Connections to Infinity

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today point to a connectedness that is in the mystical realm where we may experience God in mercy and joy as recipients of grace that continues to restore creation.

Good friends witness to our strengths

In the Book of Exodus, Moses describes learning the depth with which God maintains His people in spite of rejection.

* [32:11–13] Moses uses three arguments to persuade the Lord to remain faithful to the Sinai covenant even though the people have broken it: (1) they are God’s own people, redeemed with God’s great power; (2) God’s reputation will suffer if they are destroyed; (3) the covenant with Abraham still stands. The Lord’s change of mind is a testimony to Israel’s belief in the power of intercessory prayer.

The religious authorities in the Gospel of John are blind to the evidence of Jesus connection to the Father.

* [5:32] Another: likely the Father, who in four different ways gives testimony to Jesus, as indicated in the verse groupings Jn 5:33–34, 36, 37–38, 39–40.

Jeanne Schuler shares the concerns of John Kavanaugh, S.J., about the idols of consumer society. She reminds us that persons are known by the company they keep.  Good friends witness to our strengths and help us to face our weakness.

We too get ensnared by shiny things.  John Kavanaugh, S.J., wrote about the idols of consumer society: Things are not woundable.  They do not bleed or suffer or die. And the culture that enthrones things, products, objects as its most cherished realities is ultimately a culture in flight from the vulnerability of the human person. Idols bring disorder.  What matters more than prayer, simplicity, and community is the drive to produce, compete, and consume. Society should be directed at persons and the gifts of creation. The idol cons us: it promises salvation but delivers emptiness and violence.  Once money defines reality, creatures get tossed aside.

Don Schwager writes that God reveals himself to the lowly of heart through the gift of the Holy Spirit, who opens our ears so that we may hear his voice and he fills our hearts and minds with the love and knowledge of God. He quotes Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.)

"As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant. In this school we learn something every day. We learn something from commandments, something from examples, and something from sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for study."

Friar Jude Winkler identifies some chutzpah in the intervention of Moses with God around the Golden calf. Jesus is that which God had always intended. This revelation of the Father is witnessed by Moses and the works of Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Joanna Macy who vividly reconnects our seemingly separate selves with nature, both present and past.

Unless you have some roots in a spiritual practice that holds life sacred and encourages joyful communion with all your fellow beings, facing the enormous challenges ahead becomes nearly impossible. .

Father Richard offers thoughts on the consequence of expanding our self-interest to include other beings in the body of the Earth, This widens our window on time. It enlarges our temporal context, freeing us from identifying our goals and rewards solely in terms of our present lifetime. The life pouring through us, pumping our heart and breathing through our lungs, did not begin at our birth or conception. Like every particle in every atom and molecule of our bodies, it goes back through time to the first splitting and spinning of the stars. The mystical power of the Word includes the ability to speak to us about today.

It is the one year anniversary of the death of my nephew, Shawn and phrases from the commentators today resonate with his short, 30 year life.

Shawn Donald Macpherson

He discovered some of the shallowness in the idols of consumer society as he experienced good friends who witnessed to his strengths and helped him to face his weaknesses. The chutzpah of Moses reminds us of his wisdom and wit in interactions with people. He drew strength from his connections to nature in the mountains, on the lakes and by the sea and from this strength  expanded his self-interest to include other beings. His atomic and molecular connection to the universe goes back through time to the first splitting and spinning of the stars and continues in the mystical domain that is near enough to influence our lives for good today. (https://davmacit.blogspot.ca/2017/03/the-finish-carpenter-completes-journey.html )

References


(n.d.). Exodus, chapter 32 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/exodus32:45

(n.d.). John, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john5:51

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/