Conquers rejected

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the paradox of being conquerors who are rejected.

To Jerusalem

The passage from the Letter to the Romans proclaims how God’s Love in Christ Jesus allows us to conquer all obstacles.

* [8:31–39] The all-conquering power of God’s love has overcome every obstacle to Christians’ salvation and every threat to separate them from God. That power manifested itself fully when God’s own Son was delivered up to death for their salvation. Through him Christians can overcome all their afflictions and trials.1 

The psalmist seeks vindication not on the basis of personal virtue but because of God’s promise to protect the poor.

* [Psalm 109] A lament notable for the length and vehemence of its prayer against evildoers (Ps 109:6–20); the cry to God (Ps 109:1) and the complaint (Ps 109:22–25) are brief in comparison. The psalmist is apparently the victim of a slander campaign, potentially devastating in a society where reputation and honor are paramount. In the emotional perspective of the Psalm, there are only two types of people: the wicked and their poor victims. The psalmist is a poor victim (Ps 109:22, 31) and by that fact a friend of God and enemy of the wicked. The psalmist seeks vindication not on the basis of personal virtue but because of God’s promise to protect the poor.2 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus learns of Herod’s desire to kill Him and He laments the rejection of His message in Jerusalem.

* [13:33] It is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem: Jerusalem is the city of destiny and the goal of the journey of the prophet Jesus. Only when he reaches the holy city will his work be accomplished.3 

Gladyce Janky notes that there is one thing that can separate us from God - free will. We can freely turn to God for everything, or we can go our own way.

The Letter to the Romans and the reading from the Gospel of Luke set the tone for how I should treat others and how I should live.  That is, I should show compassion and concern, especially for the marginalized, and when making decisions start with, “God, how are we going to handle this?”  No matter what I encounter, if I use my free will to remain centered on God, nothing has the power to separate my soul from its destiny to be with God.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus foreshadows his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"'And I tell you,' he says, 'you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.' What does this mean? The Lord withdrew from Jerusalem and left as unworthy of his presence those who said, 'Get away from here.' And after he had walked about Judea and saved many and performed miracles which no words can adequately describe, he returned again to Jerusalem. It was then that he sat upon a colt of a donkey, while vast multitudes and young children, holding up branches of palm trees, went before him, praising him and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord' (Matthew 21:9). Having left them, therefore, as being unworthy, he says that when the time of his passion has arrived, he will then barely be seen by them. Then again he went up to Jerusalem and entered amidst praises, and at that very time endured his saving passion in our behalf, that by suffering he might save and renew to in-corruption the inhabitants of the earth. God the Father has saved us by Christ." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 100)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 8:31-39 comments that carrying the weight of guilt is like carrying a backpack filled with rocks. We should be shedding them; they aren’t helping us on our journey. But for some reason, we hang onto them.

That’s not what God intends. He is for us, not against us (Romans 8:31). So he offers us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In Confession we encounter Jesus in the person of the priest. As the priest listens to our sins, it is Christ listening to us. As the priest absolves us, it is Christ speaking to us, freeing us from the weight of sin and guilt. Suddenly that heavy backpack filled with rocks is lifted off of us. We can stand up straight and hold our heads high.6 

Friar Jude Winkler notes the mystery that God did not spare His Son from suffering. Allowing our guilt to be more powerful than Jesus Love is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Friar Jude reminds us that we are especially close to God when we need His strength.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, contemplates that Sebastian Moore presents the crucifixion of Jesus as an unjust political act that claimed a human life. Moore asserts that the Church is but a society held together not by power but by love. This polity of love stems from the self-consecration of Jesus as our lover nailed to the cross of our power, manifest in his resurrection to draw all things to himself. This is the secret of the Church, the ripple effect of Calvary.

Now what does the Church give as her credentials? A man put to death by us and brought to life by God. An act of political bloodshed that otherwise would have been lost in the great mass of human injustice. But focused upon through the Spirit, political bloodshed is a universal language. This language is elemental. Everyone who witnesses the killing feels a barrier being crossed. There is this awed hush, a sense of having gone fatally too far. And a very important and most easily forgotten aspect of this elemental insight is, that all of us, those for and those against the victim, are being brought together, and this not only as in the bonding of Caesar’s killers, but as [people] involved simply as humans, all our loyalties forgotten with the sight of the fatal blow. . . . So that is the given of our faith: a public murder held in focus by a continuing community who owe to the victim a love that is the fulfilment of our humanity to change this cruel world. For all peoples and for all times, a dangerous memory.7

Love in the relationship between Father and Son becomes tangible in our lives when we accept to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem offering the gift of full life to all.

References

1	(n.d.). Romans, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 31, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/8
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 109 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 31, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/109
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/13
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). 30th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/10/31/
7	(2019, October 31). Breakthroughs — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://cac.org/breakthroughs-2019-10-31/

Choosing The Narrow Door

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to contemplate our response to the plan of God to be in eternal relationship with us.

Move to narrow gate

The passage from the Letter to the Romans includes Romans 8:28 and the declaration of God’s Love in Christ that is impossible to defeat.

* [8:28–30] These verses outline the Christian vocation as it was designed by God: to be conformed to the image of his Son, who is to be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29). God’s redemptive action on behalf of the believers has been in process before the beginning of the world. Those whom God chooses are those he foreknew (Rom 8:29) or elected. Those who are called (Rom 8:30) are predestined or predetermined. These expressions do not mean that God is arbitrary. Rather, Paul uses them to emphasize the thought and care that God has taken for the Christian’s salvation.1 

Psalm 13 is a heartfelt prayer to thank God.

* [Psalm 13] A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b).2

The Narrow Door and our choice of salvation and rejection are themes in the Gospel of Luke.

* [13:22–30] These sayings of Jesus follow in Luke upon the parables of the kingdom (Lk 13:18–21) and stress that great effort is required for entrance into the kingdom (Lk 13:24) and that there is an urgency to accept the present opportunity to enter because the narrow door will not remain open indefinitely (Lk 13:25). Lying behind the sayings is the rejection of Jesus and his message by his Jewish contemporaries (Lk 13:26) whose places at table in the kingdom will be taken by Gentiles from the four corners of the world (Lk 13:29). Those called last (the Gentiles) will precede those to whom the invitation to enter was first extended (the Jews). See also Lk 14:15–24.3

Scott McClure is struck by the openness and humility it must have taken for Jesus' listeners to truly hear his message and have it sink in. Just as much now as it did then, Jesus' message flips things upside down, challenging us to reconsider our values and way of living and what it is we truly seek.

Indeed, our faith tells us that Mary had such humility in her receptiveness to God's invitation to be the mother of his son. Let us, then, ask Mary for her intercession that we may be granted the openness to hear God's call and respond to his seeking of us.4 

Don Schwager quotes “To enter the narrow door,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"'Wide is the door, and broad the way that brings down many to destruction.' What are we to understand by its broadness? ...A stubborn mind will not bow to the yoke of the law [the commandments of God]. This life is cursed and relaxed in all carelessness. Thrusting from it the divine law and completely unmindful of the sacred commandments, wealth, vices, scorn, pride and the empty imagination of earthly pride spring from it. Those who would enter in by the narrow door must withdraw from all these things, be with Christ and keep the festival with him." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 99)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 8:26-30 asks have we ever been tempted to question Paul’s assertion that God is always working for your good?

We don’t know why God allows people to suffer. But we do know this: when Jesus became a human being like us, he experienced temptation, rejection, and loneliness, just as we do. He knew the heaviness of grief and a troubled heart. He suffered physical discomforts like hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and of course, he suffered both physical and mental agony in his passion and death.
It’s immensely comforting to know that Jesus understands exactly what we are going through because he has been through it before.6 

Friar Jude Winkler cites the aid to our weakness through the Spirit in Romans 8. Predestination means we were created so we would be saved. Friar Jude is reminded by the Gospel that we need more than lip service to pass through the narrow door.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM comments Christianity isn’t done growing and changing. Jesus himself invites us to take things out of our faith-filled “storage room” and discern what is essential. (Matthew 13:52) We don’t want the church or the Christian tradition to become an antique shop just preserving old things. We want to build on old things and allow them to be useful in different ages, vocabularies, and cultures. We want our faith to be ever new, so that it can speak to souls alive and in need right now! Otherwise, the faith we cherish so much stops working and it can’t do its job of turning our hearts to God and to one another.

The Church should not minimise the radically different nature of its revelation. Christian revelation is founded in the person of Jesus who invites us into the freedom of God’s love . . . nevertheless, for too much of its history, indeed since the time of Constantine, the Catholic Church has not in practice demonstrated this God-offered freedom but has rather been associated with worldly power . . . [and] it is important to acknowledge this historical failing of the Christian Church.
Like Sebastian Moore, I believe that at times we as a church have lost the thread, so to speak, and been more concerned with power and privilege than Jesus’ life and teachings. Too often our leadership has relied on shame and fear to influence people far more than love, which Jesus was all about.7 

Our trust in God is embodied in the sense of Romans 8:28. We rely on the inspiration of the Spirit to move our lip service to action as disciples of Jesus.

References

1	(n.d.). Romans, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/8
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/13
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/13
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/10/30/
7	(2019, October 30). A Transcultural Teaching - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://cac.org/a-transcultural-teaching-2019-10-30/

Hope in Joy for Full Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire our hope with a foretaste of future fullness.

Future Hope Celebrated

In the reading from the Letter to the Romans, Paul compares our present difficulties to our future Glory.

* [8:18–27] The glory that believers are destined to share with Christ far exceeds the sufferings of the present life. Paul considers the destiny of the created world to be linked with the future that belongs to the believers. As it shares in the penalty of corruption brought about by sin, so also will it share in the benefits of redemption and future glory that comprise the ultimate liberation of God’s people (Rom 8:19–22). After patient endurance in steadfast expectation, the full harvest of the Spirit’s presence will be realized. On earth believers enjoy the firstfruits, i.e., the Spirit, as a guarantee of the total liberation of their bodies from the influence of the rebellious old self (Rom 8:23).1 

Psalm 126 anticipates a Harvest of Joy.

* [Psalm 126] A lament probably sung shortly after Israel’s return from exile. The people rejoice that they are in Zion (Ps 126:1–3) but mere presence in the holy city is not enough; they must pray for the prosperity and the fertility of the land (Ps 126:4). The last verses are probably an oracle of promise: the painful work of sowing will be crowned with life (Ps 126:5–6).2 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus uses the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast to indicate that the Kingdom grows from small beginnings.

* [13:18–21] Two parables are used to illustrate the future proportions of the kingdom of God that will result from its deceptively small beginning in the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus. They are paralleled in Mt 13:31–33 and Mk 4:30–32.3 

Larry Gillick, S.J. shares that “God-winks” or hints are subtle.

Jesus invited responses, personal reception of His invitations. He did and does, come right out and say it, but he also comes right in and says “it” beyond complete understanding. True relationships are based in mystery and the continuation of that relationship increases as it grows. That married couple is living that mystery and increasing in fruitful love. The Kingdom of God is more than understanding or reception of hints and glances.
The object of intimacy of any kind is fruitfulness, increase, branches and leavened bread to be available, shareable, welcoming. How does it all happen? When we mix yeast with flour we do not stand around watching it puff up. When planting seeds we do not sit down to experience just how the seeds spread roots. The Kingdom is taking time within us, as individuals and as a people of the Kingdom.4 

Don Schwager quotes “The Word of God operates in us like leaven,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The leaven is small in quantity, yet it immediately seizes the whole mass and quickly communicates its own properties to it. The Word of God operates in us in a similar manner. When it is admitted within us, it makes us holy and without blame. By pervading our mind and heart, it makes us spiritual. Paul says, 'Our whole body and spirit and soul may be kept blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The God of all clearly shows that the divine Word is poured out even into the depth of our understanding... We receive the rational and divine leaven in our mind. We understand that by this precious, holy and pure leaven, we may be found spiritually unleavened and have none of the wickedness of the world, but rather be pure, holy partakers of Christ." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 96)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 8:18-25 notices that there’s a big difference between “hoping that” and “hoping in.”

I hope that researchers will discover a cure for diabetes or that God will intervene to heal me. But I hope in the God who loves me, sustains me, and provides the wisdom and encouragement I need to live with diabetes. I hope that my wayward child will listen to my advice and repent of destructive decisions. I hope in the God who loves him far more than I do and is continually seeking him out. I hope that my financial situation will improve. But I hope in the Father who provides for my needs out of his abundant resources.6 

Friar Jude Winkler compares damaged creation to the Creation to which Jesus invites us where the lion lies down with the lamb (a paraphrase from Isaiah 11). As we are transformed, all of Creation will be reborn. Friar Jude reminds us of the attention paid by Luke to both men and women as servants of the Good News.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Choan-Seng Song, a theologian and author, who has worked tirelessly to decolonize the image of God and Jesus brought to people in Asia. In his book, “Jesus, the Crucified People,” Song articulates how Jesus works to this day, within each of us and our churches, no matter what our culture.

Jesus as a historical person can be identified within a particular cross-section of space-time. . . . That particular cross-section of space-time proves, from the Christian standpoint, to be an extraordinary segment in human history. [It] was not a mere thirty years limited to the small confines of the land in which he was born. His time seems to stretch to eternity and his space extends to all the universe. In the words of the Letter to the Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). John . . . in a flash of penetrating theological hindsight grasped the meaning of Jesus in relation to the world when he said: “The Word became flesh” (1:14; Revised Standard Version). What a mystery is packed into this brief statement! The Word that was in the beginning of time now comes into the thick of our time. The God who filled the space of chaos with creation now fills our space of suffering, strife, and death with the Word-become-flesh.7 

The endurance and patience we need is encouraged by living in hope and expectation that the emerging Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will encompass the flour of the people of the earth as we move toward the vision of Isaiah.

References

1	(n.d.). Romans, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/8
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 126 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/126
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/13
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). 30th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/10/29/
7	(2019, October 29). A Cross-Section of Space-Time — Center for Action and .... Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://cac.org/a-cross-section-of-space-time-2019-10-29/

A Body for Ministry

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect our growing understanding of an emerging Church led by the Holy Spirit to calling of the Apostles to their mission by Jesus.

Capstone in changing Church

The passage from the Letter to the Ephesians outlines our place as One in Christ.

* [2:15] One new person: a corporate body, the Christian community, made up of Jews and Gentiles, replacing ancient divisions; cf. Rom 1:16.* [2:20] Capstone: the Greek can also mean cornerstone or keystone.1 

Psalm 19 declares the regular functioning of the heavens informs human beings of the creator’s power and wisdom.

* [19:4] No speech, no words: the regular functioning of the heavens and the alternation of day and night inform human beings without words of the creator’s power and wisdom.2 

The mission of the Twelve, called by Jesus, is ministering to a great multitude in the Gospel of Luke.

* [6:13] He chose Twelve: the identification of this group as the Twelve is a part of early Christian tradition (see 1 Cor 15:5), and in Matthew and Luke, the Twelve are associated with the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk 22:29–30; Mt 19:28). After the fall of Judas from his position among the Twelve, the need is felt on the part of the early community to reconstitute this group before the Christian mission begins at Pentecost (Acts 1:15–26). From Luke’s perspective, they are an important group who because of their association with Jesus from the time of his baptism to his ascension (Acts 1:21–22) provide the continuity between the historical Jesus and the church of Luke’s day and who as the original eyewitnesses guarantee the fidelity of the church’s beliefs and practices to the teachings of Jesus (Lk 1:1–4). Whom he also named apostles: only Luke among the gospel writers attributes to Jesus the bestowal of the name apostles upon the Twelve. See note on Mt 10:2–4. “Apostle” becomes a technical term in early Christianity for a missionary sent out to preach the word of God. Although Luke seems to want to restrict the title to the Twelve (only in Acts 4:4, 14 are Paul and Barnabas termed apostles), other places in the New Testament show an awareness that the term was more widely applied (1 Cor 15:5–7; Gal 1:19; 1 Cor 1:1; 9:1; Rom 16:7).3 

Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments on the bond of intense faith that emerges from the outpouring of God’s Spirit on those that Jesus chose to become missionaries to the ends of the earth. They announce to us that such witnessing is essential even to our own deaths.

Through the readings chosen the Church focuses on God’s call to those most needed to build up the Church and announce the Good News.  One need not be a history maker – a pope, a king or a brilliant teacher to be an intimate friend of Jesus. In fact, these men were practically unknown.  What comes down the centuries to us, however, is that they served as authentic witnesses to God’s Mercy in word and deed. These men faced the impossible task of telling the Good News to the ends of the earth.  They did so with confidence that any task from God it is not only possible but will be done if we but reject our false modesty and our fear and get about it.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus chose fishermen and tax collectors to be apostles,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"It says, 'He called his disciples, and he chose twelve of them,' whom he appointed sowers of the faith, to spread the help of human salvation throughout the world. At the same time, observe the heavenly counsel. He chose not wise men, nor rich men, nor nobles, but fishermen and tax collectors, whom he would direct, lest they seem to have seduced some by wisdom, or bought them with riches, or attracted them to their own grace with the authority of power and nobility. He did this so that the reasoning of truth, not the grace of disputation, should prevail." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.44)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ephesians 2:19-22 considers that the divisions that existed among the Jews and Gentiles could have applied to these saints too. Jesus chose them, along with the rest of the Twelve, from a variety of backgrounds: Matthew, a tax collector; Simon, a Zealot who hated tax collectors; some fishermen; and others with their own personalities we don’t know much about. You would be hard-pressed to find a more unlikely group! But as they followed Jesus, their love for him—and his love for them—brought them together.

The answer to divisions, whether big or small, is Jesus. It’s simple but true. If his love can break down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, between a tax collector and a Zealot, it can do the same for us today.
Do you sense a barrier or some tension with someone in your parish who is very different from you? Commit it to Jesus. He can open your heart and help you to recognize that person’s inherent goodness and value. He may even show you whether you are being judgmental or envious, or prompt you to change your tone of voice when speaking to that person.6 

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the proclamation of Paul to the Ephesian community that the barrier between Jews and Gentiles is removed. In Luke, Jesus prayer signals obedience to the will of the Father. Friar Jude reminds that Jesus knowing choice of a traitor may be part of the greater plan of God to bring about a greater good.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, identifies, in the emerging Church, some significant changes. They are causing sea changes in modern theology as well as practice. These shifts may be the very reason we are currently so divided as Christians, with some clinging to an older way of doing and thinking while others are pulling in these new and “emerging” directions.

Our awareness is broadening, recognizing that Jesus was clearly teaching nonviolence… There is a common-sense and growing recognition that Jesus was clearly concerned about the specific healing and transformation of real persons and human society “on earth as it is in heaven...” We are recovering the older and essential contemplative tradition within Christianity, starting with Thomas Merton in the 1950s… We now see the liberal/conservative divide as a bogus and finally unhelpful framing of the issues.7 

From the mystery of selection of the Twelve to our struggles with change in the Church, we are wise to contemplate the action of the Spirit in directing the mission of Jesus disciples.

References

1	(n.d.). Ephesians, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/2
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 19 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/6
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved October 28, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 28, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 28, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/10/28/
7	(2017, December 2). Emerging Church: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and .... Retrieved October 28, 2019, from https://cac.org/emerging-church-weekly-summary-2017-12-02/

Oriented for Life

The texts from the Roman Carholic Lectionary today resonate with the understanding that humility is the foundation of all virtues, through which the Spirit may reveal truth beauty and goodness in the world around us.

Beginning with humility

The Book of Sirach declares the Hebrew wisdom of God punishing the proud and the merciless and coming to the aid of the distressed is superior to the Greek philosophy of the time.

 * [35:1–26] Keeping the commandments of the law and avoiding injustice constitute sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to God (vv. 1–5). Offerings also should be made to him, cheerfully and generously; these he repays sevenfold (vv. 6–13). Extortion from widows and orphans is injustice, and God will hear their cries (vv. 14–22a). Punishing the proud and the merciless and coming to the aid of the distressed, he requites everyone according to their deeds (vv. 22b–26).1

Psalm 34 offers praise to God for deliverance from trouble.

 * [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22).2

The passage from the Second Letter to Timothy declares the reward for fidelity is found in the Spirit overcoming Paul’s loneliness.

* [4:14–18] Alexander: an opponent of Paul’s preaching (2 Tm 4:14–15), perhaps the one who is mentioned in 1 Tm 1:20. Despite Paul’s abandonment by his friends in the province of Asia (cf. 2 Tm 1:15–16), the divine assistance brought this first trial to a successful issue, even to the point of making the gospel message known to those who participated in or witnessed the trial (2 Tm 4:16–17).3

Jesus uses the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector in the Gospel of Luke to illustrate how self righteousness is a separation from God.

* [18:15–17] The sayings on children furnish a contrast to the attitude of the Pharisee in the preceding episode (Lk 18:9–14) and that of the wealthy official in the following one (Lk 18:18–23) who think that they can lay claim to God’s favor by their own merit. The attitude of the disciple should be marked by the receptivity and trustful dependence characteristic of the child.4 

Rev. Richard Gabuzda raises the question of what one sees, how one sees, and reminds us of the haunting phrase spoken by the Lord in 1 Samuel 16, 7. “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.”

How do we acquire such sight, eyes that see as the Lord sees?  One only begins to see with God’s eyes when the heart has been humbled.  Knowing our own sinfulness, our identity as loved sinners, gives us new eyes so that we look out on the world and, especially on other people, the way God does.  When we see others from such a heart, we see brothers and sisters who are “like me,” in contrast with the eyes of the Pharisee, who does not see from the heart and can only observe that “I am not like the rest of humanity.”5 

Don Schwager quotes “The medicine of repentance,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"How useful and necessary a medicine is repentance! People who remember that they are only human will readily understand this. It is written, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble' (1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6, Job 22:29, Proverbs 3:34). The Pharisee was not rejoicing so much in his own clean bill of health as in comparing it with the diseases of others. He came to the doctor. It would have been more worthwhile to inform him by confession of the things that were wrong with himself instead of keeping his wounds secret and having the nerve to crow over the scars of others. It is not surprising that the tax collector went away cured, since he had not been ashamed of showing where he felt pain." (excerpt from Sermon 351.1)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:9-14 comments that we each have a little of the Pharisee and a little of the tax collector in us.

The Pharisee, pleased with the perfection of his prayer, leaves just as he came in: convinced of his own righteousness and despising everyone else (Luke 18:9). But the tax collector leaves feeling free. With a lighter step and a brave smile on his face, he heads home. Tomorrow he will apologize to his neighbors and return their money.7 

Friar Jude Winkler shares the goodness in Hebrew faith of God who brings justice to widows and orphans and raises them up. Faith is the trust beyond trusting in the Love of God in our circumstances. Friar Jude reminds us that the lack of humility of the Pharisee points to becoming his own god.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that when Martin Luther (1483–1546) posted his “95 Theses” or complaints on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, European Christianity had become too focused on meritocracy and hierarchy, losing sight of the Gospel. The Roman Catholic Church itself now admits it is always in need of reformation. The perpetual process of conversion, or reformation, is needed by all individuals and institutions. We appear to be in the midst of another period of significant turmoil and rebirth…

In North America and much of Europe, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in “nones,” people who don’t identify with a particular faith tradition. While I ache for those who have been wounded by religion and no longer feel at home in church, the dissatisfaction within Christianity has sparked some necessary and healthy changes. Episcopal Bishop Mark Dyer (1930–2014) aptly called these recurring periods of upheaval giant “rummage sales” in which the church rids itself of what is no longer needed and rediscovers treasures it had forgotten.
As Phyllis Tickle (1934–2015) reflected, in the process of building necessary structure in institutions, we eventually “elaborate, encrust, and finally embalm them with the accretion of both our fervor and our silliness. At that point there is no hope for either religion or society, save only to knock the whole carapace off ourselves and start over again.” [1] This is a difficult and frightening task, which is why we only seem to do it every 500 years or so! If we look at church history, we can see the pattern. [2]8

The Spirit responds to build our faith as we seek humility and trust in the midst of change that is urging our continued conversion and reformation.

References

1	(n.d.). Sirach, chapter 35 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 27, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/sirach/35
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 34 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34
3	(n.d.). 2 Timothy, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved October 27, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/4
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 18 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/18
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/10/26/
8	(2019, October 27). Rummage Sales — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://cac.org/rummage-sales-2019-10-27/