11/3/2024 - 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Rethinking the Bottom Line

When asked about the smallest measurement of time, a humorist went beyond the Planck Time (light travel) and Zeptosecond (particle physics) and coined a term, ‘honky second’ as the measurement of time between the light turning green and the honking of the car behind you at a stop on a busy highway. Stopping at a red light could bring different reactions in people. Some see it as a bother or a freedom limiter, while others see it as a safety guide and a prevention of  rash driving. These attitudes can also indicate a person’s general reaction to rules and commandments as well. 

In the Gospel narrative a scribe poses a question to Jeus that turns out to be not so much a test as an honest inquiry: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” In response, Jesus bypasses the famous Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Instead, He goes to another place in the Torah (Old Testament), a passage that later Jewish tradition required every male to recite daily, Deut. 6:4-5. Named after its first Hebrew word, the passage is called the Shema (accented on the second syllable, the word means “Hear!”): “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Following the mandate of Deut. 6:9, it has been traditional for many Jewish households to place a copy of this text, along with Deut. 11:13-21, on one of their doorposts in a capsule called a mezuzah - “doorpost”.

I would like to reflect with you on these words quoted by Jesus. The Shema prayer serves as a cornerstone of faith, a daily spiritual practice, a source of comfort and strength, and a guide for ethical living for the people of Jewish faith. Its brevity belies its profound impact on the spiritual and cultural life of those who recite it. Reciting the Shema is sometimes called accepting the ‘yoke’ of the kingdom of heaven. (Remember Jesus talking about the fact that His ‘yoke is easy.’)  It’s referred to this way because, by saying the words of the Shema, we acknowledge that we are responsible for following them and are committed to God and His commands.

Obviously, this scribe has been listening to Jesus all along. For, on several occasions, Jesus had shown Himself an exponent of a strand of Hebrew prophetic tradition that viewed love of God and neighbor as more important than Temple sacrifice. In fact, the Essene monks who lived along the Dead Sea in communities preparing for the arrival of the Messiah shied away from the Temple worship all together but adhered to the strict following of the commandments of God.

“Hear, O Israel!”  (In Hebrew – “Shema, Yisrael”) This first phrase of the Shema is the most recited portion. It is a clarion call to God’s people to acknowledge that God is our only God – and that we are His people. “Shema” literally means “hear” or “listen,” but it implies more than that. It implies that we should not only hear the following verses but also act, showing by how we live that we believe them. Virtuous living was directly connected to attentiveness to God’s Word. When we do not know what to do in our lives, the Shema reminds us to listen. We are to hear what God has to say with faithful ears, be prepared to do what He commands of us, and continually follow His guidance. Imagine a life lived in this way both in private and public!

“The Lord is our God” (In Hebrew – “Adonai Eloheinu”) The command to listen is followed by the name of God, but out of respect and obedience to the third commandment, God’s name is represented by “Adonai” (the title means Lord or Master) instead. This phrase is said with great reverence and is said while bowing. It should humble and forever awe us that we have the great privilege of calling the Creator of the universe “our God”! Interestingly the US Bill of Rights references the Creator as the source of our unalienable rights.

“The Lord is one” (In Hebrew – “Adonai Echad”) God is the only one deserving of our worship. No one, not political figures, heroes or heroines, other gods, our families, or even ourselves, comes close to God’s caliber of significance. He is to be our focus and our purpose. 

Most of us are accustomed to a world that adheres to something called “the bottom line.” It envisions lots of wealth, fame and success, and sees everyone else as wanting the same thing in a kind of crowd marathon. Usually this means ignoring values such as God, religion, spirituality, fidelity, marriage, family and truth, among others. There is also a concerted effort to ‘legalize’ this construed way of thinking as the one and only way forward by some political and academic elite, lest violence be used to enforce it.  We are at a crossroads  for  determining what type of future we want for us and for our children. If our rights are derived from the Creator, denying Him centrality in our lives, we put at risk our future, our identity and the very notion of ‘One Nation under God.’         
 Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O