The Gnostic misses the continuing deepening of the relationship

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary take us to the teachings of John,  Evangelist of the 4th Gospel. The passage from his first letter warns of the antichrist who,  according to Friar Jude Winkler, are the Gnostics. They represent "Greek thought" that the Divine is spirit, good and worthy of worship and the flesh is corrupt. The separation of God from flesh is antichrist as we commemorate today the 7th day in the Octave of Christmas, the celebration of the passage from the Gospel of John today in which "the Word became flesh and lived among us".  Friar Jude describes the living among us as pitching His tent with us. This is the completion of the expectation of the people of God from ancient times that the Covenant would draw the people closer into the Love of God. The realization of this experience of being closer to the Divine is guided by the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God, the Love between Father and Son. Our flesh being is invited to become the Body of Christ, an intimacy which is only opened to people as the Word becomes flesh. 

The story of trust

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary commemorate the feast of the Holy Family. The history of the Covenant between God and the people of Israel is related in the Book of Genesis as Abram, in old age, is promised an heir who will be the start of a family of people who will number greater than the stars. As he reaffirms his faith in God and trusts that this promise will be fulfilled, he is instructed to change names of he and his wife to Abraham and Sarah. The child is born and is named Isaac, which according to Friar Jude Winkler means "laughter". Certainly trust and a sense of humour are attitudes which contribute to the development of healthy relationships. These relationships may be with God, between family members or with others. The mystery of the revelation of our "vocation" in the Divine plan sometimes seems to come "too late" in our lives. We struggle to find the "humour" in situations which, in our opinion, may have been avoided if I knew then what I know now. The preparation of the soul for the attitude of trust and openness may take decades. It may be accelerated as the Gospel of Luke indicates the "trust" of the young mother Mary as she hears the elder wisdom of Simeon and Anna in the Temple and moves according to her trust to be the person missioned with the human development of this child in the remote backwater of Nazareth who is heralded as Messiah and who is of Divine origin. The action in our lives in our "vocation"  needs faith that trusts the support for our journey will be provided. This spiritual maturity is not necessarily tied to physical maturity, but many people find this trust in the "second half " of their journey.

Walking as He walked

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary include the beginning of Psalm 96 where the psalmist exhorts us to declare the glory of the Lord among the nations and tell of His marvelous works among all peoples. The passage from the first letter of John warns that we may fall into great hypocrisy if we proclaim to be followers of the Way of Jesus and we do not love our brothers and sisters. Much of the difficulty we do have with the commandment of love is our attempts to clarify and rationalize just who are our brothers and sisters. The presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple, according to the custom of the religious Law is an opportunity for us to hear the prophesy of Simeon that the One who is being presented and the One who lives today in the Body of Christ is the light for Jew and Gentile (all peoples) and that life guided by this light will create tension and cause many to rise to the invitation to live in the light and many to reject through rationalization the commandment which is both ancient and new to be love to our brothers and sisters. The declaration of the glory of God through action of inclusion, mercy and forgiveness will pierce hearts and divide souls.

Sin is in our daily life

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are for the feast of the Holy Innocent Martyrs who are those described as massacred by Herod in the Gospel today from Matthew. The pattern of massacre of those who we fear continues daily in the world. Friar Jude Winkler points out that the text today from the first letter of John is a dualistic treatment of the nature of sin. The truth hidden between the lines of the text agrees with the understanding of Paul that "all have sinned". From this point of view we realize that all of us depend on the forgiveness and mercy of God for reconciliation. The danger in the dualistic approach of the battle of those righteous before God against those who are condemned by sin is that it leads to exclusion, lack of mercy, violent repression and the most ungodly action against the "enemy". The prayer of the psalmist for the protection of the Divine against the 'enemy' indicates how God is Present with those who are persecuted and oppressed even if they are being attacked as our enemy. The approach of Herod who reacts in fear and violence is so visible among the powerful in all nations today. The warning to us is not to become Herod in our fear of those who we have excluded as sinners from our social, cultural and religious circles.

We know God in our senses

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary commemorate the feast of John the Apostle and Evangelist. The Gospel of John is, in places, a very mystical work which relates the Divine nature of Jesus. The opening of the Letter of John today refers to the beginning of the Gospel of John where we read of the beginning of the universe where there was the Word, coexistent with the Father and in that 1st chapter of John's Gospel we are told that the Word became flesh and lived among us. This intimacy of Divine and human is the celebration of Christmas. In the work of John, this mystical relationship of love and fellowship between people, the Son and the Father which is in the resonance of indwelling Spirit with the Holy Spirit occurs through the encounter of human flesh with the Lord which we can experience through our senses. The message that we need to encounter God with our whole being is ancient. The passage from the Gospel of John today takes us to the empty tomb on Easter morning. The action of love on the human body, according to Friar Jude Winkler, has propelled John to the tomb ahead of Simon Peter. When John allows his senses to take in the scene, he is a believer in the Resurrection of Jesus. The Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament is the invitation today to live the experience of intimacy with Jesus through our senses. The Incarnation is the desire of God to reach to unity with people in the experience of the Divine in the Flesh and in the being of all our human brothers and sisters.

Fear of the Message of Peace

The feast of the first martyr of the Church is commemorated in the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the day after Christmas. This is a reminder of the many responses of the world to the proclamation of the Presence of the Prince of Peace. The news from many areas of the world today still tells of Christians being persecuted and martyred. The text from the Acts of the Apostles provides insight into how Stephen gave up his life being aware that Jesus was with him throughout the ordeal. The prayer of the psalmist for God to be aware of our afflictions when we profess our faith is one where we can perhaps identify with the concern that we might not be as brave for our relationship with God as Stephen. The Gospel of Matthew is not going to give us the false assurance that the Life in the Spirit of God, who is love, will shield us from the retribution of those who are struck with fear by our witness. The promise is that the Spirit within, which resonates in relationship with the Divine Spirit, will always be available to guide our words and action.

Simply Profound

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today ring out in celebration of Christmas. The prophet Isaiah observes that God will return to intimate relationship with the people of Israel. The return of the people to the recognition that God reigns in their lives will be great comfort and peace for them. This salvation of the people will be for all nations to witness and be part of. The psalmist proclaims the steadfast love and faithfulness of God as vindication that God remains with His people and His right hand and holy arm have brought victory for God which is witnessed by all peoples of the earth. In this context of God being in intimate relationship with humanity comes the declaration by the author of the Book of Hebrews that God deepens this contact by entering into human history as God limited by human flesh and "an exact imprint of God's very being", a Son. The movement of the Divine into the bounds of time and space from the "is" of the infinite life Giver is to invite those who receive Him into a relationship as children of God. The Word became flesh and lived among us is the description given in the Gospel of John for the event to which children and those whose lives are less based on self appear to receive with open joy and peace. Those still seeking the techniques to bring the action of God into human frameworks of understanding are simultaneously profoundly awed at the "scandal" of God in human form and delightfully overwhelmed with joy that God is with us.

Canticle in the Morning Chorus at Night

The Roman Catholic Lectionary offers some texts for the celebration of the last day before Christmas and some texts for the Celebration of the Nativity which will begin this evening. The Gospel for December 24 is the Canticle of Zachariah in which Luke relates the praise to God of Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, as he understands that the promise of the Covenant, sworn to Abraham, was being fulfilled and the words of Isaiah would become an invitation to people to accept the mercy of God and return to life in light and peace. This life would be announced by the prophet of the Most High who like Zachariah would act in the life filled by the Holy Spirit. Our call of praise and gratitude to the same Spirit empowers us to be witness to the mighty Saviour who is Immanuel, God with us, in our lives. We rejoice in the next days as we meditate on the nature of God, the  Word who is made flesh.

What will this child become?

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary highlight anticipation of change in the lives of the people of God. The messenger Malachi calls for the return of an Elijah like figure to Israel to alert the people to the need to turn again to the guidance offered by the Covenant. The situation observed by Malachi is not unlike today when we see the return of the Lord to our present time would present the terrible tension of the Last Days as the evil in our society and persons is vanquished for all eternity. The episode from the Gospel of Luke introduces John the Baptist, at his circumcision, as one who is born with the special attention of God, announced by an angel to barren and elderly parents who give him a name which, according to Friar Jude Winkler, is "Yahweh is mercy". The link between Elijah and John the Baptist may be in the mission of both, the nature of which is understood as an aspect of the relationship with the Divine in the words of the psalmist today "Make me to know your ways O Lord, teach me your paths"

Witness to the work of God

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are examples of the action of God in the lives of those thought insignificant in society. Hannah, who was barren, has her prayer for a child answered. This lifts her from a lowly position as an infertile woman to one who becomes a mother and who is inspired to praise God for the action in support of the lowly, poor and downtrodden. The song of praise of Hannah which is the psalm for today is echoed in the words of praise of Mary in the Gospel of Luke. The lowly virgin from Nazareth is to make the greatness of the Lord known by her life and her indwelling Spirit will resonate joyfully with the Spirit of God as the Divine promise to be Immanuel, God with us, is enfleshed in Jesus. Our mission is modeled by Mary. Our lives are to witness the Presence by actions which bring mercy and a relationship with God to others.

Freedom, Joy and Service

The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church presents texts of joy and freedom today as the Celebration of the Nativity of Jesus approaches. The passage from the Song of Songs pictures the movement of lovers toward each other as they are overwhelmed by sights and sounds of marriage preparation in the joy of spring and new life. The pregnancy of Elizabeth is a time of joy for her and freedom from the social burden of being barren. Her young relative Mary, moves quickly in the joy of service of God through the "Yes" which has resulted in a miraculous pregnancy for her, too. The action of service for others is truly an inspired and inspiring act when the appropriate place of the server would appear to be as recipient rather than giver. The cliche that "it is in giving that we receive" is proved true in many ways at this time of year. Joy to the World and give give give!. 

Present and Vulnerable

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer an understanding of the nature of God through the actions and responses of some well known figures in salvation history. The Prophet Isaiah is addressing the king Ahaz and is trying to encourage him, according to Friar Jude Winkler, to abandon his plans to seek to welfare of Judah in alliances with foreign powers but to seek help from God who is ever present and faithful to the Covenant. As an on-going reminder of God's faithfulness, Isaiah prophesies that a child will be born in the court of Ahaz who will be named Immanuel, God is with us. The annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel that she is favoured by God to be the woman through whom the Divine would be incarnate leaves her with questions, not of defensiveness, as Winkler points out, but of confusion. Our human understanding is so inadequate before the Will of the One who the psalmist proclaims controls the earth and all that is in it that confusion is more often replaced with the rejection of Ahaz instead of the "Yes" of Mary. The name of Jesus, "Yahweh saves", alerts Mary to the nature of the mission to which she ascents. It is difficult to imagine the God proclaimed as universal Creator, by the psalmist being vulnerable to the  response of the young girl Mary who is the Yes to God of all times.

Announcing the Intimate Plan

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are aunnicaiation events. The birth of Sampson is announced to his mother by an angel of the Lord in the passage from the Book of Judges. This is an unexpected event because the woman is barren. The child is one who will be part of the plan of God to restore the people to a relationship with God and to free them from oppression from the world around them. Later in salvation history, the birth of another important player in the plan of God for reconciliation with humanity is announced by the angel Gabriel to the father, Zachariah. The response of the father of John the Baptist to the message of the angel is contrasted by Friar Jude Winkler to the response of Mary to the annunciation by Gabriel that she, a virgin, would bear and birth Jesus. Both recipients of the angel's message ask "How can this be?" The response of Gabriel to both is different. Mary, who has not been seeking this specific gift of a child from God, is advised of plan through which she is invited to be the Mother of Jesus. In the case of Zachariah, he is receiving an answer to prayers for a son and heir. His response indicates an underlying doubt that the miraculous event is possible for the Creator. We often seek the intervention of God in our lives. The message that God desires to be in intimate relationship with us comes through the infusion of His Guidance in the person of humans open to be the leaders of the people back to God. The Incarnation of Jesus is the Will that God, Immanuel, is with us in human flesh. It is the intimacy of living within the Body of Christ. Like Zachariah, the miraculous event of Incarnation does not depend on our belief or doubt. The full realization of the the Invitation in our lives is the consequence, like Mary's example, of our "Yes".

Living in Faith

The texts today for the Fourth Sunday in Advent from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer some examples of "Living in Faith". The Prophet Nathan in the passage from 2 Samuel assures David that "the Lord is with you". David has been successful in leading Israel and is perhaps filled with pride in his accomplishments. Nathan continues to remind David that God has been acting through him and is intending to be faithful to the Covenant with Israel which will be demonstrated through the descendants of David for all time. The trust of David that this would be fulfilled and his obedience to the will of God seem to lack the challenge that Mary's promise to accept that she too in the eyes of favour of God would give birth, as a young Hebrew virgin, to the Son of the Most High who would be the fulfillment of the promises of the throne of David made to her ancestors. As she opened her soul to "magnify the Glory of  God" and her indwelling Spirit rejoiced with the Spirit of God she voiced the "Yes" in trust that the unmarried girl with child in a culture that did not accept this situation, in country occupied by foreign Roman oppressors, would live in obedient faith as agent of the Will of God. Paul concludes his letter to the believers of the Way in Rome with  testimony about the miraculous changes he has experienced in his relationship with the Divine through Jesus. He refers to the changes in the society around him as the promises of the Covenant with David is becoming the Good News of Immanuel, God is with us, to the Gentiles, who are all peoples, inviting all to the life in the obedience of faith through which God acts in human experience. Our living experience presents invitations to move forward in trust that our favourable relationship with God is encouraging us to also magnify the glory of God with "yes" to promptings to our indwelling Spirit in communion with the Spirit. Like David, God has been acting through our lives and, like Mary, we are invited to live in the faith that we will carry Him to others through our "Yes" to His invitation.
 

Lion is the Lamb

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today reflect the approach of the celebration of the Incarnation at Christmas. What is the expectation for the Messiah among the people who will experience this event? The Book of Genesis looks to the future of the people of Israel as being led by a strong ruler, the Lion of Judah, who will command obedience of the peoples of the earth. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the Lion of Judah in Genesis becomes the Lamb sacrificed in Revelation. Matthew begins his account of the life of Jesus with a genealogy which links Jesus as Messiah to the line of David and Abraham. Winkler discusses the symbolic nature of the "fourteen" generations as indicating that Jesus is much greater than David. Today, we sometimes wish for a great Christian warrior that would slay the Goliath that appears to threaten our way of life. It seems that one great surprise of Jesus life is that inclusion is Way and love for our enemies is the Truth. The challenge for the Body of Christ is to avoid the roar of the Lion and to practice the self sacrifice of the Lamb.

The Holy Mountain for all people

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today proclaims the hope that the saving power of God be known among all nations. We need to consider if we put ourselves in the position of attempting to give God permission to make this saving of all people happen. The passage from the Prophet Isaiah indicates that God invites the foreigner, eunuch and outcasts to the holy mountain of the Lord. Isaiah asserts that the house of God is a house of prayer for all peoples. The Gospel of John presents the conflict between Jesus actions and the behaviour expected of Him by the religious authorities. The particular issue of the control of people on the Sabbath comes to light. Jesus points out that John the Baptist had begun to open the minds and experience of the people to the will of the Father for them to live more intimately in the resonance of their indwelling Spirit with the Divine Spirit. Jesus is witness to a relationship to the Father as children of God and in life aware of the Presence, Immanuel, God with us. The awesome intimacy of this relationship is not limited to those who follow a particular set of rules from religious authority. The Scripture and our experience of God exhort us to be in praise and joy over the life we have been invited to share with God and at the same time we cannot allow that such a God would restrict any human from living in this relationship.

Refusal to be open

When we meditate on the description of the relationship of God with the people of Israel described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today we might conclude that the learned and privileged in the society, who had access to the written word and the messages of Isaiah, would hear in the call of the Lord, the desire to be in an intimate relationship which would restore peace, love and justice through the great compassion of God. The comparison of this invitation to "start over" to the waters which reestablished the Covenant with Noah should make the will of God clear. We, like the lawyers and Pharisees mentioned by Luke in his Gospel,  have our own understanding of how things work. Often, our point of view is greatly influenced by our desire to control the status quo, which we rationalize is not so bad for me. Seeing and hearing those in our midst who have experienced reconciliation between their lives and the desire of God to be with them presents us with the challenge to change and to recognize that the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God is the strategy to laying down the fear of lack of control of the situation. John who leads to Jesus is not found in soft robes in the palaces of the powerful and those in control. We understand the nature of the invitation to intimacy as we understand our weaknesses and our struggle in recovery from our addictions to substances, behaviours, control and so on. Through struggle we are aware of our desire shared with the psalmist to turn my mourning to dancing and take off my sackcloth as I am clothed in joy!

Mighty Hand that heals hearts

A quick search of the internet for the terms "transcendent and immanent" will point to a large number of articles that attribute both characteristics to God. The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer points of contemplation of the meaning of these ideas for us. The Prophet Isaiah creates images of the creation and Creator of the heavens Who, in transcendent power created the universe out of chaos and prepared it for humanity. The same God invites the individual person to enter into an intimate relationship where God will dwell, immanently, as indwelling Spirit, in the being of all people. The awe of these relationships moves those who realize them to bow the knee and proclaim praise like the psalmist that salvation is at hand where steadfast love and faithfulness meet. The disciples of John the Baptist, when inquiring of Jesus nature and mission, are presented with a testimony of personal intimate involvement with people that brings about earth shattering transcendent changes in their lives. The  transcendent and immanent are Jesus Immanuel .

Witness the Journey to Life in the humbled

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present an opportunity to reflect on the examples of people living an authentic relationship with God in the community around us. Friar Jude Winkler sets the stage for the words of the Prophet Zephaniah who reviews the status of the role of God in the lives of the rebellious leadership of the people in the tyrannical city of Jerusalem. He voices the entreaty of God to the remnant of believers who have dispersed throughout the civilized world to return and take refuge as a humble and lowly people who have their actions against God forgiven. The lowly, humble and those aware of the gap between their action and the will of God are those poor who are heard by the Lord as praised in the words of the psalmist. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus challenges us to see those on the journey of reconciliation with God in the rebellious, difficult, argumentative or those aware and humbled by their separation from intimacy with the Divine. These are the remnant who are struggling to return and who will lead us to change our minds and believe.
 

Women witness the Way

Daughter Zion, Judith, Mary and Elizabeth are the personages in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. They are all female and they all play a role in the understanding of the desire and action of God to be with humanity. The text from the Prophet Zachariah addresses the people of Israel as Daughter Zion. The Lord is related to the people as Father and He will restore the family relationship with them. The responsorial canticle today, in Canada,  is from the final verses of the Book of Judith where the Jews praise God for the opportunity and the strength for action given Judith to take advantage of a provident situation to ward off destruction of the Jewish community by the Assyrian conquerers. The Gospel from Luke tells of Mary journeying with haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, an older woman who was now amazingly pregnant. Mary radiates the Love of God which she carries in her action to be with Elizabeth and bring to the child being carried by Elizabeth, who becomes the prophetic bridge between the chosen under the Law and Tradition of Moses to introduce the Immanuel for all  people. The action of Mary's being, her soul, magnifies the love and desire of God to be with humanity in the most intimate way of living within. Her Spirit is in resonance with the Holy Spirit, the Divine love, and rejoicing is the visible response. Our intimacy with God is a relationship for which we take evidence from the women who have lived it in salvation history.

Light to fill the hungry

The Magnificat is the text used today as the responsorial psalm for the celebration of the 3rd Sunday of Advent in the Roman Catholic Lectionary. This proclamation of praise of Mary is from the Gospel of Luke. She proclaims that her soul magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God. In the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, Friar Jude Winkler points out that Paul presents the three components of our being, body, soul and spirit. The soul is our life force. It is the visible evidence that we are alive. The eyes are presented in Scripture as the windows of the soul.  We gaze into the eyes of people to determine their presence to us. Are they enamored with us, interested in what we say, angry, impatient and so on. The soul and life force of Mary makes clear, illuminates and shows greater detail about the life and will of God. The passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is the description of the will of God for Israel and the action of those, like Mary, who have said "yes" to the Divine mission. Jesus quotes this passage from Isaiah at the beginning of His public ministry to shed light on His mission and the mission of those who follow Him. Fr Larry Gillick SJ uses many references to the power of light which John the Baptist uses to refer to The Light for whom John has come to testify. The call to proclaim life in the light is the action of all baptized as priest, prophet and leader in the Christian tradition. Our actions as summarized by Paul, in the conclusion of the letter to the Thessalonians, to bring light include rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, hold fast to what is good and abstain from every form of evil. Friar Jude compares this list of Paul to the instructions given by parents when their child is leaving home for education or work. It is in the context of "be sure to remember this advice". Our magnificent praise of God will be rooted in the life of our Spirit as our soul radiates the energy of love and our body works to "fill the hungry with good things".

A different kind of heroic

The Advent texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary recall events in salvation history where heroic figures have acted to refocus the people on the relationship with God. The fruit of this rediscovery of Presence among us will be life in the awareness of the love of God. The Gospel of Matthew relates Jesus discussion with his disciples on the return of Elijah. The power which, in the popular view, would force the defeat of the oppressors is associated with John the Baptist who was badly treated and killed in an manner demonstrating that the authorities paid no heed to the message of his call back to relationship with the Divine through repentance. Jesus indicates that His path will include suffering at the hands of those who the people expected the "Elijah" to defeat in a show of the mighty power of God. The expectations for the "Messiah" to save Israel were based on defeat of the enemy by a heroic "David-like" leader, literally with the fire of Elijah. It is very difficult to see the Son of Man, coming with the message of love your enemies and being persecuted and executed by the oppressor as the Emmanuel or "God is with us".

Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds

The passage from the Gospel of Matthew in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today ends with the words "Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds". The theme of the planning of the Divine for our lives is often approached as a study in predestination. This can be a dualistic debate between free will and destiny tied to the will of God. The texts today suggest a relationship with God which develops as we choose to accept the path which is presented to us. Perhaps "Wisdom", like the parent, directs, provides models, exhorts and loves the child toward the path of prosperity "like a river" and success "like the waves of the sea" as envisioned the text from the Prophet Isaiah for those who attend to the teaching of the Lord and follow the lead of God. The prosperity and success experienced by those who strive to be intimately mentored by the Spirit of God may not be recognized by the scoffers and cynics of self interest living.  The first texts of the Book of Psalms proclaim the blessings which accrue to those to those who are grounded in the meditation and delight in the plan of the Divine. They prosper and yield fruit in the creation of community with fellow seekers, gluttons, drunkards, tax collectors and sinners,  who have replaced wind driven insecurity and fear with confidence in the faithfulness of God to be with them on the journey through which Wisdom accomplishes Her deeds.

Can we grasp this plan?

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is celebrated today in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary. These readings offer an opportunity to imagine the universe in the design of the Creator where time and space are not constraints and the linear thinking of mortal creatures is an extremely inadequate tool for insight. The proclamation of the psalmist and the letter of Paul to the Ephesians illuminate the perspective of love, faithfulness, predestination to be heir to every heavenly blessing that is the desire of God for all for all time. Friar Jude Winkler in an etiology of the events described in the Genesis passage today presents the Divine desire to open the door to Mary's "Yes" and a reconciliation of  we who choose to alienate ourselves from the intimate Covenant relationship with God by the pursuit of our own "What's in it for me" desires for all knowledge and control. These pursuits of self interest continue to bring us no joy. The eternally present path of selflessness through the model of Mary, immaculately conceived by Divine plan, predestined to lead us to the Immanuel, God within, is the vision with the imperfect eyes of the creature that we squint for today as our being experiences the timelessness of the desire of God to be with us.

Weary and carrying burdens

The Gospel of Matthew in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invites the weary and those carrying heavy burdens to come to know Jesus. The condition of weariness is experienced by most of us at some time. Fr Richard Rohr, in his latest book, Falling Upward, expresses the opinion that we have the opportunity to live a spiritual "second half of life" where the ego building of the first half of life is replaced with a journey to appreciation of a deeply intimate spiritual journey to the simplicity and beauty of communion of our indwelling Spirit with the Divine. This "laying down of our burden" to be important, to be esteemed, to be proud, to satisfy our ego is replaced by a desire to live the blessings of the Beatitudes. We begin to seek the God praised in the psalm who is "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and mercy". We can imagine living simply, aware of the poverty of our place in the universe before the Eternal and Infinite, moving meekly with our God and desiring the peace and unity which the Prophet Isaiah sees for Israel in the first reading today. "The Lord shall renew their strength and they shall mount up with wings like eagles" (Isaiah 40:24). Amen 

Considering the one percent

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers texts which both challenge and comfort. The passage from the Prophet Isaiah is one of comfort to and for the people of Israel who find themselves captive in Babylon. Isaiah declares that God will lead them back to the destroyed and depopulated Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. The community in Babylon is reassured that God wishes to restore an intimate relationship with them. The image used for this intimacy is the shepherd carrying lambs in his arms. The focus changes from the restoration of the community, in which the individual can be an anonymous member, to the individual attention of the Shepherd to that one. The action of restoration is carried out so that each individual is received into the love and attention of God. This transcendent experience of being an individual in relationship with the Divine can challenge our sense that the problems and disasters afflicting the 99%, are being ignored. Today we remember the tragedies of Dec 6, in Halifax during WWI, when the explosion killed thousands and in Montreal, in 1989, at Ecole PolyTechnique, where 14 young women students were massacred. The Gospel of Matthew underlines the action of God towards the 1% who perhaps are more lost than we. Those who have wandered away from the flock are the object of the attention of the Shepherd. Our discipleship must also see that "not one of these is lost".

Strange things can be found in life

The passage from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today ends with the observation of the people around Jesus that "We have seen strange things today". The unexpected is to be expected on our spiritual journey. The Prophet Isaiah paints images of the changes that will occur as those faithful to the Covenant between God and Israel return to Jerusalem and their faith traditions after the exile in Babylon. It is the promise of that new day which is entirely different from our past experience. Does this really happen in our lives? The possibility for a new viewpoint is always imminent. The ways of God are presented in our study and observation for us to model. The psalmist praises the love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace which is the experience of those who attend to the life inspired by the will of God. The passage in Luke's Gospel shows Jesus recognition of the faith which accompanied the action of the friends of the paralyzed man. What was their expectation of the encounter with Jesus? The proclamation that the sins of the man are forgiven had more impact in a society that linked disease and physical abnormality to punishment for sin. The freedom of this man and the opportunity for his new day to be different are tied to forgiveness. The giving and receiving of forgiveness will initiate new relationships for us. A friend tells of a person who has adopted a policy of forgetting yesterday and all links it contains which bring frustration, disappointment and fear.
The new day where we begin again with people as if they have no paralyzing past with us brings "strange things" into our life.

An invitation to silent time

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today mark the 2nd Sunday in Advent. The world around us asks the questions "Have you got your shopping done yet?" Have you had your Christmas party? ". The Prophet Isaiah invites the people of Israel, in exile in Babylon, to consider a change. The fear and isolation they have been experiencing is to be replaced with comforting action by God to shepherd them back to their home in Jerusalem. Friar Jude Winkler describes this as the motherly love of God.  This will require that they pause and consider their options. Isaiah proclaims the exile they have endured as a consequence of their sin of loosing intimate contact with God is to end. The home they left is gone. The Temple is in ruins and some have made a life in Babylon. The image of the shepherd who will feed and care for the lost sheep will need to be accepted. The decision may require stillness and calm as it is considered. The press reported this week that Pope Benedict XVI participated in a celebration of Advent traditions from his home in Barvaria. The "staade zeit" or quiet time is the traditional way of observing Advent in the Barvarian Alps. When we are faced with the great events in life, quiet time is so necessary for us to listen to the voice within which speaks in the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God.  Fr Larry Gillick asks us to consider silently holding our breath as we are stilled by the contemplation of the Eternal entering time. The Gospel from Mark begins today with the proclamation of John the Baptist that the Messiah, from the ancient texts of Isaiah, Malachi and the Psalms is among the people. This revelation will call the people to change again. The "silent time" is a way to become open to listening through the noise and distractions of the season for that call to find comfort in the return to the intimate relationship with God which is the Divine desire for us.

The harvest takes place in the field

The text from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers a vision of the rich harvest and luxurious life which awaits the faithful of Israel who return to Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon. This life of rich and deep relationship with God through the renewal of the Covenant will draw a harvest of many of the faith tradition which have lost their way and intimacy with the Divine. The psalmist proclaims that the lost and downtrodden of the people who are connected to Jerusalem, the broken hearted and the wounded will be lifted up. The people through whom God acts to reunite, reassure, reconcile, restore and redeem are identified in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew as the twelve disciples. The biographies of these followers of Jesus may lead us to wonder about the nature of those chosen to bring God's love. Fishers, tax collectors and political zealots seem a very unlikely set of labourers for the harvest. Perhaps we need to reflect on what the "harvest" will be. Will the efforts of God's workers in the vineyards fill the Churchs? The efforts of the Twelve did not fill the synagogues. The measure of the efforts of the workers in the vineyard will be love, inclusion, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, patience, perseverance, respect and reverence for the sanctity of others. We see this in Church. It is not limited to Church, by any means. We see it in the lives of the good people who we encounter at work, in our neigbourhood and in our families who are not members of our worship communities. We sometimes forget that they are bringing about the rich harvest and are curing sick and casting out demons. Their mission may bring their indwelling Spirit in contact with the Holy Spirit of Love in other times and places. Our witness of their goodness brings hope that, like Jesus, their intimate connection with God, in communion with the Divine Will, occurs outside the synagogue, mosque and church.

The blindness we can't see

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer an opportunity to reflect on the impact that blindness has on our lives. The passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents a vision of the beauty which is expected come to the people of Israel as they return from exile and renew their relationship with God. Those thirsts we have for justice and the clear understanding and right vision of the people who change their ways to be in accord with the Will of God, as our ancestors in the faith have practiced it, is part of our hope for a better society. When we are in disagreement with others on such important matters as the right thing to do, we wish, as the text states, for those who err to come to understanding and those who grumble to accept instruction. The exhortation of the psalmist is to wait for the Lord, to be strong, quietly, internally, to have a courageous heart as we try to hear and try to see the point of view of the ones we think blind and the ones we think ignorant. The trust that we can develop in waiting for the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God is the faith that Jesus encounters in the two blind men from the Gospel of Matthew today. From that faith that seeing things with the eyes of Jesus is our desire, "it can be done to us" and our eyes can be opened to see those with whom we disagree in a different light which illuminates for us the situation we previously saw as very dark.

Missing the Rock through self deception

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer some warning advice about the problem of people in making assumptions and being satisfied with surface living by impression and intuition. The spiritual journey to intimacy in the Kingdom of God perhaps has many paths. Richard Rohr, in his recent books the Naked Now and Falling Upward offers the paths of the experience of intense love and/or intense suffering as life experiences which bring us to a rock, a solid place where all the surface distractions leave us face to face with the Divine. The praise for God from the Book of Isaiah today is after the Israelites have endured the exile in Babylon which brought them to the rock of the basics of their relationship with God and are returning now to Jerusalem to deepen the relationship. The psalmist conveys the advice that taking refuge in the Lord is the path which brings life. Princes and mortal people cannot offer the intimate support of God.
Love is other centered and the ego and self serving nature of people inhibit depth and length of our "unconditional support". In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus implores us to "go deep" and seek the intimate resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God  and then "let the wind blow and the rain fall"!

Fishing for people

The Gospel of Matthew from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents the episode of Jesus calling His first disciples. The desire of the Divine for intimate communion with humans is put into action on the ground through this example. This desire is within the context of the gift of free will. The creature is invited to intimacy with Creator and the decision must be made to accept the journey to holiness by following Him. The power of the example and model of Jesus is evidenced in the immediacy of the response of the fishermen. "They left their nets and followed Him". This response is one which might be expected of a person, as Richard Rohr describes in Falling Upward, in the second half of life of their spiritual journey where ego and career have been replaced in our passions with the vision of the possibility of the experience of the simple beauty of love in an environment which presents many daily opportunities for encounter and intimacy with God. This "wisdom" is gift of God. It is evidenced in the observation of the psalmist that the day, night and the majesty of the heavens declare this knowledge of the Divine without words. The particular instruction of Paul to the Romans may seem to be unnecessary if the "revelation" is in the universe and people around us. The action of calling disciples and preaching, as St Francis suggests, with the model of a life to which people will be attracted is catalyst to move for those who continue to fish and need the option of leaving their nets to be offered to them.

Vision of a Peaceful World

The vision of Isaiah in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary of a shoot from the stock of Jesse living in the world with qualities of the Spirit of God; wisdom, understanding, counsel and knowledge of the Lord is used in Advent to focus our thinking on Jesus. The psalmist envisions a time when a king of the people has the power from God to deliver the needy and take pity on the weak while enjoying the praise of all the nations. The realization of these dreams has escaped society to this date. Where is the Spirit of God in the people which is the Source of the movement for this change? The Gospel of Luke   reveals Jesus, who is often known as the one from the stock of Jesse to whom Isaiah refers, thanking the Father that the foundations of wisdom and peace have been hidden from those normally thought to be wise and intelligent and are revealed to infants! Richard Rohr, in his book Falling Upward, refers to the spiritual second half of life as being blessed with a second childhood where the indwelling Spirit is able to throw off the ego building movements of the first half of life and continue the journey more aware and in pursuit of the simple and beautiful. In this second journey, we may become the "elder" who ironically is spiritually aware of what we do not know except that meaningful life is found in the poor, meek,  peacemaking and humble "infants" to whom the Father has chosen to reveal the Son.
 

Join the many from east and west

The passage today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary from the Book of Isaiah evokes that deeply held desire within humanity to go to a place where we may learn and live the ways of the Divine. We envision this "new Jerusalem" as a place where nations have beaten their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks and where our preparations are no longer based on the conquest and defeat of our neighbours. The psalmist echoes the commitment to living in a different way in the proclamation of peace and the desire to seek the good of the other. In Jesus time, the "other" certainly was the Roman occupier. In the Gospel of Matthew, written for the Jews of Jerusalem, Jesus acts to bring into the lived experience of those following Him the will of God that "many will come from the east and the west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven". The faith of the Centurion is presented by Jesus as being greater any one in Israel. We have the opportunity to retrieve much from these texts. How do nations move today toward the "new Jerusalem"? Do those coming from the east and the west have difficulty in our society because they wear different religious clothing, observe a different "Holy Day" and are confused with the paradox of exclusion, commercial excess, greed and competition in the society which is supposed to be preparing to celebrate the Incarnation of the Divine in human form? Time to wrestle with our way to Jerusalem? 

Fitting in the missing part

The Roman Catholic Lectionary opens on a new Liturgical Year today, the first Sunday of Advent, with texts which bring us in touch with parts of our Christmas preparation which may be missing. The passage from the Book of Isaiah is set in time after the return from the Exile in Babylon. The people of Israel know that a large part of their life is empty. They have returned to their homeland but they have not returned to the intimacy they have experienced with God. The human tendency is assess blame here is evidenced in the suggestion that it is God's fault that the intimacy is missing. We do often wait to move toward the Divine with the thought that if God wants me closer, He can make it happen! The irony of this is discovered by the Israelites of 3rd Isaiah as they perceive that movement toward God is the gift of God which is not refused when sought and only through the meeting of wills of creature and Creator can the Potter work the clay. Our sense of distance from the Divine and Christmas can be obscured in the activity of the pre Christmas season which so often shortens or eliminates the necessary waiting from which our desire to experience "God is with us" is sharpened. The Church uses this time to remind us of the finite nature of our human life. The call to remain faithful to our action in the Body of Christ which makes Jesus Present to the world around us will be our method to "stay awake" for the time which will mark our return to God with Jesus.

Destruction has its Day

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the last day of the Liturgical year offer us meditation on the destruction which we see around us and the challenge of facing the end of life of our own body. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us, in his reflection today, that apocalyptic literature like the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelations, in the New Testament is often about the persecution happening in the time of the author but is set in some future time. The message for those experiencing persecution now is that it is temporary. It will come to an end and the power of evil will not overcome the transcendent relationship of intimacy with God offered to those confronting intense difficulty. The Gospel of Luke advises us to maintain our link in relationship with God as that is the strength we need for whatever challenges may spring upon us in end days of our "liturgical journey" in time and space.

Observing the fig tree

The end of the Liturgical Year is approaching. The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church uses passages today from the Book of Daniel and the Gospel of Luke to encourage us to look around to see that our inheritance as children of God is triumph over the oppressors of our freedom and to live in intimacy with God. Friar Jude Winkler teaches that the references in Daniel to the four great beasts is about the four kingdoms which dominated the land of Israel prior to the 1st Century BCE. These oppressors will be judged and defeated by God who will restore Israel to dominion in the region. The signs of the collapse of empires are visible for the informed observer to see. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus refers to the folk knowledge by which we use the changes in the nature we observe to tell us of the change of seasons. The part of our spiritual journey in these bodies will end. We are aware of some of the signs. We should use this knowledge to maintain our attentiveness to the prompting of the Spirit as our compass to following the path of intimacy with the Divine. 

Patterns and Predictions

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today, as we near the end of the Liturgical Year, presents the story of Daniel in the lions den and the prediction in the Gospel of Luke concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of the coming of the "end times". We are very concerned with what the future will bring. The work we do and our responsibilities to family and others necessitate that we plan to meet future requirements for our service as spouse, dad, bread winner, financial manager, friend and so on. The faith attitude with which we face the challenges and our attempt to fit the events into the spiritual journey to beauty and simplicity, regardless of the surface or first appearance, will allow us to be the tranquil Daniel as he confidently joins the lions in the Den. The impact on evangelization of our choice to trust can be profound as the proclamation of King Darius was in the text. The signs of the coming "end times", cited in the Gospel of Luke, are sadly visible on many days when we look at the continued distress, fear and foreboding which people experience daily. Our response is not to look sky ward and stop our lives in anticipation of the "Son of Man coming in a cloud", but to be the Presence of the Divine here and now so that redemption may begin today.

Second Half Wisdom

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary resonate with the description of the spiritual journey in the book Falling Upward by Richard Rohr. The episode from the Book of Daniel reveals the wisdom of Daniel and the esteem with which "elders", those who have the wisdom perspective of the "second half of life", a term used by Rohr, are regarded in many societies. The consequence of following the invitation of the Divine to a greater intimacy and vision of the beauty and simplicity of the Great Life Journey is isolation from those who continue to prefer competition over cooperation, war over peace, exclusion over inclusion, law over spirit, action over patience. The advice of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke is to endure and wait patiently for the Wisdom, insight and words which will fill and satisfy the thirst of our souls for the "Truth".

Temporal Kingdoms cause concerns

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer a opportunity to see our spiritual journey to transcend time and space with the background of the events which mark our temporal existence. Daniel has great value to his captors because of the authority and clarity with which he is able to create an image of the succession of rulers of the people. We continue today to seek and be enticed by those who can give us some hint of the future. It may be a horoscope, some "Celtic fore runner", a dream sequence or the clarity of the statistician or demographer. When Jesus addresses the events which will precede the end of the earth in the text from the Gospel of Luke, we are both encouraged and disappointed. The pattern of human existence and tragedy which He recounts is our experience today. Scholars of the humanities will confirm that humanity has always struggled  with power, oppression, greed and natural disaster. The other constant in our history is the desire to know the answers to the great questions of Why and What and Who which arise as we ponder the meaning of our existence and our thirst for intimacy with the Presence which is transcendent of human folly and errant direction.

Practice is powerful

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite reflection on the role of religious practice in the lives of believers. The noble men of the Book of Daniel, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, are brought to the court of the conquering power and plan to continue the Jewish dietary practices in the face of great potential personal danger. Providence is in play as they find a way to convince the official in charge of their care to substitute allowed vegetables for the "unclean" food of the court. We may question the concern of the God of the Universe for the maintenance of "Kosher" or "Halal" or "meatless Friday" food choices. The practice of the dietary restrictions is the sign to the wider community that the believer is honoring a commitment or a Covenant or a closeness in intimate relationship with the Divine. As Jesus comments in the Gospel of Luke, the Widow's Mite, is two small coins given from the resources she needs to survive to pay her portion to the practice of supporting the Temple. The power of her understanding of the deep giving of self that she presents puts flesh on the desire of Israel that the Lord God be in intimate relationship with the people and be the love of our entire body and soul. Our being is sustained in the gracious love of God. Our practice makes this tangible.

Sheep Shepherds and Goats

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. The leadership of the people of God is described in the reading from the Prophet Ezekiel and in the well known Psalm 23 as shepherd-like. The consequence of such leadership for the people is the security and certainty of the dominance of goodness and mercy in our relationship with God. The action required to bring this will of the Father that the scattered, lost and strayed be brought back to the attention and care of the community has, according to Friar Jude Winkler, been neglected by the kings of Israel, in the Exile time of Ezekiel. The leaders who have used their position to enrich themselves will be replaced by a Covenant relationship between the weak, lost and injured and the Presence of God. Fr Larry Gillick, SJ, carries the theme of investment from recent Gospel readings to the Latin origin of the "vest" which Jesus wears and shares with those mentioned in the "Last Judgement" texts from the Gospel of Matthew. The distinction is made in this Gospel between sheep and goats. Friar Jude explains the behavior observed in these animals by the herds people of Matthew's day. Sheep graze and drink while maintaining the life of the grass and stream. Goats destroy the grass roots and muddy the stream as they take care of their needs to the exclusion of others. This battle between providing for ourselves and being food, drink, comfort and security for others in whom Jesus is invested is on going. The proclamation of Paul that even our tendency to self aggrandizement will be defeated as Jesus reign as King puts all his enemies under His feet encourages us to complete this liturgical year and look forward to grow more aware next yearof our membership in His Kingdom.

Snared in the work of our hands

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present a reminder that our cleverness to seek gain and advantage for ourselves is path which requires much energy and effort. The First Book of Maccabees details the last days of Antiochus Epiphanes which are marked by a life sapping depression and illness which are a consequence of the fear of the king as his empire begins to collapse. The psalmist praises the work of the Lord which has caused the enemies of Israel to be "shared in the work of their own hands".  This theme will be presented to us as the Christmas season arrives and we revisit Dicken's "A ChristmasCarol" and see how Scrooge has become trapped in the persona of one driven by greed. The Sadducees, in the Gospel of Luke attempt to trick Jesus by a legalistic question about life after the resurrection. Their position is that there is no resurrection and they are seeking to expose the error of those who do not hold their position. Jesus brings them to the proclamation of Moses concerning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The texts which the religious authorities know refer to the Patriarchs in the present tense when Moses encounters God at the burning bush. The scribes, who are the opponents of the Sadducees, praise Jesus answer probably more for the silencing of the questioners than for its insight into the Divine Plan. The journey to praise of the simple and beautiful works of the Creator does not detour to self aggrandizement.

Holy Places are essential

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today mark the commemoration of believers of Sacred Locations where communion with the Divine is experienced. The First Book of Maccabees details the cleansing and dedication of the Temple after the Macabeen rebels had recovered it from the armies of Antiochus Epiphanes. The celebration of this rededication is today known as Hanukkah. The passage from First Chronicles presents the praise for God which overwhelms David. This intimate connection with God is the experience of many. It may be in the Holy Place where nature reveals the sheer majesty and beauty of the Creator. It may be in the eyes of the infant looking out to the world with great expectation at his parent or grandparent. It may be that "still quiet voice" which whispers in the leaves by the water. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is angered by those who have made the sacred space of the Holy City into a bizarre. The reverent atmosphere which Holy Ground requires is absent. Our Christian understanding of our membership in the Body of Christ as "Temples of the Holy Spirit" is the meditation which needs to produce fruit of cleansing and rededication of our Holy Space. We have to seek the experience of David as we encounter the Presence of the Creator in all people.

Standing up for the relationship

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us the opportunity to consider the depth of our relationship with the Divine. The decision of Mattathias in the episode from the 1st Book of Maccabees is to act in "righteous anger" against the attempt of the occupying powers to have the Jews renounce their Covenant by sacrifice at the pagan altar. His response is in the pattern of Moses and results in the exile of the Jewish faithful to the hills in the wilderness. The words of the psalmist offer praise for the protection of God for those who endure sacrifice to maintain the Covenant. The text from Luke's Gospel has Jesus comment on the focus of the crowd on the provision by Jesus of food and healing to them which seems to be drawing them away from embracing the deep intimate relationship which He offers even to the extent of accepting betrayal to the authorities, who seek His death, by those to whom He offers satisfaction of their spiritual hunger and righteousness through healing of the offense they may have provided to God. We are challenged to open our eyes  and ears to  revelation of how we could move away from the distractions to a deeper level of intimacy with God.

God does have a plan

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider the nature of the plan of the Creator for the universe and our role in that plan. This may seem to be an enormous undertaking but Friar Jude Winkler today provides the background research to set the stage of belief in the resurrection and the necessity of martyrdom for the passage from Maccabees and the Stoicism in Matthew's background for his sensitivity to the realization of the plan of God in real time and places like Jerusalem. In our time the understanding that the love of God with our entire being, including "body and soul", is being replaced with more of a limited commitment to give. "God cannot expect me to..." is frequently our attitude. This does not seem to be the understanding of those put to death in the first reading. Jesus continues His journey to Jerusalem where the Will of the Father will bring Him into conflict with the authorities and to His death. The parable from the Gospel advises that when we know to a greater or lesser degree what the Will of the Father is for us, we show our involvement in the relationship of unconditional love with God by attending to the work and activity that is our vocation and for which we are amply provided with resources. Our prayer like the psalmist is that God will hear, protect and remain visible to us.

Salvation is witnessed

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite some consideration of what Richard Rohr writes in Falling Upward that we can enter the "second half of life" with a new journey toward greater intimacy with the Divine. This new journey is a return home to the simple and beautiful. The decision of Eleazar in the passage from the second book of Maccabees to be tortured to death instead of eating the flesh of animals sacrificed to idols  is a decision to put the elder duty of role model at the forefront of his following the Will of God which is the journey to a new relationship with God deeper than the one which he feared he would loose by rejecting the call to be a martyr. The approval of his friends is one of the "deaths" he experiences in the saving of his life through loosing it. In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus calls Zacchaeus into the second half journey by inviting Himself to visit Zacchaeus house and initiate the response of loosing wealth, former friends and position of influence as Jesus proclaims that the new journey bringing Zacchaeus into deeper relationship with God is "salvation has come to this house". Both these Scripture texts are the evidence of the proclamation of the psalmist that "Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people!"

Not seeing our blindness

The episode today from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary tells of the blind beggar who hears the crowd moving by and calls out to determine who is passing. The passers-by inform him that Jesus is moving through. He calls out in a determined manner, not in search of the alms, which he needed to continue his existence, but in a faith filled appeal to be changed and to know again full life. When this exercise of faith, trust persistence and courage is compared to the assimilation of the Jewish tradition by the Greek conquerers described in the texts from Maccabees we see an abandonment of the relationship with God through the Covenant for the false security of integration and acceptance of the way of the conquering power. The blindness of the people allowed the deception of the Hellenization of Israel to be perceived as progress, yet the historians record that many were killed and enslaved by the Greek masters. Some chose to maintain their sight and vision of the relationship with God and they became martyrs. We need to be stirred from our patterns like the blind beggar so that in the sight of faith we may recognize those deceptive promises and popular movements, today, which threaten our desire to maintain our relationship with God. We can avoid blindness as we call out in faith.

Money, gifts and faith

The talent of people is a theme running through the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. One point of view to consider is the effect or consequence of the wise use of charisms, treasure and faith. Friar Jude Winkler offers the reflection that the male oriented society in which the passage from Proverbs praises the "good wife" concentrates on her ability to make her husband successful and noticed in the community. The fruit of her activity in which the husband trusts her deeply is the success of his mission. When the passage from Proverbs is related to the parable of the Ten Talents from Matthew's Gospel, Fr Larry Gillick, SJ, understands the role of our works is to present a sign of the Works of God to Whom goes the praise for the actions. As we grow into the position of intimate marriage in our relationship with the Divine, we become the "capable wife" of the Proverbs. The psalmist reflects on the fruit of this "successful marriage" in the abundance of children gathered around the table. This image is one which the "New Evangelization" can work towards when a great harvest of the children of God are gathered around the table of the Lord. The evangelist requires some trust that efforts to bear fruit are the will of God especially when the Master appears to have gone on a journey. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is using the Parable to instruct His disciples that faith is a gift from God and it is not equally distributed among people. The trust in God is necessary to for all faith to bear fruit. Without that trust, the talent or faith is wasted and the disciple servant, who may have been paralyzed by an immature understanding of his relationship to the Master, is judged not to be ready to enter into the joy of the Master. The invitation to work in the vineyard requires change. We cannot expect fear of consequence, not being ready for the "day of the Lord", or the "judgement of the Master" to motivate us to the necessary intimacy where we trust that we can move like Abraham and Mary into areas and actions which are beyond merely human talents and charisms. 

The chips are down

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today encourage reflection on the patience we have when "the chips are down". The Book of Wisdom reminds the readers of the deliverance from the slavery of Egypt which was accomplished by God and the faith of the people that they would be protected and led to a Promised Land.  The psalmist proclaims praise to God for the delivery of the people of God from Egyptian slavery to the be faithful to the promise to Abraham. The passage from Luke is a parable where Jesus relates how the patience and persistence of widow seeking justice led to her moving the unjust judge to decide in her favour. The middle east culture often uses exaggeration to make a point. The action of the "unjust" judge is compared to the Divine justice which does not hesitate to respond to the petitions of the faithful. When does the response take effect?  The parable declares that it comes quickly. The tension between the desire of the faithful person and the will and desire of God to lead us to the fulfillment of His Promises may translate into time for the movement toward the intimacy with the Divine which best resolves our need and at the same time as we petition and move toward this deeper intimacy we experience the grace of faith to fuel our patience and persistence.

Missing the message

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today point to how we often miss the message. The Book of Wisdom presents the case of those who experience awe at the wonders of the universe that they observe in nature.  Rather than explore this experience to search for the Creator of the vista we pause to glorify what the senses tell us. The psalmist proclaims that the knowledge of the Divine is in the events and experiences of our daily life. The resonance between commuters rushing home on a busy city street presenting the miracle of human diversity and energy and the indwelling Spirit of God is a contact point with the Divine. In the Gospel from Luke Jesus answers questions about when the Kingdom of God will be a reality. He advises that the opportunity to be in the Kingdom involves loosing the life we cling to and being open to a call to change which we may witness in the lives of those close to us. Responding to the call to the Kingdom is responding to the deep homesickness which draws us to God, not moving into this deeper intimacy leaves us as a sickly corpse.

Wisdom Love and Suffering

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today explore the path and pattern of experience of Presence in life. Luke relates in the Gospel the response of Jesus to the Pharisees question about the timing of the coming of the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is among you is Jesus proclamation. The faith tradition of the Pharisees includes the understanding of the emanation of God described in the first reading as Wisdom. The details of the attributes of Wisdom reveal that the Pharisees must have lost this intimate relationship with the Divine. The psalmist expresses the praise and thanksgiving which are the fruit of the experience of faithfulness and enlightenment which is life in the Kingdom of God. Jesus presents a path to the deeper relationship with God which many in His time and many today reject. The path to the intimacy is given by Jesus and it involves death to self. Richard Rohr after 40 years as a Franciscan and 30 years as a priest offers the wisdom of two paths to greater intimacy with God. In his recent books, The Naked Now and Falling Upward he declares that deep love and deep suffering are two paths which will open our wisdom to the Presence of the Kingdom of God.

Our place of worship

The Gospel of John today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary relates the events of Jesus clearing the merchants from the Temple in Jerusalem. He shows displeasure at the use of His Father's House as a market place. We recognize that the human spirit responds to and is attracted to "spiritual places". The Celtic Church has celebrated "thin places" where the realm of the temporal comes close to the realm of the infinite. Jesus directs the attention of the Temple authorities to the Temple of the indwelling Spirit which is our body.  Paul, in the letter to the Corinthians proclaims that we are God's Temple and when we gather together we become God's building. The Christian Church celebrates the Presence of Christ in the gathered Assembly. The text from the Book of Ezekiel relates the life that flows from a "living Temple" which gathers and distributes the life of the Presence of the Divine to all who are open to see the invitation to "go with the flow".

Excellent Expectations

The Book of Wisdom from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today reveals the understanding that the expected path of people is to be aware of their relationship to the Divine and to find in that relationship the love which invokes trust and reveals truth. The expectation of those who know their place in God is that the grace and mercy of God will live with them for eternity. The psalmist echoes the experienced truth that the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. From the position of slave as Luke outlines in the Gospel today, we acquire a proper humble perspective that the best we can do, in our relationship with the Divine, only what is expected of creature when aware of Creator.

How pervasive a Presence!

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present Presence of God as the all encompassing "unified field" of the universe. This appreciation which Richard Rohr, in his latest book "Falling Upward", associates with deep time awareness is proclaimed in the Book of Wisdom as a kindly Spirit which has filled the world and holds all things together. The condition of our "receiver", a model Rohr uses in his book "The Naked Now" is presented by the Wisdom author as having an impact on the quality of our perception of the Presence. The foolish, distrustful, insincere and those caught up in their addictions have damaged receivers. The psalmist reminds us of God who is part of our most insignificant actions and aware of our intimate thoughts is at our side always prepared to lead us and hold us in relationship. The Gospel from Luke parallels the Presence with the advice that we need be wary of acting against the Will of God, in particular, if we show others ways in which they may be lead away from intimacy with the Divine. Always those who are aware of the Presence have the directive to be forgiving as God is forgiving. The faith which is the fruit and the necessary component of acting in accord with Will of God is Present in sufficient quantity to accomplish the mission.

Is wisdom rare?

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present an opportunity to reflect on wisdom. The Book of Wisdom personifies wisdom as a desirable aspect of our relationship with God. She is found by those who seek her. We do turn to the Divine for wisdom and our experience is that we do encounter her on our paths and in our thoughts. The letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is one of the earliest Christian texts. Paul addresses the coming of the Lord as an early concern of this community. Friar Jude Winkler suggests that perhaps a member of the community has died and the survivors need to understand the situation of their friend when Jesus returns. The early Church expected Jesus to return within their life times. The liturgical year is drawing to a close and the Church brings us liturgy and Word to encourage reflection on the end times. The Gospel of Matthew contrasts the situation of those who are prepared to enter into the deep relationship with Jesus, the bridegroom with those who appear to be missing the opportunity. Wisdom is presented as the quality of the prepared bridesmaids who have used their resources to acquire enough of the valuable oil to see them through. The ill prepared have apparently decided not to use their resources to prepare to be able to see the bridegroom and as a result will not be able to accompany him into the wedding. The message of Matthew advises that we do not know when the end of our earthly lives will happen. It is never too early to prepare our lamps for that time.

Mastering our service

The Gospel of Luke from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings us close to the tension between the use and proper treatment of wealth, especially that of others, and the declaration of Jesus that we cannot serve two masters; "God and wealth". The conclusion of the Gospel passage today reminds us that the thinking of God and people are not the same. The psalmist positions humanity in the proper role of praising and proclaiming thanksgiving for the mighty acts of God which we witness daily. Does this vast difference in power and impact on the universe take away our responsibilities for wealth management?  The "prosperity gospel" may require professional wealth management as a prudent action to maximize our ROI!  One danger may be that the object becomes the "best return" on our financial investment rather than the investment in the love of people which is the work of God. The letter to the Romans which concludes with the passage today praises the action of God through the obedience of faith to send those proclaiming the Good News to the Gentiles who, according to religious authorities, were not the chosen ones. The action plan for using our time, treasure and talent needs to be exercised through trusting our faith in our relationship with Jesus through the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God to use our resources in the service of one Master.

Contrast and contradiction

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today initially present some contradiction to our usual assumptions. Paul writes to the Romans about the success he has had in his missionary work. He refers to his boasting about his work. The context of this passage is explained in the commentary today by Friar Jude Winkler. Paul is planning to go to Jerusalem and he is appealing for the support of the community in Rome to present himself in the best way to the Church in Jerusalem who may have reservations about him based on his former life as persecutor of the Way. In the Gospel of Luke, Friar Jude explains that Jesus is using the appreciation of Middle East culture for cleverness to create the contrast between how people are clever about making their way in the world and doing all the clever things to succeed, yet they do not apply similar strategic thinking to the mission of the spiritual journey. We need to deal with a tension between attending to the will and direction of God, as we perceive it, and be open to respond with trust and yes to the prompting of the Spirit and the requirement that Jesus and Paul illustrate today to make use of the strategic skills we have developed in human relations and getting along in the world for the greater victory through the "right hand and holy arm" of God which the psalmist proclaims will be seen by all the ends of the earth.

Of course, we loose!

The spiritual journey includes our path through life and death as Paul speaks to the Romans in the text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The psalmist addresses the natural human fear of death with the proclamation that the Lord is my light and my salvation. Richard Rohr, in Falling Upward, emphasizes the necessity of death to self in the completion of the spiritual journey toward transcendent intimacy with the Divine. The Gospel of Luke in Chapter 15, Rohr writes, contains 3 stories of loss. The sheep, a coin and a son are lost.  He comments that these parable are about loosing something, searching for it with some effort, finding it again and rejoicing about the return of the lost. This seems to be the necessary path of spiritual growth. We are always loosing, searching and regaining. The advice of the psalmist as we move through these phases is to believe that we shall see the goodness of the Lord and to be strong and let our hearts take courage especially when we are at the stage of anticipating loss or struggling to find the lost part of our relationship with God. Paul cautions against judgement of our neighbours who may be in the necessary struggle portion of their current search. We trust that they like we will regain the state where "every tongue shall give praise to God"

Faithful and Falling Upward

Today the Church commemorates the faithful departed and the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are familiar to us who have attended liturgies to mark the passing of friends and family. In his recent book, Falling Upward, Franciscan theologian Richard Rohr addresses the second half of our spiritual journey when we are dismissing the ego which got us through the first phase of the journey and we are accepting the answer of Jesus in the Gospel of John today that the grain of wheat must die to bear much fruit. As part of this change in our approach to growing in intimacy with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit we enter an experience of a second journey where as Rohr puts it, relative to yesterday's texts, that life based on the 8 Beatitudes replaces life driven by the Ten Commandments. We are aware of both the human death to self and the resurrection of intimacy in our relationship with the Divine. This is the intimacy about which Job proclaims that he knows that his Redeemer lives ! The psalmist echoes the praise of the second half journey which is aware through experience of the steadfast love and compassion of God. With Paul we stand today in anticipation of the moment into which we have already entered by intimacy and transcendent Presence when the life of all from all time will be known to us as resurrection

Seeking and seeing

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the feast of All Saints point to the state and the struggle of those who pursue an intimate communion with the Divine. The psalmist seeks to answer the question of who shall stand in the holy place. The state of being in that place is one of clean hands and a pure heart. How can broken and tempted flesh get there? The text from Revelation is a vision of those who have been robed in the white garments of pure hearts through being washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is not a triumph of our sheer will power that moves us to the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God but the love of God, proclaimed in the first letter of John, which empowers us to live as the Beatitude people of Matthew's Gospel  who are poor in spirit; knowing our broken-ness, comfort for those who mourn; from our experience of the Comfort of the Spirit, meek; as we seek humility and death of our ego, desiring righteousness; for the peace which surpasses when we are aligned with the Will of the Father, merciful; for our very being is sustained by His mercy, moving toward a pure heart; which removes the veil through which we see darkly, peacemakers; as He sought to reconcile Jew and Gentile, persecuted in the tension between being in a relationship with the Divine in a world which does not know Him and receiving consolation that the choice to respond to the invitation to seek the face of God is authentic as evidenced by the reaction of the original sin in the world.

Human reasoning does not lead to understanding

The text from the letter of Paul to the Romans from the Roman Catholic Lectionary declares that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. This is a difficult concept for people to embrace. We are familiar with the concept of the "deal breaker" or the offense from which we could never consider reconciliation. We look and see that we are gifted and we are called to be in intimate relationship with the Creator. How do we progress? The psalmist is aware of the deep passion in people to seek God. We might join in his petition to God for an answer to the questions of this search.  The instructions of Jesus to his followers from the Gospel of Luke sets the expectation that the feast of the Kingdom is prepared for those we might least expect to meet there. As we find ourselves among the poor, crippled, lame and blind, in other words, aware of our broken-ness, we find the eternal invitation to dwell there in the Body of Christ in the abundance of His steadfast love.

Partiality in Instruction

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary prompt us to reflect on our motivations for the acts we do as Christians and as people. Our humanity and ego often demand that we show personal gain from the things that we do. The priests who Malachi exposes in the first reading are keeping the high valued animals for themselves and bringing the lame and blemished animals to be sacrificed to the Lord.  The act of giving our best in and for our relationship with God requires authenticity. We convince ourselves that we deserve a bit and that it is all the same to God if we show some devotion. The instruction we are giving to others, in this way, is false and potentially very damaging. The desire of Paul as he shares his actions among the Thessalonians is that they accept the Word and loving attention given them not as human action but as the Word and love of God. How can broken humans be in a relationship of quiet trust with God as echoed in the refrain of the psalm "In you, O Lord, I have found my peace"? In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus observes the shallow practice of the Pharisees of the many Laws they instruct others to follow. He advises us that we need humility to avoid the hypocrisy of not practicing what we preach and a servants attitude to direct our instruction and action in the Church to others and not for our personal gain.

Humility and heading home

hThe texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary suggest thoughts of heading home for people and individuals. Paul is convinced, as he addresses the Romans, that Israel will experience the fulfillment of the promises of the Covenant which seem to Paul, at the time, to be going to the Gentiles. His understanding is God is working through the rejection by Israel to bring those "not under the Law" into intimacy with the Divine. The Covenant that binds God and Israel as "people and God" will also be completed as the promises of God are irrevocable. This necessary steadfastness of God is praised by the psalmist who praises the discipline from God which ultimately leads to being held up and transcendently carried home by the intimacy with God. A discipline and practice which opens the path home is humility. The ego has difficulty in surrendering first place or rushing to place self at the head of the line. The ego sees God as competition and like the advice Jesus gives today in the Gospel from Luke, we should seek the lower place and "dismiss the loyal soldier", as Richard Rohr puts it, called ego, which has served our establishing of temporal security and comfort and humbly enter the wedding feast which celebrates our coming home to our most intimate relationship with God.

The Twelve who lead

Paul addresses the Ephesians in the text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today with good news of the community in which they are members through their acceptance of the invitation to intimacy with Christ Jesus. This is a community including the apostles and prophets which becomes the temple and dwelling place of God. This is a mystical community with transrational characteristics. It is the message witnessed by the psalmist of the voice and power of God which covers all space and time with joy. In the Gospel of Luke, the events before the selection of the Apostles by Jesus are described. The new positions which match the Twelve Tribes of Israel will be filled with a diverse and different set of persons. Prayer with the Father revealed the name of those who would hold these positions. The persons thus chosen would not be those picked by a rational selection process for human leadership. The thoughts and actions of the Divine are far from the usual human ideas.

Divine love is not defeated

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the position that we can count on the steadfast love of God at all times and through all difficulties. Paul proclaims to the Romans that nothing will separate the believer from the love of God. He has had personal experience of many of the difficulties which he enumerates, hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness and peril. He is witness to the slaughter of the faithful and he is convinced that death too is a passing through which Divine love will triumph. The Gospel of Luke indicates that Jesus is becoming increasingly aware that His message and actions are perceived as a threat by the powerful and like the prophets before Him, who brought attention to how to live according to the will of God,  Jerusalem will be the site of His final encounter with the authorities. Divine love is not a guarantee of safety and security of person which dominates so much of our time, but it is a guarantee that in all events of life and death the Presence is our strength and victory.

The narrow door to our pre-destiny

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are the source of much theological study and effort. Friar Jude Winkler offers a concise and clear discussion of prayer, the Spirit, predestination and the narrow door to salvation. I am reminded how we sometimes feel so badly that people we care for have not embraced what we consider to be essential for their fullness of life. Our struggle is the minor one and perhaps by witnessing it our beloved will look inside. The Spirit is the force which not only calls us to be in prayer with God but is the deepening force which moves us to the realization of Paul (and Friar Jude) that through the Spirit we become aware of the plan of the divine for our lives. It is a unique plan which is all for our deepening in intimate relationship with the Divine. The Gospel of Luke indicates the truth that our pursuit of this intimacy must be genuine and in the measure that we have been graced by God to have vision and experience of the journey. If we have been graced with ten talents, we need to pursue our pre destiny with the intensity and power that is proportional to our gifts. The narrow gate does not allow us to pass through without sincere commitment to living the gifts as the psalmist proclaims "he has dealt bountifully with me"   

The nature of the Kingdom

The text today from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary compares the effect of the Kingdom of God on the world to the effect of the mustard seed and yeast. The smallest seed or a small bit of yeast becomes the highly visible life and nourishment for many. The Letter of Paul to the Romans exhorts us to hope that the present suffering will lead to the fulfillment of the rebirth of creation in the model of people being children of God who like the apparently inconsequential yeast and mustard seed will bring the life to the world for which the psalmist praises God. The growth of the Kingdom is the freeing of people from bondage to addictive self satisfying living to be servant leaders full of joy and laughter as we come home carrying our sheaves.

Comfortable about limits to the heirs

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the challenge that an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit brings to the world in which control and security are primary motivators. Paul exhorts the Romans and all those who are living by the guidance of the Spirit to claim the relationship to which they are participants, "Children of God". In this relationship the expressions of the Divine praised by the psalmist are ours to practice as heirs. In the power of the Spirit we lead prisoners to prosperity and live the escape from death. The action of Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath is presented by Luke. Our mission is to be the healing agent of His Presence in our daily encounters regardless of the impact on the established comfort zones which serve to deny and obscure our invitation to be in the intimate relationship of heirs to the ministry of healing, mercy and forgiveness to which we have been invited by Jesus.

Take it as more than literal

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are some which if interpreted literally would cause us all to realize how we fall short in many areas in living the Great Commandment. The Friar Jude Winkler advises readers of the passages today that they were not written by an American but by people of the Middle East who write and exaggerate descriptions for emphasis. The example of the Thessalonians in living in the power of the Holy Spirit was a powerful example to many but not the "whole world". The text from Exodus is part of the section of that has a huge number of laws concerning conduct within the Jewish community. Fr Larry Gillick SJ suggests that many of us in legalistic North America might actually prefer to revive the long list of laws and then know exactly what God wants us to do. The Gospel of Matthew details the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees and the Sadducees to determine which is the greatest commandment. Jesus response states the foundation of the focus of love for Judeao-Christian believers. The power of God in our lives as expressed by the witness of the Thessalonians "Life in the Spirit" and praise of the psalmist for the God as rock, fortress and deliver is not based in the security of keeping rules but it is in the trust and faith of Abraham and Mary that our relationship with the Divine is transcendent of human experience and calls us to intimacy with the Divine. 

The choices for life

The psalmist from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today asks the question which is deeply important to all people "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?" Paul opens Chapter 8 of the Letter to the Romans with an appeal to us to walk in our spiritual journey "according to the Spirit" and not to live according to the flesh. The choice to live in the pattern of our addictions which continually focuses on our needs and gratification cannot be in accordance with God's Law. In the Gospel of Luke today Jesus reminds the disciples that death is not reserved to the wicked or those who have a lack of God's blessings. All die. The Owner of the fig tree will come to look for the fruit. Jesus also indicates that God provides time and more care to bring forth fruit. The summary from Paul and the psalmist is that the life in the Spirit, the continual intimate relationship with the Father, through Jesus and the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Divine is assent to the hill of the Lord where we strive for clean hands, pure hearts and truth and experience the invitation to the state of no "condemnation for those who are in Christ". (Romans 8:1)