Beware of the message of less

In his Introduction to the Gospel of John, Don Schwager writes “Who is Jesus of Nazareth? This is the fundamental question which the Gospel of John poses for us”. The texts today from the Roman CatholicLectionary take us to the beginning of this spiritual gospel where John proclaims, as noted by Luis Rodriguez, S.J. of Creighton University, that the Word ”became flesh and (literally) pitched his tent among us” (John 1:14). The First Letter of John is from a time around 100 AD, in the city of Ephesus, a Greek-speaking center of commerce and culture. Greek culture was not open to the idea that God, the Word, should become flesh and that we would be able to experience the Presence of God in human form. Some forms of anti-Christ heresies involve presenting Jesus a very good moral human who preached love. When we limit our relationship with Jesus to this level, today, we undervalue the Love which is in the gift of Son by Father to humanity. We limit our communion to the affiliation we might have with human leaders. The clay feet of human leaders always limit our expectations for what good might result. Intimate relationship with the Divine through Jesus who acquires clay feet as He pitches His tent among us opens the transcendent possibilities of fulfillment of the joy which is the mission of Jesus expressed by the Evangelist John that we may all be one (John 17:20-26). 

Seeing the Presence

How would we describe our experience of awareness of the Presence of God?  It may be in the qualities enumerated by the psalmist from the texts of the RomanCatholic Lectionary today. We may recognize Divine glory and strength and respond as we “ Worship the Lord in holy splendour;   tremble before him, all the earth”( Ps 96:9) . Friar Jude Winkler tells us that the passage from the First Letter of John today addresses members of the community according to their spiritual maturity. This may correspond to their chronological ages but maturity is not always a consequence of age. The elders, perhaps those in the second half of their journey, see the Presence which has delivered and inspired them to be able to see the tensions and decisions in life between that which leads us to deeper relationship with God and what John refers to as the” world” which Friar Jude reminds us is that which denies Jesus and excludes itself from relationship with Jesus. The young men have found the Presence as they have battled successfully in the building time of life to conquer with the help of God specific obstacles in their relationships with God and others. Those children in the faith have been warmed and attracted by the Presence shining through others. As they continue to be called and welcomed by the more mature believers, they will find Presence in their journey. The Gospel from Luke today tells of the encounter of the Holy Family with prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. Helen Gwilliam animates this character with an inspired biography that relates to our lives in relationship with God and the great Why? questions which often mark our reflections. Friar Jude reminds us that Luke writes about the important role of women in faith communities by including both male and female persons as participants in the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and His Presence with us as the Living Word.

Wisdom for Holy Family

The texts chosen today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary provide wisdom for family life but do so using references to Scripture and philosophy which have been controversial in Church history. Maureen McCannWaldron of Creighton University finds the wisdom in these texts and reminds us that families are complicated. The rigorous study and prayer in the ideal religious life is sometimes difficult in families blessed with children and the necessary daily tasks to organize and live our busy days. The necessary attention to the needs of those less capable, like the elderly in our families, is often where the support of our relationship with God is so important to find the patience and kindness which Friar Jude Winkler notes the Letter to the Colossians exhorts us to practice. The Wisdom Of Sirach is placed in the Apocrypha by Jewish and Reformed because it was not available in the Hebrew language. (Friar Jude notes that Hebrew versions have recently been found) The focus of this book (from the second century B.C.E) is to align the Jewish community with the traditional wisdom literature, today about family life, which was under pressure from the Hellenistic culture in the region at the time. The letter to the Colossians contains text about wives being subordinate to their husbands which Friar Jude speculates would not be included in this letter if it were written today. (In fact, the USCCB offers an alternate text for liturgy today which omits the references to subordination.) The original inclusion of this relationship was likely influenced by the Stoic philosophy which was prominent in Greek and Roman cites at the time of this letter to the Colossians. The Stoics sought virtue through respect of order in relationships. Friar Jude notes that the direction that husbands love your wives goes beyond Stoic principles. The account from the Gospel of Matthew about the flight of Jesus, Mary and Joseph into Egypt and their return to live not in Judah but to settle in Galilee were decisions for protection of the welfare of the family which we all need to make in our families as we assess the social and political situation in our environment. The desire of Matthew, according to Friar Jude, to stretch this inspired action of the Holy Family into the fulfillment of a prophesy from the Hebrew Testament continues to be the subject of debate among some Christianscholars about tradition versus “sola scriptura”. Perhaps the need to resolve different opinions and seek the Wisdom from God in the study of the texts today is a practical lesson to let the experience of Love come first in our lives in relationship with others.

Spirit and Scholars

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the fourth day in the Octave of Christmas bring us into a dualistic tension between light and dark, goodness and sin in the passage from the First Letter of John. Friar Jude Winkler and Felix Just, S.J., PhD note that there are theological differences between this letter and the Gospel of John. The latter volume is a spiritual Gospel. It paints images using background details of day and night to indicate the presence of good and evil. The tension in dualistic situations is rooted in our inability to choose one or the other of the options presented. Friar Jude confirms that when we are in Love with Jesus we do not sin yet our looking back at our journey indicates we do sin and the pastoral concern addressed in the First Letter of John is that Jesus saves and forgives in an ongoing continuous way because our nature is to return to our own control of life wherein we find all the opportunity to turn away from Jesus. The Gospel from Matthew shows an example of the prayer of the psalmist for God to “Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.  Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.”(Psalm 123.4) Friar Jude tells us that perhaps fifty thousand were murdered by Herod during his reign. The reaction of the powerful and privileged to the message of a “New Jerusalem” is predictably not generous. In the Gospel from Matthew the text cites some passages from the Hebrew Testament to link the exile of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Egypt to messianic prophesy. Friar Jude points out that some scripture scholars often find these linkages of Matthew to be weakly prophetic. The tears of Rachael at Ramah are from a reference by Jeremiah to the wife of Jacob (grandson of Abraham) who died in giving birth to her last son. The prophet of the exile to Babylon is consoling the deportees with the image of God eventually drying their tears. Often dualism is misused today by spiritual teachers to insist on black and white decisions where they may not be appropriate. The loose use of references to Scripture by Matthew would be difficult today for our literal legalistic preferences but as Friar Jude points out our reflection on the experience of the action of God in our lives is often in the rear view mirror and our associations with meaningful texts is spiritual rather than scholarly.

Reflect the Word of Life

Scripture scholars describe the Gospel of John as a spiritual gospel. The Roman Catholic Lectionary for the third day in the Octave of Christmas presents texts to celebrate St. John the Evangelist. DonSchwager introduces the objective of John to write down in 100 CE in Ephesus an account which would answer the question of who is Jesus of Nazareth. Seventy years after the time when John, the youngest of the Apostles, lived with Jesus, he gathers his reflections in a structured manner to address an audience who were largely living in the cultural environment of Greece and Rome. The opening of the first letter of John today tells us that Jesus is experienced by those who encounter Him, from the beginning, as the Word of Life. The deep passion of John is to share this experience of Life in Jesus with us and all people so that our (all people) may know complete joy. The nativity narrative which is the foundation story of the Christmas feast is told with magnificent descriptions of faith filled decisions, journey, and glorious revelation in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. In John 1:14 it reads “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” The text in the Lectionary today is from the reflection of John on the experience of encountering the empty tomb after Jesus resurrection. John expresses the experience at the tomb of seeing and believing. As John reflects on Jesus identity as the Incarnate Word, the experience of the empty tomb is described by Bede, a church father from the 8thcentury, as a closing bracket which is matched by the opening bracket of Jesus becoming human through the closed womb of Mary. Eileen Burke-Sullivan ofCreighton University is attentive to the joy which is inherent in the Gospel of John. This joy which John seeks to share in his writing is the same joy whichPapa Francesco is advocating people re-discover today in the Gospel.   Ethan R. Longhenry, author of the SPIRITUAL MANNA blog, identifies Christianity as those who live in encounter with Jesus rather than by dogma, doctrine and moral principles. The joy and thanksgiving. which Eileen Burke-Sullivan admits is sometimes difficult to regenerate, is rooted the experience of a personal encounter with Jesus that revives faith and trust in the Way, Truth and Life.

With us in the struggle

Friar Jude Winkler asks why the Church begins the Octave of Christmas with a Gospel reading in the Roman Catholic Lectionary which tells of the first martyr of the Church, Stephen, who is commemorated in the liturgy today. AlexRoedlach of Creighton University hopes that the joy of Christmas motivates us to translate Christ’s teaching into policies and practices that are in line with Christ’s teachings, promoting a fair and just society that is respectful of the whole creation. St Stephen spoke about Jesus as Saviour as a Hellenistic Jew to the Aramaic Jews in Jerusalem and Friar Jude comments that his zeal in preaching angered the religious authorities who stoned him to death as is described in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles today. As we are filled with the Spirit of Christmas, we will identify more with the poor, outcast, oppressed and persecuted of the world. The pattern of standing up with and for those who suffer injustice at the hands of the powerful and privileged has created martyrs in our own time. Certainly the decision to live with compassion for those on the margins will draw the criticism and distain from people close to us which are referred to in Matthew’s Gospel today. Friar Jude reminds us that the disciple of Christ accepts both the joy and peace of the Christmas message of God is with us and the difficulties, hardships and suffering which is part of carrying our cross to make Him visible as Love for all.

Feet bringing Good News

Friar Jude Winkler sets the circumstances around the passage in the Roman Catholic Lectionary from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in Babylon at the time when the Israelites were in exile there and Jerusalem had been destroyed. The dominant culture around the Chosen People in exile participated in daily pagan adoration rituals which sparked a longing in the Prophet for the feet of the one to bring Good News. The peace and joy in the restoration of Jerusalem would be realized as the people were called back to faith that God is King. The culture around us presents many priorities and passions to drive daily action. Our action at this time brings Good News when Christmas is served rather than received. The opportunities to have feet which bring good news abound as we gather in groups to celebrate. Isaiah and the psalmist make it clear that the salvation from cultural oppression is for all peoples. The text from the beginning of the Letter to the Hebrews is rich in language which Friar Jude explains would be familiar to an audience of Greek thinkers and philosophers. We understand that the position of Jesus as God and human is being presented. As we wrestle with Good News in this Letter to the Hebrews, we are called to faith in One higher than angels, spiritually perfect beings in Greek thought, and both Son of God and born into the world as human. The adoration of the angels for the One born as human is a deep tension for Greek philosophers of the time who held the spiritual image to be far superior to matter in the flesh. The Prologue to the Gospel of John in the text today proclaims loudly that the ancient understanding of God as the Word spoken to create and bring knowledge is become flesh and in the translation cited by Friar Jude has pitched His tent among us. The birth of Word into flesh is the consequence of the “Yes “of Mary becoming Ark of the Covenant and inviting all who are drawn to celebrate this birth to be carriers of the Good News in our own feet acting in service.

God is faithful to the Promise

The psalmist declares “that your steadfast love is established for ever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens (Psalm 89:2). This phrase from the RomanCatholic Lectionary today expresses the starting point for our consideration of the way in which the promises of God are understood by those who seek communion with the Divine. The text from the Second Book of Samuel tells of the intention of King David to build a proper structure to house the Ark of the Covenant. The Prophet Nathan conveys to David the promise of God that his descendants or his house will be in Covenant with God to be the kingdom of Israel. Rabbi Schapiro identifies the difficulty of a traditional king to Jewish law. A king has two functions in Israel. They are to rule the country as a prudent administrator and to be a person who is an example of one close to God. In this way, the Jewish people can have direction from God without accepting the way of temporal secular kings who require that their subjects bow down to them. The fear of placing a human being ahead of the supremacy of God is a required component for maintaining a proper relationship between the Chosen People and their king. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the first function of the line of David was interrupted by the Babylonian Exile in 587 BCE and was briefly restored under the Macabees just prior to the time of Jesus. Jewishscholars present the role of the line of David as  the heritage of all future legitimate kings of Israel were David's descendants, as will be Moshiach (the messiah), who will "restore the kingdom of David to its glory of old.". The Gospel of Luke today is the hymn known as the Benedictus. Friar Jude notes that it is likely an early Christian hymn which Luke puts into the mouth of Zachariah to express the deep conviction and thanksgiving for the birth of his son, John, “God is merciful” who is the evidence of the faithfulness of God to His promises. The faithfulness of God to His Promises is a challenging question to the secular and temporal mind. The Dynasty of David does not form the government of the people of Israel. We appear to not be completely free from the hands of our enemies and those who hate us. The faithfulness of God to the Covenant is throughout eternal time. We have holy leadership which accomplishes the most important power of the Dynasty in the Promise which is to bring us into intimate communion with Love. Mary as Ark of the Covenant carries the Incarnate One and we accept the challenge to be His House in the world.

God is working in our midst.

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary may alert us to the attitude which is present in the faith of those who believe that God works among us. The prophesy from the Book of Malachi that a messenger will come from God prior to the coming of the Lord suggests to both Christians and Jews that agents of the Divine are called to appear among the people to bring them together to be prepared to experience the Love and action of God in their lives.Friar Jude Winkler and authors of rabbinical literature comment that the” translation” of Elijah into heaven may support the belief that he will be the herald of the Messiah. Through exhortation for people to accept the mercy of God, the returning Elijah will draw people together and heal divisions as presented in the Book of Malachi. The Gospel of Luke, which was written by a Gentile for a Gentile audience, describes the circumcision of John, the miraculous late life child of Zachariah and Elizabeth. This pregnancy and the link between it and the experience of Zachariah in the Temple which left him mute (and maybe deaf) made the community aware that something related to Divine action may be happening in their midst. Some Jewish literature suggests that one to announce the coming of the Lord exists in every generation so that if the conditions for the return of the Lord are satisfied, the people can be prepared and gathered. The name of the one who will call people to repent and baptize them in the Jordan is spoken by Zachariah as given him by the angel Gabriel to be John. Friar Jude reminds us that this name is symbolic for “God is merciful”. The attitude of those who experience the movement of God in their lives is wonder and praise as expressed in the Benedictus of Zachariah (Luke 1:68-79) and also the fear and anticipation noted by Luke in the people of the hill country.

such a mensch

Joseph is such a mensch. This statement is probably more Yiddish than part of the Jewish culture into which Jesus was born. It does however provide an understanding of the man in salvation history who responded to the invitation of God to be Protector of the Holy Family. The texts from the RomanCatholic Lectionary today tell of annunciation of the presence of God among us. The Prophet Isaiah addresses King Ahaz with a proposal to return to the traditional trust of the Israelites in Providence. The path for the King to return would be assisted by a sign in the naming of a child as “Emmanuel” or “God is with us”. Friar Jude Winkler notes that this child was likely one of Isaiah’s sons. Friar Jude also comments that the beginning of the Letter to the Romans in the texts today was an initiative by Paul to reassure the people of Jerusalem, who may have had difficulty with the way Paul treated Jewish custom in the letter to the Galatians that he is still preaching about Jesus as the Messiah of Jewish tradition. Custom, culture and tradition can both support and erode faith in God. The example of Joseph in the Gospel from Matthew is one which identifies the struggle we may face to go beyond the boundaries for righteousness which family, culture and religious tradition may have created for their own protection. Alyce M. McKenzie presents Joseph as a model of faith in hopeful outcomes to hopeless dilemmas. The Gospel identifies Joseph as a righteous man, a mensch. He knows that the family, culture and religious law meant that Mary is to be divorced. Professor McKenzie expresses the despair and confusion he brought to bed on the night that the angel announced to him the dream which would protect Mary and give him the quiet and essential role of parenting Jesus who he could name, in the tradition of Isaiah, “Emmanuel”. Many members of the Chuch have expressed joy about the recent decision by Pope Francis that the name of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary is henceforth to be added to Eucharistic Prayers II, III, IV. May this daily liturgical reminder of the quiet and effective Joseph who trusted God to inform righteousness with compassion call us to be” more than mensch” with the help of God in our relationships with others.

The beloved brings joy

The days before Christmas are often the time where we get together with work colleagues and friends with whom we associate and share time together. This is an opportunity to reflect on the joy which others bring to our lives. The texts today from the Hebrew testament are descriptions of the joy we experience in the presence of God and those we love. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers two choices for the first reading. The Prophet Zephaniah, a contemporary of Jeremiah, looks to the time beyond the struggles of his time with pagan influence and the oppression of Israel to the return of the Presence of God to Jerusalem as a joyful and peaceful event for all peoples. The passage today from the Gospel of Luke tells of the visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, an elderly lady pregnant with John who would baptize and call the people of Israel to prepare for the arrival of the Anointed Who will bring the joy of life in the truth that “God Saves”. Friar Jude Winkler notes that Luke brings Mary on a journey to the area near Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant rested prior to King David bringing it to Jerusalem. The joy we celebrate is the Presence of God. This Presence was recognized by Israel in the Ark of the Covenant. The Presence in Mary of the Anointed is recognized by the unborn John. Mary is the Ark of the Covenant as she carries Jesus. Christians are called to continue to make Jesus visible in the world. We have the Presence of Joy which we can bring to others and be the spark of recognition which others detect and give thanks to God for the experience.

No and yes

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us two answers of people invited to trust in God. Ahaz, the king of Israel responds “No” to the request that he seek a sign from God to reassure him that the petitions of Isaiah for the king to trust in Providence to carry Israel through the turmoil it is facing are his best option. Friar Jude Winkler tells us that Israel is under pressure from northern neighbours and Ahaz is seeking help from Syria. One of the consequences of that help will be the need to adopt pagan customs and worship in Israel. The sign that Isaiah declares will be made known to the king is the birth to his wife of a child who will be symbolically named, as Friar Jude notes Isaiah did for his children, Immanuel - God is with us. In Hebrew, Isaiah uses the word "almah," which means "young maiden" or "young woman" to refer to his wife. Christian Bibles often use a Greek translation which renders the one who gives birth in this text as "virgin."  The Gospel from Luke is the account of the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary to announce the plan of God to her that she give birth to Jesus, Emmanuel, Son of God. The “Yes” of Mary is the answer which models for all believers how to cooperate with God. Friar Jude comments that Mary will experience according to the angel that the ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you’ (Luke 1.35). This overshadowing of the Holy Spirit portrays Mary in the manner of the Ark of the Covenant which is the sign of the Presence of God.  Christian theologians, including St Ambrose, have understood that the mission of all Christians is to make Jesus visible in our world. John van de Laar recommends that the Christmas events which we may celebrate from the point of view of extraordinary intervention of God in the lives of extraordinary people may rob us of the message that the ordinary action of believers to say yes to God is the means whereby the promises which Mary declares in the Magnificat (Luke 1: 46-56) will be realized among those who hunger for mercy, peace and justice.

More Rescue Needed

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.(Psalm 71:4) This cry of the psalmist echoes throughout salvation history as we find the people of God fall away from attention to God and being directed by the Will of God in our actions toward others. In the time of Judges in Israel, which Rabbi Ken Spiro marks from 1244 BCE to 879 BCE, leaders arise to unify the people, get them to repent, deal with the spiritual problems of the nation, and also deal with the physical threat. They are sometimes military leaders who know how to mobilize the nation for war against an enemy, but their real power lies in their Torah knowledge and ability to adjudicate Jewish law. The time of adherence to the Torah is presented by Rabbi Spiro as time when the people of God attend to their mission to live the Will of God and bring others to witness a people who know and trust God. In the text today, in the Roman Catholic Lectionary, from the Book of Judges, Sampson is announced as the leader who will begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. These vigorous sea faring people were pushing the Israelites back from the Mediterranean coast. Some commentators attribute the success of the Philistine domination to the failure of the Chosen people to completely reject pagan Canaanite influences. The Gospel from Luke tells of the annunciation to Zachariah of the birth of John, the son who he and his wife had prayed would be born, as a one under a Nazarite vow of dedication to God to call for repentance and offer as his name, according the Friar Jude Winkler, indicates the mercy of God to the people. The pattern of believers being led away from practice of love of God and love of neighbour, of course, continues in our time. Pope Francis' newApostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium - "The Joy of the Gospel" says ‘No’ to practice in society today which indicates that we are again forgetting our neighbour in pursuit of personal power and privilege through our choices to follow the dictates of human economic systems which fail to put people before profit. The pagan influence of consumerism, which values only our ability to contribute to the economy, is the modern hand of the wicked and grasp of the unjust and cruel from which the psalmist seeks rescue. The Incarnation of the Divine in our lives is celebrated at this time of year. This birth of Jesus within us calls us again to attend to being witness to the world of the mercy of God.

Like Joseph

The text in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of the action of God to raise a righteous shoot of David. This leader of the Hebrew people will rule with justice and righteousness. Jewish scholars have explored the nature of righteousness as understood from the Hebrew Bible. The quality of being righteous is "ẓaddiḳim". Friar Jude Winkler attributes this character to Joseph, husband of Mary, who is a man, rabbis might describe as one with the inclination to do good. As a person on the boundary of the Hebrew and Christian revelations of God, Joseph was formed as a righteous shoot of David in whom Matthew recognizes the compassion of God which in the works of Jeremiah and Isaiah is presented as God caring for His children. The act of Joseph to decide to quietly divorce Mary and his subsequent attention to a dream revelation from God which resonated with his experience of God as Father and how the scriptures opened the believer to the will of God is evidence of the righteous man who practices compassion directed by God. Joseph has been recognized in Roman Catholic culture as a great figure to protect and make things right. He appears as patron saint of many groups dedicated to healing of body and mind. The Oratory of St Joseph in Montreal celebrates the simple and devoted action of Saint Andre of Montreal in invoking St Joseph as protector and healer. Recently Pope Francis inserted mention of Joseph in the words prayed during the celebration of Eucharist. People of the faith and trust of Joseph live today in our communities quietly attending to putting it right while trusting that the road to peace, joy and fullness is through the mission to make Love present in our lives.

Son who is most David

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today provide an opportunity to see Jesus in the context of the Jewish expectations for the Son of David. Friar Jude Winkler instructs that the passage from the Book of Genesis in which Jacob blesses his sons and particularly identifies the ‘lion of Judah’ with the prophesy (Genesis 49.10) that the sceptre shall not depart from Judah was written down during the time of the reign of David. The period of nearly four centuries (961-587 BCE) is presented by some Jewish scholars as the reign of the House of David. The prophets of Israel looking to the future saw a Davidic Messiah rather than the return of Moses. The expectation that a Son of David would restore Israel was the religious expectation at the time of Jesus. Friar Jude comments on some of the Hebrew numerology which is contained in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew which presents a genealogy of Jesus as a son of both Abraham and David.( Every Hebrew letter has a number value. The name דוד (david) has 3 letters. Add up the 3 letters it equals 14). The three periods of time from Genesis to David, David to the Babylonian exile and the Babylonian exile to the birth of Jesus are 14 or “David” generations long. The repetition of something three times is the Hebrew way of expressing the superlative. Jesus therefore is, according to Friar Jude, the most David. The apparent discord between the literal and symbolic nature of the text from the Gospel today is explained in literal interpretations through a differentunderstanding of “son” in Hebrew culture. Modern journalistic minds seem to gravitate toward news article approaches to Scripture. We are enriched by the Scripture Scholarship which helps us piece together how the authors of the Bible sought to use many tools to explain the unexplained in words which cannot contain the Word.

HOW WE RESPOND

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary include the prayer of the psalmist for God to teach His ways and show His path. This desire is deep within the being of those searching the large questions of Why? and What? in regard to life mission and how we fit in the puzzle. The non-Jewish prophet Balaam is credited by Jewish scholars with the authorship of the BalaamPericope which is presented in the text today from the Book of Numbers. According to Friar Jude Winkler, Balaam, who had been engaged to reign curses down on the Israelites as they approach the Promised Land, speaks well of these people and the particularly holy event which emanate from their nation that will marked by the sign of a star. That truth which will set us free is presented byDon Schwager as something we may encounter at an inconvenient time. Our standing among our peers and our social circle may be at stake when we are confronted, like Jesus today in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew, with a question which appears to be designed to solve the issue right now but which may only create division and discord. The dilemma of division and discord is in tension with the situation of Balaam who would only speak what God intends to say. (At least as it concerns the Israelites) The answer of Jesus to the religious leaders who question His authority to exercise Divine prerogatives, especially the forgiveness of sin, is to cleverly turn their question into a riddle and create an opportunity to transform conflict and division into time to consider the evidence in a broad context familiar to the audience. Calling “Lord ,Lord” and following because the leaders approved or disapproved is not a choice to embrace discipleship. The Teacher presents the evidence and those who experience the encounter, which today is rich with what Friar Jude identifies as the cleverness which Middle Eastern cultures associate with high wisdom, are pulled to explore the revelation which moves them along to a deeper intimacy with the Divine.

Discipline and denial

Ascetics, mystics and dualism are strong descriptions of people and ideas inspired by the texts today, the feast of StJohn of the Cross, from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The Book of Sirach, which Friar Jude Winkler comments is a defense of Hebrew wisdom in the face of Greek influences and heroes, describes the ascetic mystical person of Elijah and the powers he was able to invoke from God to battle the enemies of Israel. The return of Elijah, who Friar Jude notes never died in the Biblical account, is understood by Jewish believers to be an essential sign of the time of the Messiah. The call of Elijah to the Hebrew people to choose between God and baal (I Kings 18:21) and the call of the ascetic mystic John the Baptist to repent and turn toward God are signs which Tami Whitney of Creighton University suggests we continue fail to see. Don Schwager hears a call in the Gospel from Matthew today to turn away from sin and from everything that would keep us from following His will. Ascetics like John of the Cross respond to a call to self-denial, mortification, purification, asceticism and discipline. We tend to see Elijah, John the Baptist and John of the Cross as “out there” with extreme practices.  Thomas Merton is quoted to have said of John of the Cross: "Just as we can never separate asceticism from mysticism, so in St. John of the Cross we find darkness and light, suffering and joy, sacrifice and love united together so closely that they seem at times to be identical”. Our mission may not be to struggle with rejection and persecution because of our ascetic actions. The disciple is called to look to Jesus. The Light and Love in that vision is interrupted when we turn toward our passions and priorities. Self denial and discipline are training to hold fast in our mission. 

Intimate vindication

The author of Deutero Isaiah, according to the comments of Friar Jude Winkler, speaks of God in the first person, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go”. (Isaiah 48:17). This text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today draws us to meditate on our experience of intimacy with God and others. We are inclined to like to teach others for their own good. Perhaps we give others seasonal lessons in how to act in queues or how to drive on busy streets or how to behave at Christmas time. In Chapter 11 of Matthew’s Gospel, from which the passage today is taken, Jesus tries to express the relationship between Himself and John. The disciples of John seek this understanding and they are instructed by observing the action of Jesus. Some of the people in the cities Jesus visits, where He brings healing and forgiveness reject Him. The Scribes and the Pharisees according to Don Schwager are blinded by jealousy from experiencing Jesus.  Who are the people, in Jesus generation and ours, who respond with joy to the message of the Gospel?  The psalmist today suggests there are two ways. Those who meditate on their relationship with God and allow the intended intimacy of that communion to delight mystify and awaken us to our humble and needy position in life follow one path. Those who scorn and scoff indifferently follow another. This intimacy will strip us of the lust for power, position and privilege and we will learn the truth expressed by Matthew as “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19)

See the Ark

“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple”( Revelation 11.19) Friar Jude Winkler commenting on the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today which is theFeast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in North America, describes the return of the Ark of the Covenant as the time of the Day of the Lord in Jewish tradition. The triumph of the Anointed One over the forces of evil in the Book of Revelation is the consequence of the Church giving birth to the Word. Friar Jude positions this triumph in the place of Jesus on the cross and places the suffering of the faithful, especially the martyrs, as participation in this victory. The promise in the Book of the Prophet Zachariah today that God will call all peoples to the New Jerusalem is underlined by Friar Jude to reassert that salvation is for all, Gentile and Jew. The Gospel from Luke takes us away from the “Yes” of Mary who gives birth to the Anointed One to the encounter between Jesus in her womb and the unborn child John the Baptist growing through the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth. The Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, which begins at the close of the text today, is associated with the Anawim of Yahweh, who are the poor who are close to God and with whom God shows the victory over pride, power and privilege which is so dramatically portrayed in Revelation. Benedict XVI gave ageneral audience (Feb 16 2006), which he dedicated to comment on the Magnificat. He quotes St Ambrose who preaches that according to faith all souls engender Christ. Or we all, like Mary, give birth to the Word in the world to combat evil. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe reinforces the role of Mary as Mother and Model of the Church who makes God present so we can see the Ark of the Covenant.

Lighten the Burden for All

The author of Second Isaiah offers praise to the God of Creation who the people of Israel, who find themselves in exile in Babylon, may, as Friar Jude Winkler notes, have become concerned that they are forgotten in their plight. The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today speak to the truth that we are not alone. The task which the exiles in Babylon prayed they would undertake involved return to Jerusalem and restoration of their life in harmony with the Covenant with God. The ‘second Exodus’ became reality and the strength which lifted them on eagle’s wings and gave them the vitality and perseverance of young men became their experience. The apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, “The Joy of the Gospel”, sets out the dream from Jesus prayer to the Father that they all be one (John 17:21). The Gospel passage today from Matthew resonates with people who face and are living with challenge. Canadian Sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, inspired by Matthew 11:29-30 has created a piece “TakeUp My Yoke” which depicts the circumstance of experiencing Jesus pulling together with us. Maureen McCann Waldron of Creighton University identifies the stress and burden of the To Do list which too often blocks our time to meditate on God, Creator, and Transcendent and our personal experience of having the yoke pulled more by our intimate companion, Jesus, than by our own feeble efforts. Sculptor Schmalz and Friar Jude express our experience of the many faces of which are Christ to us in the world. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit acting through and in those yoked with Jesus that the dreams of Papa Francesco and many people for the shalom of Isaiah extending to all will be our experience.

Looking to the Shepherd

The shepherd is the image that comes to mind when we reflect today on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The position, in Jesus society, of the shepherd brings contradictory evidence, not surprisingly, for us to weigh as we sort out the implications of shepherds in the Bible. The great tension is between the tasks given the shepherd to live rough among the animals in poverty on the lower end of the social scale where it was difficult to be ritually clean and the image of the Divine gathering people like sheep. The shepherds who will witness the Incarnation would not be welcome in the Temple in Jerusalem. On the other hand, the image of restoration of the exiles in Babylon to communion with God in Jerusalem from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah today is made most reassuring by the description of God like a Shepherd gathering the lambs to Himself. Friar Jude Winkler notes that Psalm 23, which describes the Lord as my Shepherd, comes from this time in salvation history. Edward Morse of Creighton University understands that the restoration of the exiles was a community struggle. The flock needed to work together. Don Schwager identifies the desperation of the lost sheep, a social being like humans, who becomes distressed and neurotic in separation from the flock. Papa Francesco, in word and deed is exhorting believers to a renewed assessment of the role of the Church to be Shepherd to the lost and desperate. This action will require us to set aside the niceties of social position and comfort in the flock and live the experience of those outside and rejected who search the lost and gather them to communion with the Incarnate who showed Himself to lowliest, living rough in the hills around Bethlehem. The experience of living the Word and depending on Providence is a proclamation of the Glory of God which is centred with the lost sheep and their experience. This vision of the New Jerusalem in the eyes of lost sheep is direction for the Church.

Mary voices our Yes

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today is chosen to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. In the passage from the Book of Genesis, we hear God calling out to Adam who is attempting to hide as he came to realize that he has experienced knowledge of the choice to turn away from God. The serpent acting through the woman, who subsequently is named Eve, has succeeded in making the choice to act against God a part of human reality. The letter of Paul to the Ephesians praises the plan of God to call us to adoption as his children before the foundation of the world. This proclamation is in harmony with ideas of predestination in the writing of Paul.  Theologians think deeply and critically about apparent conflict between predestination and free will. It is the gift of the insight of the faithful rather than the scholarship of the theologians given through the Holy Spirit that declares the state of Mary the Mother of God to be without sin from conception. There is difficult tension between, Sola scriptura, Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian, and the many practices, in both Catholic and Protestant churches, that are the result of traditions and not the explicit teaching of Scripture. The Gospel from Luke today is the Yes of Mary; Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38) The model of Mary who chooses to be the servant of the Lord is the reversal of the choice in Genesis. This is our daily choice. We are to bring Jesus into the world daily. The Church recognizes that it was Marian before it was Petrine (or Pauline). The experience of the free gift of grace acting through the Holy Spirit to bring faith to the believer to accept the will of God is catholic or universal.  The Roman Catholic Celebration of the Marion feast today is drawn from a catholic faith experience.

Gifted to Act

The Gospel from Matthew in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents prophesy of John the Baptist concerning Jesus who will soon supersede the baptism of repentance offered by John. “He will baptize you with^* the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3.11). Friar Jude Winkler comments on the attributes which the Prophet Isaiah associates with the king to arise from the stump of Jesse to restore the people to a relationship with God characterized by shalom. These are known by Christians, through the Latin translation, as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Danger is, as John the Baptist warns the Scribes and Pharisees, associated with the affiliation with God. Carol Zuegner of Creighton University notes that “we have to act; we have to ‘produce good fruit as evidence of our repentance.’” Paul addresses the Romans and us with the assurance that the promises made to the Jews for the coming of the Anointed One or Messiah were also extended to the Gentiles. The fruit of this gift of intimacy with God through Jesus is life in harmony with one another. Pope Francis restates the vision of Isaiah and Paul and the challenge we face to produce fruit today in his ApostolicExhortation, Evangelii Gaudium - "The Joy of the Gospel". The widows and orphans which Friar Jude identifies as the name of Isaiah for those who are unprotected, exploited and do not share in the wealth of society are with us today. The fire of the Holy Spirit does not permit us to forget them and remain in communion with God. The gifts of the Spirit are the necessary tools to work as Paul exhorts with steadfastness and encouragement to bring the harmony which results from justice for all through giving of ourselves to others as affiliation with Jesus in Baptism mandates.

The Teacher behind

The passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in the RomanCatholic Lectionary today describes the care and shepherding of God for people as directions you hear from a Teacher behind you. The Church celebrates the feast of St Ambrose today. He is identified as the patron saint of learning. His biography attests to a passion for exploring many ideas which were available to him in Milan at the end of the fourth century. The passionate learner is often enthusiastic about sharing the life giving aspects of his passion with others. One of the others in the case of Ambrose was Augustine who heard the Teacher direct him to service of the Church. Friar Jude Winkler comments on Jesus action to address the situation He sees among the people as sheep without shepherds. The audience for whom the Gospel of Matthew was written is Hebrew Christians. The “lost sheep of Israel” need direction. Joe Simmons, S.J. of Creighton University finds ten types of confusion among learners including over eagerness, procrastination, discouragement, confusion and fear. The Teacher is with each of us as we struggle to continue to learn. Hear His voice. We take up the challenge to be teacher to our lost sheep in response to Jesus call. We pray to be attentive to each unique person as perhaps Ambrose was to Augustine.

Led by the blind

And those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction. (Isaiah 29:24). This verse in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today from the book of the Prophet Isaiah certainly has resonance with educators at the end of the fall semester. The first association we might make with grumbling people who err in spirit might be with our students. Our frustration that they don’t see things our way tends to find fault with them. What aspect of blindness shields our vision from deeper truths in this situation? The reflection of physicist Michael Cherney at CreightonUniversity points to the challenge we all have to step outside our own experience and point of reference to see things differently. The healing of the blind men in Chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew today, who interrupt Jesus addressing Him as Son of David has David Guzik comment that they asking God for the best thing they could: mercy. When Jesus asks the blind men whether they believe He is not making His mercy conditional. Perhaps He is like the teacher who does not make presentation of the answer sought by the student conditional, but, in addressing it seeks to draw deeper from the inner richness of the student to illustrate perhaps that the understanding or motivation that the student may not appreciate in themselves is actually there. The faith of the blind men is revealed and the inability of those who have their lives changed in encounter with the mercy of God to be private and quiet about it is the evangelizing zeal which Papa Francesco exhorts those healed by Jesus to bring to a renewed Church and society. Chapter 9 of Matthew is full of surprises! The Kingdom is the rich world where the deaf, blind and meek restored in harmony with the prophesy of Isaiah lead a communion of tax collectors and sinners with the Living God to fill society with new wine of mercy, understanding, compassion, instruction in the Word in new wine skins of a society which is restored to a moral compass attracted to the will of God.

Living in His name

The refrain to the psalm in the liturgy today which uses texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary declares the blessedness of the one who comes in the Name of the Lord. What are the characteristics of such a person that we can glean from the text in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah? The city of Jerusalem is presented to the people as the dwelling place of those who know the peace of a deep relationship with God. These people are not the lofty princes who depend on their skill in negotiation with other political leaders, but the poor and humble who have experience of trust in God. Marcia ShadleCusic of Creighton University expresses this understanding of how we may be mislead when we have “got it all figured out” through reliance on our own moral compass. Pope Francis' new Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium - "The Joy of the Gospel", identifies the need of the Church to reassert in missionary action solidarity with the poor with whom we will rediscover the faith which is deep trust in Providence. The Gospel from Matthew provides the necessary counter balance to a theme we might assume is presented of letting things come and go in our lives and going with the flow. The one, who comes in the Name of the Lord, has accepted the discipline of the disciple which this section of the Gospel of Matthew, according to Don Schwager, declares that there is only one way in which a person’s sincerity can be proved, and that is by one’s practice. We are creatures of habit. The foundation on which we need to build the structure which withstands the assault of our consumerist narcissistic culture is the action modelled by Jesus to give self in forgiveness, mercy, compassion, patience and love to others. This person can be celebrated as one coming in the Name of the Lord.

Comfort Me

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are full of reassurance. The twenty third psalm is certainly one of the Scripture passages through which many people have experienced peace and calm in meditation about the Divine Shepherd.  The best-selling author Rabbi Harold Kushnerhas written a line-by-line interpretation of this Psalm. He comments that the psalmist doesn't say, "I will fear no evil because nothing bad ever happens in the world." He says, "I will fear no evil because it doesn't scare me because God is with me." Friar Jude Winkler comments that the message from Isaiah today is that God will satisfy the deepest hunger of our hearts. This text is often chosen for Christian funeral liturgies. We are comforted by the feast of finest food and wine into which we believe the deceased is welcomed by God. Our deep hunger is for this communion with God, as Friar Jude notes, defeats death not only of our physical being but the death we choose in selfish action turning away from God. Sam Pierre ofCreighton University is stuck by the response of Jesus in the Gospel today from Matthew. When we allow ourselves to be present with Jesus in this event we can image the reassurance and affirmation that Jesus gives the lame, maimed, blind and mute, who are too often forgotten, that fullness in their life is the concern of the one who Friar Jude comments is exercising the prerogatives of God. Sam Pierre notices that the desire of Jesus to feed all is done in cooperation with the one who is able to give the seven loaves and the few fish. These texts today are food for us on many levels. Our peace and reassurance is not based on factual logical analysis, but on the expression of the Divine desire to guide and feed us. Symbolically we find more food for thought in the lavishness of the feast, the person of God as a Shepherd, the inclusion of all, particularity Gentiles, as noted by Friar Jude, in the feeding through the role of the number seven. Peaces and fullness are the fruit of the Presence of God as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4 KJV).

Strength in Shalom

Shalom is the word which describes the time of peace in the texts from the Prophet Isaiah in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The use of the word in modern Israel as a greeting and farewell only scratches the surface of how the word has beenused in Scripture. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the deep healing and restoration that Isaiah promises will be shalom between natural enemies such as the lion and the lamb and the Jews and the Gentiles. The gifts of God brought to action by the messianic ruler from the stump of Jesse are the basis for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are enumerated by Christians as wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, fear of the Lord and piety. Friar Jude understands strength to be the force sometimes necessary to slay the wicked. Another understanding of strength in Isaiah is that of the suffering servant who brings the Presence of God through the strength of self giving. Dennis Hamm, S.J., ofCreighton University, discusses how the Gospel from Luke today is Jesus joyous proclamation that the promises of the prophet Isaiah and hopes of the psalmist are revealed, to the childlike, in the Person of Jesus. He notes that the critics will declare that the world is not at shalom today. We have the Promise and we know the Way. Our trust in God is manifest as we live energized by the gifts of the Spirit to act with the Love, and justice for the outcast that Isaiah understands will have all live together in shalom

Let us go today

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today proclaims “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’ (Psalm122:1) This action happens now, in the present. We can be distracted, as Diane Jorgensen of Creighton University comments, by the dreams of the great changes we wish and pray for in society sometime in the future. The action of Love today can fall victim to procrastination because of the good things we dream of for tomorrow. Friar Jude Winkler sees the time of tribulation described by Isaiah which is suffered in the present by the people of Jerusalem, who endure defeat and subjugation by the foreign invaders, as a time for purification and an opportunity to wipe away the guilt of the sinfulness which is responsible for their distress. The trust of the Centurion in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus is the healing for his servant, now, despite his unworthiness as a pagan soldier of occupation to request help from the God of Israel, is evidence to Jesus of great faith. Now is the time and today we need to join the psalmist in journey to the House of the Lord. As we move, we will encounter opportunities to be Love in action today.

Time is Now

Paul tells the Romans as he makes us aware of the Advent season “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep”. (Romans 13:11). The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer reflection of the way time intertwines with our spiritual lives. In the time of Isaiah, about 720 BC, the Prophet is exhorting people to act now, in the present, to move into the Presence of the Lord. Friar Jude Winkler notes that Isaiah called people of all tribes to Jerusalem where the decision to live in the Law of the Lord would radically change their lives. Tom Shanahan, S.J. of Creighton University comments on the great vision of Isaiah about the people of the world, “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”(Isaiah 2:4) Father Tom is reminded by this passage of the life we live as patient people. This patience is not passive. As we await the time of full communion with the Divine which will bring the peace and understanding anticipated by Isaiah, we hear Paul advise us to live as those who know the Way. Our decision to be patient is not a decision to procrastinate. Father Roberto Donato (Lectio Divina Nov 28, 2013) speaks of procrastination as the indicator that we are putting our needs and desires ahead of the Way of vigilance and living the Word in the present. Friar Jude is reminded by the letter of Paul today of how Augustine might associate the distraction of the flesh with concupiscence. In the Gospel from Matthew, the vigilant and the awake, who continue to live as followers of the Way will recognize the Son of Man, as translated by Rev. Dr. Eugen J.Pentiuc in the Aramaic phrase “Bar 'ěnoš” as the suffering servant of Isaiah and will be with Him in the end time at the marriage feast. Father Roberto suggests the possibility that Peter, by falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, may have missed the opportunity to know Jesus true situation as Messiah (Lectio Divina Nov 28, 2013). Our patience, perseverance, prayer and attention to what we see and do will bring us closer to Him today.