The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary challenge us to use our God given gifts, united with our community to bring patience, compassion, and mercy to the events of our lives.
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| Mercy street |
The passage from the Letter to the Ephesians calls for unity in the Body of Christ where we exercise a diversity of gifts.
* [4:1–16] A general plea for unity in the church. Christians have been fashioned through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body, Eph 4:4, 12; cf. Eph 4:16), belonging to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world), and by one way of salvation through faith, brought out especially by the significance of baptism (Eph 4:1–6; cf. Rom 6:1–11). But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11–16). This teaching on Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in Eph 4:8 by a citation of Ps 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in Jerusalem. It is here understood of Christ, ascending above all the heavens, the head of the church; through his redemptive death, resurrection, and ascension he has become the source of the church’s spiritual gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9–10) refers more probably to the incarnation (cf. Phil 2:6–8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the world of the dead (cf. 1 Pt 3:19).1
Psalm 19 reminds us that the heavenly elements of the world, beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator.
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem.2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus follows the calling of Matthew with the call for us to learn to practice mercy.
* [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 impurity3
Jeanne Schuler asks Who will venture into combat with a message of peace? Without God, do we scatter to the four winds?
We have different talents. Some work the emergency room. Others clean hotel rooms. Some comfort those who grieve. Others teach. Some replace damaged roofs. Others raise money to keep schools open. The labor of human life is enormous. How does fragmentation cease and unity emerge? Whatever our job or career, we have one calling: to build up the body of Christ. This task is shared: to live “with humility, patience, and love.” In building up the community, the awful isolation ends.
There’s much to be done. Work seems endless. Some days we push and push and fall into dreamless sleep before pushing again. What could be bigger than saving the planet, restoring communities, or ending violence? Bigger than our workload is the goodness of the world, the beauties of the planet, and the deepness in each person. How stunning that sinners are worthy of love.4
Don Schwager quotes John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, who describes Matthew's calling.
Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he called Peter and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time when he knew that they would respond to him. He came at a different time to call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Similarly, he called Paul at a different time when he was vulnerable, after the resurrection, something like a hunter going after his quarry. For he who is acquainted with our inmost hearts and knows the secrets of our minds knows when each one of us is ready to respond fully. Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning, when Matthew was still in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread abroad, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:9-13 comments that Matthew's transformation didn’t happen overnight. It was a process that unfolded over time.
Following Jesus will sometimes call you out of your comfort zone, as it did Matthew. You will encounter difficulties and challenges to your faith that make you feel as if you are going backward instead of forward. But that doesn’t mean you can’t become a saint! The Holy Spirit is faithful. If you stick with him, he will form you day after day. So keep spending time with the Lord in prayer and listening to his voice. Keep examining your conscience at the end of each day and asking God to forgive you for the ways you have fallen short. Imitate Matthew, and never give up!6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the role of unity in patience, compassion, and mercy for the utilization of our gifts. Jesus confronts the alienation of unclean by the Pharisees. Friar Jude reminds that the final editor of this Gospel places Jesus words on mercy before ritual observance.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, recognizes the violence in our hearts, yet he trusts in the goodness and mercy of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God. . . . You have learned how it was said, “You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy”; but I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven (Matthew 5:9, 43-45).7
He invites us to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount.
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