The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present us with a challenge to seek the transformation led by the Spirit that will form us as leaders and healers in Christ.
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians deals with Lawsuits among Believers.
* [6:1–11] Christians at Corinth are suing one another before pagan judges in Roman courts. A barrage of rhetorical questions (1 Cor 6:1–9) betrays Paul’s indignation over this practice, which he sees as an infringement upon the holiness of the Christian community. 6:2–3: The principle to which Paul appeals is an eschatological prerogative promised to Christians: they are to share with Christ the judgment of the world (cf. Dn 7:22, 27). Hence they ought to be able to settle minor disputes within the community.
* [6:9–10] A catalogue of typical vices that exclude from the kingdom of God and that should be excluded from God’s church. Such lists (cf. 1 Cor 5:10) reflect the common moral sensibility of the New Testament period.
* [6:9] The Greek word translated as boy prostitutes may refer to catamites, i.e., boys or young men who were kept for purposes of prostitution, a practice not uncommon in the Greco-Roman world. In Greek mythology this was the function of Ganymede, the “cupbearer of the gods,” whose Latin name was Catamitus. The term translated sodomites refers to adult males who indulged in homosexual practices with such boys. See similar condemnations of such practices in Rom 1:26–27; 1 Tm 1:10. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 149 offers Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel.
* [Psalm 149] A hymn inviting the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance (Ps 149:1–3, 5) because God has chosen them and given them victory (Ps 149:4). The exodus and conquest are the defining acts of Israel; the people must be ready to do again those acts in the future at the divine command (Ps 149:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 149 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles, Teaches and Heals.
* [6:12] Spent the night in prayer: see note on Lk 3:21.
* [6:13] He chose Twelve: the identification of this group as the Twelve is a part of early Christian tradition (see 1 Cor 15:5), and in Matthew and Luke, the Twelve are associated with the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk 22:29–30; Mt 19:28). After the fall of Judas from his position among the Twelve, the need is felt on the part of the early community to reconstitute this group before the Christian mission begins at Pentecost (Acts 1:15–26). From Luke’s perspective, they are an important group who because of their association with Jesus from the time of his baptism to his ascension (Acts 1:21–22) provide the continuity between the historical Jesus and the church of Luke’s day and who as the original eyewitnesses guarantee the fidelity of the church’s beliefs and practices to the teachings of Jesus (Lk 1:1–4). Whom he also named apostles: only Luke among the gospel writers attributes to Jesus the bestowal of the name apostles upon the Twelve. See note on Mt 10:2–4. “Apostle” becomes a technical term in early Christianity for a missionary sent out to preach the word of God. Although Luke seems to want to restrict the title to the Twelve (only in Acts 4:4, 14 are Paul and Barnabas termed apostles), other places in the New Testament show an awareness that the term was more widely applied (1 Cor 15:5–7; Gal 1:19; 1 Cor 1:1; 9:1; Rom 16:7).
* [6:14] Simon, whom he named Peter: see note on Mk 3:16.
* [6:15] Simon who was called a Zealot: the Zealots were the instigators of the First Revolt of Palestinian Jews against Rome in A.D. 66–70. Because the existence of the Zealots as a distinct group during the lifetime of Jesus is the subject of debate, the meaning of the identification of Simon as a Zealot is unclear.
* [6:16] Judas Iscariot: the name Iscariot may mean “man from Kerioth.” (Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Candice Tucci, O.S.F. comments on a book published in 2011 by author, Leonard Doohan, with the title: Courageous Hope, the Call of Leadership. Doohan writes:
“The splendid task of leadership is a vocation to hope. A person without hope is no longer a leader. A great leader is an agent of hope…has a hope-filled vision of humanity. It requires faith, positive thinking, sharing with good people, reflection and contemplation…it implies healing and liberation, bringing out the best in everyone, and moving forward in spite of setbacks.”
In our Gospel today we see Jesus, a leader of hope. He is choosing the leadership that will carry on his vision of the Reign of God. Jesus chooses individuals who are not perfect. Yet, He sees their potential, challenges them to heal, and for each, to experience a personal transformation. Their “good” is to be leaders of hope in a struggling world. I believe, this too, is “our good.” It is our “holy.” (Tucci, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus chose fishermen and tax collectors to be apostles,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"It says, 'He called his disciples, and he chose twelve of them,' whom he appointed sowers of the faith, to spread the help of human salvation throughout the world. At the same time, observe the heavenly counsel. He chose not wise men, nor rich men, nor nobles, but fishermen and tax collectors, whom he would direct, lest they seem to have seduced some by wisdom, or bought them with riches, or attracted them to their own grace with the authority of power and nobility. He did this so that the reasoning of truth, not the grace of disputation, should prevail."(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.44) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 comments that we have been . . .
Washed. Through Baptism, you were cleansed and transformed. You received the grace to share in the divine life… Sanctified. When you were anointed with sacred oil at your Baptism, you were set apart. You bear the indelible mark of belonging to Christ… Justified. Baptism cleansed you from your sins and made you righteous in the eyes of God. In the same way your own sin was forgiven, so was the sin of your brothers and sisters in the Lord. Each one of us has received God’s boundless grace, an unmerited gift. And so your starting position as you relate to other Christians should be one of reverence for God’s grace at work in them.
What wonderful graces you have received from the Lord! And so have your brothers and sisters in Christ!
“Jesus, help me to see all believers as fellow members of your family!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on Paul dealing with the people in the community who are taking disputes to the pagan courts in opposition to the incredible dignity God has given us. Those living in sin will suffer the consequence of the sinful lifestyle. Friar Jude reminds us that in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus prays 11 times resonating with the Stoic influence in Luke’s writing.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces womanist theologian Karen Baker-Fletcher who describes forgiveness as a source of healing that can help break repetitive cycles of hatred and violence.
Forgiveness is grounded in love that demands justice. Forgiveness is a God-given grace that frees the sinned against to pray for the salvation of sinners to free the world from further hatred, violence, and desecration. Forgiveness is … the act of desiring divine overcoming of evil while also desiring the salvation of those who have been seduced by it. Forgiveness is grounded in a tough divine love that prays for the power of righteousness to persuasively, powerfully move sinners into righteousness against all visible odds so that evil is overcome. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the choices Jesus made for the Apostles and explore the resonance with the teaching and healing He initiated and we continue in fulfillment of our Baptismal anointing.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?12
Meditation on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/10/1070392/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/6?1
Psalms, PSALM 149 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/149?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Forgiveness Is a Process. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/forgiveness-is-a-process/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep10
Tucci, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 10, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2016/090616.html
No comments:
Post a Comment