The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to choose the Way of Jesus even as we anticipate challenges and rejection for our choice.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents salvation through the Lord’s Servant.
* [50:4–11] The third of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4); in vv. 4–9 the servant speaks; in vv. 10–11 God addresses the people directly.
* [50:5] The servant, like a well-trained disciple, does not refuse the divine vocation.
* [50:6] He willingly submits to insults and beatings. Tore out my beard: a grave and painful insult. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 50, n.d.)
Psalm 69 is a prayer for deliverance from persecution.
* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Ps 69:23–29). Despite the pain, the psalmist does not lose hope that all be set right, and promises public praise (Ps 69:30–36). The Psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Ps 69:5 in Jn 15:25; Ps 69:22 in Mk 15:23, 36 and parallels and in Jn 19:29. The Psalm prays not so much for personal vengeance as for public vindication of God’s justice. There was, at this time, no belief in an afterlife where such vindication could take place. Redress had to take place now, in the sight of all. (Psalms, PSALM 69, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Judas agrees to betray Jesus as He shares the Passover with the Disciples.
* [26:17] The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: see note on Mk 14:1. Matthew omits Mark’s “when they sacrificed the Passover lamb.”
* [26:18] By omitting much of Mk 14:13–15, adding My appointed time draws near, and turning the question into a statement, in your house I shall celebrate the Passover, Matthew has given this passage a solemnity and majesty greater than that of his source.
* [26:21] Given Matthew’s interest in the fulfillment of the Old Testament, it is curious that he omits the Marcan designation of Jesus’ betrayer as “one who is eating with me” (Mk 14:18), since that is probably an allusion to Ps 41:10. However, the shocking fact that the betrayer is one who shares table fellowship with Jesus is emphasized in Mt 26:23.
* [26:24] It would be better…born: the enormity of the deed is such that it would be better not to exist than to do it.
* [26:25] Peculiar to Matthew. You have said so: cf. Mt 26:64; 27:11. This is a half-affirmative. Emphasis is laid on the pronoun and the answer implies that the statement would not have been made if the question had not been asked. (Matthew, CHAPTER 26, n.d.)
Scott McClure comments that we are meant to imitate Jesus - and not only in the easy and obvious ways of loving. Donating to St. Vincent De Paul, volunteering at the soup kitchen, being kind to those who are also kind to us - these are all good. Jesus exhibited these and other like loving kindnesses on Earth as well - and we should imitate these!
Being a follower and companion of Jesus, however, involves more. It involves loving kindnesses when it is hard. Especially when it is hard. When Jesus was celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he knew he was being betrayed. His betrayer was at hand. What was in motion was a true injustice wrought by humanity. Even so, Jesus does not resist, knowing full well the fate of his back and his beard. But in the face of this obvious human injustice, Jesus had in mind a higher - a transcendent - justice. Whereas we human beings value what is deserved for those ‘right’ and those ‘wrong’, God models a transcendent justice. This justice that Jesus models we know by a different name: mercy.
Where are those ‘hard to love’ circumstances in your life? Pray with these. Bring these to the foot of the cross; to the foot of mercy. It is here that God shows us the way. (McClure, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “God's help for a complete conversion,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When we transform our old life and give our spirit a new image, we find it hard and tiring to turn back from the darkness of earthly passions to the serene calm of the divine light. We thus ask God to help us that a complete conversion may be brought about in us." (excerpt from Confessions 10,4) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 26:14-25 comments that today, Silent Wednesday, is the calm before the storm.
As you read the Gospel for today, listen to Jesus’ voice echoing through the centuries, telling you, “In your house I shall celebrate the Passover” (Matthew 26:18). Jesus has chosen to spend today with you. Your schedule may not be silent, but you can still find a special way to rest with him and prepare yourself for the great celebrations that will start tomorrow evening.
“Jesus, help me to find some quiet time today so that you can prepare me for what you have in store for me in the coming days.” (Meditation on Matthew 26:14-25, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the third song of the Suffering Servant, Deutero-Isaiah God will not turn His back on the well trained but persecuted messenger. Identification of the betrayer in Matthew’s Gospel may not be as clear as that in the Gospel of John. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus embraced the Passion knowing what was to come.
Cynthia Bourgeault comments that in Holy Week, we know that resurrection and hope are on their way, but not before we face with Jesus the despair of betrayal, abandonment, and death. Brother John of Taizé compares Jesus’ passion to Jonah’s experience of the deep sea. For CAC faculty emerita Cynthia Bourgeault, the passion of Jesus reveals a wisdom that enables us to “turn the tide” from despair to empowerment in our own lives.
[Jesus] certainly lived in a very intense way the ordeals of betrayal, abandonment, homelessness, and death. Did it have to be like that? If he were indeed here on a divine mission, it would seem that he could have been given an easier career path: chief priest, political leader, the Messiah that people expected him to be…. But none of these opportunities materialized. Why not? Because the path he did walk is precisely the one that would most fully unleash the transformative power of his teaching. It both modeled and consecrated the eye of the needle [DM team: or the belly of the whale] that each one of us must personally pass through in order to accomplish the “one thing necessary” here, according to his teaching: to die to self. I am not talking about literal crucifixion, of course, but I am talking about the literal laying down of our “life,” at least as we usually recognize it. Our only truly essential human task here, Jesus teaches, is to grow beyond the survival instincts of the animal brain and egoic operating system into the kenotic joy and generosity of full human personhood. His mission was to show us how to do this. [2] (Bourgeault, 2023)
We need to respond to the call of the Spirit to follow Jesus in dying to ourselves on the journey to fullness of life.
References
Bourgeault, C. (2023, April 5). A Transforming Passion — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-transforming-passion-2023-04-05/
Isaiah, CHAPTER 50. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/50?4
Matthew, CHAPTER 26. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26?14
McClure, S. (2023, April 5). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040523.html
Meditation on Matthew 26:14-25. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/04/05/644988/
Psalms, PSALM 69. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/69?8
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Tragedy of the Betrayal. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=apr5
No comments:
Post a Comment