Choosing Certainty

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the paradox of having certain faith in God that we can only approach understanding through metaphors and pointers.

Path to Certainty

 

The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy foretells the coming of a New Prophet like Moses.

* [18:15] A prophet like me: from the context (opposition to the practices described in vv. 10–11) it seems that Moses is referring in general to all the true prophets who were to succeed him. This passage came to be understood in a quasi-Messianic sense in the New Testament (Mt 17:5; Jn 6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22; 7:37).1 

Psalm 95 is a call to Worship and Obedience.

* [Psalm 95] Twice the Psalm calls the people to praise and worship God (Ps 95:1–2, 6), the king of all creatures (Ps 95:3–5) and shepherd of the flock (Ps 95:7a, 7b). The last strophe warns the people to be more faithful than were their ancestors in the journey to the promised land (Ps 95:7c–11). This invitation to praise God regularly opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours.2 

The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians challenges us to be free from anxieties even as the world changes.

* [7:29–31] The world…is passing away: Paul advises Christians to go about the ordinary activities of life in a manner different from those who are totally immersed in them and unaware of their transitoriness.3 

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus exorcises the man with an unclean spirit.

* [1:24–25] The Holy One of God: not a confession but an attempt to ward off Jesus’ power, reflecting the notion that use of the precise name of an opposing spirit would guarantee mastery over him. Jesus silenced the cry of the unclean spirit and drove him out of the man.4

 

Rev. Richard Gabuzda (2015) notes that throughout the gospel of Mark, amidst the continual teaching and miracle-working of Jesus, the question lingers:  Who is this man?  This continues until, at the moment of his death on the cross, another unlikely voice reveals Jesus’ identity:  the Roman soldier who sees Jesus die calls out:  “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

We can admire the teachings of Jesus.  And why not?  They have had a major influence on the western world and much beyond.  We can marvel at the miracles described in the gospels.  But do we really grasp and abide in the truth of WHO HE IS?  Jesus, not merely a “good man” or the “best of men,” but the Holy One of God, the Son of God...Have we encountered Jesus in this way, (similar to Thomas Merton’s experience) as someone alive and who is in relationship with us?  Or do we still relate to him as someone from “back then” and “out there”?  Pope Francis, in quoting words of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, reminds us: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”5

 

Don Schwager quotes “Knowing without loving,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Those words show clearly that the demons had much knowledge, but entirely lacked love. They dreaded receiving their punishment from him. They did not love the righteousness that was in him. He made himself known to them to the extent he willed; and he willed to be made known to the extent that was fitting. But he was not made known to them as he is known to the holy angels, who enjoy participation in his eternity, in that he is the Word of God. To the demons he is known as he had to be made known, by striking terror into them, for his purpose was to free from their tyrannical power all who were predestined for his kingdom and glory, which is eternally true and truly eternal. Therefore, he did not make himself known to the demons as the life eternal, and the unchangeable light which illuminates his true worshipers, whose hearts are purified by faith in him so that they see that light. He was known to the demons through certain temporal effects of his power, the signs of his hidden presence, which could be more evident to their senses, even those of malignant spirits, than to the weak perception of human beings. (excerpt from CITY OF GOD 9.21)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 1:21-28 notes that in one way or another, we have all reacted strongly against Jesus and his message of salvation. We all have pockets of darkness still lingering in our hearts. Maybe we have refused to forgive someone. Maybe we have knowingly chosen sin in a tempting situation. Or maybe we have denigrated a fellow believer who thinks differently than we do. Still, Jesus continues to love us and offer the grace we need to change. What was true in that synagogue in Capernaum is still true today: the darkness of sin can never overpower the light of Christ.

Don’t be surprised if you experience some form of opposition to Jesus in your heart today—maybe in prayer or as you’re trying to focus at Mass or as an opportunity to serve your family arises. Instead, take comfort from it. Trust that the light of Christ will not only expose your darkness; it can expel it as well. “Thank you, Jesus, for exposing my darkness—and for setting me free from it!”7 

Friar Jude Winkler notes that a prophet is one who speaks in the name of God as described in Deuteronomy. Vatican II clarified that serving family is not inferior to serving as a vowed religious. Friar Jude reminds us of the power of the Holy One to move people to drop everything and seek healing.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that when we speak of God and things transcendent, all we can do is use metaphors and pointers. No language is adequate to describe the holy. As in a familiar portrait of Saint John of the Cross, we must place a hushing finger over our lips to remind ourselves that God is finally unspeakable and ineffable. Or, sharing Jewish tradition, we may even refuse to pronounce the name “YHWH.”

The Bible, in its entirety, finds a fine balance between knowing and not-knowing, between using words and having humility about words. The ensuing Christian traditions have often not found that same balance. What I’ve called “Churchianity” typically needs to speak with absolutes and certainties. It thinks it has the right and the obligation to make total truth-claims and feels very insecure when it cannot.  Thus, it is not very well trained in insecurity and trust.8 

Our certainty in the Mystery of God is Love.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/18
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/95
3	(n.d.). 1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/7
4	(n.d.). Mark, chapter 1 - usccb. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?21
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online .... Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/013121.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=jan31
7	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/01/31/180704/
8	(2020, January 26). Knowing and Not Knowing Archives — Center for Action and .... Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://cac.org/themes/knowing-and-not-knowing/

 

Assurance and Conviction

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the role of faith in God and in our fellow human beings in building our confidence and conviction.

Trust and the common good

 

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews details the Faith of Abraham.

* [11:1–40] This chapter draws upon the people and events of the Old Testament to paint an inspiring portrait of religious faith, firm and unyielding in the face of any obstacles that confront it. These pages rank among the most eloquent and lofty to be found in the Bible. They expand the theme announced in Heb 6:12, to which the author now returns (Heb 10:39). The material of this chapter is developed chronologically. Heb 11:3–7 draw upon the first nine chapters of Genesis (Gn 1–9); Heb 11:8–22, upon the period of the patriarchs;1 

The response today is from the Canticle of Zechariah in Luke’s Gospel.

* [1:68–79] Like the canticle of Mary (Lk 1:46–55) the canticle of Zechariah is only loosely connected with its context. Apart from Lk 1:76–77, the hymn in speaking of a horn for our salvation (Lk 1:69) and the daybreak from on high (Lk 1:78) applies more closely to Jesus and his work than to John. Again like Mary’s canticle, it is largely composed of phrases taken from the Greek Old Testament and may have been a Jewish Christian hymn of praise that Luke adapted to fit the present context by inserting Lk 1:76–77 to give Zechariah’s reply to the question asked in Lk 1:66.2 

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus stills a storm.

* [4:41] Jesus is here depicted as exercising power over wind and sea. In the Christian community this event was seen as a sign of Jesus’ saving presence amid persecutions that threatened its existence.3 

Mike Cherney notes that the response, which we read today, rather than being a Psalm is from Luke’s Gospel. He had been basing, at one time, much of his prayer on the Liturgy of the Hours. His impression is that the author of the letter to the Hebrews was writing to show the outcome of trust in God rather than provide a dictionary definition of the word faith. The Gospel also brought back memories.

I consider how I respond to moments of losing all control of a situation. These moments give me some insight into my faith. I wish that I could say that I consistently responded with putting my doubts aside, but that has not always been the case. When my sister died at the age of 48 it was a clear blow to the faith that I had. When my daughter-in-law suffered heart failure after delivering twins it was a clear embracing of my faith.4

 

Don Schwager quotes “Awakening the Christ asleep within you,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind. When your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of misfortune - shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean you have forgotten his presence. Rouse him, then; remember him, let him keep watch within you, pay heed to him... A temptation arises: it is the wind. It disturbs you: it is the surging of the sea. This is the moment to awaken Christ and let him remind you of those words: 'Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him." (excerpt from Sermons 63:1-3)5

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 comments that like Abraham, we too need to keep listening for the voice of God and acting on it.

When you think you hear him, whether in the quiet of prayer, in the worship of Mass, or in the busyness of the day, stop and listen carefully. See if what you sense makes you peaceful or hopeful. See if it lines up with the Scriptures and the wisdom of the Church. If it does, follow through—whatever that may mean for you. And trust that God will continue to guide you.6 

Friar Jude Winkler relates faith to trust in God and shares that this trust is most difficult in times of persecution and loss. God knew the faith of Abraham but the testing of Isaac revealed the strength of Abraham’s faith to Abraham. Friar Jude reminds us of the second layer of the nature miracle on the Sea of Galilee showing Jesus triumph over demonic forces.

 

Patrick Riordan SJ, Senior Fellow for Political Philosophy and Catholic Social Thought at Campion Hall, University of Oxford, comments on work about the question of human goodness, innate or acquired, by David C. Rose in his book “Why Culture Matters Most”. In a large society, what motivates any person to behave in a way that benefits the common good when individual rationality might suggest that one is better off by not cooperating?

David Rose should have the last word: ‘… society gets the behaviour it wants not by forcing people to do or to not do things, but by instantiating values that incline them to want to do or not do what is best for society’ (166).7 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, suggests an exercise in contemplation using a traditional icon (or copy of one). That’s because they are lovingly created expressly for the purpose of prayer, and praying with one binds you to the great cloud of witnesses that have prayed with these images throughout history. The image is merely a window to God.

Gaze at the icon. Let your gaze be long and loving. Think of the icon as a mystical window in which you are on one side and God is on the other. Allow God to communicate with you by way of this image, but do not become anxious about how or when God may communicate. Simply continue to gaze and allow your heart to become still and open. End the contemplation with a prayer of gratitude.8

 

With the eyes of faith, we place our circumstances in the hands of a loving God and human companions and trust the outcome will move our lives closer to fullness as disciples of Christ.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). Hebrews, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/11
2	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1
3	(n.d.). Mark, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/4
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online .... Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/013021.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=jan30
6	(n.d.). Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary - The Word Among Us. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/01/30/180679/
7	(2020, May 28). Heroic parents, because culture matters | Thinking Faith: The online .... Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/heroic-parents-because-culture-matters
8	(n.d.). The Three Domes — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://cac.org/the-three-domes-2021-01-24/

In Good Time

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the perspective of the long human journey to live in the mystery of God.

Growth in Good Time

 

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews declares that we need endurance.

* [10:37–38] In support of his argument, the author uses Hb 2:3–4 in a wording almost identical with the text of the Codex Alexandrinus of the Septuagint but with the first and second lines of Heb 10:4 inverted. He introduces it with a few words from Is 26:20: after just a brief moment. Note the Pauline usage of Hb 2:4 in Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11.1 

Psalm 37 is an exhortation to patience and trust.

* [Psalm 37] The Psalm responds to the problem of evil, which the Old Testament often expresses as a question: why do the wicked prosper and the good suffer? The Psalm answers that the situation is only temporary. God will reverse things, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked here on earth. The perspective is concrete and earthbound: people’s very actions place them among the ranks of the good or wicked. Each group or “way” has its own inherent dynamism—eventual frustration for the wicked, eventual reward for the just. The Psalm is an acrostic, i.e., each section begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section has its own imagery and logic.2

 

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches in parables, including the Growing Seed.

* [4:26–29] Only Mark records the parable of the seed’s growth. Sower and harvester are the same. The emphasis is on the power of the seed to grow of itself without human intervention (Mk 4:27). Mysteriously it produces blade and ear and full grain (Mk 4:28). Thus the kingdom of God initiated by Jesus in proclaiming the word develops quietly yet powerfully until it is fully established by him at the final judgment (Mk 4:29); cf. Rev 14:15.3 

Mary Lee Brock notes that the first reading from Hebrews offers a reminder to stay strong in our faith:  “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.”

 I feel a sense of peace that I am like one of the birds of the sky feeling the comfort of the shade of the mustard tree. Today I pray for the grace to see and receive what God has promised. I ask for help in deepening my trust in the teachings of Jesus.  As I strive to serve the kingdom of God, I look for ways to be shelter for others as an ally, advocate, neighbor and friend.4 

Don Schwager quotes “God gave us what was most precious,” by Isaac of Nineveh (a Syrian monk, teacher, and bishop), 613-700 A.D.

"The sum of all is God, the Lord of all, who from love of his creatures has delivered his Son to death on the cross. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But his aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us." (excerpt from ASCETICAL HOMILY 74.28)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 4:26-34 asks why did Jesus use a mustard seed as an analogy for the kingdom of God? Perhaps because he knew that God often works by planting a tiny seed of an idea in our hearts, which then grows into something big through the action of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps Jesus has planted a tiny mustard seed in your heart or in the heart of someone you know and trust. If so, as you bring the idea to prayer, consider what the next step might be. Is there some small action you can do to start things off? As you follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, you might be surprised to see this little seed grow. You might even witness something amazing happen from that tiny seed of faith! “Jesus, help me be open to the ideas you plant in my heart.”6

 

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the audience for the letter to the Hebrews was encouraged to consider what they had already suffered for the faith. In the Mystery of God, our faith and the Kingdom grow in God’s time. Friar Jude reminds us that frustration with the progress of the community needs to be tempered as we are on a journey in the mystery of God.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that once we know that the entire physical world around us, all of creation, is both the hiding place and the revelation place for God, this world becomes home, safe, enchanted, offering grace to any who look deeply. He calls that kind of deep and calm seeing “contemplation.”

In the Franciscan tradition, John Duns Scotus (1266–1308) developed the doctrine of the univocity of being. He believed we could speak “with one voice” (univocity) of the being of waters, plants, animals, humans, angels, and God. God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), and thus reality is one too (Ephesians 4:3–5). We are all part of The Story of Being. Author, lawyer, and activist Sherri Mitchell shares a similar and even more ancient perspective held by Native peoples. They do not use the word Christ, but within The Story, the universal patterns hold. She writes: We all originate from the same divine source. . . . Sadly, there will also be times when we will lose sight of this basic fact. During those times, we will become lost in the unfolding stories of our own individualized realities. [1]7

 

Sheri Mitchell invites us to be aware of the expanded kinship networks that surround us, which include other human beings along with the beings of the land, water, and air, and the plants, trees, and all remaining unseen beings that exist within our universe. In God’s time, our faith and witness will support, like the mustard plant, the journey of humanity to fullness of life.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Hebrews, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 37 | USCCB. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/37
3	(n.d.). Mark, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/4
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online .... Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/012921.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=jan29
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/01/29/180676/
7	(2021, January 24). The Cosmic Egg Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://cac.org/themes/the-cosmic-egg/