The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the prompting of the Spirit to follow the Way of Jesus in our lifestyle and compassion for others.
The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians is a call to renounce pagan ways.
* [4:25–6:20] For similar exhortations to a morally good life in response to God’s gift of faith, see notes on Rom 12:1–13:14 and Gal 5:13–26.
* [5:1] Imitators of God: in forgiving (Eph 4:32) and in loving (as exhibited in how Christ loved us). (Ephesians, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)
Psalm 1 introduces the Two Ways.
* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death. (Psalms, PSALM 1, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus heals a crippled woman.
* [13:10–17] The cure of the crippled woman on the sabbath and the controversy that results furnishes a parallel to an incident that will be reported by Luke in 14:1–6, the cure of the man with dropsy on the sabbath. A characteristic of Luke’s style is the juxtaposition of an incident that reveals Jesus’ concern for a man with an incident that reveals his concern for a woman; cf., e.g., Lk 7:11–17 and Lk 8:49–56. (Luke, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)
Franciscan Media shares the work of St. Anthony Mary Claret to reduce the misery of Cubans by encouraging family-owned farms producing a variety of foods for the family’s own needs and for the market.
Eileen Wirth (reflected on these readings in 2018) comments that by the act of SEEING, Jesus teaches us that compassion begins with noticing the plight of people in need, instead of blocking out unpleasant sights and images. Until we notice suffering, we can’t respond to it. But even when we notice suffering, we might feel helpless to do anything about it. We’re not miracle workers like Jesus.
What can we do for the millions of victims or wars or hurricanes or tsunamis? Our small donations to relief agencies won’t help much but at least they are a response.
If we’re overwhelmed by distant tragedies, we can all find plenty of needs in our communities – maybe visit someone you know in a nursing home or volunteer at a homeless shelter. The opportunities to think globally and act locally are endless.
This must be what St. Paul means when he admonishes us to “Live as children of light.” May all of us try to live in such light! (Wirth, 2022)
Don Schwager comments “Jesus overcomes death and destruction,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The incarnation of the Word and his assumption of human nature took place for the overthrow of death, destruction and the envy harbored against us by the wicked Serpent, who was the first cause of evil. This plainly is proved to us by facts themselves. He set free the daughter of Abraham from her protracted sickness, calling out and saying, 'Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.' A speech most worthy of God, and full of supernatural power! With the royal inclination of his will, he drives away the disease. He also lays his hands upon her. It says that she immediately was made straight. It is now also possible to see that his holy flesh bore in it the power and activity of God. It was his own flesh, and not that of some other Son beside him, distinct and separate from him, as some most impiously imagine."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 96) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ephesians 4:32–5:8 comments that we know that the more time we spend with someone, the more we start imitating them and becoming like them. We take on their characteristics as we watch what they do and how they do it. The same is true with the Lord. Spend time in his presence. Maybe imagine Jesus sitting next to you.
Do you know someone you could show Jesus’ compassion to, even if it means interrupting your usual schedule? Could you stifle your rant and instead speak kindly the next time someone annoys you? Look for such opportunities to imitate God in your family, at work and school, or even in line at the post office.
It’s difficult, isn’t it? The pressures of everyday life can stretch your “godlikeness” to the max. Yet God doesn’t make impossible demands. He will help you.
Go and try to do as God does.
“Holy Spirit, help me to be an imitator of God today.” (Meditation on Ephesians 4:32–5:8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Ephesians passage is a parenesis as a closing set of instructions for a compassionate lifestyle as a good witness to living in the truth. Technically the regulations of the Pharisees allowed healing at the point of death on the Sabbath. Jesus was not going to wait one minute to heal and challenge our everyday decisions on how we treat people. Friar Jude reminds us to follow Jesus in the Law of charity and compassion.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that lifelong peace activist and priest John Dear curated the CAC’s forthcoming edition of Oneing on nonviolence, which features Dear’s interview with Methodist minister and activist James Lawson.
And nonviolence is power. It is not, as I was taught in college in 1947, just persuasion. Persuasion is a form of power. Aristotle wrote that power is the capacity to achieve purpose. It is a God-given gift of creation to human beings. Nonviolence has its deep roots in the long journey of the human family as people operated out of love and truth despite all that was raging around them.
As Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. also said, nonviolence is the science of how we create our own life in the image of God, how we create a world that practices justice, truth, and compassion.
Gene Sharp (1928–2018) was the first scholar to pull together the science and the methodology of nonviolence. So, I have a two-fold definition. First, the religions of the world reflect on love as truth and power, as the way the human race discovers how to carry out the will of eternity. Second, we’re still learning about nonviolence as the science of bringing about personal and social change and establishing a world where all life is honored. (Rohr, 2022)
The Way of peace, justice, truth and compassion is the path of fullness of life.
References
Ephesians, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/4?32
Luke, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/13?10
Meditation on Ephesians 4:32–5:8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/10/24/519783/
Psalms, PSALM 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1?1
Rohr, R. (2022, October 24). Nonviolence Is Power — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/nonviolence-is-power-2022-10-24/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Freedom from Bondage for Eighteen Years. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=oct24
Wirth, E. (2022, October 23). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/102422.html
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