The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek the guidance of the Spirit as we reflect on our journey and the elements of our mission that call out for our renewed attention.
In the reading from the Book of Exodus, the Israelites Reach Mount Sinai.
* [19:6] Kingdom of priests: inasmuch as this phrase is parallel to “holy nation,” it most likely means that the whole Israelite nation is set apart from other nations and so consecrated to God, or holy, in the way priests are among the people (cf. Is 61:6; 1 Pt 2:5, 9). (Exodus, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)
Psalm 100 declares all Lands are summoned to Praise God.
* [Psalm 100] A hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them.
* [100:3] Although the people call on all the nations of the world to join in their hymn, they are conscious of being the chosen people of God. (Psalms, PSALM 100, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares we have now received reconciliation.
* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5). (Romans, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus initiates the Mission of the Twelve.
* [9:37–38] This Q saying (see Lk 10:2) is only imperfectly related to this context. It presupposes that only God (the master of the harvest) can take the initiative in sending out preachers of the gospel, whereas in Matthew’s setting it leads into Mt 10 where Jesus does so. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)
* [10:2–4] Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15). (Matthew, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)
Tamora Whitney concludes that if we listen to God, he will care for us, through his love, the love of his son, and through those empowered to continue this love here on earth.
But then he saw all the people like sheep without a shepherd and realized there needed to be more people here on earth to continue to care for the people like God has been, like Jesus has been, and to continue and progress he empowered the disciples to do what needed done. He made sure there were people here to love and care for the people, to heal them and protect them. (Whitney, 2022)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus empowers his disciples to act in his name,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"If the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified, how then did the disciples cast out the unclean spirits? They did this by his own command, by the Son's authority.2 Note the careful timing of their mission. They were not sent out at the beginning of their walk with him. They were not sent out until they had sufficiently benefited by following him daily. It was only after they had seen the dead raised, the sea rebuked, devils expelled, the legs of a paralytic brought to life, sins remitted, lepers cleansed, and had received a sufficient proof of his power both by deeds and words - only then did he send them out. And he did not send them out unprepared to do dangerous deeds, for as yet there was no danger in Palestine. They had only to stand against verbal abuse. However, Jesus still warned them of larger perils to come, preparing them for what was future." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 32.3) (Schwager, n.d.)
Damian Howard SJ. , a lecturer at Heythrop College, University of London and a member of the editorial board of Thinking Faith, offers a detailed analysis of Pope Francis’s first encyclical, Laudato si. He sets the text in its cultural and political context, and asks how it fits into the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.
I think it is fair to predict that one of the positive fruits of this complexity is that more Catholics will come to realise that their passions and professions are, in fact, directed towards the ‘social mission’ of the Church. Until now it has been relatively easy for, say, politicians, social workers and people working with refugees to see themselves as promoting the common good in some way or other. The palette which Francis uses to paint his picture contains all sorts of other shades and hues. You might be a campaigner for more humane forms of farming. Perhaps you are working to restore a part of the city which has fallen into dereliction. Or you took part in the wave of Occupy protests against a corrupt banking system. The curator of a museum and the designer of a new public transportation system and many others besides, all now have reason to see what they are doing with their lives as intrinsically linked to their Catholic faith. It’s up to them, of course, to discover that link for themselves and to draw it into their prayer, but it is now on the map and pastors will need to reflect seriously on how to communicate this in their preaching and catechesis and on the establishment of new structures to support people and encourage their apostolic reflection. (Howard, 2015)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 19:2-6 comments that, like the Israelites, we may sometimes think that God has abandoned us. That’s especially true when things go awry in our lives. But the truth is that the Lord could never forget any one of his beloved children.
As you approach the altar at Mass today, remember that you are God’s special possession. He has chosen you. And when you receive the Eucharist, tell him that you are choosing him! As you return to your pew, try to sense his delight at spending this precious time so close to you.
“Father, may I never forget how special I am to you!” (Meditation on Exodus 19:2-6, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the intervention of God to rescue the rag tag slaves, the Israelites, and call them to be a holy nation. Paul proclaims our status as sinners who are justified or at peace with God in Christ. Friar Jude reminds us that Matthew tells of how the shepherds of Israel had failed and how our mission is to act so that God’s love is lived among us.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, meditations, this week, focus on the shadow self, an essential concept in Richard Rohr’s work drawn from Swiss psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961). Jungian analyst Ann Belford Ulanov describes it this way.
The more we are attached to and unaware of such a protected self-image, the more shadow self we will likely have. This is especially dangerous for a “spiritual leader” or “professional religious person” because it involves such an ego-inflating self-image. Whenever ministers, or any true believers, are too anti-anything, we can be pretty sure there’s some shadow material lurking somewhere nearby. Zealotry is a good revelation of one’s overly repressed shadow.
Our self-image is not substantial or lasting; it is simply created out of our own mind, desire, and choice—and everybody else’s preferences for us! It is not objective at all but entirely subjective (which does not mean that it doesn’t have real influence). The movement to second-half-of-life wisdom has much to do with necessary shadow work and the emergence of healthy self-critical thinking, which alone allows us to see beyond our own shadow and disguise and to find who we are, “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). [2] (Rohr, 2023)
We contemplate with gratitude our journey to date, and pray for the Spirit to engage us in the action of our mission as disciples of Christ .
References
Exodus, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/19?2
Howard, D. (2015, June 18). Laudato si': a Seismic Event in Dialogue between the Catholic Church and Ecology. Thinking Faith. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/laudato-si%E2%80%99-seismic-event-dialogue-between-catholic-church-and-ecology
Matthew, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?36
Matthew, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10
Meditation on Exodus 19:2-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/18/710455/
Psalms, PSALM 100. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/100?1
Rohr, R. (2023, June 18). What the Shadow Reveals — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/what-the-shadow-reveals-2023-06-18/
Romans, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?6
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Gives His Disciples Authority to Heal and Set Free. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun18
Whitney, T. (2022, June 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061823.html
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