Reflection - Simple

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090919.cfm
Colossians 1:24-2:3
Luke 6:6-11

One of the best ways to get to know God is to read his Word, that is, the words of Sacred Scripture. After you have read a substantial portion of the text it might appear that you are reading a story or even an historical account of peoples, tribes and nations. That is only a small portion of the total picture. By in large, the Scriptures have been recorded to make known to us our God, our Creator, our Savior. Take, for instance, the rather extensive account of Moses. True, through the story, we know something of Moses’ origins, his marriage, his relationship to Pharaoh and his court, his interactions with Egypt in the struggle to free the Hebrew slaves, and so on. But what is more important than any of this is what God reveals about himself.

• He has heard the cry of his people (I.e., the descendants of Abraham).
  
• He plans ahead for what he will do.
  
• He gets actively involved in releasing them from captivity.
  
• He is powerful over the Egyptian god’s.
  
• He protects his people from destruction by the Egyptians.
  

And there is more, much more revealed by God about himself in what, on the surface, appears to be an account of Moses. At the same time God also reveals what is appropriate in the relationship between men and God; and the most critical revelation always goes back to that beginning, simple truth, the most essential truth to be known about God. It is oft repeated by the Old Testament prophets. “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God. There is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:5-6) So it goes throughout all of Scripture.

Now if you read enough of Scripture — keeping in mind that this sacred text is not just God’s Word as if He’s the one telling the story or creating the story or offering the teaching, but rather it is God’s Word of self-revelation, that is, a revelation of Himself to us and of our relationship to him — if you read enough of Scripture that way, you will find it is highly repetitive. We hear this same message over and over. Much of the rest of the Old Testament text deals with the consequences for men that flow from that all-important truth. That’s why these Chosen People are constantly being reminded and chastised for there failure to live in accord with that core revelation about God.

All that I’ve been reflecting on applies especially to the Old Testament portion of God’s Word. The New Testament takes us a giant step forward, for Jesus’ life/death/resurrection demonstrate the fervency with which God has heard man’s cry, the extent to which He is willing to be involved in our lives, the power He can and will exercise to overcome both evil and its consequences for mankind and the loving care He will extend to those who turn to him. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

God has summarized for us what is not of God through such things as the Ten Commandments and the Spirit-guided evolution of our own understanding of them through the centuries. God has also summarized for us the elements indispensable to our participation in the fulfillment of his plan. We call these essential elements the Sacraments. Moreover, in lieu of the impossibility of men giving perfect and appropriate praise, He has given us the Mass, the penultimate of praise. And finally He continues to offer His own guidance through the lives and actions of his saints. Peculiarly enough, these all are repetitions of the same message heard over and over again throughout the centuries: “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God. There is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Correspondingly, mankind must turn from idols, particularly those of his own creation, and acknowledge the God who is God.

You’ve all heard the criticism of the Pharisees and their arrogance. Maybe you yourself have ventured to voice some derogatory assessment. In this current gospel we may even feel disgust at their worship of the Sabbath regulations — the regulations they themselves made. Their religious fervor regarding observance of the Sabbath is a clear indication of the object of their devotion. But, in all honesty, we have to admit that we are guilty of the same. Only our idols are different.

St Thomas Aquinas teaches:

“God is not composed or divisible by any physical or metaphysical means. Simplicity of God refers to the fact that he has no parts. The simplicity teaching extends to the entire nature of God. His substance, nature, and very being is that of utter simplicity. The properties usually attributed to God such as omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence do not contradict the teaching of simplicity because each property is a different way of looking at the infinite active being of God from a limited perspective. One consequence of this teaching is the fact that since God is simple, he must be a pure spirit.” (St Thomas Aquinas)

So too, in a different way, must our profession of faith be simple. It is not composed of parts or words or practices or customs or prayers or rituals. It is all contained in that singular fact taught by God Himself: “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God. There is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.” All other things related to our faith, our religion are accretions necessitated by our own human nature. So, if God is the only God, if their truly is no other, what is the appropriate response?