Blessing intimacy and peace

The texts from Roman Catholic Lectionary for today resonate with hope for a New Year of blessing, intimacy and peace.

His face shine upon you

In the Book of Numbers, the priestly blessing of Aaron invokes the face of God shining on us.

 [6:26] Peace: the Hebrew word Shalom includes the idea of happiness, good health, prosperity, friendship, and general well-being. To use this term as a greeting was to pray for all these things upon the one greeted.1

Psalm 67 is a petition for a bountiful harvest.

 * [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God.
* [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27.2

Paul declares to the Galatians that Jesus calls us to be free children in Christ.

 * [4:1–7] What Paul has argued in Gal 3:26–29 is now elaborated in terms of the Christian as the heir (Gal 4:1, 7; cf. Gal 3:18, 29) freed from control by others. Again, as in Gal 3:2–5, the proof that Christians are children of God is the gift of the Spirit of Christ relating them intimately to God.3

The account of the visit of the shepherds to the Holy Family in the Gospel of Luke contains a theme of the lowly singled out as recipients of blessings.

 * [2:8–20] The announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds is in keeping with Luke’s theme that the lowly are singled out as the recipients of God’s favors and blessings (see also Lk 1:48, 52).4

Larry Gillick, S.J. quotes Jesuit poet G. M. Hopkins as we kneel or stand at the threshold between the past and the future. Mary knelt there in her days. She gave flesh to her human son. It is our faith that through her we receive God’s life- giving grace.

 Is there really nothing we can do about our pasts? I was praying about this very question this morning. I am victimized by a gift-burden of the power of memory.  Various aspects of my personal history are as vivid and present to me as events of yesterday or last week. ”If only”, “Had I just,” “How stupid of me” and the like.  What came to me in prayer was the consolation of the right now and gratitude for who I am I because of the past. I actually did do something about my past during my prayer.  I accepted it, with all its goof-ups, as so many steps toward freedom for my future.5

Don Schwager quotes “By Christ's faith, hope, and love we are purified,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

  "The reason 'the child who was born to us, the son who was given to us ' (Isaiah 9:6), received the name Jesus (that is, 'Savior') does not need explanation in order to be understood by us, but we need eager and vigilant zeal so that we too may be saved by sharing in his name. Indeed, we read how the angel interprets the name of Jesus: 'He will save his people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21). And without a doubt we believe and hope that the one who saves us from sins is not failing to save us also from the corruptions which happen because of sins, and from death itself, as the psalmist testifies when he says, 'Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases' (Psalm 103:3). Indeed, with the pardoning of all of our iniquities, all our diseases will be completely healed when, with the appearance of the glory of the resurrection, our last enemy, death, will be destroyed... We read that circumcision was done with knives made of rock (Joshua 5:2), and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). And by Christ's faith, hope and love the hearts of the good are purified not only in baptism but furthermore in every devout action. This daily circumcision of ours (that is, the continual cleansing of our heart) does not cease from always celebrating the sacrament of the eighth day. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.11)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:16-21 shares as Mother of God, Mary had the privilege of bearing Jesus, true God and true man, into the world. Together with Joseph, she also had the honor—and the challenge—of raising a child whose two natures, divine and human, were intimately united but did not overshadow one another.

 In today’s Gospel, St. Luke tells us the most important thing that Mary taught Jesus: prayerfully reflecting on God’s words and his works. Jesus must have seen his mother praying thousands of times—both by herself and with Joseph. Her prayerfulness helped set the tone in her home as she taught her young son to bring every question, every word of praise, and every need to his heavenly Father. And clearly, it worked. The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus finding time to get away and talk—and listen—to God (Mark 1:35; Luke 3:21; 9:28-29; John 11:41-43; 17:1-26).7

Friar Jude Winkler expands on “Shalom” as an idyllic existence more than peace. We all become children through the Spirit. Listen to the Spirit. Friar Jude notes that Jesus name reveals His mission; “Yahweh saves”.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, asks let’s simply consider how the inner process of change and growth is fundamental to everything, even our bodies. Having undergone several surgeries, cancer, and a heart attack, he has been consoled by the way his body takes care of itself over time. The miracle of healing comes from the inside—but with help from doctors and nurses!

 God keeps creating things from the inside out, so they are forever yearning, developing, growing, and changing for the good. This is the generative force implanted in all living things, which grow both from within—because they are programmed for it—and from without—by taking in sun, food, and water. Picture YHWH breathing into the soil that became Adam (Genesis 2:7). That is the eternal pattern. God is still breathing into soil every moment!8

The octave of the Incarnation is a time to celebrate our intimate connection to God through the Spirit that invites us like Mary to ponder his Word as we are healed from inside.

References

1	(n.d.). Numbers, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/numbers/6
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 67 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/67
3	(n.d.). Galatians, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/galatians/4
4	(n.d.). Luke chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://usccb.org/bible/luke/2
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/
8	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: January 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved January 1, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/01