Love that frees us from forces beyond our strength

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine the authenticity and transparency of our lives as loving children of God.

Authentic witness

The exhortation from the Book of the Prophet Amos is to seek good and not evil.

* [5:21–27] The prophet does not condemn cultic activity as such but rather the people’s attempt to offer worship with hands unclean from oppression of their fellow Israelites (cf. Ps 15:2–5; 24:3–4). But worship from those who disregard justice and righteousness (v. 24) is never acceptable to the God of Israel. Through the Sinai covenant the love of God and the love of neighbor are inextricably bound together.

In the Gospel from Matthew, the Son of God conquers demons that have possessed some Gentiles and is consequently driven from that place by people in fear.

* [8:29] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Before the appointed time: the notion that evil spirits were allowed by God to afflict human beings until the time of the final judgment is found in Enoch 16:1 and Jubilees 10:7–10.

The accounts of The Healing of the Gadarene Demoniacs in Mark and Luke with some images and maps are posted by tvaraj.

Amy Hoover shares a poem/prayer from Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J.,that resonates with “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” in the passage from the Book of the Prophet Amos.

Nothing is more practical than finding God,
than falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Don Schwager meditates on feeling driven by forces beyond our strength as he quotes Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD) on how Christ is triumphant over the forces of demons.

"[Jesus] said to them, 'Go!' The foul-smelling animals are delivered up, not at the will of the demons but to show how savage the demons can become against humans. They ardently seek to destroy and dispossess all that is, acts, moves and lives. They seek the death of people. The ancient enmity of deep-rooted wrath and malice is in store for the human race. Demons do not give up easily unless they are forcibly overcome. They are doing the harm they are ordered to do. Therefore the foul-smelling animals are delivered up that it may be made clear to the demons that they have permission to enter the swine but not to enter humans. It is by our vices that we empower them to do harm. Similarly, by our power of faith we tread on the necks of demons. They become subject to us under Christ who is triumphant." (excerpt from SERMONS 16.8)

The Word Among Us meditation on Matthew 8:28-34 reminds us that we do not have control over the response of people to our witness as disciples of Jesus.

But don’t forget; the townspeople weren’t half as enthusiastic as the swineherds. They ran to Jesus—and begged him to leave! They responded with fear, not faith. These townspeople show us that the response of our audience is not in our control.
You may not see the response you’re hoping for when you try to share your faith. But don’t worry. All you can do—all God asks you to do—is share what you’ve seen and heard. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to inspire a response.

Friar Jude Winkler introduces the concept that we may try to bribe God with our actions of worship. We seek to be consistent and transparent in our faith. Friar Jude notes that the swine kill themselves and the fear of the people is about the death of their other livestock.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that all who have “failed” in our social or economic success system—can be our best teachers in the ways of the Gospel. They represent what we are most afraid of and what we most deny within ourselves. That’s why we must learn to love what first seems like our “enemy.”

If we look at all the wars of history, we’ll see that God has unwittingly been enlisted on both sides of the fight. It’s easy to wonder what God does when both sides are praying for God’s protection. Trusting Jesus as the archetypal pattern of God’s presence and participation on Earth, I believe God is found wherever the suffering is. I believe this because that is precisely where Jesus goes. He makes heroes of the outsiders and underdogs in almost all his parables and stories. To miss that point is culpable and chosen ignorance. The awakened and aware ones—like Jesus and Francis of Assisi—go where people are suffering, excluded, expelled, marginalized, and abused. And there they find God.

Our experience of lack of authenticity in expressions of affiliation may make it difficult to struggle to accept Love that frees us from spirits that entice us away from peace and joy.

References


(n.d.). Amos, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 4, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/amos/5

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 4, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/matthew/8:28

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 4, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 4, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Saint Thomas, Apostle (Feast) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 4, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 4, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/