The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to use the inspiration of the Spirit to draw us closer as brothers and sisters of Jesus.
The reading from the Book of Proverbs shares some wisdom sayings.
* [21:1] “Channeled water” in Is 32:2 and Prv 5:16 is water that fertilizes arid land. It takes great skill to direct water, whether it be water to fertilize fields or cosmic floods harnessed at creation, for water is powerful and seems to have a mind of its own. It also requires great skill to direct the heart of a king, for it is inscrutable and beyond ordinary human control.
* [21:3] External rites or sacrifices do not please God unless accompanied by internal worship and right moral conduct; cf. 15:8; 21:27; Is 1:11–15; Am 5:22; Mal 1:12.
* [21:4] Heart and eyes depict, respectively, the inner and the outer person. “Haughty eyes” peering out from a “proud heart” show a thoroughly arrogant person. How can such a person flourish! Their lamp, which signifies life, will go out.
* [21:5] The antitheses are diligent and impetuous. The metaphor characterizing each type is taken from the world of commerce. Planning is important; bustle leads to waste.
* [21:8] One cannot always read others’ hearts from their behavior. Unconventional conduct need not indicate evil motives.
* [21:9] In Proverbs, two great obstacles to a happy household are foolish children and quarrelsome spouses. The nagging wife is also mentioned in 19:13 and 27:15; 25:24 is a duplicate.
* [21:12] It is difficult to ascertain the subject of the saying. Some hold it is the Lord, the “Righteous One,” who is normally the executor of justice in Proverbs. Others believe it is the just person who is the agent of divine justice. “Righteous One” is a title for God in Is 24:16. The best argument for making God the subject of the verb is that elsewhere in Proverbs righteous human beings never do anything to the wicked; only God does. (Proverbs, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus names His brothers and sisters.
* [8:21] The family of Jesus is not constituted by physical relationship with him but by obedience to the word of God. In this, Luke agrees with the Marcan parallel (Mk 3:31–35), although by omitting Mk 3:33 and especially Mk 3:20–21 Luke has softened the Marcan picture of Jesus’ natural family. Probably he did this because Mary has already been presented in Lk 1:38 as the obedient handmaid of the Lord who fulfills the requirement for belonging to the eschatological family of Jesus; cf. also Lk 11:27–28. (Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Cindy Costanzo comments that putting Jesus first in her life allows her to provide and love her family and others with a greater capacity. A poem that speaks of this love is by Father Pedro Arrupe, the Superior General of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1981, who wrote this piece on Falling in Love!
“Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
What seizes your imagination,
Will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
What you do with your evenings,
How you spend your weekends,
What you read,
Who you know,
What breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love,
Stay in love,
and it will decide everything.
Fall in love with Christ; it will change everything.” (Costanzo, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Those who listen and obey God's word become true children of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The present lesson teaches us that obedience and listening to God are the causes of every blessing. Some entered and spoke respectfully about Christ's holy mother and his brothers. He answered in these words, 'My mother and my brothers are they who hear the word of God and do it.' Now do not let any one imagine that Christ scorned the honor due to his mother or contemptuously disregarded the love owed to his brothers. He spoke the law by Moses and clearly said, 'Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you' (Deuteronomy 5:16). How, I ask, could he have rejected the love due to brothers, who even commanded us to love not merely our brothers but also those who are enemies to us? He says, 'Love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44).
"What does Christ want to teach? His object is to exalt highly his love toward those who are willing to bow the neck to his commands. I will explain the way he does this. The greatest honors and the most complete affection are what we all owe to our mothers and brothers. If he says that they who hear his word and do it are his mother and brothers, is it not plain to every one that he bestows on those who follow him a love thorough and worthy of their acceptance? He would make them readily embrace the desire of yielding themselves to his words and of submitting their mind to his yoke, by means of a complete obedience." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 42) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 8:19-21 comments that it’s not enough to know what God’s will is. He wants us to embrace that will with all that we are and to act on it in our day-to-day lives. Of course, Jesus’ mother already had this relationship with God. Many of his other relatives would also follow him into the Father’s embrace after his death and resurrection. The question for his listeners that day was whether they wanted to do the same thing. Was a relationship with God attractive enough for them to want to direct their whole lives toward doing his will?
We can ask that same question of ourselves. How closely are you embracing Jesus’ word and acting on it? What about your relationship with your family? Make sure you aren’t using passages like this one as a loophole to distance yourself from difficult relatives. In fact, embracing God’s will is the surest path to healing and unity!
Jesus wants to guide you into a life-giving relationship with him and his Father. And he wants to guide you into a life-giving relationship with all your brothers and sisters in him!
“Jesus, help me see the Church as your family and as my family as well. Teach us all to live as brothers and sisters in your name.” (Meditation on Luke 8:19-21, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the simple everyday lessons in the wisdom sayings from Proverbs. We are urged not to fall into the ways of the wicked and help the poor. Friar Jude notes that Luke is kinder to Mary and her faith response than the accounts in Matthew and Mark appear to be.
James Finley shares how in the midst of a challenging time in his life as a father, husband, and teacher, he felt drawn to renew the relationship with God he had experienced in the monastery.
I could not at first see how it was possible for me to fulfill these reawakened longings. For, whereas every aspect of monastic life was carefully crafted to nurture the contemplative way of life in which the communal presence of God is realized, every aspect of the fast-moving ways of the world seemed to be moving in the opposite direction. Then it dawned on me that the contemplative way of life is not dependent on the monastic life that nurtures and protects it. My capacity to live a contemplative way of life was inscribed in my very being as a person created in the image and likeness of God. And so I came to the graced realization that I could, in the midst of my life in the world, cultivate a contemplative culture in my heart by renewing my fidelity to a daily quiet time in which I could once again learn from God how to love and be loved by God.
And so I began to get up early each morning as my wife and young daughter were still asleep. I would light a candle and sit out on the floor in the living room in an interior stance of silence and openness to God. (Finley, n.d.)
We attend to and offer leadership in sharing our experiences of the Divine through our Way of life with all those we encounter on our journey.
References
Costanzo, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092424.html
Finley, J. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/cultivating-a-contemplative-culture-within/
Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?
Meditation on Luke 8:19-21. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/24/1079612/
Proverbs, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/21?1
Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Hear the Word of God and Do It. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep24
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