Where Angels Fear to Tread

A Reflection on the Gospel ​for Sunday, November 3rd, 2024:
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Mark
12.28-34

One of the scribes came near and heard the religious authorities disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbour as oneself,’ — this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that the scribe answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

After that no one dared to ask Jesus any question.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

When God created the angels, Tradition holds, He gave them a free will like ours. He also gave them an understanding of his plan: that He would elevate human beings to unite with His Triune divinity. With full knowledge of the eternal plan, He gave angels a choice – knowing that they would have to serve mankind and the Godhead, would they accept?

You can see how, for heavenly beings, this could have been a scary dealbreaker. Adoring and serving the Divine Creator? Sure, no problem. Serving icky little people? No way. That would be like us being told we get to work for the Pope, but also junebugs. Ew.

I feel like the scribes get that same suckerpunch moment in today’s gospel. Devoting their lives to Adonai, their God? That’s what they’ve been raised to do. Extending that same outpouring of dedication to that guy in the market who definitely overcharges for his fish? Uh. Hm.

God waited to teach us the second commandment through Jesus because we cannot do without Him. In the old covenant, the angels who stayed on board with the Divine plan were enough to keep us going. With their protection and mediation, we could hear (O Israel), we could remember to worship, and we could do our best to follow the law.

But the new and eternal covenant meant this mightily challenging neighbourly love, this service to humanity.

I’ve been thinking all week about Mary and Martha. They seem to represent both sides of this commandment toonie. Mary sitting and loving Jesus with open ears and open heart. Martha bustling in the kitchen to show hospitable love to her guests. But Jesus needs to give Martha a loving talking-to. Because her busy service was breaking her soul, mind, and strength and scattering its pieces all over Bethany. Satan used what she thought was dutiful service to completely distract her from the one thing necessary, “porro unum est necessarium,” often translated as the “greater part.” Here’s sneaky Satan again – twisting our understanding of serving others so that we become too resentful, discouraged, and anxious to fulfill either part of the commandment.

That’s why God didn’t give us the new commandment, the commandment for the new and eternal covenant, until Jesus could do it in us. 

As Jesus feeds us and dwells in us through the Eucharist and the other sacraments, we surrender to let Him love through us. He sits our inner Marthas down and makes us rest in Him for a moment, letting us get our heads on straight again, before sending us out (still with a little angelic help) to bring that love to our family and community, and yes, that guy in the market.




Kate Mosher

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