The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today affirm our trust in Providence for our wellbeing and underline the mission of mercy to
which we are called by the Spirit.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah tells of the cure for Hezekiah’s illness.
* [38:1] In those days: before the siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.
* [38:5] Since Hezekiah died in 687 B.C., his sickness may have occurred in 702 B.C., that is, fifteen years before. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 38, n.d.)
The response from Isaiah is Hezekiah’s Hymn of Thanksgiving.
* [38:10] In the noontime of life: long before the end of a full span of life; cf. Ps 55:24; 102:25.
* [38:11] See the LORD: go to the Temple and take part in its service.
* [38:12] These two metaphors emphasize the suddenness and finality of death.
* [38:15–16] The Hebrew text is very problematic and its meaning uncertain. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 38, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus confronts the Pharisees about plucking grain on the Sabbath.
* [12:5–6] This and the following argument (Mt 12:7) are peculiar to Matthew. The temple service seems to be the changing of the showbread on the sabbath (Lv 24:8) and the doubling on the sabbath of the usual daily holocausts (Nm 28:9–10). The argument is that the law itself requires work that breaks the sabbath rest, because of the higher duty of temple service. If temple duties outweigh the sabbath law, how much more does the presence of Jesus, with his proclamation of the kingdom (something greater than the temple), justify the conduct of his disciples. (Matthew, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
Thomas Quinn notes that the Gospel today revisits a common theme: Jesus reasons with the Pharisees.
Jesus reasoned that priests in the Temple do their work on the Sabbath; King David and some of his men entered the Temple and ate sacrificial food. They were found innocent. Jesus then inferred that the field in which they stood was greater than the Temple, since the “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” “ These men (the disciples) are [as] innocent as the priests in the Temple.” God does not require sacrifice, but mercy. God asks us to be motivated not by the letter of the law, but by mercy and love. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Seventh Day,” from the early Greek fathers, attributed to Eusebius of Alexandria (5th century AD).
"Now every week has seven days. Six of these God has given to us for work, and one for prayer, rest, and making reparation for our sins, so that on the Lord's Day we may atone to God for any sins we have committed on the other six days. Therefore, arrive early at the church of God; draw near to the Lord and confess your sins to him, repenting in prayer and with a contrite heart. Attend the holy and divine liturgy; finish your prayer and do not leave before the dismissal. Contemplate your master as he is broken and distributed, yet not consumed. If you have a clear conscience, go forward and partake of the body and blood of the Lord." (excerpt from SERMON 6, 1-2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8 asks what are Hosea and Jesus telling us? That we shouldn’t care about whether we or someone else is honoring God’s commands and guidelines? No. In fact, Jesus valued and upheld God’s law. But he often went out of his way to remind us that everyone needs mercy. And the reason why we are trying to follow God’s rules is more important than being preoccupied with fulfilling them with perfect precision.
So if you tend to be overly critical of yourself, receive God’s tender affirmation: You are my child, and I love you. If you are bound up in worry, receive his assurance: I am with you, whatever may come.
Then give it away! Start with those you are closest to. Offer mercy and compassion to your spouse, your parents, your children, and your colleagues and friends. Through your words and actions, proclaim that mercy is more powerful than differences of opinions or misunderstandings. Assume their best intentions, not the worst. Make that apology that you’ve been putting off. “Waste” a little time being present to someone who needs company.
Receive God’s mercy today, that you may be able to give it away.
“Jesus, help me to treasure your mercy above all else.” (Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the contrast between the sign given Hezekiah by God and the reluctance of his father Ahaz to ask for a sign. Often when we are discerning a path for our growth in Christ, signs are quite visible in our environment. Friar Jude reminds us that the interpretation of the Law like the Pharisees disregards our call to show mercy.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Gary Paul Nabhan, a graduate of the CAC’s Living School and a professed member of the Ecumenical Order of Franciscans, who is a conservation biologist, orchard-keeper, and storyteller. He shares about his involvement in the first Earth Day celebration in 1970 ,when he was sent to a small Catholic college near the Mississippi River to be the youngest presenter at a campus-wide convocation.
Whatever words I spoke were directed toward those eagles as much as they were to the humans assembled there that day; to the catfish in the river as much as to the Christian community; a call of the wild as much as a call for a communion of all races, faiths, and classes.
Actually, I can’t recall that any words spilled out my mouth that morning. I am not at all sure that my voice was heard—let alone remembered—by anyone present that first Earth Day morning, but that did not matter much to me. I felt as though I was present at the dawning of Creation, at the first sanctioned gathering of two-leggeds, four-leggeds, winged ones, and rooted ones where all came to express their joy in being part of this sacred place that was careening through space and time.
It is true: whenever any of us feels gratitude for all of Earth’s creatures, we have become fully Present, fully alive ourselves.
That may be what Saint Francis of Assisi meant when he urged us to “go out and preach the Good News and only when necessary use words.” (Rohr, 2020)
We are alerted by the Spirit to the events of our day that are opportunities to share a fuller life through acts of healing and mercy.
References
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/071522.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 38. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/38?1
Isaiah, CHAPTER 38. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/38?10
Matthew, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12?1
Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/15/442243/
Rohr, R. (2020, April 15). Loving the Earth. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/loving-the-earth-2022-07-15/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul15
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