Thursday of the
Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Timothy 2:8-15; Mark 12:28-34)
“…the word of God is not chained,’” St. Paul tells his disciple
Timothy in today’s first reading. It is
not chained because, first, it is an idea and not a body that can be locked
down. It also is not chained because it
is liberating. It moves people to
act. It foresees an end that is both
desirable and attainable. It promises life
in the full – the absolute joy of knowing God.
Yet its vision is so threatening to some that they actually try to
prohibit it. This occurred in El Salvaor
during the 1970s and 1980s.
El Salvador was experiencing severe social oppression. Many rich families wanted to maintain their economic
privilege at the expense of the poor. Church
leaders organized small faith communities among the poor s a pastoral service. These groups reflected on the word of God
together. They dwelt upon passages articulating
God’s love for the oppressed. At the
same time an armed revolution assisted by Communist governments was gathering
momentum. Both movements - the small
faith communities and the revolution -- spoke of social liberation. But their means and ends differed. Nevertheless, the wealthy’s armed militia started
to persecute poor people for possessing a Bible. Heroes like Archbishop Saint Oscar Romero spoke
out against this repression.
We too might see the word of God as a source of
liberation. It can free us from the anxiety
of not having all that others have. It also
assures us that the really important goal is eternal life. It cannot be chained. On the contrary, it can unchain us from
useless worries and prideful ambitions.
