The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with images of steady growth through difficulty toward a life with joy.
Celebrate Joy
The reading from the Letter to Ephesians expresses a loving plan for joy in the Christian household of Paul's time in Greek culture.
* [5:21–33] The apostle exhorts married Christians to a strong mutual love. Holding with Gn 2:24 that marriage is a divine institution (Eph 5:31), Paul sees Christian marriage as taking on a new meaning symbolic of the intimate relationship of love between Christ and the church. The wife should serve her husband in the same spirit as that of the church’s service to Christ (Eph 5:22, 24), and the husband should care for his wife with the devotion of Christ to the church (Eph 5:25–30). Paul gives to the Genesis passage its highest meaning in the light of the union of Christ and the church, of which Christlike loyalty and devotion in Christian marriage are a clear reflection (Eph 5:31–33).1
Psalm 128 celebrates the happy home of those faithful to Jewish tradition.
* [Psalm 128] A statement that the ever-reliable God will bless the reverent (Ps 128:1). God’s blessing is concrete: satisfaction and prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children (Ps 128:2–4). The perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the community. The last verses extend the blessing to all the people for generations to come (Ps 128:5–6).2
In the Gospel of Luke, the Parable of the Mustard Seed and of the Yeast urge us to see the way in which the Kingdom of God grows to strength from simple beginnings.
* [13:18–21] Two parables are used to illustrate the future proportions of the kingdom of God that will result from its deceptively small beginning in the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus. They are paralleled in Mt 13:31–33 and Mk 4:30–32.3
Barbara Dilly comments that the readings in Ephesians and the Psalms tell us the way to live godly lives starts first with our love and respect for each other, especially in the ways we assume responsibility for others.
We all fall short here, as children, as spouses, as neighbors, and as co-workers. But if we keep love and respect for others as our principle for living, even if we start small, in fact especially if we start small, our lives will grow into abundant blessings. This is the principle upon which the Amish base their lives in community. Whether we want to live the austere lives of the Amish or not, we must admit that they have everything they need and are quite happy people. They experience abundant blessings. I’ve spent a lot of time researching them and they summarize what they are trying to do not as living perfect lives in order to get to heaven, but rather, they are trying as much as they can to live in the Kingdom of God on this earth. They see the Kingdom very clearly as centered in love and respect for each other. I pray today that we can also see the Kingdom so clearly.4
Don Schwager quotes “The Word of God operates in us like leaven,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The leaven is small in quantity, yet it immediately seizes the whole mass and quickly communicates its own properties to it. The Word of God operates in us in a similar manner. When it is admitted within us, it makes us holy and without blame. By pervading our mind and heart, it makes us spiritual. Paul says, 'Our whole body and spirit and soul may be kept blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The God of all clearly shows that the divine Word is poured out even into the depth of our understanding... We receive the rational and divine leaven in our mind. We understand that by this precious, holy and pure leaven, we may be found spiritually unleavened and have none of the wickedness of the world, but rather be pure, holy partakers of Christ."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 96)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ephesians 5:21-33 comments that when some people hear these verses from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, they immediately jump to the more controversial parts about how wives should submit to their husbands.
Be subordinate: The word “subordinate” often calls to mind rigid hierarchy—implying that one person is less than another. But that’s not Paul’s point at all. Remember what he wrote to the Philippians: “Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others” (2:3-4). We know how natural it is to look out for ourselves. Love means choosing humility, to place the needs and concerns of someone else above our own.6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the influence of Stoic philosophy and Jewish tradition on his message about showing love and virtue in marriage. The parables today suggest that the Church grows over time and it should not be expected to be perfect in our time. Friar Jude notes the method of Luke to include in the text, examples of the action of both men and women.
Cynthia Bourgeault talks about the significant position Thomas Keating held in her life as a teacher and spiritual father [1]. As Thomas writes, “When there is no more ‘me, myself, or mine,’ / Only I AM remains.” Those who have reflected on the biblical account will quickly catch the double meaning of the repeated use of “I AM” in this poem. It describes not only our own self-reflexive awareness; it is also the name by which God reveals Godself to Moses in the wilderness. “Who shall I tell them has sent me?” asks Moses. To which God replies, “I Am that I Am” [Exodus 3:14]. (In Hebrew, YHWH is the sacred, unutterable name of God.)
Thomas Merton said something quite like this shortly before his own death. He stated,
You have to experience duality for a long time until you see it’s not there. . . . Don’t consider dualistic prayer on a lower level. The lower is higher. There are no levels. Any moment you can break through to the underlying unity which is God’s gift in Christ. In the end, Praise praises. Thanksgiving gives thanks. Jesus prays. Openness is all. [3]
That is the real teaching awaiting us in this poem and manifest in Thomas Keating’s own life.7
The experience of joy in our journey includes far more than happiness. It is the thanksgiving we express for all the growth and difficulty through which the Spirit has brought us to date.
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