Restoration and Rebellion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to openness to prompts of the Spirit that we may initially assess through our limited understanding and experience. 

Life in Restoration

The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares “they will be My people”

* [37:15–22] The symbolic action of joining two sticks into one continues Ezekiel’s description of God’s future saving action: the unification of Judah and Israel under an ideal ruler. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37, n.d.)

The response from the Prophet Jeremiah declares the Lord has ransomed Jacob.

* [31:2–3] Jeremiah describes the exiles of the Northern Kingdom on their way home from the nations where the Assyrians had resettled them (722/721 B.C.). The favor they discover in the wilderness is the appearance of the Lord (v. 3) coming to guide them to Jerusalem. Implicit in these verses is the presentation of the people’s return from captivity as a second exodus, a unifying theme in Second Isaiah (chaps. 40–55). (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, the Pharisees plot to Kill Jesus.

* [11:48] The Romans will come: Johannine irony; this is precisely what happened after Jesus’ death.

* [11:49] That year: emphasizes the conjunction of the office and the year. Actually, Caiaphas was high priest A.D. 18–36. The Jews attributed a gift of prophecy, sometimes unconscious, to the high priest.

* [11:52] Dispersed children of God: perhaps the “other sheep” of Jn 10:16.

* [11:54] Ephraim is usually located about twelve miles northeast of Jerusalem, where the mountains descend into the Jordan valley.

* [11:55] Purify: prescriptions for purity were based on Ex 19:10–11, 15; Nm 9:6–14; 2 Chr 30:1–3, 15–18. (John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Molly Mattingly asks how have our Lenten practices brought us closer to reconciliation and unity in our most trying times and relationships?

Luckily, God does not say in today’s readings that it’s all on us to bring about unity. It’s something God intends to do. This, I think, is where the Pharisees get tripped up: like most of humanity before and since their time, they act as though it’s all on them. When they hear that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, they operate out of fear and scarcity rather than love and abundance. They could have said, “Life itself is within his gift! What wonders will happen if everyone believes in him!” But instead they worry, “What if everyone believe in him? Our people will lose everything. We must use any means necessary to save the land and the nation that God gave us.” (Mattingly, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “The crucifixion is always lived,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The crucifixion is something that must continue throughout our life, not for forty days only, although Moses, Elijah, and Christ fasted forty days. We are meant to learn from them not to cling to this present world or imitate what it says, but to nail our unregenerate selves to the cross." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 11:45-56 comments that Caiaphas felt he had no choice but to send this innocent man to his death. But were these the only two options? Surely there was a third way! Caiaphas had likely heard enough about Jesus to sense that God was working through him. So why not try listening to him to see if he truly was the Messiah?

Every day we face choices, both large and small. Should I give up my free time to serve my spouse? Will I look the other way when I see a stranger in need? Can I say no to resentment and seek to forgive? When choices like these arise, let’s ask Jesus for his guidance and wisdom. We never have to feel stuck. Jesus always has a third way—the way of love.

“Lord Jesus, give me your heart—a heart of wisdom and compassion!” (Meditation on John 11:45-56, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from Ezekiel follows his prediction of the dry bones coming to life as he foresees the restoration of one Israel, under the Covenant worshipping in the reconstructed Temple. The proposal of Caiaphas that Jesus should die was to prevent a rebellion and a destruction of the Nation by Rome. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus died a spiritual death to free us from sin as we prepare for Holy Week and relive Jesus Passion.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Spiritual writer Christine Valters Paintner who suggests we might adopt the desert practice of asking for a “word”. Repeated often in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers … this tradition of asking for a word was a way of seeking something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes even a whole lifetime. The word was often a short phrase to nourish and challenge the receiver. The word was meant to be wrestled with and slowly grown into….

As you work through the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, consider releasing your thinking mind and enter into a space of receiving. Imagine yourself in the story and ask for your own life-giving word. The word might be an insight from the text. It might come in that time of stillness or it might arrive later in the day in the form of a line of poetry, wisdom offered from an unexpected source, a dream symbol, or an image you stumble upon that seizes your imagination.  

I often ask for a word as I take my daily walks. I listen for what the trees and pigeons might have to offer me. When I receive a word, often it is confirmed through synchronicities that continue to appear to me. The purpose of the word is to simply hold it in your heart, turning it over and over, pondering, but not analyzing it. Give it space within you to speak. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the political and religious environment that Jesus encountered in Jerusalem and seek a “word”, inspired by the Spirit, to carry during the representation of Jesus' Passion during Holy Week.

References

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/37?21 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/31?10 

John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/11?45 

Mattingly, M. (2025, April 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041225.html 

Meditation on John 11:45-56. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/12/1245712/ 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Wisdom of the Desert: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Took Counsel How to Put Him to Death. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr12 

Gathering the Body

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary encourage us to contemplate the Will of God for gathering believers as it is experienced in our lives.

Gathering The Body

 

The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares a Covenant with the diaspora.

I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.1

 

The response from the Book of Jeremiah assures Israel will be gathered.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”1

 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is to die for the nation.

* [11:48] The Romans will come: Johannine irony; this is precisely what happened after Jesus’ death.2

 

The Daily Reflection of Creighton University's Online Ministries by Nicky Santos, S.J. is not available at this time.

 

Don Schwager quotes “The crucifixion is always lived,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The crucifixion is something that must continue throughout our life, not for forty days only, although Moses, Elijah, and Christ fasted forty days. We are meant to learn from them not to cling to this present world or imitate what it says, but to nail our unregenerate selves to the cross." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1)3

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezekiel 37:21-28 comments that God wanted Israel to be united because his plan was for his people to be a light to draw all the nations to himself. Now we see Jesus making that wholeness possible as Jews and Gentiles alike are brought together through him into God’s family. People from every background and perspective, from every nation and ethnic group, from every age group and demographic, can find unity in him.

We know that Ezekiel’s prophecy has yet to be fulfilled completely; we still see division in the Church. But if we look at the Church spread throughout the world, we’ll also see a sign that many nations have indeed come together to worship the Lord. So let’s pray for unity in the Church. Let’s pray that Jesus, our Savior, will “fix” not just the broken parts of our individual lives but what is broken in the entire people of God. Let’s pray that the unity that God so longs to see in his people will become a light to all the nations. As you prepare to begin Holy Week, remember that Jesus has the power to put an end to all divisions. He can heal everything that is broken! “Lord, send your Spirit on your Church, that we may truly become one body.”4 

David Deane has traced the history that brings us to Christian Ecumenism in the 21st Century. He shared his concerns at a talk at the Barat Spirituality Centre.

The main image for the church in early Christianity was the body of Christ. For centuries now, that body has been dismembered. What have been the consequences of this? How has it shaped us and impacted our service of Christ’s mission? This presentation offers responses to these questions, and suggests that Christian unity needs to be a coherent and focussed goal for the 21st century.5 

Friar Jude Winkler explains the vision of Ezekiel in exile in Babylon of a Davidic leader to restore Israel. The words of Caiaphas become a prophecy of Jesus' Passion. Friar Jude reminds us of the Lenten conversion to unite our will with that of God for us.

 

Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes offers pastoral comfort and prophetic challenge in times of crises. The truth of the matter is that we live on a mysterious planet, with other living beings whose interiority and spiritual realities are just beyond our cognitive reach.

1. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly three times.

2. Your ancestors survived many crises. What were the crises of their days that required a communal response?

3. What is the crisis of your day that requires a communal response?

4. Sit for ten minutes. Feel the “troubles of this world.” Breathe deeply, exhaling your sense of helplessness, inhaling Ella Baker’s strength, channeling Rosa Parks’ quiet resolve. (Substitute exemplars as needed, but include one exemplar from a cultural community that is not your own.)

5. Remember an instance of oppression against a group that is not yours.

• What, if anything, did you feel called to do as an ally? Did you do it? If you did something in response to the crisis, what did you do and what happened as a result? . . .

If your community were under siege, what help would you need or want?6 

The Spirit prompts us to live the message of unity in the Body of Christ and stand in sharp contrast to the conflict and persecution of these troubled times.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Weekday Lectionary - Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.cccb.ca/liturgy-sacraments/resources-in-english/weekday-lectionary/
2	(n.d.). John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/11
3	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=apr9
4	(2020, August 6). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/04/09/347274/
5	(n.d.). About | Barat Spirituality Centre | Nova Scotia. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.baratspirituality.org/
6	(n.d.). 2022 Daily Meditations: Nothing Stands Alone - Center for Action .... Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://cac.org/it-cant-be-carried-alone-weekly-summary-2022-04-09/

 

Response to fear

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge that we meditate broadly on our experience of God rather than be overcome by the fears of the moment.

 

Consider fear and love

The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel follows the use of the image of the Two Sticks to precede the declaration: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

 

* [37:15–22] The symbolic action of joining two sticks into one continues Ezekiel’s description of God’s future saving action: the unification of Judah and Israel under an ideal ruler.1

The Prophet Jeremiah praises the Good News of the Return of the exiles when God will turn their mourning into joy.

 * [31:2–3] Jeremiah describes the exiles of the Northern Kingdom on their way home from the nations where the Assyrians had resettled them (722/721 B.C.). The favor they discover in the wilderness is the appearance of the Lord (v. 3) coming to guide them to Jerusalem. Implicit in these verses is the presentation of the people’s return from captivity as a second exodus, a unifying theme in Second Isaiah (chaps. 40–55).2

In the Gospel of John, the plot to kill Jesus arises out of fear of the Romans.

 

* [11:48] The Romans will come: Johannine irony; this is precisely what happened after Jesus’ death. * [11:49] That year: emphasizes the conjunction of the office and the year. Actually, Caiaphas was high priest A.D. 18–36. The Jews attributed a gift of prophecy, sometimes unconscious, to the high priest.3

Gladyce Janky comments that, like Caiaphas and the other Jews, we can slip into setting expectations for how God should be working and how quickly the work will finish.

 When this happens, we can become blind to God’s tireless laboring to end the pandemic, systemic racism, environmental degradation, and other inequities.  Spending time each day in prayerful reflection, such as the Examen, can open our eyes to God’s presence in all things, and enable us to see God’s invitation to become co-creators of a better future for all persons and the planet. We do not need to surrender to blindness or despair.  God selects the work to be done and how to accomplish it.  We are each uniquely called to join in the work.  We only need to trust that God toils night and day on our behalf and in His eternal promise to guide and guard us. “The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.” (Jeremiah 31:10d)4

Don Schwager quotes “The crucifixion is always lived,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "The crucifixion is something that must continue throughout our life, not for forty days only, although Moses, Elijah, and Christ fasted forty days. We are meant to learn from them not to cling to this present world or imitate what it says, but to nail our unregenerate selves to the cross." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 11:45-56 comments that it was far better for one man—specifically Jesus—to die rather than risk further loss and humiliation for the whole people of God. Yes, it was good that this one man—this pure, innocent, wonder-working man—give up his life so that his people could receive the fulfillment of their covenant with God.

 Throughout the Scriptures, we see God doing new things—things that sometimes seem illogical or even foolish—but in the end prove to be very wise indeed. Whether it’s the meek inheriting the earth (Matthew 5:5), God being at his most powerful when he uses our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), or God casting down the mighty to lift up the lowly (Luke 1:52), he often works in ways that diverge from what we expect. So keep your eyes open. God just might do something new today! “Lord, I never want to underestimate your grace. Help me to see your hand at work in unexpected places.”6

Friar Jude Winkler connects the passages before the readings today to the new Spirit in the people of Israel and the response of the people of Jerusalem to the work of Jesus. The chief priest feared a rebellion as hundreds of thousands of people came to Jerusalem at Passover. Friar Jude notes the Sanhedrin were wondering if Jesus would come to Passover.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of  David Frenette, a spiritual director and longtime teacher of centering prayer. He was a longtime friend and advisor of Father Thomas Keating. In today’s practice, Fr. Richard shares his suggestions to help us deepen our centering prayer practice.

 Perhaps when you reflect on who or what God is, you find that you are spiritually dry and resistant even to opening to a mystery you can no longer conceive of. This is still not necessarily a problem when your intention is vast and nuanced. For in these situations, your intention can be to simply surrender yourself to the unknown. Remember, in centering prayer you are saying yes both to God’s presence and God’s action. God’s action includes the purification and transformation of your idea of who God is, your felt ability to say yes to God, and sometimes even your capacity to pray. In the unknowing, the pure consent and the surrender of your ability to pray, you are brought to deep receptivity, so that the Spirit prays in you.7

In our meditation, centered on the place of God in our lives, we are nudged to appreciate how fear and love are opposite states.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37 | USCCB. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/es/node/4186?14=
2	(n.d.). Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/31
3	(n.d.). John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/11
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online .... Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
6	(n.d.). 5th Week of Lent - The Word Among Us. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/03/27/181265/
7	(n.d.). Prophetic Imagination: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and .... Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://cac.org/prophetic-imagination-weekly-summary-2021-03-27/