Love trust and freedom

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the freedom we experience through trust in God and our conformation to his Will that we embrace Love for all people and creation.

Freedom in trust and love

Hosea outlines living with the dedication to sincere conversion and new life.

 * [14:4] These good intentions promise a reversal of Israel’s sins: no more reliance on “Assyria,” i.e., on foreign alliances (see notes on 8:9 and 12:2), on “horses,” i.e., on human power (10:13), and on idolatry (8:4–6; 13:2). Israel will trust in the Lord alone.1

Psalm 81 exhorts if Israel repents, God will be with them once again.

* [Psalm 81] At a pilgrimage feast, probably harvest in the fall, the people assemble in the Temple in accord with the Sinai ordinances (Ps 81:2–6). They hear a divine word (mediated by a Temple speaker) telling how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt (Ps 81:7–9), gave them the fundamental commandment of fidelity (Ps 81:9–11), which would bring punishment if they refused to obey (Ps 81:12–13). But if Israel repents, God will be with them once again, bestowing protection and fertility (Ps 81:14–16).2 

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus connects the question of the scribe to the Great Commandment.

* [12:13–34] In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).3 

Barbara Dilly asks: What does the commandment to love God with all our hearts have to do with the prophet Hosea’s words about how God supports those who trust in Him? What does it have to do with the Psalmist’s reminder of our liberation?

Reflecting on these passages today helps me understand that Jesus is calling me to discern carefully where I place my trust, am I really listening to the one God, and am I responding to my faith wisely.  Who or what is my God? Am I wasting my time with burnt offerings and sacrifices to alien gods when I should be focusing my life on loving God and others? Am I really listening to God? 4 

Don Schwager quotes “The fire of God's love,” by Augustine of Hippo,354-430 A.D.

"Gravity keeps everything in its own place. Fire climbs up, while a stone goes down. Elements that are not in their own place are restless until they find it. This applies also to us. My weight is my love; wherever I go, I am driven by it. By the love of God we catch fire ourselves and, by moving up, find our place and our rest." (excerpt from Confessions 13,9)5  

The Word Among Us Meditation on Hosea 14:2-10 shares that today, just as in Hosea’s time, God continues to plead with his people to come back to him. Since Lent is all about God’s call to come home, let’s listen for his voice in the words of Hosea.

Take with you words (Hosea 14:3). God knows that the act of confessing our sins is the first step toward freedom. Naming them aloud is the best way to bring them into the light, where the Lord can free us. Isn’t this what happens in Confession? Our words of repentance have the power to unlock the chains that have dragged us down. It’s not always easy, though, to find the right words. But that doesn’t matter to the Lord.6 

Friar Jude Winkler explains how Hosea saw his love of his unfaithful wife, Gomer, as a paradigm of the love of God for Israel. We love God with heart or intellect, soul or our very life essence, mind or conscience, and strength or our physical possessions. Friar Jude notes that the scribe who set out to trick Jesus concludes that Jesus has authority and wisdom.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Meister Eckhart [1], “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me: my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, and one love” and reflects on what David Benner calls “spirit-centered awakening.” Love, trust, and freedom are characteristic experiences of God in our transformation to living in union with One.

References

1	(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 14 - usccb. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/14
2	(n.d.). Psalm 81 - usccb. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/81
3	(n.d.). Mark, chapter 12 - usccb. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/12
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). 3rd Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for .... Retrieved March 29, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/03/29
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: March 2019 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved March 29, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/03/

False dichotomies challenge chances for life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer an opportunity to contemplate the tension between our trust in love or power to meet our needs.

Healing divisions

The Prophet Hosea sees the parallel between his relationship with his unfaithful wife Gomer and the Covenant of God and Israel.

* [2:16] Therefore: this word in Hebrew normally introduces an oracle of doom; here, surprisingly, it leads to hope. Allure: as though seducing a virgin (Ex 22:15–16). Ordinarily this word connotes deception (Jgs 14:15; 16:5; 1 Kgs 22:20–22).

The woman who suffered with a hemorrhage for years is saved by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and the daughter of a synagogue official is healed by reanimation.

* [9:18–34] In this third group of miracles, the first (Mt 9:18–26) is clearly dependent on Mark (Mk 5:21–43). Though it tells of two miracles, the cure of the woman had already been included within the story of the raising of the official’s daughter, so that the two were probably regarded as a single unit. The other miracles seem to have been derived from Mark and Q, respectively, though there Matthew’s own editing is much more evident.

Jeanne Schuler comments that the tension that pits science against religion displays faulty thinking.

An “enlightened” society that disdains God is impoverished.  We do not learn how to love from laws or psych theories. We do not learn the origin of life from the Book of Genesis.  Both science and religion are ways of knowing. Both involve faith. Without trust, no human endeavors move forward. The more we understand the world, the greater God’s glory appears.

Don Schwager quotes John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) in a sermon on “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

"So what did Messiah do? He did not let her go unnoticed but led her into the center of attention and made her visible. He had many reasons for doing this. Some might imagine that 'he did this merely for love of glory - otherwise why would he not allow her to remain concealed?' But what are they proposing who might say this? That he should keep her silent, that he should ignore her need, and thereby pass up miracles too numerous to mention, all because he is in love with glory? What an unholy thought, inspired by the most unholy one of all."
"What then is his intention in bringing her forward? First, Jesus puts an end to her fear. He does not want her to remain trapped in dread. He gives no cause for her conscience to be harmed, as if she had stolen the gift. Second, he corrects her assumption that she has no right to be seen. Third, he makes her faith an exhibit to all. He encourages the others to emulate her faith. Fourth, his subduing the fountains of her hemorrhage was another sign of his knowledge of all things. And finally, do you remember the ruler of the synagogue? He was at the point of despair, of utter ruin. Jesus is indirectly admonishing him by what he says to the woman." (excerpt from the  THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 31.2)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22 underlines one of Hosea’s most important messages that God, our divine spouse, is always taking the initiative.

God wants to coax you today. He wants you to come away with him to a place free of distractions. Let him speak to your heart. Let him convince you of his faithfulness and his love. If you feel that your failures are too great, don’t let that stop you from joining him.

Friar Jude Winkler compares Hosea and Gomer, who was unfaithful, being lured into the desert to a second honeymoon between God and Israel. Jesus recognizes faith by a saving action for the whole person, rather than just healing the body, Friar Jude observes.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, asserts that as humans we can’t help but be political whether we recognize it or not—so let’s learn how to participate in the public forum as God’s image and likeness!

Over the years, I’ve met many social activists who were advocating for crucial justice issues, but they were still largely living out of their false self with the need to win and look good—and defeat “the enemy.” They might have the answer, but they are not themselves the answer. In fact, they are part of the problem because they still trust in power over love.

The tendency to separate faith and action, science and religion, and politics and human interaction are false dichotomies that tend to obstruct our openness to full life in relationship with Christ.

References


(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/2

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew9:47

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/ 

(n.d.). 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 9, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/