LAW AND GOSPEL ^_[1]

COLONIAL RELIC

1.  Nelson Mandela was imprisoned 27 years in one of the most wicked political systems of the 20th century; he has every right to be bitter and harsh. Nevertheless, he was not. As President of South Africa, he led his nation through seven remarkable years of change and improvement. During his presidency, Mr. Mandela proved himself in a unique way on the field of politics and competitive sport.  Historically, rugby has been a sport of Afrikaners, descendents of European immigrants, who long have dominated the indigenous African population. Understandably, South African blacks typically hated the game for the very same reason--race segregation--that the reactionary white groups preferred it. Both groups, however, tended to view South Africa's Springboks team as an embarrassing relic of colonialism. South Africa's apartheid was a deeply entrenched social program of racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against persons not of European origin. Many other debilitating, unwritten laws of politics and ethnic relations reinforced apartheid. It was harsh and unrelenting. It was the law and the way things had to be. Or was it? Though Mr. Mandela thought not, he refrained from attacking the indelible mark of segregation which marred the national team at home and in competing venues abroad. He refused to be bound by apartheid, for he offered himself in the service of a higher law--inalienable rights and equal opportunities for all human beings regardless of race, religion or national origin. Before the 1995 World Cup matches, President Mandela, made a habit of wearing a Springbok cap when attending black political gatherings. We wish our boys success, he would say. And they would clap politely--not so enthusiastically.^[2] The World Cup final was held in Johannesburg; against great odds, the Springboks battled their way to the final match where they would face New Zealand. In their locker room before the game started, the team was astonished to see the door open and Nelson Mandela standing in it. He walked in wearing the number 6 green jersey of their captain and wished them good luck. Like Jesus' disciples, many of us hide behind the locked door of the law in our lives. We fear the power of the Word of the World. We are powerless to break out of the dreary walls we have constructed around our hearts and souls. We are prisoners, hiding our true selves, protecting our interests, warding off any perceived threat with weapons of anger and bitterness. We prefer the stasis of stagnant, torpid water to the marvelous movement of clear, running streams. We favor the noise of broken machinery over the sounds of music. We cling to the reminders of the past, the old ways, the tired cliches. Within the heart of every person, is a longing for the good news, a word of truth, a word of assurance. For those who crouch behind barriers, this longing can grow to an exquisite pitch, so much so, that the very desire for liberation is perceived by the distraught person to be the enemy. Sometimes we try to break out of a slump. We try to make a run for it. Unprepared and unaware of our destination, we dash for easy cover. We break the mold by eagerly and uncritically accepting spurious solutions. Good news without work and good news without self-discipline inevitably disappoints.

DISGUISED AS LIGHT

2.  To attain true spiritual freedom demands arduous work far exceeding the mere maintenance of mediocrity. The price one pays for mediocrity, however, is much higher than for excellence, for dullness and sloth suffocates a human beings personal dignity and rightful freedom. Material wealth is not the life-blood of spirituality and of itself, escape from spiritual captivity cannot be considered freedom if one prostitutes his God-given liberty to complacent, smarmy self-centeredness. To borrow from the words of Johns Epistle, water is not enough. We must come through the water and blood of the Christ's crucifixion.  [cf. 1Jn 5:6]  For our divine lesson today as we end the octave of Easter, I would offer you three basic truths of authentic spirituality. Consider them as steps or rungs of the spiritual ladder which ascends to perfection.^[3] First, we advance far on the road of self-discovery and fulfillment when we learn that the Word of the World, or shall I say the law of the world, cannot liberate the human person. The Word of the World is not the source or even the authentic mediator of truth. Even more to the point, the Word of the World is incapable of proclaiming real freedom and true liberation. Disguised as light  [cf. 2Cor 11:14], it begets manipulation, dissimulation, and the disavowal of consequences. The Word of the World panders that which the naive crave to hear: effusive flattery, narcissism, self-worship, pride and arrogance. Truth is perceived, not recognized. This cacophony of mistrust and opportunism is hawked to decent people who do not need it and scoundrels who do not deserve it. Sadly, people are beguiled by the way it sounds or looks, not for its substance and immutability. Second, we continue to advance in spirituality when we acknowledge that the authentic good news originates from God. The gospel truth is the message that a prophet, a holy man, suffered, died, and rose on the third day. The divine revelation names this prophet, this holy man, as Son of God and Son of Man. Through him, death is no longer an impenetrable wall confining the aspirations of life. The anointed one has marked out for us an indelible path. We have only to follow faithfully in his footsteps to reach the narrow door  [Mt 7:13-14]  beyond which heaven blazes with the light of immortality. This narrow door is the divine heart of Jesus Christ of whom it was said by the angel:  "You shall call his name Jesus."  [Lk 1:31]  This Jesus endows us with audacious confidence^[4] to break out of the walls which confine us. We dare to overthrow stultifying and repressive mediocrity because our Lord Jesus sacrificed his youthful life after divesting himself of his human will. The good news confers upon God's chosen people a radical vision, a dynamic of inner to outward spiritual vision:  "But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit."  [Rom 7:6]  "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  [Gal 2:20]  No longer do I exist in isolation and in anguished alienation. Now I am begotten as a disciple of the Lord in the community of faith.

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE

3.  Third, our spiritual growth is well-established when we determine that only in Christ can the disciple of the Law and the freedom of the gospel be reconciled. St. Paul is clear. The Law of Moses has no power to save. Clinging to the Law of Moses, man falls prey to an astonishing paradox. Because sin seeks "opportunity in the commandments"  [Rom 7:8], "the very commandments which promised life deceived us and proved to be death for us".  [Rom 7:10-11]  We stand in the presence of a great mystery. The value of the natural and revealed law, writes St. Paul, lies precisely in uncovering our sin. The Mosaic Law, standing apart from the human conscience in a posture of exteriority, can only accuse its adherents of sin and mark them out for death; it cannot cleanse the human conscience once and for all time, nor does it possess the power to prolong human life, let alone confer immortality.  Nevertheless, the law is a flaming sword [Gen 3:24], and the commandments are "holy and just and good".  [Rom 7:12]  Jesus said, "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them."  [Mt 5:17]  Through the mystery of Our Lord's passion, death and resurrection, the regime of accusation and punishment vanishes before the God's law of liberty written on the human heart. The old and obsolete covenant of Sinai--which was rejected and abandoned before its institution by those for whom it was intended--yields to the high priesthood of Christ who established a new covenant of grace in his name. The exterior law is superseded by interior spirituality, a firm pediment upon which God's people may construct a comely house of faith. Through the new covenant made in Jesus' name, the commandments achieve their perfection as instruments of salvation. Mortal man no longer mediates the law by necessity; the Holy Spirit mediates  unites the mind and heart  [cf. Acts 4:32]  of the believing community. The faithful disciple acquires a rich and abundant interior life, that is, a suitable dwelling place  [cf. 1Cor 3:16ff, 6:19]  for the Spirit of God. "But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit."  [Rom 7:6]  In a stunning upset, the South African Springboks defeated New Zealand 15-12. "It almost shattered my nerves because of tension," Mr. Mandela said, "I'm still recovering." Still sporting the green jersey, the president walked out onto the rugby field to present the trophy to his nations victorious team. The crowd of Afrikaners erupted in spontaneous chanting,  "Nelson, Nelson, Nelson!"  It is said that the game and the win called forth great emotion. But it was more than that. It was an emotional catharsis, a cleansing, a healing which had far-reaching implications for the nation. One who saw gives this testimony: It had a devastating effect on the far-right white groups, the people who had refused to vote...or to recognize the new constitution, saying Its not our country. The groups simply disintegrated. Their people stopped using the symbols of the past, the old flag, the songs. Mandela became the symbol of the whole country. With regard to the symbols of society, and their profound import and meaning, the power of the unwritten law was broken. Somewhere along the line, Nelson Mandela had to choose. The first choice was his own. It was the most important. Would he accept a heart of stone, hardened by bitterness or recrimination of one who has suffered? Or would he accept a heart of flesh, finding refuge not in law but in the gospel?  [cf. Eze 36:26]  The answer is clear. Firmly rooted in the active household of faith, the salvation and care of souls becomes attainable:  "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe."  [Rom 3:21-22]