“the devil preys upon our human weaknesses by exploiting our differences”
The Holy Sepulcher
Since the 18th century the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been managed jointly by a complex system of “zones” governed by six different Christian denominations, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox.
In this most holiest of places, the air is taught with tension as the six denominations seem to bicker and argue over the most trivial of matters,
In 2002 an Egyptian monk was “guarding an area controlled by the Coptics.” In the heat of the summer he moved his chair to a spot in the shade. Unfortunately this spot was in the territory of the Ethiopians. A fight broke out that resulted in broken bones and eleven monks being sent to the hospital.
In 2004 during a procession to honor the finding of the True Cross, a Greek priest was offended by the fact that a Roman Catholic chapel was left open. This led to a fight that resulted in spilled blood and several arrests.
On Palm Sunday, 2008, a riot broke out when some Armenian priests tried to eject a Greek priest whom they felt was trying to crash their procession. The ensuing brawl consumed priests and worshippers beating each other with palm fronds. Israeli police had to step in to quell the riot.
That event led to another. On the Feast of the Cross, Greek priests tried to block an Armenian procession which they perceived as a threat to their guardianship of the tomb of Christ. The fight that followed resulted in injuries, arrests, and damage to the church.
In today’s readings we are given a glimpse of what might have been. The tension between Judaism and Christianity did not need to happen. Jesus is questioned by a scribe and the answer he gives is completely acceptable to the Pharisee. They agree on the greatest commandment and they agree that love of neighbor is inextricably connected to our love for God. Jesus acknowledges that the scribe is “not far from the Kingdom of God,” and the scribe asserts that this two-fold commandment is “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” In doing so the Pharisee is simply recalling something already present in Jewish tradition. The Book of the Prophet Hosea tells us that God prefers our love and loyalty to burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)
In Jewish tradition, the Torah, the Teaching of the Law, contains 613 commandments. The commandments direct how we are to relate to God and to each other. When a scribe asks Jesus which of these is the greatest, Jesus responds that loving God is the greatest commandment and that loving your neighbor as yourself is a close second.
Rabbi Hillel
There is a story told about Rabbi Hillel. Hillel was a Talmudic sage living in the 1st century B.C.. According to the story there was a young man who was visiting the local teachers and asking each of them the same question. “Can you explain the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot?”
Some of the teachers responded by laughing at him, others reacted angrily and threw him out. Then he cam e to Hillel.
“Rabbi, can you explain to me the entire Torah while standing on one foot?”
Hillel though for a moment, and then slowly stood up. He gently raised one foot and said, “what you yourself despise, do not do to another, the rest is explanation, go and study.”
But the devil preys upon our human weaknesses by exploiting our differences and it would appear that the devil has been working overtime on driving us apart from each other. Any division among us is deplorable but in recent years it has become much worse. Division is bad enough but when we will not even listen to those who hold different opinions, then that division leads to ignorance and we no longer even understand the other side’s point of view. What we do not understand we come to fear. What we fear, we come to hate, and what we hate we tend to want to destroy.
“1984”
Think of all the things that have divided us in recent years. There is always politics and religion of course, but we can add to that list, abortion, marriage, gender ideology, vaccines, the cause of climate change, and critical race theory, just to name a few.
It has become truly Orwellian in the doublespeak we hear around us every day. We are not far from the slogans used by “Big Brother” in George Orwell’s classic novel “1984.” “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength, and 2 + 2 = 5.”
The divisions among us, and the hatred and vitriol it has created, threaten to destroy us.
Sometimes we focus too much on the things that keep us apart and not enough on the things that bring us together. Love binds all people of every age and every culture. By His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus shows us the true nature of love as well as the true nature of worship.
Our love for God is the surest way we have to finding true happiness and rich, fulfilling, lives. Because the two are so closely bound together we can grow stronger in our love for God by exercising our love for our neighbor. Through works of mercy, meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters, we exercise the love that God himself has planted in our hearts.
Pax Vobiscum
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time