The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts which
illuminate the counter cultural history and mission of Christianity. The reassurance
that a counter cultural approach is the path of greater communion with God is
echoed in the praise of the psalmist for the wonderful work of the Lord in
salvation history. We continue to respond to the call to change. Paul describes
to the Philippians his conversion from
orthodox Jewish Pharisee to one who has come to live in abandonment of all that
social and cultural success and recognition for the mission to pour himself out
so that the Good News of the Gospel will be witnessed in his life to the
Gentiles. The radical Luke proposes that the tradition of avoiding sinners, as
Friar Jude Winkler explains from a fear of contagion, is reversed by Jesus
action of eating with and inviting ‘sinners’ to follow Him. The scandal of His
teaching even suggests that the lost or the sinner is deserving of the
overwhelming attention of the teacher as the parables of the one lost sheep
among the 99 and the one lost coin among 10 take all the energy of the shepherd
and the woman to joyfully search and find the sinner. The transformation of
attitude in the believer is evidenced when we appreciate that all are sinners and
all have fallen short. The gracious pursuit and invitation to reconciliation by
Jesus is the mission of the Spirit to all humanity. Friar Jude points out the
counter cultural organization used by Luke to place women with men as equal
participants in the mission of followers of the Way.
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