Reading Francis

The Bible readings that Catholics use at Mass this week are an interesting mix that, taken together, seem to underscore that God sees things very differently than the culture around us  does.

There’s a passage from Paul’s first letter to Timothy that actually shows up twice, in the Monday daily Mass and then again this Sunday. It’s I Timothy 2:1-8, and it starts like this:

“Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings, and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge and truth.”

It ends with this:

“It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.”

On Tuesday, I Timothy 3:1-13 has Paul listing the character traits for bishops, deacons, and women (which has been interpreted by many to mean something like deaconesses). Let me flag a couple recurring themes in these lists: married only once, temperate, self-controlled, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money.

Friday’s I Timothy passage (6:2-12) charges that “Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain.” It ends with, “But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.”

Skipping ahead to Sunday, you get a passage from Amos (8:4-7) railing against those who run the markets and exploit the poor. The refrain to the day’s Psalm is “Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.” And the Gospel (Luke 16:1-13) is the perplexing parable of the dishonest steward, which ends with “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [wealth].”

Take these as a whole, and you get some challenging pictures of what God wants:

• Peace and tranquility, not anger and argument. 
• Gentleness, not contentiousness
• Self control and temperance, not “a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes” 
• Righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness, not envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction
• Bring justice to the poor rather than feathering your own nest and falling in love with wealth.

You probably made this connection, but just in case you missed it: Our culture seems to be built around glorifying the things that Paul and Jesus say God frowns on, while writing off as naive and unrealistic the very things they say God expects of us. This is as true inside many Christian communities as it is in the surrounding secular culture. 

So our choice is pretty clear. Do we believe in how the world around us sees things or how God sees them?