Attitude alignment

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the degree to which we live out our commitment as followers of Jesus on our journey in life.

Attitude for the journey

 

The reading from the Book of Job describes how Job replies to God that there is no mediator.

 

* [9:3] Job begins to explore the possibility of challenging God in a lawsuit, a theme that will recur (10:2), but he knows the odds are against him (vv. 12–20).1

Psalm 88 is a prayer for help in despondency.

 

* [88:11–13] The psalmist seeks to persuade God to act out of concern for divine honor: the shades give you no worship, so keep me alive to offer you praise.2

In the Gospel of Luke, we learn of the deep commitment required of would-be followers of Jesus.

 * [9:57–62] In these sayings Jesus speaks of the severity and the unconditional nature of Christian discipleship. Even family ties and filial obligations, such as burying one’s parents, cannot distract one no matter how briefly from proclaiming the kingdom of God. The first two sayings are paralleled in Mt 8:19–22; see also notes there.3

Chas Kestermeier, S.J. shares a  story that his spiritual director told him back in 1968.

 

Don Schwager quotes “Put to death what is earthly in you,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

 "The statement 'Let the dead bury their dead' implies spiritually: Waste no more time on dead things. You are to 'put to death therefore what is earthly in you: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry' (Colossians 3:5). These things therefore are dead. Cast them away from you. Cut them off as you would cut off gangrenous flesh to prevent the contamination of the whole body, so that you may not hear it said, 'Leave the dead [spiritually dead] to bury their dead' (Matthew 8:22). But to some it seems abnormal and contradictory that the Savior does not allow the disciple to bury his father. It seems inhumane. But Jesus does not in fact forbid people from burying the dead, but rather he puts before this the preaching of the kingdom of heaven, which makes people alive (Luke 9:60). As for burying the body, there were many people who could have done this." (excerpt from Fragment 161)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on Job 9:1-12, 14-16 comments that even if God should answer him, Job still wouldn’t believe that he was actually listening to his needs.

 

What a blessing it is that God can withstand our frustrations and accusations! He understands us so deeply. He knows exactly what you are going through today—you don’t even need to tell him. So trust that he knows your heart. Believe that he hearkens to your deepest thoughts and concerns. And know that he will shed light, one way or another, that will guide you closer to him.5

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the ancient understanding of sickness as punishment for sin as he notes how Job confronts the mystery of God and suffering. Our duty to the Kingdom of God is now. Friar Jude reminds us of the two stage Jewish burial rites performed by the eldest son in the time of Jesus.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Romans never occupied Ireland or parts of Scotland. This allowed the Celtic culture and Christian monks the freedom to thrive independently. They weren’t controlled by Roman practicality or Greek thinking. When Christian missionaries arrived by the third century, the Celts blended their pagan or creation-based spirituality with Christian liturgy, practice, and structure. As a result, Celtic Christianity was still grounded in the natural world, and they had much easier access to a cosmic notion of the Christ. He shares an excerpt of St. Patrick’s traditional prayer… Allow ourselves, like the ancient Celts, to become aware of the presence of Christ surrounding you through all things.

 

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ under me, Christ over me,

Christ to right of me, Christ to left of me,

Christ in lying down, Christ in sitting, Christ in rising up

Christ in the heart of every person, who may think of me!

Christ in the mouth of every one, who may speak to me!

Christ in every eye, which may look on me!Christ in every ear, which may hear me!6

Our attachment to the familiar and comfortable routines and rites of our lives may be obscuring an invitation to become more deeply conformed to the mind of Christ as He accompanies us on our journey.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). Job, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/job/9
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 88 | USCCB. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/88
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture .... Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2020&date=sep30
5	(2020, September 30). Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Memorial .... Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/09/30/176203/
6	(2020, September 30). The Fruitful Margins of the Empire — Center for Action and .... Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://cac.org/the-fruitful-margins-of-the-empire-2020-09-30/

Angelic Assistance

 

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our experience of assistance in our journey from angelic sources.

Nudged by angels

 

The reading from the Book of Revelation describes how the Archangel Michael defeats the Dragon.

 

* [12:7–12] Michael, mentioned only here in Revelation, wins a victory over the dragon. A hymn of praise follows.* [12:7] Michael: the archangel, guardian and champion of Israel; cf. Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9. In Hebrew, the name Michael means “Who can compare with God?”; cf. Rev 13:4.1

The reading from the Book of Daniel is a vision of judgement before the Ancient One.

 

* [7:9–10] A vision of the heavenly throne of God (the Ancient of Days), who sits in judgment over the nations. Some of the details of the vision, depicting the divine majesty and omnipotence, are to be found in Ezekiel 1. Others are paralleled in 1 Enoch, a contemporary Jewish apocalypse.2

Psalm 138 offers thanksgiving and praise to God.

 

* [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8).3

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Nathanael  ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

 

* [1:49] Son of God: this title is used in the Old Testament, among other ways, as a title of adoption for the Davidic king (2 Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:27), and thus here, with King of Israel, in a messianic sense. For the evangelist, Son of God also points to Jesus’ divinity (cf. Jn 20:28).4

Nicky Santos, S.J. notes that during his papacy, Pope Francis has affirmed the existence of guardian angels and has said that these are companions, guardians, and guides that the Lord sends us to help us on our journey of life.

 As I reflect on today’s feast, I am reminded of God’s care for me and consoled that I am not alone on the journey of life. Such consolation is much needed during these pandemic days. The mission of the three archangels addresses three needs that I or any of us have. First, the need to be protected from the snares of the evil one, of straying down the wrong path so to speak. Second, the need to have hope, to be reminded of the good news and not just be depressed with the bad news that we constantly hear. And, third, the need for guidance, to make right choices along life’s path. Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, pray for us.5

Don Schwager notes that the rabbis had an expression for comparing the fig tree to being nourished with God's word in Scripture, "He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit." Don quotes  “The Lord of Angels,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

 

"Do you see how he [Jesus] leads him [Nathanael] up little by little from the earth and causes him no longer to imagine him as merely a man? For one to whom angels minister and on whom angels ascend and descend, how could he be a man? This is why he said, 'You shall see greater things than these.' And to prove this, he introduces the ministry of angels. What he means is something like this: Does this, O Nathanael, seem to you a great matter, and have you for this confessed me to be King of Israel? What then will you say when you see 'angels ascending and descending on me'? He persuades him by these words to receive him as Lord also of the angels. For on him as on the king's own son, the royal ministers ascended and descended, once at the season of the crucifixion, again at the time of the resurrection and the ascension, and before this also, when they 'came and ministered to him' (Matthew 4:11). They also ascended and descended when they proclaimed the good news of his birth and cried, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace' (Luke 2:14), when they came to Mary and also when they came to Joseph... Our Lord made the present a proof of the future. After the powers he had already shown, Nathanael would readily believe that much more would follow." (excerpt from the Homilies On the Gospel of John 21.1)6

Malcolm Guite outlines Michaelmas and offers a sonnet for St. Michael the Archangel.

 

Michaelmas gales assail the waning year,

And Michael’s scale is true, his blade is bright.

He strips dead leaves; and leaves the living clear

To flourish in the touch and reach of light.

Archangel bring your balance, help me turn

Upon this turning world with you and dance

In the Great Dance. Draw near, help me discern,

And trace the hidden grace in change and chance.

Angel of fire, Love’s fierce radiance,

Drive through the deep until the steep waves part,

Undo the dragon’s sinuous influence

And pierce the clotted darkness in my heart.

Unchain the child you find there, break the spell

And overthrow the tyrannies of Hell.7

Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the role of angels in the visions from Daniel and Revelation. We find authenticity in our wrestling with God. Friar Jude reminds us to seek the truth about the mysteries of God.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments on the Desert Fathers and Mothers. These individuals in the desert sought to reflect more deeply on the Mystery of God and God’s will through work, prayer, and study of the Scriptures. Thomas Merton (1915–1968) describes their movement.

 Society—which meant pagan society, limited by the horizons and prospects of life “in this world”—was regarded by them as a shipwreck from which each single individual had to swim for their life. . . . These were people who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster. The fact that the Emperor was now Christian and that the “world” was coming to know the Cross as a sign of temporal power only strengthened them in their resolve. [1]8

We work, pray and study Scripture on our journey to truth, beauty, and goodness. Angelic assistance nudges us to attend to the promptings of the Spirit along the Way.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Revelation, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12
2	(n.d.). Daniel, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7:9
3	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 138 | USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/138
4	(n.d.). John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://www.usccb.org/bible/john/1
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture ... - Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2020&date=sep29a
7	(2020, September 29). Michaelmas: a sonnet for St. Michael the Archangel | Malcolm .... Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2020/09/29/michaelmas-a-sonnet-for-st-michael-the-archangel-9/
8	(n.d.). Freedom in the Desert — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://cac.org/freedom-in-the-desert-2020-09-29/

 

Great Trust

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our commitment to trust in God and humbly serve those who have little standing in society.

Serving the greatest

 

The reading from the Book of Job describes an attack on Job’s character.

 

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away”1

Psalm 17 is a prayer for deliverance from persecutors.

 * [Psalm 17] A lament of an individual unjustly attacked. Confident of being found innocent, the psalmist cries out for God’s just judgment (Ps 17:1–5) and requests divine help against enemies (Ps 17:6–9a). Those ravenous lions (Ps 17:9b–12) should be punished (Ps 17:13–14). The Psalm ends with a serene statement of praise (Ps 17:15). The Hebrew text of Ps 17:3–4, 14 is uncertain.2

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shows the disciples true greatness and the role of another exorcist.

 

* [9:46–50] These two incidents focus on attitudes that are opposed to Christian discipleship: rivalry and intolerance of outsiders.3

Thomas Quinn comments that we may realize, especially in these troubled times, that we are comparatively weak creatures, but God cares for us, and trusts us to depend on, and use, all facets of our faith.  When we call on the Angels and Saints for help, believe that this is possible.  It is another of God’s great and merciful gifts to His struggling creatures.

 

The Alleluia response from Mark leads us into the themes of humility and service that are also at the heart of the gospel reading today.  “The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”   Jesus was always able to model humility.  Jesus was gentle in his teaching of humility. The apostles, nearly all of whom were, like Jesus, about thirty years old, likely found it difficult to follow a contemporary with a similar background.  They not only accepted him and called him Master, Rabbi, and even The Son of God, but they  chose to be his humble followers. Yet, pride must have smoldered in their young hearts, as it likely does in ours.  They wished to know which of them was the greatest.  Jesus answered by bringing a child next to him, and declaring, “the one who is least among you is the one who is greatest.” The humble one, the servant, is the most like Jesus. He came among us to serve, and to sacrifice himself for us.  His message is always clear; be humble and love one another.4

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus, the Physician of souls, amputates vainglory,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

 

"The passion and lust of pride attacked some of the holy apostles. The mere argument about who of them was the greatest is the mark of an ambitious person, eager to stand at the head of the rest. Christ, who did not sleep, knows how to deliver. He saw this thought in the disciple's mind, springing up, in the words of Scripture (Hebrews 12:15), like some bitter plant. He saw the weeds, the work of the wicked sower. Before it grew up tall, struck its root down deep, grew strong, and took possession of the heart, he tears up the evil by the very root..."In what way does the Physician of souls amputate pride’s passion? How does he deliver the beloved disciple from being the prey of the enemy and from a thing hateful to God and man? "He took a child," it says, "and set it by him." He made the event a means of benefiting both the holy apostles themselves and us their successors. This illness, as a rule, preys upon all those who are in any respect superior to other people".(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 54.2)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:46-50 comments that Jesus didn’t reject or rebuke his disciples for thinking and feeling as they did. He redirected them to the heart of the gospel instead. Unity, love of neighbor, a tender heart, and a humble mind are the dispositions that should mark followers of Christ. That is what makes a person “great” in God’s eyes.

 

We have to be on guard not to fall into the same mindset as the disciples. The truth is, Jesus calls everyone, not just those we might perceive as “great” or worthy of following him. Furthermore, he has called each of us to fulfill a specific role in his kingdom. That could be as the leader of the meeting or as the one stacking the chairs. To him, it’s not what we do that’s as important as how we do it—with a loving heart and a sincere and humble desire to serve in whatever way is needed.6

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the powerful literature of the Book of Job that addresses the question of why good people suffer. Everything is a gift, therefore, God is not to be cursed. Friar Jude reminds parents and grandparents of the great gift of serving the needs of children.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, is sure the Emperor Constantine thought he was doing Christians a favour when he ended official persecution and made Christianity the established religion of the empire. Yet it might be the single most unfortunate thing that happened to Christianity.

 

As long as the Church bore witness from the margins in some sense, and as long as we operated from a minority position, we had greater access to the truth, to the Gospel, to Jesus. In our time we have to find a way to disestablish ourselves, to identify with our powerlessness instead of our power, our dependence instead of our independence, our communion instead of our individualism. Unless we understand that, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) isn’t going to make any sense.7

The child at the right hand of Jesus demonstrates that our role as disciples is to trust God as we act in humble service of those in need.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Job, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/job/1
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 17 | USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/17
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092820.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture .... Retrieved September 28, 2020, fromhttps://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2020&date=sep28
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/09/28/176197/
7	(2020, September 28). A Church on the Margins - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://cac.org/a-church-on-the-margins-2020-09-28/