The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the paradox of finding life in the experience of loss and the consolation offered by loving relationships.
The reading from the Prophet Nahum describes the destruction of the Wicked City with ruin Imminent and inevitable.
* [2:2] One who scatters has come up against you: the enemy is about to crush Nineveh, dispersing and deporting its people (v. 8; 3:18). (Nahum, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
The response from Deuteronomy declares vengeance is mine.
* [32:1–43] The whole song is a poetic sermon, having for its theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel (vv. 1–14) and Israel’s ingratitude and idolatry in turning to the gods of the nations; these sins will be punished by the nations themselves (vv. 15–29); in turn, the foolish pride of the nations will be punished, and the Lord’s honor will be vindicated (vv. 30–43). (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus connects the Cross and Self-Denial.
* [16:24–28] A readiness to follow Jesus even to giving up one’s life for him is the condition for true discipleship; this will be repaid by him at the final judgment.
* [16:24] Deny himself: to deny someone is to disown him (see Mt 10:33; 26:34–35) and to deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center of one’s existence.
* [16:25] See notes on Mt 10:38, 39.
* [16:27] The parousia and final judgment are described in Mt 25:31 in terms almost identical with these.
* [16:28] Coming in his kingdom: since the kingdom of the Son of Man has been described as “the world” and Jesus’ sovereignty precedes his final coming in glory (Mt 13:38, 41), the coming in this verse is not the parousia as in the preceding but the manifestation of Jesus’ rule after his resurrection; see notes on Mt 13:38, 41. (Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth comments that her students helped her understand what Jesus meant when he told us to lose our lives for his sake in order to find them.
Or there’s a question of how to use our money to make the world a better place. Ideally this means advocacy as well as writing checks (okay, donating online). I think of covering a group of rich women who made their gifts to United Way contingent on the creation of a domestic violence shelter. They used their money to make a statement, and we can too.
St. Mother Teresa used to say that the poverty of the affluent nations was loneliness. I know people, especially retirees, who tell me how hard it is to make friends at our age. Then I think of the new friends I’ve made at church, and working with refugees and Habitat for Humanity. We find out lives at every stage in life by “losing” them as Jesus taught us.
I’m glad that I helped “ruin” so many former students who are now gaining the only kind of “wealth” that matters long term. (Wirth, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Walk as Christ has walked,” by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD).
"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ's promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ's resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4-6) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 asks “We know that God could stop evil in its tracks. So why doesn’t he?”
It’s because we live in an age of “already” and “not yet.” In one sense, God has already conquered evil. On the cross, Jesus took on all the sins of the world—past, present, and future. He became the sacrificial lamb, bearing everyone’s guilt and offering mercy and redemption in its place. Then he rose from the dead to offer new life to all who turn to him. But evil has not yet been fully destroyed. That great and final victory will happen when Jesus comes again. Then, there will be no more crying, mourning, or pain. Every tear will be wiped from our eyes, and we will rejoice forever (Revelation 21:4).
We all experience the pain of living in a fallen world. But unlike the people of Judah, we already know the end of the story. Whatever suffering we may have to endure in the meantime, we can trust that evil will not have the final word.
As Nahum prophesied, the Lord did restore the vine of Jacob. He did it by sending his Son into the world. In the face of every evil, may we place all our hope in him.
“Jesus, I believe that you will do what you promise, in your time and in your way.” (Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the minor prophet, Nathum, declared the destruction of Assyria as a consequence of the punishment of Israel going overboard. The privilege expected by Peter is contradicted by Jesus' image of the Cross, the ultimate punishment used by Rome, as the destiny for Him and many of his followers. Friar Jude reminds us that in Matthew’s Gospel, we encounter the dawning of the Kingdom at the parousia and now in the Death and Resurrection of Christ.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, has learned from alcoholics and the Twelve Steps that it’s when we hit rock bottom that we realize how our suffering and God’s suffering are connected.
Those who have passed over to healing and sobriety eventually find a much bigger world of endurance, meaning, hope, self-esteem, deeper and true desire, and, most especially, a bottomless pool of love, both within and without. The Eastern fathers of the church called this transformation theosis, or the process of the divinization of the human person. This deep transformation is not achieved by magic, miracles, or priestcraft, but by a “vital spiritual experience” that is available to all human beings. It leads to an emotional sobriety, an immense freedom, a natural compassion, and a sense of divine union that is the deepest and most universal meaning of that much-used word salvation. Only those who have passed over know the real meaning of that word—and that it is not just a word at all. (Rohr, n.d.)
We are grateful, in retrospect, for the times of loss and surrender that have brought consolation through a deeper experience of love and community, human and Divine.
References
Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/32?
Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?
Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/09/1044299/
Nahum, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/nahum/2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. The God of All Who Suffer. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-god-of-all-who-suffer/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug9
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/080924.html
No comments:
Post a Comment