The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the role we have in relating to our human community that is derived from our response to our experience of the Presence of God.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah shares a vision of God in the Temple.
* [6:5] Doomed: there are two roots from which the verb here could be derived; one means “to perish, be doomed,” the other “to become silent,” and given Isaiah’s delight in puns and double entendre, he probably intended to sound both notes. “I am doomed!” is suggested by the popular belief that to see God would lead to one’s death; cf. Gn 32:31; Ex 33:20; Jgs 13:22. “I am struck silent!” is suggested by the emphasis on the lips in vv. 5–6, and such silence is attested elsewhere as the appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple (Hb 2:20).
* [6:7] Touched your lips: Isaiah is thus symbolically purified of sin in preparation for his mission as God’s prophet.
(Isaiah, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
Psalm 93 praises the Majesty of God’s Rule.
* [Psalm 93] A hymn celebrating the kingship of God, who created the world (Ps 93:1–2) by defeating the sea (Ps 93:3–4). In the ancient myth that is alluded to here, Sea completely covered the land, making it impossible for the human community to live. Sea, or Flood, roars in anger against God, who is personified in the storm. God’s utterances or decrees are given authority by the victory over Sea (Ps 93:5).(Psalms, PSALM 93, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus exhorts us to have courage under persecution.
* [10:32–33] In the Q parallel (Lk 12:8–9), the Son of Man will acknowledge those who have acknowledged Jesus, and those who deny him will be denied (by the Son of Man) before the angels of God at the judgment. Here Jesus and the Son of Man are identified, and the acknowledgment or denial will be before his heavenly Father.(Matthew, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)
Colleen Chiacchere, in 2018, was reminded of the power of faith and the inevitable persecutions as a result of our faith … of our trust in God’s love for us, and in the promise of everlasting life. As we know, the journey of faith can be difficult and filled with trials and tribulations along the way. As disciples, we are not ‘above our master,’ and therefore likely to experience the same fate as Jesus. As followers of Christ, we will be ridiculed for our values, we will experience hardships and we’ll endure suffering.
I am reminded at how intimately God knows me (us), and how much I am (we are) deeply loved. On a practical level, I think of the daily task of brushing my almost five year-old daughter’s hair. It’s a labor of love to tame her hair in preparation for leaving the house each morning. The dark, thick, straight locks hang below her shoulders in a tangled mess most of the day. The several minutes it takes me to (painstakingly? lovingly? hurriedly?) brush it each morning (a difficult task for us both, most days) offer me only a glimpse into counting all the hairs on her head. The time, effort and desire I have for her, as displayed by the routine of brushing her hair each morning, is only a fraction of the intimacy God has of us. On a similar level, it is noticeable to see the confidence that my daughter displays knowing she is loved and sent off for the day, a tip of the iceberg in knowing her worth is “more than many sparrows.” Maybe I can also learn from my daughter about the confidence to meet the world each day with the profound understanding that my worth is also “more than many sparrows,” in God’s eyes. Today, let us take God’s love for us, God’s reassurance (‘be not afraid’) and God’ accompaniment with us, as we endure the sufferings of today.(Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Do not bewail death - but sin,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).
"The gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because there is always a dimension of life in the soul that can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else, and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul is present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God) ought to be with the soul that it may not die."
"How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a contemptible, object. There are in it still its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house; its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no one there within it to hear... Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it... This then we can know and hold for certain: the body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God. Every one without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief." (excerpt from SERMON 65.5-7)(Schwager, 2013)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:24-33 presents three of God’s character traits that make it clear why we would want to make him the Lord of our lives. First, if we believe that God is all-loving and all-powerful, we will discover a sense of freedom and relief. Second, recognizing that God is the ultimate source of all our blessings can lead us to a position of gratitude and humility. Third, the more we understand that our heavenly Father is the giver of mercy, the easier it becomes to obey his challenging call to forgive “seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22).
Of course, we should try to be more like God—but we shouldn’t try to be God. That only leads to trouble and heartache. Instead, we should accept him as our loving Father and trust that he will take care of us. After all, he only wants what’s best for us. “Father, you are perfect love and mercy. Lord, I give myself to you!” (Meditation on Matthew 10:24-33, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on Isaiah's inaugural vision and holy experience of being raised up to the heights of God. Isaiah recognizes his own lowliness purified by God to be a prophet who looks at things with eyes of God and proclaims truth to the people. Friar Jude connects the Temple dump to Gehenna as he recalls “they will kill you but never harm you'' from Revelation.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers several practical ways to experience community and discover a bigger reality beyond ourselves. Our Western culture leans toward self-sufficiency and independence, and we often need to be reminded that we are part of a greater whole and that we are not alone in our longings and efforts for peace, justice, and healing. This is one of the great gifts of what we usually mean by “church”—a gathering of people in solidarity of purpose, praying and seeking God’s presence together.
Find some way in which you can join in the life that is greater than your own. Participate in a vigil, sharing the grief and hope of your neighborhood or world. March with others to bring visibility and voice to an important issue. Make a pilgrimage to a sacred or violated site to connect your small place in time with a history and a broader meaning. Rest in the knowledge that God’s Spirit weaves your participation as a single thread within a life-renewing pattern. You are connected to the source of Life! (Rohr, 2013)
We are individually called by God in the promptings of the Spirit to live as Jesus' disciples, building the community of the Body of Christ.
References
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070922.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/6?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?24
Meditation on Matthew 10:24-33. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/09/435904/
Psalms, PSALM 93. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/93?1
Rohr, R. (2013, November 15). Humanity Is a Community. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/humanity-is-a-community-weekly-summary-2022-07-09 /
Schwager, D. (2013, November 15). Fear Him Who Can Destroy Soul and Body in Hell. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul9
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