Spiritual Knowledge

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our experience of connection with God through spiritual awareness.

Aware of the Spirit

 

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims the True Wisdom revealed by the Spirit.

* [2:15] The spiritual person…is not subject to judgment: since spiritual persons have been given knowledge of what pertains to God (1 Cor 2:11–12), they share in God’s own capacity to judge. One to whom the mind of the Lord (and of Christ) is revealed (1 Cor 2:16) can be said to share in some sense in God’s exemption from counseling and criticism. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

Psalm 145 praises the Greatness and the Goodness of God.

* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145, n.d.)

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. The synoptic gospel tradition presents Jesus carrying out this task. (Luke, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

Candice Tucci, O.S.F. comments that we too are born, created to be true to ourselves. Both as individuals and collectively as humanity our call is to live true to the Spirit of God who dwells within us. To live with the mind of Christ having been created in the image of God. God’s work of art! It is here our own authority is grounded.

St. Ignatius of Loyola gives us a way through the discernment of spirits to help us know when we are being faithful to our own truth, and when we stray or need to make choices for life.

From experience he knew that some thoughts left him sad while others made him happy, and little by little he came to perceive the different spirits that were moving him; one coming from the devil, the other coming from God (Autobiography, no. 8). This link below will give more information.

Tending to and living a spiritual life heightens our senses to recognize the demons present within ourselves and around us. We recognize the things that lure us from the goodness and love of God. With grace, and belief in the Spirit of God within, we can cast them out. We can choose life, forgiveness, love, choose God. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)

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) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 4:31-37 comments that the same One who spoke to that crowd can speak through the pages of the Bible because these words are inspired by the Holy Spirit himself. They bear not just information about God; they bear the very breath of God. And that breath can infuse us with the life and wisdom and power of God if we approach these words in prayer and with an open heart.

If you want to experience the power of God’s word, start with today’s Gospel reading. Focus on the possessed man’s words: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Luke 4:34). Let that statement sink in. All of creation, even the fallen angels, recognize Jesus as the Holy One. You recognize him too, and he’s right here with you. Take a few moments to worship him. Go beyond the words and go to Jesus. Thank and praise him for his majesty, and let yourself be transformed by his grace and love!

“Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your word! Let it reach into the depth of my soul to teach me, inspire me, and guide me in the way of salvation.” (Meditation on Luke 4:31-37, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Paul was addressing a community in Corinth that understood spirit in the terms of the ancient gods. Some Corinthians thought they had a monopoly on the Spirit and some rejected Jesus as Incarnate. Friar Jude observes in the Gospel of Luke, the physician, that spiritual creatures have an understanding of Jesus as the Son of God.

Cynthia Bourgeault introduces a 1951 sermon by theologian and mystic Howard Thurman (1900–1981) who reflects on Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep, starting with the sheep’s perspective. Thurman speaks of the pain of being separated from our communities:

Insulation is something that is spiritual; . . . there’s something inside of me that pulls up . . . the drawbridge. . . . Sometimes I do it because I’m afraid; sometimes I do it because I’m clumsy and awkward, and I don’t quite know how to establish a relationship or relationships with my fellows that can float my spirit to them and bring their spirit to me. . . .

Now, Jesus says that God is like the shepherd, seeking always to find those who are out of community with their fellows, and when they have found it, when they have found their community with their fellows, then all the world seems to fit back into place, and life takes on a new meaning. . . .

The lost sheep. The searching shepherd. And the cry of anguish of the sheep was the voice of identification that the shepherd heard. That is how God is, if we let him. (Bourgeault, n.d.)

We, as members of the mystical Body of Christ, are blessed with a connection to God and other people through the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit.

References

Bourgeault, C. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-sheep-lost-and-found-2022-08-30/ 

Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/083022.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?31 

Meditation on Luke 4:31-37. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/08/30/477959/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/2 

Psalms, PSALM 145. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?8 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). His Word Was with Authority and Power. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=aug30