Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The second book of Maccabees tells us about Eleazar, the scribe, a Jewish man of advanced age who was forced by his pagan enemies either to eat non-Kosher food or to be tortured to death. When they saw that he preferred death and torture, and when they saw that many young people looked up to him for an example, they offered him another option: only pretend to eat non-Kosher food while, in fact, eating real Kosher food. That way he could both save his life and keep God’s commandments. Ah, but even this the great old man refused to do, preferring torture and certain death. Before he died, he said “I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to Him,” (2 Macc 6:30) namely, to God.
The great old man was honest, brave, and devout: an admirable combination. Although most of us respect him, as we read his story, and although many of us feel an urge to imitate him to some degree, chances are we each have a long way to go before reaching Eleazar’s level. Can we even bear the suffering of a trip down the road, getting stuck in traffic and seeing unfair and unsafe driving maneuvers? Can we bear the suffering of an unkind word? Can we bear the suffering of our own illnesses and inadequacies? Where is the joy in our soul? Where is our devotion?