Strength from Love

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time offers part of the greatest insights into the nature of love and our relationship to the Divine source of love. The 12th chapter of the 1st letter of Paul to the Corinthians has inspired many. Much has been written about this visionary text. Love fits together all the other components of our being. The power of the love is the basis of the strength to face the realities of being a disciple of Jesus. Luke’s gospel reveals Jesus understanding that the will of the Divine is not the will of humans and this truth will necessarily mean ‘no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.’ In the time of Jeremiah, the Exile to Babylon, prophets were not welcomed either. Truth is the pursuit of the prophet. As always, the truth hurts. Love is the balm for hurt.

Trust the Spirit

The relationship of people with the Divine has impact on daily life. The Roman Catholic Lectionary shows David’s outrage at the injustice described to him by Nathan, who exclaims to David “You are the man!”. The indwelling Spirit can reveal, perhaps through others, the blindness we may have to our own faults. The disciples are trying. Jesus reveals that their anxiety in the boat may reflect a need to go deeper in their relationship to find the total security that the indwelling Spirit brings.

Visible and Hidden

The psalm today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary is Psalm 51. It is a psalm of repentance and forgiveness. It contains deeply felt remorse and rejoicing at the mercy of God. The text from 2 Samuel tells of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. It is clear that forgiveness and mercy are the personal experience of David. The message to all is to seek reconciliation within the love of God. Jesus parables of mustard seeds and growing seeds are told by Mark. The parable is a teaching form that demands our reflection. The surface story appears at first read to contain the simple message. We can take it in and wonder at the obvious nature of the lesson. Yet Jesus explained the apparently obvious to the disciples. That indicates there is deeper understanding in the parables for thouse who seek to see, hear and taste more. Jesuit teachers encourage the use of imagination and the indwelling Spirit to “take us” into the parable. We can be patient and let the Divine teach us something beyond the obvious.

Aquinas and the Lampstand

Today, the memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor, the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary speak of action. Thomas Aquinas spoke of taking action. Mark relates Jesus exhortation to be among those who give. Those who have some insight need to share it, or perhaps the insight they have will disappear.

Imagine being there

The text from Mark in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is the parable of the sower. The reaction of “What does He mean?” sometimes accompanies a reflection on the Parables. It is intended to be an account which is familiar and profound at the same time. The meaning of the parables and in fact the meaning of Jesus life is best explored through the imagination which can take us to the events as a participant. Some Jesuit teachers encourage approaching the parables through prayer, patience and the imagination. Certainly the richness of insight and understanding available from the parables needs to be nourished and cultivated in rich soil.

Presence is Prime

The last line in the text from Luke’s Gospel in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10.9) is the essence of Christian evangelization. The texts today indicate that even though the journey will have challenges, the Presence of the indwelling Spirit is strength to continue. The very perseverance in the journey brings peace and healing to those who encounter the Divine through the action of the disciple. Francis encouraged believers to always preach the Gospel and, if necessary, use words.

Beginnings of Conversion

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings texts for the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul. Paul’s story includes education at the hands of Gamaliel, who also was the teacher of Nicodemous and Stephen. This education may have been a foundation for Paul’s development of the “third eye” referred to by Rohr as the quality of the non-dual seer. Certainly the texts which have come from the influence of Paul have been rich in the development of the Life of the indwelling Spirit which is the portal to approach the mystery of Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection in the Christian tradition

The Foundations of Christian Oneness

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today is rich with the foundation concepts in the Church. These concepts are often missed in our rush to establish a rational basis for this and a reason for that. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians offers an understanding of the Oneness of the Church that overflows with diversity and inclusion. The paradox of the many parts being “one body” is eloquently presented. In is the indwelling Spirit that creates and enables this distributed life. The synagogue where Jesus regularly attended is the scene of the Spirit moving as He proclaims the words of Isaiah to the community where He grew up. These marvelous and ancient words proclaiming the fruit of the relationship with the Divine, good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, are followed by Jesus proclamation ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ (Luke 4:21).

Overwhelmed and Overwhelming

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today has a text from Mark which is reminiscent of the scene in Jesus Christ Superstar where the crowd is overwhelming Jesus with their demands. The Book of Samuel tells of the distress of David at the death of Jonathan and Saul. The figures of holiness have human emotions. The humanity of Jesus is an important area of reflection. From the beginning of Christianity, it has required the exercise of “non-dual” thinking, as Rohr puts it to fully engage the fully human and fully Divine nature of Jesus.

Creed and Apostolic are relevant?

The Roman Catholic Lectionary continues the texts from Samuel and Mark. The remarkable relationship between Saul and David continues to unfold. Mark details the anointing of the “Twelve”. The “Twelve” certainly figure large in the history of the Church. Twelve was the number of the tribes of Israel. The presentation of the “one holy catholic and apostolic Church” (Nicene Creed; translation by the ecumenical English Language Liturgical Commission (ELLC)) in the Catholicism 201 course ties the “apostolic” nature of the Church to the relationship to the Twelve. The Presence and revelation of the Divine are contained in the Tradition of the Church. The struggle of people with the Divine relationship is recorded in tradition, liturgy, prayer and observance. The “Twelve” are the anointed for their time and for all time.

Popular but not populist

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today features texts which relate how the public response to David’s success made life dangerous for him. The stories of Jesus healing spread and Mark tells us that he sought ways to make an exit from the crowds who were pressing in on Him. There is contradiction in these scenarios. David , as his story evolves would be grateful for the public support as he ruled as king. The mission of Jesus to bring the Kingdom can paradoxically be diffused by the roar of the crowd and the will of the mob.

Security and Control

Security and control are themes from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The familiar story of David and Goliath is told from the book of Samuel. The security of the Israelites apparently depended on the defeat of the Philistines. This thinking still causes nations to take up arms instead of joining arms. Some examples in the past 50 years have featured the transformation of former “cold war” enemies into customers, trading partners and friends. The religious authorities are shown to be losing control of Jesus as He disregards their rules and heals on the Sabbath. Security and control provide a false sense that we have things in order. Freedom is experienced in the transformation of enemies to friends and our ego centered journey to an other centered life in response to the promptings of the indwelling Spirit.

Sabbath and other surprises

Surprise is an emotion which we should experience as we encounter the Divine. We need to remind ourselves that the thoughts and ways of God are not ours. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today takes us to the book of Samuel. David, the youngest and of the least physical prowess is chosen to be the King of Israel. Mark’s Gospel relates the surprise of the religious officials when Jesus disciples pluck grain and eat it on the Sabbath. The strict observance of the “Sabbath laws” is not the disposition of humans toward the Divine. Keeping the Sabbath is that opportunity to let the Presence of the Divine be experienced in delight, joy, love because the cares of the week have been set aside to allow the indwelling Spirit to be open to an anointing of Divine selection.

Fasting and Forgiveness

Fasting is mentioned throughout the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. Many might assume that fasting has gone out of practice in the spiritual journey. In 1 Samuel, Saul attempts to use religious practice to legitimize his disobedience of the voice of God. This is too often the motive for practices such as fasting. We wish to shape God’s will to our plan. A time of fasting can remove us from many of the distractions of our day. It can open a channel to hear better the voice of God. Through the community of our Spirit, assisted by the message of our body we can be in solidarity with the many hungry, physical and spiritual, in the world. Isaiah and Jesus encourage us to consider the fast that translates into the cessation of oppressive, demeaning and unjust behavior towards others. Traditionally fasting was a penance for our sins to be forgiven by God. It is the opportunity to be forgiving of those who are unjust and unfair to us.

Joy and Delight at the Wedding

My son was visiting yesterday. He is planning to get married in a few months. His fiancée has selected her dress. He is excited about her, for her and about the celebration. It is an anticipation of a love filled celebration.

In Celtic spirituality there is a concept known as a ‘thin place’. This is a time, place or event in which, for a very brief moment, our humanity is embraced by the mystery of the divine and we are filled with the wonder of God (Chezzi, 2010)

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary compare the love of the Creator for the Creature to the delight of the marriage couple for each other. The place where we encounter the Divine may be in the joy of the couple who are getting married. The celebration of that event is certainly a time to witness the delight and joy of love and to demonstrate that love in daily life to the couple. At Cana, Jesus quietly revealed the boundless generosity of the Father towards his children. The giftedness we see in our intimate friends is another glimpse of the mystery of the hand of the Divine in our lives.
Chezzi, A. (2010, January). 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Living with Christ , p. 101.

Open to the Call

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are stories of calling. Samuel, the seer, recognizes that the Lord is calling Saul to be the king of the Israelites. As Jesus continues his public ministry , He encounters Levi, a tax collector. He invites Levi to follow him. Mark relates that many of the “tax collectors and sinners” followed Jesus and joined Him in a meal. Where will our imagination place us in these episodes? If we are acting to call out the best in people, how inviting is our “Follow Me”? If we hear an invitation to “Follow Me”, have we acted to join that group for a time? Open ears and open arms seem to be characteristics of called and calling. There also seems to be a requirement to move and change with new companions for the leader and to new companions for the called.

Children of God

Samuel prays to the Lord about the request of the Israelites to be ruled by a king, This is related in the first book of Samuel from the Roman Catholic Lectionary of today. The phrase “children of God” holds a message of intimacy and delight in the relationship between Divine and person. The “children” in today’s text want their way. We have likely experienced our own family making requests of us which we knew were not in their best interest. The response of God is one which parents have also used. The Divine, like human parents is always present to direct even our bad choices to better ends. The Kingdoms of Solomon and David eventually were highlights in the Hebrew story. Mark relates Jesus encounter with the faith of friends of a paralyzed man. Richard Rohr, in the Naked Now, describes faith as knowing not believing. The faith filled friends in the Gospel knew that contact with Jesus would be good for their friend. They acted to make it happen. The Christian Cursillo movement has a tripod guideline for our relationship with the Divine, piety, study and action.

Expectations Challenged

The Roman Catholic Lectionary contains passages from Scripture which clearly surprise us and challenge our expectations about the interaction of the Divine with people. The chosen people face conflict with the Philistines. As the Book of Samuel relates “So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot-soldiers. 11The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” (1 Samuel 4:10-11). Mark relates the story of Jesus cleansing a leper. This story is different. The leper senses the healing power of Jesus Spirit and requests a cure. After he is cleansed, he disobeys Jesus request that he tell no one. Mark records that Jesus need to restrict His public appearance as a result. These episodes invite us to look deeper at the relationship between Creator and Creature in a way which tries to remove us and our immediate needs from the centre of the picture. A Divine view is eternal and both infinite and immediate. The children of God live with the choices they make. This is fundamental. God is always present to share the consequence of our choice, good, bad and tragic. Devastating tragedy like that which has befallen Haiti always raises the question of “Where is God”? Stories of the restoration of life in Haiti will provide evidence of the healing and heroic actions of people in harmony with the Divine. The long term will bring hopefully bring changes in human behavior which will mitigate the severe consequences of these events.

Mystical Communication

“The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” (1 Samuel 3:1). The Roman Catholic Lectionary today takes us to the story of the calling of Samuel. The communication between the Divine and people is necessarily of a mystical quality. Perhaps there are guidelines we can follow to enhance or ‘tune’ our receiver. Perhaps we miss messages because of the disposition of our being. Eli advised Samuel to lie quiet and wait. Jesus got up early and went to a deserted place to pray. The background of noise in our lives seems to comfort and keep us connected. As we extend the communication metaphor, we may be missing the message in the noise. Today the people of Haiti are waking to witness widespread death and destruction from a serious earthquake. In prayer, our indwelling Spirit is in empathy and support of these people. We are connected as brothers and sisters. We, like Samuel, need to listen for our call to action.

Manifestation and Magnificat

What are some signs or manifestations of Divine action among people? The Roman Catholic Lectionary takes us to the story of Hannah and the birth of her son Samuel. It is a story of the birth of a spiritual leader. It is the story of a barren woman giving birth as a result of Divine intervention. Hannah seeks the help of God. Her prayers are answered and her canticle of praise is in the form of that of Mary when the Virgin is transformed through Divine intervention to Jesus mother. Mark relates Jesus experience with a man who is harbouring an unclean spirit. In the Naked Now, Richard Rohr describes the interaction of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine as comparable to the phenomena of resonance. This is a behavior of natural systems that is characterized by clear and strong patterns. It is the vibration that produces the note by the string. It is the “frequency” that brings in the wireless signal. There is one note and one station at resonance. The unclean spirit is detected as the damping force attempting to change the note or the channel by forcing a different resonance. It might be compared to that “jamming” or “interfering signal attempting to distract or disrupt. It is detectable. It can be rejected.

Invitation to Inclusion

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today marks the start of “Ordinary Time”. The liturgical colour for this time is green. It is not “ordinary” time as compared to special times like Christmas or Easter. It is “ordinary” because it is “numbered” or “ordinal”. The weeks of ordinary time begin at 1 and will continue through the liturgical year to the high twenties or low thirties (in Nov). The count will be interrupted by seasons of Lent and Easter. Mark relates the beginning of Jesus public ministry in the event of the calling of his first disciples. This call is not presented as a lengthy discernment by religious scholars, but as a motion of fishermen from their daily work to new work with Jesus in becoming fishers of people. The attractiveness of Jesus is implied in this story. The great fear of humans, according to Rabbi Harold Kushner who was Mary Hynes's guest on CBC Tapestry, is the fear of rejection. (his new book is Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World). The acceptance of Jesus of these disciples speaks to us of how we are to view and encounter the people around us. “Follow Me” is an extremely powerful and simple command and invitation to inclusion.

Familiar and Always Renewed

The Scripture selected today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary seems to invite the question “Haven’t we been here before?” The answer is yes. The Church marks the last Sunday in the Christmas season today with the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. We have heard these texts in the Christmas Season. Jesus Baptism for us is the grace of the indwelling Spirit which Luke describes as linking Jesus and the Father in the relationship which we share as children of God and siblings of Jesus. It is a relationship that is at the same time, eternal and constantly renewed. Our side of the covenant is subject to our becoming distracted and as Titus writes, by “impiety and worldly passion”. This wavering from our relationship needs to be replaced by”lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly”. We are reminded, as we return to the Promise of the Incarnate, of this immeasurable grace which is eternally offered to us not through our merit but through Divine mercy and forgiveness.

Knowing My Place

The 1st letter of John from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today continues this inspired understanding of the relationship between humans and God. John speaks of harmony with the will of God. This harmony is more than intellectual agreement. Surely a “meeting of the minds” with the Divine is an extreme proposition of a very over important ego! This meeting is of the nature of Parent with child. Parent delights in the child and interacts fully with the child. The observer can see each participant “in the proper place”. “Knowing our place” is a marvelous blessing. It is a revelation that in the relationship with the Divine, thought the indwelling Spirit, we are fully loved and we come to understand the “will” of God for us. It is our choice to embrace that will. It is the path of enhanced Life. It is the path guided by Divine light. We know our place. We accept our place. In the passage from John’s gospel, John the Baptist assures his disciples that he understands the will of God concerning his place relative to Jesus. In the world where competition of ideas and traditions often marks our development, the transition from one spiritual leadership to a succeeding leader is a model to ponder.

Healing resonance

The resonance of the Spirit within and the Spirit of God comes to mind after reading the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. At the end of the first letter of John, the question of the recognition of God is answered by the testimony of the Spirit within. The leper who approaches Jesus in the Luke’s gospel knows in his being that Jesus can choose to heal him. The indwelling Spirit of the leper resonates with the Spirit of God in Jesus. Richard Rohr’s, the Naked Now, expresses faith as knowing rather than believing. This knowing comes from within. It is resonance. As such, it has the characteristics as being both rational and transcendent. It is comfortable and familiar. It is challenging and extraordinary. It heals and it takes us on a journey of trust.

Hearing but not accepting

The Scripture passages referenced in the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, take us to Luke’s account of the beginning of Jesus ministry. This passage continues the look at the paradox of Jesus. Richard Rohr has written and taught much on the importance of the tension of paradox in the spiritual development of people. In Christian tradition, Jesus is fully human and fully divine. This is one tension with which we work. There are many more. Luke shows us that even though the people gathered in the synagogue were “amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth” they dismissed Him as Joseph’s son.

Transformed and Transcendent

Today, in the Roman Catholic lectionary, the text fom the 1st letter of John continues the exploration of the nature of God and the mysterious way in which people can abide in the Divine through the action of the indwelling Spirit. Mark relates the transcendent event of Jesus walking on water. It is a consequence of a faith and experience of the indwelling Divine that we hope and act as transformed beings which are part of a Mystery truly beyond our knowledge and experience. In this context, walking on the water is really a trivial manifestation of the Infinite and Eternal.

Being and Love

The letter of John in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today proclaims that “God Is Love”. This may seem simple and obvious but at the same time it is profound and is also speaking of our essence and mission. When we show love, we show God. This is often a comfortable position for beginning a relationship with God. We are attracted to the practice of love. We may not appreciate or we may be reluctant about recognition of the source and summit of that love. Ironically, our deepest understanding of our being is that of Creature of God’s love. Our mission goes inward to explore the Mystery of our origin and relationship with the Divine and outward to be that reflection of Divine love that shows compassion, mercy and forgiveness to those who are “like sheep without a shepherd”. As Mark’s Gospel shows we will encounter multitudes who need to be shown the Love through our transformation to reflect the action of the Provider of guidance and sustenance.

Elizabeth Seton a Saint for Today

The Roman Catholic Lectionary points us to Scripture texts which are resonant with the life of the Saint for whom today is a memorial, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. She is the patron of my Parish and is the first native born Americans to be canonized. Her life story is one of being guided by the indwelling Spirit as the letter of John recommends to us. She had to discern the different “spirits” which influence our choices. She choose, as Jesus did to minister to the crowds of those needing health care and education. Her heritage included the continuation of her mission through the work of the Sisters of Charity in education and health care. These women worked devotedly in the schools and hospitals of Atlantic Canada

Wise Men still seek Epiphany

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today, in North America, celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The text from Matthew tells of the visit of wise men from the east to the child Jesus and His mother Mary. Tradition has added many colourful details to these visitors. The Gospel describes gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh brought by the visitors to child King. What were the “Magi” thinking? What was bringing them on this search? What signs drew them? What do their gifts tell us of their expectations? What about our expectations in our search? The wisdom of these visitors is shown in the gifts; gold because they sought a king, frankincense because they understood this event to be an anointing of the Divine, myrrh, because they knew of the difficulties and bitter challenges facing this king who is anointed by God. The lectionary includes Paul’s proclamation that this mystery of the King, Son of God, is for all people. The wise men from the East are not likely Jews. The revelation of the child King, the Epiphany, is for all people of all time. A friend sent a card which reminds me that “Wise Men still seek him”. What expectations do the wise men of today bring? Today we still seek leadership and direction of the Divine and we have the sense that this may require change in us which is difficult. Our gifts today are still gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Our homage may be directed to the indwelling Spirit which informed Paul and still makes us wise.

Baptism from John to now

The Roman Catholic lectionary on the 2nd day of 2010 brings texts which have us encounter John the Baptist. John the Evangelist tells us that the religious authorities of the time were anxious to understand who John the Baptist was and what his mission could be. It seems from their questions that he may have been thought to be the Messiah, *the returned Elijah, or another prophet. He was having an impact on the religious community. John’s Baptism was the action of using water to cleanse the body and the spirit from sins in anticipation of the arrival of Jesus for whom John revealed he was preparing the way. The validity of John’s authority and the meaning of his actions has been a point of religious discussion and dissention since John’s time. The CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA lists 20 sub topics under the topic of Baptism. The effect of Baptism, in Roman Catholic doctrine, is membership in the Body of Christ. The text from 1st John today speaks of the anointing received from the Divine that invites us to abide in the God through the indwelling Spirit which is the “seed” planted in the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism, it seems, has tensions between the response to the invitation of God which is constant and always present and the formal invocation of the Spirit which is sacramental and liturgical.

Ancient Blessing for New Year

Today we spend time wishing each other the best for the new calendar year, 2010. The Roman Catholic Lectionary chooses the priestly benediction that God gave Moses to be ministered by Aaron.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Paul’s Letter to the Galatians reminds us that the Promise of kinship with the Divine is fulfilled by the indwelling Spirit of the Son in our hearts. Luke’s Gospel relates the naming of Jesus with a name which has been His for eternity. Our eternal name or our eternal nature is also to be found in our relationship with the Divine