The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to patiently trust in our journey with Jesus to lead to the truth, beauty, and goodness of our freedom.
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| A simple freedom |
The reading from the Book of Judges tells of the call of Gideon.
* [6:16] I will be with you: narratives telling how the Lord commissions someone for a task depict the person’s reactions of reluctance, confusion, or sense of inadequacy, and the Lord’s reassurance (“I will be with you”), sometimes accompanied by a sign (cf. Ex 3:12; Jer 1:8). Lk 1:28–37 is modeled on this pattern.1
In Psalm 85, a speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts. God will be active on their behalf.
* [Psalm 85] A national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness (Ps 85:2–4) and begging for forgiveness and grace now (Ps 85:5–8). A speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts (Ps 85:9–10): God will be active on their behalf (Ps 85:11–13). The situation suggests the conditions of Judea during the early postexilic period, the fifth century B.C.; the thoughts are similar to those of postexilic prophets (Hg 1:5–11; 2:6–9).2
In the Gospel of Matthew after the rich young man leaves Jesus company, He teaches that riches are an obstacle to entering the kingdom.
* [19:23–24] Riches are an obstacle to entering the kingdom that cannot be overcome by human power. The comparison with the impossibility of a camel’s passing through the eye of a needle should not be mitigated by such suppositions as that the eye of a needle means a low or narrow gate. The kingdom of God: as in Mt 12:28; 21:31, 43 instead of Matthew’s usual kingdom of heaven.3
Mike Cherney is left with some discomfort and challenge from the readings. They lead him to the conclusion that there is no enduring accomplishment without God.
Congruent with the Gospel, I have little difficulty in admitting financial wealth is neither the road to happiness nor to the good life. In line with the first reading I have no doubt that with God’s assistance we can do more than we ever imagined. But my reading of today’s scriptures takes me out of where I am comfortable. It asks me if I am sometimes casting myself in the role of God. (I find that sometimes I am.) It asks me to accept everything as a gift. This is hard. I find that I am concerned with earning spiritual wealth. My father tried to do it his way through daily Mass and rosaries. I try to do it my own way. In both cases, I find us (my father and myself) to be at odds with the Gospel which tells us salvation is a gift. I feel both of us to be called not to change our actions, but rather to change our motivations. This is a much harder task.4
Don Schwager quotes “Who can enter the kingdom of heaven?” by John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D.
"What then did Christ say? 'How difficult it will be for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.' He was not criticizing money itself but the wills of those who are taken captive by it. If it will be difficult for the rich, how much more so for the avaricious! For if stinginess with one’s own wealth is an impediment to gaining the kingdom, think how much fire is amassed for taking someone else's. But why does he say that it is hard for the rich man to enter the kingdom, to the disciples, who were poor and had nothing? He teaches them not to be ashamed of their poverty and, as it were, gives the reason why he did not allow them to possess anything. After saying it is hard, he also shows them that it is impossible, and not simply impossible but even in an exaggerated way impossible. He shows this from the comparison of the camel and the needle: 'It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.' Hence Christ demonstrates that there is a significant reward for the wealthy who can practice self-denial. He also said that this had to be the work of God, that he might show that great grace is needed for anyone who is going to achieve it." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 63.2)5
The Word Among Us meditation on Judges 6:11-24 suggests that many of us can relate to Gideon’s struggles with anxiety. Whether our anxieties are major or minor, we can all learn something from Gideon’s story.
First, it’s okay to hide out every now and then. When we feel anxiety rising, we can pause, take a deep breath, and turn our attention to the Lord—even if it’s just for a few seconds. This holy and safe space is always available to us. With a little practice, our “hiding place” can become a momentary refuge where, with the Lord’s help, we gain a new perspective on our concerns.
Next, Gideon’s story helps us stand firm in faith. Even if we can’t feel or hear him, we can trust that God is with us, offering his grace. He is always ready to “speak of peace” with us (Psalm Reponse).
Finally, peace comes when we respond with worship. It’s no coincidence that Gideon’s peace was connected to the act of building the altar. For us, just saying “Thank you, Jesus” or “I love you, Jesus” can go a long way toward settling our hearts.6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the desperate oppression of the Israelites by the Midianites. Jesus uses Jewish exaggeration in His example of passing a camel through the eye of a needle. Friar Jude points to Francis of Assisi ability to enjoy all things in his life of poverty as a counter to thinking that this text is an endorsement of the “gospel of plenty”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, discusses the third way. There are three general responses to evil: (1) passivity, (2) violent opposition, and (3) the third way of . . . nonviolence articulated by Jesus. Human evolution has conditioned us for only the first two of these responses. . . . Jesus abhors both passivity and violence as responses to evil. His is a third alternative not even touched by these options. . . . Jesus’ Third Way bears at its very heart the love of enemies. This is the hardest word to utter in a context of conflict because it can so easily be misunderstood as spinelessness. But it is precisely the message [Martin Luther King, Jr.] made central to his efforts in the polarized circumstances of the American South.
To our most bitter opponents we say: We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws, because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Throw us in jail, and we shall still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our communities at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom, but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory. [1]7
Our journey to freedom with Jesus from fear and anxiety to praise and enjoyment of people and creation requires us to live patiently in the Third Way of love for our enemy.
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