The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder encounters with the Divine and our response in the relationships we have with others.
The reading from the First Book of Kings describes how Elijah meets God at Horeb.
* [19:1–21] The story of Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb begins as a flight from danger, but takes a surprising turn. The prophet makes his solitary way to the mountain where the Lord had appeared to Moses and the Israelites (“Horeb” is an alternate name for “Sinai”). Like Moses on the holy mountain, Elijah experiences a theophany and receives a commission. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)
Psalm 27 is a triumphant song of confidence.
* [Psalm 27] Tradition has handed down the two sections of the Psalm (Ps 27:1–6; 7–14) as one Psalm, though each part could be understood as complete in itself. Asserting boundless hope that God will bring rescue (Ps 27:1–3), the psalmist longs for the presence of God in the Temple, protection from all enemies (Ps 27:4–6). In part B there is a clear shift in tone (Ps 27:7–12); the climax of the poem comes with “I believe” (Ps 27:13), echoing “I trust” (Ps 27:3). (Psalms, PSALM 27, n.d.)
In the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches concerning adultery and divorce.
* [5:31–32] See Dt 24:1–5. The Old Testament commandment that a bill of divorce be given to the woman assumes the legitimacy of divorce itself. It is this that Jesus denies. (Unless the marriage is unlawful): this “exceptive clause,” as it is often called, occurs also in Mt 19:9, where the Greek is slightly different. There are other sayings of Jesus about divorce that prohibit it absolutely (see Mk 10:11–12; Lk 16:18; cf. 1 Cor 7:10, 11b), and most scholars agree that they represent the stand of Jesus. Matthew’s “exceptive clauses” are understood by some as a modification of the absolute prohibition. It seems, however, that the unlawfulness that Matthew gives as a reason why a marriage must be broken refers to a situation peculiar to his community: the violation of Mosaic law forbidding marriage between persons of certain blood and/or legal relationship (Lv 18:6–18). Marriages of that sort were regarded as incest (porneia), but some rabbis allowed Gentile converts to Judaism who had contracted such marriages to remain in them. Matthew’s “exceptive clause” is against such permissiveness for Gentile converts to Christianity; cf. the similar prohibition of porneia in Acts 15:20, 29. In this interpretation, the clause constitutes no exception to the absolute prohibition of divorce when the marriage is lawful. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Angela Maynard comments that the purpose of today’s gospel was to remind the people that we will always fall short of God’s high expectations. In order to get the attention of his disciples (likely a group of young men) talking about sexual sin was the way to go. Essentially, obedience or following the letter of the law, is not enough. People must follow the spirit of the law. An example that may be more applicable to everybody is that hate is as bad as the heinous act of murder.
Jesus knows how difficult it is for us to employ these laws of love as our humanity can get in the way. Ask Jesus for guidance in living a life in accordance with His rules. Look for examples in others—Jesus surrounds us with great models. We have to be observant and open to the lessons and guidance that are all around us. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The fuel of adultery,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).
"Because adultery is a serious sin and in order to uproot it, lest our conscience be defiled, he [Jesus] forbade even lust, which is the fuel of adultery. According to the words of blessed James in his epistle, 'Lust when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death' (James 1:15). The Holy Spirit speaks concerning this to David: 'Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock' (Psalm 137:9). The symbolism here is that the blessed and truly evangelical person roots out the desires and lust of the flesh arising from human weakness. He does this immediately before they grow, at the onset, through faith in Christ who has been described as a rock" (1 Corinthians 10:4) (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 23.1.6-7) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-16 asks “Haven’t we all felt like Elijah sometimes?” Perhaps our battles aren’t as intense or as high stakes as his were, but we all go through challenging times that drain us physically and emotionally. In those moments of discouragement or weariness, the best thing we can do is to retreat to be with the Lord. Even when we don’t feel especially depleted, it’s still a good idea to take regular opportunities to recharge with our God.
How might God want you to “retreat”? Think about it. But for today, you can start by taking a few minutes, right now, to be with the Lord. Shut out your distractions as best you can and follow Elijah’s example. Step back from the world and listen for the Lord. “Lord, help me to retreat to be with you.” (Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-16, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler compares the theophany of Elijah and Moses as he notes the anointing of the King of Syria as an indication that Yahweh is God of all the nations. The spiritual fence that Jesus constructs around the Law identifies lust as the precursor to adultery. Friar Jude notes the response of Origen to the challenge of lust. Friar Jude connects the concept of unlawful marriage to the practice of some Gentile of marrying close cousins.
Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes shares her experiences of the Holy Spirit and being an “everyday mystic”: Being an “everyday mystic” for Dr. Holmes is also connected with her time spent in Pentecostal churches. Barbara Holmes draws upon what Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner (1904–1984) described as “mysticism of the masses”.
The “mysticism of the masses” [1] that Rahner refers to is a manifestation of charisms, Pentecostalism, dramatic conversions, glossolalia (speaking in tongues), prophecy, being drunk in the Spirit or slain in the Spirit in the language of Pentecostalism. [2] Rahner calls this “noisy mysticism,” and he considers it just fine and real if it increases faith, love, and charity. [3] He urges adherents to self-examine their own enjoyment of the phenomena. I have inhabited those spaces most of my life. If I had a choice between a tall steeple church and a pew in a storefront in the middle of an impoverished neighborhood, I’d pick the storefront, because I’d know that there’d be more happening in the storefront than in the tall steeple church. There’d be mysteries inside those walls. . . . (Holmes, n.d.)
Our mystical experiences may be the doorway opened by the Spirit to deeper understanding of the will of God for our lives.
References
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061022.html
Holmes, B. (n.d.). Everyday Mysticism. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/everyday-mysticism-2022-06-10/
Matthew, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?27
Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/10/408172/
1 Kings, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/19?9
Psalms, PSALM 27. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/27?7
Schwager, D. (n.d.). If Your Eye Causes You to Sin. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun10
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