Love by association

The texts from the Roman Catholic lectionary today offer a juxtaposition of love of one included in the tribe and love of those excluded from the tribe.

Call to include

The reading from Genesis tells of the purchase of a burial plot by Abraham for Sarah and the selection of Rebekah as a wife for Isaac from within the tribe.

 * [24:1–67] The story of Abraham and Sarah is drawing to a close. The promises of progeny (21:1–7) and land (chap. 23) have been fulfilled and Sarah has died (23:1–2). Abraham’s last duty is to ensure that his son Isaac shares in the promises. Isaac must take a wife from his own people (vv. 3–7), so the promises may be fulfilled. The extraordinary length of this story and its development of a single theme contrast strikingly with the spare style of the preceding Abraham and Sarah stories. It points ahead to the Jacob and Joseph stories.1

In Psalm 106 Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel.

 * [Psalm 106] Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel (Ps 106:1–3). The speaker, on behalf of all, seeks solidarity with the people, who can always count on God’s fidelity despite their sin (Ps 106:4–5).2

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus calls Matthew and joins for healing those outcast by the Pharisees.

* [9:13] Go and learn…not sacrifice: Matthew adds the prophetic statement of Hos 6:6 to the Marcan account (see also Mt 12:7). If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity.3 

Steve Scholer laments that unfortunately, it is all too easy to wear the lens of exclusivity and make judgments based upon someone’s appearance, the color of their skin, their political affiliation, the car they drive or the religion they practice. Sadly, he thinks even people who are not openly prejudiced let prejudicial thoughts creep into their minds, through the so-called “unconscious bias effect.”

We have an innate tendency to be attracted to those who are like us and to view those who are different with caution. But, just because we have this tendency doesn’t mean we have to use it.
So how can we work to rid ourselves of unconscious bias and see the world through the lens of inclusivity, like Jesus?
We can pray for the strength to challenge ourselves to be more like Jesus and to reach out to those who may be different than us. Through daily prayer, we will be reminded to challenge our assumptions about who we think a person is when we truly don’t know. We can open our hearts to seeing God at work in those we encounter. Through prayer and reflection we will gain the strength to challenge our friends and family who may express prejudices about someone they likely do not even know.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 45.1)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:9-13 shares that we don’t need all the answers before we say yes to Jesus.

He must be inviting me to follow him because he knows I can change. He says his Father is full of mercy and that if I repent and believe his message, I can actually enter the kingdom of God. When I first heard that, I didn’t believe him. How could God forgive me? But now I do believe him. Now I know that I can become like him: loving, kind, and generous. I know that I can join him on his mission to reach out to other people just like me.6 

I think we need to be attentive to the idea of being called. I find that many of the ”decisions” that our culture is comfortable crediting me with making were at a deeper level a response to a “call”. I believe that some responses are spontaneous, though deeper reflection seems to reveal that the path to change is visible in events prior to the decision to change. Though the cliche “hindsight Is always 20-20” may apply, reflection has always been an opportunity to revisit events through different “eyes” that may be more thoughtful, forgiving, and merciful than my initial impression.

Friar Jude Winkler notes the only land that Abraham owned was the cave for Sarah’s burial. Soft and weak Isaac expresses unusual love for generous Rebekah. Friar Jude reminds that the fear of the contagion of sin by the Pharisees may still inhibit our action today.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the thoughts of Sister Joan Chittister on action for contemplatives. Contemplation, you see, is a change in consciousness. It brings us to see the big picture. It brings us to see beyond our own boundaries, beyond our own denominations, beyond even our own doctrines and dogmas and institutional self-interest, straight into the face of a mothering God from whose womb has come all the life that is.

Those who have no flame in their hearts for justice, no consciousness of personal responsibility for the reign of God, no raging commitment to human community may, indeed, be seeking God; but make no mistake, God is still, at best, only an idea to them not a living reality. Indeed, contemplation is a very dangerous activity. It not only brings us face to face with God, it brings us, as well, face to face with the world, and then it brings us face to face with the self; and then, of course, something must be done. Something must be filled up, added to, freed from, begun again, ended at once, changed, or created or healed, because nothing stays the same once we have found the God within. . . . We become connected to everything, to everyone. We carry the whole world in our hearts, the oppression of all peoples, the suffering of our friends, the burdens of our enemies, the raping of the earth, the hunger of the starving, the joyous expectation every laughing child has a right to. Then, the zeal for justice consumes us. Then, action and prayer are one.7 

Our association with those with whom we feel comfortable needs to be interspersed with encounters that are not comfortable that we are drawn to contemplating the Love of the Father for all.

References

1	(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 24 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/24
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 106 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/106
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved July 5, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/07/05/
7	(2019, July 5). Consumed with Love — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from https://cac.org/consumed-with-love-2019-07-05/