Called beyond selfish concerns

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today confront us with some of the ineffable nature of the God of the Universe appearing both intimately aware and aloof from our situation.

Journey with difficulty

The namesake of the Book of Job begins to explore the possibility of challenging God about the seemingly unjust suffering he is experiencing.

* [9:3] Job begins to explore the possibility of challenging God in a lawsuit, a theme that will recur (10:2), but he knows the odds are against him (vv. 12–20).

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus questions the commitment of would be disciples.

* [9:57–62] In these sayings Jesus speaks of the severity and the unconditional nature of Christian discipleship. Even family ties and filial obligations, such as burying one’s parents, cannot distract one no matter how briefly from proclaiming the kingdom of God. The first two sayings are paralleled in Mt 8:19–22; see also notes there.

Rev Dr Richard Leonard SJ shares how comments on suffering from others have alerted him to how often we hear some terrible theology, which does not draw people to God, in the worst moments of our lives. It alienates us. It alienated him for a while from believing in a God who wants us to have an intelligent discussion about the complexities of where and how the Divine presence fits into our fragile and human world. He shares his steps to spiritual sanity when we are tempted, and we give into the temptation, to ask, ‘Where the hell is God?’

Some might think that the theology outlined here presents God as remote or aloof. I do not need to think that God has to be the direct cause of everything in my life to have a strong and lively belief in a personal God. Indeed, I am passionate about God’s personal love and presence. Thinking that God is removed from the intricate detail of how things develop does not remove God from the drama of our living, our suffering and dying. God waits patiently for an invitation to enter our lives at whatever level we want. Christ meets us where we are, embraces us and holds us close when the going gets tough, and helps us find the way forward, even and most especially, on that last day when we find the way home.

Fr. George Corrigan, OFM notes how many testimonies have the convert talk about all the evil things that were left behind in order to follow Jesus. Jesus also demands that we give up the very best things in our lives to follow him. He cites Craddock (Luke, Interpretation Commentaries, p.144) who says it well.

The radicalism of Jesus’ words lies in his claim to priority over the best, not the worst, of human relationships. Jesus never said to choose him over the devil but to choose him over the family. And the remarkable thing is that those who have done so have been freed from possession and worship of family and have found the distance necessary to love them

Barbara Dilly asserts that we must admit that are all in alignment with Job’s lament at several times in our lives.

As much as God loves us, God doesn’t respond to all this despair and these supplications in the way we would like.  God doesn’t lighten our load or give us a big reward, no matter how hard to try to impress upon God our good intentions.  Instead, God sends Jesus to admonish us for our human tendencies to place our strivings to accomplish much in the light of our own needs for greatness.  Let’s be honest, most of us think at some time or another during the day, “who is the greatest?” in some context or another, but probably not in the context of the Kingdom of heaven.   We are most likely thinking about the kingdom of this earth. Jesus knows this.

Don Schwager shares the prayer of Ignatius Loyola, (1491-1556) to give all to God and the teaching of Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) to put to death what is earthly in us.

"Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess you have given me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace - with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more." (Prayer of Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556)


"The statement 'Let the dead bury their dead' implies spiritually: Waste no more time on dead things. You are to 'put to death therefore what is earthly in you: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry' (Colossians 3:5). These things therefore are dead. Cast them away from you. Cut them off as you would cut off gangrenous flesh to prevent the contamination of the whole body, so that you may not hear it said, 'Leave the dead [spiritually dead] to bury their dead' (Matthew 8:22). But to some it seems abnormal and contradictory that the Savior does not allow the disciple to bury his father. It seems inhumane. But Jesus does not in fact forbid people from burying the dead, but rather he puts before this the preaching of the kingdom of heaven, which makes people alive (Luke 9:60). As for burying the body, there were many people who could have done this." (excerpt from Fragment 161)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:57-62 invites us to notice how each of these people responds to Jesus’ invitation by talking about their life circumstances—a funeral, a family farewell, a concern about housing. Jesus responds not only to what they say on the surface, but also to their deepest motivations, fears, and intentions.

So talk with Jesus today. Tell him that you want to follow him. But also tell him about what’s going on in your life right now and any hesitation you might have. Let him answer you as he answered the people in today’s Gospel so that you can understand your motivations a little better. Then you’ll be ready for the next step along the journey with Jesus.

Friar Jude Winkler, OFM Conv, reminds us of the ancient belief that suffering was a punishment for sin. Discipleship is a question of a journey that is not always comfortable. Friar Jude connects our integrity to the response to follow Jesus without turning back.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, points to the spiritual paradox that Jesus himself points us both upward and downward at the same time.

He fully rests in a trustworthy Absolute, his anchored self, made in the image and likeness of God. This is his only real knowing or ascent. From there, he is free to dive into a fully incarnate and diverse world—as it is. He can love this ordinary and broken world, honor and protect its diversity and complexity, and critique all false absolutes and idolatries at the same time. This is Jesus’ descent into the world of earthiness… Spirit always desires to incarnate itself. Matter always wants to be God. The Christ Mystery is uniquely saying that we can have it both ways—the enlightenment of Spirit balanced out by the density and opaqueness of matter.  Maybe that is the essence of the human condition.

Tension between good and evil, dissonance about evil and suffering and the paradox of God's Immanence and Transcendence invite us to silence, prayer and contemplation of the Mystery of Love.

References

(n.d.). Job chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/job/9
(n.d.). Luke chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/9
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