Revisit Joy and determination

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today suggest that we might revisit some of the spiritual assumptions we have made on our journey in a spirit of joy in encountering Truth.


The Prophet Jeremiah recalls the joy in the Word of God even as he is beset by people who threaten to harm him.

The Gospel of Matthew presents two parables where Jesus invites us to embrace the Word with the joy and determination that comes from encountering the extreme value of this gift.

* [13:44–50] The first two of the last three parables of the discourse have the same point. The person who finds a buried treasure and the merchant who finds a pearl of great price sell all that they have to acquire these finds; similarly, the one who understands the supreme value of the kingdom gives up whatever he must to obtain it. The joy with which this is done is made explicit in the first parable, but it may be presumed in the second also.

Mark Latta comments on the texts that precisely point out the incomparable value of salvation that far surpasses what any person could use to acquire it.

These parables are a call, indeed an admonition to seek and desire the Kingdom above all else. The emphasis should be not on what we can give up but on the depth of the new life being offered to us. Seeking the Kingdom does ask for us to be intentional in our serve to Jesus. These Parables might seem deceptively simple but they call for no compromises. The search for Jesus and the service of Him is the pearl of great price and the treasure worth more than anyone can possess. We are called to show that priority through our life in every act, every decision we take

Liguori Publications provides an opportunity to revisit our understanding of the Redemptorist Charism as Kitchen Table Catholics and the work of Redemptorist Missionaries who continue the charism of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Priest and Doctor of the Church, in the Church and in society.

Strong in faith, rejoicing in hope, burning with charity, on fire with zeal, in humility of heart and persevering in prayer, Redemptorists as apostolic men and genuine disciples of Saint Alphonsus follow Christ the Redeemer with Hearts full of joy; denying themselves and always ready to undertake what is demanding and challenging, they share in the mystery of Christ and proclaim it in Gospel simplicity of life and language, that they may bring to people Plentiful Redemption." (Redemptorist Constitutions, No. 20)

Don Schwager quotes Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) on finding the pearl of great price.

"Now among the words of all kinds that profess to announce truth, and among those who report them, he seeks pearls. Think of the prophets as, so to speak, the pearls that receive the dew of heaven and become pregnant with the word of truth from heaven. They are goodly pearls that, according to the phrase here set forth, the merchant seeks. And the chief of the pearls, on the finding of which the rest are found with it, is the very costly pearl, the Christ of God, the Word that is superior to the precious letters and thoughts in the law and the prophets. When one finds this pearl all the rest are easily released. Suppose, then, that one is not a disciple of Christ. He possesses no pearls at all, much less the very costly pearl, as distinguished from those that are cloudy or darkened." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 18.8)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18 ,today’s Responsorial Psalm, talks about God’s mercy going before us.

You might think of mercy as a gift that deals with your past. And it is. Mercy reaches back to cover your sins. But the Hebrew word for mercy (hesed) here can also mean “God’s grace and favor,” his loving kindness toward us that never fails. This broad, expansive definition tells us to do more than just seek God’s mercy for our past sins and failings. It urges us to entrust our future to his provision as well.

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the text from the Prophet Jeremiah is part of an honest dialogue with God about how he has been treated even though he proclaimed God’s Word, known as his “confessions”. Key words like dialog, lamentation, knock down fight, indifference, joy, value, and choose are relevant to our reconsideration of our relationship with God. The joy of treasure in the ground or the pearl of great price often requires that we have to “say no” to other things.

The post by Franciscan Media recalls that Vatican II said, Moral theology should be more thoroughly nourished by Scripture, and show the nobility of the Christian vocation of the faithful and their obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world. Alphonsus, declared patron of moral theologians by Pius XII in 1950, would rejoice in that statement.

Alphonsus fought for the liberation of moral theology from the rigidity of Jansenism. His moral theology, which went through 60 editions in the century following him, concentrated on the practical and concrete problems of pastors and confessors. If a certain legalism and minimalism crept into moral theology, it should not be attributed to this model of moderation and gentleness.
Alphonsus’ great pastoral reforms were in the pulpit and confessional—replacing the pompous oratory of the time with simplicity, and the rigorism of Jansenism,a Catholic theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. Wikipedia, with kindness.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes the Gospel of John “On that day, you will know that you are in me and I am in you.” (John 14:20) to introduce the Perennial Tradition. “That day” that John refers to has been a long time in coming; even so, it has been the enduring message of every great religion in history. It is the Perennial Tradition. Yet union with God is still considered esoteric, mystical, a largely moral matter, and possible only for a very few, as if God were playing hard to get. Nevertheless, divine and thus universal union is still the core message and promise of all religion.

Place does not exist except in God. There is no time outside God. God is the beauty in all beauty. Those who allow divine friendship enjoy divine friendship, and it is almost that simple. God’s life and love flow through you as soon as you are ready to allow it. That is the core meaning of faith—to dare to trust that God could, will, and does have an eternal compassion toward you.

The passages from Scripture and the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori offer an opportunity to revisit our lamentations, joy, indifference, sense of moral theology and the Oneness found in our True Self.

References


(n.d.). Jeremiah, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Jeremiah/15:10
(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved August 1, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). About the Redemptorists - English - Liguori Publications. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from http://www.liguori.org/about-liguori/about-the-redemptorists.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Saint Alphonsus Liguori – Franciscan Media. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-alphonsus-liguori/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/