In the structure of the Readings for Sunday Mass, the First Reading and the Gospel are set to complement each other. The Second reading is generally connected obliquely, and the Responsorial Psalm is often off on its own.
Certainly, today’s First Reading and Gospel fit this model, with Ezra the Priest and Jesus the itinerant Rabbi, both:
+ reading from a scroll
+ interpreting the Reading for the assembly
+ speaking of the day at hand as a cause for rejoicing.
However, today I would like to unite these Readings in the context of the Responsorial Psalm, which sings a hymn about the importance and the loveliness of God’s Law as a basis for understanding the Teaching of Christ.
In poetic fashion, the Psalmist, employing several images for God’s Revelation, mentions:
+ the law of the Lord…
+ the decree of the Lord…
+ the precepts
+ the command
+ the ordinances
+ and even the fear of the Lord >>>
… all in a hymn that teaches us that, properly understood, God’s law is not restrictive but liberating, in that it gives us a direction for our lives, and, when lived in humility, connects us with Isaiah’s proclamation: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” — as well as — the Lord’s pronouncement: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Let’s listen again to the poetry of this Psalm:
The law of the Lord is perfect… refreshing the soul;
the decree of the Lord is trustworthy… giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right… rejoicing the heart;
the command of the Lord is clear… enlightening the eye.
The fear of the Lord is pure… enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true… all of them just.
Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart
find favor with you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Our response to these images as they were sung was: “Your words, Lord, are spirit and life.” This means that when we consider what the Lord’s law means for us, there is both:
+ an interior dimension, (mentioned here as “spirit”) in which we internalize God’s lawto give us a sense of direction in life…
+ and an exterior dimension (described here as “life”in which we live day-to-day in the direction that God’s law leads us,in freedom and peace of mind.
Describing this further, the interior dimension, our “spirit” comes alive when the Holy Spirit helps us to transcend ego-centeredness to the level of the soul, who revels in the bliss of the eternal, and then, the exterior dimension, our “life,” our living, exercises the freedom and the peace which the soul has discovered, so that through the many moral choices we must make, God’s law becomes our guide, our rule of life.
Our life in God is never lived in isolation. That is to say, there are very few true hermits in the world. God created most of us humans for relationship, community, and with a sense of belonging… all of which transcend our uniqueness, our aloneness, bonding us as one in the Communion of Saints and, more immediately, in the Mystical Body of Christ.
Saint Paul speaks of this in his Analogy of the Body. Addressing the various parts of the human body, he expands this image into the Mystical Body which incorporates both the uniqueness of each member and the unity of those who share faith. Among us, as Saint Paul points out, are:
+ apostles
+ prophets
+ teachers
+ doers of mighty deeds
+ and more…
As the late Pope Benedict XVI has said, “All were created by God; all are necessary to the Church.”
However, if I were to find myself being neither apostle, prophet, or doer of mighty deeds, a few questions arise:
+ what is my place in the Church?
+ what gift can I put at the use ofthe Church in the world?
Saint Luke, who addresses his Reader as “Theophilus” meaning “Friend of God,” gives us the answer we seek. He leads us to the scene in which Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. Jesus reads to those gathered then, and, therefore, to us gathered now: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind… to let the oppressed go free…”
While this might sound as unattainable as Saint Paul’s call to be apostles, prophets, or teachers, these words which Our Lord speaks, for all our sincere attempts to fulfill them, become our legacy, our mission, and our very identity.
The Anointing of which Our Lord speaks was given to us, as well, at Confirmation, and should we work with the Spirit given us, empowers us to make the Lord’s proclamation come alive.
In our own way, in our own time and place, this Scripture passage is once again fulfilled when we see each person standing before us at any given moment, as an opportunity to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The choice for charity in every moment brings to the fore, the “spirit and life” that we sang about a few minutes ago. The laws, decrees, precepts, commands, and ordinances of the Lord are embraced and fulfilled in the struggle that our Christian faith demands.
Thus, the Spirit of the Lord can come and rest upon us, and, lest we be discouraged by the long road ahead, the wisdom of Ezra’s words will speak to us anew: “Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength.”