The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the themes of our practice of faith, hope,and love and the confusion that we may encounter when motives of personal gain and self aggrandizement are present.
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| Confusion of motives |
The reading from the First Letter to the Thessalonians is a thanksgiving for the “imitation” of Christ among those to whom the letter is addressed.
* [1:6] Imitators: the Pauline theme of “imitation” (see 1 Thes 2:14; 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1; 2 Thes 3:9) is rooted in Paul’s view of solidarity in Christ through sharing in Jesus’ cross and in the Spirit of the risen Lord.1
Psalm 149 invites the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance.
* [Psalm 149] A hymn inviting the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance (Ps 149:1–3, 5) because God has chosen them and given them victory (Ps 149:4). The exodus and conquest are the defining acts of Israel; the people must be ready to do again those acts in the future at the divine command (Ps 149:6–9).2
In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus continues denunciation of the practices of Scribes and Pharisees.
* [23:16–22] An attack on the casuistry that declared some oaths binding (one is obligated) and others not (it means nothing) and held the binding oath to be the one made by something of lesser value (the gold; the gift on the altar). Such teaching, which inverts the order of values, reveals the teachers to be blind guides; cf. Mt 15:14. Since the Matthean Jesus forbids all oaths to his disciples (Mt 5:33–37), this woe does not set up a standard for Christian moral conduct, but ridicules the Pharisees on their own terms.3
Carl Olson discusses some clever but unsound reasoning concerning Christ in history.
Jesus Christ cannot be rightly understood and defended apart from Scripture, and Scripture cannot be rightly read and interpreted outside the Church. Otherwise we simply recreate Christ in the image of our own personality, which is not and cannot be a basis for objective and ultimate truth.4
Carol Zuegner believes that with these strong words to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus is speaking to all of us.
Am I going through the motions in my relationship with God and others? Am I letting my judgment of others keep me from really looking at myself and my own actions? Following the rules without opening my heart is not enough. The words from Jesus are a surprise, but it is something that needs to be said and needs to be heard.5
Don Schwager quotes The Prophet Isaiah on hearing and understanding God's mind and intentions for his people.
"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts... For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:6-9).6
He also quotes “Shutting the Kingdom of Heaven,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"There are those who dare to say that God is not good because of the curses in his law that he places against their sin. And yet the one who is truly the Son of God who gave that same law is also the same one who put blessings into the law. The same God who provides blessings for those who are saved in a similar way applies curses which he placed in the law against sinners. 'Woe,' he says. Woe to you and to those hearing these things who plead the God of the law and yet do not understand that these words were spoken by God in a kindly way. So we understand why Jesus said, 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees.' They believe that it is in fact a good thing to pronounce these curses against sinners. They consider the arrangement of the law’s curses to be a part of God’s design. The chiding father frequently urges his advice on his son for his improvement - advice that may seem to be a curse. He does not wish the curses to be actualized, however, but rather he desires to avert him from even more such curses." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8-10 comments that we all need help seeing the signs of God’s grace in our lives from time to time. It’s easy to overlook our growth in faith, hope, and love amid our weaknesses. But just as Paul helped the Thessalonians, we can help one another by pointing out the evidence that we see in each other.
Where do you see faith, love, and hope in another person? Can you see it in a friend who prayerfully maintains the family home? Can you see it in the older couple who care for each other in their declining health? Can you see it in the single dad who works hard and comes home to his kids without anyone to help him out? When you do, speak up! Who knows? You might lift that person’s spirits and help them see the grace of God in their lives in a new way.
“Lord, open my eyes to see you at work in the people around me. And open my mouth to encourage them.”7
Friar Jude Winkler notes the “first letter” nature of Paul’s writing today. Thessalonians were focused on Jesus return in glory; a strong apocalyptic belief in the early Church. Friar Jude uses the over scrupulous nature of the Pharisees as a nudge to examine our attitudes.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that when he was growing up, the common perception was that science and religion were at deep odds with one another. Now that we are coming to understand the magnificent nature of the cosmos, we’re finding that many mystics’ spiritual intuitions are paralleled by scientific theories and explanations. All disciplines, arts, and sciences are just approaching truth from different perspectives. The modern and postmodern mistake is that they only take one or no perspective seriously.
It’s easy to imagine the delight St. Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) found by turning skyward. His first biographer, Thomas of Celano (1185–1260), wrote: “he often overflowed with amazing, unspeakable joy as he looked at the sun, gazed at the moon, or observed the stars in the sky.” [1] Thomas Aquinas also intuited the deep connection between spirituality and science when he wrote, “Any mistake we make about creation will also be a mistake about God.” [2] Inner and outer realities must indeed mirror one another.8
Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and scientist, observes how our view of the universe and God has been evolving. The history of the Church reveals how we have wrestled with convictions and confusion.
We’re reaching a fork in the road; two paths are diverging on planet Earth, and the one we choose will make all the difference for the life of the planet. Shall we continue our medieval religious practices in a medieval paradigm and mechanistic culture and undergo extinction? Or shall we wake up to this dynamic, evolutionary universe and the rise of consciousness toward an integral wholeness? [4]8
Our contemplation is an opportunity to listen for the voice of the Spirit as continue on our journey toward truth, beauty, and goodness through relationship with God.
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