Tough to obey

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary alert us to the events in our lives we are part of the journey or mission to which we are called in response to the Will of the Father. The prophet Amos is described by Friar Jude Winkler as a simple and poor herdsman who is called to a prophetic mission just prior to the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians. F. Gogot describes the social and economic conditions in the northern kingdom as a time of prosperity for the wealthy and neglect of the poor and disadvantaged. The illusion of good times and security of which he writes resonates with our social situation today. The psalmist captures the theme as he declares that the people have forgotten to obey God as evidenced in a lack of discipline and working with thieves and adulterers. Our needs for self satisfaction often seem to be immediate and in complete disregard for others. Catie O'Malley reflects on our tendency to try to control God as we seek to follow His Will on our terms. The Gospel from Matthew today describes a dialogue with Jesus wherein He emphasizes that the journey does not have a destination. We are so comfortable with reaching our destination or our goal. It is about the journey. That journey continues to call us to trust and surrender to God. Friar Jude explains that the man requesting to bury his dad before becoming a disciple is really suggesting to Jesus that he complete a year long Jewish ritual to honour the dead before joining Jesus. Our lives are the record of how we have responded to the call from Jesus to follow Him. The curves and changes we have experienced are the travel log in which we can see the action of God in our lives which we did not have in our plans.

Leaders in the Spirit

The title of the first episode of Fr Robert Barron’s magnificent and moving video series Catholicism is “Amazed and afraid”. It takes the viewer to the site of the passage from the Gospel of Matthew in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Simon Peter responds to Jesus question without fear or hesitation. Jesus explains that the truth spoken by Peter is a revelation to him by God of Jesus nature. Paddy Gilger SJ explores how we need to be open to the revelation and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the manner of the escape of Peter from prison described in the text today from the Book of Acts. The Spirit called Peter to act through the inspiration of an angel and only after Peter had come to his senses did he realize that he had truly been freed through an act of God. Our decision to follow Christ brings us to similar situations which require that we move in faith and trust as the Spirit calls us. Paddy Gilger cites Pope Francis and some commentary on St Ignatius to suggest that we need to be on the periphery to see reality from the viewpoint of a disciple of Jesus. Friar Jude Winkler explores the pastoral letter in 1 Timothy where an anonymous author writes about the life of Paul which was poured out as a libation of oil or water on the ground, thereby returning to God that which is from God. The measure of the full life which Jesus gives is the joy which His followers exude as they  attend to the mission inspired by the Spirit and protected by God. Paddy Gilger concludes “This is how we know that we lived like Peter, that our lives look like Paul’s.”

Mary and the Church

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary are in celebration of what Eileen Burke-Sullivan of Creighton University refers to as a liturgical diptych. A diptych is two paintings which are attached to each other and inform the meaning of each other. Yesterday, the Church reflected on the Love of Jesus through visual imagination of His Sacred Heart and His complete self giving to humanity. The response of humanity to this Love comes through the Church personified in the image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Catholic Tradition is rich in mystical experience of Mary as advocate for humanity when we are found to be deep in the consequences of our sinful decisions. Eileen Burke-Sullivan  is stuck by the violent events of the Middle East and the natural disasters which present a world far from the state promised by God to those who follow His Will. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the text today from the Book of Lamentations is a long series of dirges mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. Naftali Silberberg comments on the authorship and the literary style of the Book of Lamentations through which we are made aware of subtle techniques used by the author to convey deeper meaning in the style and format of writing. The journey of faith is one of the heart and the mystical. The Gospel from Luke today invites us to join Friar Jude Winkler in consideration of the maturing process of Jesus. In this text, He publicly announces His status as Son of God as He offers to Mary the meditation for her heart about Jesus being about His Father’s business. The intellectual statement of Jesus mission is in the Temple at the age of Jewish maturity. Is this something His humanity had always known or is this the revelation to His human intellect of His mission? The literary technique of foreshadowing is used by Luke. This event where Jesus is away from Mary (the Church) for three days, on His Father’s Business may foreshadow His death and time in tomb. Mary is in Catholic Tradition as the one who suffered in her heart with Jesus, as Mother with Son. She is the personification of the Church and the example of her love is the response of the Church to the Love of God. Her intercession in lives and human events is the mystical continuation of the calling of God to humanity to return to relationship with the Divine. Deeply personal and deeply mystical is the resonance of our heart with the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Personal heart to heart

The Roman Catholic Lectionary contains texts today to celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew reveals the truth that often the wise and the learned have difficulty in getting beyond intellectual attempts to analyse and control God. Joe Simmons SJ reflects on the truthfulness and candor he finds in conversation with children. He is reminded of Matthew 19:4 where Jesus declares that the children be allowed to come to Him. Friar Jude Winkler interprets Jesus message as the invitation to dive into the mystery of Love in which we live. The CatholicCulture web page cites Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI speaking of the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus “In biblical language, "heart" indicates the centre of the person where his sentiments and intentions dwell. In the Heart of the Redeemer we adore God's love for humanity, his will for universal salvation, his infinite mercy. Practising devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ therefore means adoring that Heart which, after having loved us to the end, was pierced by a spear and from high on the Cross poured out blood and water, an inexhaustible source of new life” (Benedict XVI, Angelus 5 June 2005). The personal heart to heart relationship with Jesus to which this feast invites us is seen in the flesh by Andy Alexander SJ in the acts of self sacrificing love of his mom. The declaration of Moses in Deuteronomy of the choice by God of the small nation of Israel to bring the Love of God to all nations is an invitation which can be rejected. The loss of life which is consequential to this rejection is understood In the first letter of John as a decision not to live through the power of the Spirit in the life giving love of the Father for the Son. The “Shalom” Jesus shares with those who accept the gracious will of God is to become the humble and meek of heart who lay down their burdens and pick up the life giving Love and service at the heart of Jesus.

Decisions to serve

The trials of humanity come to mind today in reflection on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The passage from the Second Book of Kings is described by Friar Jude Winkler as the story of the beginning of the end of the kings of Israel and Judah. The Babylonian ruler of the world, Nebuchadnezzar, is the significant player for God who is described as angry and jealous by the psalmist who appeals today for deliverance. Commentators on the Nebuchadnezzar article in the Jewish Encyclopedia declare the lesson to be that we had better follow the rules set by God or catastrophe follows. The question of who is deciding our fate and what are the consequences of our decisions come to mind. We are comfortable with situations where we are informed of the rules and we receive the reward when we follow the rules. The final kings of Judah, Friar Jude comments, chose rebellion against the Babylonian empire and political alliances with Egypt as a decision which brought the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar perhaps more than the wrath of God.  Angela Maynard considers Jesus advice in the Gospel from Matthew to build our houses on foundations of stone which is our decision to follow the Will of God which Friar Jude expresses as the transformation of our life and actions to reflect our faith in the direction we are invited to move by God. This decision to serve God is the choice which prepares us for the storms in life which threaten to wash away the foundation of those who choose to serve themselves. The Bob Dylan song “Gotta serve somebody” comes to mind. The decision and the consequences are both of our making.

Living authentically

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary reveal how we are subject to drifting away from what we probably know to be the right and good direction to the direction which is often more self serving than other serving. Nancy Shirley captures this truth about our behaviour in the phrase, popular in the recent past, WWJD. (What Would Jesus Do). The simple question posed by this acronym is a powerful spiritual “GPS” which may not be nuanced and subtle but it does establish very quickly a reference point from which we can act or rationalize our decisions. Friar Jude Winkler tells us that the ruler in the passage from the Second Book of Kings today is Josiah. He is categorized in “Chart of Kings of Israel and Judah” as “did right”. Friar Jude comments that the “discovery” of the book of laws in the Temple became the “second” book of the Law or Deuteronomy. The Jewish Encyclopedia suggests that the king, Josiah, may have been presented with Deuteronomy 28:36 by the high priest Hilkiah. “The Lord will bring you, and the king whom you set over you, to a nation that neither you nor your ancestors have known, where you shall serve other gods, of wood and stone. (Deut 28:36) ”. The Gospel from Matthew warns us about the false prophets, wolves in sheeps’ clothes, who will entice us with words which seem to be more attractive and bring more for our benefit. Friar Jude emphasizes that we need to see that those who purport to speak as prophets and teachers live authentic lives close to the example of Jesus. The Great Commission for Christians (Matthew 28: 16-20) calls us to make disciples of all nations. The attractiveness of becoming a disciple is that we strive to live authentically as Jesus.

Name our role

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts to commemorate the birth of John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke relates this event. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the people who witness this birth, the naming of the child and the proclamation of praise for God from Zechariah his father are very aware that something holy is going on. The text from the Book of Acts describes how Paul introduces John the Baptist to his audience in the synagogue as the prophet who is heralding the arrival of the Anointed, in the manner of the charismatic choice of David over Saul, to wed the widow, Israel, to Jesus. Paul declares the baptism offered by John to be a baptism of forgiveness. Friar Jude finds the naming of the son of Zechariah as John (“Yahweh is merciful”) as a key declaration of his mission. Jeanne Schuler understands the reception of our spiritual name to be the continuation of the attention God has for us from our beginning before the womb as mystically expressed in the beautiful words of Psalm 139. The naming of John as “beloved of God” is an invitation for us to seek our special name through which we will announce Jesus in the world. In the being we are, who God knows from the beginning of time, is our response to the Divine invitation to communion. The text from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is part of the Suffering Servant description which is normally associated with Jesus but is applicable to John as he begins the mission of Love for all to which Isaiah directs all servants of God.

See the wooden beam

There are people we know who we would describe as being good judges of character. The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are connected to the theme of judgement. The Second Book of Kings describes the attack of the Assyrians on the ten northern tribes of Israel and the deportation (722 BCE) of the influential population to Syria. A surface analysis of this event may lead us to see the punishment of God in this defeat of Israel. The plea of the psalmist today is based on the sense of being rejected by God. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the history of the relationship between God and these people indicates that they brought the disaster upon themselves by rejecting their role as the Chosen People of God, ignoring the prophets and turning to pagan traditions. Friar Jude explains how the Samaritan people developed in this region as the poor Jews and the pagan population intermarried. The continuation of the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew turns to Jesus exhortation that we should not judge lest we be judged. Friar Jude tells a story to illustrate our tendency to see the flaws in others and avoid the self examination which would reveal our own need for transformation. Luis Rodriguez, SJ, draws the distinction between critiquing and criticizing in our relationships with the behaviour of others. People, today, are very sensitive about the choices they make and the ideas they hold. It is difficult for many to differentiate critique of their choices and ideas from criticism of their person. Our best path involves being examples of better choices and witnessing our own struggles and transformations. Our judgement of character is too often ignorant of our own bias and shortcomings.

Married to the Source

The Bread of Life Discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of John is at the centre of our reflection today as the Roman Catholic Lectionary presents texts in celebration of the feast of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Tom Shanahan, S.J. tells us this celebration was initiated by the Pope in the time of Thomas Aquinas. One explanation of the Eucharistic Sacrament offered by the Second Vatican Council is that it is the source and summit of Christian life. In the passage from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that God fed them with unknown food in the desert as he also cites the life giving nature of the Word of God and warns us that man does not live by bread alone. In the full Chapter 10 of the Letter to the Corinthians, Paul also uses the desert experiences of the Israelites as warnings to deter us from idolatry and immorality. He points out today that the bread and wine we receive are communion with the Life of Christ in the sense of warning that to choose to focus on other gods or passions brings us into communion with evil. The words in the sixth Chapter of John which describe the flesh of Jesus and the manner in which we are to chew or gnaw this flesh point, according to Friar Jude Winkler to the prologue of the Gospel which tells us that the Word became flesh. Friar Jude reflects that the Eucharistic Sacrament is a marriage with Jesus in the sense that the two become one flesh. Tom Shanahan, S.J. and Rev. Bosco Peters of the New Zealand Anglican Community express the mission which comes from the Life of Christ, received in Eucharist as the emptying of self for others in memory of Him. Reverend Peters claims that most Christians are able to stand spiritually with Peter in the end of Chapter 6 and declare that even from our difficulties in full understanding we declare that Jesus has the words of eternal life. This Life in communion with Jesus as His Body fills us with so much vitality that Friar Jude comments even physical death will not diminish this Life. Schmoop, a web site which claims to talk student treats John Chapter 6 in a manner which is direct and leaves room for reflection which is not based on prior theological understanding.

Release the Outcome

The idea of a timeline can be used as a tool to help us sort out a sequence of events as are described in the text from the Second Book of Chronicles from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. Commentators have described this passage as a striking illustration of how a weak man, Joash, is easily influenced by those around him who manipulate for their own motives. This fall into poor judgement and decisions culminates in the execution of Zechariah who was the son of the great priest Jehoiada, who had rescued Joash from death and had guided his early reign. As he dies Zechariah does not seek personal vengeance but calls on the Lord to see and repay the injustice. This release of the outcome of events to God is the message which Susan Naatz shares from her reflection today from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount. The psalmist resonates this idea in the declaration that people risk forgetting that God is with us through it all. Friar Jude Winkler notes that we need to hear the warning of Jesus that we can not serve two masters in the context of how we are planning for the continuation of our timeline. Are we storing up the things which will open us to accepting life with Jesus or are we storing up things which seem to assume that we will live forever with our temporal and material needs? Being focused on the past glories or failures in our timeline or having unhealthy worry or expectation about the future on that line takes us away from the experience of Presence, Providence and Peace which is offered to us when we can find the Divine in the now!

Where our hearts are

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings consideration of how our motivation to store up treasure for ourselves impacts our relationships with God and others. The passage from 1st Kings relates the history of the action of Athaliah, the only woman in the Hebrew Bible reported as having reigned as a monarch within Israel/Judah, as she kills the members of the royal family to attain the throne and how Jehoiada engineers a palace coup to restore Joash, Ahaziah’s heir to the throne and usher in a time of purification in Judah from the influence of baal which the former queen had begun. In the Gospel from Matthew, Friar Jude Winkler finds two wisdom sayings which direct us to keep our mind and attention focused on the things of heaven rather than the transitory temptations and teases of our culture of self aggrandizement. Craig Zimmer is reminded of poetry of  Fr. Pedro Arrupe, Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983, which asks us to fall in love and when we are then in intimate contact with God that will affect all the choices we make during the day. We will be able to act and keep our conscience in the direction of love and respect of others and ourselves.

Prayer Reflection and Spirit

The Lord has done great things for us is a realization which can initialize a few moments of prayer and contemplation. Charlie Wester is able to reflect on how the life circumstances in his Catholic family helped prepare him to live wisely in our consumerist culture. The introduction to the Book of Sirach indicates that author, Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem, wrote this text to instruct the people of the 3rd century BCE of the value for life of knowing and following the Law. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the closing chapters of the Book are an eulogy to the heroes of Jewish tradition as a counterbalance to the Greek heroes who were presented to the population during this time of Greek control of the region. The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew provides the guidelines for living as disciples of Christ. Friar Jude notes that the passage today follows the instructions of Jesus about how to act in prayer, almsgiving and fasting. The Lord’s Prayer is presented today as the model of our prayer to the Divine. The version in the Gospel of Matthew differs from that in Luke 11. David Lose comments that the elements of Jewish prayer, doxology followed by petition, are present in Luke and Friar Jude discusses the necessity of believers to praise God and to turn around our tendency to seek praise rather than give it. Matthew’s version reminds us to seek the Will of God as we desire our daily bread, the Providential Sustenance which we also need to live. The role of forgiveness as something we extend to others because they need it opens our being to acceptance of forgiveness from God and others. One of the greatest gifts we know in our spiritual journey is forgiveness. Our prayer as disciples fittingly concludes in this manner.

A mantle to accept

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are connected to important events in salvation history. The impact of the prophet Elijah on life in Israel is summarized by J. Hampton Keathley III. The passage from the Second Book of Kings today details the transition of the role of prophet from Elijah to Elisha through the taking up of the mantle of Elijah by Elisha. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the ascent of Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot is a basis for attributing apocalyptic literature, which reveals the nature of God, written in Jesus time, to Elijah. Steve Scholer is reminded by this text of the passing of our close relatives and the desire of the dying to pass on to the living a “mantle” which will guide our path in life. We are the custodians of the spiritual foundation which our parents and elders infused in our being. Friar Jude notes that Elijah and Elisha, St Francis and St Anthony were gifted in connected but unique ways for the service of God. The Gospel from Matthew, written to an audience with a Jewish heritage, addresses the practices of almsgiving, fasting and prayer in the continuation of Jesus Sermon on the Mount. Friar Jude comments that the rabbis, after the destruction of the Temple ( 70 CE) were pressured to recommend practices for atonement for sin which could replace Temple sacrifice. The threefold practice of almsgiving, prayer and fasting was recommended to the the faithful. It continues to be an essential practice, when properly motivated, which Pope Francis exhorts all believers to observe.

Looking for Love

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today deal with evil and enemies as ancient as 850 BCE and as recent as today. The episode from the First Book of Kings tells of the message to Ahab, the King of Israel in Samaria, from Elijah that the evil done against Naboth would be punished by God. The response of Ahab to this news is that he repents and humbles himself to call on the mercy of God. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the God, who relents from punishing Ahab, offers all sinners mercy in our guilt. Our decision often is to refuse to seek and accept forgiveness from God and too often from others. The path by which some of the others in our lives, who we may meet like Molly Billings suggests, become enemies is varied and often a consequence of our failure to try and see them through the eyes of Jesus. The proclamation of Jesus today in the Gospel of Matthew that we should love our enemies certainly is a prescription for greater peace and harmony in all our social encounters both intimate and remote. Molly Billings is reminded of Martin Luther King Jr’s words “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” The Love which we can share involves our being Present to those with whom we are estranged. The Love between the Father and Son is the Holy Spirit who will come to assist our prayer and action in being lovers of our enemies.

A Second look at trouble

Social Justice comes to mind as we reflect on the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Maryanne Rouse reads the story in the first book of Kings of the how the non-Jewish wife of Ahab, Jezebel, conspires to acquire land for the king through false accusation and murder. She considerers that our modern characterization of an evil woman as a “Jezebel”  based on the biblical story may not have considered the other side of her story as a Phoenician princess unfamiliar with Jewish custom. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that the text from the Book of Kings is expressing the importance of our horizontal relationships with others in addition to our vertical relationship with God. In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus extends the Law expressed in Exodus 21 which is based on an eye for an eye. Friar Jude notes that the Exodus law is originally a merciful limit to the retribution which could be extracted when evil is judged. The practical challenge of turning the other cheek and going the extra mile is that it often is very much counter to our culture and our normal life as finite, temporal and limited beings. Our acceptance of Jesus invitation to consider the response of Love and taking a second look at situations of evil requires our faith in the indwelling Divine Presence which will lift us from temporal, finite and limited solutions to our conflicts to infinite, timeless, unlimited actions based on the Love which converts hearts to follow His Way

Revealed as Love in Three

Today is described as The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity in the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Liturgical celebrations today will present our continuing wonder about a mystery surrounding the nature of God which is proclaimed by Paul at the end of the second letter to the Corinthians described by biblical commentators as one of the clearest trinitarian passages in the New Testament. Andy Alexander SJ cites teaching of Pope Francis on the Trinity that reveals the name and nature of God is Love. Our struggle with how to understand that Love is as least as ancient as the revelation of God to Moses which is the subject of the text today from Exodus. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Lord proclaims himself before Moses and through this revelation Moses understands that even a stiff necked people will be pardoned based on the goodness and mercy of God. The passage today from the Gospel of John includes the banner quote seen in the crowds at professional sports in the US. Dan Lacich writes a Provocative Look at John 3:16 which is a bit more about a God of justice than some commentators are comfortable expressing. Richard Rohr OFM was quoted in a recent CBC Tapestry episode Spirituality is not Stamp Collecting as expressing that our image of God is our model for practicing our relationships with others. Andy Alexander SJ writes “We all know that we can orphan ourselves, by clinging to independence and the illusion of "freedom" and identifying ourselves with what we accomplish and what we possess. The spirit which is evil loves to divide and scatter us. But the Holy Spirit offers gifts to heal our wounds and bring us a peace the world's attractions can't give. Today we can celebrate the work of the Spirit within us and among us.” As Friar Jude notes Saint Patrick and Saint Augustine tried to express the Trinity in simple and theological ways. In the action of Love we are in invited to an experiential understanding of Trinity.

Simple and sincere

The role of decisiveness and sincerity in the Christian Life are brought to mind by the tests today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Nate Romano SJ is reminded of the deep desire of the elderly clients he served to leave a legacy for their children. The passage from first Kings today describes how Elijah followed the Will of God that his prophetic inheritor would be Elisha who he found, as the still small voice of Yahweh had instructed, plowing the fields of his family. The call to serve the Lord required an immediate response. Elisha suggested initially that he should take proper leave from his parents but the demeanour of Elijah communicated the need to make this choice to follow the Will of God without looking back. Friar Jude Winkler speaks the truth of those decisions in life which we need to make and move into trusting like the prayer of the psalmist that the Lord will “hold fast my lot”. The decisions we make are communicated to others in our words and actions. The Gospel gives us insight into the way in which Jesus communicated with the people. Friar Jude reminds us that the Jewish heritage of Jesus is shown in particular in the exaggeration in the descriptions in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel. Some Christians interpret these texts literally and will not swear the oaths which are part of our legal practice. Few Christians have poked out their eyes or cut off the hand which may have led them to sin. Our simple “yes” and “no” is a sign of sincerity which Jesus exhorts us to practice as evidence of our no turning back decision to accept His invitation to not turn back as we follow the Way.

Checking our direction

There are tensions today in the text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary between literal and symbolic actions and traditional and alternate interpretations of the messages in the Sacred Texts. The Book of Kings tells of what Friar Jude Winkler describes as almost a depression led journey of Elijah both running from and seeking direction from God. The mountain experience in previous chapters on Mt Carmel where the gods of baal are defeated is followed by the encounter with God in the still small voice on Mt Horeb, which Friar Jude associates with the simple things in life, and the specification of the mission of Elijah to conclude his service by anointing rulers for both Israel and Syria before passing his prophetic mantle to Elisha. This anointing of Jew and Gentile is the statement of the universal love of God for all nations. The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel from Matthew, which was written to an audience of Christian from Jewish heritage, continues what Mariana Miller writes is Jesus invitation for us to go deeper into the spirit of the Law and reflect today on what is the root of the sin of adultery. Jesus points to lust as the root of adultery. In the text from Matthew, Jesus is following the order of the Commandments in Exodus 20 as He placed the root of murder in anger in previous texts. The relationship of misdirected desire, or concupiscence, to sin is a tension in Christianity which was part of the differing opinions of some Protestant Reformers. The direction or the course we set in our lives by anger, lust and false testimony is not toward deeper resonance with the Christ through the Spirit. To respond only to the point of sin, as might be determined by a modern Pharisee, is to miss the message which Jesus is conveying about the desire of our hearts being directed away from Him.

Growing relationships

The teaching of Jesus in the part of the Gospel of Matthew known as the Sermon on the Mount continues today in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The significance of setting a teaching on a mountain is that it recalls for us the salvation history of Israel in which the intervention of God to guide the people was centered around mountaintop experiences. In the passage today from the Book of Kings, Elijah sends his servant up a mountain to verify that the sound of rain which Elijah heard would become a downpour to relieve the drought which had befallen Israel as a consequence of seeking false fertility through the worship of baal. Friar Jude Winkler describes the significance of the appearance of the cloud in the time immediately after the defeat of the gods of baal on Mt Carmel. Mary Longo reminds us of the deep life giving necessity of water which we all now also see as a force which in storms and floods may be indicating to humanity that greater attention is need to our stewardship of the earth in these times of climate change. There are two relationships in the Gospel of Matthew which require nourishing for our full life in the Kingdom. Jesus points out that the Scribes and Pharisees had found a way to be scrupulous about attending to the letter of the Law yet they had neglected the spirit of the Law which ties the sincerity of our Love of God to our practice of Love in selflessness, inclusion, forgiveness and compassion in our relationship with those around us.

Son of encouragement

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary teach us of how the growth of the Gentile followers of Jesus and the Jewish community to which the Evangelist Matthew wrote grew in spite of what might seem to be difficulties about Law and tradition. In the Gospel passage, Matthew while writing about Jesus Sermon on the Mount, underlines Jesus proclamation that He is not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Friar Jude Winkler comments that this passage made an argument that Gentile converts to Christianity should be bound by Jewish dietary and lifestyle practices. He also comments that the author of the Book of Acts, Luke, writes with the theme of the power of the Holy Spirit in the growth and development of the Church. This Spirit is noted by Kyle Lierk as the driving inspiration for the work of Barnabas, a Jewish convert, who travels to Antioch to preach with Paul, a former Pharisee, to a community which is exponentially adding Gentile believers who are beginning to be called Christians. The action of the laying on of hands, described in the text from Acts, is the surrender to the Will of God as understood through the Spirit which would resolve the fulfillment of the Law as understood by Matthew in life among Gentiles which Friar Jude comments fulfills the “spirit of the Law”. The story of Barnabas, cited in Kyle’s commentary and the story of the eventual separation of Paul and Barnabas are testimony to the necessity of life in the Spirit as our active agent to overcome the obstacles of tradition, distance and personality to be the “son of encouragement.”  (Acts 4:36) which is the title in the meaning of the name Barnabas.

Keep our taste and illuminate

Friar Jude Winkler concludes his reflection today of the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reminding that it is not about us. The passage from the Book of Kings tells of the survival of Elijah during the drought which came upon the Israelites as a consequence of praying to false gods of fertility. He cites a rabbinic maxim “as the sin so also the punishment”. If it is not about us, Elijah here is being sustained to bring a message to Israel about the concern of God for all people, even pagans and that the people of God are all around us even where we least expect to find them. Special knowledge in Scripture or Liturgy may deceive us into thinking that we are better actors in the Divine drama than others. Mark Latta sees the direct message in the Gospel from Matthew today that we are meant to be salt and light in the world. Friar Jude interprets the salt as bringing flavour to the world with vitality, enthusiasm and Pope Francis might add joy. The Christian who has the answers for what others can do may be salt that has lost its taste (Matt 5:13). Mark Latta concludes by noting that we bear light to the world in our words and deeds. He writes “We shine a light, not for our own sake or for selfish recognition but so that those who look on might see the glory of the Father in heaven”

Attitude change from violence to peace

The first Monday in our return to Ordinary Time is marked in the Roman Catholic Lectionary by texts which encourage us to continue to reflect on the gathering yesterday of Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to pray for peace with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The passage from the Book of Kings tells of the protection of Elijah by God during the drought which he calls upon the people of King Ahab as a response to the worship of false fertility gods. Friar Jude Winkler notes how God uses Nature to support the message of Elijah and to provide false fertility to the people who worship baal. The CBC program Tapestry explored Kevin Miller's documentary, Hellbound?, which asks whether Christians should be rethinking eternal damnation. Miller makes the point that our theology of hell has contributed to our attitude that violence is the ultimate way to solve problems in our world. The rejection of violence as an option is cited by Jan Schnack as being part of our “us” versus “them” mentality which is contrary to the challenge of the Gospel today where Matthew presents the Beatitudes as a bulls-eye which in Jewish thinking, as noted by Friar Jude, sets up an invitation from God to continuously strive toward goals which are achieved through the grace of God and and our “yes” to a change of heart toward the attitudes of selflessness, humility and peacemaking. The words of Pope Francis in the Joy of the Gospel encourage us to approach conflict in a different way by seeing others in their deepest dignity. The embrace of the Israeli and Palestinian leaders after prayer in the garden of the Vatican yesterday is a step toward that blessing of unity as children of God promised by Jesus to those who seek peace.

Dare to drink One Spirit

Wind, Breath and Spirit are forces which the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary proclaim in the Divine action of delivering peace and gifts of service to all peoples. The power to act in the Mission of God is a gift breathed into our lives by the Spirit. Dick Hauser SJ celebrates the culmination of the Paschal Mystery in the launching of the Age of the Spirit in which we live. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the some of the tensions in religious observance of this Divine Act. The historian Luke, author of the Book of Acts, and the mystic Evangelist John describe this Wind and Breath on different days. Luke sets the account of wind, fire and many tongues fifty days after Easter (Pentecost) and John tells of Jesus breath of peace and forgiveness on Easter Sunday. Paul addresses the people of Corinth about the Holy Spirit, Friar Jude reminds us, to correct some misunderstanding in the people who have confused some ideas from Stoicism concerning the devaluation of things of the flesh with declarations that the Spirit is more important than Jesus. Paul is clever to build on Stoic ideas of a plan for the world in which we all have a role to his presentation of the Body of Christ wherein we all are gifted in unique ways to serve others and the Body. In this service of love and forgiveness we will dare to work so that all will drink the Spirit from one cup

Living with change

The reflection of Diane Jorgensen on the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary resonates perhaps with our petitions to God in those times when we are facing change in our lives. This Spring season is naturally when we experience change and hope. The challenge of what is next is implied in the texts today as we read in Acts of the wrap up of the ministry of Paul from his imprisonment in Rome. This passage seems to indicate a gentle retirement we know however that Paul's letter to the Romans is a work of great spiritual effort and ultimately the apostle to the Gentile dies a martyr in Rome. The ending of the Gospel of John is an addition to provide some important counsel to the people on the end times. We sit with Jesus and Peter in this encounter, perhaps in the person of the "beloved disciple".We hear that our communion with The Lord will last until He returns. This will likely be after the death of Peter at a time which we are not hold among our concerns. The changes which challenge us as our journey continues offer us the opportunity like Peter to turn to Jesus who will answer our prayer with support similar to that sought by our commentator Diane from Creighton University "We pray today for these graces –  for faithfulness in the face of challenge; for the courage to be honest with God about our desires and questions; for the wisdom to live with uncertainty

A chance to restart

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary show contrast between the personalities of Peter and Paul which is evidence that God acts with people as they are rather than requiring us to take on characteristics to please Him. Paul has been arrested in the passage from the Book of Acts and he is asserting his rights as a Roman citizen to have his legal case heard in Rome. We have already seen that Paul uses his clever and strategic mind to manipulate situations . He is doggedly determined to be the Apostle to the Gentiles throughout the world. The situation in the text from the Gospel of John is very different. Chas Kestermeier, S.J. and the author (Bekside?)of the Life After Epiphany blog agree with some Fathers of the Church that Jesus is giving Peter the opportunity to be reconciled three times with Jesus to mirror the denials he expressed during Jesus arrest. When we explore like Bekside, a whole other layer of meaning embedded in the original Greek text, we find that Peter is only comfortable to respond to Jesus questions seeking an agape love of self sacrifice with a philia love of friendship and affiliation. There is no grandstanding here. Peter speaks the truth of his current relationship with Jesus. Our culture would advise Jesus perhaps to "go with Paul"! Jesus entrusts the care of His Flock to the humiliated and poor in spirit fisherman. He promises the friend he has chosen that he will grow to the agape with which he will eventually give all for Christ. Our Friend trusts us with His mission even when we are not sure ourselves of where we stand!

Patient Hope

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary both inspire hope and give pause to reflect on how some deep desires seem to be as far away as ever. Michael Cherney sets the liturgical scene of this time of year as being between Jesus bodily departure from the earth and the celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit this weekend at Pentecost. The description of the action of Paul in heated debate with the Pharisees and the Scribes after cleverly drawing them into verbal and perhaps physical conflict gives a lively and aggressive thrust to the mission deeply lived by Paul to bring the Word of Life to the Gentiles. The plan which Luke describes being revealed to Paul is nothing less than Moving to the centre of the political world, Rome, to replace the Emperor as spiritual leader with Jesus. In some sense this would seem to be the action required of believers, even today, to bring the possibility of Jesus prayer in the Gospel of John that we all be one to fruition. Even as we are searching for a strategy to accomplish this unity, we know that the prayer of Jesus to the Father is being fulfilled in accord with Divine Will and in God's time. Our prayer for faith is that we maintain our openness to prompting by the Spirit and are as prepared as Paul to act to draw all to Jesus.

Remember the Word

The text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today continues the reflection from yesterday about taking leave as Paul prayers with the elders of Ephesus as he prepares to continue his journey to Jerusalem The passage from the book of Acts tels us that Paul is concerned that the leaders of the community be on guard for those who will come to distort and attempt to divide the members of the community. In the text from the Gospel of John Jesus is praying to the Father for protection  of His disciples from the Evil One the truth which Cindy Murphy McMahon shares speaks so clearly and deeply to her from reflection and chewing on the Word is not always immediately perceived by all. The transformation which comes in Life through living the Word requires frequent attention to the message hich does contain resonance in daily life for those who seek it. Though Paul leaves the community in Ephesus the communion with the followers of the Way through the Word and the Holy Spirit binds believers together transcending time and space

Taking Leave

The theme of taking leave is strong in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. This movement may be part of our personal experience at this time if like Mary Lee Brock we are involved in the academic world of graduation and commencement. Friar Jude Winkler identifies the leave taking of Paul from the elders of Ephesus as he travels to the end of his third missionary journey, Jerusalem, as a response to the call of the Holy Spirit. The sense that Paul is putting things in order before he dies in the service of God is in this passage. Friar Jude compares the situation of Paul to the discourse of Jesus in the Gospel from John. Jesus is in full service of the Father and the disciples. Jesus is accepting the invitation of the Father to manifest the depth of the Love of God on the Cross. The leave taking we experience from loved ones and our companions in school and the workplace is different yet it often contains the invitation to use our life experience in service to others. This may require that we endure some of consequences of Paul and Jesus. We wlll be in joy and excellent company as we approach our Jerusalem

Courage to continue

The text from the Acts of the Apostles in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tells of the travel of  Paul to Ephesus where he encounters some disciples who have not been fully informed of the great intention of Jesus to not only forgive our sins as we are welcomed into His company, but also to live daily within us so that we might continue His mission to all the nations as we are claimed for this work by Him in Baptism and empowered with courage, among the many gifts, to scatter His enemies and be the father of orphans and the defender of widows as praised by the psalmist today. Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the spread of the Good News throughout the Roman Empire by the Apostles, deep catechesis of all that was known and all that was being understood through living with the risen Jesus was not always possible. Ed Morse compares the beginning of life in faith to the graduation of young people to the next level of their career or education. They have struggled to achieve yet we know that time, patience and perseverance will enrich those who continue to struggle with the material which life brings. Our decision that we know enough or that we have seen all that we need to see is shown in practical events of life to be quite short sighted and foolish. In our experience of the Presence of God and the transcendental nature of our relationship with Jesus through the Spirit as we move from the temporal and finite to a Life which is eternal and infinite how can we ever know enough? The Gospel of John, Friar Jude reminds us is the proclamation of the glory of God as the Love which conquers all emanating from a throne which is a cross and companions who are widows, orphans and the marginalized. Take courage and take teaching!

Beginnings and endings

The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church and the texts proclaimed in many Christian communities for the feast of the Ascension, according to the Text this Week are almost identical. (In Year C, the Catholic Lectionary also chooses the end of the Gospel of Luke) This year, the Catholic Lectionary presents the end of the Gospel of Matthew which is known as the Great Commission. Friar Jude Winkler explains the rabbinic technique used by Matthew to repeatedly make the point that the mission of the Church is to go out to all nations and make disciples of all people, The people will be claimed for Christ in Baptism. The faithful will teach them all that we have learned from Jesus through the Holy Spirit, who Paul prays in his letter to the Ephesians will give us wisdom and revelation and enlighten the eyes of our heart. Rev. Richard Gabuzda encourages us to use the gift of the enlightenment of the eyes of our heart to embrace the hope which Paul declares is ours of sharing in the glory of Life in Jesus today. Richard Beaton comments on the “alls” in the Great Commission that ends the Gospel of Matthew. All authority, All nations, All that He commanded and All ways (Always) with us are the points he makes. Friar Jude notes that Luke begins his second volume addressed to the God lover (Theophilus) with the image of fulfillment of mission in the Hebrew Scriptures as Jesus is taken into heaven and Matthew gives the Mandate to the Church to live in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to draw disciples into communion with Jesus from every time and place.