I have to admit that many times I squirm when I hear someone say, “it is the will of God,” when referring to something that has happened, many times something inexplicable and very painful.  I feel certain that many times this statement is given with the best intentions and is given as an expression of solace and condolences especially when there has been a great loss.  At the same time, it seems that it could unbeknownst to us, also function as a disguise for self-affirmation on the part of the one declaring that “it is the will of God.”  It doesn’t just happen on an individual level, but also on the communal and global platforms.  In other cases, natural calamities and even terrible acts of violence are sometimes “cast” into a stage play of manipulated morality where explanations attempt to cover up any sense of responsibility and even opportunities for compassion.  There is the constant struggle to deal with the questions:

• “Why do ‘bad’ things happen to ‘good’ people?”

• “Why do ‘good’ things happen to ‘bad’ people”

• “Why do ‘bad’ things happen to ‘bad’ people?”

The last of these questions is often the more palatable and “justified” so to speak.   We often feel, however unconsciously, that if we can give a “reason” why something has happened or is happening, then the situation become more manageable.  From the human mind’s standpoint, this is probably very true, but I’m not quite sure it satisfies the human heart.

In 2 Kings (2 KGS 17: 5-8, 13-15A, 18) today, we hear a description of how the Assyrian captivity of the Hebrew people occurred and resulted from the fact that the “children of Israel sinned against the Lord.”  This is not the first time that the bible scriptures have linked suffering and captivity to sinfulness.  Unfortunately, I think that we many times take these scriptures as explanations of life situations and literalize them in line with our own self justifications.  There is judgment here for sure.  Inasmuch as Scripture is inspired by God, I wonder if it is also imbued sometimes with at least a small amount of hidden self-recrimination and even shame on the part of the human hands that etch out God’s word.  To me this is not so much an aberration as it is an opportunity to “see” that this is happening and allow it to move us to perhaps ask deeper questions about not only how we judge, but how we insulate our judgments from the realm of criticism, whether negative or positive.

The deeper questioning that moves beyond hard and fast judgments of “bad” or “good” opens up the possibility for an opening that can lead us out of rigidity and into a space of openness that does not dilute responsibility but actually makes it more potent.  I think this is what we refer to many times as transformation.

In Matthew’s Gospel today (MT 7: 1-5), we hear Jesus talking about what is at stake in judgments:

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.’ “

I’m not convinced that Jesus is so much talking about “payback” here as much as what the inevitable results of judgment entail.  He seems to be saying that judgment always turns back on itself.  When we judge each other, we are always judging ourselves, and usually it is with an unrealistic measuring stick (or “beam”) which is so big that it blinds us totally, from seeing ourselves and seeing others.  They’re both really the same, aren’t they?

“How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?”

We tend to build mental structures of judgement – with “wooden beams” – that not only warp our ability to see clearly, but many times blind us completely.  We wield these “beams” in such a way that they “hit” other people (somewhat like the old comedies where one is carrying a beam on his shoulder and unknowingly hitting people with the beam).  The “splinters” that we see in each other’s eyes are indeed carved from the wooden beams that we have propped ourselves upon.

“ ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

So, removal is important.  We have to try to take the structure down, but it is not a solo job.  It requires community.

Have you ever had an eye irritated by something that is in the eye, but that you cannot see or find what is causing the irritation.  Even when looking in the mirror you cannot seem to find the source of the irritation.  It’s not until you get someone else to look into your eye (while you look in different directions – other than straight at yourself)  and they are able to locate the perhaps tiny particle that may be causing the irritation.  It could be something in the very far corner of your eye lid that is causing the problem.

So, could we conceive the “will of God” as looking at things together with a shared challenge to help each other maintain as clear vision as possible?  I believe that is what God wants for us.  To stare into, without judgment, the inexplicable areas in our lives long enough to become aware of the periphery of our vision.  We notice that there are others around us doing the same thing.  A life together threatens the tendency to clutch so tightly our judgments, but the greater risk of mental isolation is treating God as a scapegoat for our own fears and preconceived judgments about people and things.  Because when we do this, the scapegoat extends out and becomes other people as well.

The will of God is receiving life in a “listening” way that allows what comes into our sight the grace to challenge, clarify, and ultimately transform us.  As Richard Rohr points out in referencing Thomas Merton, “the will of God is not a ‘fate’ to which we submit but a creative act in our life producing something absolutely new . . . something hitherto unforeseen by the laws and established patterns. Our cooperation …consists… in opening our wills out to this creative act which must be retrieved in and by us.”

When we begin to receive life this way, we can stop judging and “hitting” each other with beams of blindness and can focus on a shared vision that includes the periphery and beyond.  Then the beams of blindness are transformed into beaming eyes of love and compassion – a 360 degree intimate stare of shared Mercy!

Peace

Thomas