Tuesday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 | Psalm 144:8-14 | Luke 4:31-37
Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. (1 Corinthians 2:13)
There’s a classic philosophical conundrum called the Prisoner’s Dilemma, in which two guilty suspects can actually escape punishment by not telling on each other, but are nevertheless biased towards betrayal to avoid being the prison-bound sucker. Completely rational people therefore choose to “rat out the other guy” and smugly pat themselves on the back.
A gang member then says, “But if my bro stays silent and I go free, my gang will know that I betrayed him, and then I’m a dead man!” The completely rational people pause in confusion.
A Catholic then says, “Why so complicated? You don’t want to do the time, don’t do the crime!”
The completely rational people stone the Catholic to death. Everyone secretly wants to “get away with it”, so nobody likes a Spirit-filled smartass.
Trying to explain our faith in secular terms is difficult, because mundane existence largely revolves around the animal instinct of distrust: I don’t know you, therefore I have to assume that you won’t act in my interests, so I’d better get the first stab in before the fileting frenzy begins. Fake smiles and personal gain come to the fore.
But the Spirit impels us to look “through the eyes of love”: I don’t know you, but we are all God’s children, so there’s no cause for stabbing. Here, I hope this kindness benefits you. Acts of mercy and a general aura of care for others are the “catch of the day”.
As flawed beings striving to be more loving each day, we naturally have one foot in each camp, but I think this can actually help attract others to the cause of Christ: Look, you see me as I am. I’m not “holier than thou,” just a guy trying to be a better person each day and, in my own small way, trying to make this corner of the world a better place for everyone. By myself, I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell of even getting started, but I’m getting help from a great man. His name is Jesus Christ. Would you like to get to know him too?
Amen.