Receive restoration of a hopeful worldview

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of being restored to spiritual health and acting as Jesus disciples to be agents of the restoration of full life to those around us.

Restoring Life

The ending of Book of the Prophet Amos speaks of a restoration of Judah and Israel to the fullness of the time of King David.

* [9:11–15] These verses are most likely an editorial supplement to Amos, added to bring the book into harmony with the positive thrust of the prophetic books in general, especially those written after the exile, when the final edition of Amos was probably completed. The editors would have seen the destruction of Samaria in 722/721 B.C. as the fulfillment of Amos’s prophecies, but in this epilogue they express the view that destruction was not the Lord’s final word for Israel. In Acts 15:15–17, James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. The fallen hut of David: the Davidic kingdom, which included what later became the divided Northern and Southern Kingdoms. All nations claimed in my name: lit., “all nations over whom my name has been pronounced.” This idiom denotes ownership.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus explains the why the disciples are not observing ritual fasting as He makes the case for considering the proper place of the old and the new in our worldview.

* [9:16–17] Each of these parables speaks of the unsuitability of attempting to combine the old and the new. Jesus’ teaching is not a patching up of Judaism, nor can the gospel be contained within the limits of Mosaic law.

Barbara Dilly reflects that our salvation isn’t just about the restoration of all that was taken from us unjustly.  It is about something much bigger. It always is with God. It is about working toward that restoration for others, too.

It seems to me that the lessons for today tell us that our salvation requires us to become transformed, to be made new, like wineskins, to fully follow Jesus.  It isn’t about following the old religious rules of piety better, it is about learning to live in new and better ways, in ways of peace and justice. That certainly is my biggest challenge, daily, in following Jesus.  I always want everything to work out for me. I follow the rules and think that is how I should be rewarded. But at the end of the day, it is about something a lot bigger than that. It always is with God. I think the lessons today tell me that it is more about hearing the voice of Jesus and letting that voice transform me.  The question I need to ask at the end of the day is, “did I get my benefits, or was I transformed a bit more to let peace and justice walk before me in my steps to help others also get theirs?”

Don Schwager comments that just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new.

Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52). How impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament books of the Bible, rather than both. The Lord gives us wisdom so we can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn't want us to hold rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new work of his Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like new wineskins - open and ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 85:9-14 identifies that situations outside of our control can make us anxious. Events that may happen in the future—or that may not happen at all—fill us with a sense of dread. Even memories of past upsets can cast a dark cloud over our hearts.

Then, listen. Try to sense what Jesus may want to say to you. Perhaps just a single word, like “trust” or “forgive,” comes to mind. Maybe it’s an inner sense that helps you believe that God can bring good out of a difficult situation. Or maybe you get an idea of what your next step should be. If what you sense makes you feel more peaceful, follow it.
And if you don’t feel more peaceful, try your best to continue on. Believe that Jesus is with you, even if you don’t feel his presence. Tell yourself that he will never abandon you. Trust that his perfect love will cast out all fear (1 John 4:18).

Friar Jude Winkler comments that at the end of Amos prophecy of destruction there is a promise of restoration to overflowing bounty. Mourning for the loss of a loved one is a time for fasting. Friar Jude reminds us of the Jewish idea of separation and order that was of separation from the Gentiles. Similarly, we are called to follow Jesus wholeheartedly with all we are.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that it seems that contemplation makes it almost inevitable that our politics is going to change, the way we spend your time is going to be called into question, and any smug or inferior social and economic perspective will be slowly taken away from us. He quotes the hope of Charles Eisenstein.

I foresee . . . the restoration of humanity to a sacred estate. . . . I foresee the fulfillment, and not the abdication, of the gifts of hand and mind that make us human. . . . We are given not only the world, but the breath of life and our capacity to create—for we are made “in the image” of the Creator itself. . . .
In nature, headlong growth and all-out competition are features of immature ecosystems, followed by complex interdependency, symbiosis, cooperation, and the cycling of resources. The next stage of human economy will parallel what we are beginning to understand about nature. It will call forth the gifts of each of us; it will emphasize cooperation over competition; it will encourage circulation over hoarding; and it will be cyclical, not linear. [1]

In deep prayer that invades our unconscious, our whole view of the world changes from fear to connection. In meditation we are moving from ego consciousness to soul awareness and from being driven to being drawn.

References


(n.d.). Amos 9.11-15. Retrieved July 7, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Amos/9:11

(n.d.). Matthew 9:37-38. Retrieved July 7, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew9.htm 

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 7, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 7, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 7, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 7, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/