Law of Love and Humility

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to embrace our experience of childhood and children as possible sources of understanding the centrality of love, trust, awe, imagination, and humility to our fullness of life in the human community.

Becoming Great

The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel describes eating of the Scroll prior to speaking to the house of Israel.

* [3:3] As sweet as honey: though the prophet must foretell terrible things, the word of God is sweet to the one who receives it. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 3, 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 Matthew, Jesus indicates true Greatness and shares the Parable of the Lost Sheep.

* [18:3] Become like children: the child is held up as a model for the disciples not because of any supposed innocence of children but because of their complete dependence on, and trust in, their parents. So must the disciples be, in respect to God. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer remembers Grandma Alice who expressed her faith and her love of Jesus in her treatment of her grandchildren – never lording over but rather, as the Gospel reading from Matthew suggests, becoming humble and receiving each of us as a gift from God.  

Jesus called us to love our neighbors as ourselves and, in this reading, to humble ourselves and become like children.  I don’t believe he is asking that we forego the responsibilities and seriousness that accompany adulthood.  But I do believe that he is imploring us to not become so cynical and sinful that we can no longer engage with and appreciate God’s creation through the innocent, trusting and joyful eyes of a child. 

Jesus is also asking us, through his parable of the shepherd, to never give up on our ‘strays’ – those around us, young and old alike – who venture away from their faith.  God doesn't desire that anyone be lost, and it is our charge to remain hopeful, trusting, and joyful in our faith so as to inspire others and find our place in God's Kingdom.  

I hope for you that you see the smile, hear the singing, or experience the joy of a child today – and that when you do, you are reminded that Jesus has given you permission - in fact, has invited you! – to join in.   God bless you! (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “What it means to become a child of God,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).

"Here the Lord not only repressed the apostles' thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers throughout the whole world, so that he might be great who wanted to be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he had been through his nature, we through our holy living might become - innocent, like children innocent of every sin. For a child does not know how to hold resentment or to grow angry. He does not know how to repay evil for evil. He does not think base thoughts. He does not commit adultery or arson or murder. He is utterly ignorant of theft or brawling or all the things that will draw him to sin. He does not know how to disparage, how to blaspheme, how to hurt, how to lie. He believes what he hears. What he is ordered he does not analyze. He loves his parents with full affection. Therefore what children are in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a person will receive Christ." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 27) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 comments that it isn’t always easy to recapture our childlike innocence and trust—especially if we’ve been hurt in the past. That means we may get discouraged when we find ourselves falling back into patterns of cynicism or world-weariness or pride.

But remember, becoming like children means coming to your heavenly Father. And like any good father, he is always proud whenever a child of his takes even a small step of progress. He rejoices every time you notice a fault and ask his help in overcoming it.

When Jesus said, “It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost,” he wasn’t just talking about children (Matthew 18:14). He was talking about all of God’s “little ones”—each one of us who is trying to live as his own beloved child. God doesn’t want you to get “lost” in the maze of “grown-up” life in this world. He wants to help you. He is always ready to forgive you, encourage you, and strengthen you.

“Lord, help me let go of my pride and self-centered ways so that I can become more like the child of God you created me to be.” (Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the psychological state of Ezekiel as he tastes the sweetness of the Scroll of the Word and experiences the bitterness of lamentations therein. Three messages in Matthew today involve childlike acceptance of Mystery, awe and wonder, and the concept of a guardian angel. Friar Jude reminds us that we may not appreciate the need that moves the Shepherd to seek the one missing from the ninety-nine.

On the Memorial of St. Teresa Benedictia of the Cross, today, Joe Egerton, awarded the Robert Schuman Silver Medal for European Unity in 1985, explains why the philosopher Edith Stein – St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Discalced Carmelite, who was murdered at Auschwitz and who, in 1999, Pope St John Paul II made one of the six patron saints of Europe, matters to us today. 

An important further contribution of Edith Stein to political philosophy is her denial that the nation is the largest community to which a human being can belong. She is emphatic that each of us belongs to an overarching community, which is the whole of humankind…. That argument can only be valid if all humanity – especially those most disadvantaged – benefit, if the common good of all people of all nations is the aim.

Co-patroness of Europe

In Fides et Ratio, Pope St John Paul II gave us a reason to pay attention to Edith Stein’s writings:

One thing is certain: attention to the spiritual journey of [Edith Stein] can only give greater momentum to both the search for truth and the effort to apply the results of that search to the service of humanity[17].

When he went on to mark the coming of a new millennium by proclaiming St Edith Stein, St Bridget of Sweden and St Catherine of Sienna as co-patronesses of Europe, he set the former’s life before us as an example:

Today's proclamation of Edith Stein as a Co-Patroness of Europe is intended to raise on this Continent a banner of respect, tolerance and acceptance which invites all men and women to understand and appreciate each other, transcending their ethnic, cultural and religious differences in order to form a truly fraternal society.[18]

As we face the turmoil of Brexit and the reappearance of authoritarianism and anti-Semitism, we can ask St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross to intercede for us and ask for the aid of the Holy Spirit in order to turn this vision of Europe into a reality. (Egerton, 2018)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that after being diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, theologian and author Kate Bowler worked intensively to know and love her body and its ways of both serving and failing her. 

But God knows what it’s like to live in flesh. . . . If God too lived in a body, then God knows the ache of growing pains and the feeling of goosebumps on a brisk day and the comfort of a warm embrace. He felt the gurgle of a hungry stomach and the annoying prick of a splinter after a day of hard work. He wept over the death of a friend. Ours is a God who sneezed and rubbed His eyes when He was sleepy. Ours is a God who knew longing, heartbreak, excitement, frustration—the full range of what it means to be human . . . [and] live in a body.

So when my own body drags me down, when my muscles ache, when my worries keep me up at night, when my fear for the future leaves me motionless, when I feel lonely and exhausted and burdened, I do not worship a God who is far off.

This is a God who knows my humanity inside and out. God has counted every hair on my head (Matthew 10:30) and bottled up every tear I have shed (Psalm 56:8). Not simply because the Word formed us (Genesis 1:27), knit us together in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13), was there from the very beginning . . . but because God wore our skin. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are sometimes made aware of our inner child by the prompting of the Spirit as we journey in search of truth, beauty, and love for all.

References

Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/080922.html 

Egerton, J. (2018, August 8). Edith Stein: truth at the service of humanity. Thinking Faith. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/edith-stein-truth-service-humanity 

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/3 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?1 

Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/08/09/464974/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?14 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/knowing-and-loving-our-bodies-2022-08-09/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=aug9 

Peace and Perception

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to act on the certainty of our relationship with God to bring peace to situations that threaten to become contentious.

Seeking peaceful resolution

 

The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy outlines the essence of the Law for the Israelites emphasizing the Lord’s Majesty and Compassion.

* [10:16] Circumcise therefore the foreskins of your hearts: cf. 30:6; Jer 4:4; Rom 2:29. The “uncircumcised heart” (Lv 26:41; Jer 9:25; Ez 44:7, 9) is closed and unreceptive to God, just as “uncircumcised ears” (Jer 6:10) are closed to the word of the Lord, and “uncircumcised lips” (Ex 6:12, 30) are a hindrance to speaking on behalf of the Lord.1 

Psalm 147 is praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem.

* [Psalm 147] The hymn is divided into three sections by the calls to praise in Ps 147:1, 7, 12. The first section praises the powerful creator who restores exiled Judah (Ps 147:1–6); the second section, the creator who provides food to animals and human beings; the third and climactic section exhorts the holy city to recognize it has been re-created and made the place of disclosure for God’s word, a word as life-giving as water.2 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus again foretells His death and Resurrection. Jesus attends to the Temple Tax.

* [17:24–27] Like Mt 14:28–31 and Mt 16:16b–19, this episode comes from Matthew’s special material on Peter. Although the question of the collectors concerns Jesus’ payment of the temple tax, it is put to Peter. It is he who receives instruction from Jesus about freedom from the obligation of payment and yet why it should be made. The means of doing so is provided miraculously. The pericope deals with a problem of Matthew’s church, whether its members should pay the temple tax, and the answer is given through a word of Jesus conveyed to Peter. Some scholars see here an example of the teaching authority of Peter exercised in the name of Jesus (see Mt 16:19). The specific problem was a Jewish Christian one and may have arisen when the Matthean church was composed largely of that group.3 

Angela Maynard, in 2019, spent some wonderful time with Jesus asking for guidance and direction.  A difficult time has turned into a blessing of sorts…most days.

I’ve come to two conclusions during this summer of reflection.  Here they are:

• We were put on this earth to care for each other—no matter what!

• We will be where we are supposed to be—God is the one in control.

My focus now is to ‘trust the process.”  Jesus knew what was ahead, as did his disciples.  I don’t know what is ahead.  Most of us don’t.  But should that really matter? 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.   - Jeremiah 29:114 

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus speaks of his death and resurrection,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"I think we have an obligation to examine this, too: that Jesus was delivered into the hands of men, not by men into the hands of men but by powers to whom the Father delivered his Son on behalf of us all. In the very act of being delivered and coming under the power of those to whom he was delivered, he "destroyed him who had the power of death." For "through death he destroyed him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and delivered all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13.8)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Deuteronomy 10:12-22 comments that God took special care of Israel in order that they might fulfill a vital mission: to be a light to the other nations. They needed to preserve their special relationship with God, but they also needed to remember their call to welcome the “outsiders” and treat them with compassion. This is how their light would shine—by showing the nations that God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity” (Exodus 34:6).

Always remember who you are and where you came from. You have received the blessings that flow from the faithfulness of your spiritual ancestors. At the same time, you have received the same Spirit that filled the apostles. That means you have the same calling as they did: to show kindness, patience, and compassion to the “strangers” in your midst. It also means you have the same promise: that every time you do, the light of God’s love shines through you. So embrace your inheritance—and your calling! “Jesus, teach me to love everyone with the same humility that your apostles had.”6 

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the great gift to the Israelites of knowing what God expected. Other people at that time lived in fear of offending the gods. Friar Jude reminds us that Matthew shows Jesus to be a good Jew who observes the Law in a miraculous way.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that enduring structures of “power over,” like patriarchy, white supremacy, and rigid capitalism, have limited most individuals’ power for so long that it is difficult to imagine another way. Only very gradually does human consciousness come to a selfless use of power, the sharing of power, or even a benevolent use of power—in church, politics, or families.

Good power is revealed in what Ken Wilber calls “growth hierarchies,” [1] which are needed to protect children, the poor, the entire natural world, and all those without power. Bad power consists of “domination hierarchies” in which power is used merely to protect, maintain, and promote oneself and one’s group at the expense of others. Hierarchies in and of themselves are not inherently bad, but they are very dangerous for ourselves and others if we have not done our spiritual work. Martin Luther King Jr. defined power simply as “the ability to achieve purpose” and insisted that it be used towards the growth of love and justice. He wrote, “It is the strength required to bring about social, political or economic changes. In this sense power is not only desirable but necessary in order to implement the demands of love and justice.” [2]7

 

Our approach to situations of potential conflict, guided by the Spirit, needs to balance peace, power, and perception.

 

Addendum

Joe Egerton, the Robert Schuman Silver Medal for European Unity award winner in 1985, writes about Edith Stein sharing truth at the service of humanity.

In Fides et Ratio, Pope St John Paul II gave us a reason to pay attention to Edith Stein’s writings: One thing is certain: attention to the spiritual journey of [Edith Stein] can only give greater momentum to both the search for truth and the effort to apply the results of that search to the service of humanity[17].8 

 

References

1	(n.d.). Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/10
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 147 | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/147
3	(n.d.). Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/080921.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=aug9
6	(2021, August 8). Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Virgin and Martyr .... Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/08/09/190561/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://cac.org/growing-in-power-2021-08-09/
8	(2018, August 8). Edith Stein: truth at the service of humanity | Thinking Faith: The .... Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/edith-stein-truth-service-humanity