Reconciled by faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to examine the depth of our faith as we are challenged by difficulties and division in our journey.

Heading downhill

The passage from the Book of Genesis requires some contemplation about the role of the testing of Abraham.

* [22:15–19] The seventh and climactic statement of the blessings to Abraham. Unlike the other statements, which were purely promissory, this one is presented as a reward for Abraham’s extraordinary trust.1 

Psalm 115 is a response to the enemy taunt, “Where is your God?”

* [Psalm 115] A response to the enemy taunt, “Where is your God?” This hymn to the glory of Israel’s God (Ps 115:1–3) ridicules the lifeless idols of the nations (Ps 115:4–8),2 

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus completes His forgiveness of sins by healing a paralytic.

* [9:8] Who had given such authority to human beings: a significant difference from Mk 2:12 (“They…glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this’”). Matthew’s extension to human beings of the authority to forgive sins points to the belief that such authority was being claimed by Matthew’s church.3 

Andy Alexander, S.J. suspects all of us have something we treasure - our Isaac - which we would find very difficult to surrender to God.

It is a wonderful invitation to us to let Jesus forgive us and heal us. But it is an invitation to learn from him. We are called to be with him and like him, so that we can be merciful and a source of healing of others - even in the midst of some "religious" people who seem upset with "too much mercy these days."4 

Don Schwager quotes “Healing of soul and body,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"Now in the narrative of the paralytic a number of people are brought forward for healing. Jesus' words of healing are worthy of reflection. The paralytic is not told, 'Be healed.' He is not told, 'Rise and walk.' But he is told, 'Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven you.' The paralytic is a descendant of the original man, Adam. In one person, Christ, all the sins of Adam are forgiven. In this case the person to be healed is brought forward by ministering angels. In this case, too, he is called a son, because he is God's first work. The sins of his soul are forgiven him, and pardon of the first transgression is granted. We do not believe the paralytic committed any sin [that resulted in his illness], especially since the Lord said elsewhere that blindness from birth had not been contracted from someone's sin or that of his parents" [John 9:1-3]. (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 8.5)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 22:1-19 observes that we see why Abraham is called the “father of faith” (see Romans 4:16). But it would also be appropriate to call him a father with great faith. He was an example to Isaac, and he’s an example for anyone trying to follow God.

Although not as dramatic as Abraham’s story, certain aspects of our devotion to God might seem just as absurd to outside observers: getting up early on a Sunday to go to Mass, for example. Following the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, trying to teach our children virtues that go against the prevailing philosophies of the world, giving up our freedom to care for an ailing parent—all of these put our faith in God on display.6 

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the importance to Abraham, who often tried to be too clever, of the “binding of Isaac”. Abraham learns himself about what faith means. Friar Jude notes that Jesus exercises the prerogatives of God, the very authority of Yahweh, by his actions in healing.

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS—known as “the nun on the bus”—is someone Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers a modern prophet. She is the Executive Director of NETWORK, an organization that lobbies for socially just federal policies. On this “Independence Day” (in the United States), reflect on Sr. Simone’s invitation to co-create our collective freedom.

In the last half of the twentieth century, thankfully, our society began to engage in a serious process of trying to atone for the sin of slavery, and in doing so much emphasis was placed on promoting civil rights. An unintended consequence of this important movement was a heightened focus on individuals and individual exercise of the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. The civil rights movement came out of community, but the legal expression focused on individuals’ capacity to exercise their freedoms. Some fearful Americans—largely white men who professed a conservative version of Christianity—felt threatened, as if there were not enough rights to go around. They sought to create their own “movement.” This reaction in part fueled the rise of the tea party movement. . . 7 

Action to be a healing force and exercise forgiveness for those who fight against us requires that we are able to exercise the depth of faith that Abraham realized was necessary for his journey trusting Yahweh for life.

References

1	(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 22 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/22
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 115 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/115
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Independence Day (USA) (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved July 4, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/07/04/
7	(2019, July 4). Civil Rights and Obligations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from https://cac.org/civil-rights-and-obligations-2019-07-04/