The Church in Canada today celebrates St. John de Brébeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and Companions with alternate texts.
The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, from the USCCB, challenge us to respond to the contrast between the fullness of life promised by Jesus and the drudgery and disappointment that is too often our experience on our journey.
The Book of Ecclesiastes declares All things are vanity.
* [1:1] David’s son…king in Jerusalem: the intent of the author is to identify himself with Solomon. This is a literary device, by which the author hopes to commend his work to the public under the name of Israel’s most famous sage (see 1 Kgs 5:9–14).
* [1:2] Vanity of vanities: a Hebrew superlative expressing the supreme degree of futility and emptiness.
* [1:3] Under the sun: used throughout this book to signify “on the earth.”
* [1:8] All things are wearisome: or, “All speech is wearisome.”
* [1:11] Movement in nature and human activity appears to result in change and progress. The author argues that this change and progress are an illusion: “Nothing is new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 90 declares God’s Eternity and Human Frailty.
* [Psalm 90] A communal lament that describes only in general terms the cause of the community’s distress. After confidently invoking God (Ps 90:1), the Psalm turns to a complaint contrasting God’s eternity with the brevity of human life (Ps 90:2–6) and sees in human suffering the punishment for sin (Ps 90:7–12). The Psalm concludes with a plea for God’s intervention (Ps 90:13–17). (Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke presents Herod’s Opinion of Jesus.
* [9:7] Herod the tetrarch: see note on Lk 3:1.
* [9:9] And he kept trying to see him: this indication of Herod’s interest in Jesus prepares for Lk 13:31–33 and for Lk 23:8–12 where Herod’s curiosity about Jesus’ power to perform miracles remains unsatisfied. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mirielle Mason comments that in today’s reading, Herod was being confronted with the idea of a miraculous being and could not grasp that concept, so he interpreted it as a threat to his monarchy and made it clear his desire was to end Jesus. In a way, he was denying the true nature of the Lord.
The idea of denying my Lord makes me uncomfortable. But, if I sit with the question, the answer becomes maybe…. Yes. I deny the Lord when I sin. I struggle to welcome certain teachings in the bible. It is difficult for me to accept the scope of His power. Now, what can I do with all this introspection? I have managed to reflect my way into thinking I may not be a great Catholic. But then I am reminded that these questions are not meant to be easy. Following Christ was not and is not the path of least resistance. Herod denied that path, the people we meet throughout the Gospels struggled, and we continue to struggle today. Therefore, I ask Christ for the perseverance to continue my faith journey, for my peace and understanding in the Lord’s Word to increase. I place my struggles and denials at His feet, asking for patience, love, and forgiveness on this journey to heaven and greater understanding. (Mason, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Integrity is a hardship for the morally corrupt,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD).
"John aroused Herod by his moral admonitions, not by any formal accusation. He wanted to correct, not to suppress. Herod, however, preferred to suppress rather than be reconciled. To those who are held captive, the freedom of the one innocent of wrongdoing becomes hateful. Virtue is undesirable to those who are immoral; holiness is abhorrent to those who are impious; chastity is an enemy to those who are impure; integrity is a hardship for those who are corrupt; frugality runs counter to those who are self-indulgent; mercy is intolerable to those who are cruel, as is loving-kindness to those who are pitiless and justice to those who are unjust. The Evangelist indicates this when he says, "John said to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother Philip.'" This is where John runs into trouble. He who admonishes those who are evil gives offense. He who repudiates wrongdoers runs into trouble. John was saying what was proper of the law, what was proper of justice, what was proper of salvation and what was proper certainly not of hatred but of love. And look at the reward he received from the ungodly for his loving concern!" (excerpt from SERMONS 127.6-7)
[Peter Chrysologus, 400-450 AD, was a renowned preacher and bishop of Ravena in the 5th century] (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:7-9 comments that we may want to see the Lord yet are hampered by blurred vision. Unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, and anxiety—all of these and more can keep us in a fog of our own. The Holy Spirit can clear away the clouds. Through the gift of repentance, we can cooperate with him in this work. In fact, getting into the habit of repenting at the end of every day is probably one of the best ways to sharpen our vision.
Every evening, look over your day, and ask the Spirit to help you identify anything that you may have thought or said or done that was displeasing to the Lord. Then simply ask for forgiveness and for the Spirit’s help to do better tomorrow. If the sin is serious, resolve to bring it to Confession as soon as you can. Then end by thanking God for his mercy. Over time, your vision will become clearer simply because you are giving the Holy Spirit room to work in your heart.
“Come, Holy Spirit, and remove the clouds that keep me from seeing Jesus clearly.” (Meditation on Luke 9:7-9, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes how the Book of Qoheleth or Ecclesiastes challenges the traditional wisdom of Israel by expressing that things do not always work out and we are challenged to do our best in sometimes messy situations. Herod son of Herod the Great wonders and is fascinated about Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus attracts people that we would not expect.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Authors Adam Bucko and Rory McEntee who envision what a “new monasticism” could mean today.
By new, we refer to the phenomenon of living out this spiritual vocation in the world…. We have found that many people today are feeling the same deep calling as the monks of old, a calling of complete commitment to the transformative journey, yet without the urge to act out this calling in the traditional way. They do not find themselves necessarily drawn to a monastery, or to celibacy, or to disengagement and liberation from the world. They instead feel a radical urge to live out this calling in the world—to be embedded in the world, with the hardship of financial realities, the ups and downs of political unrest, the blessings and difficulties of relationships—all in the midst of a contemporary society that does not support such a calling. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the situation of the world and open ourselves to the prompting of the Spirit to seek fullness of life as brothers and sisters of Christ.
References
Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ecclesiastes/1?
Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?7
Mason, M. (2024, September 26). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092624.html
Meditation on Luke 9:7-9. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/26/1081064/
Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/90?3
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Set Apart and Within the World. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/set-apart-and-within-the-world/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Suppressing Truth to Ease a Guilty Conscience. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 26, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep26
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