The Grace of Unresolved Questions - July 16
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 37:1-18; PM Psalm 37:19-42; Joshua 3:14-4:7; Rom. 12:1-8; Matt. 26:1-16
One of the more interesting conversations this summer was a discussion with clergy classmates about sermons by St. Basil the Great on the social vision of the church. I mentioned one of his sermons earlier in a reflection, but that was before our class discussion. Basil was an early bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey) who lived in the middle of the 4th century.
It was a theology class, but we spent a few days on social vision, particularly wealth. You can imagine how that landed with a room of Episcopal clergy, a tradition that has historically been one of the most affluent, and many of us with livelihoods tied to the generosity of those who came before us and built the endowments that have helped our churches grow and endure in ways that would otherwise have been difficult.
In a sermon on Matthew 19:16-22, Basil proclaims,
"Why then are you sad? Why do you mourn in your soul, hearing 'Sell your possessions'? Even if your belongings could follow you to the future life, they would not be particularly desirable there, since they would be overshadowed by truly precious things. If on the other hand, they must remain here, why not sell them now and obtain profit? You are not disappointed when you must spend gold in order to purchase a horse. But when you have the opportunity to exchange corruptible things for the Kingdom of Heaven, you shed tears, spurning the one who asked of you and refusing to give anything, while contriving a million excuses for your own expenditures?"
Basil is responding to the rich man who is told to sell everything and walks away in tears. Later in the sermon, Basil offers a metaphor I find helpful:
"Great rivers begin from tiny streams, but eventually acquire irresistible magnitude by means of small additions, so that they violently sweep away whatever lies in their paths: thus it is with those who advance to positions of great power."
He's talking about how wealth and power have the capacity to corrupt, which is why an active spiritual discipline and thoughtful reflection on what shapes us is so important. He continues later in the sermon:
"Because of wealth, kinsfolk disregard the bond of nature, and siblings contemplate murder against sibling. Because of wealth the desert teems with murderers, the sea with pirates, and the cities with extortionists. Who is the father of lies? Who is the author of forgery? Who gave birth to perjury? Is it not wealth? Is it not the pursuit of wealth? What ails you people!"
(I added the exclamation point, but I imagine his sermon had crescendoed by this point.)
Closer to the end:
"Yet you say, 'I will enjoy all these things during my life, but after my death I will leave my goods to the poor, making them beneficiaries of my will and granting them all my possessions.' When you are no longer among your fellow human beings, then you will become a philanthropist!"
(I didn't add that exclamation point.)
I imagine you can picture a room of Episcopal clergy squirming in our seats — and many of us know our institutions are better off because of exactly this kind of generosity. Last year, we funded and built a house for someone because of an estate bequest, and I give tremendous thanks for the generosity of that precious soul!
I'm guessing Basil wasn't holding today's Gospel reading, from later in Matthew, where the woman pours a jar of costly ointment on Jesus and Judas criticizes her for not selling it and giving the profit to the poor, in the limelight either. Not everything is easily resolved. Today's reading suggests that sometimes we have really nice things.
I can't quite remember who said it, but I once heard that the preacher's challenge is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. These tensions in Kingdom living aren't easily resolved, and today I'm grateful for a Gospel that gives us all a little grace, and reminds us to share it too. And if this reflection leaves you with more questions than answers about how you're called to live, maybe that's a good thing.
John+
Question for Self-Reflection: Where in my life has comfort made me less attentive to the needs of others?