Prophesy Sunday

The talents of good servants

The early Christians, for the most part, were not people of financial means. Certainly we can make use of our material wealth to advance the Kingdom in this time when the Master is away. The deep challenge is to explore the talents which we use daily in our lives and become aware how our presence practicing our talents may be opportunity in the encounters with others in the day to drive up the yield to the 100% which is the mark of the good and faithful servant described by Matthew today.

Stumbling and Suffering

This is the end. -30-

Some denial and deception

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/082814.cfm

Reject unsettling news

Jeanne Schuler shares a truth which is a theme within the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The prophetic voice unsettles us. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the message of the letter to the Thessalonians today is about the need of the community to conform to social behaviour which Paul meant to be an example of how to live the Christian life. Those who choose not to imitate a lifestyle appropriate for disciples which was modeled by Paul, should not be considered part of the group. Paul exhorted all to work and avoid being a burden on the community. Some community members had apparently responded to the sense of the imminent end to the world by ceasing to be busy at work and becoming disorderly busy bodies. The Gospel from Matthew continues Jesus proclamation of seven woes against the Pharisees. Friar Jude reminds us the comparison of their presence in the community to white washed tombs is particularly cutting in a culture which held all contact with dead bodies to be abhorrent. The claim by the Pharisees that they did not kill the Prophets like their ancestors is rejected by Jesus as He declares that they continue the slaughter of their ancestors by killing the Word of the Prophets. Our culture, which too often fails to seek below the surface of popular self help slogans and misconceptions about spirituality and religion, continues to choose to turn a deaf ear to messages like that of Pope Francis who is quoted expressing a prophetic message about Church by the Evangelizo web site as a meditation on the Gospel passage.

See the need for mercy

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary describe our approach to two apparently very different situations. Like the audience addressed in the second letter to the Thessalonians, we are attentive to talk of the end times. Friar Jude Winkler notes that this can either be the cataclysmic consequences of the end of the world or our personal end. The anxiety in Thessalonica may have originated with the belief of Paul that we were living in the end times or it may be traced to later prophets of doom. The distinction between addressing the end times with love, mercy and compassion for others and being fearful for ourselves is important. The letter encourages us to continue to practice the love and good deeds of Jesus secure in the understanding that He accompanies us through all our transitions, including the end times. The Pharisees hear Jesus exaggerate the way they attend scrupulously to minute detail of the Law in the Gospel from Matthew. Joe Zaborowski reflects on our tendency to be like Pharisees as he considers the message of Pope Francis to turn our attention more to the needs of our fellow humans. Br. Jack Rathschmidt calls on us to act to proclaim and maintain the dignity of all people so as to stop neglecting the weightier matters of the Law as Jesus exhorts today. The disciple acts to help replace fear with love and rules with mercy.

Leadership for spiritual growth

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us an opportunity to reflect on our experience of spiritual community and leadership as we read about the success of the community in Thessalonica which is addressed in the first reading. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the author of the text, who may not actually be Paul, lifts up the community in prayer to the Lord. This action joins our love of those for whom we pray to the Love of God which we believe will be experienced by them. These believers have fought against persecution to maintain their faith. Jesus, in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew, addresses the poor spiritual leadership offered to the people by the scribes and Pharisees who seem to have put their priority for required religious practice into rules which emphasize material concerns. This misplaced priority has the effect of reminding Eileen Wirth of a priest in her community, who in an opposite way, lived for others to open to them the riches of an intimate relationship with Jesus. We perhaps can also share an account of the spiritual leaders who have helped us understand better the life of Love through which God empowers us the be witness, like the Thessalonians, of the God working in communities.

Religious work on knowledge, wisdom and riches

The Gospel today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary is set in the region of Caesarea Philippi where Peter and the other disciples would be, as noted by Eric Barreto, very aware that Caesar's name and the city he built stirred within them hopes of a leader, Messiah, or in Greek “Christ”, who might fulfill the Covenant by returning the Jewish people to a Davidic ruler who would exercise the authority of God traditionally including, according to Friar Jude Winkler, the keys of life, death and precipitation. The text from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah indicates that the rulers of Jerusalem and Judah who had made poor decisions to depend on military forces, alliances with other nations and power politics instead of trusting in the the Lord would have their authority taken from them. The difficulty of understanding at least three of the attributes of God, knowledge, wisdom and riches is part of the struggle of Paul with the acceptance of Jesus by Gentiles and Paul’s deep passion to do all to bring the Jews to belief in Jesus. Fr Munachi E. Ezeogu, cssp writes of how the great theological minds of Thomas Aquinas and Paul are unable to use even the best of human intellectual ability to comprehend ultimate mystery in God. Part of this mystery lies in our wrestling with being “spiritual and not religious”. Friar Jude and Dennis Hamm, S.J. share the understanding that the Church, to which Jesus gives the ancient rabbinic authority over what is normative in our communities, is an essential component in the establishment of the Kingdom wherein God rules as the faith proclamation of Peter and Jesus response in Matthew’s Gospel offer us guidance today.

Practice to beat hypocrisy

The challenge of our hypocrisy comes to the mind of Tom Purcell as he reflects on the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. He is reminded of Jesus observation in Matthew Chapter 7, which he links to today’s passage from Chapter 23, that we seem to be able to see the splinter in our neighbour’s eye but we fail to see the plank in our own eye. The Prophet Ezekiel expresses from his exile in Babylon that God will restore the Temple worship to the lives of the people of Israel. His vocation as priest and prophet, Friar Jude Winkler reminds us, is connected to his deep belief that Temple worship is the most powerful force on earth. Friar Jude links our celebration of the Eucharist and our prayer to our participation in this Divine transforming power through which we are changed. It is the path for us to be able to see our own hypocrisy. When we commit to the change which moves us toward being Christians who practice more of what they preach we are able through the humble service, in which Jesus challenges us to live, to change lives around us. The temptation for human leadership, religious and secular, to become self serving and overwhelmed by honorific titles and privileges is present in modern society. Our commitment to accept prayerful guidance by the Holy Spirit will reveal our own self serving tendencies and we will be able to embrace the hypocrites as brothers and sisters who may be changed in encounters with service and humility. Practice to beat hypocrisy!

Command to Love and Live

The Gospel from Matthew in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is a statement, as noted by Don Schwager, of the Love of God which conquers all. Jesus is asked by the Pharisees, who were very familiar with the law and commentaries in Jewish tradition, about the greatest commandment. His response echoes the call to Israel in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Shema Yisrael”. The question of how we are to practice this commandment is expanded by Friar Jude Winkler as he reminds us that the “whole heart” in Hebrew testament writing referred to the centre of our intellect. The “whole soul” refers to our love of God persisting even until our soul is separated from us in death. Our whole mind or strength is all our possessions and talents are given to this love. Friar Jude tells us that the love of God (vertical dimension) and the love of neighbour (horizontal dimension) are inseparable for our living in the Spirit which is given us from God. The vision of resurrection of dry bones in the passage from the Prophet Ezekiel is likely related, according to Friar Jude, to Ezekiel visiting a Zoroastrian cemetery in exile in Babylon. The custom of this pagan religion was to allow bones of the dead to lie in the elements. The vision of the restoration of life to these bones has given Chas Kestermeier SJ a reflection about the lifeless goals we can sometimes pursue for power, possessions, privilege and pride. The restoration of communities from the Lost Tribes of Israel to Church communities where there appears to be only going through the motions are tied to this prophecy. Friar Jude also notes that Ezekiel was inspired by pagan practice to speak the Word of God and that Ezekiel may also be coming to an understanding of individual resurrection in this text. Our diligence in living the greatest commandment will enlighten our understanding from sources and people all around us.

Offered the wedding garment

The themes of Covenant and choice are strong in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The people who witnessed the fate of the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon found it easy to profane Yahweh who seemed powerless to help the Jewish tribes. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that the Israelites were in Covenant with God. The nature of this special relationship is one of blessings and curses which differentiates the experience of those faithful to the Covenant and those who break the Covenant. The Prophet Ezekiel declares that God will act to restore the people to Him, for His own sake, by a transformation through which they will acquire hearts of flesh. Friar Jude reminds us that this language refers to a deeper knowledge of God than we might associate with the “emotional heart” today. The “heart knowledge” to Ezekiel’s audience encompasses our whole being including reason and action. It is the state of love which the greatest commandment (Deuteronomy 6:4) establishes.  Gus Lloyd reflects that the heart of stone means he often has little empathy or sympathy for those who don’t think like he does, act like he wants them to or believe like he thinks they should believe. He has little use for those who hurt him or disagree with him. The Gospel from Matthew tells of the decision of those invited to the wedding relationship of knowledge of God through Jesus Christ to reject Him. Reimar Schultz interprets the the terrible consequence of this decision to include the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD which occurred prior to the writing of this Gospel. The decision of the man not to wear the wedding garment which has the consequence of his being thrown from the wedding feast, is understood by Friar Jude and Reimar Schultz to be in the context that the king would provide the appropriate dress for the guests at the door of the banquet. Barbara Dilly relates her witness of the grace of God to a faithful and nourishing community of Presbyterians in the Iowa community where she grew up. The attitude of humility and contrite hearts praised by the psalmist today bears fruit in our knowledge of God through our hearts of flesh and our ability to say yes when we are offered the wedding garment.

Shepherds take care of each one

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today on the memorial day for St. Bernard who is termed “Doctor of the Church”. Mark Latta writes that St. Bernard’s life helped to re-emphasize  Lecto Divina (latin for divine reading). This was the understanding that Holy Scriptures should not be treated as just texts to be studied but as the Living Word.  The tradition of Lecto Divina has four steps: read, meditate, pray and contemplate. The meditation today can take us in many directions which may be tied together by the image of the Lord as Shepherd from Psalm 23. Rabbi Harold Kushner has written a wonderful review of the power of this Psalm to bring comfort to people. Friar Jude Winkler describes the passage from the Prophet Ezekiel as a taunt song against the nobles and princes of Israel who failed in their duty to be the agents of God as Good Shepherds. He notes that the text from Ezekiel is associated with the Jewish feast of Hanukkah and he suggests Jesus application of the Good Shepherd to Himself may have followed His being in the Temple when Ezekiel was read. The landlord who hired labourers for his vineyard, in the text from the Gospel of Matthew, surprises us with his decision to pay all the workers the same daily wage. The meditation on this parable is properly in the area of the meaning of work and the call to social justice. Mark Latta understands the message to be about how God deals with each of us in unique ways. Friar Jude is drawn to forgiveness which God offers to all, early to the vineyard or late to the vineyard. The mercy of God is not constrained by time, space or human jealousy. Our Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to seek out the one.

Taunting and teaching about wealth

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings together texts which will lead us to consider three related but unique concerns taunting, revenge and riches. Friar Jude Winkler explains that the portion of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel which we read today is a “taunt song” where the author uses the deeply held belief of the Israelites that the word has power to create action ( in the manner of the Word bringing about creation) to influence circumstances in the present. The story of the Prince of Tyre who is defeated by his false assumption of his omnipotence stands in for the Emperor of Babylon who has taken Ezekiel and the people of Jerusalem into captivity. Even though Ezekiel considers the exile to Babylon to be an action wherein the Babylonians have acted as instruments of God to punish Jerusalem for turning away from their faith, he considers that the Babylonians have become like gods in their own minds and this will bring their eventual downfall.  Michael Kavan of Creighton University sees a personal message in the text from Ezekiel which is a caution against becoming overly exalted in our own mind about what we are able to accomplish. The fall which too often follows the pride becomes an opportunity to rediscover our intimacy with God which supports our failure and too often is lost in our success. Conservative Christians find some of the basic tenants of the nature of Divine revenge in the canticle from Deuteronomy today. The message for all believers is that revenge and judgement belong with God. Jesus addresses the question of wealth with what Friar Jude describes as Jewish exaggeration. The description of the difficulty for the wealthy, those who put material things at a high priority in their lives, to be at peace in the Kingdom of Heaven becomes ironically a prescription in the minds of some of the Gospel of Wealth wherein our giving away of material things will be rewarded one hundredfold by material things. Friar Jude suggests that we might resolve this through remembering the life of St Francis who possessed nothing and as a consequence was able to celebrate everything as gift from God.

Journey toward selflessness

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are strongly associated with rabbinic themes. The Prophet Ezekiel acts after the death of his wife to be a sign to the people about how to respond to the capture of Jerusalem and the exile of the people to Babylon. Friar Jude Winkler notes that he does not act in accord with the prescribed mourning rituals so that he will draw attention to the need to be calm and composed when the punishment due Jerusalem for falling away from the exclusive loyalty to God which the response to the canticle from Deuteronomy reminds us is the relationship of the Covenant proclaimed by Moses. Steve Scholer reflects in this text on how we are called to practice patience and forgiveness in our relationships as God is patient with our wandering on the journey towards holiness. Friar Jude notes that Jesus gives a rabbinic reply to the young man who seeks to know the good in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew. The transformation which Jesus invites the young rich man to undertake is a bridge too far for him at this time. We are aware in the Gospel and through ancient tradition that God is our one focus and as we journey we are invited to surrender more and more of the distractions which are directed to our power, privilege and pleasure rather than the needs of our neighbours and attention to the Will of God. We continue to develop our relationship through Jesus patience with our humanity.

Persistent faith in clever approach

The language of Jesus in the Gospel from Matthew in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today seems out of character. In the normal order, we read that the Prophet Isaiah, as noted by Friar Jude Winkler, is correcting the movement to restore the religious practice of the Jews when they return from the exile in Babylon to a more restrictive form which rejects foreigners. Isaiah declares the holy mountain in Jerusalem to be a house of prayer for all peoples. The psalmist chants to God that all the nations praise You. Paul addresses the Gentile Christians in Rome as he shares his deep hope that the Jewish people, his heritage, will be moved by jealousy towards the Gentile Christians to reconsider their rejection of Jesus so that by their reconciliation God will bring life after death by showing Divine mercy to all. Diane Jorgensen reflects that the language of Jesus toward the pagan Canaanite woman in the Gospel strikes her as rudeness which may be the consequence of fatigue. She hints at a process theology perspective that Jesus is learning of His mission to the Gentiles. John B Cobb Jr writes about how this passage is in harmony with the understanding of Matthew about the primary nature of Jesus mission being to the lost sheep of Israel. Don Schwager outlines the format and content of this Gospel written by a Jewish man to a Jewish  Christian audience. The exceptions to the rule are noted by Cobb. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus has chosen to travel in the pagan region. The tenacity of faith which Diane Jorgensen urges us to develop is also a strong message Jesus may be delivering to His disciples. Cobb notes that the Greek word for dogs in this passage means the house dog rather than stray or wild dogs. Friar Jude notices that Jesus is often showing us that the clever mind and the thoughtful response are tools to get attention. We need to be people of faith who use our hearts and minds to probe the mystery and be persistent in our struggle throughout which we will be gifted with life and healing.

Hope in the Love of Children

The psalmist calls out to God for a clean heart to be created within (Psalm 51) in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The Prophet Ezekiel proclaims a message from God which characterizes some actions of the virtuous person. Fr Pat Brennan comments that Ezekiel addresses a proverb in Israel which is also deal with by Jeremiah (Jer 31:27-30) concerning responsibility for the sins of the father falling on his children. The involvement in Western society of parents with their children is described by Mary Longo as helicopter parenting. It is difficult to separate today the actions of parents and the actions which children may initiate themselves. The truth that God sees our individual lives and does treat us as unique individuals mandates that disciples of Jesus attempt to do the same. The prejudgement of people based on their socio-economic status, culture, religion, race, place of birth, education, wealth and health continues and on the scale of nation to nation conflict presents a deep social threat in our time. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that there is social sin and social responsibility. When a society is involved in practices which fail to recognize the love and uniqueness of every person in the eyes of God we have work to do! Pope Francis is taking special steps in Korea now to allow us to see the great disparity in industrialized societies between those who have more than enough and those who live on the margins. Our societies will know the consequence of failure to see all its members with the innocent trusting openness of the children who Jesus calls for a blessing in the Gospel from Matthew. Keeping our brothers means we need to work for loving treatment of all God’s children.

Marked bound and loosed

The events of the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present a clear contrast between the lives of people who are caught up in what Nancy Shirley describes as idolatrous behaviour in which we place God at a lesser priority than power, privilege, pleasure, people and things in our life. The Prophet Ezekiel describes the dire consequences for those people in his time who were not marked with the “tau” as the angels of death invade Jerusalem. The Gospel from Matthew contains text the interpretation of which is debated across Christianity. “Binding and loosing” are understood in a range of ways from determining liturgical practices and procedures to setting the “bound” to eternal damnation. Unfortunately, the brother with whom we have a difficulty in this passage from the Gospel may also be a disciple of Christ. The healing power of prayer is experienced by all believers. In gathering in prayer, we open ourselves to the Presence of Jesus and we are receptive to the verses of Dan Schutte cited by Nancy Shirley which in Ignatian spirituality seek nothing more than the love and grace of God.

Struggle to be open

The challenge of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is to become great in the Kingdom of God through a journey which is a return to innocence and a sense of awe and wonder which requires us to struggle to trust and surrender our defenses. Andy Alexander SJ recalls playground experiences which were part of that erosion from our young self of the openness and freedom of children which Jesus uses to instruct His disciples about Life which is intimate with God. The nature of children to be intimate and open certainly has had consequences in modern time whereby they have been taken advantage of and abused, however, it is the attitude of acceptance of others which is the primary step in our commission from Jesus. Our mission to have others be disciples of Jesus presupposes we accept them as they are into our circles. The Gospel today proposes action which is deeply counter cultural as Jesus tells us to search for the one even when we have the ninety-nine with us. The quota and the satisfactory result for God is Life for all. Irene Nowell reviews the role of the Prophet Ezekiel who presents images of God to the exiles from Jerusalem in Babylon which make it clear that the consequence of the decisions made by Judah to cease to trust God brought lamentation, wailing and woe as Jerusalem is sacked and the Temple is destroyed by the Babylonian forces. The promise from Ezekiel that the Covenant and the intimacy of God and the Israelites would be restored points to our struggle to abandon the power, privilege and pleasure-seeking which is characteristic of “adult” relationships in favour of openness, sharing and trust which are the qualities of our younger selves.

Model to rebuild

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Memorial of St. Clare offer reflection on the task of rebuilding the Church which was the mission of St Francis and his devoted follower St Clare. Luis Rodriquez SJ comments that the choice of the name Francis by the Pope indicates his direction to continue to rebuild the Church. The Catholic Culture website notes that at  the time of Clare and Francis, many Church men were enmeshed in financial matters and political maneuvering. Life which emulates the poverty of Jesus is the living Gospel of Franciscan spirituality. The passage from the Prophet Ezekiel tells of the time of the Babylonian exile when Temple worship in Jerusalem ceased. The revelation described in the text today began to rebuild the relationship between Yahweh and the Israelites with new insight that God is not restricted to a time or place. The eTeacher biblical Hebrew blog outlines the significance of this shift in understanding of God. The Gospel of Matthew brings us with Jesus disciples to the statement that the Son of Man, Messiah, will suffer and die at the hands of His enemies. Don Schwager reminds us how the image offered by Isaiah of the Suffering Servant Messiah was so difficult. The text from Matthew has Jesus decide to pay the Temple tax, even though as a Son of Abraham He would be exempt from the tax. At this time, Jesus is in pagan territory of Capernaum “But that we may not offend them” (Matthew 17:27) He provides the money for the tax for He and Peter. The path to rebuilding a Church and society which unfortunately has attributes of the time of Francis and Judah before the exile, is through living the Gospel which the example today indicates embrace of simple existence, necessary suffering and wise decisions not to give offense.

Walk with little faith

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today bring several voices and experiences of the Divine to our reflection. The Book of 1st Kings tells of the still small voice of God which speaks to Elijah on Mt Horeb after great wind, fire and earthquake pass. The discovery of God in peace may be especially available to us in the calm and beauty of a summer morning or after resolution of some family distress. The letter of Paul to the Romans today tells of election by God of Israel to as chosen people with Covenant, Law, Prophets and worship through which to be in relationship with the Divine. The deep desire of Paul that the people of his heritage accept the invitation of Jesus to live in the Life brought by the Messiah is strongly expressed in this text. John Piper recalls how his struggle with the supremacy of the Will of God revolves around the ninth chapter of this letter. This supremacy of the Will of God is intertwined with our decisions as John B Cobb Jr discusses faith development which Peter illustrates in the text today from the Gospel of Matthew as he moves with the “little faith” declared by Jesus to an interdependence which allows his faith in what people can do through Jesus life within to develop. The boat in which the disciples encounter the storms is compared by Kyle Lierk to the crutches which we hang on to in life when we are challenged by stormy circumstances. Peter points to the path to transcend the tragedy as he seeks empowerment through Jesus to continue to walk  above chaos. In the Gospel scenario he loses focus and begins to sink. We need to step out of our boats with the confidence that Jesus will save us from our own inadequacies. The “I can do whatever I want” attitude in our culture which thrives in the delusion that each person is sovereign within themselves creates sorrow similar to that of Paul that such gifted seem intent on sinking beneath the waves. The voice of Jesus as he reaches out to save us once again brings the peace which Elijah found on Horeb.

Faith of a life time

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary help us to wrestle with the response of faith to situations in our life and the lives of others. The Prophet Habakkuk is associated with the time prior to the Babylonian exile. Dr Constable writes that he was a prophet of the Southern Kingdom who lived in times of increasing degeneracy and fear. Friar Jude Winkler comments that he addresses questions of wisdom which arise from the apparent failure of God to limit the wrath of the arrogant pagan peoples who threaten Judah. Friar Jude notes that the message of Habakkuk is that we need to take the long view to perceive justice in human events. Today the Church celebrates the life of Edith Stein (Saint Teresia Benedicta of the the Cross) who died in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. Maryanne Rouse quotes this Catholic convert of Jewish heritage “Things were in God’s plan which I had not planned at all.  I am coming to the living faith and conviction that—from God’s point of view—there is not chance and that the whole of my life, down to every detail has been mapped out in God’s divine providence and makes complete and perfect sense in God’s all-seeing eyes.” Friar Jude notes that the Book of Job, written after the prophecy of Habakkuk, focuses on surrender to the will of God in a world which does not demonstrate justice as our guide to peace. The Gospel from Matthew takes us to the question of the role of prayer and faith in dealing with the mysteries of life which include healing. Jesus asserts that healing is from God and we need some faith to accomplish even what seems impossible. Our role also is to strive to trust that the outcome for people in relation to God is always the most loving option. Like Edith Stein, this wisdom may be counter to the culture of winning every battle in which our safety and security is threatened. We might benefit from surrender to Love and contemplation of the “long view”.

History and Challenge

History and biography are intertwined with expectations of and from God in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Memorial of St Dominic. The taunt song of the minor prophet Nahum about the destruction of Nineveh is described by Friar Jude Winkler as a poetic and realistic description of warfare in ancient times. The concept that those who are not following the cultural and religious practice of your tribe are guided by the evil one places the vengeance of this passage in a cultural context which even today in this same region seems to drive people to battle one another. The charism of the Order of Preachers founded by St Dominic has been described as harmonizing the intellectual life with popular needs. The Gospel from Matthew is Jesus exhortation that we need to take up our cross daily and follow Him to experience fullness of life. Craig Zimmer reflects that the life we lose when we decide not to take up Jesus challenge to become less self centred is not so much eternal life but that deep experience of living here and now in the Spirit which resonates with the Love between Father and Son that makes today our knowledge of the Kingdom of God.

Revealed in the struggle

The renewal of the Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah which is proclaimed in the text from the Prophet Jeremiah from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is declared to be different from the original Covenant under which Yahweh led the Israelites out of Egypt. This revelation about God will be written on their hearts, where Friar Jude Winkler comments was the place of reasoning and thought in the understanding of the ancient Hebrews. The prescriptions on behaviour which then and now are difficult to obey and tend to be surface and barely sufficient are replaced by a path which calls us to join the psalmist in the prayer for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit. Chas Kestermeier SJ compares this awareness of the Divine to being completely filled with the Holy Spirit and living like Mary. The Gospel of Matthew takes us to the region of Caesarea Philippi in the north, near the source of the Jordan where pagan worship of Pan occurred and where Father Robert Barron opens his video series Catholicism with the question in this Gospel passage from Jesus to Peter about “Who do you say I am?” Jesus reveals that the answer which Peter gives is based on a revelation to him by the Father. It is written on his heart. The promise of Jeremiah and the image described by Chas Kestermeier SJ are not here yet. Jesus describes His suffering and death to Peter in this Gospel and the “Rock” becomes a tempter who Friar Jude comments must be convinced later after Easter to take up his cross like Jesus to struggle in response to the Covenant written on his heart. Peter leads us into the truth about how we all will come to the peace understood by Jeremiah.

Tradition and Transformation

The Celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord through the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer us an opportunity to consider many aspects of our experience in our journey to holiness. The texts from the Book of Daniel and the second letter of Peter declare the relationship of Jesus as the Beloved Son of God. The experience of Peter, James and John is one of transcendence beyond our physical reality. Tom Shanahan SJ considers how Scripture scholar Tom Wright compares Jesus at the Transfiguration and at the Crucifixion. The location of the Transfiguration is noted by Friar Jude Winkler as Mount Tabor. In the Greek and Orthodox tradition, “Tabor Light” becomes a peace within as in the example of hesychast Saint Gregory Palamas through the continuous praying of the “Jesus prayer”. In Church history, the spiritual insight from contemplation about the immanence of God and the rational analysis of the Divine have been in conflict. Our daily experience is enriched and we are attuned to witness mountain-top events through knowledge of tradition and the resonance of the indwelling Holy Spirit with Light of Tabor which we encounter in our journey.

Restore from incurable wounds

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today may take us in a few directions as we ponder the message contained in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah about how God will restore the Kingdom of Judah and Israel after their exile which seemed to be an incurable wound. Andy Alexander SJ reflects on the what we may categorize as incurable wounds in our relationships with God and others. The Scriptures proclaim that there are things which are impossible for us to achieve on our own but with the help of our relationship with Jesus all obstacles become the material for the rebuilding of our communion. The Psalmist declares that the Lord will build up Zion again. The defeat of the Jesubites by David initiated the establishment of Zion as the hill and site of fortress to protect Jerusalem in the reign of King David. Christian believers find that the role of Mary in relationship to humanity and in relationship to God resonates with Hebrew Testament texts which refer to Zion. The Gospel from Matthew 14, which is commented by Andy Alexander SJ, is not used in the Canadian Liturgical calendar today. The relationship of Peter with Jesus is the strength which Peter needs to overcome the storm. After our personal storms and our sense of incurable wounding, our spirit needs to accept communion with Jesus for that deep restoration. Chapter 15 of Matthew's Gospel today allows us to ponder Jesus comments about the blind leading the blind. Some commentary understands this as a reference to the preference to use the Babylonian Talmud over the actual Scriptures in the time of Jesus. The Christian Tradition is rich in accounts of the lives of believers from the time of Mary to the present day who by example point to living in intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit as guide to the Love of Jesus.