The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to continue our mission to bring fullness of life to our environment as followers of Christ even if our message is not received as we would like.
The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah presents Jeremiah’s Prophecies in the Temple.
* [26:1] The beginning of the reign: a technical expression for the time between a king’s accession to the throne and the beginning of his first official (calendar) year as king. Jehoiakim’s first regnal year was 608 B.C. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 69 is a prayer for Deliverance from Persecution.
* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Ps 69:23–29). (Psalms, PSALM 69 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth.
* [13:54–58] After the Sermon on the Mount the crowds are in admiring astonishment at Jesus’ teaching (Mt 7:28); here the astonishment is of those who take offense at him. Familiarity with his background and family leads them to regard him as pretentious. Matthew modifies his Marcan source (Mk 6:1–6). Jesus is not the carpenter but the carpenter’s son (Mt 13:55), “and among his own kin” is omitted (Mt 13:57), he did not work many mighty deeds in face of such unbelief (Mt 13:58) rather than the Marcan “…he was not able to perform any mighty deed there” (Mt 6:5), and there is no mention of his amazement at his townspeople’s lack of faith. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that Jesus did not need popular-acceptance. He was advancing in holy self-acceptance and so came and went. He was growing in the awareness of Who He was. He did not need any validation for His growing into.
I write just a closing thought about living with memories of what we thought in the past which have frozen into the comfortable concrete. Memories can form images and we grow holding them tightly against the intrusion of the new, different and so uncomfortable.
Now here’s the punchline. What Jesus really came to do was to change the ideas of God! Imagine that! Once a relationship is concretely comfortable, it is dying and probably dead. So, if we are unmovable and relaxed with our image of Jesus and or the unknowable God, that Jesus and His Father are moving on to more receptive soil. (Gillick, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Few miracles done because of their unbelief,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"It seems to me that the production of miracles is similar in some ways to the case of physical things. Cultivation is not sufficient to produce a harvest of fruits unless the soil, or rather the atmosphere, cooperates to this end. And the atmosphere of itself is not sufficient to produce a harvest without cultivation. The one who providentially orders creation did not design things to spring up from the earth without cultivation. Only in the first instance did he do so when he said, 'Let the earth bring forth vegetation, with the seed sowing according to its kind and according to its likeness' (Genesis 1:11). It is just this way in regard to the production of miracles. The complete work resulting in a healing is not displayed without those being healed exercising faith. Faith, of whatever quality it might be, does not produce a healing without divine power.' (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.19) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:54-58 comments that Jesus has told us, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Sometimes “the least” are also the most familiar, the ones we spend “the least” time considering. But when we take the time to see them, the Holy Spirit will open our hearts as well as our eyes. He may even show us a few things about them that may surprise us.
When the people of Nazareth heard Jesus preach, they asked, “Where did this man get such wisdom?” (Matthew 13:54). Maybe, if they had been paying attention while he was growing up around them, they wouldn’t have had to ask that question. The same is true for us. The more we see Christ in the people closest to us, the more open we will be to hearing him speaking to us through them. Just imagine how good that will be!
“Jesus, open my eyes so that I can see you in my closest family members!” (Meditation on Matthew 13:54-58, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler shares a reflection on the texts for today.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Public theologian Rachel Held Evans (1981–2021) who recounts the many ways Jesus talked about the reign of God. Evans names how the church is called to manifest the kingdom of God.
The purpose of the church, and of the sacraments, is to give the world a glimpse of the kingdom, to point in its direction….
In this sense, church gives us the chance to riff on Jesus’ description of the kingdom, to add a few new metaphors of our own. We might say the kingdom is like St. Lydia’s in Brooklyn where strangers come together and remember Jesus when they eat. The kingdom is like the Refuge in Denver, where addicts and academics, single moms and suburban housewives come together to tell each other the truth. The kingdom is like Thistle Farms where women heal from abuse by helping to heal others….
And even still, the kingdom remains a mystery just beyond our grasp…. All we have are almosts and not quites and wayside shrines. All we have are imperfect people in an imperfect world doing their best to produce outward signs of inward grace and stumbling all along the way. (Rohr, n.d.)
We exercise our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader with the guidance of the Spirit in presenting the Word and action of Christ to our environment.
References
Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/26?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?54
Meditation on Matthew 13:54-58. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/02/1039677/
Psalms, PSALM 69 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/69?5
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. A Glimpse of Love, Joy, and Peace. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-glimpse-of-love-joy-and-peace/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug2
No comments:
Post a Comment