The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our impatience for answers and resolutions to the difficulties in our lives.
Steady as she goes
The reading from the Book of Judges relates the birth of Samson.
* [13:5] A nazirite for God: according to the rules for nazirites set forth in Nm 6:2–8, Samson’s vows would have obliged him to abstain from wine and other products of the vine and to keep his hair uncut. As the story that follows shows, the last requirement proved especially fateful in Samson’s life.1
Psalm 71 is a prayer for lifelong protection and help.
* [Psalm 71] A lament of an old person (Ps 71:9, 18) whose afflictions are interpreted by enemies as a divine judgment (Ps 71:11). The first part of the Psalm pleads for help (Ps 71:1–4) on the basis of a hope learned from a lifetime’s experience of God; the second part describes the menace (Ps 71:9–13) yet remains buoyant (Ps 71:14–16); the third develops the theme of hope and praise.2
In the Gospel of Luke, the Birth of John the Baptist is foretold to Zechariah.
* [1:7] They had no child: though childlessness was looked upon in contemporaneous Judaism as a curse or punishment for sin, it is intended here to present Elizabeth in a situation similar to that of some of the great mothers of important Old Testament figures: Sarah (Gn 15:3; 16:1); Rebekah (Gn 25:21); Rachel (Gn 29:31; 30:1); the mother of Samson and wife of Manoah (Jgs 13:2–3); Hannah (1 Sm 1:2).3
Amy Hoover comments that these stories have given her pause to reflect on our God of Surprises. Even out of apparent lifelessness, new life can come.
I don’t want to gloss over the yuckiness that desert times can be. They can be places of loneliness, dryness, a sense of being lost, maybe a sense of abandonment. But if we can hold onto the deep knowing of “God with us,” Immanuel, new life will come. Surprise! My last thought about our God of Surprises is to ask, What is our response when we are surprised? Do we respond with a sense of “terrible” like the wife of Manoah? Do we respond with a sense of doubt like Zechariah? Or do we respond as Elizabeth, with gratitude and recognition of God’s action in our lives for our good?4
Don Schwager quotes “Born for prophecy - murdered for truth,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD).
"I do not know what is the most important thing that we should preach - that he [John the Baptist] was wonderfully born or more wonderfully slain - for he was born as a prophecy and murdered for truth. By his birth he announced the coming of the Savior, and by his death he condemned the incest of Herod (Matthew 14:3-12). This holy and righteous man, who was born in an uncommon way as the result of a promise, merited from God that he should depart this world by an uncommon death - that he should by confessing the Lord lay aside his body, which he had received as a gift from the Lord. Therefore John did everything by the will of God, since he was born and died for the sake of God's work." (excerpt from SERMON 5.1-.2)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:5-25 suggests that sometimes we ask, “Why is God taking so long to give me an answer?” But it’s more helpful to ask, “What does Scripture say about who God is, and how does that apply to my situation?”
Today’s readings reveal that God cares about what is on your heart. He cared about Elizabeth’s longing for a child, and he cares about your longings. He was faithful to Elizabeth, and he is faithful to you. He always prepares the way for his works, even if that preparation takes years—or most of a lifetime, as it did with Elizabeth. Even if it takes until the day you see him face-to-face, he will answer you.6
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the annunciation of Sampson, judge of Israel, and John the Baptist, spirit of Elijah. Gabriel shocks Zechariah with his appearance in the “holy”. Friar Jude reminds us of how Zechariah doubted the power of prayer.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, asks what if the challenges of the current moment are actually offering us an invitation to let go of our ideas of freedom and mobility and to consciously participate with reality in a new way? In The Great Within psychologist Han F. de Wit invites us to consider the discipline of stabilitas loci (or remaining in place) as a liberating practice.
Why do people do this? What is the function of such a discipline? . . . The contemplative psychological function of this physical stabilitas and of the adherent vow is that we let go of the idea that we have an alternative, we give up the possibility of withdrawing. As we know, one of the characteristic aspects of ego is that it always wants to have alternatives available: ego reflects a mentality that always wants to keep an exit open and therefore can never come to complete surrender and acceptance. Through the vow of stabilitas loci, we confront and surrender an important part of that mentality. We say, “This is my place, my situation, and that is what I want to work with, however it develops, for better or for worse.”. . . The limitation that this discipline imposes on ego proves to have another element: a flourishing of self-confidence and strength of mind that enables us to be in the situation we are in without any reservations. What may seem claustrophobic or restrictive actually turns into vast and hospitable space. [1]7
In the stormy seas of life, our steadfast trust in God to answer our prayers may counteract the need of our ego for a resolution today.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment