Fruit of false prophets or of faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring contrasting images of lamentation over a situation resulting from lack of faith and the healing that is found through humble faith.

Empire history

The Book of Lamentations describes the scene of desolation in Jerusalem after the city is destroyed and the leaders taken into exile.

* [2:19] The poet urges Zion to appeal to the Lord once more on behalf of her dying children. The image of Zion’s children effectively condenses the metaphorical sense of all residents of the city (young and old alike) into the more poignant picture of actual children at the point of death. It was precisely this image, no doubt well known to survivors of besieged cities, that led to the emotional breakdown of both Zion (1:16) and the poet (2:11). The hope is that the Lord will be similarly affected by such a poignant image and respond with mercy.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus encounters a Roman centurion with deep faith in Jesus ability to heal his servant through His Divine command.

* [8:8–9] Acquainted by his position with the force of a command, the centurion expresses faith in the power of Jesus’ mere word.

Mary Lee Brock comments that praying with this gospel gives her peace and a sense of purpose.  She can feel the shift to focus on the true role and responsibility in her life which is to have abiding faith.  As she thinks about all the actions needed to fulfill her responsibilities, she realizes without faith her efforts are meaningless.

I feel admiration for the centurion who is so clear about his roles.  As I wonder how he has such clarity of purpose, I am humbled and inspired by his certainty about his faith.  He brings the words we say in liturgy to life: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” It is the centurion’s faith which gives him clarity.   I am not alone in my admiration as Jesus is also amazed by the centurion’s faith. Jesus said to him: “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, who says that “social location often determines biblical interpretation.” No wonder many well-off Christians miss the emphasis on justice, simplicity, and equality throughout Scripture! (Mark 14:7).

They are at the dinner table with a leper, and Jesus is making an assumption about his disciples’ continuing proximity to the poor. He is saying, in effect, “Look, you will always have the poor with you” because you are my disciples. You know who we spend our time with, who we share meals with, who listens to our message, who we focus our attention on. You’ve been watching me, and you know what my priorities are. You know who comes first in the kingdom of God. So, you will always be near the poor, you’ll always be with them, and you will always have the opportunity to share with them.

Our faith is essential to making sense of the culture in which we live and offering transparent witness to joy in living as Jesus disciple.

References

(n.d.). Lamentations, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/lamentations/2

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mt/8:37

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 30, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 30, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/