IT HELPS TO THINK ABOUT
THE BACKGROUND IN THIS GOSPEL. WHEN MOSES GAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE THE
LAW, THERE WERE MANY THINGS WHICH WERE UNCLEAN. UNCLEAN MEANT THAT
IF YOU CAME IN CONTACT WITH THEM, YOU COULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE
SACRIFICES UNTIL YOU HAD BEEN RITUALLY CLEANED BY WASHING IN WATER.
BY THE TIME JESUS CAME ALONG, THOUGH, CERTAIN JEWS HAD CARRIED THIS
TO AN EXTREME. IF A PIG WAS UNCLEAN, THEN SO WAS SOMETHING THE PIG
MAY HAVE TOUCHED, SO YOU NEEDED TO WASH THAT AS WELL. AND IF YOU
TOUCHED SOMETHING THAT HAD TOUCHED SOMETHING UNCLEAN, YOU NEEDED TO
WASH, BECAUSE UNCLEANNESS WAS TRANSMITTED, I GUESS. THIS WAS PART OF
THE PHARISAICAL TRADITION OF BUILDING A FENCE AROUND THE LAW. IF
SOMETHING WAS WRONG, THEN NOT ONLY DID YOU AVOID THAT, BUT YOU
AVOIDED ANYTHING THAT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT. IF YOU WERE TO
KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH BY NOT WORKING, YOU COULD NOT EVEN PREPARE FOOD
ON THAT DAY, OR RESCUE AN ANIMAL THAT HAD FALLEN IN A HOLE, OR WALK
MORE THAN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PACES FROM YOUR HOUSE. PHARISEES SPENT
MUCH OF THEIR TIME FIGURING OUT JUST HOW FAR YOU COULD GO BEFORE YOU
WOULD BE IN DANGER OF VIOLATING A LAW.
ONE TIME I ATTENDED A
MASS ON A RETREAT. THE PRIEST, WHO WAS NOT IMPAIRED IN ANY WAY, SAID
MASS SITTING DOWN IN FRONT OF A COFFEE TABLE, AND HAD US SIT IN
ARMCHAIRS AND ON A SOFT SOFA. ONE CANDLE WAS LIT. THE HOST WAS ON A
SAUCER, AND THE WINE IN A GLASS WINE GOBLET. WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR
THE SERMON, HE INTRODUCE A NUN WHO WE HAD LEARNED EARLIER LONGED TO
BE A PRIEST, AND WAS HOPING THE CHURCH WOULD CHANGE IT'S MIND BEFORE
IT WAS TOO LATE FOR HER. HER SERMON WAS FORGETTABLE, BUT I VAGUELY
RECALL IT DEALT WITH THE UNFAIRNESS OF THE HEIRARCHY. AT COMMUNION
TIME, THE PRIEST PASSED EACH OF US A HOST AND THEN PRONOUNCED THE
WORDS, “THIS IS JESUS, THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF
THE WORLD, HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO ARE CALLED TO HIS SUPPER.” THEN WE
SERVED OURSELVES COMMUNION. DURING THE MASS THERE WERE LOTS OF EXTRA
WORDS, ASIDES, AND COMMENTS. WHEN THE MASS WAS OVER, I WASN'T SURE
I'D FULFILLED MY SUNDAY OBLIGATION.
THE CHURCH MAKES A BIG
DEAL ABOUT EXACTLY HOW MASS SHOULD BE SAID. IT HAS LOOSENED UP A
LITTLE BIT SINCE THE OLDEN DAYS, WHEN PROSPECTIVE PRIESTS HAD TO
MEMORIZE THE VERY GESTURES THEY USED, ALONG WITH THE LATIN, AND PASS
A PRACTICAL EXAM BEFORE GOING ON TO ORDINATION. BUT THE POINT IS
THAT THERE IS A RIGHT WAY AND MANY WRONG WAYS TO SAY MASS.
IS THAT WRONG? ARE WE
BEING LIKE THOSE PHARISEES, WHO WASHED THEIR HANDS AND POTS AND PANS
AND FOOD, NOT JUST TO CLEAN THINGS, BUT IN CONCERN THAT SOMETHING,
SOMEWHERE TOUCHED SOMETHING UNCLEAN, AND THE UNCLEANNESS MIGHT BE
PASSED ON TO THEM?
I ONCE ATTENDED A
WONDERFUL, UPLIFTING MASS WITH INCREDIBLE MUSIC, A GREAT SERMON, AND
ATTENTIVE ALTAR SERVERS. AFTERWARD, ONE MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION
PULLED ME ASIDE AND POINTED TO A YOUNG MAN WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN
THE MASS WITH A BASEBALL CAP ON HIS HEAD. HE WAS FURIOUS, AND OPINED
THAT SOMEONE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE THAT. WAS HE
RIGHT? AFTER ALL, IN OUR CULTURE MEN DON'T WEAR HATS IN CHURCH.
WHAT IS EASY ABOUT
RELIGION IS TO CREATE FENCES AROUND THINGS, SO WE KNOW WHAT WE CANNOT
DO, WHAT OUR LIMITS ARE. I REMEMBER THE OLDEN DAYS, WHEN WE FASTED
FROM MIDNIGHT IF WE WERE GOING TO RECEIVE COMMUNION THE NEXT DAY.
ONE PRIEST TOLD US THAT TECHNICALLY YOU COULD EAT UNTIL 12:20. I
DON'T REMEMBER WHY. WE WERE TOLD THAT YOU COULDN'T DO PHYSICAL WORK
ON SUNDAY. BUT YOU COULD DO UP TO AN HOUR'S WORTH BEFORE YOU
COMMITTED A MORTAL SIN. MY MOTHER INVOKED THAT RULE WHEN SOMETHING
NEEDED DOING AND HER SON WAS SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING. AS
TEENAGERS, WE ALL KNEW HOW MUCH PHYSICAL AFFECTION YOU COULD SHOW TO
YOUR GIRL FRIEND BEFORE HITTING THAT INVISIBLE BARRIER BETWEEN
“NECKING” WHICH WAS SORT OF OK, AND “PETTING” WHICH WAS
REALLY RISKY TO YOUR SOUL.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER PART
TO ALL THIS. IT'S GOOD TO KNOW RULES AND LIMITS, BUT IN A SENSE THAT
GIVES US THE MINIMUM. WE ALSO NEED TO STRIVE FOR THE MAXIMUM. A
MASS CAN BE SAID ACCORDING TO ALL THE RULES IN THE BOOK, BUT CAN BE
DONE WITHOUT REVERENCE, IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT INVITE PEOPLE INTO THE
MYSTERY. BUT THE CELEBRANT AND MINISTERS OF THE MASS CAN NEVER FIND
A POINT WHERE THEY CAN SAY, “WE DID THIS AS WELL AS IT COULD BE
DONE.” IF A YOUNG MAN WEARS A BASEBALL CAP TO CHURCH, WELL, AT
LEAST HE'S GOING TO CHURCH. MAYBE HE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED AND
CONGRATULATED, SO THAT HE WILL KEEP COMING BACK. AFTER ALL, ALL THE
PRESSURE FROM HIS PEERS IS FOR HIM TO QUIT COMING.
INSTEAD OF WONDERING HOW
MUCH WORK I CAN DO ON A SUNDAY, PERHAPS I SHOULD BE ASKING THE REAL
QUESTION, HOW CAN I MAKE THIS DAY HOLY? THAT AFTER ALL IS THE
COMMANDMENT. AND RATHER THAN THINK ABOUT HOW FAR I CAN GO WITH MY
GIRL FRIEND MAYBE SHE AND I SHOULD BE LEARNING ABOUT THE VIRTUE OF
CHASTITY, WHICH WILL SERVE US BOTH IN GOOD STEAD AS WE GO THROUGH
LIFE, ESPECIALLY IF WE GET MARRIED SOME DAY.
JESUS IS NOT AGAINST
PEOPLE PERFORMING ACTIONS WHICH HAVE TO DO WITH RITUAL PURITY. FAR
FROM IT. HE IS NOT AGAINST A PEOPLE WHO HONOR GOD WITH THEIR LIPS.
THOSE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS. THAT IS ONE SIDE OF THE EQUATION, THAT IS
THE MINIMUM. BUT THE OTHER SIDE HAS NO MAXIMUM, AND THAT IS THE PART
WE SHOULD BE STRIVING FOR. NOT TO BE JUST RITUALLY CLEAN, BUT TO BE
REALLY CLEAN; NOT JUST TO HONOR GOD WITH OUR LIPS AND OUR PRAYERS AND
OUR RITUALS, BUT TO HONOR GOD WITH THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES.
ROBERT SPITZER, A JESUIT
PRIEST AND PHILOSOPHER, MADE AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE GOD. HE SAID,
“YOU CANNOT SAY WHAT GOD IS NOT. BY DEFINITION, GOD HAS NO LIMITS.
YOU CAN'T EVEN SAY THAT GOD IS ONE OR THAT GOD IS THREE, BECAUSE HE
IS BOTH; YOU CAN'T SAY THAT GOD IS IMMATERIAL, BECAUSE HE IS MATERIAL
AS WELL; YOU CAN'T SAY THAT GOD IS TIMELESS, BECAUSE HE IS ALSO IN
TIME. AND IN A SENSE, THAT'S THE POINT OF THE GOSPEL TODAY. BY ALL
MEANS, PUT FENCES AROUND WHAT IS HOLY; FOLLOW A MORAL CODE; TREAT
SACRED THINGS WITH GREAT RESPECT. BUT ALWAYS LOOK FOR HOW YOU CAN GO
BEYOND THOSE LIMITS. ON ONE SIDE IS A FENCE THAT YOU CAN'T CROSS.
ON THE OTHER SIDE IS AN INFINITE EXPANSE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO GO AS FAR
AS YOU WANT TOWARDS GOD. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON, NOT ON THE
FENCE.
