The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today proclaim that we are invited to participate in the full life that is experienced when we are prepared by the Spirit to recognize the Love of Jesus on our journey.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans contrasts Adam and Christ.
* [5:12–21] Paul reflects on the sin of Adam (Gn 3:1–13) in the light of the redemptive mystery of Christ. Sin, as used in the singular by Paul, refers to the dreadful power that has gripped humanity, which is now in revolt against the Creator and engaged in the exaltation of its own desires and interests. But no one has a right to say, “Adam made me do it,” for all are culpable (Rom 5:12): Gentiles under the demands of the law written in their hearts (Rom 2:14–15), and Jews under the Mosaic covenant. Through the Old Testament law, the sinfulness of humanity that was operative from the beginning (Rom 5:13) found further stimulation, with the result that sins were generated in even greater abundance. According to Rom 5:15–21, God’s act in Christ is in total contrast to the disastrous effects of the virus of sin that invaded humanity through Adam’s crime.
* [5:12] Inasmuch as all sinned: others translate “because all sinned,” and understand v 13 as a parenthetical remark. Unlike Wis 2:24, Paul does not ascribe the entry of death to the devil.
* [5:20] The law entered in: sin had made its entrance (12); now the law comes in alongside sin. See notes on Rom 1:18–32; 5:12–21. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more: Paul declares that grace outmatches the productivity of sin. (Romans, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 40 is a thanksgiving for Deliverance and Prayer for Help.
* [Psalm 40] A thanksgiving (Ps 40:2–13) has been combined with a lament (Ps 40:14–17) that appears also in Ps 70. The psalmist describes the rescue in spatial terms—being raised up from the swampy underworld to firm earth where one can praise God (Ps 40:2–4). All who trust God will experience like protection (Ps 40:5–6)! The Psalm stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced (Ps 40:7–11). A prayer for protection concludes (Ps 40:12–17). (Psalms, PSALM 40 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke is a parable of Vigilant and Faithful Servants.
* [12:35–48] This collection of sayings relates to Luke’s understanding of the end time and the return of Jesus. Luke emphasizes for his readers the importance of being faithful to the instructions of Jesus in the period before the parousia. (Luke, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth asks how do we apply this to waiting for the Lord? How do we even know what to listen for or how to detect his presence? We can’t be vigilant all the time.
I stumbled onto my answer while taking solitary daily exercise walks. Almost by accident, I would find my mind meandering in the silence as answers to prayers or problems bubbled up from somewhere. Was God telling me something? It began to seem that way.
Now I count on this when I’m worrying or trying to solve a problem. All it takes is setting aside 15 or 20 minutes for silence.
You can meditate, enjoy your garden or a park or just walk around the block. Get away from the electronic devices that continuously distract us. Silence your cell phone. Your messages can wait while you open yourself to hear messages from the Lord and feel his presence in your life.
Let God cut through the clutter of your life by regularly opening yourself to him in silence. You may be amazed to hear God loud and clear if you just create the silence to listen for his arrival – even without the aid of shining headlights or banging car doors! (Wirth, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “The true meaning of 'loins girded and lamps burning'”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The girding of our loins (Luke 12:25) signifies the readiness of the mind to work hard in every thing praiseworthy. Those who apply themselves to bodily labors and are engaged in strenuous toil have their loins girded. The lamp apparently represents the wakefulness of the mind and intellectual cheerfulness. We say that the human mind is awake when it repels any tendency to slumber off into that carelessness that often is the means of bringing it into subjection to every kind of wickedness. When sunk in stupor, the heavenly light within the mind is liable to be endangered, or even already is in danger from a violent and impetuous blast of wind. Christ commands us to be awake. To this, his disciple also arouses us by saying, 'Be awake. Be watchful' (1 Peter 5:8). Further on, the very wise Paul also says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall give you light' (Ephesians 5:14)." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 92) (Schwager, 2019)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 12:35-38 comments that Jesus doesn’t want us to be passive while we wait for his return. He tells us to be always eager to serve him and his people in whatever way he calls us. Of course, this means preparing our hearts and our homes to welcome him. But it also means actively working to make the world outside of our homes ready to accept him. It means being open to the Spirit’s promptings as he gives us opportunities to share our faith. And it means always being ready to reach out to those who are hurting.
Yes, there are times when getting ready for Jesus is hard work. But when he comes back, he will heal our wounds, dry our tears, and spread a heavenly feast for us. Just knowing that makes all the hard work worthwhile!
“Jesus, I am in awe that you love me so much! Help me to be ready to welcome you when you return!” (Meditation on Luke 12:35-38, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on sin entering the world through Adam as expressed by Paul in Romans. Paul proclaims the Life that enters the world through the peace with God in Jesus. Friar Jude notes the exaggerated example that Jesus uses to underline the unbelievable things that God will do that we might live in His Mercy.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that Mechthild of Magdeburg was a member of the beguines, lay women who lived communal lives of Christian devotion and service in the Low Countries of Western Europe and in France and Germany. Scholar Carol Lee Flinders writes:
“Our redeemer has become our bridegroom!” Mechthild exults. Others had said as much, but in a relatively formal, allegorical mode. When Mechthild writes of the soul’s romance with God, she is no allegorist: in the depths of her being, she has found a lover who is fully, deliciously responsive. “Thou art my resting-place,” God tells her, “my love, my secret peace, my deepest longing, my highest honour. Thou art a delight of my Godhead, … a cooling stream for my ardour” (1.19). God is there, Mechthild insists, for every one of us, not in a general, impersonal sense, but there—so exquisitely right for you it’s as if you’d made him up. He “whispers with His love in the narrow confines of the soul” (2.23). Her language is almost shockingly erotic at times; for Mechthild, the sweet goings-on between God and the soul are the reality—all-consuming and exquisitely fulfilling—of which human sexuality is only a pale shadow. (Rohr, 2023)
We ponder the experiences on our journey that have connected us with intimate and deep love and the anticipation and preparation that we may have been led to prepare and intensify these encounters with beauty, peace, and love.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/12?35
Meditation on Luke 12:35-38. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/10/24/813121/
Psalms, PSALM 40 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40?7
Rohr, R. (2023, October 24). Body and Soul Are One in God — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/body-and-soul-are-one-in-god/
Romans, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?12
Schwager, D. (2019, March 9). When the Master Knocks - Open at Once. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=oct24
Wirth, E. (2023, October 24). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 24, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/102423.html
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