The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our sense of a need for greater community and celebration of our gratitude for our relationships.
The reading from the Prophet Hosea recalls Israel’s sin and captivity.
* [10:3] No king: the instability of the monarchy (7:3–7) and its vassalage to foreign kings (7:8–16) render the monarchy ineffective. The kings do the opposite of what they are supposed to do (10:4). (Hosea, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)
Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.
* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). (Psalms, PSALM 105, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus identifies the Twelve Apostles and commissions the mission of the Twelve.
* [10:2–4] Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15). (Matthew, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)
Mirielle Mason comments that Jesus calls us each by name as well. He knows us, inside and out- but what is He charging us to do? We are tasked with finding the lost sheep, and bringing them home. Yes, this could be about proselytization. We could go out and proclaim to the masses that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
However, I am a fan of a more subtle method. I feel called to show God’s love to others by way of example. Each and every day I try my hardest to let God’s love shine through me onto those who need it most. Is it the new person at work or school? Maybe I pass by someone new to the area who is literally lost, and help them find their way! Being a stranger isn’t a requirement for this act of love, those I know well are sometimes lost emotionally, spiritually, or in their personal lives. Giving advice, or empathetically walking with them, are all ways I attempt to assist others in finding a path and “bring them home”. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus empowers his disciples to act in his name,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
" If the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified, how then did the disciples cast out the unclean spirits? They did this by his own command, by the Son's authority.2 Note the careful timing of their mission. They were not sent out at the beginning of their walk with him. They were not sent out until they had sufficiently benefited by following him daily. It was only after they had seen the dead raised, the sea rebuked, devils expelled, the legs of a paralytic brought to life, sins remitted, lepers cleansed, and had received a sufficient proof of his power both by deeds and words - only then did he send them out. And he did not send them out unprepared to do dangerous deeds, for as yet there was no danger in Palestine. They had only to stand against verbal abuse. However, Jesus still warned them of larger perils to come, preparing them for what was future." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 32.3) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:1-7 urges us to think about the deep impact our faith can have on other people. Think about how dramatic a “sign” it can be if we forgive someone who has deeply offended us. Or the “sign” of being kind to someone whom others completely ignore. Or what about the “sign” we perform simply by trying to live out the virtues of purity, humility, gentleness, and faithfulness in our relationships?
When you focus your heart on Jesus’ presence in you, you become a sign that points to him wherever you go. You can begin just by making this prayer of St. John Henry Newman your own every morning: “Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus!”
This is the calling of every Christian; this is the way we point to God’s kingdom here on earth. It’s a calling Jesus fulfilled in the Twelve, and it’s a calling he is happy to fulfill in us.
“Lord, shine through me!” (Meditation on Matthew 10:1-7, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the change in the attitude of the Israelites from the relationship with God in the desert to unfaithfulness in the luxuriant Promised Land. The punishment of God is often the playing out of people reaping what they sow. Friar Jude reminds us that the converted Pharisee editor of Matthew’s Gospel followed Jewish tradition in using the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven.”
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer who shares insight into the Thanksgiving Address [1], an invocation from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to honor the communal nature of all life on earth. Kimmerer considers the vision of connectedness that the Thanksgiving Address affirms.
The words are simple, but in the art of their joining, they become a statement of sovereignty, a political structure, a Bill of Responsibilities, an educational model, a family tree, and a scientific inventory of ecosystem services. It is a powerful political document, a social contract, a way of being—all in one piece. But first and foremost, it is the credo for a culture of gratitude.
Cultures of gratitude must also be cultures of reciprocity. Each person, human or no, is bound to every other in a reciprocal relationship. Just as all beings have a duty to me, I have a duty to them. If an animal gives its life to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream’s gift of pure water, then I am responsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human’s education is to know those duties and how to perform them. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)
When we reflect the Presence of God in our actions and relationships, we encourage gratitude as a response.
References
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070622.html
Hosea, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/10?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?1
Meditation on Matthew 10:1-7. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/06/432910/
Psalms, PSALM 105. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/105?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). In Communion with All. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/in-communion-with-all-2022-07-06/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Gives His Disciples Authority to Heal and Set Free. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul6
No comments:
Post a Comment