You are on a rooftop, looking across empty air 1,350 feet
above the ground. Your foot dangles over
the ledge and touches a steel cable just centimeters wide. As you shift your body forward, hands gripped
tight around a balancing pole, you find yourself suspended over a gut-wrenching
void. Now what?
Acrōphōbics would surely hope to wake from this nightmare in
a cold sweat. But for seasoned tightrope
walkers, the dizzying feat can be accomplished if you understand the physics of
the human body. “Posture is the absolute
most important thing,” says a tightrope instructor. The key to balancing on a tightrope is to
lower the body’s center of gravity toward the wire. Just as it's harder to topple a stout vase
than a tall slim one, a human is less likely to fall if the bulk of their mass
is closer to the ground, or in the case of walking on a tightrope, closer to the
wire.
Amateurs often try to accomplish this shift by leaning
forward. This does lower their overall
mass, but it also interferes with your sense of location in space. Then, it's hello pavement.[1]
Hosea tells the people of the Northern Kingdom, straight up,
they have lost their sense of location in space. They have made an amateur mistake and leaned
forward seceding not only from Judah, but also from God. They’ve set up their own kingdom, created
their own gods, and codified laws of their own making. Thus Hosea tells them, they are destined to
fall.
Now, experienced tightrope walkers, will instead stand up
straight and lower their hips by bending their knees. This brings a person's center of gravity
closer to the wire while allowing them to keep their bearings.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus is undeterred by the rejection
of the Pharisees. Standing up straight and
keeping his bearings, he continues his Gospel tour, despite the murmurings, working
miracles that verify both the origin of his message and the compassion he feels
for people. From the conclusion of the
Sermon on the Mount (Mt 7:27) through today’s reading, Matthew has been
highlighting Jesus’ power and compassion: power over illnesses, storms, and
evil spirits, and compassion for outcast lepers, sinners, and demoniacs.[2] Compassionate love is Jesus’ lower center of
gravity. He will not be toppled.
God is a decisive judge bringing a just sentence against sinners; Jesus is a sympathetic healer whose heart is moved by divine mercy. It’s a narrow line God walks with us, a narrow line the Church must also travel. The Christian life is a tightrope, a balance of justice and mercy. How’s our posture for the walk?
[1] Smithsonian Magazine. “What Happens to Your Body When You Walk on a Tightrope?” by Katie Nodjimbadem, 10/13/2015.
[2] Weekday HomilyHelps. Homily Suggestion by Norman Langenbrunner.
