Maybe it’s a question of attitude!
You say, ‘The Lord’s
way is not fair!’ The prophet
Ezekiel is called to share this message with the people of Israel, who are
already in exile because they failed to remain faithful to the covenant. Even there, in their self-centeredness, they
are turning away from virtue, which
leads to a kind of death – death from
community, death to love – where they should be working to maintain that
community at all costs, preserving
its own life as they preserve their own.
They should, in other words, follow the advice of Psalm 25, praying: Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach
me your paths… For it is only when our hearts are open to God’s way and to God’s truth that we can truly appreciate God’s justice and kindness, and
emulate those qualities in our own lives.
Likewise, in our reading from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus challenges the chief priests and elders with a parable that puts into question their attitude toward righteousness. Like the son who says he will go to work in the vineyard but does not, Jesus suggests, the priests follow external laws but are not converted within; what they need is repentance, a turning back to God that demonstrates true knowledge of God’s love. Right relationship means living in the presence of God on God’s terms, from a position of humility. God’s love is expanding infinitely within us; the only way to stand before it is to be open and submissive, the humble servant who seeks to know God’s will, not imposing our own. As Paul tells the Philippians, God needs to be the source of our unity, a source of love – the love revealed in Christ – to which we dedicate ourselves, humbly: complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart… If our attitude is entirely self-focused, then our hearts will fail to be open, and relationships will be catastrophic. But if we are other-centered, as Paul recommends, looking out for the needs of those around us, we will find every encouragement in Jesus Christ, seeing as God sees, knowing God’s ways are indeed fair and, even more important, life-giving and just. It’s a much healthier attitude to cultivate, no?
Likewise, in our reading from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus challenges the chief priests and elders with a parable that puts into question their attitude toward righteousness. Like the son who says he will go to work in the vineyard but does not, Jesus suggests, the priests follow external laws but are not converted within; what they need is repentance, a turning back to God that demonstrates true knowledge of God’s love. Right relationship means living in the presence of God on God’s terms, from a position of humility. God’s love is expanding infinitely within us; the only way to stand before it is to be open and submissive, the humble servant who seeks to know God’s will, not imposing our own. As Paul tells the Philippians, God needs to be the source of our unity, a source of love – the love revealed in Christ – to which we dedicate ourselves, humbly: complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart… If our attitude is entirely self-focused, then our hearts will fail to be open, and relationships will be catastrophic. But if we are other-centered, as Paul recommends, looking out for the needs of those around us, we will find every encouragement in Jesus Christ, seeing as God sees, knowing God’s ways are indeed fair and, even more important, life-giving and just. It’s a much healthier attitude to cultivate, no?
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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