Feng Shui

Seeing the hidden harmony in God’s creation

03/07/2018

Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Have you ever heard the term “feng shui” before? It refers to a Chinese philosophy that espouses that everything has a proper place and particular purpose in this world. Nothing is irrelevant or insignificant. And if you listen carefully, you can almost catch a hidden harmony in the cosmos. Now, my point is not to teach you Chinese philosophy today. But there is a little overlap with Christian spirituality. If you ever visit a Catholic cemetery, you will notice all the tombstones are usually facing the same direction, namely, east. Why? Christians believe that Jesus will return at the end of time like the sun rising in the east, and we all want to be facing the right direction when he returns! The Chinese call that hidden harmony between how we bury the dead and the rising sun “feng shui,” but we Christians call that faith. Christian faith allows us to see the deeper connectedness between all things, and ultimately our connection to God.

I feel very honored and blessed to have a quartet from the Fort Smith Symphony at Mass today. If you have never been to the symphony, you should definitely go. These guys are better than the Zac Brown Band! It is very easy to hear that hidden harmony that the Chinese call feng shui at a classical concert. Every instrument is indispensable, each one serves a specific purpose – from the thunderous kettle drums to the soft and sensitive violin. For the keenly trained ears of the maestro, who conducts the symphony, however, the harmony would be utterly shattered if each and every instrument did not find its proper place and fulfill its particular purpose. The Chinese would call the sounds of a classical concert a sort of musical feng shui. Johann Sebastian Bach might call that faith.

Jesus talks about a hidden harmony that exists even in the law, the Ten Commandments God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. Listen to how respectful Jesus is about the whole law of God, and even each of its tiny parts. He says: “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter, will pass from the law, until all these things have taken place.” I sometimes hear people say, “I don’t need to go to confession. After all, I didn’t kill anyone or rob a bank!” That may be true. But have you told lies? Have you had lust in your heart? Have you eaten to excess? Some sins are like kettle drums and easy to notice (like murder), while other sins are spiritually softer and sound like a violin and therefore we can easily ignore them. A mature Christian, however, can hear a sort of holy harmony that reverberates through the whole law, and tries to keep all the commandments, from greatest to the least. The Chinese might call harmony in the law feng shui, but Jesus would call that deeper connection the vision of faith.

Today I want to tell you how I see a hidden harmony in this whole school. Each student and every teacher contributes his or her unique sound to the educational symphony that is Trinity Junior High. Sometimes we think it is only the really smart students or the outstanding athletes or those who win awards and honors who make this school special. They are important, of course. But they are only half of the harmony of Trinity. There are also some student who may not make all A’s, or stand out in sports, or excel in extracurricular activities. Your softer sounds, like the violin in a symphony, like the smallest letter of the law, are the other half of the harmony of Trinity. I don’t want any student to think you don’t count or you don’t matter here at Trinity.

Be careful, boys and girls, don’t write someone off, or ignore them, or be mean to someone just because you can’t hear the music they contribute to this school. Sometimes students even transfer from one school to another because they don’t get along with another student. I can understand that, but that also makes me sad.  Why? Because you missed the hidden harmony among all the students and teachers who make up the symphony here at Trinity. There would never be a symphony if we were all kettle drums.

Praised be Jesus Christ!