Growing as a Christian is a bit like learning a language. Books and theory will get us so far, but to become fluent we need to live it out and use it. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Thursday of the 9th week of ordinary time can be found here.
Suppose that you have decided to learn another language. French or Italian, perhaps, ready for your summer holiday, or maybe our own native language of Welsh. What would be the best way of trying to become fluent? You could buy a grammar book, work your way through all the exercises, and learn lists of words. Or you could find a conversation class, go along, and just start using the language with other speakers. Which method would work best? Well, there’s room for both. You need a certain amount of background knowledge. But the textbook can take you only so far. To become truly fluent, you need to start living the language day by day.
In today’s Gospel, a scribe has mastered what you might call the grammar of religion. He knows the commandments and the laws. He has read all the texts and knows the vocabulary of faith. Yet Jesus points him beyond all of this to something much deeper and more profound. The greatest commandment is not something to be analysed, but to be lived out each and every day: “love the Lord your God … love your neighbour as yourself.” Just as with learning a language, in the life of faith, studying texts and doctrines is important. It is the basis, the groundwork, the bedrock. But then we have to start living out the language of love. We have to stop merely talking about loving God and neighbour and instead practise it in the ordinary conversations, encounters and decisions of daily life. As with learning a language, this isn’t easy. We will make mistakes. But we have others around to help, just as we can offer help ourselves.
In our first reading, Paul tells Timothy to remind his people “not to quarrel about words, which does no good”. Instead, they are to “remember Jesus Christ” and be faithful to him. The purpose of all our learning is not simply to know more about God, but to become people who speak the language of God’s love fluently. Then, as Jesus says to the scribe, we will not be far from the kingdom of God.
Mass today is in St Dyfrig and St Samson at 10am.
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