Promise and Mercy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the promise we maintain in our faith in the love and mercy of God.

Called to Mercy

The reading from Genesis describes Sarah’s death and burial and the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.

* [24:1–67] The story of Abraham and Sarah is drawing to a close. The promises of progeny (21:1–7) and land (chap. 23) have been fulfilled and Sarah has died (23:1–2). Abraham’s last duty is to ensure that his son Isaac shares in the promises. Isaac must take a wife from his own people (vv. 3–7), so the promises may be fulfilled. The extraordinary length of this story and its development of a single theme contrast strikingly with the spare style of the preceding Abraham and Sarah stories. It points ahead to the Jacob and Joseph stories. (Genesis, CHAPTER 24, n.d.)

Psalm 106 is a confession of Israel’s Sins.

* [Psalm 106] Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel (Ps 106:1–3). The speaker, on behalf of all, seeks solidarity with the people, who can always count on God’s fidelity despite their sin (Ps 106:4–5). (Psalms, PSALM 106, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew describes the calling of Matthew.

* [9:9] A man named Matthew: Mark names this tax collector Levi (Mk 2:14). No such name appears in the four lists of the twelve who were the closest companions of Jesus (Mt 10:2–4; Mk 3:16–19; Lk 6:14–16; Acts 1:13 [eleven, because of the defection of Judas Iscariot]), whereas all four list a Matthew, designated in Mt 10:3 as “the tax collector.” The evangelist may have changed the “Levi” of his source to Matthew so that this man, whose call is given special notice, like that of the first four disciples (Mt 4:18–22), might be included among the twelve. Another reason for the change may be that the disciple Matthew was the source of traditions peculiar to the church for which the evangelist was writing.

* [9:10] His house: it is not clear whether his refers to Jesus or Matthew. Tax collectors: see note on Mt 5:46. Table association with such persons would cause ritual impurity.

* [9:11] Teacher: see note on Mt 8:19.

* [9:12] See note on Mk 2:17.

* [9:13] Go and learn…not sacrifice: Matthew adds the prophetic statement of Hos 6:6 to the Marcan account (see also Mt 12:7). If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly comments that the Gospel today reminds us that getting closer to Jesus does not mean joining a club of the sanctimonious righteous. It means sitting down with sinners.

And it means more than just sitting there.  To follow in the healing work of Jesus with our fellow sinners, Jesus tells us we need to learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  To sacrifice is to offer something meaningful to God.  That is not necessarily a bad thing to do.  It is a way of setting priorities in our relationship with God.  But Jesus wants us to also set priorities in our relationships with others.  Jesus calls us to show compassion, kindness, and forgiveness to others, just as he does for us. That is a big challenge. It can be a lot of work and often a real burden.  It surely helps me to remember the words Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Dilly, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 45.1)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."](Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67 comments that as he did with Abraham, God has made promises to us. He promises to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). He promises us forgiveness of our sins (John 20:23). And he promises eternal life to all who believe (5:24). As we look back over our lives, we are sure to see signs of God’s faithfulness to these promises. Maybe it was an unexpected sense of peace in the midst of a trying time. Maybe it was a sense of freedom after you confessed your sin. Or maybe it was a sudden feeling of eager expectation for heaven. All these are proofs that God is watching over us and blessing us.

God is faithful. Let that truth help you, like Abraham, respond to him with your own faithfulness. Let it convince you that you can count on his provision for you and your family long into the future.

“Father, thank you for your promises. Help me to look back on your faithfulness and move forward with hope!” (Meditation on Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler relates an ancient legend about the details of the death of Sarah. The only part of the Promised Land owned by Abraham is the burial plot for Sarah and Isaac is not married and the descendants of Abraham are not yet visible. Friar Jude notes how we maintain the Pharisee’s sense of the contagion of evil in some of our family practices.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Episcopal priest and author Adam Bucko, who reminds us of the Gospel call to solidarity with the poor, who reveal Christ.

The Christian spiritual tradition is very clear about how we are to relate to those who are fragile, who have been rejected and forgotten, and who are standing on the bread lines waiting for food. We are to see them as Christ and approach them with the same kind of reverence and willingness to say yes. This identification of Christ with the poor is such that an old Anglo-Catholic saying, often cited in the context of the slum priest movement of the 1920s, tells us that unless we are willing and able to see Christ on the highways and byways of our cities in those who are rejected, homeless, and poor, we have no business talking about meeting him in the Eucharist. Our faith cannot be complete unless we have connected the two. As one theologian said, “The real presence of Christ, which is hidden in the bread and wine, is visibly manifested in his social presence in the poor who are the sign and image of his ongoing passion in the world.” [1]

We are prompted by the Spirit to be merciful and kind to people who we encounter who may be among the forgotten and neglected in our society.

References

Dilly, B. (2023, July 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070723.htm 

Genesis, CHAPTER 24. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/24 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9? 

Meditation on Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/07/728791/ 

Psalms, PSALM 106. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/106?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Real and Holy Presence. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-real-and-holy-presence-2023-07-07/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Desire Mercy - Not Sacrifice. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jul7 

Obedience and Healing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us with the model of obedience of Abraham and console us as we reflect on healing by the Holy Spirit.

Healing Moments

The reading from the Book of Genesis details the response of  Abraham to  the command to sacrifice Isaac.

* [22:1–19] The divine demand that Abraham sacrifice to God the son of promise is the greatest of his trials; after the successful completion of the test, he has only to buy a burial site for Sarah and find a wife for Isaac. The story is widely recognized as a literary masterpiece, depicting in a few lines God as the absolute Lord, inscrutable yet ultimately gracious, and Abraham, acting in moral grandeur as the great ancestor of Israel. Abraham speaks simply, with none of the wordy evasions of chaps. 13 and 21. The style is laconic; motivations and thoughts are not explained, and the reader cannot but wonder at the scene. In vv. 15–18, the angel repeats the seventh and climactic promise. Moriah: the mountain is not given a precise geographical location here, though 2 Chr 3:1 identifies Moriah as the mountain of Jerusalem where Solomon built the Temple; Abraham is thus the first to worship there. The word “Moriah” is a play on the verb “to see” (Heb. ra’ah); the wordplay is continued in v. 8, “God will provide (lit., “see”)” and in v. 14, Yahweh-yireh, meaning “the Lord will see/provide.” (Genesis, CHAPTER 22, n.d.)

Psalm 115 declares the impotence of idols and the Greatness of God

* [Psalm 115] A response to the enemy taunt, “Where is your God?” This hymn to the glory of Israel’s God (Ps 115:1–3) ridicules the lifeless idols of the nations (Ps 115:4–8), expresses in a litany the trust of the various classes of the people in God (Ps 115:9–11), invokes God’s blessing on them as they invoke the divine name (Ps 115:12–15), and concludes as it began with praise of God. Ps 135:15–18 similarly mocks the Gentile gods and has a similar litany and hymn (Ps 135:19–21). (Psalms, PSALM 115, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus heals a paralytic.

* [9:8] Who had given such authority to human beings: a significant difference from Mk 2:12 (“They…glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this’”). Matthew’s extension to human beings of the authority to forgive sins points to the belief that such authority was being claimed by Matthew’s church. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)

Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that the man could have become quite comfortable with his stretcher-life and paralyzed by his illness, physical or spiritual, but his real healing was rising and living beyond what the Scribes or the crowds expected.

Jesus has authority not only to forgive sin, which drives the Scribes crazy, because they want, only, the authority to allow people to be back into the pure-culture, but His authority urges those forgiven to reveal God’s Love to be lived as healingers themselves. So that authority of Jesus is shared with those of us who have experienced a past which has been confining, debilitating and stretcherful. The real miracle, for us, is that we can accept the healing from our deeds, attitudes and memories which can lay us low and we can rise and live beyond. The rising is not so much the healing as the going home and bringing new life. (Gillick, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Healing of soul and body,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"Now in the narrative of the paralytic a number of people are brought forward for healing. Jesus' words of healing are worthy of reflection. The paralytic is not told, 'Be healed.' He is not told, 'Rise and walk.' But he is told, 'Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven you.' The paralytic is a descendant of the original man, Adam. In one person, Christ, all the sins of Adam are forgiven. In this case the person to be healed is brought forward by ministering angels. In this case, too, he is called a son, because he is God's first work. The sins of his soul are forgiven him, and pardon of the first transgression is granted. We do not believe the paralytic committed any sin [that resulted in his illness], especially since the Lord said elsewhere that blindness from birth had not been contracted from someone's sin or that of his parents" [John 9:1-3]. (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 8.5) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 22:1-19 comments that Abraham’s trusting obedience is a model for us. Sometimes we have to offer our own “Isaac” to God. He may ask us to let go of something or someone we dearly love: a child moving away, perhaps, or a job, a home, or a cherished dream. But he also promises to provide for us, just as he provided for Abraham.

God asks for your whole life, not because he is selfish, but because he wants you to find the meaning and comfort that come only from him. Look back over your journey with God. Hasn’t he provided for you? Hasn’t he shown you his faithful love? Hasn’t he proved himself worthy to be trusted with your “Isaacs”?

Don’t be afraid to surrender your life to your loving Father. He will provide.

“Lord, I trust you. I put everything I am and have into your hands.” (Meditation on Genesis 22:1-19, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the different descriptions of Abraham and Isaac as “sacrifice” in Christian translations and “binding” in Jewish texts. The emphasis of the sacrifice of Isaac is obedience that Abraham has accepted over time during the events of his life. Friar Jude explores Jesus' question about the ease of healing a broken limb compared to a heart broken by sin.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Jesus consistently stands with the excluded: outsiders, sinners, and poor people. That is his place of freedom from every local culture, his unique way of critiquing all self-serving culture, and his way of standing in union with the suffering of the world—all at the same time. That is his form of world healing.

I am sure you see how Jesus’ insight has led us to our emphasis on contemplation and spiritual conversion here at the CAC, over pure and simple activism. If universal kinship, solidarity, communion with God, with ourselves, and with the rest of the world, is daily experienced and lived, we do have a very grounded plan and runway for peacemaking, justice work, social reform, civil and human rights—but now from a very positive place, where “I and the Father are one” [John 10:30]. 

This demands our own ongoing transformation, our changing places, and even a new identity, as Jesus shows in his great self-emptying (Philippians 2:6–7). He stood in solidarity with the problem itself, hardly ever with specific answers for people’s problems. This was his strategy and therefore it is ours. It feels like weakness, but it finally changes things in very creative, patient, and humble ways. Such solidarity is learned and expressed in two special places—contemplation and actions of communion with human suffering.  

This is our name and our task, and it comes from watching Jesus. (Rohr, 2023)

We reflect on the meaning to our journey of being people of faith and solidarity with the people we encounter who are struggling with the events of life. 

References

Genesis, CHAPTER 22. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/22?1 

Gillick, L. (2023, July 6). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070623.htm 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9 

Meditation on Genesis 22:1-19. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/06/728202/ 

Psalms, PSALM 115. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/115?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, July 6). Solidarity Is Jesus' Strategy — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/solidarity-is-jesus-strategy-2023-07-06/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take Heart - Your Sins Are Forgiven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jul6