The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to begin the New Year counting our blessings as children of God and contemplating a tweak to our response to others and difficult situations.
New Year for relationships
The reading from the Book of Numbers offers the Priestly Benediction of Aaron.
* [6:26] Peace: the Hebrew word Shalom includes the idea of happiness, good health, prosperity, friendship, and general well-being. To use this term as a greeting was to pray for all these things upon the one greeted.1
In Psalm 67, the Nations are called to praise God.
* [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God.2
The reading from the Letter to the Galatians promises that we might receive adoption as children.
* [4:6] Children: see note on Gal 3:26; here in contrast to the infant or young person not of age (Gal 3:1, 3). Abba: cf. Mk 14:36 and the note; Rom 8:15.3
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Is named.
* [2:21] Just as John before him had been incorporated into the people of Israel through his circumcision, so too this child (see note on Lk 1:57–66).4
Eileen Wirth recalls a priest who explained that when we “received adoption as sons,” we became God’s “real” children.
In other words, adoption makes us God’s “real” children just as it made me the “real” mother of my children – not their birth mother (a status that I deeply honor) but the “real” mom who loved them as deeply and permanently as any other parent. Who cares what we all look like or how we came together? The important this is that we are family just as all of us “adopted” children are members of God’s family on earth. Being an adoptive parent helps me understand that God never stops loving us even when we sin. God will never abandon us, his adopted children, any more than I could ever abandon my kids. Knowing this gives me great confidence in the strength of our relationship with God. As one of my favorite St. Louis Jesuit hymns, “Though the Mountains May Fall,” reminds us, no matter what happens, “he will not abandon you.” So rejoice in our adoption! It is holy and beautiful. Relationships are real. How they were formed is incidental.5
Don Schwager quotes “By Christ's faith, hope, and love we are purified,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"He therefore received in the flesh the circumcision decreed by the law, although he appeared in the flesh absolutely without any blemish of pollution. He who came in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) - not in sinful flesh - did not turn away from the remedy by which sinful flesh was ordinarily made clean. Similarly, not because of necessity but for the sake of example, he also submitted to the water of baptism, by which he wanted the people of the new law of grace to be washed from the stain of sins... "The reason 'the child who was born to us, the son who was given to us ' (Isaiah 9:6), received the name Jesus (that is, 'Savior') does not need explanation in order to be understood by us, but we need eager and vigilant zeal so that we too may be saved by sharing in his name. Indeed, we read how the angel interprets the name of Jesus: 'He will save his people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21). And without a doubt we believe and hope that the one who saves us from sins is not failing to save us also from the corruptions which happen because of sins, and from death itself, as the psalmist testifies when he says, 'Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases' (Psalm 103:3). Indeed, with the pardoning of all of our iniquities, all our diseases will be completely healed when, with the appearance of the glory of the resurrection, our last enemy, death, will be destroyed... We read that circumcision was done with knives made of rock (Joshua 5:2), and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). And by Christ's faith, hope and love the hearts of the good are purified not only in baptism but furthermore in every devout action. This daily circumcision of ours (that is, the continual cleansing of our heart) does not cease from always celebrating the sacrament of the eighth day. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.11)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Numbers 6:22-27 comments that just as the angel had promised, by making Mary the Mother of God, God blessed not only her but the whole world through her (Luke 1:31-33).
So how did Mary recognize and receive her blessings? She “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Mary remembered and she pondered. Perhaps she asked God, “What are you doing here? How are you fulfilling your promise to me? Teach me and help me to trust you.” As her life progressed, she continued to understand more and more about what it meant that her child was the eternal Son of God and what her role was in God’s plan of salvation. So Mary can teach us how to open our hearts to all of God’s blessings. Like Mary, recall God’s faithfulness. Try to identify his blessings from last year—some that were obvious and some that came wrapped in a package of suffering. Ask the Lord to help you see how he fulfilled his promise of blessing in 2020. And dream a little. How might God want to bless you this coming year? He is faithful to his promise. He will bless you! “Open my eyes to recognize and receive your blessings this year, Lord.”7
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the blessing of Aaron in Numbers was later adapted by Francis of Assisi for his friars. God sent His Son at the appointed time, Kairos, in Greek. Friar Jude reminds us of our blessing as adopted children who know God as “Abba” or “Daddy”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments the first gaze is seldom compassionate. It is too busy weighing and feeling itself: “How will this affect me?” or “How does my self-image demand that I react to this?” or “How can I get back in control of this situation?” This leads to an implosion of self-preoccupation that cannot enter into communion with the other or the moment. In other words, we first feel our feelings before we can relate to the situation and emotion of the other. Only after God has taught us how to live “undefended” can we immediately (or at least more quickly) stand with and for the other, and for the moment.
In the second gaze, critical thinking and compassion are finally coming together. It is well worth waiting for, because only the second gaze sees fully and truthfully. It sees itself, the other, and even God with God’s own eyes, the eyes of compassion, which always move us to act for peace and justice. But it does not reject the necessary clarity of critical thinking, either. Normally, we start with dualistic thinking, and then move toward nondual for an enlightened response. As always, both/and!8
We are aware that adopted children of God are called to live in loving relationships with others.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment