The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite meditation on how we respond to the prompting of the Spirit to make a difference by bringing light to dark situations in our journey with Jesus.
Bringing Light to Life
The reading from the First Letter of John outlines a Commandment for life.
* [2:7–11] The author expresses the continuity and freshness of mutual charity in Christian experience. Through Christ the commandment of love has become the light defeating the darkness of evil in a new age. All hatred as darkness is incompatible with the light and Christian life. Note also the characteristic Johannine polemic in which a positive assertion is emphasized by the negative statement of its opposite.1
Psalm 96 praises God, Who comes in judgement.
* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Is presented in the Temple for the Rite of Redemption.
* [2:25] Awaiting the consolation of Israel: Simeon here and later Anna who speak about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem represent the hopes and expectations of faithful and devout Jews who at this time were looking forward to the restoration of God’s rule in Israel. The birth of Jesus brings these hopes to fulfillment.3
Mary Lee Brock comments that the days between Christmas and New Years can feel rather chaotic as well. It seems as soon as Christmas Day ends, we begin hearing messages about setting intentions and plans for the New Year. Guidelines for how to lose weight, save money, organize your home, efficiently manage time, eat a healthy diet.
Yes I have a responsibility to make good lifestyle choices, but my focus needs to be on loving others. Showing love to those we truly care about and cherish is a joy. It is quite a challenge to show authentic love to those who have hurt us, who we disagree with, those we believe are corrupt. I know I cannot meet this challenge alone so today I pray to God to give me the grace of curiosity and compassion. I pray to recognize the disparaging thoughts about others (and about myself) and to move these thoughts to a more loving place. I ask God to give me courage to show love in the most difficult encounters. This is the best gift my true love God will continue to give to me.4
Don Schwager quotes “Simeon and Anna represent both sexes awaiting their Redeemer,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"Simeon and Anna, a man and a woman of advanced age, greeted the Lord with the devoted services of their professions of faith. As they saw him, he was small in body, but they understood him to be great in his divinity. Figuratively speaking, this denotes the synagogue, the Jewish people, who, wearied by the long awaiting of his incarnation, were ready with both their arms (their pious actions) and their voices (their unfeigned faith) to exalt and magnify him as soon as he came. They were ready to acclaim him and say, 'Direct me in your truth and teach me, for you are my saving God, and for you I have waited all the day' (Psalm 25:5). What needs to be mentioned, too, is that deservedly both sexes hurried to meet him, offering congratulations, since he appeared as the Redeemer of both." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.185
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:22-35 comments that Simeon’s faithfulness and perseverance in prayer can be a model for us. For most of his life, it seemed that his prayers were not answered, yet he returned to the Temple day after day. In fact, God was working in him, strengthening him and teaching him to recognize the voice of the Spirit.
Sometimes we can be waiting for long stretches before we experience a consolation of some kind. It can be difficult to keep waiting and trusting when that happens. That’s when we can look to Simeon’s example of showing up faithfully, day in, day out, whether we see God answering our prayers or not. Like Simeon, we can trust that God is at work in quiet ways, in the small but powerful workings of grace. Over time, we will become more open to the Holy Spirit, better able to receive his gifts and act upon his promptings. Even when things seem impossible, when God seems absent, prayer is a gift from God. There, he opens us up to hear the Holy Spirit and teaches us to recognize his work in the world around us, just as Simeon recognized the Christ in a baby. “Holy Spirit, help me to persist in prayer and learn to hear your voice.”6
Friar Jude Winkler identifies a subtle difference between the sense of commandments in the Letter of John and in the fourth Gospel. The Rite of Redemption centered around “buying back” the first born in recollection of the flight from Egypt. Friar Jude reminds us that the faithfulness of Mary to the “Shema Israel” likely was in tension with her intuition of Jesus as the Son of God.
The Franciscan Media, Saint of the Day, Thomas Becket refused to remit censures placed upon bishops favored by the king. Henry II cried out in a rage, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his words as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral.
No one becomes a saint without struggle, especially with himself. Thomas knew he must stand firm in defense of truth and right, even at the cost of his life. We also must take a stand in the face of pressures—against dishonesty, deceit, destruction of life—at the cost of popularity, convenience, promotion, and even greater goods.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, while thinking of Archimedes’ (c. 287–c. 212 BCE) lever, suggests that unfortunately, many of us don’t have a fixed place to stand, a fulcrum of critical distance, and thus we cannot find our levers, or true “delivery systems,” as Bill Plotkin calls them, by which to move our world. [1].
Some degree of inner experience is necessary for true spiritual authority, but we need some form of outer validation, too. We need to be taken seriously as competent and committed individuals and not just “inner” people. Could this perhaps be what Jesus means by being both “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16)? God offers us quiet, contemplative eyes; and God also calls us to prophetic and critical involvement in the pain and sufferings of our world—both at the same time. This is so obvious in the life and ministry of Jesus that I wonder why it has not been taught as an essential part of Christianity.8
The Light of the Spirit that we recognize in contemplation is the guide to bring our truth to action for the common good.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment