Diversity and common concern for life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Memorial of St Francis Xavier share a theme of peace and being gracious and offering dignity to those who may be thought as outsiders.

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The Book of the Prophet Isaiah celebrates the movement of all peoples seeking peace to the Lord in Jerusalem.

* [2:4] Once the nations acknowledge God as sovereign, they go up to Jerusalem to settle their disputes, rather than having recourse to war.

Psalm 122 declares our joy as we move toward the House of the Lord.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus encounters deep faith in a Roman centurion.

* [8:8–9] Acquainted by his position with the force of a command, the centurion expresses faith in the power of Jesus’ mere word.

Kyle Lierk reflects on the life of Francis Xavier and our readings today, and is struck by a powerful “golden thread” through it all:  the beauty of finding God through diversity, not in spite of it.

Our Campus Ministry Department took a group of seven undergraduate students who identify as Buddhist, Catholic, Muslim, Lutheran, Apache, and Sikh to the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto, Canada three weeks ago.  They reported that the experience was one of “warmth” where they felt “seen” and “fed” by authentic interactions with the more than 10,000 people from around the world who attended. This is what heaven on earth is like. We don’t bemoan the fact that we must tolerate each other, but, as the Psalmist says today, we “rejoice” in the gift of being able to actually celebrate each other.

Bert Ghezzi outlines the gift of ministry of Saint Francis Xavier, 1506-1552.

In his passion for spreading the gospel, in his simple obedience, in his humble disregard for himself, the saint was a near perfect imitation of Christ.

Don Schwager quotes “Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility,”  by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When the Lord promised to go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, the centurion answered, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.' By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the Master of humility both by word and example sat down also in the house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon, and though he sat down in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart the Son of Man could not lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). (excerpt from SERMON 62.1)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 2:1-5. notes that today, the gospel goes out through missionaries laboring in foreign lands or sharing the love of Christ in homeless shelters just down the road from us. And people are streaming in as a result.

You don’t have to be a prophet like Isaiah or a missionary for the good news of Christ to ring out from your life. You can offer everyday acts of love and kindness to the people around you. You can visit a neighbor who is sick and offer to pray for them—or even with them! You can include that lonely coworker in your plans for the holidays. You can help teach a catechism class or set up at your parish’s “Welcome Sunday” social.

Friar Jude Winkler expands on the theme of shalom that comes from Oneness in the Lord. The encounter of Jesus with the centurion is an example of graciousness and offering dignity. Friar Jude comments that the Gospel of Matthew, written to Jewish Christians, highlights the faith of a pagan soldier of an occupying army.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, teaches the Risen Christ is the only Jesus that Paul ever knew! This makes Paul a fitting mediator for the rest of us, since the Omnipresent Risen Christ is the only Jesus we will ever know as well (see 2 Corinthians 5:16-17). Jesus’ historical transformation (“resurrected flesh”) allows us to more easily experience the Presence that has always been available since the beginning of time, a Presence unlimited by space or time, the promise and “guarantee” of our own transformation (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-58).

Whenever the material and the spiritual coincide, there is the Christ. Jesus fully accepted that human-divine identity and walked it into history. Henceforth, the Christ “comes again” whenever we are able to see the spiritual and the material coexisting, in any moment, in any event, and in any person. All matter reveals Spirit, and Spirit needs matter to “show itself”! I believe “the Second Coming of Christ” happens whenever and wherever we allow this to be utterly true for us. This is how God continually breaks into history—even before the first homo sapiens stood in awe and wonder, gazing at the stars

Our experience of the Presence resonates across time with the Spirit working in the actions of Francis Xavier and the prophecy of Isaiah concerning shalom in the Presence.

References

(n.d.). Isaiah chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/2
(n.d.). Matthew chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 3, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(2017, December 3). Saint Francis Xavier, 1506-1552 - Loyola Press. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/saints/saints-stories-for-all-ages/saint-francis-xavier-1506-1552
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Saint Francis Xavier, Priest (Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/