Reflection - Timeless

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031321.cfm
Hosea 6:1-6
Luke 18:9-14

There have been times when I could identify within myself the arrogance of the Pharisee. There have also been times when I could identify with the penitence and remorse of the tax collector. But today, with these readings before me, I identify most with the impassioned plea of Hosea.

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.

Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!”

While the entreaty of Hosea is unfortunately pertinent to every time and every age, it seems particularly relevant to this time and this age. From my personal perspective, there is no doubt that his words are apropos to the moment.

I was born in the middle of World War II. Consequently, the ‘50’s provided the social foundation for my formative years. It was a time when laws were taken seriously, when governmental institutions were respected, when the Church had more than a modicum of moral authority, when it was becoming evident that our social reality didn’t measure up to the ideals of either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. It was a time when the morality of the Judea/Christian tradition was accepted in belief, if not always in practice. It was a time when lies from the government or governmental officials usually had at least the semblance of a legitimate purpose, when ritual was part of our national character, when ceremonies were not mocked and when traditions were respected. It was a time when the same thing could be said about the ritual, the ceremony and the traditions of the church. It was a time when our common Judea/Christian heritage was not regularly belittled and scorned. It was a time when it was possible to know at least some things that were authentic, accurate and true and when the ‘right’ was not dependent upon a person, place or feeling.

None of these are as soundly rooted in our present culture as they were then. It’s not only earthquakes that make you feel like the earth is moving under your feet. Nor is it just the baby that can be thrown out with the bath water.

When Jesus contrasted the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector he was addressing the “parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” At the time he was probably speaking about what was the most insidious of contemporary spiritual positions. I suspect that the ‘prayer’ of the Pharisee, along with his underlying philosophy, would be different if uttered today.

O god, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men:

• Lacking in mercy for those terminating an unwanted pregnancy.
• Afraid to let their emotions direct their lives.
• Bound up by antiquated moral rules.
• Celebrating your presence with primitive rites.
• Content to ignore the pleasures available to them.
• Too terrified to tackle life on their own personal terms. Too fearful of abandoning the directives of an ignorant age.

Yes! Thank god I am not like the rest of men.

• I support the local humane society.
• I am careful to use no offensive language.
• I embrace the progress of mankind and castigate those who would question it.
• I love those I deem worthy of my love.
• I measure myself and find that I am successful.

While it is true that the baggage we have inherited may well contain artifacts from a different time, it is absurd to discard the lot without first searching for the riches it might contain. There are, in fact, some things that are timeless.

“Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!”