The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to examine the principles upon which we have built our response to the situations we encounter on our journey.
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians is a warning against idolatry.
* [10:14–22] The warning against idolatry from 1 Cor 10:7 is now repeated (1 Cor 10:14) and explained in terms of the effect of sacrifices: all sacrifices, Christian (1 Cor 10:16–17), Jewish (1 Cor 10:18), or pagan (1 Cor 10:20), establish communion. But communion with Christ is exclusive, incompatible with any other such communion (1 Cor 10:21). Compare the line of reasoning at 1 Cor 6:15.
* [10:20] To demons: although Jews denied divinity to pagan gods, they often believed that there was some nondivine reality behind the idols, such as the dead, or angels, or demons. The explanation Paul offers in 1 Cor 10:20 is drawn from Dt 32:17: the power behind the idols, with which the pagans commune, consists of demonic powers hostile to God. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)
Psalm 116 offers thanksgiving for recovery from illness.
* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions. (Psalms, PSALM 116, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' Sermon on the Plain teaches that a tree is known by its fruit and compares the two foundations for our lives.
* [6:20–49] Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” is the counterpart to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 5:1–7:27). It is addressed to the disciples of Jesus, and, like the sermon in Matthew, it begins with beatitudes (Lk 6:20–22) and ends with the parable of the two houses (Lk 6:46–49). Almost all the words of Jesus reported by Luke are found in Matthew’s version, but because Matthew includes sayings that were related to specifically Jewish Christian problems (e.g., Mt 5:17–20; 6:1–8, 16–18) that Luke did not find appropriate for his predominantly Gentile Christian audience, the “Sermon on the Mount” is considerably longer. Luke’s sermon may be outlined as follows: an introduction consisting of blessings and woes (Lk 6:20–26); the love of one’s enemies (Lk 6:27–36); the demands of loving one’s neighbor (Lk 6:37–42); good deeds as proof of one’s goodness (Lk 6:43–45); a parable illustrating the result of listening to and acting on the words of Jesus (Lk 6:46–49). At the core of the sermon is Jesus’ teaching on the love of one’s enemies (Lk 6:27–36) that has as its source of motivation God’s graciousness and compassion for all humanity (Lk 6:35–36) and Jesus’ teaching on the love of one’s neighbor (Lk 6:37–42) that is characterized by forgiveness and generosity. (Luke, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
George Butterfield refers to what St. Paul says, “ you become a participant with demons. How can you do this and then become a participant in the Body and Blood of Christ? Demons are real. Those sacrifices are not just symbolic.” The same is true of the Body and Blood of Christ. We are not talking about symbols but the real flesh and blood of Christ. St. Ignatius of Antioch said that the Docetists in Antioch would not come to the Mass. Docetism means “appears” and they believed that Jesus only appeared to come in the flesh. So, Ignatius says, they would not come to the Mass because they knew that we believed that the Eucharist was a sharing in his flesh and blood. Thus, they didn’t believe he came in the flesh so they wouldn’t attend the Mass. We believe that there is something real offered to us; it is not just a symbol. We are not Docetists.
Jesus says that a tree is known by its fruit. The only way we can produce good fruit is to listen to Jesus. Jesus likens it to building a house. Do you build your house on a rock or on sand? To listen to Jesus and act on what he says is to build your house on a rock. The flood and the river cannot shake it. To listen and not act is like a person who builds their house on sand. That is a disaster just waiting to happen.
Jesus is real. His flesh and blood are really offered to us in the Mass. His words give real life to those who listen and act. May the Lord bless us as we offer our sacrifices to him. (Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries, n.d.)
The Daily Scripture net notes that Charles Read said: "Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny." Character, like fruit, doesn't grow overnight. It takes a lifetime.
Don Schwager quotes “Scripture is the field where we build our house,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"In a certain place in the Gospel, the Lord says that the wise hearer of his word ought to be like a man who, wishing to build, digs rather deeply until he comes to bedrock. There without anxiety he establishes what he builds against the onrush of a flood, so that when it comes, rather it may be pushed back by the solidity of the building than that house collapse by the impact. Let us consider the Scripture of God as being a field where we want to build something. Let us not be lazy or content with the surface. Let us dig more deeply until we come to rock: 'Now the rock was Christ' (1 Corinthians 10:4)." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 23.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 6:43-49 asks how can we build on rock? How can we bear “good fruit”? Jesus puts it succinctly: come to me, listen to me, and act on what you hear (Luke 6:43).
Jesus is clear; we need to do what he tells us when we come to him and listen. As you do, fruit is born. Some things are large and general: love God, love your neighbor. Some things are small and specific: pray for your spouse, introduce yourself to someone you don’t know at church. The possibilities are endless! You may not always “get it right.” But the Lord can work with that too. He only wants hearts that are willing to bear fruit for him.
“Jesus, help me to bear good fruit for you today.” (Meditation on Luke 6:43-49, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler echoes the call of Paul to avoid idolatry. Gentiles in Corinth often belonged to guilds and offices where a choice to belong to Christ was in conflict. Friar Jude reminds us that the fruit of how we live reflects our willingness to love in Christ.
Cynthia Bourgeault comments that this week’s Daily Meditations on the quest for the Holy Grail invite us into the realm of archetype, myth, and journey. Author and scholar Jean Houston has thought a great deal about these topics, and offers questions for reflection on how we have, or have not, responded to the adventurous questions of our soul.
Once you answer the call to a larger life, there is no turning back. Indeed, each of us might usefully consider where we find ourselves right now on the cycle of our own particular journeys. Have you heard a call to the larger life? Have you refused it, and if so, why? Have you accepted the call but then met with monsters of recalcitrance who refused to let you pass across the threshold to your own deeper capacities and possible life? Did you finally outwit these monsters and get across? Are you caught in the belly of the whale through despair, depression, or just plain sloth? Have unusual allies or helpers shown up? A telephone call at the right time? A book falling open at an important passage? Do you find yourself in the midst of the road of trials, and if so, do you experience it as full of adventures or as just one damn crisis after another? Is there awaiting you a sacred marriage or a transformational friendship? Do you feel the yearning for the inner beloved of the soul? Are you seeking atonement or attunement with your father or mother . . .? Are you finding a boon, an insight, a project that may bring some healthy solution to your own and the world’s problems? . . . Or perhaps you find yourself, like the rest of us, in several different stages of the journey at the same time. (Bourgeault, 2022)
We invoke the Holy Spirit to recognize and reject influences that lead away from the fullness of life offered to us as followers of Christ.
References
Bourgeault, C. (2022, September 10). Quest for the Grail: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/quest-for-the-grail-weekly-summary-2022-09-10/
Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/091022.html
Luke, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?43
Meditation on Luke 6:43-49. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/09/10/485866/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/10?14
Psalms, PSALM 116. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?12
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=sep10
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