The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to accept the prompting of the Spirit as we seek to reconcile the difficulties that keep us from deepening our relationship with Christ and the people we encounter in our lives.
The reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, declares God revealed by the Spirit.
* [3:18] Another application of the veil image. All of us…with unveiled face: Christians (Israelites from whom the veil has been removed) are like Moses, standing in God’s presence, beholding and reflecting his glory. Gazing: the verb may also be translated “contemplating as in a mirror”; 2 Cor 4:6 would suggest that the mirror is Christ himself. Are being transformed: elsewhere Paul speaks of transformation, conformity to Jesus, God’s image, as a reality of the end time, and even 2 Cor 3:12 speaks of the glory as an object of hope. But the life-giving Spirit, the distinctive gift of the new covenant, is already present in the community (cf. 2 Cor 1:22, the “first installment”), and the process of transformation has already begun. Into the same image: into the image of God, which is Christ (2 Cor 4:4).
* [4:3–4] Though our gospel is veiled: the final application of the image. Paul has been reproached either for obscurity in his preaching or for his manner of presenting the gospel. But he confidently asserts that there is no veil over his gospel. If some fail to perceive its light, that is because of unbelief. The veil lies over their eyes (2 Cor 3:14), a blindness induced by Satan, and a sign that they are headed for destruction (cf. 2 Cor 2:15).
* [4:5] We do not preach ourselves: the light seen in his gospel is the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4). Far from preaching himself, the preacher should be a transparent medium through whom Jesus is perceived (cf. 2 Cor 4:10–11). Your slaves: Paul draws attention away from individuals as such and toward their role in relation to God, Christ, and the community; cf. 1 Cor 3:5; 2 Cor 4:1.
* [4:6] Autobiographical allusion to the episode at Damascus clarifies the origin and nature of Paul’s service; cf. Acts 9:1–19; 22:3–16; 26:2–18. “Let light shine out of darkness”: Paul seems to be thinking of Gn 1:3 and presenting his apostolic ministry as a new creation. There may also be an allusion to Is 9:1 suggesting his prophetic calling as servant of the Lord and light to the nations; cf. Is 42:6, 16; 49:6; 60:1–2, and the use of light imagery in Acts 26:13–23. To bring to light the knowledge: Paul’s role in the process of revelation, expressed at the beginning under the image of the odor and aroma (2 Cor 2:14–15), is restated now, at the end of this first moment of the development, in the imagery of light and glory (2 Cor 4:3–6). (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Psalm 85 is a Prayer for the Restoration of God’s Favour.
* [Psalm 85] A national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness (Ps 85:2–4) and begging for forgiveness and grace now (Ps 85:5–8). A speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts (Ps 85:9–10): God will be active on their behalf (Ps 85:11–13). The situation suggests the conditions of Judea during the early postexilic period, the fifth century B.C.; the thoughts are similar to those of postexilic prophets (Hg 1:5–11; 2:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 85, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches concerning anger in the Sermon on the Mount.
* [5:22–26] Reconciliation with an offended brother is urged in the admonition of Mt 5:23–24 and the parable of Mt 5:25–26 (//Lk 12:58–59). The severity of the judge in the parable is a warning of the fate of unrepentant sinners in the coming judgment by God.
* [5:22] Anger is the motive behind murder, as the insulting epithets are steps that may lead to it. They, as well as the deed, are all forbidden. Raqa: an Aramaic word rēqā’ or rēqâ probably meaning “imbecile,” “blockhead,” a term of abuse. The ascending order of punishment, judgment (by a local council?), trial before the Sanhedrin, condemnation to Gehenna, points to a higher degree of seriousness in each of the offenses. Sanhedrin: the highest judicial body of Judaism. Gehenna: in Hebrew gê-hinnōm, “Valley of Hinnom,” or gê ben-hinnōm, “Valley of the son of Hinnom,” southwest of Jerusalem, the center of an idolatrous cult during the monarchy in which children were offered in sacrifice (see 2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31). In Jos 18:16 (Septuagint, Codex Vaticanus) the Hebrew is transliterated into Greek as gaienna, which appears in the New Testament as geenna. The concept of punishment of sinners by fire either after death or after the final judgment is found in Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., Enoch 90:26) but the name geenna is first given to the place of punishment in the New Testament. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth comments that her mother, who valued peace above almost all else, knew she could bring her around even when it didn’t seem fair because the other person had usually started the battles. Mother wouldn’t let her off the hook because her responses had fed the conflicts. And Jesus doesn’t either. He’s less concerned with sorting out degrees of culpability than leading us to reconcile with others, no matter how difficult.
Jesus commands us to accept responsibility for our contributions to conflicts before we even try to make things right. We’ll have done what he asks regardless of how others respond.
So, dear readers, next time the person who annoys you most is making you nuts, try to channel what Jesus teaches us about resolving conflicts. And remember my mom’s practical approach to getting through such episodes even when you have to grit your teeth to do so. (Wirth, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Taming the Tongue,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).
"What are we to do? Whoever says, 'You fool!' hall be liable to the hell of fire. But no human being can tame the tongue. Will everyone therefore go to the hell of fire? By no means. Lord, you have become our refuge from generation to generation (Psalm 90:1). Your wrath is just. You send no one to hell unjustly. Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence (Psalm 139:7), unless to you? Thus let us understand, my dearly beloved, that if no human being can tame the tongue, we must take refuge in God, who will tame it. Does your own human nature prevent you from taming your tongue? No human being can tame the tongue (James 3:8). Consider this analogy from the animals that we tame. A horse does not tame itself; a camel does not tame itself; an elephant does not tame itself; a snake does not tame itself; a lion does not tame itself. So too a man does not tame himself. In order to tame a horse, an ox, a camel, an elephant, a lion and a snake, a human being is required. Therefore God should be required in order for a human being to be tamed. (excerpt from Sermon 55:2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26 expresses why it’s so important that we remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Jesus not only desires reconciliation, but he also provides the grace to do it—whether immediately or gradually, in his time and with his guidance.
“Holy Spirit, when one of my relationships is broken, help me know when and how to reconcile.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the contrast expressed by Paul between the Old Law and the New Law revealed by the Spirit to Christians with unveiled faces. The fence built by the Pharisees to defend the widest possible interpretation of the Law is contrasted with Jesus' non-legalistic interpretation at the deepest spiritual level. Friar Jude reminds that the Sign of Peace at Mass is a reminder to reconcile before approaching the altar.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Jesuit priest Greg Boyle who founded Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program. He shares stories of the men and women he works with who demonstrate that each of us is sacred, no matter what we’ve been through.
Half of Anthony’s life had been spent in jails and detention facilities. Before coming to us, a meth addiction crippled him surely as much as his earlier gang allegiance did. We’re speaking in my office one day and he tells me that he and his twin brother, at nine years old, were taken from their parents and a house filled with violence and abuse and sent to live with their grandmother. “She was the meanest human being I’ve ever known,” Anthony says. Every day after school, every weekend, and all summer long, for the entire year Anthony and his twin lived with her (until they ran away), they were forced to strip down … sit in this lonely hallway … and not move. “She would put duct tape over our mouths … cuz … she said, ‘I hate the sound of your voices.’” Then Anthony quakes as the emotion of this memory reverberates. “This is why,” he says, holding a finger to his mouth, “I never shush my girls.” He pauses and restores what he needs to continue. “I love the sound … of their voices. In fact, when the oldest one grabs a crayon and draws wildly on the living room wall and my wife says, ‘DO something! Aren’t ya gonna TELL her something?’ I crouch down, put my arm around my daughter, and the two of us stare at the wall, my cheek resting on hers, and I point and say, ‘Now, that’s the most magnificent work of art … I have ever seen.’” (Rohr, 2023)
We are challenged to change by Jesus' example of love that includes all people regardless of their history that may cause us difficulties in accepting them.
References
Matthew, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?20
Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/15/707027/
Psalms, PSALM 85. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/85?9
Rohr, R. (2023, June 15). God Delights in Us — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/god-delights-in-us-2023-06-15/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Be Reconciled to Your Brother. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun15
2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/3?15
Wirth, E. (2023, June 15). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061523.html
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