The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today illuminate our tendency to indifference in relation to the attending to the Will of God in our daily interactions with people and Nature.
The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah declares abuses in Worship.
* [7:22] I gave them no command: right conduct rather than formal ritual was God’s will concerning his people (v. 23). (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 95 is a Call to Worship and Obedience.
* [Psalm 95] Twice the Psalm calls the people to praise and worship God (Ps 95:1–2, 6), the king of all creatures (Ps 95:3–5) and shepherd of the flock (Ps 95:7a, 7b). The last strophe warns the people to be more faithful than were their ancestors in the journey to the promised land (Ps 95:7c–11). This invitation to praise God regularly opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. (Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke contrasts Jesus and Beelzebul.
* [11:19] Your own people: the Greek reads “your sons.” Other Jewish exorcists (see Acts 19:13–20), who recognize that the power of God is active in the exorcism, would themselves convict the accusers of Jesus. See also note on Mt 12:27.
* [11:22] One stronger: i.e., Jesus. Cf. Lk 3:16 where John the Baptist identifies Jesus as “mightier than I.” (Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Edward Morse urges us to heed the instructions of the Psalmist; do not harden your hearts by quieting the voice that says, “return to course”. God provides instructions for living in order to free us to live in dignity and to love as we ought, rather than leaving us enslaved to sin and our distorted passions, desires, and wills.
Jesus shows us that truth in today’s Gospel, where he heals a mute man. The crowds were “amazed” when that man spoke. Giving a voice to a silent person was indeed a wondrous thing – a gift to dignify him and restore him to a place of acceptance and wholeness. Hallelujah! But not all saw it that way.
Jesus also tells us “whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Walking with Him may entail turning around and picking up what we have scattered along our path. Let us ponder these things on our Lenten journey. Thanks be to God. (Morse, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “God's help for our complete conversion,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When we transform our old life and give our spirit a new image, we find it very hard and tiring to turn back from the darkness of earthly passions to the serene calm of the divine light. We must ask God to help us that a complete conversion may be brought about in us." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 6,5) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:14-23 comments that Jesus longs to unite his people today as well. The evil one seeks to divide families and churches, and he does it by wielding weapons like gossip, envy, half-truths, and lies. But the kingdom of God is at hand! Jesus is always working for unity. And whenever we choose to love, he works through us. Where there is distrust, we can sow honesty. Where there is bitterness, we can sow mercy. Where there is division, we can be a force of forgiveness and understanding.
Today you will have opportunities to build God’s kingdom of love. Will you chime in to a gossipy office conversation or steer it in a better direction? Will you react angrily when you don’t understand a decision, or will you assume the best of intentions? Will you avoid a difficult person, or will you reach out with kindness?
It’s not easy; unity requires commitment, humility, and even greater measures of God’s grace. But take heart: the kingdom of heaven has come upon you!
“Lord, help me to love.” (Meditation on Luke 11:14-23, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the theme of the passage from Jeremiah that God has spoken and the people have not listened. This passage is contemporary with Deuteronomy. Love and truthfulness (chesed and emet) are characteristics of God. The “Lord of the Flies” translation of Beelzebul arises from Baal and Zebul. Friar Jude reminds us of the Jewish teaching that we must make a choice between good and evil.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Debra Rienstra who considers the destructive role humanity has often played in relation to the earth.
If humans didn’t exist at all, life would continue on earth. Let’s not flatter ourselves: biologically speaking, the earth does not need us to tend and care for it. Life on earth existed for eons before we arrived. Have we made the earth better by our arrival? Theologians have long interpreted Genesis 1:26–28 [“be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it”] as God’s instruction to humans to unfold the potential of creation. Very well, but in our unfolding of potentials, we can also destroy, especially now that we have become so very fruitful and multiplied to so many billions. “Stewarding” and “caring” are only necessary because humans take things from the earth to survive. (Rohr, 2017)
Rienstra responds to Christians who do not take responsibility to care for the earth, believing “God will do something” to rescue us.
God allows people a great deal of freedom to do evil and ruinous things. Giving humans moral responsibility entails allowing us to act immorally and to suffer the consequences of our actions—or in the case of climate change, to let other people to suffer the consequences, at least at first. Do we really want to find out just how far God will let this go before God “does something”? Or could we instead perceive that God is indeed doing something, through the knowledge and work of people and through the self-healing powers built into the planet? The question for each of us is whether to resist or cooperate….
What can we give back through a pattern of reciprocity to a planet that gives us so much? What will make the more-than-human creation glad that we are here? [2] (Rohr, 2017)
When we decide not to hear the Wisdom and guidance that the Holy Spirit offers in the words and lives of contemporary Christians, exercising their Baptismal anointing as a prophet, we are rejecting the path to full life that Christ offers.
References
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/7?23
Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?
Meditation on Luke 11:14-23. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/07/908254/
Morse, E. (2024, March 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/030724.html
Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/95?1
Rohr, R. (2017, November 9). A Pattern of Reciprocity. YouTube: Home. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-pattern-of-reciprocity/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). God's Kingdom Has Come upon You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar7
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