Take a second look

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today compel us to take a second look at our assumptions concerning living in a righteous manner. The mindset that often causes difficulty in our journey within experiencing knowledge of the Divine is what Richard Rohr refers to in his book about seeing as the Mystics see, The Naked Now, as dual thinking. We tend to desire that the situations, scenarios, people and practices we encounter be this way or that way, liberal or conservative, hot or cold. The Book of Genesis relates the scenario of the deception of the aged Isaac by Jacob to obtain the father’s blessing in place of the older son Esau. If God desired that the birthright change from Esau to Jacob, it is done as the praise of the psalmist attests. The idea of the change of birthright is important as a means to understand that the will of God for increased intimacy with humanity is accomplished through the extension of the Covenant relationship of Israel and the personal human contact of the Apostles with Jesus to a birthright experienced by all humanity in the resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God. The Gospel of Matthew suggests that the approach of many to being nourishment to the world is to see the process of belonging as my way or your way, sometimes, “my way or the highway”.