6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Ecclesiasticus 15:16-21 | Psalm 118(119):1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34 | 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 | Matthew 5:17-37
If you wish, you can keep the commandments,
to behave faithfully is within your power. (Ecclesiasticus 15:16)
It’s a timely reminder, as we approach the season of Lent, that we have been given free will, as well as the knowledge of good and evil that was the subject of this past week’s readings.
It would therefore be untrue to claim that we were ever “forced” into doing that which displeases God. Every action we take, every interaction we have with others, is entirely within our control. Even if the other party turns out to be an incorrigible jerk, how we react to their unpleasantness is our responsibility to bear.
Which is why we’re often reluctant to quash the opposite of love.
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I see it happening on almost every online service I use: a bully and his pulpit inevitably makes an appearance, and unless he’s quashed quickly, his spew invariably sours the experience for everyone in the community.
One site I frequent, Quora, is dedicated to questions and answers, and one of their cornerstones is the BNBR (Be Nice, Be Respectful) policy. It’s a good idea in theory, but it has been sneakily subverted by folks who bait others anonymously with provocative questions like “Isn’t it obvious that vaccines cause autism?”, and insulting comments like…well, I’ll not pollute my blog with them.
Sometimes, they’re shut down promptly by the Quora admins, but human fallibility often leads to a one-sided insult-fest, until the peaceable party finally cracks, and crosses the BNBR line too.
This is why I’ve employed a comment-filtering service on this site since the beginning. If you’ve left a comment, and wondered why it didn’t show up immediately, rest assured that I’ve seen it, and while I’m ruthless with spam, I’ll approve cogent writing.
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The bully pulpit appears in real life, too.
I’ve been quite lax in opposing such unpleasantness in my life, hewing to my own misguided version of BNBR. I cannot in good conscience continue to let it slide any further.
Lord, give me the strength to do the necessary for the common good, even if it hurts me personally. Amen.
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Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel to not dissemble in our faith, to let our “Yes” be a firm “Yes” and “No” not be “Well, under some circumstances…”
So let us go forth in our lives saying a firm “Yes” to God, a firm “Yes” to loving our neighbour as ourselves, and an adamant “No” to those who would disrupt this love for whatever reason.
Amen.