The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of our resistance to embrace fidelity to action that increases our fullness of life.
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| Sharing Life |
The passage from the Book of Judges presents the Infidelities of the Israelites in the “Promised Land”.
* [2:10–19] This long thematic passage establishes the cyclical pattern for the stories found in the rest of the book. When the Israelites are secure, they forsake the Lord and worship other gods. In punishment the Lord places them in the power of a foreign oppressor. But when they cry out in distress, the Lord takes pity on them and raises up a judge, who delivers them from the oppressor. The Israelites remain faithful to the Lord during the lifetime of the judge, but when the judge dies they again abandon the Lord, and the cycle begins anew.1
Psalm 106 recites from Israel’s history eight instances of sin, judgment, and forgiveness.
* [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). Confident of God’s mercy, the speaker invites national repentance (Ps 106:6) by reciting from Israel’s history eight instances of sin, judgment, and forgiveness...The text gives the site of each sin:... Canaan (Ps 106:38).2
In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus invites the rich young man to deepen his experience of full life.
* [19:16–30] Cf. Mk 10:17–31. This story does not set up a “two-tier” morality, that of those who seek (only) eternal life (Mt 19:16) and that of those who wish to be perfect (Mt 19:21). It speaks rather of the obstacle that riches constitute for the following of Jesus and of the impossibility, humanly speaking, for one who has many possessions (Mt 19:22) to enter the kingdom (Mt 19:24). Actual renunciation of riches is not demanded of all; Matthew counts the rich Joseph of Arimathea as a disciple of Jesus (Mt 27:57). But only the poor in spirit (Mt 5:3) can enter the kingdom and, as here, such poverty may entail the sacrifice of one’s possessions. The Twelve, who have given up everything (Mt 19:27) to follow Jesus, will have as their reward a share in Jesus’ (the Son of Man’s) judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28), and all who have similarly sacrificed family or property for his sake will inherit eternal life (Mt 19:29).3
Larry Hopp can see a pattern in the texts today. The stories contained throughout the Bible teach of the importance of maintaining our focus upon God.
Yet in today’s Gospel, Jesus provides us with further insight into the question of “how do we live our lives for our Lord”. The young man approaching Jesus evidently understood the value of eternal life. It is interesting that Jesus did not initially respond with the first commandment of loving God with all our hearts, mind & soul, but rather Jesus listed off 5 commandments that the young man believed he had kept. Jesus however included a 6th command (actually the very important 2nd commandment about loving our neighbors as ourselves). Perhaps the young man got caught up in feeling pretty good about himself with the first 5 Jesus mentioned and glossed over that 6th directive about loving others. Jesus definitely did not miss the irony, so he responded in a more direct answer “…”go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.”4
Don Schwager quotes “Seek the life that endures,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The Lord said to a certain young man, 'If you would enter life, keep the commandments.' He did not say 'If you would have life' but 'If you would enter life,' defining that life as eternal life. Let us first consider then the love of this life. For this life is loved, whatever its quality - and however troubled it is, however wretched, people are afraid to end it. Hence we should see, we should consider, how much eternal life is to be loved, when this miserable life that must at some time be ended is so loved. Consider, brothers, how much that life is to be loved when it is a life you never end. You love this life, where you work so much, run, are busy, pant. In this busy life the obligations can scarcely be counted: sowing, plowing, working new land, sailing, grinding, cooking, weaving. And after all this hard work your life comes to an end. Look at what you suffer in this wretched life that you so love. And do you think that you will always live and never die? Temples, rocks, marbles, all reinforced by iron and lead, still fall. And a person thinks that he will never die? Learn therefore, brothers, to seek eternal life, when you will not endure these things but will reign with God forever." (excerpt from Sermon 84,1)5
The Word Among Us meditation on Matthew 19:16-22 comments that when we read this story of the rich young man, we often focus on how he “went away sad” (Matthew 19:22). But we don’t always give him enough credit. He knew enough to realize he needed help—and to ask Jesus for it. His question was sincere too: “Teacher, what good must I do?” He wanted to be a better man, and he wanted the “eternal life” that he saw the disciples enjoying (19:16). Every day, we can ask Jesus to help us see how we are doing in our walk with him and how we can do better. In the sixteenth century, St. Ignatius of Loyola developed a way for us to do just that. He called it the “Daily Examen.” Here’s a version that consists of five steps.
The first step is to thank God for all the blessings you’ve received that day... The second step is to pray to the Holy Spirit... Third, review what happened today... Fourth, think about when you felt closest to God... When did you feel further away from God?... Your fifth and final step is to look ahead to the next day...6
Friar Jude Winkler compares the Deuteronomistic history in the Book of Joshua with the more realistic account today from Judges. Maybe our preparation for the future tends to avarice resulting in neglect for the poor. Friar Jude reminds us of the wisdom of Tertulllian who warned that our excess is robbed from the poor.
Daniel P Horan, OFM, explains “The principle of the common good” from his series Understanding Laudato Si (EP 10).
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that Catholic priest and peace activist John Dear, teaches that nonviolence requires three simultaneous attributes: being nonviolent toward ourselves; being nonviolent to others, including creation; and joining the global grassroots movement of nonviolence. (Franciscan organization Pace e Bene). What does it mean to be nonviolent?
Coming from the Hindu/Sanskrit word ahimsa, nonviolence was defined long ago as “causing no harm, no injury, no violence to any living creature.” But Mohandas Gandhi insisted that it means much more than that. He said nonviolence was the active, unconditional love toward others, the persistent pursuit of truth, the radical forgiveness toward those who hurt us, the steadfast resistance to every form of evil, and even the loving willingness to accept suffering in the struggle for justice without the desire for retaliation. . .8
Fr Richard reminds us that living nonviolence requires daily meditation, contemplation, study, concentration, and mindfulness. Just as mindlessness leads to violence, steady mindfulness and conscious awareness of our true identities lead to nonviolence and peace. The fullness of life, referred to in John 10:10, is sometimes resisted by our ego and self serving focus.
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