To people in this era the idea of quibbling over sabbath observance seems quaint, sort of like handwriting letters or using a dial telephone. Sunday is still church day (unless we go Saturday evening) but otherwise we pursue our weekend activities just like on Saturday without a second thought.
We might even answer Jesus’ question about doing good on the sabbath in the reading from Luke with a “Duh!” unless we focus on the larger question of violating the law’s spirit of love when that conflicts with following its rules to the letter. That got Jesus in trouble with the religious authorities of his day and is still with us.
Today many in the church struggle to reconcile adhering to traditional rules with the reality of the lives of LGBTQ people, divorced and remarried Catholics and others. Franciscan theology offers helpful guidance. In his book “The Universal Christ,” Richard Rohr notes that “in Franciscan theology, truth is always for the sake of love and not an absolute end in itself.”
This speaks to our belief in a loving God who understands that people live messy lives that no rules will change. Thank heaven that most of us have moved on from the days when people stayed in bad marriages or hid their sexual orientation for fear that their families would disown them if they broke church rules,.
What joy Pope Francis brought to many when he famously said, “Who am I to judge?”
I sympathize with parish priests, who must juggle the conflicting demands of caring for hurting people with following rules that contribute to the pain. It would be brutal to have to refuse to marry couples in the church because they aren’t in compliance with a rule. Priests need our understanding and our prayers.
There are no easy answers but it’s comforting to again turn to the example of Pope Francis who had a loving relationship with the trans community which lives near the Vatican. He may or may not have approved of their lifestyle, but he cared so deeply about them that they greeted his funeral procession. This reminds us that you can never go wrong by loving people.
Eileen Wirth
I’m a retired Creighton journalism professor, active in St. John’s parish and a CLC member. In retirement, I write books about state and local history, including a history of the parish, and do volunteer PR consulting for groups like Habitat for Humanities, refugees etc. I love to read, work out, spend time with family and friends including those who can no longer get out much.
Writing reflections has deepened my faith by requiring me to engage deeply with Jesus through the Scriptures. In the many years I have been doing this, I’ve also formed friendships with regular readers nationally, most of whom I have never met. Hearing from readers and what I learn by writing make the hours I spend on each reflection well worth the effort.
