MARK 12:28-34
ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS ONCE
ASKED WHICH CHURCH HE BELONGED TO. HE REPLIED, “I HAVE NEVER
JOINED A CHURCH, BUT WHEN ANY CHURCH WILL INSCRIBE OVER ITS ALTAR, AS
ITS SOLE QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP, THE WORDS OF THE SAVIOR,
"THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THEY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART AND WITH
ALL THY SOUL; AND THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF," THAT CHURCH WILL I
JOIN WITH ALL MY HEART AND ALL MY SOUL."
SOME OF YOU OLDER FOLKS
MAY REMEMBER INDULGENCES. CERTAIN PRAYERS AND ACTIONS WERE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE LITTLE STATEMENT “300 DAYS INDULGENCE.” WHAT
IT MEANT WAS THAT THE CHURCH, WITH THE POWER TO “BIND ON EARTH WHAT
IS BOUND IN HEAVEN” HAD PRONOUNCED THAT SAYING THE PRAYER WAS THE
EQUIVALENT OF 300 DAYS OF FORMAL PENANCE. THE CHURCH HAD RULES ABOUT
HOW LATE YOU COULD BE FOR SUNDAY MASS AND NOT COMMIT A MORTAL SIN, OR
HOW MUCH ACTUAL WORK YOU COULD DO ON A SUNDAY WITHOUT CROSSING OVER
INTO DAMNATION. THERE WERE MANY OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE CHURCH THAT
SEEMED TO SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT GOD KEPT CAREFUL TRACK OF YOUR GOOD
DEEDS AND YOUR PRAYERS, AND BALANCED THESE AGAINST YOUR FAILINGS. ON
THE ONE HAND, ALL THESE RULES GAVE US VERY CLEAR LINES, AND THAT WAS
QUITE HELPFUL WHEN YOU WENT TO CONFESSION, WHICH WAS FAIRLY OFTEN.
ON THE OTHER HAND, MANY OF US, ME INCLUDED, HAD SERIOUS ATTACKS OF
SCRUPLES NOW AND THEN. BUT WE TRIED TO FOLLOW THE RULES, HOPING WE
WOULD STAY ON GOD'S GOOD SIDE.
SO TODAY JESUS TELLS THE
SCRIBE THAT THE GREATEST OF THE COMMANDMENTS IS TO LOVE GOD WITH YOUR
WHOLE HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH, AND THE SECOND, TO LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. BUT WHY? WHY FOLLOW THESE COMMANDMENTS?
NOWADAYS WE WOULD CERTAINLY NEVER SAY THAT GOD IS PERSUADED BY US
ACCUMULATING GOOD WORKS AND SAYING PRAYERS, AS I THINK MOST OF US
SORT OF THOUGHT IN THE OLDEN DAYS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN'T MAKE GOD
LOVE US MORE BY FOLLOWING THE COMMANDMENT GIVEN BY JESUS. ON THE
OTHER HAND, IF GOD LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY, THEN WHY SHOULD WE
FOLLOW JESUS' COMMANDMENT? WILL IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE LONG
RUN?
FATHER RICHARD ROLLHEISER
MADE AN INTERESTING POINT IN ONE OF HIS ARTICLES. HE SAID THAT GOD
LOVES SATAN AS MUCH AS HE LOVES THE BLESSED MOTHER. IT'S KIND OF
SHOCKING, BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S TRUE. GOD IS LOVE, AND
GOD CAN'T DIAL BACK LOVE; THAT WOULD BE TO DENY HIS OWN NATURE. YOU
CAN'T TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS INFINITE AND MAKE IT FINITE; HALF OF
INFINITY IS STILL INFINITY. BUT WHAT THIS STATEMENT TELLS US IS THAT
HOW WE RESPOND TO GOD'S LOVE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
WE KNOW HOW OUR MOTHER
MARY RESPONDED TO GOD'S LOVE. THE ANGEL ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WOULD BE
THE MOTHER OF JESUS. SHE QUESTIONED, “HOW CAN THIS BE, FOR I DO
NOT KNOW MAN?”. SHE DIDN'T SAY NO, JUST WANTED SOME CLARIFICATION.
WHEN THE ANGEL ANSWERED HER QUESTION, SHE REPLIED, NOT, “YOUR WILL
BE DONE”, BUT “DO IT TO ME!” IF GOD ASKS YOU TO JUMP, PEOPLE
LIKE MARY ASK “HOW HIGH?” ON THE WAY UP.
AND WE KNOW HOW SATAN
RESPONDED TO GOD'S WILL. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY SATAN ENDED UP AT
THE LOWEST POINT IN HELL, BUT WE CAN GLEAN CERTAIN THINGS FROM THE
SCRIPTURES. FIRST, HE WAS ONCE CALLED LUCIFER – THE ONE WHO
CARRIES LIGHT. THEN AT SOME POINT OUTSIDE OF TIME AND SPACE HE AND
ONE THIRD OF ALL OF THE ANGELS CREATED BY GOD REBELLED. THE REASON
FOR THIS ISN'T CLEAR. SOME PEOPLE WHO STUDY THE MATTER SAY THAT
LUCIFER DID NOT WISH TO BE SUBORDINATE TO GOD. BUT ANOTHER IDEA IS
THAT LUCIFER COULD NOT STAND THE THOUGHT OF GOD BECOMING MAN, –
GOD, WHO HAD NEVER BECOME AN ANGEL, DECIDED TO BECOME A CREATURE FAR
INFERIOR TO ANGELS. LUCIFER BECAME SATAN WHEN HE CRIED OUT, “I
WILL NOT SERVE!”
IN THE DIVINE COMEDY, IT
TURNS OUT THAT SATAN IS AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF HELL, HIS LEGS FROZEN
IN ICE. HIS WINGS ARE CONSTANTLY FLAPPING, KEEPING THE ICE FROM
MELTING, AND KEEPING HIM TRAPPED. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BOTTOM OF
HELL IS THE CLOSEST PART OF HELL TO GOD. ALL OF SATAN'S ENERGY IS
DEVOTED TO GETTING AWAY FROM GOD. THE OTHER INTERESTING THING ABOUT
HELL, AS DANTE DESCRIBES IT, IS THAT THERE IS A SIGN OVER THE
ENTRANCE SAYING, “ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.” BUT THE
GATES ARE ACTUALLY IN RUINS, AND ANYONE IN HELL COULD LEAVE ANY TIME
HE OR SHE WANTED TO. ALL THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO IS ABANDON THE HOPE
THAT THEY CAN CONTROL THEIR DESTINY, THAT THEY ARE IN SOME WAY THEIR
OWN GOD.
SO WHY SHOULD WE LOVE GOD
AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR? IS IT FOR OUR SELF-INTEREST? SO THAT WE WILL
GO TO HEAVEN? NOT REALLY. LOVING GOD AND LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR IS A
RESPONSE TO GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR US. IF WE ARE IN LOVE WITH
GOD, HIS WILL BECOMES OUR WILL, AND LIKE MARY WE SAY, “DO IT TO
ME!” IF GOD LOVES OUR NEIGHBOR UNCONDITIONALLY, THAN SO SHOULD WE;
OUR GOAL SHOULD BE THAT OUR NEIGHBOR HAS ALL HE NEEDS TO HAVE IN
ORDER TO BE FULLY HUMAN, IN ORDER TO REACH ALL HIS POTENTIAL. AND IF
GOD LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY, THEN SO SHOULD I LOVE GOD
UNCONDITIONALLY, WHICH MEANS THAT GOD BECOMES THE CENTER OF MY
EXISTENCE, NOT MONEY, POWER, PLEASURE OR FAME. AND WHEN THAT
HAPPENS, GOD'S WILL IS MY WILL.
ONCE THERE WAS A BEGGAR.
ONE DAY HE HEARD THAT THE KING WAS GOING TO BE PASSING THROUGH TOWN,
SO HE PARKED HIMSELF BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN THE KING CAME BY,
THE BEGGAR BEGAN TO BEG, BUT TO HIS SURPRISE, THE KING ASKED HIM IF
HE HAD ANY FOOD. THE BEGGAR WAS INCREDULOUS. BUT THE KING
PERSISTED, “DO YOU HAVE ANY FOOD?” FINALLY THE BEGGAR REACHED IN
HIS SACK AND GAVE THE KING ONE KERNEL OF CORN. LATER THAT DAY, AS HE
PREPARED HIS EVENING MEAL, HE SAW THAT AMONG THE KERNELS OF CORN IN
HIS BAG THERE WAS A SMALL GOLD NUGGET. AND HE WEPT BITTER TEARS WHEN
HE REALIZED THAT HAD HE GIVEN THE KING EVERYTHING HE HAD, HE WOULD BE
RICH BEYOND HIS WILDEST DREAMS.
THAT'S WHAT JESUS MEANS
WHEN HE TELLS THE SCRIBE, “YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF
GOD.” BECAUSE THE SCRIBE KNEW THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS, ON WHICH
ALL OF RELIGION IS BASED. IN THAT HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD OF THE
PHARISEES, WHO WERE STILL HUNG UP ON WHICH DISHES TO USE WITH WHICH
FOOD, AND HOW FAR YOU COULD WALK ON THE SABBATH. BUT THE SCRIBE
STILL HAD ONE THING TO DO – TO PUT INTO PRACTICE WHAT HE KNEW.
YOU AND I KNOW WHAT THE
GREATEST COMMANDMENTS ARE. YOU AND I ARE BEGGARS BY THE SIDE OF THE
ROAD. YOU AND I FACE THE CHOICE THAT FACED MARY, THE CHOICE THAT
FACED LUCIFER. HOW WILL WE RESPOND TO THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE OF GOD
FOR US? AND WOULD ABRAHAM LINCOLN BE INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR
CHURCH?
