Protection and Betrayal

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to reflect on how our need for protection interacts with our relationship with Jesus.

Protection Plan

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah shares the vision of the Man with a Measuring Line and makes an appeal to the Exiles returned from Babylon.

* [2:5] Measuring cord: a string for measuring, as opposed to a builder’s string, 1:16.

* [2:8] That official: probably the man with the measuring cord of v. 5.

* [2:9] Encircling wall of fire: divine protection for an unwalled Jerusalem. Urban centers were generally walled, and Jerusalem’s walls were eventually rebuilt in the late fifth century B.C. (Neh 2:17–20). (Zechariah, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

The Prophet Jeremiah responds with a passage about turning mourning into joy.

* [31:2–3] Jeremiah describes the exiles of the Northern Kingdom on their way home from the nations where the Assyrians had resettled them (722/721 B.C.). The favor they discover in the wilderness is the appearance of the Lord (v. 3) coming to guide them to Jerusalem. Implicit in these verses is the presentation of the people’s return from captivity as a second exodus, a unifying theme in Second Isaiah (chaps. 40–55). (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus again Foretells His Death.

* [9:7–56] This section in which Luke gathers together incidents that focus on the identity of Jesus is introduced by a question that Herod is made to ask in this gospel: “Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”(Lk 9:9) In subsequent episodes, Luke reveals to the reader various answers to Herod’s question: Jesus is one in whom God’s power is present and who provides for the needs of God’s people (Lk 9:10–17); Peter declares Jesus to be “the Messiah of God” (Lk 9:18–21); Jesus says he is the suffering Son of Man (Lk 9:22, 43–45); Jesus is the Master to be followed, even to death (Lk 9:23–27); Jesus is God’s son, his Chosen One (Lk 9:28–36). (Luke, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)

Mike Cherney (2015) comments there are psychologists (and political advisors) who will claim that fear is the primary motivation for everything. Fear of failure and fear of embarrassment become more personally important the more that we derive our self worth on the basis of how others perceive us. History, as embodied in today’s first reading and the response, does not promise an easy ride, but it does offer God as a protector on the way. My prayer today is for liberation from the paralysis that fear may bring. 

Dear Lord,

I ask for wisdom to know your ways and my purpose.

I ask for the courage to act in your service.

I ask for the ability to listen and to discern.

I ask for knowledge to avoid sins of commission.

I ask for the fortitude to avoid sins of omission. (Cherney, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “The scapegoat foreshadowed Christ's passion,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The mystery of the passion may be seen also in another instance. According to the Mosaic law, two goats were offered. They were not different in any way from one another (Leviticus 16:7-8), but they were alike in size and appearance. Of these, one was called 'the lord,' and the other was called 'sent-away.' When the lot was cast for the one called 'lord,' it was sacrificed. The other one was sent away from the sacrifice, and therefore had the name of 'sent-away.' Who was signified by this? The Word, though he was God, was in our likeness and took the form of us sinners, as far as the nature of the flesh was concerned. The male or female goat was sacrificed for sins. Death was our desert, for we had fallen under the divine curse because of sin. When the Savior of all undertook the responsibility, he transferred to himself what was due to us and laid down his life, that we might be sent away from death and destruction."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 53) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15 comments that through his cross, Jesus has made a new eternal covenant with us. He has promised never to leave our side. So how can we experience his presence?

Because he came to dwell among us as a doorway to eternal life, Jesus will keep heaven open for us (John 10:7-10). This is not just an abstract idea but an ongoing promise of renewal for both body and soul. He even pours out his heavenly grace to sustain us on our way.

Jesus will never abandon us. He will never abandon you. He will always be “Emmanuel, . . . God is with us” (Matthew 1:23)!

“Jesus, thank you for dwelling with me now so that I can dwell with you forever!” (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler, reflecting on the second chapter of Zechariah, notes he wrote about the same time as Haggai as the exiles from Babylon were returning to Jerusalem. Jesus identifies with the Son of Man from Daniel 7 and uses the Suffering Servant of Second Isaiah to redefine the Messiah. Friar Jude reminds us Jesus comes not as a conquering hero but as suffering to conquer sin, loneliness and alienation.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Cherokee descendent and theologian Randy Woodley who describes the sacred power of giving oneself over to nature in the vulnerability of sleep.

Sleeping in the bosom of nature is not the same as sleeping in the safety of one’s own home. Not at all. As you lay your body down to become one with the Earth, reality shifts. In that state, you can sense that God, Creator, is listening to the intentions of your heart. Whatever the mysterious power is behind creation, it softens one’s mind. Great Mystery unscrews the tight lids of the jars of certainty that you hold too tightly, too fiercely. You realize, sometimes even trembling, that something greater than yourself is meeting you.

There, in the restful unknown world between sleep and wakefulness, you give yourself to those elements, to Spirit, in the kind of vulnerability a newborn to the world must experience. (Rohr, 2022)

We seek to be open to the Spirit who reveals the Presence of God in the people and experiences of our journey.

References

Cherney, M. (2023, September 30). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/093023.html 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/31?10 

Luke, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9? 

Meditation on Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/30/794527/ 

Rohr, R. (2022, August 30). Sacred Space. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/sacred-space-2/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Were Astonished at the Majesty of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep30 

Zechariah, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/2?5 

Acknowledge Angels

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate how we interact with the universe beyond the normal comprehension of our senses through reflection on the angels that traditionally serve the Will of God. 

Angelic Messengers

In the reading from the Book of Revelation, Archangel Michael defeats the Dragon.

* [12:7–12] Michael, mentioned only here in Revelation, wins a victory over the dragon. A hymn of praise follows.

* [12:7] Michael: the archangel, guardian and champion of Israel; cf. Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9. In Hebrew, the name Michael means “Who can compare with God?”; cf. Rev 13:4.

* [12:9] The ancient serpent: who seduced Eve (Gn 3:1–6), mother of the human race; cf. Rev 20:2; Eph 6:11–12. Was thrown down: allusion to the expulsion of Satan from heaven; cf. Lk 10:18.

* [12:10] The accuser: the meaning of the Hebrew word “Satan,” found in Rev 12:9; Jb 1–2; Zec 3:1; 1 Chr 21:1; he continues to accuse Christ’s disciples. (Revelation, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

The reading from the Book of Daniel describes Judgement before the Ancient One.

* [7:9–10] A vision of the heavenly throne of God (the Ancient of Days), who sits in judgment over the nations. Some of the details of the vision, depicting the divine majesty and omnipotence, are to be found in Ezekiel 1. Others are paralleled in 1 Enoch, a contemporary Jewish apocalypse.

* [7:13–14] One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels). (Daniel, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)

Psalm 138 offers Thanksgiving and Praise to God.

* [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 138, n.d.)

The Gospel of John describes the meeting of Nathanael and the Son of God.

* [1:47] A true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him: Jacob was the first to bear the name “Israel” (Gn 32:29), but Jacob was a man of duplicity (Gn 27:35–36).

* [1:48] Under the fig tree: a symbol of messianic peace (cf. Mi 4:4; Zec 3:10).

* [1:49] Son of God: this title is used in the Old Testament, among other ways, as a title of adoption for the Davidic king (2 Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:27), and thus here, with King of Israel, in a messianic sense. For the evangelist, Son of God also points to Jesus’ divinity (cf. Jn 20:28).

* [1:50] Possibly a statement: “You [singular] believe because I saw you under the fig tree.”

* [1:51] The double “Amen” is characteristic of John. You is plural in Greek. The allusion is to Jacob’s ladder (Gn 28:12). (John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth can almost feel Nathanael thinking “who is this guy and what gives?” as he asked Jesus how he knew him. Then in short order, he surrendered to Jesus and became a disciple. 

This small encounter also suggests that we can imitate Jesus by reaching out to tell both strangers and those we know well about the good things we have noticed them doing or applauding strengths they didn’t know they had. We might change their lives as her retired former colleague Fr. Tom Schloemer S.J. demonstrated daily at the Creighton Career Center.

I’d hear a gravelly voice saying “Eileen, I’ve got a good one for you. You’re going to love her.  She’s smart and talented and she’d be great in your department.” He’d hand the phone to the now-happy student and soon I’d be meeting with the next member of the “Tom Schloemer pipeline” – a marvelous group of people!

Fr. Schloemer not only saw something in each student that they hadn’t seen in themselves, he told them about it, just as Jesus told Nathanael about his virtues. It was a powerful outreach of kindness when Jesus did it as it is when we follow his example.

You’ll also benefit from this focus, especially on those days when you shift from grumbling about your teens or students or siblings to recalling on the qualities that make you love them. (Wirth, 2023)

Don Schwager quoted “The Lord of Angels,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"Do you see how he [Jesus] leads him [Nathanael] up little by little from the earth and causes him no longer to imagine him as merely a man? For one to whom angels minister and on whom angels ascend and descend, how could he be a man? This is why he said, 'You shall see greater things than these.' And to prove this, he introduces the ministry of angels. What he means is something like this: Does this, O Nathanael, seem to you a great matter, and have you for this confessed me to be King of Israel? What then will you say when you see 'angels ascending and descending on me'? He persuades him by these words to receive him as Lord also of the angels. For on him as on the king's own son, the royal ministers ascended and descended, once at the season of the crucifixion, again at the time of the resurrection and the ascension, and before this also, when they 'came and ministered to him' (Matthew 4:11). They also ascended and descended when they proclaimed the good news of his birth and cried, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace' (Luke 2:14), when they came to Mary and also when they came to Joseph... Our Lord made the present a proof of the future. After the powers he had already shown, Nathanael would readily believe that much more would follow." (excerpt from the Homilies On the Gospel of John 21.1) (Schwager, 2022)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:47-51 comments that Jesus was also subtle. He didn’t mention Jacob by name or his “stairway to heaven” (Genesis 28:11-17). He just used a few familiar words from Jacob’s dream: “angels of God ascending and descending” (28:12; John 1:51). Those angels surely sparked Nathanael’s memory and opened him up to a new encounter with the God of his fathers. Just as Jacob saw heaven opened and the angels going up and down, so would Nathanael—as he followed Jesus. Using the Scriptures that Nathanael so revered, Jesus told him something revolutionary: he himself was the new meeting place. He was the new connection between heaven and earth.

Gabriel helped Mary to trust in God’s promise and calmed her fears (Luke 1:30, 37). Raphael guided Tobias and healed his father, Tobit (Tobit 6:1-4; 11:11-14). And Michael defends God’s children whenever we experience temptation (Revelation 12:7). These emissaries from heaven are always available to help you. So pray to see “heaven opened.” Ask for the grace to behold Jesus and “the angels of God.” Jesus stands ready to meet with you; he will bring heaven down to earth for you!

“Angels of God, help me to see Jesus and the glories of heaven!” (Meditation on John 1:47-51, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Ancient of Days in Daniel and homage to God described in Revelation and the place of angels in these texts. In Hebrew tradition the Devil takes on the role of accuser of people. Friar Jude connects the transformation of Jacob from “deceiver” to being one in whom there is no deceit to the encounter of Jesus by Nathanael.

Barbara Holmes identifies sacred space beyond our usual holy environments. Art can amplify the sacred and challenge the status quo. The arts help us to hear above the cacophony in the midst of our multitasking. The arts engage a sacred frequency that is perforated with pauses. Artists learned … there were things too full for human tongues, too alive for articulation. You can dance and rhyme and sing it, you almost reach it in the high notes, but joy unspeakable is experience and sojourn, it is the ineffable within our reach.

All things draw from the same wellspring of spiritual energy. This means that the sermonic and religious can be mediated through a saxophone just as effectively as through a pastor…. How can this be?… [Can] tapping feet and blues guitar strokes … evoke the contemplative moment and call the listener to a deeper understanding of inner and outer realities?… The need to create impermeable boundaries between the sacred and the secular is … a much more recent appropriation of western values….

Historically, most efforts to wall off the doctrinal rightness and wrongness of particular practices failed. Instead, hearers of the gospel inculturated and improvised on the main themes so as to tune the message for their own hearing. Given Christianity’s preferential option for the poor, the cross-pollination of jazz, blues, and tap with church music and practices could be considered the epitome of missional outreach and spiritual creativity. (Holmes, 2023)

We may refer to angels as agents of God that we experience as helpers in the difficult times of our journey. Listen as K.D. Lang sings Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for a reminder of the sacred that is beyond our usual expectation.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7?9 

Holmes, B. (2023, September 29). Sacred Art — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/sacred-art/ 

John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1? 

Meditation on John 1:47-51. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/29/794042/ 

Psalms, PSALM 138. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/138?1 

Revelation, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12?7 

Schwager, D. (2022, August 30). You Will See the Angels of God. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep29a 

Wirth, E. (2023, September 29). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092923.html