Responding to the call

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with themes of quiet competence and kinship as qualities of the disciple who is welcomed on bringing the Good News.



In the Letter to the Romans, Paul declares the importance of witnessing to the Good News in our body.

* [10:15] How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news: in Semitic fashion, the parts of the body that bring the messenger with welcome news are praised;

The Gospel from Matthew describes the calling of Andrew, Peter, James and John to be Jesus first disciples.

* [4:18–22] The call of the first disciples promises them a share in Jesus’ work and entails abandonment of family and former way of life. Three of the four, Simon, James, and John, are distinguished among the disciples by a closer relation with Jesus (Mt 17:1; 26:37).

Mike Nappa comments that Jesus’ choice of his first disciples was surprising, to say the least.

Matthew reports that the first four people Jesus’ called to be his disciples were Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Again, these were surprising choices. For starters, none of these four men were scholars; none was pursuing a career in rabbinical or priestly training. They were all working-class guys, fishermen who expected to spend their lives on the sea. Or as Acts 4:13 described them later, they were “unschooled, ordinary men.”

George Butterfield notes that today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, who is one of the twelve apostles who might be called a shadow apostle.

Andrew was in the inner circle of Jesus. Andrew, like the other apostles, became a missionary. Tradition tells us that he was crucified during the reign of Nero. Instead of nailing him to the cross, they tied him to it with ropes so as to lengthen the suffering. Andrew lived a faithful Christian life.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John.... They were all different. They were all needed. Some in the spotlight gave themselves as a sacrificial offering to God. Some in the shadows did the same.
The Church will never be worthy of the Andrews who bring the light of Christ into the shadows. Saint Andrew, apostle in the shadows, pray for us.

There may be some interesting connections between the shadow apostle Andrew and the Star Trek character “Scotty” played by James Doohan. He did several accents, which he had perfected, while meeting with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. It has been said that he chose the name “Montgomery Scott” partially in tribute to his grandfather James Montgomery.


“If you want an engineer, in my experience the best engineers are Scotsmen.” Doohan recalled from his audition, during an interview in 1993.

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus chooses them for what they can become”, by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"'Before he says or does anything, he calls the apostles so nothing may be concealed from them as to Christ's words or works and they may later say in confidence: 'For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard' (Acts 4:20). He sees them not bodily but spiritually, regarding not their appearance but their hearts. And he chooses them not as apostles but because they could become apostles. Just as an artist who sees precious, and not rough-hewn, stones chooses them - not because of what they are but because of what they can become. Like the sensitive artist who does not spurn the unshaped good - so too the Lord, upon seeing them, does not choose their works but their hearts." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 7, the Greek fathers).

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 10:9-18 shares the observation that envy and rivalry, guilt and self-condemnation, that rise from shame had no place in Andrew’s heart. His experience of Jesus’ love and his devotion to Jesus’ call pushed aside self-centeredness and made him a humble servant instead.

In fact, he became one of the boldest and farthest traveled of the apostles. After Pentecost, he evangelized the nomadic peoples around the Black Sea. He also founded the church in Constantinople, which became the head of Eastern Christianity. Finally, at his martyrdom, Andrew asked to be crucified, not on a cross like Jesus and not upside down like Peter, but on an X-shaped cross.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Flag_of_Scotland_%28traditional%29.svg/220px-Flag_of_Scotland_%28traditional%29.svg.png

Friar Jude Winkler connects our action as disciples to the understanding of being justified as expressed by Paul to the Romans. Justification is now, salvation comes at our end of life. Friar Jude notes that responding to the call of Jesus requires us to leave some of what is familiar to us behind.

Cynthia Bourgeault, core faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, writes about the unshakable depths of hope.

Must we be whiplashed incessantly between joy and sorrow, expectation and disappointment? Is it not possible to live from a place of greater equilibrium, to find a deeper and steadier current?
Deeper than our sense of separateness and isolation is another level of awareness in us, another whole way of knowing. Thomas Keating, in his teachings on centering prayer, calls this our “spiritual awareness” and contrasts it with the “ordinary awareness” of our usual, egoic thinking. The simplest way of describing this other kind of awareness is that while the self-reflexive ego thinks by means of noting differences and drawing distinctions, spiritual awareness “thinks” by an innate perception of kinship, of belonging to the whole.

The natural kinship with family is developed by the Spirit to become action to attract others to relationship with Jesus. This kinship in the Body of Christ is the source of the hope we call upon for our spiritual sustenance.

References

(n.d.). Romans, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/10
(n.d.). Matthew chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/4
(n.d.). Matthew 4:18-22; The Calling of the First Disciples (Cultural ... - Beliefnet. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/forbiblestudynerds/2014/07/matthew-418-22-the-calling-of-the-first-disciples-cultural-commentary.html
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 30, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Dealing with destruction

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today contain images of death and destruction that are associated with transition from the old order symbolized by the evil of Babylon and Rome to the new order where we participate in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

Transition and choices

In the passage from the Book of Revelation, the Fall of Babylon leads to the Victory Song of the faithful.

* [19:5–10] A victory song follows, sung by the entire church, celebrating the marriage of the Lamb, the union of the Messiah with the community of the elect.

The response to Psalm 100. 1-5 today is (Rev. 19: 9a); “Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus links the description of the Great Tribulation to the Coming of the Son of Man.

* [21:20–24] The actual destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70 upon which Luke and his community look back provides the assurance that, just as Jesus’ prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction was fulfilled, so too will be his announcement of their final redemption (Lk 21:27–28).
* [21:24] The times of the Gentiles: a period of indeterminate length separating the destruction of Jerusalem from the cosmic signs accompanying the coming of the Son of Man.

Joe Zaboroski comments that Jesus is using a style that emphasizes the apocryphal for effect. As part of this Christ warns us of behaviors, which are mentioned right before this passage, which can lead to a bad outcome. If we stand steadfast in our faithfulness to Christ and his teaching we will be rewarded in another way that is seen clearly in today’s Psalm reading.

“Blessed are we who have been called to the supper of the lamb.” So my hope is that I have and will continue to serve the Lord.  We can then rejoice in knowing “we are his people” and “we can enter His gate with thanksgiving.” So the readings are nothing to lament but to rejoice in knowing “we are called to the feast.”

Josephus, describes that over a million inhabitants died when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem with its temple in 70 A.D.

Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. to remind us that the signs have been accomplished.

"The signs given in the Gospel and in prophecy and fulfilled in us show the coming of the Lord... We know that the coming is near by the fact that we see the fulfillment of certain signs of that coming that have been accomplished... The signs that Christ told them to look for are listed in the Gospel of Saint Luke: 'Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the nations are fulfilled.' This has happened and no one doubts that it has happened... It is plain that there is no country or place in our time that is not harassed or humbled according to the words 'for fear and expectation of what will come on the whole world.' All the signs that the gospel describes in the earlier verses have mostly been accomplished." (excerpt from Letter 198)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a tells us that God is inviting us to a wedding—the “wedding feast of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).

Today’s first reading tells us that God is inviting us to a wedding—the “wedding feast of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). This is no ordinary ceremony. Scripture often uses marriage as a metaphor to describe God’s covenant relationship with his people, and the actual feast is seen as a description of the joy and celebration that await us in heaven. This is the biggest invitation you could possibly receive: an eternal celebration with God and all the saints and angels! So how will you respond?

Friar Jude Winkler uses the taunt song at the beginning of the text today from the Book of Revelation to remind us of the power of words to enact what they proclaim in the culture of Israel. We need to choose the life of Babylon or the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Friar Jude notes that the Gospel describes the end in apocalyptic terms that may be literal or figurative. We need to be ready regardless in the face of phenomena occurring or signs.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares some of the communication between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams about the eight pillars of joy.

“God, who is forever pouring out God’s whole being from all eternity, wants you to flourish. God wants you to be filled with joy and excitement and ever longing to be able to find what is so beautiful in God’s creation: the compassion of so many, the caring, the sharing. And God says, Please, my child, help me. Help me to spread love and laughter and joy and compassion. And you know what, my child? As you do this—hey, presto—you discover joy. Joy, which you had not sought, comes as the gift, as almost the reward for this non-self-regarding caring for others.”

We experience tribulation, tragedy and trial on our journey to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Our foretaste of that feast comes as we live with compassion and generosity and experience the joy of relationship with Jesus.

References

(n.d.). Revelation chapter 19 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/19
(n.d.). Luke chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/21:58
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 29, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Primary Sources - Josephus Describes The Romans' Sack Of Jerusalem. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/josephussack.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved November 29, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Acting with perseverance for life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today point to perseverance in our journey of faith as a path to deeper experience of our relationship with God.

Life in perseverance

The passage from the Book of Revelation presents an image of victorious witnesses to Christ.

* [15:1–4] A vision of the victorious martyrs precedes the vision of woe in Rev 15:5–16:21; cf. Rev 7:9–12.

In the midst of persecution, Jesus assures us of His presence in the text from the Gospel of Luke.

* [21:12] Before all this happens…: to Luke and his community, some of the signs of the end just described (Lk 21:10–11) still lie in the future. Now in dealing with the persecution of the disciples (Lk 21:12–19) and the destruction of Jerusalem (Lk 21:20–24) Luke is pointing to eschatological signs that have already been fulfilled.

Susan Naatz observes that every day we are exposed to news close to home and around the world. There are times when we can barely grasp the truth when we hear reports of violence and tragedy.

In today’s readings we are invited to turn to God and Jesus whose strength and works will heal our pain.  Today’s first reading is from the book of Revelation and the Book of Revelation's …basic message is that good will triumph over evil, have hope in Christ who will prevail, and faith during times of persecution.

Don Schwager quotes “The faithful Christian is recognized by belief in the resurrection of the body,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"We should have no doubt that our mortal flesh also will rise again at the end of the world... This is the Christian faith. This is the Catholic faith. This is the apostolic faith. Believe Christ when he says, 'Not a hair of your head shall perish' Putting aside all unbelief, consider how valuable you are. How can our Redeemer despise any person when he cannot despise a hair of that person's head? How are we going to doubt that he intends to give eternal life to our soul and body? He took on a soul and body in which to die for us, which he laid down for us when he died and which he took up again that we might not fear death." (excerpt from Sermon 214.11-12)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 15:1-4 notes St. Catherine Labouré (1806–1876), whose feast is today, is remembered as the saint who started the devotion to the Miraculous Medal in response to a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1830. But we should also honor Catherine for something much more ordinary.

Humbly and silently watching while the Miraculous Medal devotion spread worldwide, not taking credit for it: that was a victory for Catherine. Although Catherine wasn’t killed for her faith, she still “put to death” her own desires for fame or credit. In doing so, she was a witness to God’s power, and that’s what martyrdom is all about. Remember, the Greek word martyr means just that: witness.

Friar Jude Winkler describes the vision of the 144,000 singing the hymn to the Lamb, Christ, who is the centre of their lives. Persecution will occur. Jesus will give the word we need. Friar Jude explains that God Will protect us if they kill us but they will never harm us.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the insight of Father Thomas Keating (1923–2018), who explained how prayer helps us access the joy of waking up to experiential union with God.

So life, then, is constant death and resurrection at every moment. We die to our own will and enter the present moment by consenting to whatever it is, either by accepting it or doing something that the Spirit suggests to improve the situation. This divine enlightening process sometimes gives us an Aha! experience. It’s still on the egoic level, so it’s penetrated with some misunderstandings, but nonetheless, this is what Alleluia means. “Aahh”—this is the primordial sound that that you hear in Allah or in Alleluia or in Aum [Om] as the Hindus put it. It’s waking up!

Difficulties with those who may oppose our faith practices are countered by persevering in faith and prayer through which we experience connection with the Divine.

References

(n.d.). Revelation chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 28, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/15
(n.d.). Luke chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 28, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/21
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 28, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 28, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 34th Week in Ordinary Time< - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved November 28, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 28, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

The Harvest of the Earth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are eschatological and speak of end time harvest and the parousia.

Signs of the Times

The Harvest of the Earth images from the Book of Revelation invoke gathering and gloom.

* [14:14–20] The reaping of the harvest symbolizes the gathering of the elect in the final judgment, while the reaping and treading of the grapes symbolizes the doom of the ungodly (cf. Jl 4:12–13; Is 63:1–6) that will come in Rev 19:11–21.

Jesus offers an ambiguous description of the Signs of the End in the Gospel of Luke.

* [21:5–36] Jesus’ eschatological discourse in Luke is inspired by Mk 13 but Luke has made some significant alterations to the words of Jesus found there. Luke maintains, though in a modified form, the belief in the early expectation of the end of the age (see Lk 21:27, 28, 31, 32, 36), but, by focusing attention throughout the gospel on the importance of the day-to-day following of Jesus and by reinterpreting the meaning of some of the signs of the end from Mk 13 he has come to terms with what seemed to the early Christian community to be a delay of the parousia.

Michael Kavan remembers Jesus said that despite the terrible things happening around us that we should not be terrified for they are not signs of an immediate end.

As many of us know, times of great challenge and difficulty often bring opportunities for renewal and growth and that is exactly what the season of advent provides – a chance to prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus and prepare, with hope, for his second coming by reflecting on and then acting upon his message - a message of kindness, compassion, justice, and love. So, as life, both good and bad, continues around us, do we hide beneath the covers or do we shake off our fears and actively live his message and secure our future in the kingdom of God?

Don Schwager quotes “First signs of the end times,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD).

"Perhaps you are anxious, brothers and sisters, at the fact that we hear constantly of the tumult of wars and the onsets of battles. Perhaps your love is still more anxious since these are taking place in our times. The reason is the closer we are to the destruction of the world, the closer we are to the kingdom of the Savior. The Lord himself says, 'In the last days nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. When you see wars, earthquakes and famines, know that the kingdom of God is at hand.'This nearness of wars shows us that Christ is near." (excerpt from SERMON 85.1)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 21:5-11 asks wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could enter into the new liturgical year holding fast to this simple phrase: I will not be afraid?

In all situations, in the face of every worry, Jesus offers the same words: “Don’t worry; my Father is with you. I will never leave you or abandon you.” Today, as the Church year draws to a close, Jesus tells us not to be scared. You may see troubling things, you may hear frightening news, but don’t let it overwhelm you.

The angel with the sharp sickle reminds Friar Jude Winkler that those who have done evil will have to live in the evil they have chosen. When we choose selfishness we have a foretaste of hell. Friar Jude notes that in crisis people predict the end of the world even when these “end time” events happen all the time.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that many people today are not sure where we came from, who we are, and where we are going, and many do not even seem to care about the questions. If we could recover a view of the world and God that was infused with Bonaventure’s teaching, it would provide a foundation that we lack in our often aimless and adrift age. It could hold our lives together during times of despair and cynicism.

Ken Wilber shares the lovely symmetry of St Bonaventure theology. It can be summarized in what Bonaventure named the three great truths that for him hold everything together. He summarizes all his teaching in these three movements:
Emanation: We come forth from God bearing the divine image; our very DNA is found in God.
Exemplarism: Everything in creation is an example and illustration of the one God mystery in space and time, by reason of its “origin, magnitude, multitude, beauty, fullness, activity, and order.” [1]
Consummation: We return to the Source from which we came; the Omega is the same as the Alpha and this is God’s supreme and final victory.

Concluding on the note that Bonaventure’s theology is clearly not the later reward/punishment frame that took over when people did not experience God. We endure unnecessary anxiety when we merely believe propositions.

References

(n.d.). Revelation chapter 14 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/14
(n.d.). Luke chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/21
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 27, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/ 

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Generosity at all times

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to look contemplatively at our surroundings with the vision we hold of eternity in the background.

Vision of eternity

The passage from the Book of Revelation calls the companions of the Lamb to mind.

* [14:4] Virgins: metaphorically, because they never indulged in any idolatrous practices, which are considered in the Old Testament to be adultery and fornication (Rev 2:14–15, 20–22; 17:1–6; cf. Ez 16:1–58; 23:1–49). The parallel passages (Rev 7:3; 22:4) indicate that the 144,000 whose foreheads are sealed represent all Christian people.

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus observes and comments on the gift of the poor widow.

* [21:1–4] The widow is another example of the poor ones in this gospel whose detachment from material possessions and dependence on God leads to their blessedness (Lk 6:20). Her simple offering provides a striking contrast to the pride and pretentiousness of the scribes denounced in the preceding section (Lk 20:45–47). The story is taken from Mk 12:41–44.

Joan Blandin Howard has observed the poor of Spirit, the poor of mind, body and soul have found refugee and solace in this House of God.

You know, I just may have seen her before.  May have casually noted her presence without giving her any recognition.   Now I wonder what her name is and where she lives and how did she get here?  Here in the middle of this large metropolitan city. Does she live in a group home, in a shelter, in a cardboard box?  Does she live alone, with acquaintances, family members or complete strangers? Is she sick? Does she have medical care, eat regularly? Does she have children and know where they are and are they being cared for?          I
I slide into a pew and watch as Grace, I call her “Grace”, kneels beside the “poor box” at the foot of the side altar of Mary.  Mary is a gentle expression of comfort and compassion. Her warm eyes and extended welcoming arms seem to be offering hospitality just to Grace.  As if she, Mary, was there especially for Grace.
Grace rocks on her knees as she balances on the hard marble steps. As she quietly wobbles to her feet she inconspicuously drops coins into the “poor box”.

One of many responses to the question Who Are the 144,000 in Revelation? Is offered by Kevin DeYoung.

Don Schwager quotes “Mercy and compassion are never worthless,” by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.

"Although the spite of some people does not grow gentle with any kindness, nevertheless the works of mercy are not fruitless, and kindness never loses what is offered to the ungrateful. May no one, dearly beloved, make themselves strangers to good works. Let no one claim that his poverty scarcely sufficed for himself and could not help another. What is offered from a little is great, and in the scale of divine justice, the quantity of gifts is not measured but the steadfastness of souls. The "widow" in the Gospel put two coins into the "treasury," and this surpassed the gifts of all the rich. No mercy is worthless before God. No compassion is fruitless. He has given different resources to human beings, but he does not ask different affections." (excerpt from Sermon 20.3.1)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 14:1-5 concludes if life with Jesus was exciting then, it certainly won’t be any less so with him in heaven.

“The sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder” (Revelation 14:2). What is it like to be in the midst of a powerful thunderstorm, or to see breakers splash on a beach or a waterfall cascade over a cliff? These are by no means tame images of the glory that God has prepared for us! St. Paul tells us, in fact, that this glory is beyond anything we have ever heard or seen—anything that we could even imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Friar Jude Winkler describes the radically new song in Revelation sung by 12 Apostles times 12 Patriarchs times a great multitude of people. The power of evil is an illusion when Christ is the centre of our life. Friar Jude exhorts Christians to avoid “cruising” and be responsible for what that are capable of doing to live as Jesus disciples.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, presents St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (1217–1274) who paid little attention to fire and brimstone, sin, merit, justification, or atonement. His vision is positive, mystic, cosmic, intimately relational, and largely concerned with cleaning the lens of our perception and our intention so we can see and enjoy fully!

Bonaventure’s theology is never about trying to placate a distant or angry God, earn forgiveness, or find some abstract theory of justification. He sees humanity as already being included in—and delighting in—an all-pervasive plan. As Paul’s school says, “Before the world was made, God chose us, chose us in Christ” (Ephesians 1:4). The problem is solved from the beginning. Rather than seeing history as a “fall from grace,” Bonaventure reveals a slow but real emergence and evolution into ever-greater consciousness of Love. He was the Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) of the 13th century.

The marvelous imagery created by the Book of Revelation is wealth for contemplation that refreshes our surrender to the mission of Love and generosity as disciples of Jesus.

References

(n.d.). Revelation chapter 14 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/14
(n.d.). Luke chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/21
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 26, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved November 26, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Christ as the norm of our living

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the nature of the transformation of the world that Jesus reigns over as King.

Building a Kingdom of Love

In the passage from the Book of Daniel, one like the Son of Man is coming to people suffering persecution from the Hellenistic Empire in the first century BCE.

* [7:13–14] One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels)

The Greeting from the Book of Revelation identifies Jesus as bringing the total and eternal triumph of God over evil and injustice to a Church under severe persecution by the Roman Empire.

* [1:8] The Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Rev 22:13 the same words occur together with the expressions “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”; cf. Rev 1:17; 2:8; 21:6; Is 41:4; 44:6.

In the scene of the interrogation of Jesus before Pilate from the Gospel of John, the nature of Jesus Kingdom as not of this world is declared to the Roman authority.

* [18:37] You say I am a king: see Mt 26:64 for a similar response to the high priest. It is at best a reluctant affirmative.

Luis Rodriguez, S.J. celebrates Christ as the norm of our living.

What we are called to celebrate today is not a concept, but our recognizing Christ as the rule/norm of our daily living, our letting his values/preferences/choices be also our values/preferences/choices. Obviously, this is not the rule/norm of our society, as the craze of Black Friday and the shopping season show us. But if, contrary to how we desire to be ruled, this is how our society is in fact ruled, the question could occur to us: are we normal?

Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. on “My kingdom is not of the world.”

"What in fact is Christ's kingdom? It is simply those who believe in him, those to whom he said, 'You are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.' He willed, nevertheless, that they should be in the world, which is why he prayed to the Father, 'I ask you not to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one' (John 17:15-16). So here also he did not say, 'My kingdom is not' in this world but 'is not of this world.' And when he went on to prove this by declaring, 'If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought to save me from being handed over to the Jews,' he concluded by saying not 'my kingdom is not here' but 'my kingdom is not from here.'

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 18:33-37 asks to clarify the kingdom Jesus rules.

It’s a kingdom of converted hearts. It’s a kingdom of people who have renounced sin and violence and who are striving to live in peace and justice.

Friar Jude Winkler links the nature of Jesus kingship to the Son of Man in Daniel and the Suffering Servant in Isaiah. A message for communities being persecuted is that God is faithful. Friar Jude described the detailed literary structure of this section of John’s Gospel that points to the image of Jesus crowned in thorns.

An article by Felix Just, S.J. describes the structure of this section of John’s Gospel in more detail.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares how both St. Francis and Pope Francis are simply following Jesus’ lead in calling us to live the joy of the Gospel.

Fr. Richard believes that the Gospel itself, and the Franciscan vision of the Gospel, is primarily communicated by highly symbolic human lives that operate as “Prime Attractors”: through actions visibly done in love; by a nonviolent, humble, and liberated lifestyle; and through identification with the edged out and the excluded of every system. The very presence of such Prime Attractors “gives others reasons for spiritual joy,” as St. Francis said.

A time of persecution and joy in our relationship with Christ the King often co-exist in our journey. The faithfulness of God to the Kingship of Jesus is our truth.

References

(n.d.). Daniel, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7
(n.d.). Revelation chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/1
(n.d.). John, chapter 18 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/18
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 25, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Fatal misunderstanding

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, Vietnamese martyrs, who are modern example of centuries of religious persecution.

Living beyond persecution

The Book of Revelation symbolically focuses on the tribulation of the Church under persecution from Rome.

* [11:9–12] Over the martyrdom (Rev 11:7) of the two witnesses, now called prophets, the ungodly rejoice for three and a half days, a symbolic period of time; see note on Rev 11:2. Afterwards they go in triumph to heaven, as did Elijah (2 Kgs 2:11).

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus, cleverly confronts the Sadducees over the resurrection from the dead and Love that is eternal.

* [20:28–33] The Sadducees’ question, based on the law of levirate marriage recorded in Dt 25:5–10, ridicules the idea of the resurrection. Jesus rejects their naive understanding of the resurrection (Lk 20:35–36) and then argues on behalf of the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the written law (Lk 20:37–38) that the Sadducees accept. See also notes on Mt 22:23–33.

John Shea, S.J., comments that today’s Gospel reminds us that we worship a God of life.

We worship not the “God of the dead, but of the living.” Jesus reminds us that the dead will rise. To God, all are alive. We can choose to focus on the fallen leaves or we can choose to focus on the beautiful bright pallet of fall colors. We can choose to focus on the barren trees that appear dead or we can choose to focus on their new life in the spring.

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus cites Moses to affirm the resurrection”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The Savior also demonstrated the great ignorance of the Sadducees by bringing forward their own leader Moses, who was clearly acquainted with the resurrection of the dead. He set God before us saying in the bush, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob' (Exodus 3:6). Of whom is he God, if, according to their argument, these have ceased to live? He is the God of the living. They certainly will rise when his almighty right hand brings them and all that are on the earth there. For people not to believe that this will happen is worthy perhaps of the ignorance of the Sadducees, but it is altogether unworthy of those who love Christ. We believe in him who says, 'I am the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25). He will raise the dead suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, and at the last trumpet. It shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). For Christ our common Savior will transfer us into incorruption, glory and to an incorruptible life." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 136)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 20:27-40 is to thank God for the promise of resurrection.

Lying on an infirmary cot at the age of twenty-four, Thérèse of Lisieux assessed her situation. “I am not dying,” she wrote to a friend. “I am entering life.”
Far from becoming gloomy at the prospect of an untimely death, Thérèse rejoiced. She could say these words even though she was experiencing the absence of God through much of her illness. Despite the dark night she was in, she knew through faith that an eternity was awaiting her where she would be united with her Spouse, the Lord Jesus. It’s no wonder Thérèse’s last words were “My God, . . . I love you!”

Friar Jude Winkler links the symbols of the Book of Revelation to the Church. Jesus asserts that the woman does not belong to anyone. Friar Jude comments that Jesus cleverness was a very admired attribute in ancient times.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on the Yoga practice of Vinyasa and Savasana to connect us to death and resurrection.

As you lie on your back and let each muscle in your body—from toes to the top of your head—relax and sink into the ground, remember that you will die, but there is nothing to fear. Not even death can separate you from Love, and from death comes Life. Rest in this awareness.

As we contemplate the transition of death, we are reassured that our experience of Life in relationship with the God of the living continues forever.

References

(n.d.). Revelation chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/11
(n.d.). Luke chapter 20 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/20
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 24, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 24, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/