The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on the power of faith to bring joy and fullness to our lives.
Life in our experience
The reading from the Book of Genesis presents the sign of the Covenant between God and Abraham.
* [17:1–27] The Priestly source gathers the major motifs of the story so far and sets them firmly within a covenant context; the word “covenant” occurs thirteen times. There are links to the covenant with Noah (v. 1 = 6:9; v. 7 = 9:9; v. 11 = 9:12–17). In this chapter, vv. 1–8 promise progeny and land; vv. 9–14 are instructions about circumcision; vv. 15–21 repeat the promise of a son to Sarah and distinguish this promise from that to Hagar; vv. 22–27 describe Abraham’s carrying out the commands. The Almighty: traditional rendering of Hebrew El Shaddai, which is P’s favorite designation of God in the period of the ancestors. Its etymology is uncertain, but its root meaning is probably “God, the One of the Mountains.”1
Psalm 128 is a prescription for the happy home of the Faithful.
* [Psalm 128] A statement that the ever-reliable God will bless the reverent (Ps 128:1). God’s blessing is concrete: satisfaction and prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children (Ps 128:2–4). The perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the community. The last verses extend the blessing to all the people for generations to come (Ps 128:5–6).2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus cleanses a leper.
* [8:1–9:38] This narrative section of the second book of the gospel is composed of nine miracle stories, most of which are found in Mark, although Matthew does not follow the Marcan order and abbreviates the stories radically. The stories are arranged in three groups of three, each group followed by a section composed principally of sayings of Jesus about discipleship. Mt 9:35 is an almost verbatim repetition of Mt 4:23. Each speaks of Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and healing. The teaching and preaching form the content of Mt 5–7; the healing, that of Mt 8–9. Some scholars speak of a portrayal of Jesus as “Messiah of the Word” in Mt 5–7 and “Messiah of the Deed” in Mt 8–9. That is accurate so far as it goes, but there is also a strong emphasis on discipleship in Mt 8–9; these chapters have not only christological but ecclesiological import. * [8:2] A leper: see note on Mk 1:40.3
Chas Kestermeier, S.J. thinks that in spite of all that God had done for Abram/Abraham, the patriarch could not believe in God’s unending love for him, God’s faithfulness and power, and so he had trouble letting go of his ideas of what God was able to do and so become able to praise God fully in gratitude. He had to learn the faith that led him to the fortunately incomplete sacrifice of Isaac, that promised son, years later.
I think that we might learn from Abraham’s mistake when God is asking for our trust and we cannot believe that what God is doing is really going to be good for us.4
Don Schwager quotes “The authority to heal and make clean belongs to Christ,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"With great fervor before Jesus' knees, the leper pleaded with him (Mark 1:40) with sincere faith. He discerned who Jesus was. He did not state conditionally, 'If you request it of God' or 'If you pray for me.' Rather, he said simply, 'If you will, you can make me clean.' He did not pray, 'Lord, cleanse me.' Rather, he leaves everything to the Lord and makes his own recovery depend entirely on him. Thus he testified that all authority belongs to him. One might ask, 'What if the leper had been mistaken in this assumption?' If he had been mistaken, wouldn't it have been fitting for the Lord to reprove him and set him straight? But did he do this? No. Quite to the contrary, Jesus established and confirmed exactly what he had said." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22 comments that Abraham would become the father of multitudes. This seemed so impossible that Abraham couldn’t help but laugh. After all, he was ninety-nine years old. Sarah had been infertile her entire life. Abraham couldn’t see the end of God’s plan when he was in the middle of it. He had to trust and wait—and try not to laugh.
We may find it hard to trust that God is taking care of us when we are still in the middle of our stories. But remember Abraham and Sarah and do what they did: believe in the One who has called you. God is all powerful and faithful. Remember the ways he has protected you and provided for you throughout your life. Choose to focus on his love for you instead of on the difficulties you face. And don’t be afraid of the waiting. “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, thank you for your perfect plan that continues on in my life.”6
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Ishmael (contrary opinion: Ishmael is Not the Father of the Arabs by Mark Durie) and reflects on the occurrence of laughter in this passage. The ten (9?) miracles of Jesus in Matthew 8 mirror the Decalog and show Jesus' authority confirming His preaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Friar Jude reminds us that, in Matthew, Jesus fulfills the Law.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the two wheels of Scripture and Tradition can be seen as sources of outer authority, while our personal experience leads to our inner authority. Only when inner and outer authority come together do we have true spiritual wisdom. Christianity in most of its history has largely relied upon outer authority. But we must now be honest about the value of inner experience, which of course was at work all the time but was not given credence. When spiritual teachers invite us to “pray,” they are in effect saying, “Go inside and know for yourself!” Father Thomas Keating (1923‒2018) wrote about the interior experience of God’s presence.
The chief thing that separates us from God is the thought that we are separated from [God]. If we get rid of that thought, our troubles will be greatly reduced. We fail to believe that we are always with God and that [God] is part of every reality. The present moment, every object we see, our inmost nature are all rooted in [God]. But we hesitate to believe this until our personal experience gives us the confidence to believe in it. . . . God constantly speaks to us through each other as well as from within. The interior experience of God’s presence activates our capacity to perceive [the divine] in everything else—in people, in events, in nature. We may enjoy union with God in any experience of the external senses as well as in prayer. [1]7
Our faith working with the Spirit in our personal experience and our study of salvation history brings happiness, fulfillment and growth in our journey.
References
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