Whirlwinds, political idols, and labourers for conversion

The themes in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today of whirlwinds and idols in a society that is in desperate need of shepherd leadership resonate with our current social and political situation.



The text from the Book of the Prophet Hosea warns of the return of Israel to slavery as a consequence of attention to self serving political goals instead of their relationship to Yahweh.

* [8:11] The altars had become places of self-serving worship (cf. v. 13)

In the Gospel from Matthew, the action of Jesus to care for those who were suffering like a good shepherd is in conflict with the image of messiah that would support the social and political goals of the religious authorities.

* [9:37–38] This Q saying (see Lk 10:2) is only imperfectly related to this context. It presupposes that only God (the master of the harvest) can take the initiative in sending out preachers of the gospel, whereas in Matthew’s setting it leads into Mt 10 where Jesus does so.

Kyle Lierk is reminded of the conversion of Ignatius Loyola by the readings today where we learn of individuals and communities who are misusing the “stuff” of life.

Having laid down his sword and courtly clothes at the foot of a Marian statue, Ignatius the pilgrim spent time in a cave mapping out a proper path toward union with God that he titled the “Spiritual Exercises.”  One of the last pieces he crafted, which would become the beginning of the Exercises, was the “First Principle and Foundation.” At its core, this piece invites humans to use the things of the world that aid them in praising, reverencing and serving God and to abstain from those people or places or things that take them further from God.  By doing this, he says, we save our souls.

Don Schwager quotes Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD) on the freedom and healing in Christ that accompanied the conversion of the Gentiles.

"In the deaf and dumb and demoniac appear the need of the Gentiles for a complete healing. Beleaguered on all sides by misfortune, they were associated with all types of the body's infirmities. And in this regard a proper order of things is observed. For the devil is first cast out; then the other bodily benefits follow suit. With the folly of all superstitions put to flight by the knowledge of God, sight and hearing and words of healing are introduced. The declaration of the onlookers followed their admiration over what took place: 'Never has the like been seen in Israel.' Indeed, he whom the law could not help was made well by the power of the Word, and the deaf and dumb man spoke the praises of God. Deliverance has been given to the Gentiles. All the towns and all the villages are enlightened by the power and presence of Christ, and the people are freed from every impairment of the timeless malady. (excerpt from ON MATTHEW 9.10)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:32-38 addresses conversion that does involve a complex plan to bring the good news to our friends or family members or even strangers. We might just wish God would infuse them with knowledge of the gospel, but Jesus shows us that the right place to start is through relationships.

Make yourself present to people, as Jesus did. Listen to them. Show them some kindness. So many people just want to be heard; they just want someone to treat them with a little kindness. As you start doing that, you will see trusting relationships beginning to form.
It’s in the context of a relationship that you are able to speak honestly about who God is in your life. It’s when a friend asks, “Why do you even go to church?” that you can share how the Eucharist gives you strength. It’s when he comments on the Bible you keep in your car that you can talk about how you hear God speaking to you through Scripture.

Friar Jude Winkler reviews the political turmoil in the “banana republic” of the Northern Kingdom during the time of Hosea. Use of religious discipline to support political goals is not confined to our time and place. Religious leaders opposing Jesus were unwilling to accept they no longer acted as shepherds. Their ministry was missing simple acts of kindness, prayer, and compassion.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that people have good reasons to be angry and afraid today. Poverty, racism, climate change, and so many other injustices are causing real suffering for much of the world. Unfortunately, dualistic and oppositional energies cannot bring the change we so desperately need; we cannot fight angry power with more angry power. Only the contemplative mind has the ability to hold the reality of what is and the possibility of what could be. Unless our hearts are transformed, our fears will continue to manipulate our politics, reinforcing a polarized and divided society. He quotes Quaker activist and teacher Parker Palmer.

Human beings have a well-demonstrated capacity to hold the tension of differences in ways that lead to creative outcomes and advances. It is not an impossible dream to believe we can apply that capacity to politics. In fact, our capacity for creative tension-holding is what made the American experiment possible in the first place. . . . America’s founders—despite the bigotry that limited their conception of who “We the People” were—had the genius to establish [a] form of government in which differences, conflict, and tension were understood not as the enemies of a good social order but as the engines of a better social order.

We aspire to the optimistic view of Richard Rohr that we have the capacity to grow beyond ego and nationalism into a new identity, one that holds space for everyone to belong and be loved. We share his hope that human consciousness can and will evolve—but apparently we have not suffered enough yet to realize our need for such evolution.

References

(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/8

(n.d.). Matthew 9:37-38. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew9.htm

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/