Readings (Year A):
Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
Romans 5:12-15
Matthew 10:26-33
Reflection: Are the scriptures warning others about you?
One of the concerns I always have with the consumption and reception of scriptures is that we often place ourselves in either the voice of the protagonist or as the listener to the prophet’s beautiful and, at times, biting words of wisdom. But I want to explore another possibility. I want to examine the possibility that the scriptures could also be talking about us as well and not just talking to us.
You see, sometimes when the scriptures depict a prophet or even Christ saying, “Be not afraid,” oftentimes the scripture is speaking to us, considering the situation we are in. But every once in a while, the scripture is talking about us, or referencing us, telling someone about how to navigate around us because we are being too stubborn to listen.
The reading for this moment carried a central theme: To have faith in God and the future God is committed to, regardless of what it looks like in the present.
Because in the present, it can look like terror, but God has a plan. In the present, it can appear beyond awful, but know that God is going to ensure that the future does not reflect the horrors of today. And know, in fact believe, that people of good faith and goodwill ought to remain committed to that vision, dedicated to that promise, even in the face of people who try to foreclose that possibility.
And how do those people make such attempts? How do they try to get in the way? By serving as cultural custodians of today’s troubles. By maintaining the terror and the brutality and the cruelty that thrive on the fear and fright of today. These people may not be awful or mean or evil, but they are often desensitized to the cries of the vulnerable in their own personal pursuit of greatness.
So let me ask you: are the scriptures encouraging you? Are they speaking to you? Or are they warning others about you? Are you committed to a beautiful, capacious future that looks so different from what’s outside right now, or are you content with cruelty and pain? Are you dedicated to the least of these? Do you believe in “acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God?”
Because though the scriptures are not always clear, they’re often consistent: that as Christians, we ought to be committed to improving the world, even if such improvements cost us, even if we have to sacrifice for it. The scriptures are not always clear, but they’re often consistent. Jesus requires us to be committed to a future in time and space where his love can be felt materially and spiritually. And we ought to ensure that we are not the ones in his way.
