The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to become aware of the doctrines and policy in our environment that are opposed to the Love that Jesus calls us to live.
The reading from the Second Letter of John exhorts us to live in Truth and Love.
* [4] Some of your children: this refers to those whom the Presbyter has recently encountered, but it may also indicate the presence of false doctrine in the community: the Presbyter encourages those who have remained faithful. Walking in the truth: an expression used in the Johannine writings to describe a way of living in which the Christian faith is visibly expressed; cf. 1 Jn 1:6–7; 2:6, 11; 3 Jn 3.
* [6] His commandments: cf. 1 Jn 3:23; 2:7–8; 4:21; obedience to the commandment of faith and love includes all others.
* [7] The antichrist: see 1 Jn 2:18–19, 22; 4:3.
* [8] You (plural): it is not certain whether this means the Christians addressed or includes the Presbyter, since some of the ancient Greek manuscripts and Greek Fathers have “we.”
* [9] Anyone who is so “progressive”: literally, “Anyone who goes ahead.” Some gnostic groups held the doctrine of the Christ come in the flesh to be a first step in belief, which the more advanced and spiritual believer surpassed and abandoned in his knowledge of the spiritual Christ. The author affirms that fellowship with God may be gained only by holding to the complete doctrine of Jesus Christ (1 Jn 2:22–23; 4:2; 5:5–6). (2 John, THE SECOND LETTER OF JOHN | 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, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus describes the Day of the Son of Man.
* [17:20–37] To the question of the Pharisees about the time of the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus replies that the kingdom is among you (Lk 17:20–21). The emphasis has thus been shifted from an imminent observable coming of the kingdom to something that is already present in Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry. Luke has also appended further traditional sayings of Jesus about the unpredictable suddenness of the day of the Son of Man, and assures his readers that in spite of the delay of that day (Lk 12:45), it will bring judgment unexpectedly on those who do not continue to be vigilant.
* [17:21] Among you: the Greek preposition translated as among can also be translated as “within.” In the light of other statements in Luke’s gospel about the presence of the kingdom (see Lk 10:9, 11; 11:20) “among” is to be preferred.
* [17:36] The inclusion of Lk 17:36, “There will be two men in the field; one will be taken, the other left behind,” in some Western manuscripts appears to be a scribal assimilation to Mt 24:40. (Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that the lessons for today are highly relevant to us in their reminders to make good choices regarding how we live our lives.
The bad news is that the choices to remain in the teachings of Christ are difficult because we get distracted with the activities of life. We certainly all know that. We can easily get dragged down. Still, the hope that I feel after reflecting in the lessons for today is that if we take time out to treasure the Lord’s promises to us and to accompany each other in following the commandments, it is a lot easier to stand erect and raise up our heads. I am thankful today that I am part of a large community of faith that helps me make better choices. I especially pray today that my life will be an instrument of love and compassion to others in that community struggling to remain in Christ’s teachings. It seems to me that if we first remember to love one another, the walk in the truth gets a lot easier. (Dilly, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Those working in the field are sowing the Word of God,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'He that will be on the housetop, do not let him go down. He that will be in the field, do not let him turn back.' How may I understand what is the field unless Jesus himself teaches me? He says, 'No one putting his hand to the plough (plow) and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God' (Luke 9:62). The lazy person sits in the farmhouse, but the industrious person plants in the field. The weak are at the fireplace, but the strong are at the plough. The smell of a field is good, because the smell of Jacob is the smell of a full field (Genesis 27:27). A field is full of flowers. It is full of different fruits. Plough your field if you want to be sent to the kingdom of God. Let your field flower, fruitful with good rewards. Let there be a fruitful vine on the sides of your house and young olive plants around your table (Psalm 127:3). Already aware of its fertility, let your soul, sown with the Word of God and tilled by spiritual farming, say to Christ, 'Come, my brother, let us go out into the field' (Song of Solomon 7:11). Let him reply, 'I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my vintage of myrrh' (Song of Solomon 5:1). What is better than the vintage of faith, by which the fruit of the resurrection is stored and the spring of eternal rejoicing is watered?" (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 8.43.27) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 John 4-9 comments that every day we face the same lie that John addressed in the first century: that sense of doubt, that feeling of vulnerability in a world darkened by sin, that murmuring suggestion that God doesn’t really love us. This lie makes it feel safer and more sensible to think of Jesus as a gifted rabbi rather than a divine Person. It seems more logical to view his words as just one variation among many other world religions. But these seductive arguments are like the false teachings of the deceivers. They both make God distant from us.
But God is not far off! Jesus is more than a wise teacher from the past. He is God in the flesh. The good news is true: he has taken on your nature, plunged it into death, and raised it up to the right hand of God. Eyewitnesses like John testified that Jesus—the man they saw and touched and ate with after he rose from the dead—was God incarnate. He is alive and he is still with you today. He knows your human weakness and lives in you by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is close to you—and he will never leave you.
“Lord Jesus, I believe you are God in the flesh. You are with me!” (Meditation on 2 John 4-9, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the brevity and authorship of the Letters of John. Docetism had difficulty with Jesus' material life and held Jesus to be a spiritual being and questioned how God could die on a Cross. Friar Jude reminds us that our interpretation of the end time millennium is symbolic and we are living now in that time before the return of Christ.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Mungi Ngomane who explores the lessons of ubuntu she learned from her grandfather, Bishop Desmond Tutu (1931–2021).
Ubuntu tells us we are only who we are thanks to other people. Of course we have our parents to credit for bringing us into the world, but beyond this there are hundreds—if not thousands—of relationships, big and small, along the way, which teach us something about life and how to live it well. Our parents or guardians teach us how to walk and talk. Our teachers at school teach us how to read and write. A mentor might help us find fulfilling work. A lover might teach us emotional lessons, both good and bad—we learn from all experiences. Every interaction will have brought us to where we are today. [1]
Rather than reinforcing competitive ways of knowing self, Ubuntu offers a way of discovering self-identity through interdependence. As such, it is possible to argue that my very salvation is dependent on yours—radical stuff for Western ears to hear, yet vital to the survival of the earth. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we work to live with truth, goodness, and love as witness to our connection to Christ.
References
Dilly, B. (2024, November 15). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111524.html
Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?26
Meditation on 2 John 4-9. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/11/15/1130315/
Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). We Cannot Be Self-Made. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/we-cannot-be-self-made/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=nov15
2 John, THE SECOND LETTER OF JOHN | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2john/1?4
No comments:
Post a Comment