One Thanksgiving we were crowded around the
dinner table with my wife’s family.
And our hostess—my mother-in-law—asked:
If you could choose anyone from history,
Who would you pick to have over for dinner
and conversation.
As we worked our way around the table,
People chose Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin
Franklin, John Kennedy.
When we got to my Jewish sister-in-law, she
said, Jesus.
As we look at the bible,
It seems there was no shortage of Jews who
wanted to have Jesus over for dinner.
He dined at the home of Martha and Mary and
Lazarus.
The homes of Matthew, Zacheus, Peter’s
mother-in-law,
The homes of many others including this
Pharisee.
And, like today, the dining wasn’t just
about the food.
It was about conversation, old or new friendships,
sharing ideas.
And for Jesus, an opportunity to teach.
Considering that setting,
When the host showed amazement that Jesus
skipped the ritual washing,
What would be the tone of Jesus’ words to
his Pharisee host?
Probably not overly harsh and condemning.
More of the teacher pointing out the
student’s error.
If you look at the scripture text, there
are exclamation points.
Oh you Pharasees! You fools!
Of course the Gospels weren’t written with
punctuation.
That was a later grammatical invention.
But clearly, the translators interpreted
those phrases as exclamations.
But that doesn’t mean they had a harsh or
condemning edge.
Probably more a tone of loving
exasperation.
From the wise teacher who knows the truth
and sees the need for correction.
Oh you Pharasees! You fools!
You’re so concerned about outward things,
rituals—appearances!
You’re concerned about the wrong things!
It’s what’s inside that counts!
Like that Pharisee, we too are concerned
with ritual
As we gather to dine at this Eucharistic
feast.
Much of our Mass is ritual.
But we already have what that Pharisee
didn’t have before he sat down with Jesus.
We’ve already heard the wisdom that Jesus
has passed down to us through the scriptures.
We know that what really matters is what’s
inside us.
So, we use this ritualistic setting as a
time of nourishment for the spirit within.
Nourishment from the liturgy of the word.
Listening to and reflecting upon
scripture—the word of God.
And nourishment from the liturgy of the Eucharist.
Food for thought.
And food for spiritual growth.
We know all that.
But, like that Pharisee, we still need
reminders.
Even more than our religious rituals,
Our daily lives, our culture, our society, persistently draw us to outward things.
If we could have Jesus over for dinner and conversation.
He’d still have much cause to say
Oh, you people!
Tuesday 28th Week Ordinary Time
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