Great!

For those who pay attention to such things, I’m preaching Friday at our midday mass commemorating Leo the Great. (On the topic of Leo being “the Great,” Dylan has an entry wishing that she had a jazzy nickname such as “The Edge,” to which I appended a comment about the good ol’ days when theologians got topical nicknames; I left out my favorite example, Peter Comestor, whose nickname means “the Eater” [of books, or of knowledge].)

The readings are 2 Timothy 1:6-14 (“Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me”), Psalm 77:11-15 (“I will remember the works of the LORD, and call to mind your wonders of old time.”), and Matthew 5:13-19 (“let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven”). I don’t know where I’m going with all this; it’s tough for me to resist Matthew’s “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew’s Jesus insists that “not a jot or a tittle will pass away from the Law” — but he concedes that those who “break one of the least of these commandments, and teach others to do the same” will still be gathered into the Kingdom of Heaven.

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