Discipline and the scrupulous life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer contemplation on our gratitude for life and our role in having the discipline to serve all the people of God including the lax and the scrupulous.

The cloister.

The Prophet Isaiah attends to King Hezekiah who appeals for mercy and healing.

* [38:5] Since Hezekiah died in 687 B.C., his sickness may have occurred in 702 B.C., that is, fifteen years before.

The question of doing work on the Sabbath is addressed by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew with an assertion that God wants mercy over sacrifice.

* [12:5–6] This and the following argument (Mt 12:7) are peculiar to Matthew. The temple service seems to be the changing of the showbread on the sabbath (Lv 24:8) and the doubling on the sabbath of the usual daily holocausts (Nm 28:9–10). The argument is that the law itself requires work that breaks the sabbath rest, because of the higher duty of temple service. If temple duties outweigh the sabbath law, how much more does the presence of Jesus, with his proclamation of the kingdom (something greater than the temple), justify the conduct of his disciples.

Nancy Shirley experiences much angst in the scheduling of so many sporting activities for children from early morning to early evening on every Sunday.

I remember when my children were young and there were games on Sunday afternoon but it always seemed possible to have the morning for church.  Now the entire weekend is engulfed in activities that create potential barriers for worship. How would Jesus address this newest phenomenon? How do we reconcile our desires and wants in this fast paced life we live we every day filled to the max with actual needs?  Have we lost sight of what is the most important? Do we remember?: I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.

Jonathan Stockstill comments that there are three types of people that come to a church… consumers, contributors, and the curious.

Don Schwager quotes Eusebius of Alexandria (5th century AD) to remind us of the place of the Lord’s day in the mind of the early Church Fathers.

"Now every week has seven days. Six of these God has given to us for work, and one for prayer, rest, and making reparation for our sins, so that on the Lord's Day we may atone to God for any sins we have committed on the other six days. Therefore, arrive early at the church of God; draw near to the Lord and confess your sins to him, repenting in prayer and with a contrite heart. Attend the holy and divine liturgy; finish your prayer and do not leave before the dismissal. Contemplate your master as he is broken and distributed, yet not consumed. If you have a clear conscience, go forward and partake of the body and blood of the Lord." (excerpt from SERMON 6, 1-2)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8 asks What do we know about the Pharisees who valued many of the same things that Jesus valued: the Scriptures, holiness, and God’s chosen people?

Theologically speaking, they were closer to Jesus than the other sects. Some Pharisees even followed him. But others saw him as a threat to the Jewish faith and perhaps to their own position. In part, you might say that their proximity to Jesus led to conflict.
The same can be true sometimes for us as well. Somehow, it can be hardest to remain at peace with the people who are closest to us, especially our family members. We know each other so well that we can overreact to trivial things and create rifts in our families. We also tend to have high expectations of each other—because of our love—and we get frustrated when these expectations aren’t met.

Rhonda Ortiz shares the advice of Ignatius of Loyola on Scruples and Moderation.

The devil’s tactic, then, is to tempt the person further into laxity or scrupulosity, according to their inclination. The lax person becomes more lax, allowing themselves too much lassitude, whereas the scrupulous person becomes more and more enslaved to his doubts and perfectionism. Therefore, the pastoral response to each of these scenarios needs to be different. The lax person needs to practice discipline in order to remember to trust God more. The scrupulous person needs to practice moderation in order to let go and trust God more. St. Ignatius says:
“A soul that wishes to make progress in the spiritual life must always act in a manner contrary to that of the enemy. If the enemy seeks to make the conscience lax, one must endeavor to make it more sensitive. If the enemy strives to make the conscience delicate with a view to leading it to excess, the soul must endeavor to establish itself firmly in a moderate course so that in all things it may preserve itself in peace.” (No. 350)

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the messy politics of Hezekiah and the irony that he accepted a sign from God and his father King Ahaz refused to seek a sign. Practicing mercy and not sacrifice will help us live in a compassionate way. Jesus takes the prerogative of the Pharisees to reinterpret the Law in mercy, Friar Jude notes.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Sister of Social Service Simone Campbell, famously known as “the nun on the bus,” who lives at the intersection of politics and religion. . . . Her faith impels her into the public square. It is abundantly clear that Pope Francis is correct when he says that faith has real consequences in the world . . . and these consequences involve politics.

It is breaking my heart that some of these same politicians want to dismantle healthcare and force millions off of healthcare they receive through the Affordable Care Act. Pope Francis is correct when he says that “health is not a consumer good, but a universal right, so access to health services cannot be a privilege.” [1] Some in Congress want to take away healthcare coverage in order to make a partisan point. It is these members of Congress that I have a difficult time caring about. . . .
However, I find that our position “for the 100%” requires an empathy that stretches my being beyond my imagining. Finding a way to not vilify or divide into “them” and “us” in today’s federal politics goes against . . . current custom. . . .
So my contemplative practice is to attempt to sit open-handed and listen to the “wee small voice” that sometimes whispers ideas and ways forward.

The “them” and “us” attitude too often arises when compassion and empathy are overshadowed by our scrupulosity or our need to impose our spiritual discipline on others. Necessary tension in holding together all the children of God in Love is a sign of our attempt to model Jesus Way.

References


(n.d.). CHAPTER 38 Sickness and Recovery of Hezekiah. 1 In those days .... Retrieved July 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/isaiah38.htm

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mt/12:2424

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 20, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/ 

(n.d.). 15th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 20, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/ 

(2016, July 6). Scruples and Moderation: Understanding the Advice of St. Ignatius of .... Retrieved July 20, 2018, from http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2016/07/scruples-and-moderation-understanding-the-advice-of-st-ignatius-of-loyola/