The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of Divine Glory and the blessings associated with living in accord with the Word of God.
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| The Word on the path |
The reading from the Book of Joel presents apocalyptic images of the glorious future of Judah.
* [4:18] Images of agricultural abundance illustrate the harmony and order Joel expects the Lord to establish in Judah; like 2:18–27, this section reverses the deprivation and drought of chap. 1. A spring…house of the LORD: streams of water flowing from the Temple of an ideal Jerusalem also appear in Ez 47:1. The Valley of Shittim: or “the ravine of the acacia trees”; while there is a Shittim east of the Jordan, the reference here is probably to that rocky part of the Kidron Valley southeast of Jerusalem, an arid region where acacia trees flourished.1
The psalm proclaims the Glory of God’s Reign.
* [Psalm 97] The hymn begins with God appearing in a storm, a traditional picture of some ancient Near Eastern gods (Ps 97:1–6); cf. Ps 18:8–16; Mi 1:3–4; Heb 3:3–15. Israel rejoices in the overthrowing of idol worshipers and their gods (Ps 97:7–9) and the rewarding of the faithful righteous (Ps 97:10–12).2
In the Gospel of Luke true blessedness is the state of those who hear the Word and act on it.
* [11:27–28] The beatitude in Lk 11:28 should not be interpreted as a rebuke of the mother of Jesus; see note on Lk 8:21. Rather, it emphasizes (like Lk 2:35) that attentiveness to God’s word is more important than biological relationship to Jesus.3
Mark Latta asserts the only greatness that matters, the only greatness we should be concerned about is identifying what our Father asks of us and keeping his word. Our task is clear. Not only must we listen to and reflect upon the word of God—we must observe it. And that observation mandates we act on it.
Mary the mother of Jesus is central to this message. When we pray we recognize the privilege it was for her to be the mother of Jesus “Blessed are you among women.” However, Mary’s true significance was not just in her being chosen to be the mother of Jesus but in her unconditional “yes” she gave in response to God’s request of her. She heard God’s word and acted upon it for her whole life.
In a similar vein the power of Jesus lay not just in his ability to silence his critics and his accusers, his power over demons or even in his miracles. Jesus also heard the word of His Father and kept that word in his actions—even unto his death.4
Don Schwager quotes “Blessings for hearing and keeping the Word,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you,' he replied, 'Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.' Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart than in her flesh." (excerpt from HOLY VIRGINITY 3.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:27-28 comments that Mary indeed had the high honor of carrying Jesus in her womb and nursing him. But Jesus tells us that Mary had an even higher honor: she heard the Word of God and responded to it. We cannot share in the first, but we can follow her example in the second.
Today, ask the Lord to help you follow in Mary’s footsteps just a little more. Especially when God’s plans don’t seem to match your own and you don’t know what is ahead of you, be ready to surrender to God’s will. How? Day in, day out, remain faithful in the everyday tasks set before you, always trying to stay close to Jesus. Then, wherever you find yourself, whatever challenge you are facing, you can experience the blessing of hearing the word of God and observing it.6
Friar Jude Winkler observes how the apocalyptic images in Joel are connected to the Book of Revelation. Jesus blesses the Mary and her spiritual “yes”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, As with other forms of lectio divina, the practice is divided into four steps. Find a place where you are surrounded by the beauty of nature and where you feel safe to be quiet and alone for 20 or more minutes.
1. Lectio/Read
In silence, be attentive to your surroundings, opening to the mystery of these beings’ existence and prayerfully asking them to address you. Simply asking is creating a space in which a response can happen. If you like, use a journal to write down any impressions that arise.
2. Meditatio/Meditate
Ponder what you are observing, being attentive to whatever is in front of you as though you could be in dialogue with it. For example, as you look around, if you see a flower, gaze at it and also consider what it would feel like for the flower to look back at you. What it would be like to be in mutual relationship with all of Creation?
3. Oratio/Pray
Oratio is an opportunity to enter into dialogue with God, offering gratitude as well as lifting up your hopes, fears, and pains. In oratio, you are invited to surrender all of these things and allow God to transform you and the world through this encounter.
4. Contemplatio/Contemplate
Contemplatio is simply abiding in the presence of God. Rest joyfully in Mystery after lifting up your prayers and problems to God, confident that your needs are known.7
The beauty of autumn invites us to meditate on glory, truth, and goodness and openness to the Word guiding our actions.
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