Keeping counsel: Tony D’Souza’s Thought for the Week
‘None of us is perfect and there is no sense in trying. But that is the whole point.’
I have spent forty years trying to do it but I have never been able to. That’s the truth. God knows I have tried. Tried to do what, you ask? Well, to understand the Sermon on the Mount – and, much harder, to live it.
Take this for example: ‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.’ Now come on – this is clearly an injunction against the slightest frisson of anger. You are not supposed to get angry – not ever – not even a little bit. That’s what the man said. And who can do that? It’s enough for me to get up in the morning to feel grumpy. Just look at a newspaper or watch the news on TV.
And how about this one: ‘You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.’ You cannot be serious. The world says the opposite. If someone hits you, you hit them back. Donald Trump says, ‘If someone attacks me, I attack them right back – but ten times harder.’ That’s the way of the world. It’s just plain stupid not to retaliate. If you did not retaliate you would be a weakling, pushed around by bullies. Nobody in their right mind would behave the way the Sermon on the Mount says they should.
And it goes on: ‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ Has anybody ever tried to do this, never mind succeeded? It’s impossible and impractical – moonshine and wishful thinking.
Some people call the Sermon a ‘counsel of perfection,’ and they are right – none of us is perfect and there is no sense in trying.
But that, dear reader, is the whole point. The injunctions of the Sermon on the Mount are impossible. But what is impossible for us is not impossible for God. God’s ways are not our ways. We cannot succeed in any effort to live as the Sermon asks us to – it is impossible to live the Gospel life. But this only applies as long as we try by our own efforts. We might have to try and fail until we give up. Then we find the most remarkable secret of the spiritual life: we can do nothing without the grace of God. Indeed, we are nothing without the grace of God. But with it we can do anything.
Our own righteousness, our own idea of being justified before God, is like being dressed in filthy rags. But when we receive grace, we receive goodness from the only source of goodness. It takes away our filthy rags and dresses us in robes of righteousness. In these robes we may shine, but we must never forget they are borrowed robes, and it is the grace of God alone that makes the Gospel life possible.
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