HOMILY WEEK 21 03 – Year I

Holy Lives or Whitewashed Tombs?

(1 Thess 2:9-13; Ps 139; Mt 23:27-32)

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As it was a few days ago, the readings today are a study of contrasts.

That being said, the gospel acclamation and St. Paul in the first reading come together to provide a clear message: we are to lead lives worthy of God by keeping the word of Christ and growing perfect in love.

The negative side of the readings is found in the gospel. The belief in Judaism at that time was that one became ritually unclean if there was any contact with the dead or a tomb. Every year in March the tombs were whitewashed to identify them so that people would not be contaminated and rendered ritually impure.

Jesus uses this practice to critique the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, comparing them to these whitewashed tombs. They were the religious leaders, yet according to Jesus they were hypocrites and even lawless. That accusation must have hit the Pharisees particularly hard, as they were the ones who thought that if they kept the law perfectly, then the glory of God would return to the temple. If we think that Pope Francis has been hard on the curia and religious leaders in the church today, it might be good to read this gospel passage again and hear the strong words of Jesus to the Pharisees then!

So, what was it about these probably sincere people that upset Jesus so much? James Alison OP, in his book Knowing Jesus, offers a profound insight into the reality. He stresses that the surest sign that one really knows Jesus is that one recognizes him not just as risen from the dead, but as the crucified-risen one, a universal victim because he refused to be exclusive and chose to love every single person equally and unconditionally. Thus, any unity created at the expense of a victim or victims, or derived by a stance that is over-against some other, is to betray the very deepest truth of the Catholic faith, the universal faith, which by its very nature, has no over-against. The unity which is given by and in the risen victim is purely given.

He continues, “This unity is indicative of no superiority at all over anyone else. Anyone who genuinely knows the crucified and risen victim can never again belong wholeheartedly to any other social, cultural or religious group. He or she will always belong critically to all other groups, because all other groups derive their unity over-against someone or some other group.”

The Holy Spirit creates a new unity of humanity out of the crucified-risen victim, a unity that subverts all other unities. The Church’s mission is to help bring about this unity in a new Israel as the universal sacrament of the Kingdom of God.

The Pharisees, by their very nature, identified themselves as over-against and superior to all others, and that is precisely the opposite of what Jesus, as the soon to be crucified-risen one, was all about. It is that Pharisaical attitude of moral superiority and exclusiveness that we must guard against at all times, a great challenge because that is the standard way that almost every group in our world today operates. It is this attitude that is gaining so much ground especially, sad to say, with our neighbors to the south, and unfortunately, even in our own country, where discrimination and racism is rearing its ugly head.

The flip-side of all this is found in the first reading, where St. Paul is once again effusive in his praise of the Thessalonians, especially for the way they received this message of Jesus, the word of God, not as a human word, but as what it really is, God’s word, which he reminds them, is at work in believers.

So, our challenge is to be watchful that the pernicious attitude of the superiority of the Pharisees does not creep into our lives and the life of the Church in general. Rather, we are to be like the Thessalonians, who grasped this core message of universal unity flowing out of the universal victim who was crucified and risen and refused to take sides, other than to side especially with the poor, the marginalized, the despised, those on the periphery where he is to be found.

In trying to think of an example for us today, the movie Hacksaw Ridge came to mind. Desmond Doss, a seventh-day Adventist, wants to serve his country in the army, but refuses to bear arms. He suffers a lot of ridicule and persecution because of his belief, but unflinchingly stands his ground. In the end, he saves seventy-five wounded soldiers, including two of the enemy, by his bravery and without ever firing a gun. He was the only non-combatant who ever received the Congressional medal of Honor. Surely, he mirrors in a challenging way who the crucified-risen one was, and still is, for us today.

The Eucharist we celebrate each Sunday features two tables – the table of the Word, and the table of the Body and Blood of Jesus. As we celebrate, let us pray for the faith and courage to grasp this deeper message of the crucified-risen One as we strive to lead lives worthy of God by receiving the Words we proclaim as the Word of God, and growing perfect in love.