Having self interest dominion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today start at the beginning

care as custodians

in the Book of Genesis to enlighten our understanding of our role as stewards that exercise some form of dominion in Creation

 * [1:26] Let us make: in the ancient Near East, and sometimes in the Bible, God was imagined as presiding over an assembly of heavenly beings who deliberated and decided about matters on earth (1 Kgs 22:19–22; Is 6:8; Ps 29:1–2; 82; 89:6–7; Jb 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). This scene accounts for the plural form here and in Gn 11:7 (“Let us go down…”). Israel’s God was always considered “Most High” over the heavenly beings. Human beings: Hebrew ’ādām is here the generic term for humankind; in the first five chapters of Genesis it is the proper name Adam only at 4:25 and 5:1–5. In our image, after our likeness: “image” and “likeness” (virtually synonyms) express the worth of human beings who have value in themselves (human blood may not be shed in 9:6 because of this image of God) and in their task, dominion (1:28), which promotes the rule of God over the universe.1

and for others like our Elders who are referred to by Jesus in his address to the Pharisees in the Gospel from Mark.

* [7:11] Qorban: a formula for a gift to God, dedicating the offering to the temple, so that the giver might continue to use it for himself but not give it to others, even needy parents.2 

Barbara Dilly reflects on Ignatius who taught his followers spiritual exercises that helped them learn to listen to God by developing a conversational relationship with God in prayer. We can do that by developing a deeply personal relationship with Jesus as a constant companion. When we learn to speak with Jesus and listen to Jesus with our hearts, we can more easily discern what God requires of us. In Barbara’s spirituality class they read a modern spiritual classic that was useful in learning how to interpret the key perspectives Ignatius developed 500 years ago.

Dean Brackley, S.J.’s The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times also helps us better understand Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’.   I am not going to write a long summary of Brackley’s book here.  Instead, I invite you to read it for yourselves. In the class, I also learned to think of God’s call to us as an invitation to expand our souls.  I pray Brackley’s book will expand your soul as it did mine.3 

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat write that The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times brings the wisdom of Ignatius of Loyola to bear on some of the injustices that are rampant in the twenty-first century. It salutes the healing powers of humility and generosity in a world of many separations.

Although the media rarely reports on the lives and struggles of the down-and-out, Christians are challenged by the call to community to empathize with them and assume their cause. Ignatius emphasized the virtues of humility and magnanimity as antidotes to pride and selfishness. Brackley suggests that to live in the spirit of Christ requires downward mobility rather than the upward mobility so esteemed in our society: "The solution to our global crisis is not that the poor become rich, which is neither feasible nor desirable, but that the rich join with the poor. The only solution is communities of equals, resisting pyramids of inequality. While some economic differences are legitimate, discrimination and misery are not. In communities of equals, personal talents, instead of advancing some at others' expense, are stewarded for the benefit of all."4 

Don Schwager quotes “Mammon refuses to provide for parents in old age,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"Christ says, 'Care for the poor' (Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 14:13); Mammon says, 'Take away even those things the poor possess.' Christ says, 'Empty yourself of what you have' (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23); Mammon says, 'Take also what they possess.' Do you see the opposition, the strife between them? See how it is that one cannot obey both, but must reject one?... Christ says, 'None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions' (Luke 14:33); Mammon says, 'Take the bread from the hungry.' Christ says, 'Cover the naked' (Matthew 25:34-40; Isaiah 58:7); the other says, 'Strip the naked.' Christ says, 'You shall not turn away from your own family (Isaiah 58:7), and those of your own house' (1 Timothy 5:8; Galatians 6:10); Mammon says, 'You shall not show mercy to those of your own family. Though you see your mother or your father in want, despise them' (Mark 7:11)." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON PHILIPPIANS 6.25)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 7:1-13 notes that of all the examples that Jesus could have picked to highlight Pharisee hypocrisy, he chose the way some people used legal loopholes to get out of taking care of their aging parents. Once again, Jesus placed the spotlight on family life—that’s how precious it is to him.

We may not be neglecting our parents, but it’s still easy to lose sight of how important our families are. We get busy and work long hours, which makes it difficult to share family meals. Or we might be overcommitted with school or church activities, so we don’t have much time at home together. Or maybe our parents live in another city, and it’s difficult to keep in touch.
God knows the challenges that we face. He doesn’t want us to quit our jobs or not be involved at church. But he does want us to find ways, in the midst of all the other things vying for our attention, to protect and nurture our family relationships.6 

Friar Jude Winkler looks at the Divine image in the Priestly account of Creation and the equality therein between man and woman. Choosing interpretation of Scripture to suit our purposes is a path to the errors of the Pharisees. Friar Jude underlines that our role as caretaker or custodian of Creation is in conflict with our tendency to exploit Creation for our purposes.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, asks “What if Christ is a name for the transcendent within of every “thing” in the universe?”

The Christ Mystery anoints all physical matter with eternal purpose from the very beginning. The word translated from the Greek as Christ comes from the Hebrew word mesach, meaning “the anointed” one or Messiah. He reveals that all is anointed! Many people are still praying and waiting for something that has already been given to us three times: first in creation; second in Jesus, “so that we could hear him, see him with our eyes, watch him, and touch him with our hands, the Word who is life” (1 John 1–2); and third, in the ongoing beloved community (what Christians call the Body of Christ), which is slowly evolving throughout all of human history (Romans 8:18). We are still in the Flow.7 

For Christians, the universal pattern of Christ within everything perfectly mimics the inner life of the Trinity in Christian theology, which is our template for how reality unfolds, since all things are created “in the image and likeness” of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

References

1	(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/1
2	(n.d.). Mark, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/7
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 12, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times | Book Reviews | Books .... Retrieved February 12, 2019, from http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/9626/the-call-to-discernment-in-troubled-times
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations .... Retrieved February 12, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/02/12
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/02/