Golden Rule - Reciprocity

The Gospel reading for today features a line that we have come to think of as "The Golden Rule." Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7:12a) Though it isn't as catchy as "The Golden Rule," philosophers refer to this as the "Ethic of Reciprocity." In fact, the notion of reciprocity undergirds much of the Deuteronomic Corpus of the Bible and is expressed in the covenant statement, If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the LORD, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (Deuteronomy 30:16-18)

Generally speaking, we are very comfortable with this notion. We like the idea that the good will be rewarded by God and that the wicked will be punished. The ethic of reciprocity is best illustrated by the familiar scales of justice. "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." The Golden Rule, though it is expressed in much less threatening language, is right in line with this way of thinking. It is part of the ethic of every religious and philosophical system known to humankind man.

However, let's be clear. It doesn't always work that way. Jesus did many wonderful things to and for people. He was not treated in a similar manner. In fact, Jesus' experience seems to nullify the whole notion of the ethic of reciprocity; for if ever a man was deserving of reward, it was Jesus.

Reciprocity is about fairness, but life isn't fair. "Good guys finish last." "No good deed goes unpunished." "Look out for #1." While we would like to think that "what goes around, comes around," experience tells us that it usually doesn't work that way.

So while we can try to live by the Golden Rule, we also know that if we are going to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we had better be ready for the cross. Its shadow falls on every moment of our lives. It is our ladder to heaven.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator