31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) – November 3, 2024

St. Paul – Lyons, KS

Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51; Hebrews 7:22-28; Mark 12:28b-34

Shema: Listen and Respond

One thing that has always interested me is psychology—just an incredibly fascinating field of work. And in particular, one thing that has really struck me, is this phenomenon of what’s called “cognitive dissonance.” Cognitive dissonance occurs when what we believe does not match up with what we do. We know something, we at least believe something to be true, but our actions contradict what we know, what we believe. A classic example is knowing that diet and exercise are good for you, but you don’t do those. Or, it’s knowing that if you step on a crack it’s not actually going to break your mother’s back—but you still don’t step on cracks! You know there’s no such thing as monsters, but you sprint up the stairs when you turn off the lights downstairs.

On a more serious note are the cognitive dissonances that exists with regard to our faith. For examples, we just spent four weeks talking about one of those things we all say that we believe in: the Church, “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” And yet, how much of that was a challenge for us? When the rubber begins to hit the road, does a cognitive dissonance begin to reveal itself? Where we say we believe one thing, but then act in a way that doesn’t match up with this belief?

Another way to think about it is to reverse the concept: show me how you operate and act and I’ll tell you what you actually believe. You run up the stairs when you turn off the lights? You believe that monsters are real. You don’t step on cracks? You actually think it’s going to break your mother’s back. See what I mean?

One classic example of this—and I want to start a new series based on this—it comes up twice in our readings today: the original source for it in the Old Testament reading, and Jesus quoting it in the Gospel. It’s a very famous prayer, a prayer that Jews would (and still do) pray twice a day. And it’s called the Shema (which is the first word of the prayer in Hebrew). “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all of your strength.” A good, devout Jew prays that twice a day, they have it fastened to their doors. Why? Well, simply put: one, because Moses told them to, but two because (as Jesus points out) that is the first and greatest commandment! To love God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength—that’s it! This is the greatest commandment!

And so my incredibly profound series, the series which—let’s be honest, even I’m shocked with the brilliance of my homily here—my incredible profound series boils down to this: gut check: do you love the Lord with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength? *Pretty profound, I know!* This is the first and greatest commandment. We know that, at some level we—you and I—all of us believe that this is true! But is there (perhaps) a cognitive dissonance? I think (and I accuse myself first)—I think that it is very easy to fall into a cognitive dissonance when it comes to this: to say it, to say, “Oh yeah, I love God! Course I do!” But then to fall into a place where if someone were to look at our day-to-day actions, they wouldn’t be able to tell that we actually believe that. Do you, do I, truly love the Lord with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength?

I’ll Call Out Myself First

And look, I’m going to call myself out first. You all know my story, I tell it way too much: wanted to be a doctor, get married, have twelve kids; feel this call to priesthood; I say? “No!”; a lot of hemming and hawing, but eventually I go to seminary, give my entire life to God, become a priest, and live happily ever after. Right? Ok. It is very easy for me to hide behind that story, to be like, “Oh yeah, I used to struggle with putting God first. But look at me! I’m a priest! Doesn’t scream ‘God is first in my life’ more than this!” Easy for me to do that. And people do it for me! Being the “young priest,” people take one look at me and go, “Wow! Look at you! Such dedication and love for God! I could never have done that!” And I go, “…yeah, you’re right!” (Hah!) 

But here’s the thing: each and every year of being a priest, in one way or another, there is one passage from Scripture that always comes up—in prayer, listening to a talk, just randomly coming across it in a book. And the passage is Revelation 2. If you’ve ever read the book of Revelation, you know that it starts with seven letters to seven different churches. Famously, the church in Laodicea gets yelled at because they are neither hot nor cold, and so God is going to spit them out of his mouth, right? Ok. Well, the letter that always comes up for me is the letter to the church in Ephesus. And to them, the Lord says this: “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” (Rev 2:2-3). Listen to that! These people are crushing it! They are doing the right things, working hard, patiently enduring so much because of their faith. And that’s great! They’re doing such good work for God and for their faith. But—but then the letter continues: “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…But I hold this against you: you have lost your first love” (Rev. 2:4). This is the passage that comes up for me. “You have lost your first love.” You work hard, really hard…but you’ve lost your first love.

When we were in seminary, we had a bishop preach to us one day (which usually means it’s going to be pretty boring)—but this guy was a gem. And he told us this: “Boys, when you get out into your parishes in your future ministry, the demands will be great. You will have your schedules filled with appointments and commitments. So many of them will be good things, worthy things, holy things. Your calendars will fill, and people will clamor for your attention. The time will come when you will begin to hear it again and again from people, ‘Oh Father, I know you are so busy. I don’ t want to bother you.’ And you’ll feel a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment… You’re busy. But I’m here to tell you brothers, don’t be deceived. It’s not a compliment. It’s not a good sign when your people feel you’re so busy that they can no longer ask you to pause from your busyness.” That’s me! (I’m calling myself out first.) Too busy. Busy with good things, worthy things, holy things! And so I justify it! I get upset with God sometimes like, “Look at all of this that I have to do—and do because I’m a priest!” And yet, I find myself confronted with that line from Revelation: you’re working hard, doing good things, endured so much—but you’ve lost your first love.

You know, it really struck me as I was praying with this passage over and over and over this week—Jesus makes it quite clear, “The first is this… The second is this…” I think (and I think it because I live it)—I think it has become quite common for us to pass over the first and greatest commandment and go right to the second—and justify skipping the first.

Distracted from the First Commandment for the Second

I wonder if there aren’t a few of us here today that feel that way too.

What I mean is this. How many of us make great sacrifices for others around us? For our families, for our spouse, for our children? Think of all of the work and effort that you give for your children. Think of all of the stress and anxiety and sleepless nights you’ve had because of the love you have for them. Think of working and working and working to make ends meet. Think of all the practices and games and money you’ve shelled out for sports. Think of all of the good and worthy things you have done. “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance.” Great work! But I wonder how many of us also feel a twinge when we hear that line: “But I hold this against you: you have lost your first love.”

What I’m getting at is this: Are we sidestepping our love for God, and as a justification saying, “Well, I’m just trying to love and provide and take care of my kids and family”? Are we doubling down on the good and worthy things we do, and not seeing the simple fact that God can easily become sidelined? Our love for Him comes second, and not first?

And I know this sounds scandalous, but do we serve our kids more than we love and serve God? Again, we wouldn’t say that, but is there a cognitive dissonance at times? I don’t mean to sound accusatory, or to make anyone feel bad—but for example, Friday was a Holy Day of Obligation, All Saints Day; a day that, out of love for God, we are obliged to come to Mass. The night before we helped kids get into costumes and go trick or treating. Friday was a day off of school, so nowhere else they had to be. Friday night there was a football game. Great stuff! But how many of those same kids missed Mass? Again, I am saying this not as some sort of rant. But as a gut check: do I love the Lord with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength? Do I help my kids to do that? Do my kids know that I love God more than I love them? 

Again, I know you’re working hard. I know you are busy. I know how much you endure. Trust me, I get that. But this is the gut check. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,  with all your mind, and with all of your strength.” 

Over the next couple of weeks, I want to dig into just this: how can we live out this first, this greatest commandment? Twice a day God’s people would pray this. What if we live it? I want us to begin checking our gut: no one here hates God, I don’t think anyone here is some horrible awful person. But take a gut check, check for a dissonance: is the first commandment first? Do you love God with all your heart, with all your soul,  with all your mind, and with all of your strength? And this week, simply begin to listen, to “hear.” Listen for what the Lord is saying to you.