Lectio — Lawful
Luke 14:1–6 — “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
Jesus asks a question that exposes the distance between observing the law and practicing love. I must ask whether my understanding of what is lawful serves healing or merely protects my own position.
Meditatio
This morning at The Glenn, while awaiting written confirmation of my status regarding ministry in the Diocese of Amarillo, I ask whether my actions in 2019 were lawful, truthful and motivated by love. Bishop Zurek’s pastoral letter, A Reflection on Christian Life, challenges readers to reject what he calls “exaggerated frontier individualism” and rediscover the art of discernment.
After seven years of searching, I have not located a source establishing that Cardinal Avery Dulles coined that expression or described a southwestern philosophy of “non-distinction.” I have considered whether the language reflects ideas found in Marilyn Ferguson’s The Aquarian Conspiracy, but I cannot establish that connection either. The question matters because a call to distinguish truth from falsehood ought itself to be grounded in truth.
Yet I find something worth embracing in the Bishop’s conclusion: the need to rediscover discernment. Saint Ignatius of Loyola understood that discernment requires examining not only what I believe but also the movements of my heart. Was I defending the vulnerable, or defending myself? Was I acting from love, or allowing resentment to govern my conscience? The fact that I believe my actions were lawful does not excuse me from these questions. As Laudato Si’ reminds me, human beings are always tempted to impose their own laws and interests upon reality. I must not make that mistake, nor assume that ecclesiastical authority is incapable of making it. Love requires truth from us both.
Oratio
Lord Jesus, You healed when others questioned whether healing was lawful. Teach me to discern with humility, speak with courage and correct my errors without abandoning the truth. Let love, rather than pride or fear, govern my conscience. Amen.
Contemplatio
In paragraph 150 of Magnifica humanitas, I encounter a warning that technology, designed to serve humanity, can instead diminish human freedom and dignity when efficiency becomes its master. I recognize a parallel in my struggle over what is lawful. Rules, institutions and technologies are meant to serve persons, not reduce them to categories or silence their questions. The same discernment I expect from those who govern the Church must also govern my own use of information and artificial intelligence. Neither an algorithm nor an authority can relieve me of the responsibility to seek truth with patience and love.
Actio
Today I will continue examining Bishop Zurek’s letter, carefully distinguishing documented facts from interpretations and assumptions. I will remain open to correction, pray for those whose decisions I question, and seek a resolution that serves truth, reconciliation and the common good.
Song Pairing
“Am I Wrong” — Nico & Vinz. Its questioning spirit accompanies my examination of conscience: I may stand apart from others, but being different does not automatically make me right. Love requires me to keep searching.
Movie Pairing
The Truman Show (1998). Truman discovers that an orderly world can conceal a manufactured reality. His search for truth reminds me that something can appear acceptable within a system while still violating human freedom and dignity.
Poetic Reflection
What law can bind the hands of love,
Or hide the truth we seek above?
If I am wrong, then let me see;
If I am right, keep pride from me.
For lawful hearts must learn anew:
Love asks not merely, “May I?” but “Should I do?”
