The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate how we receive and react to Jesus' promise of full and eternal life.
Journey beyond
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians underlines the importance of the Resurrection of the Dead.
* [15:12–19] Denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12) involves logical inconsistencies. The basic one, stated twice (1 Cor 15:13, 16), is that if there is no such thing as (bodily) resurrection, then it has not taken place even in Christ’s case. * [15:17–18] The consequences for the Corinthians are grave: both forgiveness of sins and salvation are an illusion, despite their strong convictions about both. Unless Christ is risen, their faith does not save.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, some women accompany Jesus.
* [8:1–3] Luke presents Jesus as an itinerant preacher traveling in the company of the Twelve and of the Galilean women who are sustaining them out of their means. These Galilean women will later accompany Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and become witnesses to his death (Lk 23:49) and resurrection (Lk 24:9–11, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically mentioned; cf. also Acts 1:14). The association of women with the ministry of Jesus is most unusual in the light of the attitude of first-century Palestinian Judaism toward women. The more common attitude is expressed in Jn 4:27, and early rabbinic documents caution against speaking with women in public.3
Andy Alexander, S.J. asks why the women were so very faithful to him. When almost all the apostles fled, it was these women who were there with him to Calvary. It was Mary, "from whom he drove seven demons," who is, according to the fourth gospel, the one Jesus first called to proclaim the good news of the resurrection to his apostles.
So, when I watch Jesus today, travelling down the road with this unconventional group of women and men, I smile and I feel challenged. I smile because he is so attractive, so inspiring, so courageous, so free, so unafraid to place his trust in God without self-doubt. And, I'm challenged because I know that to be drawn to be with him is to be drawn to be like him. I can examine myself today, asking myself many questions and asking for many graces. With whom do I journey down the road? Do I just hang around a group of "like-minded" people? Do I avoid people who are "not well" or who are obvious "sinners"? Am I a healer or a divider? Do I cling to old wounds, old categories, self-protective ways of thinking and living? What are my attitudes toward women, really? How far away do I stay from the "untouchable" people in my faith community, my city, our world? How many of the choices of my daily life place me in solidarity with the people Jesus befriended?4
Don Schwager quotes “Everyone has something to give,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Frankly, even the poor have something they can share with others. Let one lend feet to the lame, another become the eyes of the blind, another visit the sick, and another bury the dead. These are the things that everyone can do. Lastly, bear one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ." (excerpt from Sermon 41,9)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 comments that because God raised him up, our faith that the tough situations in our lives can turn around is not in vain. On the contrary, we have the right to hold onto our faith that Jesus will bring good out of any situation. Remember, Jesus’ resurrection is more than a doctrine. It’s his power, working in our life, even now.
We all have experienced situations that feel like mountains that won’t move. It could be a difficult family relationship, a loved one who has strayed from the faith, or a struggle with a persistent temptation. But these are also precisely the situations in which Jesus wants to bring his resurrection power! He wants to breathe faith and hope into our minds and hearts and to encourage us to not give up believing that he is working, even if we can’t see or sense anything on the surface.6
Friar Jude Winkler explains the difficulty of Greeks and Stoic philosophers with resurrection. The Gospel of Luke pairs women examples and men examples in relationship with Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us not to confuse Mary Magdalene with the “sinful woman” welcomed by Jesus (Luke 7:36-50).
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that if he were to name the Christian religion, he would probably call it “The Way of the Wound.” Jesus agrees to be the Wounded One, and we Christians are these strange believers in a wounded healer. We come to God not through our strength but through our weakness. We learn wisdom and come to God not by doing it all right but through doing it all wrong.
Only the Great Self, the True Self, the Godself, can carry the anxiety within us. The little self can’t do it. People who don’t pray can’t live the Gospel because the self is not strong enough to hold the anxiety and the fear. If we do not transform our pain, we will always transmit it. Always someone else has to suffer because we don’t know how to suffer; that’s what it comes down to. Most people are like electric wires: what comes in is what goes out. Someone calls us a name, and we call them a name back. That is, most people pass on the same energy that is given to them. Now compare an electric wire to those big, grey transformers that you see on utility poles. Dangerous current or voltage comes in, but something happens inside that grey box and what comes out is, in fact, now helpful and productive. That is exactly what Jesus does with suffering.7
We realize a path to full life in our relationship with Jesus that promises to be eternal.
References
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