I always wondered what are loopholes. I have my own version of what a loophole is. I always think of a detective looking for clues in the investigation process, listens to the story of a witness to a crime scene and then putting the pieces together. After going through the story again and again, there is something missing. Something doesn’t quite add up. To me, this is a loophole. I am thinking of Columbo, the clever scruffy looking detective who solved murder mysteries, that famous TV series way back in the 80’s. He was so intelligent and always went through the investigation process with a fine comb until eventually he found the culprit.
Life is full of mysteries. People live double lives. They are not true to who they are. The sad thing is, they get away with their deceit for most of their lives. There is a loophole of deception, lies, bigotry, unfaithfulness and hate. Why do we make life difficult for ourselves and others? Is this kind of life bringing happiness and contentment? I don’t think so. It robs one of peace of mind. The guilt eats away at one’s soul. The air is stuffy. One cannot breathe easily because of a climate of selfishness and deception. At the end people get hurt and lives are destroyed.
In Dictionary.com, the following explanation is given to ‘loophole’, a means of escape or evasion; a means or opportunity of evading a rule, law, etc.:There are a number of loopholes in the tax laws whereby corporations can save money.
Putting this into context, a loophole is a means of escape from any situation. When one is in a predicament, the easy way out is to evade it. For example, one tries to evade a situation when it makes one uncomfortable, like escaping from reality and pretending everything is OK when everything is not OK. Or avoid paying taxes and looking for an escape route to work one’s way out of it. Or, as the explanation says above, corporations will try to avoid the tax laws in order to save money. All of these are loopholes, which doesn’t make it right.
What does Jesus say about loopholes? Did He experience any loopholes in His life? He experienced many loopholes among His friends, Tax collectors, the Pharisees, Sadduccees and the Scribes. Most of these oppressed the people and gave them laws which was unrealistic. When the people broke any of these laws, they were considered unclean. Jesus always spoke out against such atrocities. One example is when Jesus spoke out against the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees. He called them ‘Hypocrites’ because they cleaned the outside of their cup and plate while the inside was full of what they have obtained by violence and selfishness. He called them ‘Blind Pharisees’ because they could not see how they were oppressing the people. He advised them to clean what was inside the cup first and then the outside would be clean too. In other words, Jesus was pointing out their hypocrisy and their evil ways and challenging them to repent or turn away from their evil conduct towards people. Jesus’ friends also chose the easy way out regarding loopholes. One denied Him three times because he was afraid of the Jews who would propably have come after him to kill him as he was a follower of Jesus, after they had arrested Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and taken Him to trial to put Him to death, and the other betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver because of greed. Jesus was heart-broken. Have you been betrayed or denied by a friend? How painful was that?
1 Cor 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. In this verse, St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians teaches that all things are lawful, but are not necessarily good and therefore he will not be enslaved by it. Look at our own country South Africa, a typical example of inequality and injustice. Corruption is rife. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Poor people are still living in shacks after 28 years of democracy. Can we really say that people are free in this country when we celebrate Freedom Day each year? There is no justice. Criminals get away with murder, rape, theft, corruption, etc. They are a law unto themselves. They do what they like, but they are not free.
Romans 16:17 “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them”. In this verse, St Paul teaches the Romans to be aware of those causing divisions and creating obstacles contrary to the doctrines which have been taught. This applies to us today as well. Stay away from corrupt people. They lead people astray for their own selfish reasons.
Jesus says in the Gospel, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn 14:6). Jesus was teaching His disciples that He is the only way to the Father. There is no other way. We must be careful of people who lead others astray in Religion. False doctrine are taught and people are deaf to hearing the truth because they have been brainwashed into believing otherwise.
How can we escape the loopholes in life? We can do this by living righteous lives. Always do what is right and just. Obey God’s Law in the Ten Commandments found in Exodus and Leviticus in the Bible, our moral code of conduct. We must love God and love our neighbour. When we do all things from what God commands, we will be living in peace with God, our neighbour and ourselves.
It is not easy to escape the loopholes in life because life is too attractive and we are selfish and egocentric human beings. However, a true disciple of Christ will never waver from the truth. All that he/she does will prosper and God’s blessings will overflow.
In the Lord’s Prayer in Mt 6:13, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. “… And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. Here Jesus encourages us to avoid the loopholes.
Let us learn from this lesson of ‘Loopholes’. Let us not be deceived or misled, but let us always as Jesus puts it: “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you” (Mt 6:33).
Sr Columbia Fernandez O.P
27 October 2022