Covenant and Cleansing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to be open to the endless possibilities for full life associated with our relationship with Christ.

Promise of Life

The reading from the Book of Genesis presents the Sign of the Covenant to Abraham.

* [17:1–27] The Priestly source gathers the major motifs of the story so far and sets them firmly within a covenant context; the word “covenant” occurs thirteen times. There are links to the covenant with Noah (v. 1 = 6:9; v. 7 = 9:9; v. 11 = 9:12–17). In this chapter, vv. 1–8 promise progeny and land; vv. 9–14 are instructions about circumcision; vv. 15–21 repeat the promise of a son to Sarah and distinguish this promise from that to Hagar; vv. 22–27 describe Abraham’s carrying out the commands. The Almighty: traditional rendering of Hebrew El Shaddai, which is P’s favorite designation of God in the period of the ancestors. Its etymology is uncertain, but its root meaning is probably “God, the One of the Mountains.” (Genesis, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

Psalm 128 praises the Happy Home of the Faithful.

* [Psalm 128] A statement that the ever-reliable God will bless the reverent (Ps 128:1). God’s blessing is concrete: satisfaction and prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children (Ps 128:2–4). The perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the community. The last verses extend the blessing to all the people for generations to come (Ps 128:5–6). (Psalms, PSALM 128, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Cleanses a Leper.

* [8:1–9:38] This narrative section of the second book of the gospel is composed of nine miracle stories, most of which are found in Mark, although Matthew does not follow the Marcan order and abbreviates the stories radically. The stories are arranged in three groups of three, each group followed by a section composed principally of sayings of Jesus about discipleship. Mt 9:35 is an almost verbatim repetition of Mt 4:23. Each speaks of Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and healing. The teaching and preaching form the content of Mt 5–7; the healing, that of Mt 8–9. Some scholars speak of a portrayal of Jesus as “Messiah of the Word” in Mt 5–7 and “Messiah of the Deed” in Mt 8–9. That is accurate so far as it goes, but there is also a strong emphasis on discipleship in Mt 8–9; these chapters have not only christological but ecclesiological import. (Matthew, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

Sherri Brown asks “Why was it so hard for the scribes to accept the Godliness of the action of curing without parsing the reasons for the cure?  Why was it so hard for the crowds pressing around Jesus when He cured someone to rejoice in the great good fortune for the recipient and not press and angle for something for themselves as well?”

Is it not a miracle in itself that we are loved by the Divine?  Is it not beyond our human experience that God would, at times, step in and change the course of our lives?  Is not life itself the most significant and poignant miracle of all?  Isn’t the reality of our every single moment a miracle – this breath I just took, the sunrise I saw this morning, the trill of the songbird in my yard, the collective knowledge of humankind that enables me to even communicate these feelings?  Doesn’t the miracle of life itself give us great solace that our own lives are meaningful precisely because this Divine Being so loved us as to create us and this world?

And so, my prayer today is for the grace to wonder at all the miracles I see around me and to pay homage to the God who loves me so much. (Brown, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “The authority to heal and make clean belongs to Christ,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"With great fervor before Jesus' knees, the leper pleaded with him (Mark 1:40) with sincere faith. He discerned who Jesus was. He did not state conditionally, 'If you request it of God' or 'If you pray for me.' Rather, he said simply, 'If you will, you can make me clean.' He did not pray, 'Lord, cleanse me.' Rather, he leaves everything to the Lord and makes his own recovery depend entirely on him. Thus he testified that all authority belongs to him. One might ask, 'What if the leper had been mistaken in this assumption?' If he had been mistaken, wouldn't it have been fitting for the Lord to reprove him and set him straight? But did he do this? No. Quite to the contrary, Jesus established and confirmed exactly what he had said." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 8:1-4 comments that Jesus loves us—too much to withhold his grace from us. We may not always receive the healing we want, but we always receive the healing we need. We may not always receive every healing we expect, but we will always receive the one healing that answers all our longings: the healing power of Jesus’ presence.

Don’t ever think that Jesus is reluctant to help you! Don’t ever think that there’s some area in your life that makes him unwilling to come and touch you! Instead, bow before him as the man in today’s Gospel did, and say, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Imagine looking into his eyes and hearing him say, “I will do it.” Then watch to see what he does.

“Jesus, I believe that you want nothing but good for me. Lord, I trust in the healing power of your love!” (Meditation on Matthew 8:1-4, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler shares the meanings associated with the names of Abaham and Isaac in the context of the Covenant description in Genesis. Leprosy isolated people from the community in the First Century. Matthew’s Gospel, written for Jewish Christians, has Jesus attend to the requirements for the priest to verify the healing of the leper. Friar Jude reminds us that people with debilitating disease are part of the Kingdom.

Barbara Holmes emphasizes how the arts are an integral part of crisis contemplation and healing communal wounds.

Art is an expression of Spirit. A lot that comes out of artists is not coming from them. It’s coming through them. The reason art is so powerful is that when you have expressions of art coming through a group of people, a village, a community, you have a great deal of creative and strategic power that’s available to everyone for their use. Making art together is an act of creation that I find invigorating. My communities of choice are artistic communities because they’re always on the cutting edge. They’re not leading with what they think. They’re leading with what is coming through them and that’s always so healing. [1] (Holmes, 2023)

We are prompted by the Spirit to recognize and celebrate the events of daily life that enhance our relationships with others.

References

Brown, S. (2023, June 30). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/063023.html 

Genesis, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/17?1 

Holmes, B. (2023, June 30). Art Is Prophetic — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/art-is-prophetic-2023-06-30/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?1 

Meditation on Matthew 8:1-4. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/30/721129/ 

Psalms, PSALM 128. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/128?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lord, You Can Make Me Clean. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun30 

Delivered by the Son

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, alert us to the challenges and support of the Lord in our mission as followers of Christ.

Discern Mission

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, James is killed and Peter imprisoned and delivered from prison.

* [12:1–19] Herod Agrippa ruled Judea A.D. 41–44. While Luke does not assign a motive for his execution of James and his intended execution of Peter, the broad background lies in Herod’s support of Pharisaic Judaism. The Jewish Christians had lost the popularity they had had in Jerusalem (Acts 2:47), perhaps because of suspicions against them traceable to the teaching of Stephen.

* [12:2] James, the brother of John: this James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded by Herod Agrippa ca. A.D. 44. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

Psalm 34 offers praise for Deliverance from Trouble.

* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 34, n.d.)

In the reading from the Second Letter to Timothy, Paul declares his reward for fidelity.

* [4:6] The apostle recognizes his death through martyrdom to be imminent. He regards it as an act of worship in which his blood will be poured out in sacrifice; cf. Ex 29:38–40; Phil 2:17.

* [4:7] At the close of his life Paul could testify to the accomplishment of what Christ himself foretold concerning him at the time of his conversion, “I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16).

* [4:8] When the world is judged at the parousia, all who have eagerly looked for the Lord’s appearing and have sought to live according to his teachings will be rewarded. The crown is a reference to the laurel wreath placed on the heads of victorious athletes and conquerors in war; cf. 2 Tm 2:5; 1 Cor 9:25.

* [12:17] To James: this James is not the son of Zebedee mentioned in Acts 12:2, but is James, the “brother of the Lord” (Gal 1:19), who in Acts 15; 21 is presented as leader of the Jerusalem Christian community. He left and went to another place: the conjecture that Peter left for Rome at this time has nothing to recommend it. His chief responsibility was still the leadership of the Jewish Christian community in Palestine (see Gal 2:7). The concept of the great missionary effort of the church was yet to come (see Acts 13:1–3). (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Peter makes a Declaration about Jesus

* [16:13–20] The Marcan confession of Jesus as Messiah, made by Peter as spokesman for the other disciples (Mk 8:27–29; cf. also Lk 9:18–20), is modified significantly here. The confession is of Jesus both as Messiah and as Son of the living God (Mt 16:16). Jesus’ response, drawn principally from material peculiar to Matthew, attributes the confession to a divine revelation granted to Peter alone (Mt 16:17) and makes him the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Mt 16:18) and the disciple whose authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven, i.e., by God (Mt 16:19). (Matthew, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J. asks "what about Peter and Paul inspires me?" After some chewing, five things come to his mind:  the profound differences in their personalities and social status; the way they were chosen; the humility that characterized their religious experience and service; how completely Jesus became the fire in their hearts; and how profoundly similar their deaths were.

Jesus moved into the hearts of these two incredibly different characters and transformed them.  Paul was highly educated, a strict follower of the law and at the top of Jewish society; Peter caught fish for a living. They both were strong-willed and stubborn.  They both would experience resisting him so dramatically, that they would humbly know who they were for the rest of their lives.  They both became passionate about sharing the news about Jesus; they knew the power of their message came from Jesus; and in Jesus' name they fought against excluding others.  In the end, they both died, like Jesus, under Roman law, their martyr blood inspiring the faith of the early Church.

This morning, I am consoled that their lives again stir my heart to be more humbly and passionately on fire with a union with the One who has called, forgiven, gifted and sent me. (Alexander, 2020)

Don Schwager quotes  “Only by hope,” by Basil the Great, 329-379 A.D.

"'Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you' (Psalm 114:7). The brave contestant applies to himself the consoling words, very much like to Paul, when he says: 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice.' These things the prophet also says to himself: Since you have fulfilled sufficiently the course of this life, turn then to your rest, 'for the Lord has been bountiful to you.' For, eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in him." (excerpt from HOMILIES 22) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 16:13-19 comments that we could apply the phrase “diamonds in the rough”  to Peter and Paul, the two saints whose feast we celebrate today. They might have ended up looking like “diamonds,” but they certainly didn’t start out that way.

Today, think of yourself as a “diamond in the rough” like Peter and Paul. The same Lord who persisted with them will persist with you. He will use the circumstances of your life to bring you closer to him. So look for God’s grace in those situations and allow them to form you. The more you open yourself to his work, the more you will resemble the saint he’s calling you to be.

“Lord, help me to see the grace you want to pour on me today. I want to be holy like you!” (Meditation on Matthew 16:13-19, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the actions that result in the killing of James and the imprisonment of Peter as presented in Acts. The declaration of Peter concerning Jesus as Messiah takes place near a site for worship of Pan. Friar Jude compares the responsibility given Peter to that of the rabbis in the First Century

Peter Edmonds SJ describes how God’s grace worked differently in the lives of these two saints, neither of whom had straightforward paths to holiness.

Peter and Paul have much in common in that they were both apostles of Christ who sacrificed their lives to the same persecution, but their origins, personalities and achievements remind us that we live with diversity as well as uniformity in the Church of Christ. Paul complained to his Corinthian converts that some were saying, ‘I belong to Paul’ and others ‘I belong to Cephas [Peter]’ (1 Corinthians 1:12). His appeal that we all be united in the same mind and in the same purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10) is surely the appeal that we are to heed on this Solemnity of Peter and Paul. (Edmonds, 2012)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Retired Episcopal bishop and Choctaw citizen Steven Charleston who draws on his Native American experience to navigate collective crisis.

My ancestors did not survive the Trail of Tears because they were set apart from the rest of humanity. Their exodus was not a sign of their exclusivity, but rather their inclusivity. In their suffering, they embodied the finite and vulnerable condition of all humanity. They experienced what the whole tribe of the human beings has experienced at one time or another throughout history: the struggle of life, the pain of oppression, and the fear of the unknown. Their long walk was the walk of every person who has known what it means to be alone and afraid. But they walked with courage and dignity because they had the hope of the Spirit within them.… 

Hope makes room for love in the world. We can all share it, we can all believe in it, even if we are radically different in every other way. We no longer need to fear our differences because we have common ground. We can hope together—therefore, hope liberates us. It frees us from our fear of the other. It opens our eyes to see love all around us. It unites us and breaks our isolation. When we decide to embrace hope—when we choose to make that our goal and our message—we release a flow of energy that cannot be overcome. Hope is a light that darkness can never contain. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the relationship of Peter and Paul with Christ and seek the guidance of the Spirit for insight into the resonance with our journey.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/12?1 

Alexander, A. (2020, May 20). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062923.html 

Edmonds, P. (2012, June 29). The Solemnity of Peter and Paul. Thinking Faith. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20120629_1.htm 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?13 

Meditation on Matthew 16:13-19. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/29/718682/ 

Psalms, PSALM 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Hope Makes Room for Love. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/hope-makes-room-for-love-2023-06-29/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun29a 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/4?6