Invitations and instructions in humility

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to move from the comfort of living as some do to exploration of the invitation from God to be humble servants in attitude change that opens us to freedom.

"The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore observe and obey what they teach you; but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practice what they teach."(Matthew 23: 2-3)

Reading leads to forgetfulness. Prac..https://t.co/QIyhxXCLvj pic.twitter.com/O6qPV9jvNU

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The Book of the Prophet Isaiah gives a warning about oppressing the weak and denying justice in our actions.

* [1:10–17] A powerful indictment of the religious hypocrisy of rulers and others who neglect just judgment and oppress the weaker members, yet believe they can please God with sacrifices and other external forms of worship. The long list of observances suggests the Lord’s tedium with such attempts. Sodom…Gomorrah: the names are picked up from v. 9, but now to emphasize their wickedness rather than the good fortune of escaping total destruction.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus warns about pride in our piety becoming an obstacle to practicing what we preach.

* [23:5] To the charge of preaching but not practicing (Mt 23:3), Jesus adds that of acting in order to earn praise. The disciples have already been warned against this same fault (see note on Mt 6:1–18). Phylacteries: the Mosaic law required that during prayer small boxes containing parchments on which verses of scripture were written be worn on the left forearm and the forehead (see Ex 13:9, 16; Dt 6:8; 11:18). Tassels: see note on Mt 9:20. The widening of phylacteries and the lengthening of tassels were for the purpose of making these evidences of piety more noticeable.

Barbara Dilly comments that it seems adult to look to God for guidance, instruction and encouragement.

That instruction and encouragement comes today in the form of an invitation.We are invited to make justice our aim, redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, and defend the widow.  In so doing, we shall see the salvation of God.  We are invited to cast away all our misdeeds so that we can make for ourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Don Schwager expands the concept of Humility as truth in self-understanding and truth in action. It means viewing ourselves honestly, with sober judgment. It means seeing ourselves the way God sees us (Psalm 139:1-4). He quotes Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. on the characterization of the proud.

"Who are the proud? Those who do not perform penance and confess their sins in order to be healed through humility. Who are the proud? Those who attribute to themselves the few good qualities they seem to possess and endeavor to diminish the mercy of God. Who are the proud? Those who, while attributing to God the good they accomplish, insult others for not performing such works and raise themselves above them."  (Commentary on Psalm 93, 15)

Friar Jude Winkler explains how Isaiah speaks to the people of Israel about how God wants his people to turn from self destructive sin and receive His mercy. The role of Jewish exaggeration in Matthew’s Gospel means a literal interpretation of the use of honorific titles may be over stating the meaning of the instructions in the passage today.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, claims no knowledge of where the universe story might be fully or finally heading. He can see what it has already revealed with great clarity—that knowledge builds on itself, is cumulative, and is always moving outward toward ever-greater discovery.

People who cling to the past and resist change have a hard time participating in God’s and their own future. Perhaps this is an appropriate application of Jesus’ somewhat problematic words, “Anyone who has will be given more . . . but anyone who has not, will lose what little he has” (see Matthew 25:29). This is only true in the realm of spirit and wisdom which increase and evolve with use. Material reality decreases with usage, which is why our consumer worldview is unsustainable.

The obstacles of pride, scrupulosity, and closed mindedness threaten to deny our experience living as humble agents of God.

References

(n.d.). Isaiah 1:18. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/isaiah1.htm

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 23 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/23

(n.d.). Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/