The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to recall experiences of restoration that reveal to us the joy in being followers of Christ.
Moving with joy
The reading from the Book of Job describes how he is humbled and satisfied.
* [42:6] A difficult verse. Some doubt, in view of God’s commendation in v. 7, that Job does in fact express repentance, and alternative translations are often given. Along with v. 5, it describes a change in Job, which the encounter with the Lord has brought about. Dust and ashes: an ambiguous phrase. It can refer to the human condition (cf. Gn 18:27; Jb 30:19) or to Job’s ash heap (2:8).1
Psalm 119 proclaims the glories of God’s Law.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus rejoices following the return of the Seventy.
* [10:18] I have observed Satan fall like lightning: the effect of the mission of the seventy-two is characterized by the Lucan Jesus as a symbolic fall of Satan. As the kingdom of God is gradually being established, evil in all its forms is being defeated; the dominion of Satan over humanity is at an end.3
Dennis Hamm, S.J. comments that Pope Francis draws on the whole of biblical tradition (especially Luke-Acts, but also the whole experience [failures and well as successes] of the church ever since). He offers some highlights of Francis reflections and discernments.
All Christians are called to engage in mission (i.e. implementing Vatican II’s universal call to holiness). Following Christ requires personal conversion (in Luke’s version of Jesus’ program, the Sermon on the Plain, only some of those who come to him ‘listen to his words’ [6:27], and only some of those ‘act on them’ [6:49]). Mission entails more than growth of the church; it calls as well for service of the world, all people of good will; in our own day especially, service of the world calls for solidarity with the systematically excluded. Today, being fully “pro-life” (what Pope Francis calls “integral ecology” entails acting as if all networks of human life, from conception to natural death, are interconnected with other networks of life, including cultures). Integral development of life involves hearing the voice of the earth as well as the voice of the poor. Service of the common good requires a new kind of listening (since collaborating with stakeholders with different interests requires practical compromises on all sides. And that kind of dialogue calls for compassionate and sacrificial listening).4
Don Schwager quotes “The power of the Kingdom of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"He also gave the holy apostles power and might even to raise the dead, cleanse lepers, heal the sick, and by the laying on of hands to call down from heaven the Holy Spirit on anyone they wanted. He gave them power to bind and to loose people's sins. His words are 'I say to you, whatever you will bind on earth, will be bound in heaven (Matthew 18:18). Whatever you will loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven.' These are the things we see ourselves possessing. Blessed are our eyes and the eyes of those of all who love him. We have heard his wonderful teaching. He has given us the knowledge of God the Father, and he has shown him to us in his own nature. The things that were by Moses were only types and symbols. Christ has revealed the truth to us. He has taught us that not by blood and smoke, but rather by spiritual sacrifices, we must honor him who is spiritual, immaterial and above all understanding."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 67)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 10:17-24 comments that Jesus knew that these disciples needed a course correction. Where they were proud of their spiritual power, Jesus wanted them to be proud of their heavenly citizenship. Where they were excited that demons submitted to them, he wanted them to be excited about the joy that comes from submitting to their heavenly Father. Their rejoicing, while a good thing, focused more on themselves than on the God whose power they had just witnessed.
This is the heart of the spiritual life. Growing in holiness is a matter of shifting the focus from ourselves to Jesus and the heavenly calling he has given us. It doesn’t matter whatever “powers” we may have; what is most important is our willingness to accept God’s power and authority over our lives. That’s how citizenship works, after all. You acknowledge the authority of the one who rules your nation, and you work for the common good of your fellow citizens.6
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Job came to know what he did not know. The Gospel of Luke contains the theme of the battle between Good and Evil. Friar Jude reminds us to be thankful for childlike trust to accept the gift of Faith.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that not all mystical traditions have practices that are “serious.” Some of the teaching stories of Sufism, the mystical arm of Islam, feature the wise fool Mulla Nasrudin. The Sufis use the humorous stories of Nasrudin’s adventures as an opportunity for contemplative practice. Like one of Jesus’ parables, a Nasrudin story can work on many levels, from presenting a simple premise to initiating profound understanding. He offers a Nasrudin tale about a Sufi dervish (practitioner) who encounters Mulla Nasrudin and arrives at a conclusion concerning fear.
“I can tell you one thing,” said Nasrudin, “and that is that fear is multidirectional.”
“It certainly seems to be stronger than thirst, or sanity, or other people’s property,” said the dervish.
“And you don’t have to have it yourself in order to suffer from it!” said Nasrudin.7
Peter Ormerod, a journalist with a particular interest in religion, culture and gender, asks if we think unconscious bias training is a fad? It's been going for at least 2,000 years. We forget that Jesus instructed people to examine their consciences for unacknowledged sin.
Further, we are often driven by forces and desires we fail to grasp or fully apprehend. Saint Paul was honest about this. “I do not understand my own actions,” he wrote. “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” He went on: “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” More of us could do with that self-awareness. We can say we hate racism, we can campaign against it, we can damn others as racist. But that doesn’t make us immune to it.8
Our position in relationship with God is also one of realizing we know that we don’t know. We journey and trust in the Spirit to awaken us to the conversion to which we are invited.
References
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