chaos of it all.

Jesus challenges us in St. Matthew’s Gospel, to look more deeply into the command-ments to see the values that they are trying to preserve. This requires a certain level of maturity, as Paul suggests in the second reading: “We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age.” This kind of discernment is necessary for moral issues, as Pope Francis continues to point out. “We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them,” he wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation on the family (Joy of Love #37).

So, did Jesus really mean, “pluck out your eye” or did he mean divert your eyes when you know your gaze is not respectful? Did he really mean, “cut off your hand” or did he mean think about what that hand is capable of? Jesus asks that we not let the laws become stumbling blocks but instead be a foundation for growth. Don’t go to the altar without taking responsibility for your actions. Bring to fruition the steps that bring forth wholeness to brokenness.

A gentle week,
Fr. Michael Weldon, OFM

Adapted from Fr. Laurence Mick’s Celebration 2016.