He Changed the Status Quo of Die hards

For centuries the Jews were set in their beliefs and traditions regarding the books of the Torah.  Much of what and how the Pharisees ruled using the word of God were found here, especially in the books of Leviticus and Numbers.  Leviticus is legislative in character teaching the Israelites to keep themselves in a state of purity.  Numbers continues the journey in the desert with legal ordinances interspersed in the book as law and history.  There is no doubt the Israelites followed these two pieces of literature religiously.  The leaders became very steadfast ensuring the people followed their lead and of course their adherence to God.  As long as nothing confronted their beliefs and faithfulness to the Lord and these guidelines, everyone was pleased.

Then John the Baptist appeared, not interfering with the rules of Judaism or causing any disturbance with the routine of everyday life.  He brought a resurgence of the power from God by preaching repentance and baptizing many persons.  He is called the last of the Old Testament Prophets, preparing the world for a new way to find God’s Forgiveness. 

Nothing changed until one day when Jesus appeared on the scene and John’s words; “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  He is the one of whom I said, A man is coming after me who ranks ahead me because he existed before me.”  (Jn. 1:29 - 30).  

Here the scenario changes and one that the Scribes and Pharisees (most of them) never recovered from.  The Status Quo became antagonized with Jesus announcing his Father’s love for all his children.   

Samaritans:  “When the Lord, your God, brings you into the land you are to enter and occupy, and dislodges great nations before you who are more powerful than you, and when the Lord, your God, delivers them unto you and you defeat them, you shall doom them.  Make no covenant with them and show them no mercy.  You shall not intermarry with them.”  (Dt. 7: 1 - 3).  They became outcasts to the Jews who would not even consider them in the broadest sense as people of God.  

Jesus, appeared and brought with him a new way of life.  Forgiveness for all, but especially your enemies.  Who were the new enemies of the Pharisees?  Samaritans, tax collectors, and prostitutes.  The leaders probably could have tolerated the tax collectors and prostitutes, but Samaritans?

So many incidents found Jesus conversing and dining with this forbidden group that it brought up the deep rooted hatred and anger of the Pharisees.  The warning given them by God, as found in Deuteronomy, was an absolute mandate and the Pharisees were not going to sit by while the one who claimed to be from God, Jesus, spent much too much time with them.

Interesting that when Jesus, as the Paschal Lamb, went to the cross, he forgave all people.  He didn’t exclude Samaritans.  The Gospels of both Luke and John cover a great amount of relationships with them.  Can we be any different?

This year 2020 finds the Catholic Church with our Pontiff who came from a Latin Country reminds us Christ died for all men and women regardless of their affiliation and their own individual or collective sins.  One of Pope Francis’ decrees deals with judgement.  As Jesus told his listeners; “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.  For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”  (Mt. 7: 1).

Certainly the church has rules or requirements pertaining to the reception of The Holy Sacraments, and one criterion is the State of Grace.  The problem we are having is the fact that homosexually oriented persons may or may not be in the State of Grace, but they are in a manner of speaking still loved and accepted by God’s Love and forgiveness.  

Jesus, after healing the ten lepers, one was a Samaritan, remarked; “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?”  (Lk. 17: 17)  Only the Samaritan returned to give thanks.  Jesus cured their leprosy without regard as to who was a member of the Synagogue.  They were persons with a need and their faith is what was important.  We probably will find among homosexual and lesbian people many, if not most, will have faith in God, and quite a few we will find are Roman Catholic.  They also need the blessings of the Church.  

Do we dare reject them because there is a difference between them and the rest of us?  There will no doubt be a controversy even with some of the clergy claiming we can not go against Catholic Teaching.  The Pharisees thought the same with Jesus when he called upon Samaritans seeing them as God’s children.  God does not discriminate and neither should we!

Francis has become more like Christ by embracing those who have for too long been the victims of hatred, judgement, and discrimination because they are different.  Samaritans were not so different because they were still God’s children.  The Status Quo again needs to be changed and see the love that God has for all his children. 

One last point:  I am not advocating the Church reverse its understanding of valid marriages between one man and one woman.  But, as the controversy unfolds there will be some who misunderstand the difference between Church sanctioned marriage ceremonies and just civil unions that are not Sacraments.  These civil unions only give couples legal status which means they are not shunned by the Church, just accepted.

Ralph B. Hathaway, Fall 2020