The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to draw hope and resolve from the Resurrection to continue to support the Way to fullness of life in communion with Christ.
In the reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul presents the results of denial of the Resurrection of the Dead.
* [15:12–19] Denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12) involves logical inconsistencies. The basic one, stated twice (1 Cor 15:13, 16), is that if there is no such thing as (bodily) resurrection, then it has not taken place even in Christ’s case.
* [15:17–18] The consequences for the Corinthians are grave: both forgiveness of sins and salvation are an illusion, despite their strong convictions about both. Unless Christ is risen, their faith does not save. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 17 is a Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors.
* [Psalm 17] A lament of an individual unjustly attacked. Confident of being found innocent, the psalmist cries out for God’s just judgment (Ps 17:1–5) and requests divine help against enemies (Ps 17:6–9a). Those ravenous lions (Ps 17:9b–12) should be punished (Ps 17:13–14). The Psalm ends with a serene statement of praise (Ps 17:15). The Hebrew text of Ps 17:3–4, 14 is uncertain.
* [17:8] Apple of your eye…shadow of your wings: images of God’s special care, cf. Dt 32:10; Prv 7:2; Is 49:2.
* [17:10–12, 14] An extended metaphor: the enemies are lions. (Psalms, PSALM 17 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke shares the Galilean Women who follow Jesus.
* [8:1–3] Luke presents Jesus as an itinerant preacher traveling in the company of the Twelve and of the Galilean women who are sustaining them out of their means. These Galilean women will later accompany Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and become witnesses to his death (Lk 23:49) and resurrection (Lk 24:9–11, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically mentioned; cf. also Acts 1:14). The association of women with the ministry of Jesus is most unusual in the light of the attitude of first-century Palestinian Judaism toward women. The more common attitude is expressed in Jn 4:27, and early rabbinic documents caution against speaking with women in public. (Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Steve Scholer comments that we live in a world where making an absolute statement is frowned upon. Claiming this or that to be an incontrovertible fact is almost a sure-fire way to start an argument. And we all know what that can lead to – an awkward conversation or, even worse, the loss of a cherished friend who finds our position untenable.
So, as we go about our Daily Examen, maybe today is a great time to spend a little more time in prayer to express our profound, heartfelt gratitude for what Christ did for us. Not only dying for our sins, but more importantly, conquering death through his resurrection. And because of these two diametrically opposed events, we have the hope of eternal salvation and can live our lives full of hope and promise. (Scholer, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Everyone has something to give,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Frankly, even the poor have something they can share with others. Let one lend feet to the lame, another become the eyes of the blind, another visit the sick, and another bury the dead. These are the things that everyone can do. Lastly, bear one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ." (excerpt from Sermon 41,9) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:12-2 comments that because of Christ’s resurrection, we have the freedom to call God our Father, to experience the forgiveness of our sins, and to receive the grace to follow the Lord.
What a day that will be! You will have your same body, but it will be glorified, as Jesus’ body was. You will have the same memories and personality, but you will be transformed by God’s love, without your tendency to sin. Isn’t that amazing?
Today, fill your mind with this hope. Set your heart on Jesus and all the graces that flow, even now, from his risen body to you.
“Lord, I wait in joyful hope to be with you one day, body and soul, in heaven.” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:12-2, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the declaration of Paul on the importance of Jesus' Resurrection from the Dead to the resurrection of all. The division from Greek philosophy between the spiritual and the material is healed. Friar Jude reminds us that Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles, was healed from seven demons and her erroneous association with prostitution originates in the 5th Century.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, emphasizes the inner transformation necessary for the work of peace. John Dear describes the importance of connecting with our core identity as children of God.
Peacemakers throughout history testify to the need for quiet meditation if we are to live the nonviolent life of peace. The [ministry] of the nonviolent Jesus, according to Luke’s account, begins with him sitting in silent prayer by the Jordan River. In that quiet time of contemplative listening and opening to the Spirit of peace, he heard that he was God’s beloved [Luke 3:21–22]. In this sacred space, he was able to take that message to heart, to claim that truth as the core of his identity.
Like the nonviolent Jesus, we too need to sit still in silent meditation and open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit of peace and let the God of peace call us God’s beloved. We need to give God permission to love us, name us, and claim us if we want to be disarmed, healed and freed to practice loving nonviolence.
That is why quiet meditation is so crucial to the life of nonviolence. In that silent meditation, we can hear God say to us, “You are my beloved.” We learn who we are, we remember who we are, and we are strengthened once again to be who we really are. In that strength and confidence, we feel liberated from our inner violence and freed to get up and walk outside into the world of violence to offer the hand of peace and nonviolence. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We respond with hope and joy to the phrase “We will rise again” as it resonates with the Spirit of Christ and His resurrection and we are restored in our faith and hope for goodness, truth, and beauty to triumph.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?1
Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:12-2. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/20/1076801/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/15?
Psalms, PSALM 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/17?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/peacemaking-and-contemplation/
Scholer, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092024.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep20
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