The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the mystery of the mission of Jesus that we may find does not always align with our expectations.
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| Messages from the Spirit |
The reading from 1 Timothy shares a hymn with themes in the Mystery of Our Religion.
* [3:14–16] In case there is some delay in the visit to Timothy at Ephesus planned for the near future, the present letter is being sent on ahead to arm and enlighten him in his task of preserving sound Christian conduct in the Ephesian church. The care he must exercise over this community is required by the profound nature of Christianity. It centers in Christ, appearing in human flesh, vindicated by the holy Spirit; the mystery of his person was revealed to the angels, announced to the Gentiles, and accepted by them in faith. He himself was taken up (through his resurrection and ascension) to the divine glory (1 Tm 3:16). This passage apparently includes part of a liturgical hymn used among the Christian communities in and around Ephesus. It consists of three couplets in typical Hebrew balance: flesh-spirit (contrast), seen-proclaimed (complementary), world-glory (contrast).1
Psalm 111 offers praise for God’s wonderful works as deeds that reveal God’s very self, powerful, merciful, faithful.
* [Psalm 111] A Temple singer (Ps 111:1) tells how God is revealed in Israel’s history (Ps 111:2–10). The deeds reveal God’s very self, powerful, merciful, faithful. The poem is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.2
In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus declares “wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
* [7:31–35] See note on Mt 11:16–19. * [11:16–19] See Lk 7:31–35. The meaning of the parable (Mt 11:16–17) and its explanation (Mt 11:18–19b) is much disputed. A plausible view is that the children of the parable are two groups, one of which proposes different entertainments to the other that will not agree with either proposal. The first represents John, Jesus, and their disciples; the second those who reject John for his asceticism and Jesus for his table association with those despised by the religiously observant. Mt 11:19c (her works) forms an inclusion with Mt 11:2 (“the works of the Messiah”). The original form of the saying is better preserved in Lk 7:35 “…wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” There John and Jesus are the children of Wisdom; here the works of Jesus the Messiah are those of divine Wisdom, of which he is the embodiment. Some important textual witnesses, however, have essentially the same reading as in Luke.3
Diane Jorgensen asks Who, or what, am I looking for? Sometimes she would rather be entertained than engaged. She would rather observe than risk getting involved and maybe changed in the process.
Do we know what we are looking for in our faith? Do we want to be entertained, inspired, have our current needs filled or our beliefs confirmed? Are we ready for the miracles of love, of healing, of wholeness that Jesus brings? Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion we hear in the first reading, a rather startling phrase in the context of being taught how to behave in the household of God.Today, I pray for the grace to take risks to be engaged, to let go of expectations and to seek the “aliveness” of the Risen Christ.4
Don Schwager quotes “The song and dances of the prophets,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Therefore, wisdom is justified by all her children.' He fittingly says 'by all,' because justice is preserved around all. In order that an acceptance of the faithful may happen, a rejection of the unbelieving must occur. Very many Greeks say this, “Wisdom is justified by all her works,” because the duty of justice is to preserve the measure around the merit of each. It aptly says, “We have piped to you, and you have not danced.” Moses sang a song when he stopped the flow in the Red Sea for the crossing of the Jews (Exodus 15:1-18), and the same waves encircled the horses of the Egyptians and, falling back, drowned their riders. Isaiah sang a song of his beloved’s vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), signifying that the people who before had been fruitful with abundant virtues would be desolate through shameful acts. The Hebrews sang a song when the soles of their feet grew moist at the touch of the bedewing flame, and while all burned within and without, the harmless fire caressed them alone and did not scorch (Daniel 3:19-25). Habakkuk also learned to assuage universal grief with a song and prophesied that the sweet passion of the Lord would happen for the faithful (Habakkuk 3:13). The prophets sang songs with spiritual measures, resounding with prophecies of universal salvation. The prophets wept, softening the hard hearts of the Jews with sorrowful lamentations" (Isaiah 46:12). (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.6-7)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Timothy 3:14-16 notes that these few lines from an ancient hymn give us a glimpse into how the early Christians worshipped. The interesting part is how similar it is to how we worship two thousand years later.
Our liturgy at Mass contains many similar statements. Just think about the Creed, for example, or the Gloria. Many Christian songs contain proclamations about what Jesus did on the cross and how he rose again.
These similarities are not just a coincidence. They reveal the faithfulness of God over all these centuries. Despite historical and political changes, wars and persecution, and the rise and fall of countless nations, the basic core of our faith has remained the same. God’s light has continued to shine, and his praise continues to resound in the hearts of his people.6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the creedal hymn at the end of the passage by the author of 1 Timothy. We may not be satisfied when Jesus presentation does not meet our expectations. Friar Jude cautions that we may miss messages from the Holy Spirit that come in unexpected ways.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, presents Eknath Easwaran who continues reflecting on how nonviolence flows from our state of being.
Gandhi gave us the basis for a technology of peace. He gave us tools for resolving conflicts of all kinds, which anyone can learn to use. But it is urgent to understand his message that nonviolence is a way of thinking, a way of life, not a tactic, but a way of putting love to work in resolving problems, healing relationships, and generally raising the quality of our lives… In other words, nonviolence is a skill, just like learning to read. Love is a skill. The transformation of anger is a skill. All these can be learned. We cannot say we aren’t capable of nonviolence; all we can say is we are not willing to do what is necessary to learn.7
Our expectations and bias may be obstacles to fully accepting the life offered by Jesus.
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