The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our unity as Christians who are blessed by hearing the Word and acting upon it.
Hearing the call
In the reading from the Letter to the Galatians, Paul declares “all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
* [3:27–28] Likely a formula used at baptism that expresses racial, social-economic, and sexual equality in Christ (cf. Col 3:11).1
Psalm 105 praises God’s faithfulness to Israel.
* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). In every phase of the national story—the ancestors in the land of Canaan (Ps 105:12–15), Joseph in Egypt (Ps 105:16–22), Israel in Egypt (Ps 105:23–38), Israel in the desert on the way to Canaan (Ps 105:39–45)—God remained faithful, reiterating the promise of the land to successive servants.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares about true Blessedness.
* [11:27–28] The beatitude in Lk 11:28 should not be interpreted as a rebuke of the mother of Jesus; see note on Lk 8:21. Rather, it emphasizes (like Lk 2:35) that attentiveness to God’s word is more important than biological relationship to Jesus.3
Colleen Chiacchere hopes her children would say that she helped show them how to be attentive and receptive to God’s voice. That is a tall order and a great hope.
I imagine that Jesus is maybe getting at something similar. He recognizes how holy his mother is for giving birth to him and to nourishing him, but especially for modeling attentiveness and receptivity to God’s will. This short gospel passage allows Jesus to expand on his invitation for all of us to be close to him, to be transformed by knowing him and to model God’s love in all aspects of our lives. No doubt, this will help transform our world, working at eliminating discrimination, racism, all forms of injustice, in order to help bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth.4
Don Schwager quotes “Blessings for hearing and keeping the Word,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you,' he replied, 'Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.' Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart than in her flesh." (excerpt from HOLY VIRGINITY 3.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:27-28 comments that we might assume God is happy with us when all is going well in our lives. But then, when hardship or betrayal strikes, we wonder if God has abandoned us. But Jesus’ life, and his words today, teach us that God is at work even when we seem abandoned.
No matter what happens in your life, you can still hear his word and embrace it. Try to keep your eyes fixed on your heavenly Father. Try to see your life through his eyes. Let Mary show you that being blessed doesn’t mean life will always go your way. Even if today ends up being the worst day ever, know that God has a word for you and a plan for you. “Come, Holy Spirit, and open my eyes! Help me to see Jesus in every situation today.”6
Friar Jude Winkler explains Paul’s understanding that we cannot completely follow the Law unless we turn to faith. Christians are not seeking an amorphous humanity but one in which divisions are not important. Friar Jude reminds us that Luke holds up Mary as the perfect disciple who keeps the Word of God.
Fr Timothy Radcliffe, member of the English Province of the Order of Preachers, comments that at the heart of the Catholic tradition is a profound longing for a Church that is one and universal.
Perhaps just 25 years after Christ’s resurrection, St Paul wrote: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:27f). It was global before it was even known that we live on a globe...This does not mean that everyone has to become Catholic. What matters is that the Church makes visible what it means to be human: to be human is to belong to the whole of humanity, indeed the whole of creation. The Church must be one because humanity is called by God to be one...There is also the extraordinary diversity of theological and spiritual traditions: Benedictine, Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite, Ignatian. The Church holds within itself Catholics from every nation of the earth who think, pray and gather in their own ways. In our Father’s house there are many dwellings.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers a contemplative practice from biologist Rupert Sheldrake that invites us to share a “mirroring” experience with the animal world so that we might have a glimpse of the reality that Francis lived throughout his life.
If a cat is purring while you stroke it, be completely present to the stroking and the purring—rather than stroking distractedly while having a conversation or watching TV. The cat is present; become present with it. Or listen to a bird singing. I live in England, and my favorite birdsong is that of blackbirds singing in the spring and early summer. I listen to their songs, which change every time they sing. Often I hear another blackbird respond: they interact with each other and reply to each other’s tunes and variations. They are present to each other. We can be present through listening. Wherever you live, you will be able to find birds singing. .8
The diversity of nature and humanity is a gift of the Creator that we celebrate when we hear the Word and act as Jesus teaches.
References
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