7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lev 19:1-2,17-18; Ps 103; 1 Cor 3:16-23; Mt 5:38-48
I feel that many of us are very practical people – we seek things out that are useful or which can aid in our success in one area or another. Many of us are also quite outcome-oriented in that we want quick and noticeable results from what we do. In this light, I feel that our faith can actually be seen to be quite impractical. We sometimes don’t see obvious results as we follow the Lord and the lifetime of conversion seem slow and difficult. We might even ask the Lord, ‘Why can’t Christianity be more practical and lead us to quick success?’
Practical and easy may not necessarily be the best. St Paul told of how God knows useless wise men’s thoughts are and that their arguments do not convince God. This is a common refrain from St Paul who constantly reminds us that our wisdom cannot compare with that of God. In a similar way then, our sense of practicality and success may not match God’s view of the world too. Let’s use the example of plastic disposable eating utensils. They are extremely practical in that they’re light, portable and save us from washing up, especially when washing up is difficult. We use them and throw them away. Simple! Yet, their practicality does not mean that it’s wise to use them all the time. The environmental toll of using these is fast catching up with us.
Following the rule of ‘eye for eye and tooth for tooth’ can also be something that’s eminently practical. This is a holdover from the Code of Hammurabi, an old set of Babylonian laws that’s also referred to as lex talionis or the law of retaliation. The wrong that is inflicted on me should be inflicted on the perpetrator in equal measure. This was practical in that it deters people from committing serious crimes while allowing compensation and a sense of retribution. It was thought that this would lead to a more stable society. Perhaps but perhaps not.
The Lord’s response to the lex talionis is a complete inversion of what was previously deemed practical. We offer another cheek to insult and hurt, we are told to be impractically generous and to love our enemies. This seeming turning of the accepted law on its head seems radical but is also rooted in how the Lord taught the people of Israel through Moses. I feel that the main point here is not to become pushovers or proverbial doormats for people to walk all over but to recognise the importance of conversion and compassion in our lives.
Retaliation and compensation can be practical but they our behaviour to a very closed set of actions and reactions. In that worldview, the lives of people are less important than upholding the practical codes or laws. People can easily fall by the wayside, get discarded, as they become blind or toothless. Instead, the Lord is telling us that we can break out of this closed set of seemingly practical rules and actions by recognising that conversion can happen. Being compassionate to others, seeking to forgive and to be forgiven are all signs of conversion, signs that we’re willing to change and be patient on our journey with the Lord.
As we prepare ourselves for the season of Lent, it’s a good time for us to step away from the usual sense of what’s practical and successful and move closer to the Lord. As we grow in compassion, we become better able to be loving neighbours. And as we feel our own conversion, we grow to be more perfect in God’s ways, not ours.
musings of a brush 