I can’t wait for the election to be over. That being said, I once again remind you of your civic and moral obligation to vote an informed conscience. That means becoming familiar with the seven pillars of Catholic Social Teaching, you inform yourself about where the candidates and ballot issues fall within that context and vote a well-informed conscience.
Watching candidate interviews can be helpful sometimes. Still I am amazed at the softball questions candidates will get from certain journalists.
Jesus never ran for office, but he did get some softball questions. In his exchange with the scribe in today’s gospel reading, he gets what appears to be a high, hanging curveball that any rabbi could knock out of the park: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Any seven year old Jewish kid would have gotten this right. It’s like asking a Catholic kid, “What is the first line of the Our Father?”
Is the scribe just being easy on Jesus? Not really. It helps to understand the method of scholarship that was used in those days. It was a simple process designed to help those involved delve more deeply into the meaning of the sacred texts. There were typically at least three stages. First, someone would ask a question that everyone knew so that they could locate themselves in the text. Next, the one who responded would take that text and provide an insight or connection to something else in the scriptures. Then the one who initially asked would respond in a like manner. The process continued until they felt they had exhausted the possibilities.
This is exactly what the scribe and Jesus are doing. The unique thing is that Jesus connects the concept of the first text, love of God (Deut. 6), with the command to love one’s neighbor as yourself found in Leviticus 19:18. The latter is a pretty obscure text. By linking the two, Jesus shows that he knows the law better than just about anybody in the room. (Which, I suspect is why no one had the courage to ask more questions!) He also gives us the Great Commandment for all time where love of God and love of neighbor as oneself can never be separated. The scribe sees the wisdom of his answer. May we have the same grace and wisdom in our lives.
Hey, 60 trips around the sun! What fun. In Alaska, that means we get a permanent hunting/fishing license! Life is good.