30th Sunday of Ordinary Time [A]

 


30TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A]


Jesus presents us with the “what”---love God and also love your neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40). As for a “why?”, it seems that a partial answer can be found in the Book of Exodus, chapter twenty two. The very name “Exodus” signifies an intervention on the part of the Lord. The Israelites are being enslaved by the Egyptians. They issue an outcry (Ex. 3:7); the Lord hears their cry, and he subsequently blesses them with the gift of liberation. In other words, he demonstrates his love for the people by freeing them from their experience of bondage. They would do well to love the Lord in return. Furthermore, since they understand what it is like to be in a state of need, they should be sensitive to the people around them who might be in a similar state of need (Ex. 22:20). 


All of this becomes amplified when we transition into the New Testament period. The Exodus demonstration has already been chronicled; now, a new demonstration is about to be chronicled: namely, the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. Jesus dies for the people of Israel. And he dies for those who have a heritage beyond the Israelite heritage. For example, it’s a sacrifice that can be applied to the people of Thessalonica. Are they appreciative? As far as St. Paul is concerned, they represent a “model” for the rest of the world (1st Thess. 1:7). As a community, it’s been proven that they know how to absorb the love that comes from above. And they also know how to pass that love along. Or, to use a somewhat more contemporary expression, they are committed to “paying it forward.”  


By using the term “model,” Paul makes it very clear: this pattern needs to be imitated. He is rather impressed with the church at Thessalonica. One wonders, would he be impressed with the church of our day and age? Would he be impressed with us? Are we imitating the Thessalonian ideal? Hopefully, yes. And yet, there is another possibility. Perhaps we are not imitating the Thessalonian ideal. Perhaps we are imitating a darker reality. Perhaps we are behaving like that outer space phenomenon: The Black Hole. There has been speculation about Black Holes ever since the middle part of the 18th century. The first actual discovery took place in the year 1971—it was classified as “Cygnus X-1.”  


We are talking here about a star that has used up all of its energy. It dies by collapsing in on itself. The gravitational force is so extreme that nothing can escape its pull. It’s referred to as a “black” hole because light travels into it and it has no ability to escape. The Black Hole absorbs whatever is in its range. As far as we can tell, it produces nothing. It only knows how to take; it has no capacity to give or to produce. That’s what we can say about Cygnus X-1. That’s what Black Holes are all about. Does that also represent our own story? Are we preoccupied with THE ACQUISITION of love? Is the objective primarily to absorb, but not necessarily to pay it forward? If so, then we’re missing the point of that Exodus passage and also that passage from St. Matthew. Additionally, we are letting the Apostle Paul down. And, most critically, we are letting down our own selves. We are basically collapsing in on ourselves. Light passes into us, but it never has a chance to escape. 

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