Actions Judged

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to apply the holiness code of Judeo-Christian tradition to actions of compassion and mercy in our relationships with the people we encounter on our journey.

Care and compassion

The reading from the Book of Leviticus describes Ritual and Moral Holiness.

* [19:11–13] Cf. the Decalogue commandments against stealing (Ex 20:15; Dt 5:19), wrongly using God’s name (Ex 20:7; Dt 5:11), and swearing falsely against another (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20).

* [19:14] In Dt 27:18 a curse falls on the head of the one who misleads the blind.

* [19:17–18] These verses form a unit and describe different attitudes and actions towards one’s fellow Israelites. A separate passage is necessary to advise a similar attitude toward aliens (vv. 33–34). Cf. 25:39–46. The admonition at the end of v. 18 came to be viewed in Judaism and Christianity as one of the central commandments. (See Mt 22:34–40; Mk 12:28–34; Lk 10:25–28; cf. Mt 19:19; Rom 13:8–10; Gal 5:14). The New Testament urges love for enemies as well as neighbors (Mt 5:43–48; Lk 6:27–36; cf. Prv 25:21–22). (Leviticus, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)

Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.

* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew describes the Judgement of the Nations.

* [25:31–46] The conclusion of the discourse, which is peculiar to Matthew, portrays the final judgment that will accompany the parousia. Although often called a “parable,” it is not really such, for the only parabolic elements are the depiction of the Son of Man as a shepherd and of the righteous and the wicked as sheep and goats respectively (Mt 25:32–33). The criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that have been done for the least of Jesus’ brothers (Mt 25:40). A difficult and important question is the identification of these least brothers. Are they all people who have suffered hunger, thirst, etc. (Mt 25:35, 36) or a particular group of such sufferers? Scholars are divided in their response and arguments can be made for either side. But leaving aside the problem of what the traditional material that Matthew edited may have meant, it seems that a stronger case can be made for the view that in the evangelist’s sense the sufferers are Christians, probably Christian missionaries whose sufferings were brought upon them by their preaching of the gospel. The criterion of judgment for all the nations is their treatment of those who have borne to the world the message of Jesus, and this means ultimately their acceptance or rejection of Jesus himself; cf. Mt 10:40, “Whoever receives you, receives me.” See note on Mt 16:27. (Matthew, CHAPTER 25, n.d.)

Ann Mausbach comments that today’s gospel reminds us that these kinds of mercies are not out of our reach. All of us have the power to listen to a friend in distress, watch our friends' kids when the parents need help, support our local food bank, check in on the elderly neighbor who lives alone….etc. The list is endless. And within our grasp. The possibilities for mercy are boundless, just as human needs are boundless.

This week let’s remember that Jesus is everywhere. He is disguised in the overworked waitress, the homeless man on the corner, and the newly arrived refugee. Let’s remember that it's the ordinary day to day actions we take that make for greatness and eternal reward. (Mausbach, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Gathering and Separating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." So then, people on earth are intermingled, and not only intermingled in that the righteous live side by side with the wicked, but they are also indistinguishable. Between the righteous and the wicked there is no apparent difference. Even as in wintertime you cannot tell the healthy trees apart from the withered trees but in beautiful springtime you can tell the difference, so too each person according to his faith and his works will be exposed. The wicked will not have any leaves or show any fruit, but the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul. The sheep signify righteous people by reason of their gentleness, because they harm no one, and by reason of their patience, because when they are harmed by others, they bear it without resistance. He refers to sinners as goats, however, because these vices characterize goats - capriciousness toward other animals, pride and belligerence." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 54, the Greek fathers). (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 comments that to love others as we are loved: this is the best yardstick we could use for measuring our choices. Whether we’re preparing for Confession or reviewing the events of our day before bed, the question “Did I love other people as I would want to be loved?” can give us a lot to explore.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see your choices in the light of love. Ask him to help you make love the basis of the way you relate to the people around you and the reason why you try to obey the commandments. Because love is the foundation and the fulfillment of the Law.

“Lord, I want to see all your commands as ways you are teaching me to love!” (Meditation on Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, n.d.)

Jack Mahoney SJ, Emeritus Professor of Moral and Social Theology in the University of London, asks how the Ten Commandments found their expression in the teaching of Jesus.

As a devout Jew, Jesus was familiar with the Hebrew Bible and among the early Christians there was profound interest in how his teaching related to the traditional teaching in Israel, which his enemies had accused him of flouting. This interest came especially from Jewish Christians, whose concerns and needs were of major significance to the author of Matthew’s Gospel. As I showed in an earlier article on the Sermon on the Mount, far from dispensing with the Ten Commandments of Israel, Jesus insisted on their continuing relevance and their fulfilment, and he even took pains to show their deeper significance and application for his followers (Mt 5:17-48). Moreover, all of the synoptic gospels make a point of recording the conversation between Jesus and the rich young man who wanted to know how to gain eternal life, when Jesus said, simply, ‘keep the commandments’ (Mk10:17-22; Mt 19:16-30; Lk 18:18-30). (Mahoney, 2012)

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the vertical and horizontal aspects of our faith as illustrated in the 

Leviticus passage. Matthew speaks of the coming judgement in terms of the separation of sheep and goats. The pasture behaviour of goats is less social than that of sheep. Friar Jude note that our response is not in keeping rules but in compassion for people who need God’s Love.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shows how the teachings of the desert mystics align with the practice of centering prayer.

I’ve continued to be influenced by the desert mystics and the Eastern Church Fathers, even to the point where I say, “My gosh, this is a different Christianity.” It’s completely different from the issues we’re dealing with today. The main thing I’m struck by is how some of their teaching is almost Buddhist. It totally affirms what we’re taught in centering prayer.

The monks Callistus and Ignatius taught:

Collect your mind from its customary circling and wandering outside, and quietly lead it into the heart by way of breathing. [4] (Rohr, 2023)

We encounter Jesus in the people we interact with daily and the Spirit invites us to contemplate how we relate to these opportunities.

References

Leviticus, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/leviticus/19?1 

Mahoney, J. (2012, July 10). Jesus and the Ten Commandments. Thinking Faith. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20120710_1.htm 

Matthew, CHAPTER 25. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25?31 

Mausbach, A. (2023, February 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022723.html 

Meditation on Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/02/27/619401/ 

Psalms, PSALM 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8 

Rohr, R. (2023, February 27). Contemplative Prayer Is Nothing New. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/contemplative-prayer-is-nothing-new-2023-02-27/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Eternal Life Versus Eternal Punishment. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=feb27 

Living Beyond Persecution

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate images from our meditation on death and resurrection.

Changed not ended

The passage from the Second Book of Maccabees describes the confidence of seven brothers in resurrection after martyrdom.

* [7:9] The King of the universe will raise us up: here, and in vv. 11, 14, 23, 29, 36, belief in the future resurrection of the body, at least for the just, is clearly stated; cf. also 12:44; 14:46; Dn 12:2.1 

Psalm 17 is a prayer for deliverance from persecutors.

 * [17:8] Apple of your eye and shadow of your wings: images of God’s special care, cf. Dt 32:10; Prv 7:2; Is 49:2.2

The reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians contains a request for prayers and an affirmation of the support of God in persecution.

* [3:1–18] The final chapter urges the Thessalonians to pray for Paul and his colleagues (2 Thes 3:1–2) and reiterates confidence in the Thessalonians (2 Thes 3:3–5), while admonishing them about a specific problem in their community that has grown out of the intense eschatological speculation, namely, not to work but to become instead disorderly busybodies (2 Thes 3:6–15).  

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus addresses a question about the Resurrection from Sadducees who are attempting to trap Him.

 * [20:28–33] The Sadducees’ question, based on the law of levirate marriage recorded in Dt 25:5–10, ridicules the idea of the resurrection. Jesus rejects their naive understanding of the resurrection (Lk 20:35–36) and then argues on behalf of the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the written law (Lk 20:37–38) that the Sadducees accept. See also notes on Mt 22:23–33.4

Mary Lee Brock decided to give herself some space and time to spend with the readings in the tradition of Lectio Divina.

Initially my prayer felt empty with all of the gloom and doom.  But as I spent more time with the text I became open to the messages of faith and resurrection.  Several phrases resonate with me. One of brothers being tortured expresses his abiding faith by exclaiming:  The King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. Paul reminds us that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people… as the Lord will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.  The gospel today concludes with these powerful words: he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him we are all alive.5 

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus cites Moses to affirm the resurrection,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The Savior also demonstrated the great ignorance of the Sadducees by bringing forward their own leader Moses, who was clearly acquainted with the resurrection of the dead. He set God before us saying in the bush, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob' (Exodus 3:6). Of whom is he God, if, according to their argument, these have ceased to live? He is the God of the living. They certainly will rise when his almighty right hand brings them and all that are on the earth there. For people not to believe that this will happen is worthy perhaps of the ignorance of the Sadducees, but it is altogether unworthy of those who love Christ. We believe in him who says, 'I am the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25). He will raise the dead suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, and at the last trumpet. It shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). For Christ our common Savior will transfer us into incorruption, glory and to an incorruptible life." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 136)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 20:27-38 comments that Jesus, quoting from the Law of Moses, said that God would not call himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob unless these patriarchs were also living (Exodus 3:6). He is God of the living, “for to him all are alive” (Luke 20:38).

This is indeed good news! Even though we will all one day experience physical death, we will still be alive to God. How could we not be? At our baptism, the immortal and eternal God came to live in us. When we are striving to live our faith, not even death can separate us from God. Someday, when Jesus comes again, he will raise our bodies to new life as well.7 

Friar Jude Winkler explains the connection of the Sadducees religious belief to the Pentatuch and to the practice of Levirate marriage. Thessalonians are encouraged by faith and made aware that the end time may not be imminent. Friar Jude reminds us that end time reflection should encourage us to be ready.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we are often surprised to learn that a deeper awareness or clearer vision is actually only “new” to us and considered “old” by others. His friends John Dominic Crossan and Sarah Sexton Crossan have uncovered this for us with their extensive research on how Christ’s resurrection is portrayed in Western and Eastern Christian art or icons. [1]

 The resurrection is not a one-time miracle that proved Jesus was God. Jesus’ death and resurrection name and reveal what is happening everywhere and all the time in God and in everything God creates. Reality is always moving toward resurrection. As prayers of the Catholic funeral Mass affirm, “Life is not ended but merely changed.” Jesus’ incarnate life, his passing over into death, and his resurrection into the ongoing Christ life is the archetypal model for the entire pattern of creation—which Eastern Orthodox artists help us to visualize. Jesus is the microcosm for the whole cosmos. As in him, so also in all of us. As in all of us, so also in him.8

The God of the living is known by those who have died. We contemplate this mystery in anticipation of following Jesus to the next stage.

References

1	(n.d.). 2 Maccabees, chapter 7. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2maccabees7
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 17 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved November 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/17
3	(n.d.). 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2thessalonians/3
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 20 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/20
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/11/10/
8	(2019, November 10). Richard Rohr Meditation: Good News from Old Images | Cac.org. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://newslettercollector.com/newsletter/richard-rohr-meditation-good-news-from-old-images/

Of the Spirit

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena resonate with the spiritual marriage experience of this saint.

A marriage relationship

The reading from the Book of Acts demonstrates how the Spirit in the Prayer of the Community acts to bring courage to the apostles to proclaim Jesus to the world.

 * [4:31] The place…shook: the earthquake is used as a sign of the divine presence in Ex 19:18; Is 6:4. Here the shaking of the building symbolizes God’s favorable response to the prayer. Luke may have had as an additional reason for using the symbol in this sense the fact that it was familiar in the Hellenistic world. Ovid and Virgil also employ it.1

A royal psalm (Ps 2) makes the Israelite king the earthly representative of God.

* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5).2 

In the Gospel from John, Jesus instructs Nicodemus about being “born again”.

* [3:3] Born: see note on Jn 1:13. From above: the Greek adverb anōthen means both “from above” and “again.” Jesus means “from above” (see Jn 3:31) but Nicodemus misunderstands it as “again.” This misunderstanding serves as a springboard for further instruction.
* [3:8] Wind: the Greek word pneuma (as well as the Hebrew rûah) means both “wind” and “spirit.” In the play on the double meaning, “wind” is primary.3 

Jeanne Schuler observes that like the winds that bring spring to the plains, the Spirit moves among us when we gather in our need and fear and hope.

Don Schwager quotes “Reborn and Fed by the Spirit,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"And then that rebirth, which brings about the forgiveness of all past sins, takes place in the Holy Spirit, according to the Lord's own words, 'Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.' But it is one thing to be born of the Spirit, another to be fed by the Spirit; just as it is one thing to be born of the flesh, which happens when a mother gives birth, and another to be fed from the flesh, which appears when she nurses the baby. We see the child turn to drink with delight from the bosom of her who brought it forth to life. Its life continues to be nourished by the same source which brought it into being." (excerpt from Sermon 71.19)4 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 4:23-31 observes that authorities released Peter and John after sternly warning them never again to proclaim Jesus. They returned to the Christian community and prayed—not for protection, but for courage to continue. We already have the spiritual gift of courage in the Spirit.

 To help explain this, the Holy Father gives us a new take on a familiar image. You’ve probably seen the famous painting of Jesus knocking on a closed door (from Revelation 3:20). Pope Francis invites us to reverse the image. Jesus, who dwells within us through Baptism, is knocking on the inside of our heart’s door. He wants to be let out into the world around us so that his love can touch and transform the people we meet. As Pope Francis says, “We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can enlarge us and make those who receive it better and happier” (131). (apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate)5

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Stoic tendencies of Luke that promotes the discernment and following of the plan of God guided by the Holy Spirit. The wonderful wordplay in the dialogue with Nicodemus underlines the interplay of Spirit and the material in our experience of the Divine. Friar Jude advises not to try to pin down the Spirit but to become involved with the mystery of surprise and wonder of God that is greater than our definitions.

The Franciscan Media site writes that Catherine of Siena ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. In 1939, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Pope Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. Her spiritual testament is found in The Dialogue.

 Though she lived her life in a faith experience and spirituality far different from that of our own time, Catherine of Siena stands as a companion with us on the Christian journey in her undivided effort to invite the Lord to take flesh in her own life. Events which might make us wince or chuckle or even yawn fill her biographies: a mystical experience at six, childhood betrothal to Christ, stories of harsh asceticism, her frequent ecstatic visions. Still, Catherine lived in an age which did not know the rapid change of 21st-century mobile America. The value of her life for us today lies in her recognition of holiness as a goal to be sought over the course of a lifetime.6

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, teaches Jesus came to give us the courage to trust and allow our inherent union with God, and he modeled it for us in this world. The Eastern Fathers of the Church were much less afraid of this realization; they called it the real process of human “divinization” (theosis).

 If we could glimpse the panoramic view of the biblical revelation and the Big Picture of which we’re a part, we’d see how God is forever evolving human consciousness, making us collectively ever more ready for God. The Hebrew prophets and many Catholic and Sufi mystics used words like espousal or marriage to describe this divine-human love affair. That’s what the prophet Isaiah (61:10; 62:5), many of the Psalms, the school of Paul (Ephesians 5:25-32), and the Book of Revelation (19:7-8; 21:2) mean by “preparing a bride to be ready for her husband.”
The human soul is being gradually readied so that actual intimacy and partnership with the Divine are the result. It’s all moving toward a final marriage between God and creation. Note that such salvation is a social and cosmic concept, not just about isolated individuals “going to heaven.” The Church was meant to bring this corporate salvation to conscious and visible possibility.7

The Life in the Spirit that we experience through trust in our relationship with Christ resonates with the life of Saint Catherine and the understanding of holiness by the Eastern Fathers of the Church.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 4 - usccb. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/4
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 2 - usccb. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms2:12
3	(n.d.). John 3:16 - usccb. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/john3.htm
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/04/29/
6	(n.d.). Saint Catherine of Siena - Franciscan Media. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-catherine-of-siena/
7	(2019, April 29). Divinization — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://cac.org/divinization-2019-04-29/