The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek patience and trust as we participate in the plan of God to transform our communities and our personal approach to life.
The reading from the Book of Ezra is a penitential Prayer.
* [9:6–15] The prayer attributed to Ezra is a communal confession of sin, of a kind characteristic of the Second Temple period (cf. Neh 9:6–37; Dn 9:4–19; 1QS 1:4–2:1), but adapted to the present situation. (Ezra, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Response today is from Tobit’s Thanksgiving to God
* [13:1–18] Tobit’s hymn of praise is divided into two parts. The first part (vv. 1–8) is a song of praise that echoes themes from the psalms; the second (vv. 9–18) is addressed to Jerusalem in the style of those prophets who spoke of a new and ideal Jerusalem (Is 60; cf. Rev 21). Joyful praise: words for joy and gladness occur throughout this prayer (vv. 1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18). (Tobit, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke declares the Mission of the Twelve.
* [9:1–6] Armed with the power and authority that Jesus himself has been displaying in the previous episodes, the Twelve are now sent out to continue the work that Jesus has been performing throughout his Galilean ministry: (1) proclaiming the kingdom (Lk 4:43; 8:1); (2) exorcising demons (Lk 4:33–37, 41; 8:26–39) and (3) healing the sick (Lk 4:38–40; 5:12–16, 17–26; 6:6–10; 7:1–10, 17, 22; Lk 8:40–56).
* [9:3] Take nothing for the journey: the absolute detachment required of the disciple (Lk 14:33) leads to complete reliance on God (Lk 12:22–31).
* [9:5] Shake the dust from your feet: see note on Mt 10:14. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mary Lee Brock (2017) had her Gallup strength of Connectedness come to mind as she prayed with today’s Gospel from Luke. We are all connected and part of a larger picture.
I pray for the grace to responsibility live in the tension of meeting people where they are while inviting them to live the good news. And I pray for the grace to have the courage to “shake the dust from my feet” when I am called by God to do so. And I will responsibly play to my strengths. (Brock, 2023)
Franciscan Media notes that Pope Leo XIII made St. Vincent de Paul the patron of all charitable societies. Outstanding among these, of course, is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by his admirer Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.
The Church is for all God’s children, rich and poor, peasants and scholars, the sophisticated and the simple. But obviously the greatest concern of the Church must be for those who need the most help—those made helpless by sickness, poverty, ignorance, or cruelty. Vincent de Paul is a particularly appropriate patron for all Christians today, when hunger has become starvation, and the high living of the rich stands in more and more glaring contrast to the physical and moral degradation in which many of God’s children are forced to live. (Saint Vincent De Paul, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus gave power and authority to his apostles,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The grace bestowed upon the holy apostles is worthy of all admiration. But the bountifulness of the Giver surpasses all praise and admiration. He gives them, as I said, his own glory. They receive authority over the evil spirits. They reduce to nothing the pride of the devil that was so highly exalted and arrogant. They render ineffectual the demon's wickedness. By the might and efficacy of the Holy Spirit, burning them as if they were on fire, they make the devil come forth with groans and weeping from those whom he had possessed... He glorified his disciples, therefore, by giving them authority and power over the evil spirits and over sicknesses. Did he honor them without reason and make them famous without any logical cause? How can this be true? It was necessary, most necessary, that they should be able to work miracles, having been publicly appointed ministers of sacred proclamations. By means of their works, they then could convince men that they were the ministers of God and mediators of all beneath the heaven. The apostles then could invite them all to reconciliation and justification by faith and point out the way of salvation and of life that is this justification." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 47) (Schwager, 2022)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezra 9:5-9 comments that like those returning from exile, we might have missed the mark. We might have forgotten that we are God’s sons and daughters, and that this truth should make a difference in our lives. And like them, we, too, can return to the Lord. We can count on God’s unconditional mercy to accompany us every step of our journey. As the old song says, “I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
Even in your messiness, even when you’re not sure what’s in store for your future, you can fix your hope on this truth: right now, God is with you.
“Merciful and loving God, I trust that you are with me at this very moment.” (Meditation on Ezra 9:5-9, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the situation of Ezra in Jerusalem decades after the Persian Cyrus released them from exile in Babylon. The Kingdom of God begins when people live the Law and Love of God. Friar Jude reminds us that we proclaim Christ and trust that Providence will abide.
Barbara Holmes teaches about contemplation that arises in collective experiences of crisis. Against all odds, crisis becomes transformative “sacred space.” She describes the transformative benefits that can emerge from crisis—if we allow them.
I see crisis contemplation becoming a refuge. When everything around you is beyond your control and you shatter, you find within you a space of solitude, peace, and refuge that allows you to begin to gather yourself again. Howard Thurman talks about an inner island that no one can breach without your permission.
A second benefit is that crisis contemplation becomes a wellspring of discernment in a disordered life space. In other words, there is this moment of shattering where we can do nothing, and we have an opportunity to be still. We are told in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still and know that I am God,” but how many of us allow time or even have the capability to be still? Our nervous systems are such a jangle that sitting still can also be nearly impossible for some of us. When we have no choice but to be still, though, there’s an opportunity to discern what comes next. Many of us operate on instinct and impulse, but there is a way to live where we’re operating out of discernment and where there is a knowing that is beyond our own. [2] (Holmes, 2022)
We ask the Spirit to bolster our faith as we act as missionaries of Jesus Love and Law especially when relating to people in times of distress and suffering.
References
Brock, M. L. (2023, September 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092723.html
Ezra, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezra/9?5
Holmes, B. (2022, October 2). Sacred Refuge. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/sacred-refuge/
Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?1
Meditation on Ezra 9:5-9. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/27/792695/
Saint Vincent de Paul. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-vincent-de-paul/
Schwager, D. (2022, October 2). Jesus Gave Them Authority over All Demons and Diseases. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep27
Tobit, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/13?2
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