Faith that trusts beyond the senses

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today give accounts of the deep faith which believers are invited to live through the intimate communion of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine. Job retains the trust beyond the evidence of his eyes and senses that he will experience, in his words “in my flesh I shall see God”. This faith proclamation of Job and the praise of the psalmist are often part of the Resurrection Liturgy (funeral) in the Catholic tradition. The disciples are set out to bring the Good News in the passage from Luke. The faith to follow the prescribed and inspired instructions regardless of the human effort expended or the “pay-back” expected is the invitation to the disciples. The trust, faith and obedience work together in formation of the person to surrender, openness and freedom from pride and ego.

Awesome Wonders and the continuing Battle

There are at least two aspects of a relationship with the Divine which are eluded to by the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The Divine is the source of the awe and wonder which stops humans in their tracks and causes great cognitive dissonance and often physical response from emotions and locations as ancient as Creation. We are linked through the in dwelling Spirit to the awe of the mega and micro all around us. As we live the tension between Divine child and human ego we know the struggle between good and evil. We are conscious of those actions and movements which are towards others and which use Jesus as model. We also know the movements that are solely for personal gratification and preservation of our pride. The texts remind us that the victors have no self interest and have willing given all, including human life, to ensure the will of the Father is accomplished. The eternal questions are not easily resolved.

Reject the rejection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invoke thoughts of the situation of rejection and how we handle it. Luke relates that Jesus disciples are enraged by the rejection of Jesus in Samaria as he heads to Jerusalem. The suggestion that the wrath of heaven be brought to bear is refused by Jesus who moves on to the next town. Job, a man with a deep relationship with the Divine finds himself at the point of despair for his very life. The complete story of Job is important. The despair is real and deep. Job too moves on and the message encourages us to put one foot in front of the other if that is all we can do.

Many phrases to ponder

There are many phrases in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary which provide seeds for reflection on the nature of the relationships between the Divine and humanity and the relationships between people. At the conclusion of the 1^st chapter of the Book of Job, after losing everything, Job proclaims ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ The texts in the Christian prayer, Liturgy of the Hours pose the paradox that we thank God for good things, should we not also thank Him for the bad? The thought that our total existence, good or bad is the gift of Divine love is a difficult meditation. Our ego centric nature often is blind to all the evidence that contradicts our presumption that “man created God” and somehow we are the master’s of our destiny. The apostles seek to control the healing power that is ministered through humans but is the power of the Spirit of God in communion with the sacred seed in all creatures.

Look around

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today contain advice to avoid being complacent concerning our welfare particularly in a spiritual sense. Amos accepted the mission from God to speak to the powerful in Israel to exhort them to attend to the life of the people in the face of the threats from neighbouring peoples. The consequence became that they were taken in exile by the conquering army. The psalmist proclaims the preference of God for the widow and the orphan. As Luke shows in the Gospel account of Lazarus and the Rich Man, the poor and the people who live the real life have insight and wisdom to share. The wealthy are not aware of the needs they have to develop the spiritual self which delights in all as the indwelling Spirit reveals the world through Divine eyes

Youth Life and a Stumbling Block

The author of Ecclesiastes in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary writes “the breath returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:8). The end of life for Jesus, particularly, as the result of being betrayed into the hands of His enemies was difficult for His disciples to understand. The psalmist proclaims the understanding of the devote that the Almighty could “sweep them away... like a dream” The paradox, stumbling block, mystery of the temporal and the infinite, the human and the Divine coexisting while being in communion through the indwelling Spirit is are the questions which stumped the Apostles. They are still the questions which we try to answer today.

A Season for Everything

A Season for Everything


The Roman Catholic Lectionary brings some reflection on the cycles which people seem to repeat over and over again. People are like the seasons as the passage from Ecclesiastes reminds us. Tension is also part of the human experience. Cognitive dissonance describes that situation where there is a difference between what we understand and what we experience or attempt to input about an event or a situation. The apparent contradiction of a God of Love and the psalmist’s praise of the protector of Israel who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle encourages reflection. One option is to walk away from the tension and paradox. Peter faced the situation where the person who was the “Messiah” of Israel declares that He must suffer and die. The strong arm and mighty hand which had caused exodus from slavery in Moses time was to die as a human? The contradictions are not resolved by walking away. Peter stayed with the struggle.

Perplexed and Proud

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today reveal that Herod was perplexed about the impact Jesus was having on the people. He appears confused between John who previewed Jesus message and was executed and Jesus. The subtle characteristics of people and their beliefs often escape our notice. There is a tendency to group them all together and try to explain traditions of belief and life which are often thousands of years old by a comment or a sentence.  The psalmist reflects that even the longest time we can imagine is only a brief moment in Divine time.  The passage from Ecclesiastes on vanity can be rephrased as a passage on pride. Our lack of a healthy humble perspective causes us to dismiss the most awesome elements of our existence as irrelevant to our needs. The understanding we attempt to seek with ourselves at the centre is truly distorted.

Authority over Demons

The Gospel from Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tells of Jesus giving the disciples authority over demons as He sends them on missions to bring His message to others. The text from Proverbs and the psalmist echo the desire for people to be free from the demons which draw us away from the intimate relationship offered through our indwelling Spirit with the Divine. The ongoing battle to focus on care of others (widows and orphans) over self and the discovery of our mission in the intimate relationship with God as opposed to our need to satisfy pride and indulge our inadequacies is a condition of life. We have an understanding that we could win more of the battles if we surrender to the invitation to be disciples of the mission today.

Maintaining the bond of peace

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer an alternate lifestyle and encourage us to maintain the bond of peace within the Body of Christ. The calling of Matthew in the Gospel is a sign to the religious orthodoxy of Jesus day that the traditional shunning of those considered sinners is not the understanding of the Divine that Jesus is going to support. The officials who would add this public demonstration to the list of offenses being committed by Jesus would eventually succeed in making the case to the Roman authorities that He be crucified. The response of the followers of Jesus to the real attempts to break the peace must be to forgive, forget and forge on.

The Conditions of Humility

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today raise questions and offer observations about the nature of God and truth which provide background for reflection on the execution of our daily relationships with others. The text from Proverbs and the psalmist reveal the preference of the Divine for the humble and generous person who conducts affairs mindful of neighbours and concerned about their point of view. The Gospel from Luke exhorts those who have come to know the path of life which is pleasing to the Divine to make it visible to the world. The apparent contradiction of showing or demonstrating a clearer vision while actually living humbly and peacefully with God and neighbour is resolved by the remarkable singularity that living humbly and simply is in our society.

Lessons from the texts need wide context

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite some study. Fr Larry Gillick SJ advises that the Gospel should be taken in the context of Luke’s Gospel theme of learning to live wisely with the gifts of God for us. He suggests that the distribution of wealth was an important message of Luke in contrast to the ‘wisdom’ of accumulating wealth. The ‘long term’ wealth for which we strive will prove to be fleeting and the friends who have a life in communion with the Divine will be there when the materialism disappoints. The psalmist praises the preference of the Lord for the poor who will be raised up. Paul exhorts the believers to continue to pray for those in leadership that the peace of prayer will encourage them to support a peaceful existence for all. Fr Larry recommends that Amos accounting of the failure of Israel by viewed in the context of his full mission of prophesy to Israel. A troubling impatience of modern times appears to be not to seek the full context of the events and issues in our lives. This impatience may be at the heart of the misunderstanding between Western attitude and the culture of other, often aboriginal, cultures.

Parables with a time value for Life

People with financial understanding are aware of the “time value of money” The texts from the Roman Catholic lectionary today suggest that there is a “time value of faith”. The good soil in the Parable of the Sower, from Luke’s Gospel, takes time to develop and mature. The understanding of the relationship between the spiritual body that Paul refers to and the Divine Presence is something we can only see “as through a glass darkly”. The faith of the spiritual body recognizes the hand of the Divine in many and at times all of the events of life. The abrupt termination of this influence at some point of death is not consistent with the evidence absorbed by the indwelling spirit into the “good soil” as it is maturing within the believer.

Resurrection or futility

The letter of Paul to the Corinthians in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today places the Resurrection of Christ as a fundamental truth as evidence that the faith of believers in the forgiveness of sin is not futile. The compassion of Jesus attracted many to follow Him. This compassion is the model for disciples today. Luke’s Gospel identifies some women who had been healed by the compassion of Jesus. The response of the ‘healed’ and the ‘forgiven’ is to give and be the healer and forgiver.

Mystical and Intimate contact

Paul presents himself as the least worthy of the Apostles in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. Paul proclaims the message of the Resurrection and the appearance of Jesus to those who had followed Him during his journey. Paul includes the encounter that He experienced of Jesus. That encounter put Paul in the community of those who had known Jesus. Paul’s encounter was truly mystical. It is described in the Acts of the Apostles. The mystical encounter of the Spirit of Christ is a path of intimacy which followers can know today. Luke tells the story of the sinful woman who is forgiven by Jesus in the presence of the Scribes and Pharisees who can only see the “sin” of the teacher associating with the “sinner”. The intimacy of physical presence to those in need is the gift of the disciple who is aware of the role of the “Body of Christ” in our time to be the physical and emotional complement to the mystical Presence of the Divine in the indwelling Spirit.

Disciple chooses to be instrument

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary invoke thoughts of the discipline of being a disciple requires attempts to prepare the believer to follow Christ as the One who followed the will of the Father for His life and death. This choice to follow Jesus is a choice to be open to all activity in the will of God. The priests of the Companions of the Cross celebrated their 25^th anniversary at our parish last night. The spiritual understanding of this group is that it is necessary to “give God permission” to act through the believer. The memorial celebrated by the Church today is that of the Mary and her sorrows. The real human drama of her life was guided and made secure by a faith that trusted her relationship with the Divine to be the Way of Life. The models of how to enter deeper into the relationship with God are in the lives of the saints. Taking action to give up control is the major obstacle to the fuller Life.

The Promiseof Full Life and Restoration through humble faith

The images in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are deeply mystical. The episodes are parables which do not yield to a literal approach. The Promise of John’s Gospel that the Word is become flesh in Jesus is a concept requiring faith to approach any understanding of this. The faith which is seen in action is helpful with these mysteries. The choice of the Divine to take on human form brings people into a relationship with Jesus that produces the good fruits of full life in their daily life. The cross of Jesus is shared in a mystical way by the Disciples of Christ. The power of the Cross continues today to bring life into situations of death and despair. The gift of humble acceptance of the will of God to bring all humanity into intimate relationship fuels the eternal life offered in John 3:16

Faith is at work in all

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today point to the truth that believers are also those who need to review their practice to determine the extent to which they have moved away from lives which evidence and give witness to the relationship they have known with the Divine. Paul points to the manner in which believers were gathering to gratify themselves and establish divisions among those gathered at the Lord’s Supper. Modern Christianity and Christians still wrestle with these same scandals. Luke’s Gospel shows that Jesus invites an intimate healing relationship with a Roman soldier, the occupier, who is attracted by the resonance of his indwelling Spirit to Jesus. Love is the evidence of the action of the Divine relationship in the lives of believers.

Fallen and pride may block our reunion

The parables in the Gospel of Luke from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tell stories of the lost being found. In his Daily Reflection today, Fr Larry Gillick S.J. imagines a few alternate outcomes for the parable of the prodigal. He presents the idea that we have trouble accepting forgiveness. Our pride will block the humility necessary to realize how much mercy and compassion is being offered in forgiveness. Unfortunately, we can deny and reject the efforts of the Divine and others to call us back. Pride is a power which pushes us away from the intimate relationships in which we are invited to live with God and people. The psalmist proclaims the words of Psalm 51 which is an excellent meditation on humility.

Dig deep for a strong foundation

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge the idea of a surface affiliation with the Divine. Paul asserts that the believer is aware that we are in communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. The tendency to be distracted by the idols which gratify our needs is a rejection of the bounty of goodness praised by the psalmist in celebration of intimacy with the Divine. Luke presents Jesus use of the parable to express the completely sensible concept that good things come from good people. The person who speaks the words of the believer yet does not work on deepening the understanding of the relationship risks loss of all when the storms of faith arrive.

Brothers keepers

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today emphasize the outlook for the welfare, material and spiritual of our fellow humans. The path to full development of love, forgiveness and compassion or in other words, holiness, requires that we become our brothers (and sisters) keepers. The practice of walking in the shoes of others assists in our activity to follow Jesus as Christians.

Lineage seems unnecessary

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate the feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary. The texts tell of the expectation among the Jews of “Emmanuel” or” God is with us” to arise from humble Bethlehem. The lineage of Jesus is presented from the beginning to His birth as the son of Mary. The question of “Who is Jewish?” can traditionally be determined by matrilineal descent. The son of a Jewish woman is Jewish. Mary who was born as a Jew and who personified trust as she consented to the will of God to be with child and not be married became the path for “Emmanuel” to be completely “God with us” in fully human form. This transcendent mystery is at the core of the intimacy which God is inviting people to know. How close is the Divine? Through Mary “the Word has become flesh and dwells among us”. The implications of this relationship with God, desired by the ancients, and even now poorly appreciated by humanity are huge! Jesus lineage puts the Divine in time and space and history. Certainly this was not necessary for God. It is completely necessary for humanity.

Rules and Rogues

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today features texts which invoke consideration of evil behaviour among holy people. The western press has reported many incidents of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. How is this behaviour reconciled with the mission to be Christ in the world? The tension between good and evil is within the spirit or “soul” of all people. The tension created by being, at the same time, invited to an intimate relationship with the Divine and the self satisfaction and gratification of “sinful” behaviour creates an internal psychological need to resolve this “cognitive dissonance”. Paul appears to be aware of the public presentation of “evil” among the followers of the Way. He advocates a public action to exile the offender from the group. Paul allows that this is a act which will hopefully allow for the eventual reconciliation of the individual with God. The Pharisees sought resolution of the conflict through rules and regulations. Jesus action of compassion towards the Man with a Withered Hand, described in Luke’s Gospel, was against the law designed to maintain the holiness of the Sabbath. The tension between good and evil is not going to be satisfactorily dealt with through human regulations. Paul sought help from God to remove the “thorn in his side”. The response to Paul is the best advice to us. The power of God, in our lives is sufficient to defeat the evil on a daily basis. The ‘continuing battle” keeps us aware of our humble status and even powerlessness before some sinful behaviour. It also reaffirms the Higher Power through which reconciliation and restoration is a daily truth.

The Question about Fasting

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring the question of “holy behaviour” to mind. The Pharisees are shocked, according to Luke’s Gospel that Jesus disciples eat and drink and are not fasting and praying as the disciples of other religious leaders have done in the past. The activities of pray and fasting are essential for development of a full spiritual life. These practices are followed by believers of many creeds. Jesus is pointing out that there are other important aspects to intimacy with the Divine. This communion is with the transcendent power of the Creator. It is beyond our understanding and certainly our control. We are invited to rejoice in this relationship. Luke compares it to the company of the bridegroom prior to the wedding. The psalmist exhorts us to be in communion with the Divine. The peace, joy and sense of righteousness is not achievable in any other way.

Power seeks to call the impotent

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today reminds us that “the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (1 Cor 3: 19). Paul exhorts those who claim to be with human leaders should consider the place of all as members of Christ. This life with Christ makes folly of the mere human associations which we seem to which we seem to cling relentlessly. The psalmist advises that the pure of heart and those without evil in their hands will be able to be comforted in the Divine Presence. Jesus calls His followers with actions which reveal the impotence of human action and the call is offered even to these who are pitifully weak. Our power is insignificant. We follow and are open to be agents of Divine action.

Divisions in the Devoted

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today shows how we tend to elevate the role of human activity in our work of spreading the Good News. Paul refers to the early tendencies in the Church to follow one human leader or another and to attribute to them status which belongs to the Divine. When we set up our group or tribe we tend to elevate our group as "better" than the other. The psalmist reminds that the position of faithfulness is to wait for the Lord and trust in the movement of the indwelling Spirit to direct our work. In Luke's Gospel Jesus is ministering to the people close to Him yet the passage ends with the restatement of the will of God that the Good News be preached to all.