Hear the Bride

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings us  a paraenesis,  a series of instructions on how to live a good Christian life, which according to Friar Jude Winkler, is the format of the ending of many letters in Scripture. The author reminds us of our life within God which permits the boldness to place our request of God in words which Friar Jude comments have power. Our prayer for the other is a transfer of Love to them. The impact of this Love is to call them away from what is damaging to them and toward deeper communion with God. The dualism of the first letter of John and his battle against the heresy of Docetism are evident in the positioning of those who reject Jesus (the “world”) as being in mortal danger. Our turning away from the direction of greater intimacy with God is a turning toward idols. The Gospel today from John uses the image of bride and bridegroom for Jesus and John the Baptist. Friar Jude analyses the three messages of despair in the Book of Jeremiah about the silencing of the voice of the bride and bridegroom by the choice of Israel to hear the voices of idols over the voice of God. The last mention of the marriage voices by Jeremiah is the celebration of the consolation of Israel as God returns the Bride to His people. The Gospel refers to Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophesy of Jeremiah which is the context in which the bridegroom must step back and decrease as the bride increases. This is the expression of the humility which is the desired attitude of all those who seek to show Jesus to the world.