The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to have the patience in our journey that will allow us to see beyond our snap judgement of ourselves and others.
Impressions from the crowd
The reading from the Book of Genesis begins the history of the call of Abram.
* [12:6] Abraham’s journey to the center of the land, Shechem, then to Bethel, and then to the Negeb, is duplicated in Jacob’s journeys (33:18; 35:1, 6, 27; 46:1) and in the general route of the conquest under Joshua (Jos 7:2; 8:9, 30). Abraham’s journey is a symbolic “conquest” of the land he has been promised. In building altars here (vv. 7, 8) and elsewhere, Abraham acknowledges his God as Lord of the land.1
Psalm 33 praises the greatness and goodness of God.
* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22).2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns us about judging others.
* [7:5] Hypocrite: the designation previously given to the scribes and Pharisees is here given to the Christian disciple who is concerned with the faults of another and ignores his own more serious offenses.3
Molly Mattingly comments that in the film, “The Miracle Maker,” as Jesus tells the story with good humor to a crowd, the animation portrays two carpenters. The first pauses his work to remove an irritant from his eye. The other, carrying a thick beam over one shoulder, insists on helping his friend. He turns around, swinging the beam with him and knocking several things over as he tries to get into a good position to “help.”
This portrayal helps me imagine the parable because, while it illustrates the potential destruction if I don’t recognize my own blindness, it also gives me permission not to take myself so seriously. That, in turn, helps me to be open to learning and making amends when my blind spots are revealed to me. Finally, in this portrayal, the thing causing the person’s blindness (the beam) is a lot of work to carry around! It looks heavy and unwieldy - indeed, almost like a cross. I like that in this image it is possible to set the beam down. Maybe we don’t always know how to set it down, if we’re even aware of it at all. Until we can do that, I think, it is better to just be present and trust that God will help our friends with their splinters just as God will help us to set down our wooden beams.4
Don Schwager quotes “Judge from justice, forgive from grace,” by Ephrem the Syrian, 306-373 A.D.
"Do not judge, that is, unjustly, so that you may not be judged, with regard to injustice. With the judgment that you judge shall you be judged (Matthew 7:2). This is like the phrase 'Forgive, and it will be forgiven you.' For once someone has judged in accordance with justice, he should forgive in accordance with grace, so that when he himself is judged in accordance with justice, he may be worthy of forgiveness through grace. Alternatively, it was on account of the judges, those who seek vengeance for themselves, that he said, 'Do not condemn.' That is, do not seek vengeance for yourselves. Or, do not judge, from appearances and opinion and then condemn, but admonish and advise." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 6.18B)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 12:1-9 comments that in these desert years, Abram may have been feeling as dry and lifeless as the arid landscape around him. Was it really worth all the effort?
We all experience unexciting stretches of time in our lives—even the great saints of the Church did! Just like the liturgical year, our lives tend to be a mixture of special seasons and “everyday” time. There are times when faith and virtue don’t feel heroic or glorious or when we don’t hear God clearly. Whether they are due to sadness, doubt, or boredom, the dry spells often come upon us gradually, until we wake up one day and feel as if we are in a desert. So spend some time today reflecting on one way that God has blessed you personally—maybe through a friendship or a cherished verse in the Bible. Let that blessing reassure you. You may be surprised by how much life you can draw from a very small reminder of God’s goodness. Even when you’re in the desert, God is with you, offering you untold blessings. Don’t miss them! “Lord, show me how to trust in your presence and your generosity whether I find myself in a dry season or a fruitful one.”6
Friar Jude Winkler notes the transition in Genesis from etiology to a history of an historic person. In Genesis, contrast is a technique shown in the stories of Abraham and Lot Friar Jude reminds us that our prejudice may be rooted in our inability to see brokenness in our incomplete conversion.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Meister Eckhart believed, we give birth and are born ourselves again and again: the birth of God in the soul is our own true birth. Margaret Guenther writes about the comfort and guidance that good directors can offer those who are “giving birth to the soul.”
There are those who feel that something is happening to and within them. Their tastes are changing, and their balance has shifted. Sometimes they are brought up short by a crisis: an experience of conversion, a tragic loss, a period of great pain, a sharp awareness of being on a threshold. As they approach midlife, women especially may feel impelled to explore their spirituality as they discover their new and unexpectedly authoritative voice. Men and women of all ages and life experiences may sense a call, not necessarily a vocation to the ordained ministry, but simply the awareness that God expects them to do something with their lives. . . . As a spiritual midwife, the director’s task is to pay attention, to listen to what is not being said—or to what is being said but minimized. . . .7
Our vision of the situations we encounter is clarified by patience and trust in God’s love for all people.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment