By Norm McGraw
Research shows that 84% of the world’s population identifies with some religious group. Eighty percent of those believe in a deity or a higher power — 2.4 billion are Christian, 1.9 billion are Muslim, 1.2 billion believe in Hinduism, 500 million are Buddhists, and 16 million follow Judaism, with the rest comprising various smaller religious sects. The remaining people of the world are either atheists or agnostics, who represent a very small minority of the world’s entire population.
Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21
In every reflection I have written on Bible readings, I start with the idea that God’s word is for everyone, even those who don’t believe. The Almighty has an advantage here. According to research, 84% of the world’s population identifies with some religious group. Eighty percent of those believe in a deity or a higher power.
Of those, 2.4 billion are Christian, 1.9 billion are Muslim, 1.2 billion believe in Hinduism, 500 million are Buddhists, and 16 million follow Judaism, with the rest comprising various smaller religious sects that believe in some form of higher spiritual power or reality. The remaining people of the world are either atheists or agnostics, who represent a very small minority of the world’s entire population.
With this week’s reflection in mind, I asked three long-term friends of mine — one an agnostic, another a Buddhist, and a third raised by a Jewish father and a Catholic mother — what they thought about one or more of the readings from Tuesday’s Mass for September 22nd.
The first reading is from the 21st chapter of Proverbs. The book is traditionally ascribed to King Solomon and his students. Verses 1-6, 10-13 focus on moral behavior, such as: “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice,” “Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the tillage of the wicked is sin,” and “The plans of the diligent are sure to profit, but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty.”
My agnostic friend interpreted the text as good and basic rules for living that originated long before Scripture was written. My Buddhist friend said he could align with the basic tenets of Proverbs that address the poor and those who are empty vessels of life. He remarked that Buddhism deals with enlightenment and spreading peace and love.
My friend with Jewish and Catholic heritage went further, saying the rules come from God, whom we rely on for strength when we accept His love and guidance.
God’s steady hand in our lives is detailed in the responsorial psalm (chapter 119, verses 1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44): “Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.”
The third reading, from the 8th chapter of Luke, expounds upon the relationship between Creator and creature. God wants more from us than obedience to his commandments. In fact, He wants a more intimate relationship with us. Luke describes this in verses 19-21. He states that when crowds kept his mother and brothers from joining him, Jesus commented, “My mother and my brothers are those who bear the word of God and act on it.”
My friend with both Jewish and Catholic heritage felt that this reading revealed a commonality in spiritual beliefs between those who accept God in their lives and follow his laws.
To summarize, the three readings reveal how God wishes the relationship between Him and us to develop. Follow common-sense rules, as my agnostic friend would describe them, to have a good life. In fact, some of these rules are aligned with “enlightenment”, as my Buddhist friend would put it. Moreover, as my third friend remarked, recognizing and following God’s commands creates a community between all those who believe.
Jesus’ statement that “My mother and my brothers are those who bear the word of God and act on it” reminds me of the title of that old Sister Sled pop hit out of the ’70s — “We Are Family.”
By recognizing Him and following His law, we accept being part of His family.