The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the Spirit of generosity, gratitude and compassion.
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| Generous to all |
The reading from the Letter to the Romans celebrates Life in the Spirit over the temptations of the flesh.
* [8:1–13] After his warning in Rom 7 against the wrong route to fulfillment of the objective of holiness expressed in Rom 6:22, Paul points his addressees to the correct way. Through the redemptive work of Christ, Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and death. Holiness was impossible so long as the flesh (or our “old self”), that is, self-interested hostility toward God (Rom 8:7), frustrated the divine objectives expressed in the law. What is worse, sin used the law to break forth into all manner of lawlessness (Rom 8:8). All this is now changed. At the cross God broke the power of sin and pronounced sentence on it (Rom 8:3). Christians still retain the flesh, but it is alien to their new being, which is life in the spirit, namely the new self, governed by the holy Spirit. Under the direction of the holy Spirit Christians are able to fulfill the divine will that formerly found expression in the law (Rom 8:4). The same Spirit who enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day (Rom 8:11). Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit (Rom 8:13).1
The Spirit of people on entrance into the Temple is proclaimed in Psalm 24.
* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10).2
The Gospel of Luke presents incidents and a parable on repentance and the patience of God.
* [13:6–9] Following on the call to repentance in Lk 13:1–5, the parable of the barren fig tree presents a story about the continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given evidence of their repentance (see Lk 3:8). The parable may also be alluding to the delay of the end time, when punishment will be meted out, and the importance of preparing for the end of the age because the delay will not be permanent (Lk 13:8–9).3
Kimberly Grassmeyer asks: How often do we rush to judgement as to the worthiness of others? How quickly do we turn our backs on people (or plants in our garden?) that may need little more than our kindness, our nurturing, our support?
Today’s reading called me to gratitude for the people in my life who have taken the time to help grow me; to help me blossom and bear good fruit for the world. That gratitude encourages me to return the favor. In small ways, I can give a little more time to one of my students, to treat a stranger with kindness, to wink and smile at a child – even when those individuals may not seem open to the love.4
Don Schwager quotes “The Lord's three visits through the Patriarchs, Prophets, and the Gospel,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The Lord also has something very fitting to say about a fruitless tree, 'Look, it is now three years that I have been coming to it. Finding no fruit on it, I will cut it down, to stop it blocking up my field.' The gardener intercedes... This tree is the human race. The Lord visited this tree in the time of the patriarchs, as if for the first year. He visited it in the time of the law and the prophets, as if for the second year. Here we are now; with the gospel the third year has dawned. Now it is as though it should have been cut down, but the merciful one intercedes with the merciful one. He wanted to show how merciful he was, and so he stood up to himself with a plea for mercy. 'Let us leave it,' he says, 'this year too. Let us dig a ditch around it.' Manure is a sign of humility. 'Let us apply a load of manure; perhaps it may bear fruit.' Since it does bear fruit in one part, and in another part does not bear fruit, its Lord will come and divide it. What does that mean, 'divide it'? There are good people and bad people now in one company, as though constituting one body." (excerpt from Sermon 254.3)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 13:1-9 poses the question: So which is it? Does sin bring destruction or mercy?
Both. Jesus didn’t mince words when he called people to repentance. They thought that the Galileans who died tragically must have been worse sinners than everyone else; their deaths must have been some sort of extreme punishment for extreme sins. But Jesus said no, they were no worse off than anyone else. Everyone needs to repent.
He didn’t stop there though. Jesus also made it clear that while God is always on the lookout for the fruit of repentance in our lives, he is also like the gardener, patiently caring for us, coaxing us to bear fruit.
Yes, God hates sin. But he loves us and longs for us to turn away from sin and return to him. That’s why he is constantly calling out to us with mercy, constantly giving us another chance to turn back to him.6
Friar Jude Winkler connects the Spirit and flesh in the Letter to the Romans to the Life of God and concupiscence as understood by Saint Augustine. The Spirit will raise us up! Friar Jude explains Hebrew numerology that really underlines how perfect is the patience of God for our conversion.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that those who pray learn to favor and prefer God’s judgment over that of human beings. God always outdoes us in generosity and in receptivity. God is always more loving than the person who has loved us the most! God does not shame us but loves us even more deeply than we could ever know or love ourselves. Fr Richard offers a reflection on generosity.
I pray that recalling experiences of generosity, both given and received, will allow each of us to carry that spirit to all living things, especially those who challenge our overly-simplistic ideas of what it means to be a human being, made in the image and likeness of God.7
The truth, beauty, and goodness of the world may become more visible to us through the practice of generosity, gratitude and compassion.
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