The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to meditate on what we trust to fill the God shaped hole in our being.
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| Quiet trust |
The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah urges the persecuted Israelites to trust in the coming of the Righteous Branch of David to initiate a second Exodus.
* [23:1–8] With the false rulers (shepherds) who have governed his people the Lord contrasts himself, the true shepherd, who will in the times of restoration appoint worthy rulers (vv. 1–4). He will provide a new king from David’s line who will rule justly, fulfilling royal ideals (vv. 5, 6). “The Lord our justice” is an ironic wordplay on the name of the weak King Zedekiah (“The Lord is justice”). Unlike Zedekiah, the future king will be true to the name he bears. Verses 7–8 may have been added during the exile.1
Psalm 72 is a prayer for guidance and support for the King who brings justice to the oppressed.
* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts.2
In the Gospel of Matthew the role of the silent trust of Joseph in the Birth of Jesus the Messiah is proclaimed.
* [1:23] God is with us: God’s promise of deliverance to Judah in Isaiah’s time is seen by Matthew as fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, in whom God is with his people. The name Emmanuel is alluded to at the end of the gospel where the risen Jesus assures his disciples of his continued presence, “…I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).3
Nancy Shirley comments that Joseph never stopped to think of how that changed his plans for his life – he trusted in God’s plan for him and his family. Mary and Joseph are such wonderful examples of those who trust without question. Their faith sustained them throughout their lives. They believed and allowed God’s will to direct their lives and when angels spoke, they listened.
That brings me to my thoughts about angels. I truly do believe that angels are here to protect and guide us. I pray to my guardian angel every day. My mother taught me that whenever I see an ambulance driving by, I should pray -- I say the guardian angel prayer for whoever may be in there or whoever they are racing to get. There is no doubt in my mind that angels intervene at the will of God to direct us in certain ways. It does, however, require us to be open to them and to recognize the God Winks in our lives. I also believe that there are people on this earth that are also angels.4
Don Schwager quotes “The righteous branch of David is Christ,” by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.
"There was only one remedy in the secret of the divine plan that could help the fallen living in the general ruin of the entire human race (Jeremiah 23:5-8). This remedy was that one of the sons of Adam should be born free and innocent of original transgression, to prevail for the rest by his example and by his merits. This was not permitted by natural generation. There could be no clean offspring from our faulty stock by this seed. The Scripture says, 'Who can make a clean thing conceived of an unclean seed? Isn't it you alone?' (Job 14:4) David's Lord was made David's Son, and from the fruit of the promised branch sprang. He is one without fault, the twofold nature coming together into one person. By this one and the same conception and birth sprung our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom was present both true Godhead for the performance of mighty works and true manhood for the endurance of sufferings." (excerpt from Sermon 28.3)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 1:18-25 comments that Joseph must have been shaken to the core. Yet despite all these surprises, he was able to give up control and accept the unexpected because of his faith. Joseph believed that God is good. He trusted that if this was God’s plan as the angel had said, then something good would come out of it.
We have all been in situations when we are faced with Plan B or C or even D. Sometimes these are minor annoyances, but other times it’s something momentous: a sudden illness that sidelines us, a job transfer that requires a move across the country, or an unexpected pregnancy. In all these cases, we face the challenge of giving up control and yielding to something new, unfamiliar, and maybe even frightening.
When that happens, think of Joseph. Even if he didn’t expect the unexpected, he accepted what God had in store for him and moved forward in faith. Let’s pray for the grace to do the same.6
Friar Jude Winkler connects the Second Exodus of the Prophet Jeremiah to the Third Exodus achieved by Jesus. Matthew redefines righteousness as compassion in the actions of Joseph. Friar Jude cites another incident of God who “writes straight with crooked lines”, in the use by Matthew of the Greek translation of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Emmanuel.
Christopher Wells reports on Pope Francis’ reflection during the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta that in difficulties, in troubles, in darkness, we learn from St Joseph who knew “how to walk in darkness,” “how to listen to the voice of God,” and “how to go forward in silence.”
Joseph is also the man who “takes in hand” the mystery. The first Reading explains that it is the mystery of “bringing the people back to God,” the mystery of the re-Creation — which, as the liturgy tells us, is “even more wondrous” than the first.
“Joseph took in hand this mystery and helps: with silence, with his work, up to the moment when God called him to Himself. It is said of this man, who took up fatherhood and mystery, that he was the shadow of the Father: the shadow of God the Father. And if the man Jesus learned to say ‘daddy,’ ‘father,’ to His Father Who He knew as God, He learned it from life, from the witness of Joseph, the man who took care of [Him], the man who raised [Him], the man who carried forward every paternity and every mystery, but took nothing for himself.”7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, references the book Addiction and Grace, by psychiatrist Gerald May (1940–2005), personal friend and a true holy man who pointed out how addictive behavior uses up good desire and drains away spiritual desire...addicts will often admit to early youthful moments of “unitive consciousness.” These were moments when it all made sense and we knew we were good, God was good, it was all good. We were in touch with our true source of power, our spiritual desire, the indwelling Holy Spirit. When this incipient spiritual yearning was frustrated; when we no longer experienced communion, connection, and compassion; when we were instead met with religions’ legalism, exclusivity, and ritualism—there was a great disappointment… Timothy McMahan King writes: “Addictions represent finite answers to infinite longings. But adding up the finite over and over will never equal the infinite.” [2] We want to attach to something that will never let us down, something all-powerful, all-nurturing, truly liberating. But of course, with any addiction we need more and more of it because each time we experience the emptiness afterward. It’s never enough to fill the God-sized hole inside of us.
Prayer and meditation allow us to reconnect with our true source of power. Alcoholics Anonymous, the first Twelve-Step program, was developed before Thomas Merton reintroduced contemplation to the modern Western world. Although the “prayer and meditation” described by Bill Wilson and his friends was not exactly the type of contemplative prayer we teach today, it was indeed focused on surrendering to God, seeking God’s will, and relying on God’s power. It was amazing that Wilson used the uncommon word “meditation” in the 1930s, a time when most Western Christians would have thought that was a practice from “Eastern religions.”8
Our journey to God may challenge us to trust and abandon our need for control as we move toward living with compassion and mystery.
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