Consequence of evil

The presence of evil and the consequence of evil action are topics which come to mind as we reflect on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew is Jesus explanation of the parable of the weeds and the wheat. The children of the evil one are identified as the seeds which grow up as weeds. The field is the world where we can see the presence of weeds which take from the good resources of the earth and do not return value. The view of the world with good and evil existing together should be a reminder to look within at the weeds which may be taking our resources and diverting our attention to living which does not give back life to others. The snap shot view of this field is informative as is the snap shot of the destruction of Israel in the text from the Prophet Jeremiah. Evil has consequence. The misunderstanding is that this consequence is only an issue at the judgement. The misuse of our resources which the Collect prayer today, directed at the celebration of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, seeks help from God in fighting the good fight on earth against evil and the rejection of the invitation of God to intimacy. The reaper at the end of time presents an eternal consequence for sin. The mercy and forgiveness of God will defeat the evil and bring restoration as indicated today by the hope of Jeremiah and the psalmist.

Loincloth, seed and yeast

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today create images about the relationship between God and people. The passage from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah describes a series of actions wherein a loincloth which represents the intimacy between God and the people of Judah and Israel is taken to the Euphrates, the river which is the lifeblood of the foreign conquerors and in the separation from the chosen people, the garment and its symbol of the union with the people is ruined. The psalmist condemns the people who “forgot the God who gave you birth”. The association of God with the creation and maintenance of abundant life is seen in the comparison from the Gospel of Matthew of the Presence of God to seed which brings abundant growth and the yeast which creates much nutrition by transforming flour to bread. The nature of the desire of God to be the immanent and transcendent in human existence is very difficult to understand from the words and concepts of human philosophy. In the images and stories of parables, we can use the great gifts of meditation and imagination to allow our indwelling Spirit to be resonant with the Divine Spirit.

Loaves, Fishes and Coffee

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present signs of the power and presence of the Divine. The signs invite us to consider what is going on around us. “Let me buy you a coffee” is a contemporary gesture which can be a sign that reveals more about us as we extend or accept this offer. Fr Larry Gillick SJ comments that the nature of conversion is not to an idea but to a relationship with a person. The decision of the Prophet Elisha to set the food he received before the one hundred people as described in the passage from the Second Book of Kings reveals something about the nature of his relationship with God and the people and his mission to let them see and experience the opportunity for their own relationship with the Divine. The conviction expressed by the palmist that all the actions of God are good and just is the trust relationship into which we are invited. The text from the Gospel of John, Gillick suggests, may be seen as set within a liturgical theme as John shows Jesus actions with the sign of providing food to the multitudes as the invitation to venture in relationship with Him to the change in self understanding from which the signs are replaced with being the “blessed who do not see yet believe”. The growth we require as we “accept the cup of coffee” is that of Elisha, the psalmist and John that this relationship is about good, just and full life. As Father Larry summarizes, the converted one goes out in Eucharistic manner to invite others to encounter the relationship which Paul proclaims to the Ephesians brings together all people in One Body in intimate communion with the Father through signs of humility, gentleness, patience, kindness and love in those offering to feed the world. How about that coffee?

Weeds among the wheat

The description of the Kingdom of God in the Gospel of Matthew from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is an image of weeds growing among wheat. This picture applies to our individual lives as we are people who are living with both movements within our being. We recognize the growth we experience toward greater intimacy with God and we know the easily satisfied tendencies to put ourselves, our addictions and our superior needs first. The “weeds among wheat” is also a picture true in our friends, our family, our organizations and society. We can sometimes fool ourselves like the people addressed by Jeremiah in the passage from the Book of Jeremiah. We need to be aware of the weeds. We will live with the knowledge that they are in our lives and that we can choose to follow the advice of the prophet and do those things which encourage the growth of the wheat. The power of our relationship with God is shown in the ability to separate weeds from wheat and ultimately have the obstacles to our full loving potential removed from our being.

Preparation patience

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invoke questions about the nature of the kingdom spoken as Zion by Jeremiah and the Kingdom of God which is realized through the Word which Jesus describes as being distributed like seed in the Gospel of Matthew. What is the knowledge we lack when we let the Word fall like the seed on the path? The tradition of faith helps us recognize through teaching and sharing what the experience of intimacy with the Divine is for our ancestors and contemporaries. We see the need to inquire about the experience of others and to present our lives as experience which softens the path. We are aware that the concerns of living in the world can block our care to develop good soil. The choice of the worldly option of accommodation and taking advantage is the decision taken by the leaders of Israel against which Jeremiah became a prophet. We know that our human nature tries to make faith, trust and patience into actions of the ineffective in the world. The pressure both internally generated and externally supported in the society is to take care of you. This is contrary to the civilization of love which is the characteristic of Zion seen by Jeremiah and the fruitful good soil wherein Jesus sees the transcendent multiplication of good riches for all eternally.

Ann of Mi' kmaw spirituality

The explanation of the parable as the technique Jesus uses to teach precedes the text chosen today for the Roman Catholic Lectionary (Canada) from the Gospel of Matthew. The difficulty we have to see what is before us and hear the meaning in the message can be diminished as we use parables to give us framework to shape our reflection. The reflections of the Book of Sirach, which praise the contribution of the faith experience of our ancestors in living in relationship with God, are particularly apt for the spiritual history of the Mi’kmaw people in Nova Scotia. The development of a deep devotion to Saint Ann, mother of Mary, is evidenced in the many churches and holy places bearing her name in Mi’kmaw territory. The special importance of the grandmother in Mi’kmaw culture shows a praise and respect similar to that presented by Sirach. Many of the residents of Atlantic Canada whose ancestors came from Europe many generations ago, ironically, owe the survival of their family tree in the New World to survival techniques in the Canadian winter learned from the Mi’kmaw. The Roman Catholic Church today commemorates the parents of Mary, (grandparents of Jesus) Joachim and Ann. Grandparents today are gifted with an opportunity to experience the exchange of love and hope which is a unique component of this relationship. The faith journey is the human experience. The grandparent and the grandchild both offer valuable insight into the things we often have difficulty seeing and the words we too often do not hear.

Servants who Thunder

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are chosen to celebrate the feast of St James. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus response to the request of the mother of James and his younger brother John, the Evangelist, that they have special places in the kingdom being established by Jesus. These men were sons of a successful fisherman of Galilee, Zebedee. Jesus refers (Mark 3:17) to them as the “Sons of Thunder”. The Catholic Encyclopedia provides some comments on the strong zeal characteristic of the Jews of the region of Galilee. James and John are present with Jesus for many of the most transcendent and transformative events in the Gospel. The petition of the mother for recognition of their commitment and devotion is not unusual for our times when the “helicopter parent” advocates the promotion and recognition of their children continuously. The conviction of James and John that they could do all that will be required of them and Jesus and the conviction of Paul in the second letter to the Corinthians which calls out as “I believed and so I spoke” is a laudable Christian characteristic. It is to be accompanied, as Jesus instructs and as Paul experiences with the real transfer of the credit and praise to God for the opportunity to be involved as servant in His great work of making the grace of mercy, forgiveness and charity visible through the lives we lead to all people.

Family is a way to relate

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer some opportunity to continue to reflect on the nature of the relationship between God and people.   The text from the prophet Micah describes God with the words “He delights in showing clemency”. The opportunity to act in this manner happens most often and is most easily completed with those with whom we have a living relationship. We know them and in that knowledge we are aware of the need and importance of continuing to make the best relationship work between us. We show clemency. We delight in doing so. Friar Jude Winkler points out that the difficult movement is to show clemency to those who do not deserve it. This is the action of God. The Gospel from Matthew is the opportunity for Jesus to declare that those who are in the great give and take relationship of “family” with Him are those who do the will of the Father. The mercy and compassion of clemency are certainly an expression of His Will. The plea of the psalmist today for God to show us mercy and love becomes our mission for those with whom we associate today. Friar Jude explains the differences between the traditional understanding of the “brothers and sisters” of Jesus in Roman, Reformed and Orthodox communities. These traditions seem to be more about the nature of the life of Mary than who were the people in the nuclear family of Jesus.

One not like you

The psalmist in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary puts the accusation in the words of God that the people “thought that I was one just like yourself”. In this mindset about the Divine, we can find ourselves understanding how the practices of injustice and idol worship about which the Prophet Micah chastises the people of Israel may have developed as people redefine God as One who goes along with the practices of the society. We can ask for the revitalization of the gift of prophet, one who sees with the eyes of God, which is our baptismal heritage, and the practices which God opposes in our society will become visible. The return to the Covenant which Micah describes is both quite often quoted today by spiritual writers and quite often ignored. We seek communion with the will of God when we seek justice for the oppressed, act with kindness and compassion and live in humble awareness of the omnipresent God.Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the two signs of Jonah, described in the Gospel from Matthew, that are in front of the eyes of the scribes and Pharisees. The inability of the learned defenders of “the way we have always done it” to see that Jesus will rise again to complete His conversion work in the manner of Jonah and that those pagans, who are not blinded by mindsets which have created a self serving definition of God, did, are and will be those who see the Presence. A gift which helps the imagination in attempting to shed light on our relationship with God is our relationship with grandchildren. We get a sense of the ‘delight’ of God in people as we ‘delight’ in them. The power of this bond between grandparent and grandchild is deeply mysterious. We experience desire for the right things for them, acting kindly and gently and walking humbly when we are in their presence. What are we being shown here?

Tension in teaching and being good shepherds

The Roman Catholic Lectionary on the 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time brings us texts which have inspiration for us on many levels. The resonance of the proclamation of the Prophet Jeremiah against the leaders, priest and teachers who have led Israel astray with the turmoil in civil war, revolution and even election campaigns, in our time, opens our minds to hope for the leadership which Jeremiah understands God will provide for Judah and Israel. The Collect prayer today petitions God for the grace to make us ever watchful in keeping God’s commandments. The model we have of the Good Shepherd in Jesus is One who is aware of the needs of the people and Who is with them in compassionate response to the turmoil of life. The verses of the 23^rd psalm describe the companion shepherd who leads to life rich and blessed through difficulty and darkness taking care of all our needs. The texts today and the scholarship of Friar Jude Winkler in the letter to the Ephesians hint at important tensions which the shepherd must address. Our humanity is naturally limited in the effort we are able to bring to the task of shepherd and at the same time is supernaturally able to transcend our human limits through the grace of God. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus plan to provide some rest and recreation for the apostles returning from being shepherds is apparently quickly followed by the return to the needs of the multitude. Was the R and R completed? Was it interrupted by the more important work which required them to transcend the limits of human giving? The tension between taking care of self and others is real. It needs to be addressed in the relationship with the Shepherd of the 23^rd Psalm who anoints and restores. Friar Jude opens our initial sense of the teaching of the Letter to the Ephesians that Paul is celebrating the oneness of the believers of Ephesus by teaching that scholars date this letter to 10 years after the death of Paul and this “oneness” is a ‘development’ of the teaching of Paul by his disciples. Some might ask if we needed to know this scholarly information. It may cause us to reconsider the teaching of Paul. Is that a responsible position for a “teacher” in the model of Shepherd to take? We are in tension. The 23^rd Psalm places us under the observation of our enemies and gives us the assurance that we are invited to live in the house of the Lord forever.

The Response to Evil

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer two responses to evil experienced by groups and individuals. Micah who Friar JudeWinkler tells us was a contemporary of Isaiah uses the eyes of the prophet, which see situations the way God sees them, to speak out against the extortion and theft of land from people thus reducing them to poverty by the powerful military in the countryside around Jerusalem. The action of bringing these atrocious acts to light condemns them with the great power of word and prayer. The clear distinction of these acts as being against the will of God hastens the time when justice will be done. Jesus learns of the plots of the Pharisees against Him in the text from the Gospel of Matthew. He cites the poems of the Suffering Servant from the Book of Isaiah and lives as that Servant continuing His mission with healing compassion and mercy for the people. Friar Jude tells us that these poems were well known among the Jews. The servant role that Jesus claims for Himself would have been associated with the prophets and people of the Hebrew Testament. The message of Jesus is that the Covenant with the descendants of Abraham and Moses is being extended to be the hope and promise to all people, the Gentiles. Evil is combated by good people reasserting the mission of inviting more to intimate relationship with Good.

Defining Duty to the Divine

The decision we make to pray for someone is a spiritual uniting of our loving concern for someone with the Transcendent Love which changes reality. The passage today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in the Roman Catholic Lectionary presents the healing of Hezekiah and the promise of the rescue of Judah from the control of the Assyrians. Friar Jude Winkler assures that the Love which is communicated in prayer is connected to the action of God in changing reality to the most loving outcome. The Gospel of Matthew proclaims two Divine attributes today. Jesus, the Son of Man, is the authority over the righteous observance of worship behaviour for people. The behaviour which gives glory and praise to God is mercy for the needs of people.

A great invitation

The Prophet Isaiah in the text today from the Roman CatholicLectionary celebrates the smooth path of those who seek righteousness in the union of their spirit with the Spirit of God. Friar Jude Winkler points out that the author in this passage from the Book of Isaiah uses humour to express, as wind, the fruitlessness of the efforts of those who have been experiencing chastisement from God for their actions which were not according to His will. The prophet presents the hope of a resurrection and a restoration of life with God for those both physically dead and spiritually separated from intimate communion with God. The experience of desolation and isolation is part of our journey. Friar Jude evokes the image of the yoke presented in the Gospel of Matthew today as the device which allowed two oxen to pull together a straight line of overturned soil in the field. We understand how difficult it would be to prepare the field with one ox. Jesus offers to be yoked with us as we work. We have the experience of our burdens being lightened when we abandon doing it by ourselves, our way to accepting the help from friends, family and even strangers. The help from the One who knows us eternally and completely and will never abandon us is grace indeed which lifts the work of the journey to praise for His compassion.

The tool takes charge

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary suggest some consideration of the need of people to understand that the powerful and sophisticated ideas, techniques, procedures of our world are tools which we may use to bring about change in our thinking or the group direction or even evangelization. Isaiah comments on how the Assyrian empire is the tool of God to influence change in the people of Israel but it will not be able to replace God as the source of life and guidance for the people. Tools in the hands of the inspired and gifted facilitate beauty. The Craftsperson wielding the tool is the creator of Beauty and Wisdom. The tool cannot be in charge of the creation. Friar Jude Winkler, reflecting on the Gospel from Matthew, considers how the gift of a simple approach to life reveals the Providence, mercy and love of God. The appropriate attribution of praise and thanksgiving to God is too often lost in the tendency of the learned and sophisticated to justify their practice of scholarship, strategic analysis, psychological investigation and legal precedent as truth. The tools with which we are gifted are to be used for the greater glory of God which is in the experience of people fully alive and free from obstacles to intimacy with the Divine

Political positions to support life

Some of the common misconceptions about life as Christian believers are brought to our attention through the texts of the Roman CatholicLectionary today. Some Christian commentators have suggested that politics is not a proper involvement for people on the journey to holiness. Friar JudeWinkler comments that the passage today is the involvement of Isaiah in the politics of alliances and vassal states. What are some areas, modelled by Isaiah (and Amos), where politics may be the strategy to support the will of God for people? The economic oppression of poverty which can result from political action and policy to favour the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor is a political situation wherein God calls us to use politics to bring mercy and justice to the marginalized. The decision of political leaders to accept status as vassals of life destroying spiritual influence, through the recognition of alternate-gods, (productivity, commercialism, consumerism, economic success) calls Christians to use their baptismal gift as prophet, who can see with the eyes of God, to act politically to influence change. The Gospel from Matthew presents the concept that those who are specially gifted with knowledge and experience of transformation and transcendence through the gift of a Spirit resonant in an intimate way with the Spirit of God, have a great requirement to use that gift to live as models of those aware and thankful for that relationship.

Not really Surprised

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today may initially be a surprise to our understanding of the practice of Christianity.Friar Jude Winkler notes that the text from the book of the Prophet Isaiah reminds us of the exhortations of the Prophet Amos about the lack of social justice in the kingdom of Israel. The tension between liturgy and social action stimulates us to question how, as Friar Jude advises, we do both. The direction of the prophets, who are gifted with the eyes of God when looking at reality, is to seek justice for the widow and orphan. Friar Jude notes that the “widow and orphan” is a Hebrew Testament phrase which is intended to refer to all those who need our love and attention. How do we support people with our time, treasure and talent? The liturgy is essential as the opportunity to express the thanksgiving the psalmist today declares as the sacrifice which honours God. In our communal celebration of thanksgiving, the Celebration of the Eucharist, we are intimately aware of the Presence which invites us to become what we are, the Body of Christ. The Gospel of Matthew illustrates another tension with the enemies of the Body of Christ. Friar Jude puts the sword of this passage in the hands of those enemies. The distance cited between family members over the Way is experienced by most disciples today. The Love lived is for all. Loving enemies is the mission. The ways in which we participate in the mission are many. Matthew tells us that all means of support are part of God’s plan. The gifts and calling revealed in prayer and liturgy are the evangelizing action to which we are invited. The Transcendent power becomes the transformative tool that works on us and our enemies to make right the situations presented by the prophets.

Family is a way to be related

Some understanding of the relationship desired by God with people comes through meditation with the texts today of the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Amos is called by God to leave his simple and poor life in Judah as a shepherd to go to the “northern tribes” and tell them how the eyes of God see the actions of the leaders which have impoverished the people and weakened spiritual practice. The family of those who share the Covenant with Moses is understood as a way whereby God relates to people. This family acts to direct the members about living within the principles of the family. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the letters of Paul to the Ephesians. In this passage, the invitation to be adopted children of God exists for people as part of the will of God for eternity. The Holy Spirit is expressed as the Love in the Trinity of Father for Son. Our invitation is to share intimately in that Love and live as members, today, of the family. The Gospel of Mark expresses evangelization as the invitation to others we encounter to join the family. Our lives should demonstrate the family characteristics of trust in Providence, hospitality, and care for people. The invitation is always offered to join the family, but it is not always accepted. We are sometimes in Amos role and we need to leave others with their free choice

Standing for truth

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring concepts of truth, faith, word and action to mind. Isaiah is experiencing a time described by Friar Jude Winkler as a luminous moment. During Temple worship, he becomes aware, through a vision, of the totally other nature of God. Isaiah proclaims the overwhelming holiness he is aware of and his consequent total unworthiness to be prophet. The vision provides a cleansing of Isaiah to prepare him to work through faith and trust in God. The Gospel of Matthew continues Jesus instruction to the disciples who will also become bearers of the Word and will live out the Baptismal role of all Christians as prophet to witness to the truth and be the means whereby the vision of reality seen by the eyes of God is made known. This prophetic role will bring opposition. The grounding of the servant in the practice of the Master, through intimate relationship with Jesus, will be the source of the faith, hope and love which will place the unworthy in the company of those acknowledged by Jesus to the Father. 

Survival and motivation to live

Our cleverness is a quality which we do not often consider as a component of our spiritual life. The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary can be considered under the theme of the benefits and dangers of cleverness. Hosea tells the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel who have attempted to be clever in balancing the demands of the Assyrians for loyalty, tribute and devotion to pagan gods with  demographics, the Covenant and survival that they are urged by God to return to trust in Providence to bring them to the joy and fruitfulness of life. Our strategy to get through difficulty is not clever when we park God on the sidelines, even just for now, until we are better situated, have more time. The Gospel from Matthew presents Jesus advice to the disciples about the conditions they can expect to encounter doing their mission to spread the Word. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the cleverness expected of the disciples who would be sent as “sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. “ The physical survival of modern evangelists in some parts of the world today requires strategy which needs human cleverness and trust in God to be successful.  The social survival and effectiveness of evangelists in Western culture requires use of skills inspired by our relationship with God to present the message so it will be considered by others.  The end must be evidenced in the means to achieve it. The cleverness in strategy suggested by Friar Jude to ensure that we continue to rely on our relationship with the Divine is our strategy to live and proclaim life. The great prayer for reconciliation of Psalm 51 in the texts today expresses both the desolation of the decision to be directed away from God and the great Life which is restored in return to being motivated by the will of God.

Decay associated with rejection

The psalmist declares “may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance”. This assertion from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today voices the sense of the seriousness of the invitation of God to humanity to be in intimate communion. The Prophet Hosea writes of the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) as a son and reveals the love of God for the people of Israel in images of care, teaching and lifting the child intimately to your cheek. The face of God is in contact even with those who decide to reject Him. Israel lives out the consequence of the rejection of the social values learned from God and the failure to seek the counsel of God through prayer and liturgy in the conquest of the kingdom by the Assyrians. The Gospel of Matthew presents instructions to those sent by Jesus to bring the Word of the nearness of God to their lives. Friar Jude Winkler explains that the Gospel of Matthew was likely completed by a disciple of Matthew who was a converted Pharisee. This person could not use the phrase the “Kingdom of God” because of Jewish tradition not to write the Name of God. The Kingdom of Heaven which is near and being presented through actions of mercy, love, forgiveness and healing will be received by some. The action of the evangelist is to trust in God and let the peace of the message be appreciated and received. The evangelist shows that all the support for the mission is from God. Matthew is concerned that the rejection of the overwhelming desire of God for a deep relationship with people will bring disastrous consequence. The society of Israel in the time of Hosea did not relate their social and political decay to rejection of God. What evidence of social, economic and political decay in our time is consequential to rejection of the invitation to the Kingdom?

Some are identified for special attention

The psalmist from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today addresses “offspring of his servant Abraham,^* children of Jacob, his chosen ones”. The Monotheistic Religions which trace their salvation history to Abraham, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, are identified by God for special attention and a special role. The concept of “special” too often is associated with exclusivity. The important idea to keep in balance is that selection is to accomplish the Will of God which is to be in delightful intimate communion with all humanity. The prophet is gifted with eyes that see as God sees. Friar Jude Winkler comments that Hosea identifies the rulers and wealthy of the Kingdom of Israel for special attention. Their management of the society has created great wealth for some and economic slavery for most. The celebration of the well being of the people has become worship of Baal, the religious observance approved by the rulers. The prophet understands and proclaims this as a path of destruction for the kingdom of Israel. The Gospel of Matthew lists the followers of Jesus chosen for special apostolic work. Matthew was writing his Gospel for Jewish Christians in Antioch in the first century. The restoration of the people of Israel continues to be a theme which informs us of our own continuing ongoing need for restoration as our personal and social situations look more and more familiar to the environment observed by Hosea.

See Clearly Now?

The topic of spiritual vision or how we see the action of God in our lives is woven throughout recent books of Franciscan Father Richard Rohr, The Naked Now and Falling Upward. In the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today, Hosea condemns the idol worship of the Kingdom of Israel. Friar JudeWinkler describes the historical situation of dynasties in the northern kingdom, Israel, which rose and fell often under the influence of the religious prophets. The decision to construct the idols of golden calves, against which Hosea fights, may have originally been intended as icons with which the faithful could direct their attention beyond the idol to the Presence of which the icon facilitates experience. The Presence is not always visible to our eyes. The psalmist today exhorts a trust in God which is beyond idols. The Gospel of Matthew presents at least two take-away ideas on vision and seeing. The mute man who is possessed is healed by Jesus. The Pharisees are deeply aware of the power of God over evil spirits yet they fail to see God at work here. Jesus is struck by the crowd described by Matthew as “harassed and helpless”. The prophetic gift of Christian Baptism is seeing with the eyes of God. Our inspired vision trusts in God to accept our ‘yes’ to become workers in the “harvest”. Our faith and trust is that following Him is the Way to bring in the harvest.

Compassion Now and Enduring

The psalmist from the Roman Catholic Lectionary texts today proclaims the goodness of God to all and His compassion over all He has made. The passage from the Book of Hosea reveals the comparison made by this 8^th Century BCE prophet between the love of God for Israel and the love of a husband for an unfaithful wife. The personal life of the prophet involved his searching for his wife who was unfaithful to him and left him. The compassion associated with God is the quality of “suffering with”. Too often we can be faced with situations where it seems the challenges and sufferings are for us to endure by ourselves. The action of God to be with us is shown in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew. Commentators have noted Jesus decides to interrupt His agenda in this episode to first attend to the distress of the synagogue official and as He moves to be compassionate to the this man, He attends to the interruption from the woman suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. (See also Mark 5:21-43). When we approach Jesus, He has time for us! Our lives so often are plagued with the dilemma of “having time” for others. Our compassion for others is can be enhanced by practice of the faithful patience of Hosea and the willingness to stop and listen of Jesus.

Profile as priest, prophet and king

The social media and many organizational development initiatives encourage us to develop and publish for others our “user profile”. Google, Facebook and Twitter have summaries of who we present ourselves to be. What is the user profile created by Baptism of the Christian? The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer the opportunity to reflect on the practice of the baptismal profile of Christians as priest, prophet and king. The role of priest is as one who brings us in contact with God. The psalm paints a picture of the servant attending to the hand signal directions of the master or mistress. This attentiveness is based on the expectation that the servant will be called to action. The psalmist compares this to the expectation that we certainly encounter God in mercy. The preparation for encounter with the Divine is the priestly component of our profile. We expect and extend mercy. The Prophet Ezekiel is given instruction by God in the text today about the nature of the people he is being called to serve. The prophetic gift in our profile is that insight through which we are empowered to see the world through the eyes of God. The vision of God which is shared with the prophet illuminates the actions and attitudes of people which are in opposition to the will of God. Traditionally, prophets have seen the failure to make the attitude of the psalmist, who depends on and waits for God, in the actions of people who become superficial in worship and negligent in loving action towards brothers and sisters in need. As Paul proclaims to the Corinthians, the one bringing the Word, will themselves be lacking in the fullness of conformity to the will of God and will like the psalmist dwell in the attentive understanding of the psalmist that God will provide the elements missing in our profile to accomplish His Will. Jesus models the king aspect of our profile. In the passage from the Gospel of Mark, He leads his disciples to the synagogue where after serving the needs of Jew and Gentile, described in Chapter 5 of the Gospel, He teaches with such authority and Presence that the congregation suffers the cognitive dissonance that this cannot be the man who they have seen mature in the community. As servant leaders, with a history, our role as prophet king, honouring our baptismal gifts, may be to generate that cognitive dissonance which is a prophetic path to offer the intimacy we know with the Divine to others as we see more clearly our own” thorn in our side” which keeps us dependant of the power of Love and the extension of mercy for the action which makes us servant leaders in His entourage.

Corrective Action

When we reflect on our life journey we can see times when we needed and benefited from corrective action. This change in our direction may have been enforced by parents, inspired by God or influenced by friends. In the text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today Amos presents the enormous grace which Israel will receive from God after the correction necessary to remove, as noted by Friar Jude Winkler, the cancer of social irresponsibility to the poor and superficiality of spiritual attention to God. The Gospel of Matthew addresses some of the benefits of fasting. The denial of self and particularly the pleasures to which we tend to become addicted reawakens the sense of need for God and the intimate Presence of God as our body yearns for satisfaction and our Spirit resonates with the Divine. The lesson from Matthew is that in Jesus Presence there is no need to fast to experince Him. Fasting reawakens the resonance of our Spirit with Jesus. Our tendency to take excessive care of ourselves is corrected to prayer and contact with the Divine through fasting so that we might attend to the needs of others.

Practices which impair our vision

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary recall the mandate for those who are on the journey to greater intimacy with the Divine to see and act against the hypocrisy which we are liable to live when our vision of the people who need help to be restored to inclusion in the social, political, economic life of our society are forgotten. Amos points out the economic practices in the society of the kingdom of Israel which, as Friar Jude Winkler comments, reduced the poor to slavery. Friar Jude points to how we "observe the Sabbath". That time to be in communion with God through prayer, reflection and family is so often treated as superficial religiosity around getting our "obligation" to attend Church done at a convenient time and place. We see Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew give us the example of the desire of the Father to bring back all people to intimate life with God. The idea from the Jewish tradition, in Jesus time, that sinners needed to be categorized as "unclean" and that religious people needed to fear the contagion of their sin is totally rejected as Jesus shares meals with the ostracized who need to be healed precisely by inclusion in the life of the community. This radical action of Jesus to offer mercy, love and real hands on involvement in the lives of those we prefer to ignore creates great questions for we, who know better, about our commitment to walk with Him.

Consequence of our direction

The prophet Amos, who is from Judah, is told to leave the northern kingdom because the view he shares about the consequence of the direction chosen by the leaders of the kingdom of Israel refutes their plan. The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today includes the text of the prophesy of Amos and the description of his life as a dresser of sycamore trees who is responding to the call from God to speak to the people of Israel about the direction in which they are moving. The language used by Amos is quite graphic. Friar Jude Winkler points out two qualities of Amos which challenge our modern paradigm for providing corrective feedback. The call to change is coming from a person who is difficult because of his country of origin, occupation and direct frank approach. The obedience of Amos to the authority of the priest, in spite of his difficulty with the morality of the actions of the priest, seems to be contrary to our sensibilities which abandon the structure in which we detect corruption. The Gospel of Matthew presents the episode of the healing of the paralytic. When we approach Jesus with our life situation and our action plan for our journey, Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus acts in our lives with the most loving response. The action observed as a result of our bringing our brokenness to the Lord may not be in accord with the expectations of observers. The Pharisees are scandalized by the action of Jesus to take on the role of God to forgive sins. Friar Jude indicates that this is the method of Matthew to show the Divinity of Jesus. Our assumption is often that the physical or emotional situation of the individual who is before Jesus is the highest priority. Our acceptance of the invitation to journey with Jesus may have consequences in the lives of others which are the most loving response which we in communion with Jesus and the Body of Christ choose to accept, today, in faith. The response which brings us peace and joy may look to the world as bending to the orthodoxy like Amos, but the truth of the of the love in our direction will be our faithful hope.

The change is a challenge

The prophet Amos in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is given the insight to see the situation in his community of Israel as God sees it. This view of humanity from the eyes of God is the prophetic gift. Like all gifts from God it is meant to be shared for the good of all. Amos shares that the people are avoiding their obligation to practice justice toward the poor by redirecting their actions for God to worship and the offering of ritual sacrifice. The work of sharing their blessings, a gift from God, is being forgotten. The recent history of Christian believers in the wealthy countries may have parallels with the situation in Amos day. Our society seems to suffer from greater separation in wealth between the richest and the poorest. The false virtue of "God helping those who help themselves" is more frequently proclaimed. Economic austerity measures seem to strike deeply at the marginalized in society. The required change is a challenge. The Gospel from Matthew records the fear that change invoked in the pagan Gadarene communities when Jesus cast out demons from two possessed outcasts. Friar Jude Winkler points out that Jesus did not kill the herd of swine, but their death was the consequence of the control of their lives by the demons. The illustration is relevant to us in two ways. our addictive habits can become demons which rule our behaviour and threaten to separate ourselves from God and our loved ones. The unknown consequences of change often cause us to act in fear, reject the blessing and continue to live with the demons we have befriended.

Change and Grow in faith

A part of the process of growth and development is the need sometimes to change our mind about the way we see things. The letter of Paul to the Ephesians, from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, proclaims that disciples and apostles of Jesus who have come from the Jewish tradition have had a change of understanding. The audience in Ephesus was mostly Gentile and Paul declares that they are members of the household of God. This short passage also stretches the description of the mystery of being in the household of God to being corporately and individually Temples or dwelling places for God. The words here can be passed over too quickly. The early Christians struggled with God being intimately Present within people or humans who seem so degenerate and distant from the Divine. This sense of the distance of God is a component of Greek theology and continues to be challenging to people aware of their unworthiness or intimidated by such detailed concern of Creator for creature. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the passage from the Gospel of John, chosen today to celebrate the feast of the apostle Thomas. Friar Jude mentions Docetism, an early Christian heresey which held that Jesus only seemed to be human. The great gulf between degenerate humanity and Divinity could not allow God to be human. The Gospel underlines the experience of many who in questioning their faith, seek the assistance of God in their struggle and in time are called to grow and understand, in a new way, the situation which had initiated their doubts. The "doubting Thomas" is an example of how when the "weak points" in the structure are given to God, the re-creation and the annealing of the faith structure results in super strong conviction which propels the believer to Life in God for others.Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost Thomas was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes, and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabarcoast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves "Christians of St. Thomas".

Life reflects the relationship

The need for people on the journey to full Life to be examples of the relationship they seek is included in the message from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. Friar Jude Winkler locates the prophet Amos in the northern kingdom at about 750 BCE. He preaches to Israel about the social conditions he sees around him which includes the reduction of the poor to slavery, ritual prostitution and the corruption of the ways of worship of the people who had been brought by the mighty hand of God from the land of Egypt. It appears, in human history, that the conquerer too often adopts the behaviour of those conquered. The one who promises freedom and justice when struggling for power reverts to the style of the oppressor when the power changes hands. The victim of abuse is too often the future abuser. Amos declares that the Israel which has forgotten the Lord and fails to live as the Chosen People will share the fate of the enemies of Israel. The life and energy of the people of Israel for the role of living in relationship with God has gone. The strength and motivation to resist the practices of the world around them will go too. This observation of the loss of moral fibre in people who have wandered away from thanksgiving to God, preference for the poor and dependance on power and might can be made today in many world societies including our own. The psalmist describes scial interaction which we have observed in our workplaces, our family reunions and even in the circles around our places of worship. This observation of believers of their own lives is the start to hearing the messages of the cost of discipleship presented by Jesus in the text today from the Gospel of Matthew. The disciple is on a journey to holiness which means an openness to change and an understanding that transformation means surrender of the behavior and practice we currently find ourselves "at home" with for Ways which witness Life. Friar Jude elaborates on the suggestion of Jesus that the disciple would not bury his parent. This is not the burial very soon after death which is Jewish custom, but the year long attention to the dead after burial which could be excuse for the non committed to defer the decision to get on with the journey to intimacy with the Divine. The Way is the path indicated by Jesus and not the one we choose for whatever reason.

Thanksgiving for Recovery

The text in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today from Psalm 30 is a thanksgiving to God for recovery from a serious condition. The psalmist witnesses to the power of the Life of God within the proclamation of the message of the great power of God over illness and death. The Book of Wisdom makes it clear that death is not the plan of God for humanity. God delights in humans fully alive. The envy of the devil from creation is the source of sin. We are convinced that our way of living is superior to God's plan. The mystery presented in the Gospel from today is one which believers wrestle daily. Why are some apparently healed and others not? The method of Mark, noted by Friar Jude Winkler is to begin one story and then insert another before completing the first. Both the woman with a hemmorage and the daughter of the synagogue official are returned to life. The woman is no longer ritually unclean and her reunion with community will bring her life of trial and triumph to them as testimony to faith. The moving on of the young girl challenges the professional mourners and those who live in the darkness of "it is what it is' to consider the lie of their philosophy of life. Father Larry Gillick SJ encourages us to consider the questions of what we are healed "from" and the direction our living will take after healing to address somewhat what we are healed "for". Paul addresses the Corinthians with the notion of "fair balance" in mind as he petitions them to support the destitute in Jerusalem. The abundance which we accumulate is an opportunity for service to others. The fair balance is to share with them the gifts which we have received and which can be evidence of our response to the delight of God in our being by increasing the opportunity for others to share delight with God in their life. The envy of the devil is also the motive which encourages us to be in the 'what's mine is mine" atttitude. The recovery we look to celebrate is the witness we give as healed grateful and generous people who are choosing to follow His will for our lives which always creates the opportunity for more love and life from our healing, our patience, our sacrifrice, our thanksgiving, our joy, our forbearance for Life in others.