The American folk artist and icon, Pete Seeger, use to sing an old talking blues that went: “If you want to go to heaven, I’ll tell you what to do, you gotta grease your feet in a little mutton stew. Slide right out of the devil’s hand and ease over to the Promised Land. Take it easy! Go greasy!” If only going to heaven would be that easy.
The readings for today tell us that if we want to be heaven bound, it takes more than just scrupulously following the commandments. St James urges his disciples to humbly welcome God’s Word which has been planted in their hearts and by which their souls can be saved. He tells them to be doers of God’s Word, not mere listeners. How to do this? St James tells them to care for the vulnerable people (the widows and the orphans of James’ time) and to not get caught up in the false doctrines of the world.
In the Gospel, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees’ approach to the commandments. Jesus tells them that they are guilty of idolatry in so much as it is Mosaic Law they worship, not God, who gave humanity the Law. While they scrupulously follow the law, their intent in following the Law is false and twisted. Jesus tells them that they must dig deeper than the mere surface of the Law. To truly keep the commandments, they must discover the intent of God behind the Law, which is precisely the point St James is making to his disciples.
Jesus’ words ring true to us today. The Church has long taught that the intent behind our actions, including our reception of the sacraments is as important as receiving the sacraments. If we go to the sacrament of reconciliation and are not truly sorry for the sins we have committed, no absolution we may receive will absolve us from our sins. Baptism is more than just joining the Jesus club. When we baptize our children, we, as parents, must intend to do our very best to raise our children in the faith. The scriptures are clear that if we are to follow Jesus as his disciples, we must live the “spirit of the law”, not just pay lip service to the law.
