The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the extent to which our connection to “the way things are” is limiting our experience of the love of God when we decide to act in Jesus' name.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is a survey of accusation against Israel and appeal to God.
* [1:10–17] A powerful indictment of the religious hypocrisy of rulers and others who neglect just judgment and oppress the weaker members, yet believe they can please God with sacrifices and other external forms of worship. The long list of observances suggests the Lord’s tedium with such attempts. Sodom…Gomorrah: the names are picked up from v. 9, but now to emphasize their wickedness rather than the good fortune of escaping total destruction. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 50 describes the acceptable sacrifice.
* [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20). (Psalms, PSALM 50 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus identifies the cause of division as he describes the conditions of discipleship and rewards for recipients of the message.
* [10:38] The first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens.
* [10:39] One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom.
* [10:40–42] All who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Cindy Murphy McMahon comments that the context of what someone is saying and the essence of who people are, their complexity, matters. Unfortunately, in today’s world, with some social media platforms, sound bites, short TV news segments, political ads, and advertising in general, there is no context, just one-sided brevity, and it is often harsh. We really can’t understand someone and the complexity of their beliefs if we don’t know much about their whole personhood and the context of what they are saying. When we know a person’s background and history, and we also have context for their views, we know more of the fullness of a person.
That’s why our first impressions of people are so often wrong. It takes time to get to know someone, and even then, there can be misunderstandings. But when we know someone well, we can straighten out the misunderstanding by asking questions and having discussions, and then carry on with the relationship…. And when he said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,” he again was stressing that pursuing one’s own goals and objectives in life, without aligning with God’s will for them, falls far short of what a life dedicated to building God’s kingdom can yield.
If they didn’t understand parts of what he was saying, I’m sure the disciples asked him questions and discussed their confusion with him along the road or at a dinner table or over a firepit preparing food. That’s what friends do, and that’s what we should do, in prayer or with a spiritual advisor, when we have questions about Jesus’ words as well. And when we don’t have the full context and don’t truly know someone well, we should talk further with them if possible to try to get to know them and avoid making rash conclusions and judgments about them based on brief encounters. (Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “How peace requires a sword,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"What sort of peace is it that Jesus asks them to pronounce upon entering each house? And what kind of peace is it of which the angels sing, 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace'? And if Jesus came not to bring peace, why did all the prophets publish peace as good news? Because this more than anything is peace: when the disease is removed. This is peace: when the cancer is cut away. Only with such radical surgery is it possible for heaven to be reunited to earth. Only in this way does the physician preserve the healthy tissue of the body. The incurable part must be amputated. Only in this way does the military commander preserve the peace: by cutting off those in rebellion. Thus it was also in the case of the tower of Babel, that their evil peace was ended by their good discord. Peace therefore was accomplished. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 35.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 1:10-17 comments on what a “thrown away” sacrifice looks like: an outward act of worship that doesn’t flow from a heart of gratitude for God’s goodness and a desire to be like him. It’s what happens when you’re just going through the motions in prayer, but your mind is somewhere else. It’s also what happens when your actions during the day don’t match up with your words in prayer.
Think about the sacrifices you are making for the Lord: the time you are giving up to make it to Mass each weekend or the time you spend in daily prayer. Can you identify ways those sacrifices are moving you to live more like Jesus? Are there times when you catch yourself seeking the Lord halfheartedly in prayer? If you see a disconnect, ask the Lord to help you find a way to put more of your core—your heart and your soul—into it. “Jesus, help me ‘learn to do good,’ both in my sacrifices for you and in the way I treat the people around me.” (Meditation on Isaiah 1:10-17, n.d.)
The Franciscan Media website describes St Benedict as a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict.
The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church. (Saint Benedict, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the beginning of Isaiah’s career was much Amos, a prophet from the south, who called out superficial sacrifice called for social justice and a conversion of the heart. “Take up your cross” may allude to the common form of capital punishment by the Roman authorities. Friar Jude reminds us that when we choose Jesus' way, we may incur the anger and hatred of others but those who accept the messengers may receive a prophet's reward for their goodness.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, teaches that we can only practice new ways of being in the world if we maintain some degree of nonattachment from the systems around us. The foundation of Jesus’ social program is non-idolatry, or the withdrawing of our enthrallment from all kingdoms except the Kingdom of God. This supports a much better agenda than feeling the need to attack things directly. Non Attachment (freedom from loyalties to human-made, domination systems) is the best way of protecting people from religious zealotry or any kind of antagonistic thinking or behavior. There is nothing to be against. Just keep concentrating on the Big Thing you are for! In Paul’s thinking, we were supposed to live inside of an alternative society, almost a utopia, and from such fullness “go to the world.” Instead, we created a model whereby people live almost entirely in the world, fully invested in its attitudes toward money, war, power, and gender—and sometimes “go to church.” This doesn’t seem to be working! Groups like the Amish, the Bruderhof, Black churches, and members of some Catholic religious orders probably have a better chance of actually maintaining an alternative consciousness. Most of the rest of us end up thinking and operating pretty much like our surrounding culture.
Many people, however, now find this solidarity in think tanks, support groups, prayer groups, study groups, house-building projects, healing circles, or community-focused organizations. Perhaps without fully recognizing it, we are often heading in the right direction. Some new studies indicate that Christians are not as much leaving Christianity as they are realigning with groups that live Christian values in the world—instead of just gathering again to hear the readings, recite the creed, and sing songs on Sunday. Jesus does not need our singing; we need instead to act like a community. Actual Christian behavior might just be growing more than we realize. Behavior has a very different emphasis than belonging. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the guidance of the Spirit to discern our path of detachment from the passions of our culture to act sincerely and humbly, amid disdain for our alternate rule, as friends of Jesus.
References
Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. (n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/071122.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/1?10
Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?34
Meditation on Isaiah 1:10-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/11/437424/
Psalms, PSALM 50 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50?8
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Living What We Are “For”. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/living-what-we-are-for-2022-07-11/
Saint Benedict. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-benedict
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul11
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