Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You could say that today’s reading from Romans 12:9-21 condenses most of what Scripture recommends about how Christians should behave. St. Paul has produced a perfectly wonderful set of guidelines for us. Given what we know about Jesus’ character and the way he acted toward people, it seems like this list of “do this”/”don’t do that” would meet his approval. My first response whenever I read them is always a sigh of satisfaction: these are SO NICE. And I start to imagine what the world would be like if even half of us lived according to them.
BUT. Then I think about ME having to live according to them and I think, “Some of these are SO HARD!”
I have no problem hating what is evil. The issue is knowing what is evil. OK, sometimes that’s easy. Deliberate, premeditated mass murder is probably evil. Allowing the children down the block to starve, because I’m too greedy to see that they get some food is probably evil. But what if I am labeling some things or people as evil, just because I don’t like them or I disagree with them? Can I call members of an opposing political party evil? I may not like their policies, but…. Can I call some folks who enjoy hunting for sport, rather than to feed people, evil? I don’t approve of killing animals for sport, but… Can I call someone who does not approve of the ordination of women evil? Obviously, I think very differently, but…
How about this one? Extend hospitality to strangers. Let’s face it, even though I know many people after being in public ministry in the Lehigh Valley for 30 some years, most people are strangers to me: the UPS driver, the pharmacy clerk, the folks who cut the grass. I don’t know any of them, unless I’m close enough to read their name tags. How do I show hospitality to them? That requires TONS of attention! It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m supposed to invite them to stay in my apartment. But maybe it means that I should smile and wave at them. For instance, perhaps I should stop to say thank you for helping me. Or if I’m sitting on a park bench enjoying the birdsong and one of the people living on the street sits down next to me, instead of getting up and walking away, I might greet him or her warmly. Maybe share my lunch if I have some. As St. Benedict says, “Greet everyone as Christ.”
And there are lots more to think about.
St. Paul’s list is a wonderful way for me to take inventory of my attitudes and actions. Then I can see where I’m oblivious or where I need to make changes. Or even, with God’s help, where I am pretty much meeting the mark. Try it for yourself! It’s a lot better than taking one of those quizzes on Facebook.
JOY!
Mo. Laura+