I Robot

Today, both the first and second reading are about observing God's laws, rules and decrees.  The Book of Deuteronomy, which means second law, is Moses speech before the people enter the promised land.  It is to inform the next generations of Israel that they must keep faithful to 10 commandments.

In the Gospel, some begin to wonder  that Christ is not abiding to the Old Law.  And they also wonder whether the law of the Gospel replaces the old law.  Their concerns revolves around the miracles that were done on the Sabbath which was suppose to be a day of rest and to abstain from manual labor.  

But Christ responds by saying: I have come not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.  

In speaking of laws, rules and regulations, there was an interesting novel written by Isaac Asimov who wrote I, Robit, which was eventually made into a movie starring Will Smith.  In the novel, the robots had artificial intelligence.  They were able to think for themselves.  But they were guided with a set of rules.  

Three in particular:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first and second rule. 

Every robot is programmed to protect human beings at all costs, and to obey human beings unless such obedience would harm a human life. 

Somehow, there is a loophole within the rules, and the robots got out of control and begin to disobey the first rule.  So the protagonist of the story has to destroy the mainframe computer that controls the entire population of the robots.  

Although Isaac Asimov does not believe in God, but there are many theological themes embedded within his novel.  Because the story is not just about robots.  It's about what it means to be human.  It's not necessarily about the future either, but rather what is it that makes human beings different from other forms of creation.

At one point in the movie, Will Smith says to the robot "You are a clever imitation of life.  But can a robot write a symphony like Beethoven?  Can a robot take a blank canvas and turn it into a masterpiece like Da Vinci?"

The robot counters with a reply: "Can you?"  Touché.  

The point is that it's not the degree of ability that determines what a human being is, because some humans can't do things that some robots can. What makes us human is that we are created in the image and likeness of God. 

The Creation story in the First book Genesis tells us that God said: "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.  God created man in his image, in the divine image He created him, male and female, He created them."  Genesis 1:26-27.  

This weekend, we will hear the Gospel of the blind man being healed by Christ.  

Sometimes we have a tendency to see people as less than humans or subhuman because they lack ability in one area or another.  Perhaps they cannot write a symphony like Beethoven or they cannot be a painter like Da Vinci.  

But Christ reaches out to many people who were sick, blind, mute, deaf, etc.  because they too are human, because they are created in the image and likeness of God.