Bluster and Blindness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seriously examine empire building bluster in our community and political environment as an attempt to blind us to the need to be workers for love and justice in Jesus' vineyard.

Blinded by Bluster

The Reading from the First Book of Maccabees presents the beginning of Seleucid persecution from Alexander to Antiochus.

* [1:10] The one hundred and thirty-seventh year: Antiochus IV seized the throne in September, 175 B.C. Dates are given in this book according to the beginning of the Seleucid era, which however was reckoned in two different ways. Antiochians considered this date to be October, 312 B.C. (Syrian calendar), while Babylonians and Jewish priests accepted April, 311 B.C. as the commencement of the era (Temple calendar). The author of 1 Maccabees dates political events by the Syrian calendar but religious events by the Temple calendar. Accordingly, the civil New Year occurred variously in September or October, the religious New Year in March or April..

* [1:54] Fifteenth day of the month Kislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five: December 6, 167 B.C. Desolating abomination: in the original Hebrew, a contemptuous pun on the title “Lord of heaven” given to the god to whom an image or perhaps an altar was erected upon the altar of burnt offerings in the Temple of Jerusalem; cf. Dn 9:27; 11:31.

* [1:56] Scrolls of the law: one or more of the first five books of the Old Testament, the traditional law of Israel. (1 Maccabees, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them.

* [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. Several expected elements do not appear in the Psalm: Mount Sinai with its story of God’s revelation and gift to Israel of instruction and commandments, the Temple and other institutions related to revelation and laws (frequent in other Psalms). The Psalm is fascinated with God’s word directing and guiding human life. The poem is an acrostic; its twenty-two stanzas (of eight verses each) are in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within a stanza begins with the same letter. Each verse contains one word for “instruction.” The translation here given attempts to translate each Hebrew word for “instruction” with the same English word. There are, however, nine words for “instruction,” not eight, so the principle of a different word for “instruction” in each verse cannot be maintained with perfect consistency. The nine words for “instruction” in the translation are: law, statute, commandment, precept, testimony, word, judgment, way, and promise. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the Healing of the Blind Beggar.

* [18:38] Son of David: the blind beggar identifies Jesus with a title that is related to Jesus’ role as Messiah (see note on Lk 2:11). Through this Son of David, salvation comes to the blind man. Note the connection between salvation and house of David mentioned earlier in Zechariah’s canticle (Lk 1:69). See also note on Mt 9:27. (Luke, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cindy Costanzo comments that this scripture, the Healing of the Blind Beggar, displays vulnerability, courage, dependence, trust, strength, and faith.

Jesus wants us to come to him in times of vulnerability and dependence. Jesus wants us to have courage and the strength to pray to him, to listen quietly, to sit in stillness, and bring our sorrows, joys, and requests. Jesus wants us to trust him. Jesus wants us to have faith. 

Be still right now, pray to Jesus asking him for what you need today, and have faith that it will be delivered. (Costanzo, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The blind man knows that Jesus is the Son of David and the Messiah,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The blind man must have understood that the sight of the blind cannot be restored by human means but requires, on the contrary, a divine power and an authority such as God only possesses. With God nothing whatsoever is impossible. The blind man came near to him as to the omnipotent God. How then does he call him the Son of David? What can one answer to this? The following is perhaps the explanation. Since he was born and raised in Judaism, of course, the predictions contained in the law and the holy prophets concerning Christ had not escaped his knowledge. He heard them chant that passage in the book of the Psalms, 'The Lord has sworn in truth to David, and will not annul it, saying: "of the fruit of your loins I will set a king upon your throne"' (Psalm 132:11).

"The blind man also knew that the blessed prophet Isaiah said, 'There will spring up a shoot from the root of Jesse, and from his root a flower will grow up' (Isaiah 11:1). Isaiah also said, 'Behold, a virgin will conceive and bring forth a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us' (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). He already believed that the Word, being God, of his own will had submitted to be born in the flesh of the holy Virgin. He now comes near to him as to God and says, 'Have mercy on me, Son of David.' Christ testifies that this was his state of mind in offering his petition. He said to him, 'Your faith has saved you.'"(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 126) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:35-43 asks, wouldn't it be wonderful to have experienced that miracle? We all have the same longing as the man in today’s Gospel: we want to see. Most of all—and even if we don’t recognize it—we want to see Jesus and follow where he leads.

Guess what? Jesus will be passing by you today! He will be there in prayer or at Mass, when you can call out to him in need and rejoice in signs of his love. He will be there, ready to give you his full attention. His healing presence will be close by as the Holy Spirit brings a new understanding of God’s love or an insight into his word that calms your troubled heart. He will be there in your fellow believers, who might share an encouraging—or challenging—word or who might offer to pray with you. And he will be there in those who are poor and neglected, who might bring you healing as you care for them and love them with the love of Christ.

So call out to Jesus today. Bring him your needs and your hopes and your dreams. Let him heal you and lead you in his ways.

“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me! Lord, let me see you today!” (Meditation on Luke 18:35-43, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that, in the Maccabees reading, we hear the rise of the Seleucid Empire that stretched from Turkey to Afghanistan. Emperor Antiochus IV's goal was to be proclaimed as a god and have uniformity in the empire. Some Jews in Jerusalem wanted to be like the Greeks with the gymnasium and sacrifice to gods. A rebellion broke out around 180 BCE against Seleucid oppression. In Luke, Jesus is on the way to Jericho and is interrupted by being addressed as “Jesus, Son of David”. The one who acknowledges Jesus is physically blind. Friar Jude urges that with our prayers we should be insistent. The blind man wanted to see and Jesus declares “You have been saved,” an indication of being healed both spiritually and physically.

Fr. Mike Schmitz highlights how Jesus didn't pray in order to get something from God, he prayed in order to be close to God. He also points to Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane as a perfect example of how we should pray with honesty and trust. Lastly, Fr. Mike provides insights on the significance of the walk to Emmaus and Jesus' last words on the cross. The readings are Luke 22:39-24:53 and Proverbs 26:20-23.

CAC faculty member Brian McLaren is concerned about the cost of our increasingly limited ability to see beyond our religious or political points of view. He describes how bias results when our worldviews become solidified.

People can’t see what they can’t see. 

We all, yes, even me—and more shockingly, even you, have a whole set of assumptions and limitations, prejudices and preferences, likes, dislikes and triggers, fears and conflicts of interest, blind spots and obsessions that keep us from seeing what we could and would see if we didn’t have them. 

We are almost always unconscious of these internal obstacles to seeing and understanding, which makes it even harder for us to address them. We are, you might say, blind to what blinds us. The name for these unconscious internal obstacles is bias. 

Bias makes us resist and reject messages we should accept and accept messages we should resist and reject. In short … we can’t see what we can’t see because our biases get in the way. (McLaren, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to make us aware of the blindness in our opinions and actions that we need to seek healing from the “Son of David”.

References

Costanzo, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-17-2025 

Luke, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/18?35 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Not as Rational as We Think. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/not-as-rational-as-we-think/ 

Meditation on Luke 18:35-43. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/11/17/1431063/ 

1 Maccabees, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1maccabees/1?10 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?53 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). What Do You Want Me to Do for You? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Temple Time

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge contemplation of the tension between our experience of God in Sacred Places and our need to encounter Jesus in our relationships with those we encounter daily outside our Church.

Prepare to go out

The reading from the First Book of Maccabees describes the cleansing and dedication of the Temple after freeing Jerusalem from the Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic state.

* [4:59] Days of the dedication: institution of the feast of Hanukkah, also called the feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22). Josephus calls it the feast of Lights (Ant. 12:325).1 

The responsorial today is David’s praise to God.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Cleanses the Temple before Passover.

* [19:45–46] Immediately upon entering the holy city, Jesus in a display of his authority enters the temple (see Mal 3:1–3) and lays claim to it after cleansing it that it might become a proper place for his teaching ministry in Jerusalem (Lk 19:47; 20:1; 21:37; 22:53). See Mt 21:12–17; Mk 11:15–19; Jn 2:13–17 and the notes there.2 

Tamora Whitney shares that music can be very powerful. She came to the church through music many years ago.

But I went to Mass. And I loved the music. And soon I was singing for Mass with the choir, with my classmates, and on my own. And I converted to Catholicism when I was a sophomore in college. I sang in my heart, and in the chapel, to God, and he heard me and accepted me. Like Cecilia's husband, I was baptized and converted. And I still love the music at Mass. I think singing is the purest means of praise.3 

Don Schwager quotes “The home of sanctity,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God does not want his temple to be a trader's lodge but the home of sanctity. He does not preserve the practice of the priestly ministry by the dishonest duty of religion but by voluntary obedience. Consider what the Lord’s actions impose on you as an example of living... He taught in general that worldly transactions must be absent from the temple, but he drove out the money changers in particular. Who are the money changers, if not those who seek profit from the Lord's money and cannot distinguish between good and evil? Holy Scripture is the Lord's money." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 9.17–18)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 19:45-48 reviews how we can understand the words, “My house shall be a house of prayer.” (Luke 19:46)

The physical structure in which you attend Mass every Sunday—or perhaps daily—is literally God’s house. It’s more than just a building. It is a holy place where you can find Jesus, present in the tabernacle. It is a sacred space, especially during Mass, when Jesus comes to us in the form of bread and wine. Your church may not be in the wealthiest neighborhood. The building may not be designed in the most elegant style. But whatever it looks like and wherever it is, Jesus is present there. Don’t ignore this incredible gift!
In prayer today, thank Jesus for all the different ways he is present to you. May we all treasure every “house of prayer” that Christ has given to us!5 

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the feast of Hanukkah commemorating the purification of the Temple after the Maccabean rebellion. Jesus cleansing of the Temple threatened the privilege of the Herodians and Sadducees under Roman rule. Friar Jude reminds us that our acts of worship speak about our faith.

On the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Franciscan media share that although she is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs, the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material. There is no trace of honor being paid her in early times. A fragmentary inscription of the late fourth century refers to a church named after her, and her feast was celebrated at least in 545.

Like any good Christian, Cecilia sang in her heart, and sometimes with her voice. She has become a symbol of the Church’s conviction that good music is an integral part of the liturgy, of greater value to the Church than any other art.6

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that recently our politics have grown more and more divided with many religious people exclusively focusing on narrow issues of abortion or sexual identity while disregarding the lives of so many—refugees, the poor, the incarcerated, the abused or addicted, people at risk from climate change or pollution. What will it take to come together and work for the common good—not only our personal interests? The old way of doing things just isn’t cutting it for anyone anymore, not on the left or the right. Peter Armstrong, an alumnus of the Living School and seminarian at Yale Divinity School, looks to the Gospels for practical guidance to help something new emerge.

The work of getting to know others different than ourselves, made so difficult by our society’s divisions, is nevertheless the work of following Jesus. . . . Many say that their faith is personal and not to be mixed with their politics. But, in my journey . . . I’ve come to understand that religion has everything to do with politics. Jesus wasn’t executed because he went around healing people; he was crucified as the worst kind of criminal because his Gospel message was viewed as dangerous by the ruling class. In fact, the entire Gospel of Luke is one long lesson in speaking truth to power—to the corrupt elite in Jerusalem. If we Christians claim to have anything to do with Jesus, then we must inherently be engaged with the political issues of our time.7 

Our liturgy and music are opportunities to encounter Jesus in the assembly and restore our fullness of life so we might fearlessly be the voice of today’s widows and orphans in the public square.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 Maccabees, chapter 4. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1maccabees4:1
2	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 19 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/19
3	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(2019, November 22). Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr - The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/11/22/
6	(n.d.). Saint Cecilia - Franciscan Media. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-cecilia/
7	(2019, November 22). Willing to Be Changed — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://cac.org/willing-to-be-changed-2019-11-22/

Spiritual struggle against assimilation continues

Look a little longer

Occasionally our interpretation of the events of life needs to be disturbed by taking a look from the point of view of the other. This is the presented in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the view of the author of the First Book of Maccabees about the death of the Greek Emperor who had sacked Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple. The deep depression which beset the ruler over these crimes leads to his death. The truth of our feeling at times that the death of some world leaders would bring such good as we would expect changes from oppression to freedom, starvation to health. The root causes of these situations are often deeper than one person. Nate Romano, S.J. ofCreighton University finds some words to share a more considered view of the Sadducees, the very conservative Jewish sect who did not accept resurrection from the dead, who challenge Jesus in the Gospel passage today from the Gospel of Luke. The method used by Jesus to change their frame of reference gives them room within their own paradigm to consider some a different bit of evidence from Moses. The little bit of light which is reflected from situations which we may initially see as completely dark is perhaps the Spirit encouraging patience and perseverance to discover the point of departure to another path.

Purify our plans

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring the themes of purification and cleansing to mind. These actions are presented in the episode from the Book of Maccabees where Judas and his brothers, the Hasmoneans, liberate the Temple which had been desecrated by Hellenistic worship during occupation of Israel by Seleucid invaders. The Gospel from Luke tells of Jesus zeal for the sanctity of the Temple as he drives out the merchants and restores teaching and respect. This action attracts the attention, according to Friar Jude Winkler, of the Roman occupying authorities who were always on guard for acts of rebellion, particularly during holiday times. Those with control or monetary interests, like the Pharisees, are alerted to the need to deal with Jesus as one who is interrupting their plans. The personal housekeeping that Carol Zuegner of Creighton University recommends involves finding more time for prayer and perhaps prayerful music, as the Church remembers St Celia today. The conflicts of the holiday season and western commercialism with our faith life and the maintenance of religious festivals to focus on the light of Chanukah, which introduces the greater Light of the Divine, and Incarnation of Jesus which brings the Light to humanity are like the initial attractiveness of Hellenistic culture to the Jews which eventually led to the need for purification and cleansing.

Two rebellions with modern lessons

The texts today in the RomanCatholic Lectionary from the Gospel of Luke and the Book of First Macccabees show us two rebellions against two conquerors of the land of Israel and give us an opportunity to consider what determines our course of action against the forces which may be opposing our Life in the Spirit. Some of the people in the time of the priest Mattathias, who out of zeal for the traditions of the people of the Covenant murders the offenders and begins a rebellion, looked at the adoption of Hellenistic rules and regulation about religion as a kind of modernization, according to Friar Jude Winkler. This acceptance of the regulation of the state of religious practice is too present in our so called modern time. The grief of Jesus over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans after another rebellion about 200 years after Mattathias is used by Andy Alexander, S.J. of Creighton University to recall the recent lament of Pope Francis at Lampedusa that the modern world is losing any ability to live the grief of those suffering because of our political, social and economic attitudes, processes and decisions. How will our zeal to live the invitation of Jesus to intimacy with the Divine present itself in the battle against forces which work on our indifference to the human cost of the way the modern world is conquering our sense of basic justice. Our zeal to provide the necessities of life to our brothers and sisters should motivate our action. The tension is between using the plough or the sword as it was for Isaiah (Isaiah 2:4) and Jesus. Let us begin in the model of Jesus with prayer and weeping.

When glory appears

“Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full” is the response today to the psalm in the Roman Catholic Lectionary This praise proclamation is appropriate for the texts from the Second Book of Maccabees and from the Gospel of Luke. The second book of Maccabees, which is only in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox canon, tells individual stories of the decision of Jewish believers to accept martyrdom instead of submitting to the demands of the Greek rulers to practice pagan rituals including the eating of ``unclean`` food. The glory for which the faithful await is their return to God in resurrection.Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that this faith in resurrection is also a sustaining hope for full joy in the Christian journey when we are beset with the twists and turns of life that can so often steal our joy. The history ofthe Land of Israel in the period 166 - 129 BCE was one of struggle against the Hellenist Seleucids which culminates in the triumph of the Maccabees (Hebrew for hammer)/Hasmoneans (family name) and the restoration of worship in a purified Temple which is celebrated in Jewish tradition as the holiday of Chanukah. The ruler character in the parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke who goes away and leaves the administration of his kingdom in the hands of those who work for him isinterpreted by some as Jesus preparing His disciple for the long time between His death and return in the final days. During this time, Robert P. Heaney, John A. Creighton University Chair, advises that we be alert to the directive that we are responsible to God to use our gifts to bring return on the investment of God in us to His people. The action of making our gifts work for the benefit of others requires faith. The apparent unfairness of those who have the most coins in the parable getting more applies to faith. Faith which is not exercised in action and reaction with the people of God dies and strips us of the joy which the psalmist knows can be ours in the Presence of God.

An element of surprise

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.⁴ I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill (Psalm 3:3-4) The relationship expressed by the psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is one which we all seek to know. A shield from God to protect us from the influences that threaten to destroy our peace and contentment seems an ideal righteous environment. The elderly, like Eleazar, in the passage from  the Second Book of Maccabees should perhaps be given some kind of a pass to the peace and contentment of retirement but FriarJude Winkler reminds us of the great responsibility of those gifted with the experience of life to be examples of living the Gospel in their relationships with others. Many spiritual writers including Richard Rohr in his book FallingUpward celebrate the freedom of the ‘second half of life’ to live in witness to the great Love of God. The surprise of becoming a “white martyr” as our mission at retirement time offers a renewal of the role we see ourselves doing in the vineyard. The Gospel of Luke is an account full of journeys and surprises. As Jesus is travelling through Jericho to Jerusalem He becomes the object of the deep desire of Zacchaeus to see Him. Perhaps as a chief tax collector Zacchaeus, is in the second half of life. This encounter with Jesus has been interpreted in more than one way. The tense of the Greek verb can favour the scenario where Zacchaeus is like the Prodigal Son who declares an intention in the future to repent and perhaps convert or in the comments of Dan Clendenin, he is a righteous man today who Jesus identifies to show us how we too often misjudge without having all the information. It that light, the tax collector has been living as the “white martyr” receiving scorn and rejection as the result of the careless assumptions of the community. The ‘realized eschatology’ in the Gospel of Luke reminds us that the Life in the surprise of Love is now! 

Interrupt me

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers some meditation about seeing the path we should take and the difficulty we may have with the crowd who are distracting us from fullness of life. The psalmist cries out to proclaim that he is frustrated in the zeal he has for the decrees of God because his foes despise him and ignore the message of Life from God. When Israel came under the control of the Greek Empire in the two centuries before the birth of Jesus, many of the Jewish people reacted to the destruction of Jerusalem and the imposition of pagan religious practice by adopting the customs of the conquerors. The Books of Maccabees tell of brothers who saw things differently and rebelled against this invasion. In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus is on His journey to Jerusalem and, as noted by Don Schwager, is very likely adopting a teaching style of rabbis to talk to the crowd as He walked. We are invited by Michele Bogard of Creighton University to put ourselves in this text. We might be become aware of times when our desire to hear and teacher or homilist has been interrupted by a person distracting us from the flow of the session. We recall our frustration and annoyance about this intrusion into our doing something good, worthwhile and perhaps holy. Another position in the Gospel is that of Jesus. How likely are we to have stopped telling our important story or teaching to say to the one who interrupts   (Luke 18:41) "What do you want me to do for you”?  The path of our movement to holiness is fraught with interruptions. The Spirit will become present to us as an interrupting of patterns which are moving more with the crowd perhaps away from our mission. Hear the Word!

Snared in the work of our hands

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present a reminder that our cleverness to seek gain and advantage for ourselves is path which requires much energy and effort. The First Book of Maccabees details the last days of Antiochus Epiphanes which are marked by a life sapping depression and illness which are a consequence of the fear of the king as his empire begins to collapse. The psalmist praises the work of the Lord which has caused the enemies of Israel to be "shared in the work of their own hands".  This theme will be presented to us as the Christmas season arrives and we revisit Dicken's "A ChristmasCarol" and see how Scrooge has become trapped in the persona of one driven by greed. The Sadducees, in the Gospel of Luke attempt to trick Jesus by a legalistic question about life after the resurrection. Their position is that there is no resurrection and they are seeking to expose the error of those who do not hold their position. Jesus brings them to the proclamation of Moses concerning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The texts which the religious authorities know refer to the Patriarchs in the present tense when Moses encounters God at the burning bush. The scribes, who are the opponents of the Sadducees, praise Jesus answer probably more for the silencing of the questioners than for its insight into the Divine Plan. The journey to praise of the simple and beautiful works of the Creator does not detour to self aggrandizement.

Holy Places are essential

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today mark the commemoration of believers of Sacred Locations where communion with the Divine is experienced. The First Book of Maccabees details the cleansing and dedication of the Temple after the Macabeen rebels had recovered it from the armies of Antiochus Epiphanes. The celebration of this rededication is today known as Hanukkah. The passage from First Chronicles presents the praise for God which overwhelms David. This intimate connection with God is the experience of many. It may be in the Holy Place where nature reveals the sheer majesty and beauty of the Creator. It may be in the eyes of the infant looking out to the world with great expectation at his parent or grandparent. It may be that "still quiet voice" which whispers in the leaves by the water. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is angered by those who have made the sacred space of the Holy City into a bizarre. The reverent atmosphere which Holy Ground requires is absent. Our Christian understanding of our membership in the Body of Christ as "Temples of the Holy Spirit" is the meditation which needs to produce fruit of cleansing and rededication of our Holy Space. We have to seek the experience of David as we encounter the Presence of the Creator in all people.

Standing up for the relationship

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us the opportunity to consider the depth of our relationship with the Divine. The decision of Mattathias in the episode from the 1st Book of Maccabees is to act in "righteous anger" against the attempt of the occupying powers to have the Jews renounce their Covenant by sacrifice at the pagan altar. His response is in the pattern of Moses and results in the exile of the Jewish faithful to the hills in the wilderness. The words of the psalmist offer praise for the protection of God for those who endure sacrifice to maintain the Covenant. The text from Luke's Gospel has Jesus comment on the focus of the crowd on the provision by Jesus of food and healing to them which seems to be drawing them away from embracing the deep intimate relationship which He offers even to the extent of accepting betrayal to the authorities, who seek His death, by those to whom He offers satisfaction of their spiritual hunger and righteousness through healing of the offense they may have provided to God. We are challenged to open our eyes  and ears to  revelation of how we could move away from the distractions to a deeper level of intimacy with God.

God does have a plan

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider the nature of the plan of the Creator for the universe and our role in that plan. This may seem to be an enormous undertaking but Friar Jude Winkler today provides the background research to set the stage of belief in the resurrection and the necessity of martyrdom for the passage from Maccabees and the Stoicism in Matthew's background for his sensitivity to the realization of the plan of God in real time and places like Jerusalem. In our time the understanding that the love of God with our entire being, including "body and soul", is being replaced with more of a limited commitment to give. "God cannot expect me to..." is frequently our attitude. This does not seem to be the understanding of those put to death in the first reading. Jesus continues His journey to Jerusalem where the Will of the Father will bring Him into conflict with the authorities and to His death. The parable from the Gospel advises that when we know to a greater or lesser degree what the Will of the Father is for us, we show our involvement in the relationship of unconditional love with God by attending to the work and activity that is our vocation and for which we are amply provided with resources. Our prayer like the psalmist is that God will hear, protect and remain visible to us.

Salvation is witnessed

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite some consideration of what Richard Rohr writes in Falling Upward that we can enter the "second half of life" with a new journey toward greater intimacy with the Divine. This new journey is a return home to the simple and beautiful. The decision of Eleazar in the passage from the second book of Maccabees to be tortured to death instead of eating the flesh of animals sacrificed to idols  is a decision to put the elder duty of role model at the forefront of his following the Will of God which is the journey to a new relationship with God deeper than the one which he feared he would loose by rejecting the call to be a martyr. The approval of his friends is one of the "deaths" he experiences in the saving of his life through loosing it. In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus calls Zacchaeus into the second half journey by inviting Himself to visit Zacchaeus house and initiate the response of loosing wealth, former friends and position of influence as Jesus proclaims that the new journey bringing Zacchaeus into deeper relationship with God is "salvation has come to this house". Both these Scripture texts are the evidence of the proclamation of the psalmist that "Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people!"

Not seeing our blindness

The episode today from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary tells of the blind beggar who hears the crowd moving by and calls out to determine who is passing. The passers-by inform him that Jesus is moving through. He calls out in a determined manner, not in search of the alms, which he needed to continue his existence, but in a faith filled appeal to be changed and to know again full life. When this exercise of faith, trust persistence and courage is compared to the assimilation of the Jewish tradition by the Greek conquerers described in the texts from Maccabees we see an abandonment of the relationship with God through the Covenant for the false security of integration and acceptance of the way of the conquering power. The blindness of the people allowed the deception of the Hellenization of Israel to be perceived as progress, yet the historians record that many were killed and enslaved by the Greek masters. Some chose to maintain their sight and vision of the relationship with God and they became martyrs. We need to be stirred from our patterns like the blind beggar so that in the sight of faith we may recognize those deceptive promises and popular movements, today, which threaten our desire to maintain our relationship with God. We can avoid blindness as we call out in faith.

Living which is seen as a threat

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary reveal that the faithful have persecutors. The message portrayed by the lives of those who live in relationship with the Divine is apparently threatening to others, who perhaps are taken over by spirits of evil bolstered by false understanding of the nature of our existence and the false need to gratify our lusts and ambitions to satisfy the hunger of ego. The encounter of Jesus with the Sadducees over the person who is married in the eternity is addressed by referring the questioners to the tradition of the relationship between God and the patriarchs. Distraction is also a technique to avoid focus on the main question of living the intimate relationship with the Divine for eternity. Standing firm in the practice of your beliefs requires strength and courage. A play on Tomkinsville which presents the story of Father Jimmy Tomkins of Reserve Mines Cape Breton who worked to close the gap between rich and poor before WW2 through the actions of education and cooperation which became known as the Antigonish Movement. The privileged and the powerful push back when popular movements attempt to establish social justice.

We really can know the best choice

The ‘time for decision’ appears to be a theme running through the Scriptures of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. What might be the basis of each scenario presented? Is there a common theme? The Seven sons in Maccabees who accept execution instead of betrayal of their customs and covenant, the psalmist who prays for deliverance and the story that Jesus tells in Luke’s Gospel of the difference between the servants who invested their talents well and those who excused themselves. Underlying each scenario is the decision to act according to the understanding of the will of God. There is a choice and in our self, where the Divine indwells, is the necessary understanding to make the choice that continues and expands that awareness of the Presence within.