The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today may present the decision to be a follower of Christ as a binary decision that is not congruent with our tendency to advance and retreat in our journey to fullness of life.
The reading from the Prophet Amos announces judgement on Israel.
* [2:6] Israel: Amos’s audience would applaud his condemnation of foreign kingdoms in the foregoing seven oracles, especially of Judah. But now he adds an eighth, unexpected oracle—against Israel itself. This is the real “punch line” of this whole section, to which the preceding oracles serve mainly as introduction. (Amos, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 50 praises the acceptable sacrifice.
* [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20). (Psalms, PSALM 50, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew describes the life of would-be followers of Jesus.
* [8:18–22] This passage between the first and second series of miracles about following Jesus is taken from Q (see Lk 9:57–62). The third of the three sayings found in the source is absent from Matthew. (Matthew, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)
Scott McClure comments that by including Israel amongst the other seven, Amos is showing God's consistency. There was not a corner of the Earth where his commands (and love) did not reach, including with his chosen people.
How often, I wonder, do I applaud justice when applied to others but am silenced when it is applied to me? How often am I the sort of hypocrite I would otherwise condemn? These questions are uncomfortable and unsettling. To face our shortcomings always is. But after the bitterness of doing so comes the sweetness of the invitation we hear Jesus utter today in Matthew: Follow me. Jesus, being the good teacher that he is, never abandons us but always invites us to join him. And we can rely on God to be consistent with this invitation always. (McClure, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Following the Lord Jesus,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"'Come follow Me, says the Lord. Do you love? He has hastened on, He has flown on ahead. Look and see where. O Christian, don't you know where your Lord has gone? I ask you: Don't you wish to follow Him there? Through trials, insults,the cross, and death. Why do you hesitate? Look, the way has been shown you." (excerpt from Sermon 64,5) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 8:18-22 comments that being a believer still means experiencing a certain sense of not belonging. You might be the only one in your family to practice your faith or the only one in your neighborhood who attends church on Sundays. You might have different moral values than your coworkers or a different approach to raising your children—all as a result of your faith.
You can hear from him through the Scriptures and feel his presence in your times of prayer. You have the knowledge and assurance of a God who loves you, as well as the hope that one day you will be with him in your true home, heaven. Today, renew your commitment to follow Jesus, even if it means not quite fitting in. Ask him to strengthen you and give you courage. Above all, remember how blessed you are to be walking with him each day. “Lord, give me the courage and strength to follow you.” (Meditation on Matthew 8:18-22, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler introduces Amos as a prophet of social justice. The ancient customs of “Holy Prostitution” and the Second Burial of remains may add some cultural background to the texts today. Friar Jude cautions against delaying choices that we encounter in moments of grace.
Franciscan Media shares the history of Saint Cyril of Alexandria.
Lives of the saints are valuable not only for the virtue they reveal but also for the less admirable qualities that also appear. Holiness is a gift of God to us as human beings. Life is a process. We respond to God’s gift, but sometimes with a lot of zigzagging. If Cyril had been more patient and diplomatic, the Nestorian church might not have risen and maintained power so long. But even saints must grow out of immaturity, narrowness, and selfishness. It is because they—and we—do grow, that we are truly saints, persons who live the life of God. (Saint Cyril of Alexandria, n.d.)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that like Francis of Assisi, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, often credited as the founder of Hasidism, began a grassroots movement of joyful love and service that appealed to ordinary people, not only to a scholarly elite. Rabbi Rami Shapiro explains this stream of Judaism.
The concept of d’veikus (“clinging” or “cleaving”) is found in the Torah [the Hebrew Scriptures] where the verb davak signifies an extraordinary intimacy with the Divine: “To love YHVH your God, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days . . .” (Deuteronomy 30:20). To achieve d’veikus is to realize that God is your life. While later Hasidic masters spoke of d’veikus as a union with God requiring the dissolution of the self, this was not the original understanding. God is your life, but your life is still yours; that is, Torah speaks of d’veikus as an experience of feeling the fullness of God present in your self without actually erasing your sense of self. . . . (Rohr, 2022)
We are inspired by the Spirit to examine our passions and attachments that are restricting our commitment to following Jesus in joy and service.
References
Amos, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/amos/2?6
Matthew, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?18
McClure, S. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062722.html
Meditation on Matthew 8:18-22. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/27/420905/
Psalms, PSALM 50. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50?16
Rohr, R. (2022, June 27). God Before Us Always — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/god-before-us-always-2022-06-27/
Saint Cyril of Alexandria. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-cyril-of-alexandria
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture ... Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun27
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