Namaste

Recognizing the divine in everyone especially our enemies

02/19/2017

1 Corinthians 3:16-23 

Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

          My mom has the curious custom of making the Sign of the Cross whenever we’re in the car and we pass in front of a church. Have you ever seen people doing that? It’s very old-fashioned, but I still see people doing it quite frequently. She does this irrespective of whether it is a Catholic church or a Protestant church. That used to bother me because in the seminary (where I first learned that gesture) they taught us to do that only when passing in front of a Catholic church. Why? Well, because only inside a Catholic church will you find the Blessed Sacrament reserved, that is God’s holy Presence. However, my mom argued that any church where people gather to pray is by definition holy and contains God’s holy Presence, the people themselves. Had I been a married man, I would know that arguing with a woman is futile, but being celibate I’m both stubborn and stupid. My mom and I would argue and debate this subtle point of theology back and forth, neither of us willing to concede defeat. At root the question was: where is God’s holy Presence: in the Tabernacle under the forms of Bread and Wine, or in the Temple under the forms of “pew potato” Catholics?

          To understand my mother’s perspective better, it may help to say a word about the Indian culture. The common way to greet someone in India is not a handshake or a hug, like here in the United States. Rather, we keep a little distance, fold our hands, with fingers pointing up, palms touching, thumbs together and touching our chest, make a slight bow and say, “Namaste.”  You may have seen that in the movies.  The gesture originates in Hinduism and actually means, “I bow to the divine in you.” We all carry a spark of God in us – something holy, something divine – indeed, Genesis 1:27 says we’re created in the image and likeness of God. We are made of the stuff of the gods! In other words, we don’t bow to each other because we happen to be Hindu but rather because we happen to be human, we are children of God. And that’s why my mom makes the Sign of the Cross whenever we pass by any church. Instead of bowing and saying “Namaste,” she makes the Sign of the Cross; she sees the divine spark in others. I guess I can accept that.

          In the second reading today, St. Paul takes sides in my debate with my mom, and unfortunately, he does not land on my side. He tells the Corinthians: “Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Paul pushes his point more emphatically, adding: “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.” In other words, by virtue of our baptism, the Spirit of God dwells in each of us, making us a Temple, no less holy than this church we’re sitting in right now. I may be foolish enough to argue with my mom, but even a celibate priest knows better than to debate St. Paul.  Not that my mom needs reinforcements.

          In the gospel Jesus draws out the practical implications of being filled with the Spirit of God. He says: if someone requests your tunic hand him your cloak as well; if anyone asks you to walk one mile, walk two. Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors. In short, Jesus means we should “be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect.” You see, being a Christian and a Temple has nothing to do with an “ego trip,” boasting of some elite status, or taking secret joy when Hindus bow before us and say “Namaste.” It has absolutely nothing to do with arrogance or ambition. Pope Francis warned ambitious priests who want to become bishops and cardinals, saying: “And in the Church there are ‘climbers,’ people driven by ambition. But if you like climbing, go to the mountains and climb them; it is a lot healthier.” Rather, being a Temple is all about the persistent pursuit of perfection, the perfection of love, and that terminates in the love of our enemies. Can you love Donald Trump or the Democrats, or CNN or FOX news, or your ex-spouse, or your neighbor who drives on your lawn, or the co-worker who undermines your efforts at work, or someone who sits in your pew at Mass?  These are the everyday enemies we must love.

          You see, what my mom and St. Paul and Jesus are really saying is that we don’t love others because of who they are; instead, we love them because of who we are. My mom doesn’t make the Sign of the Cross so much because of what kind of church she is driving by, but because of the Temple she herself is. Loving others is what she does because she is filled with the Holy Spirit. In a sense, she cannot help herself. If we are truly Temples of the Holy Spirit then we should be able to love even our enemies. Loving one’s enemy is the function of the grace that God gives us, just like Jesus came to save us not because we are so adorable and lovable, but because Jesus is so adorable and lovable. He cannot help himself when he loves us, we who often act like his enemies instead of his friends.

          On the other hand, if we cannot love our enemies, then that says more about us than it does about our enemies. It says that our own temple may be little better than a heap of ruins like so many ancient Greek and Roman temples in Europe that you visit on a family vacation. But don’t worry, if my mom happens to drive by your ruined temple, I’m sure she’ll still make the Sign of the Cross.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!