The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to focus on the present and seek the guidance of the Spirit to live today in full generosity and mercy.
The new day opportunity
The reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians speaks of the visions and revelations that have informed his ministry.
* [12:7] That I might not become too elated: God assures that there is a negative component to his experience, so that he cannot lose proper perspective; cf. 2 Cor 1:9; 4:7–11. A thorn in the flesh: variously interpreted as a sickness or physical disability, a temptation, or a handicap connected with his apostolic activity. But since Hebrew “thorn in the flesh,” like English “thorn in my side,” refers to persons (cf. Nm 33:55; Ez 28:24), Paul may be referring to some especially persistent and obnoxious opponent. The language of 2 Cor 12:7–8 permits this interpretation. If this is correct, the frequent appearance of singular pronouns in depicting the opposition may not be merely a stylistic variation; the singular may be provoked and accompanied by the image of one individual in whom criticism of Paul’s preaching, way of life, and apostolic consciousness is concentrated, and who embodies all the qualities Paul attributes to the group. An angel of Satan: a personal messenger from Satan; cf. the satanic language already applied to the opponents in 2 Cor 11:3, 13–15, 20.1
Psalm 34 is praise for deliverance from trouble.
* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22).2
In the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns about serving two masters and worries about our future.
* [6:25–34] Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs (Mt 6:32), but forbids making them the object of anxious care and, in effect, becoming their slave.3
Nancy Shirley shares her time of being not attuned enough to search as to find the right Master.
I remember telling a colleague and friend that I was soul weary – I could find physical rest and even emotional rest, but my soul was tired. I longed for the spark that burned when I was younger, the spark I felt when I did mission trips to the Dominican Republic with ILAC. My friend suggested I go to Sacred Heart Church in Omaha – from the first moment I attended the music captured my heart and the rest is history. I found what could penetrate and revive my soul - I found (and still find) that my true Master speaks to me through music.4
Don Schwager quotes “The value of life,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"Note the acceleration of images: just when the lilies are decked out, he no longer calls them lilies but 'grass of the field' (Matthew 6:30 ). He then points further to their vulnerable condition by saying 'which are here today.' Then he does not merely say 'and not tomorrow' but rather more callously 'cast into the oven.' These creatures are not merely 'clothed but 'so clothed' in this way as to be later brought to nothing. Do you see how Jesus everywhere abounds in amplifications and intensifications? And he does so in order to press his points home. So then he adds, 'Will he not much more clothe you?' The force of the emphasis is on 'you' to indicate covertly how great is the value set upon your personal existence and the concern God shows for you in particular. It is as though he were saying, 'You, to whom he gave a soul, for whom he fashioned a body, for whose sake he made everything in creation, for whose sake he sent prophets, and gave the law, and wrought those innumerable good works, and for whose sake he gave up his only begotten Son.'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 22.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 6:24-34 comments that Jesus wants us to live a balanced life, something he emphasizes in today’s Gospel reading. He doesn’t want us to spend so much time planning for the future that we forget to live in the present.
Jesus promises, “Tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Matthew 6:34). In other words, focus on what’s going on right now. Pay attention to the challenges right in front of you, the problems that need to be solved and the people that need your help right now. Jesus will be with you to help you face them. And he will be there tomorrow to help you do it all over again.6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the revelations cited by Paul as he attacks the super apostles in Corinth. The “thorn in the flesh” reminds us of our need for God's Grace and our total dependence on Him. Friar Jude reminds us that surrender to what God calls us to do is the path of our satisfaction.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Zen Buddhist teacher Larry Ward who writes that shadow work requires us to hold the tension of placing our collective shadow within a deeper well of mercy.
We need the experience of what I call deep mercy. Mercy lies in our mindful actions of thinking, speech, and behaviors toward ourselves and one another. We may not seem as if we are capable of collective deep mercy, as expressed in acts that restore a sense of shared humanity with one another. Yet these acts of mercy are not absent; in fact, they are the invisible web that sustains living connection and progress in human history. We have survived as a species by crossing its bridge again and again.7
The dawn of the new day is our opportunity to reevaluate our priorities and attend to the promptings of the Spirit in our desire to surrender to God.
References
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