Breaking up a new field

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Memorial of St Benedict, founder of Western monasticism, connect to themes of the necessity to reinforce in our society Christian principles based on the Word, Jesus.



The Prophet Hosea calls to the people of Samaria, where the kings do the opposite of what they are supposed to do, to plow a new field.

* [10:3] No king: the instability of the monarchy (7:3–7) and its vassalage to foreign kings (7:8–16) render the monarchy ineffective. The kings do the opposite of what they are supposed to do (10:4).

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus assigns twelve of His disciples to bring the message of His actions to the people of Israel.

* [10:5–6] Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry.

Angela Maynard reflects on the vocation of a young friend and the Rule of St Benedict that he has chosen to follow. She asks if the apostles had a handbook. The apostles had the best kind of guide — they lived with Jesus. There are four gospels written about him. Her young monk has an instruction book at his disposal, it’s called St. Benedict’s rule. It, too, is rooted in the gospels.

For today, take some time to think about what OUR rule might look like. Life according to me …
Consider:
What is important to me?
How do I spend my time?
Do my actions impact anybody, and if so, how?
What does God want from me—what is my purpose?

Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option, quotes Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, on the collapse of our society.

“it is obligatory to compare today’s situation with the decline of the Roman Empire. In its final days, Rome still functioned as a great historical framework, but in practice its vital energy had been depleted.”

Dreher discusses what the Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith and his colleagues call the “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” (MTD). MTD uses the language and conceptual vocabulary of historical, biblical Christianity, but in fact it teaches a malleable, feel-good, Jesus-light philosophy perfectly suited to a consumerist, individualistic, post-Christian society that ­worships the self.

Don Schwager asks if we believe in the life-changing power of the Gospel and experience its transforming effect in our lives?

The core of the Gospel message is quite simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is very near! What is the kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who know God's love and mercy, and who willingly obey and honor God as their Lord and King. In the prayer which Jesus gave to his disciples (the Lord's Prayer or Our Father), he taught them to pray for God to reign in their daily lives and in the world around them: May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10 comments that Jesus has given us a share in his authority. He has called us by name and empowered us with his Spirit. Like the young person first sitting behind the steering wheel, we have much to learn. But don’t let that keep us from trying!

Friar Jude Winkler finds some comments on social justice in the words of the Hosea. We live like people of God in the way we treat each other. The very Jewish Gospel of Matthew also reaches out to pagans who are recognized by Jesus as having faith, sometimes greater than the people of Israel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, sees in the status quo that most religion is highly “legitimating religion.” It is used for social control and public order by the powers that be and individuals. This oppressive use of religion has allowed much of Christian history to fully cooperate in toxic and unjust societies—just as long as each person had “a personal relationship with Jesus.” This will not work anymore; in fact, it never did.

Most of us need to have the status quo shaken now and then, leaving us off balance and askew, feeling alienated for a while from our usual unquestioned loyalties. In this uncomfortable space, we can finally recognize the much larger kingdom of God. Many churches don’t seem to understand this, even flying the national flag in sanctuaries while daring to talk about “one God before us” in the same space. After authentic conversion, our old “country” no longer holds any ultimate position. We can’t worship it any longer as we were once trained to do. Our national identity is okay, probably necessary, but very limited in its capacity for truth, much less universal truth.

The message of the Scripture today as lived by St Benedict is one of strengthening ourselves through our relationship with Jesus to be in service to others.

References


(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/10

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 11, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(2017, July 14). Signs of the Times: Rod Dreher discusses the Benedict Option by Rod .... Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/benedict-option-signs-of-the-times

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Saint Benedict, Abbot (Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/