Monday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time (Mark 3:22-30)
Every now and then, I hear people mentioning a strange affliction that seems to affect their spouses, children or friends from time to time. They call the affliction “selective hearing” or “selective deafness”. The afflicted person will only respond to things that are pleasant to hear. Things that might be the least bit demanding, however, are met with this odd “deafness”. None of the people who have mentioned this have found a cure. They would be most grateful if a cure was discovered.
“Selective deafness” is usually something we can all smile about. We’ve encountered it; others may have told us that we have it. The symptoms are fairly benign, much of the time. But not always.
We can smile about it, but “selective deafness” is merely the milder version of something that can become far more poisonous and destructive. It is rooted in the idea that my way (or my party, or my race, or my country) is better than yours simply because it is mine. We all can feel that temptation, but we usually catch ourselves before we go very far down that road. But not always. Selective deafness can become pride, prejudice, condescension. “I’m right, and that’s it!” “My way or the highway!” We lose the ability to even acknowledge the possibility that one of “them” might be right about anything, and that “we” might be wrong about that thing. We become very selective in what facts we will believe – only those that support our cause – and ignore or reject any that might force us to rethink our cause.
We have recently heard about “alternative facts” in the media. Don’t make the mistake of believing that one person or one party invented this, or is the only one who thinks in this way. It was “alternative facts” (to put it that way) that allowed the Egyptians to enslave the Israelites, some European colonists to oppress the native Americans, or many to enslave African-Americans. Indeed, Jews, women, the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, the foreigner of any sort – all these, and more, have suffered the effects of “alternative facts”. Their humanity was somehow belittled or denied. Some were made into scapegoats to justify the atrocities they suffered at the hands of others. And, it is “alternative facts” that play a role in today’s Gospel reading.
As we pick up the Gospel story in Mark, Jesus has been, by any measure, a great success thus far. His powerful teachings, example, and healings have drawn large crowds. They have also been a challenge to the religious leaders of the time, here represented by the “scribes”. The scribes do not know what to make of Jesus. Jesus doesn’t conform neatly to their expectations. They can’t file him anywhere. So, they conclude, Jesus must be in league with the Evil One. They apply “alternative facts” to him. That makes it impossible for them to be open to who and what Jesus truly is, and to the blessings he would give to them if they could be open to the real “facts”. Their hearts are not only closed; they attribute Jesus’ powerful words and deeds to the devil. This is the sin against the Holy Spirit. It is the refusal to acknowledge the works of God all around them, and to dare to attribute them to the Evil One. As long as they persist in this way of thinking, grace cannot get through. They cannot be forgiven.
None of us need be in the position of the scribes. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are all around us. We have the Scriptures, the teachings and traditions of the Church, and the lives of so many holy people to help open our eyes even more to God’s presence among us. God is Truth. Therefore, truth must be one. No “alternative” truths are possible in the end. God is all. We are all God’s own. No one is left out, except by their own choice.
In 1958, while on a street corner in Louisville, Kentucky, the well-known monk and author Thomas Merton had a revelation. There were people walking all around him, “shining like the sun”, as he later said, if they could only believe it. Yes, if we could only believe it: believe it about ourselves, and about every living human being. Shining with the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. May no “selective blindness” keep us from seeing this – today, tomorrow, and forever. Come, Lord Jesus!