Stiff necked with no introspection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary urge us to reflect on our stiff necked attitudes and action toward others who appear to be in conflict with us.

Rush to judgment

The passage from Second Kings is a theological reflection on the causes and aftermath of Assyria’s conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

* [17:6–41] This brief section is the Deuteronomistic historian’s theological reflection on the causes and aftermath of Assyria’s conquest of the Northern Kingdom. The text contrasts the Israelites, who were deported (v. 6) because they abandoned the worship of the Lord (vv. 7–23), with the foreigners who were brought into the land (v. 24) and undertook, however imperfectly, to worship the Lord alongside their own traditional deities (vv. 25–34a). The last verses recapitulate the apostasy of the Israelites (vv. 34b–40) and the syncretism of the foreigners (v. 41). This is a deliberately disparaging, and not wholly accurate, account of the origin of the Samaritans; it reflects the hostility the Judahites continued to hold toward the inhabitants of the northern territories.

In the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew Jesus looks at our hypocrisy that often comes to the surface when we judge others.

* [7:5] Hypocrite: the designation previously given to the scribes and Pharisees is here given to the Christian disciple who is concerned with the faults of another and ignores his own more serious offenses.

Jeanne Schuler refers to Plato and Socrates as she finds that we take peculiar satisfaction in delving into others’ lives.

Socrates locates the beginning of wisdom with the admonition to “know thyself.” Few in Plato’s dialogues move in this direction. It is humbling to peer into the dusty corners of our lives. We like to hide from ourselves. Some people blame the self. “Self” for them means selfish. “Forget yourself.” The road to virtue supposedly leads away from the self. We might dream of starting over. Find a new location; leave that pesky self behind. But like an old address, it follows me. I can’t shake it off

Don Schwager invites us to consider Augustine of Hippo's (354-430 A.D) explanation of this passage from the Sermon on the Mount. (also thoughts and prayer from Ephrem the Syrian, 306-373 A.D. and William Barclay, 20th century)

"Rather, whenever necessity compels one to reprove or rebuke another, we ought to proceed with godly discernment and caution. First of all, let us consider whether the other fault is such as we ourselves have never had or whether it is one that we have overcome. Then, if we have never had such a fault, let us remember that we are human and could have had it. But if we have had it and are rid of it now, let us remember our common frailty, in order that mercy, not hatred, may lead us to the giving of correction and admonition. In this way, whether the admonition occasions the amendment or the worsening of the one for whose sake we are offering it (for the result cannot be foreseen), we ourselves shall be made safe through singleness of eye. But if on reflection we find that we ourselves have the same fault as the one we are about to reprove, let us neither correct nor rebuke that one. Rather, let us bemoan the fault ourselves and induce that person to a similar concern, without asking him to submit to our correction." (excerpt from SERMON ON THE MOUNT 2.19.64)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18 sums it up noting the author of 2 Kings explains why Israel failed: the people relied on human help instead of divine power.

Hoshea’s story urges us to turn to the Lord first rather than as the last resort. It tells us to face every challenge with the proclamation “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). This is the foundational truth of our human situation, and it is the foundation for our life of faith. We depend on God from beginning to end.

Friar Jude Winkler examines some of the weakness in the “banana republic” nature of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The prophets tried to call back to faithfulness the leaders who practiced syncretism. Reflection on the wisdom of the Gospel may lead us to admit that maybe I am in more serious trouble than those on whom I pass judgement.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) how Jesus critiques and reorders the values of his culture from the bottom up. Fr. Richard quotes Jim Wallis, founder of the faith-based nonprofit Sojourners, who writes about economic justice.

What if the calls for economic justice were made in the name of Jesus—or Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah—instead of from more ideological sources and causes? . . . What if behavior in the economic spheres of our lives became the substance of adult Sunday school curriculums and Bible study groups? And what if the hard political questions about corporate responsibility, tax benefits, trade policies, budget priorities, and campaign financing were coming from religious congregations that political leaders couldn’t afford to ignore? Nothing could do more to bring about a change of fortunes in the battles of class warfare.

We have been stiff necked about examining our attitudes when the bottom line is money and resources as foundational as clean water, housing, and health care go to the highest bidder. This inequality is absolutely counter to the Gospel message. Pray that our introspection leads to asking hard questions in the manner modeled by Jesus.

References


(n.d.). 2 Kings, chapter 17 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2kings/17 

(n.d.). Matthew 7. Retrieved June 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew7.htm

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 25, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html 

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 25, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Solemnity) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 25, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 25, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/