The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the changes required to move us toward living in the tension between our virtues and vices depending on the grace of God.
 |
| Virtues and vices |
The reading from the Letter to the Colossians addresses mystical death of our vices and resurrection in Christ who is all in all.
* [3:5, 8] The two lists of five vices each are similar to enumerations at Rom 1:29–31 and Gal 5:19–21.1
In Psalm 145, the singer invites all to praise God declaring God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship.
* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.2
The Gospel from Luke begins the Sermon on the Plain and our invitation to live as the anawim.
* [6:20–26] The introductory portion of the sermon consists of blessings and woes that address the real economic and social conditions of humanity (the poor—the rich; the hungry—the satisfied; those grieving—those laughing; the outcast—the socially acceptable). By contrast, Matthew emphasizes the religious and spiritual values of disciples in the kingdom inaugurated by Jesus (“poor in spirit,” Mt 5:3; “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Mt 5:6). In the sermon, blessed extols the fortunate condition of persons who are favored with the blessings of God; the woes, addressed as they are to the disciples of Jesus, threaten God’s profound displeasure on those so blinded by their present fortunate situation that they do not recognize and appreciate the real values of God’s kingdom. In all the blessings and woes, the present condition of the persons addressed will be reversed in the future.3
Colleen Chiacchere reflects that St. Paul reminds us that this habit of getting caught up with these earthly things is detrimental because it brings our focus away from the big picture…the vision and hope of God for us. St. Paul also invites us to rise above these differences in tradition and belief, remembering that “Christ is all and in all”.
How to treat slaves and circumcision were divisive issues back then…perhaps the divisive issues of how to treat refugees and immigrants, how to tackle climate change, how to work against ‘-isms’ in our reality, and finding ways to make health care accessible ...these topics are more relevant to us today… Jesus continues the instructive and prophetic directives, challenging the status quo of that time (and our times!), in the Gospel today. The Beatitudes in Luke invite us to remember that the goals of our lives are not to live for wealth, satisfaction, contentment, happiness and having a good reputation. Yet, isn’t that what many of us are conditioned to work towards in our lives? Those goals are society’s values; a Western corporate culture that so starkly contradicts Jesus’ message and invitation.4
Don Schwager quotes St. Ambrose (339-397 A.D), an early church father and bishop of Milan, who links the beatitudes with the four cardinal virtues which strengthen us in living a life of moral excellence.
Ambrose (339-397 A.D), an early church father and bishop of Milan, links the beatitudes with the four cardinal virtues which strengthen us in living a life of moral excellence. He writes: "Let us see how St. Luke encompassed the eight blessings in the four. We know that there are four cardinal virtues: temperance, justice, prudence and fortitude. One who is poor in spirit is not greedy. One who weeps is not proud but is submissive and tranquil. One who mourns is humble. One who is just does not deny what he knows is given jointly to all for us. One who is merciful gives away his own goods. One who bestows his own goods does not seek another's, nor does he contrive a trap for his neighbor. These virtues are interwoven and interlinked, so that one who has one may be seen to have several, and a single virtue befits the saints. Where virtue abounds, the reward too abounds... Thus temperance has purity of heart and spirit, justice has compassion, patience has peace, and endurance has gentleness." (EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.62–63, 68).5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Colossians 3:1-11 observes that our old desires haven’t completely left us. Like that old coat, it can take us a long time to part with them completely. So often we fail because we lose sight of how wonderful our new life in Christ really is. We give in to old temptations because we forget about what God has already done—and still wants to do—through his power and grace.
Is there a habit or inclination you would like to “put off”? Obviously, a habit is something ingrained, so you may not shake it overnight. But be encouraged. God has made you a new creation. He’s done so much in you already, and he’s only just begun!
“Lord, give me the grace and the strength to leave behind everything that stands between me and you!”6
Friar Jude Winkler notes the dualistic nature of the call to reject the passions of our fleshiness. The distinctions mentioned to the Colossians are not done away with but they cease to be important. Friar Jude notes the typical Hebrew format of the blessings and curses in the Gospel from Luke and the connection to the shepherds as anawim at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, wants to emphasize that the shadow is not inherently evil or wrong; it varies from culture to culture. In the United States today, white dominant culture prizes competition, urgency, individualism, niceness (or avoidance of conflict), and logic. Other values and ways of being, such as cooperation, appropriate self-care, community, and vulnerability, are often seen as inferior. We cause so much harm and lose so much possibility by fearing our differences. By reclaiming our shadow we can tap into greater compassion and creativity. He cites the work of Jungian psychotherapist Robert Johnson.
To refuse the dark side of one’s nature is to store up or accumulate the darkness; this is later expressed as [depression], psychosomatic illness, or unconsciously inspired accidents. We are presently dealing with the accumulation of a whole society that has worshiped its light side and refused the dark, [1] and this residue appears as war, economic chaos, strikes, racial intolerance [more timely examples: gun violence, imprisoning refugees, and climate change]. . . . We must be whole whether we like it or not; the only choice is whether we will incorporate the shadow consciously and with some dignity or do it through some neurotic behavior. . . .
Any repair of our fractured world must start with individuals who have the insight and courage to own their own shadow. . . . The tendency to see one’s shadow “out there” in one’s neighbor or in another race or culture is the most dangerous aspect of the modern psyche. . . . We all decry war but collectively we move toward it. It is not the monsters of the world who make such chaos but the collective shadow to which every one of us has contributed. [Consider our complicity in centuries of colonialism, capitalism, and nationalism.] . . .7
Living in an awareness of our dependence on the grace of God and the faith that all of our being is the basis of our transformation to fullness of life, awakens our desire to practice prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment