Faith and New Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek the guidance of the Spirit as we work to heal the divisions between people in our environment that impede our fullness of life.

Healing Divisions

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims the kerygma of the Resurrection of Christ.

* [15:1–11] Paul recalls the tradition (1 Cor 15:3–7), which he can presuppose as common ground and which provides a starting point for his argument. This is the fundamental content of all Christian preaching and belief (1 Cor 15:1–2, 11).

* [15:3–7] The language by which Paul expresses the essence of the “gospel” (1 Cor 15:1) is not his own but is drawn from older credal formulas. This credo highlights Jesus’ death for our sins (confirmed by his burial) and Jesus’ resurrection (confirmed by his appearances) and presents both of them as fulfillment of prophecy. In accordance with the scriptures: conformity of Jesus’ passion with the scriptures is asserted in Mt 16:1; Lk 24:25–27, 32, 44–46. Application of some Old Testament texts (Ps 2:7; 16:8–11) to his resurrection is illustrated by Acts 2:27–31; 13:29–39; and Is 52:13–53:12 and Hos 6:2 may also have been envisaged.

* [15:9–11] A persecutor may have appeared disqualified (ouk…hikanos) from apostleship, but in fact God’s grace has qualified him. Cf. the remarks in 2 Corinthians about his qualifications (2 Cor 2:16; 3:5) and his greater labors (2 Cor 11:23). These verses are parenthetical, but a nerve has been touched (the references to his abnormal birth and his activity as a persecutor may echo taunts from Paul’s opponents), and he is instinctively moved to self-defense. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 118 is a Song of Victory.

* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). Finally, the priests impart their blessing (Ps 118:26–27), and the psalmist sings in gratitude (Ps 118:28–29). (Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus forgives a Sinful Woman.

* [7:36–50] In this story of the pardoning of the sinful woman Luke presents two different reactions to the ministry of Jesus. A Pharisee, suspecting Jesus to be a prophet, invites Jesus to a festive banquet in his house, but the Pharisee’s self-righteousness leads to little forgiveness by God and consequently little love shown toward Jesus. The sinful woman, on the other hand, manifests a faith in God (Lk 7:50) that has led her to seek forgiveness for her sins, and because so much was forgiven, she now overwhelms Jesus with her display of love; cf. the similar contrast in attitudes in Lk 18:9–14. The whole episode is a powerful lesson on the relation between forgiveness and love.

* [7:36] Reclined at table: the normal posture of guests at a banquet. Other oriental banquet customs alluded to in this story include the reception by the host with a kiss (Lk 7:45), washing the feet of the guests (Lk 7:44), and the anointing of the guests’ heads (Lk 7:46).

* [7:41] Days’ wages: one denarius is the normal daily wage of a laborer.

* [7:47] Her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love: literally, “her many sins have been forgiven, seeing that she has loved much.” That the woman’s sins have been forgiven is attested by the great love she shows toward Jesus. Her love is the consequence of her forgiveness. This is also the meaning demanded by the parable in Lk 7:41–43. (Luke, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Matthew Walsh, S.J. comments that in addition to forgiveness, which Jesus offers freely, there is another important lesson on hospitality.

Simon did not offer the hospitality that the woman did: she bathed Jesus feet with her tears and dried them with her hair; she anointed his feet with ointment and kissed his feet. Simon offered none of these. But there is another side to the coin of hospitality, namely that Jesus receives the love and care of the woman. He also assures her of the forgiveness of her sins. And so, we can see that this loving hospitality goes in both directions. The woman offers Jesus her hospitality; Jesus assures her that she is forgiven and loved by God. (Walsh, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus the Physician brings miraculous healing to the woman's sins,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).

"Healing the sick is a physician's glory. Our Lord did this to increase the disgrace of the Pharisee, who discredited the glory of our Physician. He worked signs in the streets, worked even greater signs once he entered the Pharisee's house than those that he had worked outside. In the streets, he healed sick bodies, but inside, he healed sick souls. Outside, he had given life to the death of Lazarus. Inside, he gave life to the death of the sinful woman. He restored the living soul to a dead body that it had left, and he drove off the deadly sin from a sinful woman in whom it dwelt. That blind Pharisee, for whom wonders were not enough, discredited the common things he saw because of the wondrous things he failed to see." (excerpt from HOMILY ON OUR LORD 42.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 comments that God’s grace was, for Paul, also an experience of his mercy and love. Jesus didn’t condemn Paul for his sins. He led him to repentance and gave him new understanding. In changing Paul, Jesus didn’t turn him into a robot with no free will. Neither did he erase Paul’s personality. Rather, he loved Paul as God had created him. And out of that love, he redeemed him and made him a son of God. Paul went on to use his gifts and talents, his temperament, and even his weaknesses to build God’s kingdom.

So Paul’s testimony is credible. By the grace of God you are what you are, he tells you: a beloved child of God. That grace is powerful and effective; it fills you with God’s love and mercy. It has changed you, and it is still changing you today.

Rejoice! God has made you his own!

“By your grace, O God, I am what I am. Thank you!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Greek audience to which Paul writes is not comfortable with the resurrection of a physical body when their philosophy considers the spiritual world to be pure and the material world to be corrupt. The citing of hundreds of witnesses to Jesus Resurrection is a gutsy proclamation. Friar Jude reminds us that the “saving” of the woman is not a matter of perfection but of being vulnerable to falling into self hatred and selfishness of sin.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces peace activist Father John Dear who describes nonviolence as an expression of who we are more than something we do. He names how the nonviolence exemplified by Jesus, Mohandas Gandhi, and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. can disarm our systems and world.

The visionary nonviolence taught by Gandhi and King flows from our disarmed hearts, from our inner depths, where we renounce our inner violence, let God disarm us and cultivate interior nonviolence, then moves us to practice meticulous interpersonal nonviolence with our families, neighbors, co-workers, communities, cities, nation, all creatures, and Mother Earth. As we face the structures of violence head on with the power of organized nonviolence, we build grassroots, bottom up, people-power movements to end tyranny and injustice and institutionalize nonviolent democracy and social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. When organized on large national and global levels, active nonviolence can peacefully transform entire societies, even the world, as Gandhi demonstrated in India’s revolution, as the civil rights movement showed, as the growing women’s, LGBTQ, and environmental movements demonstrate, as the People Power movement showed in the Philippines, and as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the churches of South Africa showed against apartheid. Gandhi said that nonviolence, when it is harnessed, becomes contagious and can disarm the world. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the structures of division in our society and gratefully receive the prompting of the Spirit to move us toward compassion, mercy, acceptance, and love for the people we encounter on our journey.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/7 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/19/1076016/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/15?1 

Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Transformative Nonviolence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/transformative-nonviolence/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Which Will Love Him More? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep19 

Walsh, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/091924.html 

Love and Wisdom

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge and comfort us with the gift of Love that opens our understanding to great life and Wisdom.

Greatest of These

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims the Gift of Love.

* [13:1–13] This chapter involves a shift of perspective and a new point. All or part of the material may once have been an independent piece in the style of Hellenistic eulogies of virtues, but it is now integrated, by editing, into the context of 1 Cor 12–14 (cf. the reference to tongues and prophecy) and into the letter as a whole (cf. the references to knowledge and to behavior). The function of 1 Cor 13 within the discussion of spiritual gifts is to relativize all the charisms by contrasting them with the more basic, pervasive, and enduring value that gives them their purpose and their effectiveness. The rhetoric of this chapter is striking.

* [13:1–3] An inventory of gifts, arranged in careful gradation: neither tongues (on the lowest rung), nor prophecy, knowledge, or faith, nor even self-sacrifice has value unless informed by love.

* [13:4–7] This paragraph is developed by personification and enumeration, defining love by what it does or does not do. The Greek contains fifteen verbs; it is natural to translate many of them by adjectives in English.

* [13:8–13] The final paragraph announces its topic, Love never fails (1 Cor 13:8), then develops the permanence of love in contrast to the charisms (1 Cor 13:9–12), and finally asserts love’s superiority even over the other “theological virtues” (1 Cor 13:13).

* [13:13] In speaking of love, Paul is led by spontaneous association to mention faith and hope as well. They are already a well-known triad (cf. 1 Thes 1:3), three interrelated (cf. 1 Cor 13:7) features of Christian life, more fundamental than any particular charism. The greatest…is love: love is operative even within the other members of the triad (7), so that it has a certain primacy among them. Or, if the perspective is temporal, love will remain (cf. “never fails,” 1 Cor 13:8) even when faith has yielded to sight and hope to possession. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 33 praises the Greatness and Goodness of God.

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares how Wisdom is Vindicated.

* [7:31–35] See note on Mt 11:16–19. (Luke, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Carol Zuegner comments that Love never fails. We might fail each other. We might fail ourselves. But God’s love never fails even when we feel like a clashing cymbal. We need to hear that message over and over again.

The way to God is love. In the Gospel, Jesus uses the examples of different paths. It can be hard for people to embrace the idea that love is kind and extends to the tax collector and sinners. Love can “endure all things” even when we don’t see the way out of our own difficulties. 

I need to remember in times of celebration of love and times when it seems that love is absent, that truly love is patient and kind. That means I too must try to be patient and kind, to make sure that my own resounding gong and clashing cymbal proclaim hope, faith and most of all love in my thoughts and my actions. (Zuegner, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The song and dances of the prophets,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"'Therefore, wisdom is justified by all her children.' He fittingly says 'by all,' because justice is preserved around all. In order that an acceptance of the faithful may happen, a rejection of the unbelieving must occur. Very many Greeks say this, "Wisdom is justified by all her works," because the duty of justice is to preserve the measure around the merit of each. It aptly says, "We have piped to you, and you have not danced." Moses sang a song when he stopped the flow in the Red Sea for the crossing of the Jews (Exodus 15:1-18), and the same waves encircled the horses of the Egyptians and, falling back, drowned their riders. Isaiah sang a song of his beloved's vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), signifying that the people who before had been fruitful with abundant virtues would be desolate through shameful acts. The Hebrews sang a song when the soles of their feet grew moist at the touch of the bedewing flame, and while all burned within and without, the harmless fire caressed them alone and did not scorch (Daniel 3:19-25). Habakkuk also learned to assuage universal grief with a song and prophesied that the sweet passion of the Lord would happen for the faithful (Habakkuk 3:13). The prophets sang songs with spiritual measures, resounding with prophecies of universal salvation. The prophets wept, softening the hard hearts of the Jews with sorrowful lamentations" (Isaiah 46:12). (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.6-7) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13 notes how Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6.and urges us to imagine what love might look like for us. 

Love never fails (13:8). The love that never fails comes directly from God. It’s the love he has poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). This is an eternal love that leads us right into the courts of heaven. It’s a love that fills us to overflowing and empowers us to love one another the way he loves us.

May we all learn to live in that love!

“Lord, lead me in the most excellent way—the way of your love!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the great poem on love that reviews spiritual gifts and proclaims the most excellent way that avoids self aggrandizement. We are called to use our gifts for the building up of the Kingdom. Friar Jude reminds us to be aware that God may act in our lives in ways that we do not expect. 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Palestinian Quaker Jean Zaru who reflects upon her lifelong commitment to peacemaking. Zaru considers the inward and outward dimensions of her commitment to peace.

As Palestinian women, we have a special burden and service. We are constantly being told to be peaceful. But the inner peace of which I speak is not simply being nice, or being passive, or permitting oneself to be trampled upon without protest. It is not passive nonviolence, but the nonviolence of courageous action.…  

What is that inner force that drives us, that provides regeneration and perseverance to speak the truth that desperately needs to be spoken in this moment of history?… If I deserve credit for courage, it is not for anything I do here, but for continuing in my daily struggle under occupation on so many fronts, for remaining samideh (steadfast) and, all the while, remaining open to love, to the beauty of the earth, and contributing to its healing when it is violated. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the message we receive today from the great tribute to love in 1 Corinthians 13 and open ourselves to the promptings of the Spirit to live in that Love.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/7?31 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/18/1075291/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/13 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Remaining Steadfast in Nonviolence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/remaining-steadfast-in-nonviolence/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). How Shall I Compare This Generation? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep18 

Zuegner, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/091824.html