Today’s second reading is a summary of Paul’s lengthy discourse in the letter to the Romans about the history of God’s relationship with God’s People.  It’s worth noting that Paul, having explained God’s mercy in great detail, concludes his comments by confessing the inadequacy of his carefully crafted commentary.   

In this passage of the letter to the Romans, Paul quoted Isaiah’s prophecy about the superlative value of God’s judgments. (cf. Isa 40:13)  Paul wrote, “Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counsellor?” (Rm 11: 34)  The question is rhetorical as the answer is obviously, “No one.”  Paul’s deference to Divine wisdom stands in stark contrast to the common assessments of God’s will made by both believers and non-believers today. 

In our society, there are two principal ways that God’s will is understood.  Some conceive of God’s will as a detailed set of instructions that must be followed precisely in order to avoid arousing God’s anger.  Religious practitioners who take this view of God’s will tend to obsess about religious ritual, moral choices, or Church laws.  There is a similarity here to the conundrum of the chicken and the egg.  One wonders which came first: scrupulous religiosity or a propensity to compulsive behavior. 

There are unchurched people who take this position above, as well.  They perceive God’s will to be a detailed set of requirements that is so burdensome as to dissuade one from religious practice.  It might be the case that these people, too, are obsessive, but about their own liberties instead of God’s commands. 

The second common way of viewing God’s will lies on the opposite end of the spectrum from the first.  This view interprets God as existing solely to affirm the individual’s every desire, even as far as gross concupiscence.  Both religious practitioners and the unchurched alike seem to agree about how to serve this false image of God, as both do as they please and justify their anti-social behavior as being their personal divine right.   

Perhaps not surprisingly, there’s a sort of obsessiveness at work in this second common view, as well.  In this case, the obsession is, at least, honest in the sense that it is an unapologetic rejection of any sense of responsibility to others.  In comparison to these common perspectives, Paul’s self-deprecating attitude toward his understanding of God is refreshing.  Perhaps, it’s even startling. 

I maintain that the necessary work of understanding and grasping God’s will is neither for the purpose of avoiding punishment nor indulging oneself.  This perspective is not my own invention.  Rather, it is based on Jesus’ teaching.  He said, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.” (Mt 7:12)  If this teaching sounds a little ethereal or overly idealistic, below are a few practical applications of Jesus’ perspective on accomplishing God’s will.  You can think of these practical applications as similar to the sample toothpaste and floss you get at regular dentist visits or the sample packets of medication your physician gives you: they are valid but not exhaustive. 

Do you enjoy listening to endless complaints about experiences from “the good, old days” that are absent today?  Do you relish being told that your opinions, values, or expectations are worthless, or outdated, or too simplistic?  Don’t you just love it when someone rants about something that doesn’t make sense to you?  If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should avoid engaging in the sort of behavior you dislike. 

Do you appreciate a civilized conversation in which no one complains about issues that are beyond anyone’s control?  Are you gratified when someone tries to understand your point of view?  Do you find it refreshing when someone treats you in a friendly, polite way?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you should make a conscious effort daily to give to others what you would appreciate receiving from them. 

This above is not a popular perspective on religion, but it was Jesus’ perspective that religion exists for the sole purpose of training everyone to be decent, polite, forgiving, generous, and trustworthy.  There are those people, of course, who will take issue with this summary of Jesus’ teaching.  They will object that religion exists for the purpose of granting benefits to the religious and punishments to the irreligious.  Not coincidentally, there are both believers and non-believers who embrace this objection; this concurrence between people with opposing views of religion is a reflection of the fact that Jesus’ teaching has never really been very popular.   

While unpopular, Jesus’ teaching remains divinely revealed truth.  And, as divinely revealed, Jesus’ teaching presents each person with a binary choice between obsessing and trusting.  In the letter to the Romans, St. Paul went to great lengths to explain the nature of God’s plan of salvation for the world; then, he trusted that God would fulfill that plan.  His trust in God allowed him the luxury of not taking himself too seriously.  This sounds like a most blessed way of life.