[Notes: Today’s guest blogger is Sondra Imperati. For the last 13 years, Sondra Imperati has been a member of the Spiritus Christi community. She and her husband Michael Korn met in our choir. Father Jim was on their first date and walked Sondra down the aisle. She and Mike live in Penfield and enjoy traveling, music and spending time with their children and five grandchildren. Recently Sondra left her role as a corporate leader to form her own business, career and life coaching practice called Persistent Courage. Thank you, Sondra!]
I vividly remember the first time my husband Michael and I masked up to see our kids and grandchildren in South Carolina after a long 18-month COVID separation. A bit stressed and anxious being in a confined space on the plane and in airports with so many strangers, we focused on our family’s joyous reunion after too long apart. The added bonus? Meeting our newest grandson, Caleb, who was a blessing born in the midst of it all.
Upon our arrival, the contrast between our still structured living conditions to the
completely open way of life in South Carolina hit us right between the eyes. A lot of people were living and acting like nothing ever happened. Out and about. Enjoying life. No masks required. No talk of death or the virus.
I don’t start with this story to add fuel to the political fire. There’s more than enough of that these days. It’s only to illustrate how the term “statutes” and “decrees” used in today’s first reading in Deuteronomy can strike a very visceral reaction and might be applied and interpreted very differently!
In Deuteronomy 4, Moses is trying to instruct the people. He is telling the now liberated people about God’s statutes and decress so that they “may live.” “Observe them carefully…and don’t forget,” he counsels.
When I think about Moses and his role being the intermediary between God and the people of Israel, I can’t help but feel sorry for him. What a thankless job – trying to lead the moaning, tired masses through the desert. All the while handing down commandments and laws from a God the people aren’t sure even exists. While some are trying to follow the statues and decrees so that they will live, others take up rebellious actions: worshipping false idols, partying, complaining about not having enough food or water. Sometimes they even threaten Moses and berate him for giving them these statutes and decrees!
No matter what God did for them through Moses, it was never enough.
In the gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus is also talking about “statutes and decrees.” He himself is living in another time of chaos – with numerous laws being instituted and repealed. He says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the laws or the prophets.”
It’s important to note this short reading comes immediately following Jesus’ teachings on the beatitudes. And right after it, he shares the deeper meaning of the Ten Commandments.
I think Jesus is telling his listeners that it’s not enough to just follow the rules as written. To achieve the kingdom of heaven, we must transform our thinking and embody them.
Recently while driving in the car, the singer and songwriter Jewel offered another piece of the puzzle connecting with these readings. “Who will save your souls? If you won’t save your own.” Yes, it’s up to us individually and as a collective. And Jesus gives us a pretty personal and simple tool for us to use—no matter the gospel, parable or situation.
Love.
In fact, according to ChatGPT, it’s mentioned 232 times in the New Testament.
In times of fear, mistrust and lack of faith, love can be one of the most challenging emotions to feel and embody. On a personal level, maybe we don’t feel worthy or enough. Maybe we react by craving order or control. Or feel hopeless and scared for family, friends and those that are considered ‘others.’
Keeping track of the news and dissecting its meaning and impacts can sometimes hurt more than help. It can constrict our ability to love by keeping us bound in anger, resentment and fear. Or perhaps we feel like we’re waiting for the next shoe to drop – leaving our bodies to be in a constant state of fight or flight. It’s ruining our nervous systems, relationships and our view of the world.
Perhaps we forget to notice the simple beauty and pleasures of life. Or miss the
goodness surrounding us. Or recognize our own beauty, value and worth. Love, patience, kindness, compassion and empathy for ourselves and others could create a different kind of evolution and revolution. Imagine if we all banded together raising our vibrations to focus on love that liberates and frees. Who could we be individually? What could we create together? How could our world change?
Maya Angelou said it best, “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” Mike Boucher told us in a homily the word courage is rooted in the French word ‘coeur’ which means heart. (No accident there.) Perhaps this might be the best Lenten challenge yet, finding the courage to love at all costs.
P.S. And if you need a little “mood music” related to love maybe these songs can help!
Love Liberates – The Freedom Affair & Maya Angelou
Love is the Answer – England Dan and John Ford Coley
Seasons of Love – The Cast of Rent
Try Love – Kirk Franklin
I Give Myself Away – William McDowell
What a Wonderful World – Louie Armstrong