The fruit of our lives

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine how the environment  in which we live impacts our trust in God and our actions to address the needs of others.

Fruit of our lives

The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah presents True Wisdom.

They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream:1

 

Psalm 1 describes the Two Ways.

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death.2

 

The Gospel of Luke is the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

* [16:19–31] The parable of the rich man and Lazarus again illustrates Luke’s concern with Jesus’ attitude toward the rich and the poor. The reversal of the fates of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:22–23) illustrates the teachings of Jesus in Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–21, 24–25).3

 

Mirielle Mason comments that while it may be clear that the rich man should have helped financially or perhaps brought Lazarus to a doctor, it is oftentimes less clear how we are supposed to provide assistance to others. The first step is identifying a situation in which our actions could have an impact.

Therefore, I believe a lot can be gained by examining what gifts we have been given. What have we been blessed with in our lives? Can we share that with others? What are we being called on to give? I am reminded of the widow in Mark 12:41-44 who gives only two small copper coins to the temple. Jesus teaches that the widow gave more that day than the rich, in order to prove the power of giving, and how it looks different for everyone.4

 

Don Schwager quotes “Creator of both rich and poor,” by Augustine of Hippo, 3540-430 A.D.

"God made both the rich and the poor. So the rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk on the way together. Do not oppress or defraud anyone. One may be needy and another may have plenty. But the Lord is the maker of them both. Through the person who has, He helps the one who needs - and through the person who does not have, He tests the one who has." (excerpt from Sermon 35, 7)5

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Jeremiah 17:5-10 asks how do we stretch our roots to the Lord when we feel dry and thirsty? As difficult as it can sometimes be in those times, we need to keep looking to the Lord and seeking his grace in regular daily prayer, in the Scriptures, and in the sacraments. Though the Lord might seem to be far away, in truth he is very near to us; we just can’t sense him at that moment.

Jeremiah’s wisdom reminds us that we are indeed blessed if we trust in the Lord and place all our hope in him. That hope will never disappoint, for the dryness and spiritual drought that we may feel will last only for a time. We know that we can count on the goodness and faithfulness of our God. He will strengthen our faith during the drought and give us great joy when he sends us his life-giving water once again. “Lord, water our ‘roots’ with the life-giving water of your Spirit so that we might draw closer to you.”6

 

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the tree by the water in Jeremiah calls us to trust in God as human motivations can be self serving. In the Gospel, Lazarus is named but the name of the rich man is not mentioned. Friar Jude reminds us that our call to charity is a theme for Lent.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Christena Cleveland. Her research of Black Madonnas was not simply an intellectual project; it changed her entire perspective of God and how God loves the world.

Within seconds of viewing photos of the Black Madonnas, my gut shifted from terror to hope. Before I even read a word about the Black Madonna, my soul immediately recognized that these photos and drawings of ancient Black Madonnas declared a truth about my own sacredness and gave birth to a new understanding of God. I call Her the Sacred Black Feminine. She is the God who is with and for Black women because She is a Black woman. She is the God who definitively declares that Black women—who exist below Black men and white women at the bottom of the white male God’s social pecking order—not only matter but are sacred. And in doing so, She declares that all living beings are sacred.7

 

We seek to be open to the Spirit leading us to see, love, and care for people outside our comfortable pew.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Jeremiah, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/17
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/031722.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=mar17
6	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/03/17/331015/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://cac.org/the-power-of-the-black-madonna-2022-03-17/

 

Vigilant generous and truthful

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the wonderful communities we have been part of and of how our growth has ironically been connected to our moving on in the mystery of our life journey.

Gifts in diverse community

The reading from Acts concludes with Paul’s Farewell Speech at Miletus as he is called to return to an uncertain fate in Jerusalem.

* [20:16–35] Apparently aware of difficulties at Ephesus and neighboring areas, Paul calls the presbyters together at Miletus, about thirty miles from Ephesus. He reminds them of his dedication to the gospel (Acts 20:18–21), speaks of what he is about to suffer for the gospel (Acts 20:22–27), and admonishes them to guard the community against false prophets, sure to arise upon his departure (Acts 20:28–31). He concludes by citing a saying of Jesus (Acts 20:35) not recorded in the gospel tradition. Luke presents this farewell to the Ephesian presbyters as Paul’s last will and testament.1 

Psalm 68 is an invitation for all kingdoms to praise Israel’s God (Ps 68:33–35).

* [Psalm 68] The Psalm is extremely difficult because the Hebrew text is badly preserved and the ceremony that it describes is uncertain. 8. prayer that the defeated enemies bring tribute to the Temple (Ps 68:29–32); 9. invitation for all kingdoms to praise Israel’s God (Ps 68:33–35).2 

In the Gospel from John, we reach the climax of Jesus last discourses. Since the sixteenth century, this chapter has been called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus.

* [17:15] Note the resemblance to the petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from the evil one.” Both probably refer to the devil rather than to abstract evil.3 

Kyle Lierk shares an invitation with today’s Gospel to use the gift of imaginative prayer from Ignatian spirituality to simply receive the prayer that Jesus offers for us and to notice what it does to our hearts.

Converse with Jesus about what it was like to hear him make this prayer for you...share with him any reactions you had to the prompts above...what did it stir up in you?...just remember to make time to listen to what Jesus has to say to you in response… If it is helpful, end your conversation by slowly praying the Our Father.4 

Don Schwager touches on the tension that sometimes exists between the understanding expressed by John Henry Newman (1801-1890) who wrote of our unique call from God…

 "God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be thrown away."5

and our membership in the Body as he quotes “The Bond of Christian Unity in Love, by Cyril of Alexandria,” 375-444 A.D.

"Christ wishes the disciples to be kept in a state of unity by maintaining a like-mindedness and an identity of will, being mingled together as it were in soul and spirit and in the law of peace and love for one another. He wishes them to be bound together tightly with an unbreakable bond of love, that they may advance to such a degree of unity that their freely chosen association might even become an image of the natural unity that is conceived to exist between the Father and the Son. That is to say, he wishes them to enjoy a unity that is inseparable and indestructible, which may not be enticed away into a dissimilarity of wills by anything at all that exists in the world or any pursuit of pleasure, but rather reserves the power of love in the unity of devotion and holiness. And this is what happened. For as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, 'the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts 4:32), that is, in the unity of the Spirit. This is also what Paul himself meant when he said 'one body and one Spirit' (Ephesians 4:4). 'We who are many are one body in Christ for we all partake of the one bread' (1 Corinthians 10:17; Romans 12:5), and we have all been anointed in the one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13)." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.9.18)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 17:11-19 shares that Jesus knows what it’s like to let go. He knows how hard it can be. In today’s Gospel reading, for example, he is letting go of his disciples.

As you approach your own transitions, remember, Jesus knows what you’re going through. Ask him for the grace to let go so that you and your loved one can walk unencumbered into the new life that lies ahead.6 

The Franciscan Media web site discusses the mission of Saint Boniface, Saint of the Day for June 5. In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control. During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation.

In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.7 

Friar Jude Winkler underlines the message in the speech of Paul at Miletus to be on guard for false teachings that make a travesty of the truth of Love. Paul exhorts he always shared the truth. He contrasts with Sophist philosophy and arguments for sale that are not interested in the truth. Friar Jude notes that Jesus prays that those who follow the truth be helped by the Father in their place of being “set aside”.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, suggests that if God is always Mystery, then God is always in some way the unfamiliar, beyond what we’re used to, beyond our comfort zone, beyond what we can explain or understand. Many first learn to love and know God through the familiar, human face of Jesus and from there come to recognize God’s presence everywhere. Similarly, there are times and places to gather with people who are like us, but if that’s all we’re doing, we’re not growing and love is not growing in the world. Christena Cleveland, a social psychologist, theologian, and professor at Duke University’s Divinity School, brings this concept close to home, to our local parish.

Culturally homogeneous churches are adept at targeting and attracting a certain type of person and creating a strong group identity. However, attendees at such churches are at a higher risk for creating the overly simplistic and divisive . . . labels that dangerously lead to inaccurate perceptions . . . as well as hostility and conflict. What often begins as an effective and culturally specific way to reach people for Christ ends up stifling their growth as disciples. Perhaps this is because we often fail to make a distinction between evangelism and discipleship. People can meet God within their cultural context but in order to follow God, they must cross into other cultures because that’s what Jesus did in the incarnation and on the cross.8 

Tension, irony and challenge seem to accompany our journey toward truth, beauty, and goodness. The Mystery of God provides protection in our discernment and moving into encounter with the diversity of the Body of Christ.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 20 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/20
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 68 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/68
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 17 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/17
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 5, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/05/
7	(n.d.). Saint of the Day - Franciscan Media. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/source/saint-of-the-day/
8	(2019, June 5). Cross-cultural Discipleship — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://cac.org/cross-cultural-discipleship-2019-06-05/