Confidence and Courage

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the level of confidence we have in experiencing full life through our relationship with Christ.

Sharing Joy in Life

 

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians urges our vigilance in anticipation of the Day of the Lord.

* [5:5] Children of the light: that is, belonging to the daylight of God’s personal revelation and expected to achieve it (an analogous development of imagery that appears in Jn 12:36).1

 

Psalm 27 is a triumphant song of confidence.

* [27:13] In the land of the living: or “in the land of life,” an epithet of the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 52:7; 116:9; Is 38:11), where the faithful had access to the life-giving presence of God.2 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus heals the man with an unclean spirit.

* [4:34] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Have you come to destroy us?: the question reflects the current belief that before the day of the Lord control over humanity would be wrested from the evil spirits, evil destroyed, and God’s authority over humanity reestablished.3

 

Tamora Whitney comments that they are starting back to school at Creighton with everyone vaccinated, but we still don’t know for sure what’s going to happen. The plan is to be in school in person like normal. She hopes that works out. But she still needs to be on guard, be careful, and do her best to stay safe.

Like we need to be alert and on guard for the return of the Lord. We don’t know when it will happen or what it will look like. “The day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.” The Thessalonians thought it would be any minute. They expected the return, like, that year. It’s been 2000 years and we’re still waiting, but we can’t slack off. We need to stay alert and stay positive. We didn’t expect this past year, and we don’t know what the next will bring. We don’t know what will happen or when, but we need to be alert, do what’s right, and be ready to respond.4 

Don Schwager quotes “New creation begins on the Sabbath,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"He describes the works of divine healing begun on the sabbath day, to show from the outset that the new creation began where the old creation ceased. He showed us that the Son of God is not under the law but above the law, and that the law will not be destroyed but fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). For the world was not made through the law but by the Word, as we read: 'By the Word of the Lord were the heavens established' (Psalm 33:6). Thus the law is not destroyed but fulfilled, so that the renewal of humankind, already in error, may occur. The apostle too says, 'Stripping yourselves of the old man, put on the new, who was created according to Christ' (Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22,24). He fittingly began on the sabbath, that he may show himself as Creator. He completed the work that he had already begun by weaving together works with works. (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 4.58)5

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11 comments that we can end up thinking, acting, and praying as if God has destined us for wrath and not for salvation. Even when we aren’t fully aware of it, we might sometimes imagine God as a severe judge who is in the business of condemning people. We hear a harsh voice in our heads saying, “You keep messing up—what’s wrong with you?” Or “I know you’re not really a good person; it’s just a façade.” And if we’re not careful, we mistake this for the voice of God.

Are there times you have struggled with that harsh voice in your head and think that’s how God sees you? Imagine the Father as he really is: the God who wraps his arms around you and says, “You are my precious child. I love you and I forgive you.” “Father, when I hear that negative voice in my head, remind me that it’s not coming from you.”6 

Friar Jude Winkler explains the concern of the Thessalonians about the Day of the Lord. Children of God, living a good lifestyle, are welcomed by Jesus. Friar Jude contrasts the awe and wonder of the people in Capernaum with Jesus' rejection in Nazareth.

 

Barbara Holmes shares the contemplative practices she learned from her family and ancestors.

On occasion, there were stories brought back from the “betwixt and between” regions where the ill dwell. These stories of a reality where healing became a tangible activity included their awareness not just of Aunt Becky’s herbal ministrations and the prayers of the community but also of the spirits of the ancestors and divine messengers. Thus, the community received spiritual witness to their beliefs about the multivalent aspects of reality and the multiple conduits to this transcendent space. In these small communities, contemplation was an everyday practice that included nurture of the body and the spirit.7 

Our contemplation of Christ during the challenges of life builds our courage as His disciples and our confidence in His enduring Presence.

 

References

1	(n.d.). 1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/5
2	(n.d.). Psalm 27 - USCCB. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/27
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/083121.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=aug31
6	(2021, August 30). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/08/31/190724/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2021/

 

Resurrection and Rejection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with three R’s; resurrection, rejection, and rapture.

Eternal Life

 

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians offers hope for the Christian dead in the Coming of the Lord.

* [4:17] Will be caught up together: literally, snatched up, carried off; cf. 2 Cor 12:2; Rev 12:5. From the Latin verb here used, rapiemur, has come the idea of “the rapture,” when believers will be transported away from the woes of the world; this construction combines this verse with Mt 24:40–41 (see note there) // Lk 17:34–35 and passages from Revelation in a scheme of millennial dispensationalism.1 

Psalm 96 offers praise to 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 

The Gospel of Luke details the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth.

* [4:16–30] Luke has transposed to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry an incident from his Marcan source, which situated it near the end of the Galilean ministry (Mk 6:1–6a). In doing so, Luke turns the initial admiration (Lk 4:22) and subsequent rejection of Jesus (Lk 4:28–29) into a foreshadowing of the whole future ministry of Jesus. Moreover, the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown hints at the greater rejection of him by Israel (Acts 13:46).3

 

Jeanne Schuler comments that a jaded mindset does not countenance possibility. Seeds surround us but all we see are empty shells. Like the petulant sounds of Nazareth, we spew objections: either everything is possible or else nothing is possible.  But real possibility is the breath of faith.  Without breath, the spirit dies.

The early Christians in Thessalonica pondered Paul’s words.  Do not say he has died.  Rather he has fallen asleep.  Resurrection is a promise.  We trust Jesus’ words that we will “meet the Lord in the air” and never be apart. Without the spirit, the community descends into a bilious state.  Schools ask children to wear masks to keep them safe.  Some parents erupt about infringements on their liberty.  Where are the glad tidings?  What happens to the common good? With the spirit, the oppressed go free.  Here is new life.  It is a dazzling promise.4 

  Don Schwager quotes “By reading Isaiah, Jesus shows he is God and Man,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"Now it was necessary that he should manifest himself to the Israelites and that the mystery of his incarnation should now shine forth to those who did not know him. Now that God the Father had anointed him to save the world, he very wisely orders this also [that his fame should now spread widely]. This favor he grants first to the people of Nazareth, because, humanly speaking, he had grown up among them. Having entered the synagogue, therefore, he takes the book to read. Having opened it, he selects a passage in the Prophets which declares the mystery concerning him. By these words he himself tells us very clearly by the voice of the prophet that he would both be made man and come to save the world. For we affirm that the Son was anointed in no other way than by having become like us according to the flesh and taking our nature. Being at once God and man, he both gives the Spirit to the creation in his divine nature and receives it from God the Father in his human nature. It is he who sanctifies the whole creation, both by shining forth from the Holy Father and by bestowing the Spirit. He himself pours forth his own Spirit on the powers above and on those who recognized his appearing. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 notes that this passage gives death new meaning. It is no longer a “hard stop” to life that we should fear; it’s a gateway to a new and even better life. The happiness we will experience in heaven will far surpass any of our greatest joys here on earth. That’s why Paul’s words today aren’t gloomy—they’re uplifting!

So let Jesus lessen whatever fears you may have about death. Ask him instead to fill you with a greater sense of hope and expectation for that day when you awake to new life with him! “Jesus, thank you for opening the gates of heaven for me and my loved ones!”6 

Peter Edmonds SJ, a member of the Jesuit community in Stamford Hill, uses the Acts of the Apostles and the two letters that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to introduce us to these early Christians who ‘received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit’.

Paul’s habit was to approach pastoral problems theologically, and he does so here. He reminds his converts of his basic gospel: that ‘Jesus died and rose again’. What God had done for and with his Son, he would do for them, too. They too would share in the resurrection. This is the start of Paul’s argument. His conclusion is equally relevant: their destiny was to be with the Lord forever, and this was a truth they were to repeat for mutual comfort and encouragement. If the beginning and end of Paul’s paragraph are easy to assimilate, the same is not true of its centre, because here Paul uses the language of apocalyptic, a way of speaking familiar in his time but not in ours. This is a poetic way of speaking which is not to be taken literally, as it often is by biblical fundamentalists. If we are to meet Christ after being taken up in the clouds, it means that we will share with Christ the same sort of heavenly journey which the apostles saw Jesus take on Ascension Day (Acts 1:9). In a modern scientific age, we do not take such language at its face value, but look for the theological truth that it expresses.7 

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the efforts of Paul to comfort the Thessalonians about the fate of believers who had already died before the return of Christ. Rapture is connected with texts in Paul’s letters and the Book of Revelation. Christ defeated Satan on the cross so we now live in the “millenium” before His return. Friar Jude notes the pollyanna style of Luke in his message about Christ to the Gentiles.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that before Vatican II, the Catholic Church was still law-based, disconnected from experience, and not incarnational. It all circled around priests and their ministrations.

Suddenly, I knew that God’s love did not depend on me following all these laws and mandates or being worthy. I knew I wasn’t worthy, and yet here I was experiencing absolute grace and absolute acceptance. The whole system I’d grown up with had implied that God will love us if we change. That day I realized God’s love enables and energizes us to change.  I already had that boyhood secret discovered gratuitously in front of the Christmas tree: where I felt I had been taken over to another world, which was really this world as it truly is. I’d realized, “My God, this is inside of what everybody is living, and they don’t see it!” Now once again, I somehow knew that I was good, God is good, life is good. And I didn’t have to achieve that goodness by any performance whatsoever. At that point, I was—like a good Lutheran—saved by grace. Grace was everything! In one moment, I got the Gospel! And I knew it had nothing to do with legalism, priestcraft, or punitiveness. I hadn’t studied theology yet, so I had no intellectual foundation by which to justify it, but I just knew that everything was grace. I was very free—inside—after that.8 

The role of the Church in the modern world continues to include the witness of the followers of Jesus in proclaiming and enacting the grace of the year of Jubilee for everyone we encounter.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). 1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/4
2	(n.d.). Psalm 96 - USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/083021.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=aug30
6	(2021, August 29). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/08/30/190721/
7	(2013, October 30). Paul and the Thessalonians | Thinking Faith. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20131030_1.htm
8	(n.d.). Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations - Center for Action and .... Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://cac.org/absolute-grace-and-acceptance-2021-08-30/

Action in Accord with the Word

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite critical reflection on how our action towards others shares the inner gift from God of Love and Law.

Love and Law

 

In the reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses commands obedience and declares the advantages of fidelity.

Or what great nation has statutes and ordinances that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?1

 

Psalm 15 asks who shall abide in God’s Sanctuary?

* [Psalm 15] The Psalm records a liturgical scrutiny at the entrance to the Temple court (cf. Ps 24:3–6; Is 33:14b–16). The Israelite wishing to be admitted had to ask the Temple official what conduct was appropriate to God’s precincts. Note the emphasis on virtues relating to one’s neighbor.2 

The reading from the Letter of James exhorts us to be doers of the Word.

* [1:19–25] To be quick to hear the gospel is to accept it readily and to act in conformity with it, removing from one’s soul whatever is opposed to it, so that it may take root and effect salvation (Jas 1:19–21). To listen to the gospel message but not practice it is failure to improve oneself (Jas 1:22–24). Only conformity of life to the perfect law of true freedom brings happiness (Jas 1:25).3 

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches how to observe the tradition of the elders.

* [7:1–23] See note on Mt 15:1–20. Against the Pharisees’ narrow, legalistic, and external practices of piety in matters of purification (Mk 7:2–5), external worship (Mk 7:6–7), and observance of commandments, Jesus sets in opposition the true moral intent of the divine law (Mk 7:8–13). But he goes beyond contrasting the law and Pharisaic interpretation of it. The parable of Mk 7:14–15 in effect sets aside the law itself in respect to clean and unclean food. He thereby opens the way for unity between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of God, intimated by Jesus’ departure for pagan territory beyond Galilee. For similar contrast see Mk 2:1–3:6; 3:20–35; 6:1–6.4 

Molly Mattingly notes that the psalm and second reading describe how wisdom and flourishing looks in the world where those who follow God’s law, who welcome the word of truth planted in them, act for justice. They care for the vulnerable and suffering. They do not harm each other or speak ill of each other. Following God and experiencing the love of God always leads outward into sharing that love with others. As we mature, we begin to understand that the fruits of God’s law are more important than the rules themselves.

However, being human, it’s easy to mistake the rules and structure for the goal. The goal is to grow closer to God; most of us need a discipline or practice to help us do that, both individually and communally. But we do not worship the discipline. We worship God. This is what Jesus taught when he saw the Pharisees’ reaction. He saw that their attachment to the rules did not bear the good fruit of justice and compassion, but rather became a way to put others down and build themselves up. In the end, God’s law is love, and leads to love.5

 

Don Schwager quotes “Keeping one's own heart with all watchfulness,” by Origen of Alexandria, 185-254 A.D.

"These things are what 'defiles the person' when they come out from the heart and, after they have gone out from it, go through the mouth. Thus if they did not occur outside of the heart but were held by the person somewhere around the heart, not being allowed to be spoken through the mouth, they would very quickly disappear and the person would not be defiled any longer. Therefore the source and beginning of every sin is 'evil reasonings.' For if these reasonings did not prevail, there would be neither murders nor acts of adultery nor any other of such things. Because of this each one ought to keep one's own heart with all watchfulness. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 11.14-15)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 comments that litmus tests can make things clear and simple, but the Pharisees were using them in the wrong way. To determine what was pure and impure, they needed to focus on what was lurking in their own hearts, not what was contaminating them from the outside. As Jesus warned them, it is “the things that come out from within”—our own sinful inclinations—that defile us (Mark 7:15).

Our rules for hand washing today are aimed toward preventing disease, but we can easily fall into the same habit as these Pharisees did. We can focus more on what’s on the “outside”—the culture or the actions of other people—rather than facing the sinful desires in our hearts. After all, it’s painful to see just how capable we are of falling into sin. It’s easier just to apply a litmus test to the sins of the people around us. Jesus came to save us from sin, and we can count on him to give us the grace to deal with whatever is “within” us. Today, ask the Lord to search your heart. Ask him to help you see ways in which you are susceptible to sin—and ask him to keep cleansing you. “Jesus, purify my heart today!”7 

Friar Jude Winkler explains the gratitude of the Israelites for the Law in an ancient world where the action of the gods generated fear. Our expression of faith is showing love in our actions for the “widows and orphans” who cannot care for themselves. Friar Jude notes that the scrupulosity of the Pharisees distracts from the transformation of our hearts to worship God as we are and as we hope to be.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that he attended Catholic school where the reward/punishment, perfection/achievement system was used to maintain order. The God he was presented with was no unconditional lover, but that was the whole Catholic world in the 1950s. Reality was shaped by a God who is punitive. It made for conformity and very little disruption since we were all agreeing together to abide by the same laws.

Until I went to seminary, no one had taught me how to clean the lens of my awareness and perception. Studying the philosophy of Franciscan John Duns Scotus (1266–1308) for four years had a profound effect on me. Duns Scotus taught (admittedly in rarefied Latin) that good theology maintains two freedoms: it keeps people free for God and it keeps God free for people. The harder task is actually the second, because what religion tends to do is tell God whom God can love and whom God is not allowed to love. In most church theology and morality, God is very unfree. I know now that love cannot happen except in the realm of freedom.8 

The Spirit leads us on a journey that respects our freedom to live in a loving relationship with God and those to whom we are commissioned to serve.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/4
2	(n.d.). Psalm 15 - USCCB. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/15
3	(n.d.). James, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/james/1
4	(n.d.). Mark, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/7
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/082921.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=aug29
7	(2021, August 29). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/08/29/190718/
8	(n.d.). Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations - Center for Action and .... Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://cac.org/a-journey-toward-greater-love-2021-08-29/