Persistent Faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today reveal the fruits of persistence that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit graces our Baptismal prophetic vocation.

Persistent Prayer

In the reading from the Book of Exodus, Amalek attacks Israel and is defeated.

* [17:8] Amalek: the Amalekites appear in the Bible as early inhabitants of southern Palestine and the Sinai peninsula prior to the appearance of the Israelites in the region. Cf. Nm 24:20. (Exodus, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

Psalm 121 gives assurance of God’s Protection.

* [Psalm 121] A blessing given to someone embarking on a dangerous journey whether a soldier going on a campaign or a pilgrim returning home from the Temple. People look anxiously at the wooded hills. Will God protect them on their journey (Ps 121:1)? The speaker declares that God is not confined to a place or a time (Ps 121:2), that every step is guarded (Ps 121:3–4); night and day (Ps 121:5–6) God watches over their every movement (Ps 121:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 121, n.d.)

The reading from the Second Letter to Timothy expresses a solemn charge.

* [3:16–17] Useful for teaching…every good work: because as God’s word the scriptures share his divine authority. It is exercised through those who are ministers of the word.

* [3:16] All scripture is inspired by God: this could possibly also be translated, “All scripture inspired by God is useful for….” In this classic reference to inspiration, God is its principal author, with the writer as the human collaborator. Thus the scriptures are the word of God in human language. See also 2 Pt 1:20–21. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge.

* [18:1–14] The particularly Lucan material in the travel narrative concludes with two parables on prayer. The first (Lk 18:1–8) teaches the disciples the need of persistent prayer so that they not fall victims to apostasy (Lk 18:8). The second (Lk 18:9–14) condemns the self-righteous, critical attitude of the Pharisee and teaches that the fundamental attitude of the Christian disciple must be the recognition of sinfulness and complete dependence on God’s graciousness. The second parable recalls the story of the pardoning of the sinful woman (Lk 7:36–50) where a similar contrast is presented between the critical attitude of the Pharisee Simon and the love shown by the pardoned sinner.

* [18:5] Strike me: the Greek verb translated as strike means “to strike under the eye” and suggests the extreme situation to which the persistence of the widow might lead. It may, however, be used here in the much weaker sense of “to wear one out.” (Luke, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)

Mary Lee Brock comments that the widow in the parable shared by Jesus in the Gospel from Luke is the ultimate “no quitter.”  Her persistence in her requests to the hard-hearted judge is impressive.  She is strong, courageous, purposeful and focused.

I wonder what it might be like if I approached my prayer life with such strength, courage, purpose and focus.  As I listen to what Jesus is attempting to teach about prayer through this parable, I feel comforted by today’s responsorial psalm:  Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  Rather than try to figure out the perfect way to pray or the perfect time to pray or the perfect structure of my prayers, I simply need to put my trust in God to support my desire to pray.  I am comforted by that support and am inspired to be as persistent as the widow. 

St Ignatius had a lot to say about prayer.  In the Spiritual Exercises St Ignatius tells us that before we even begin to pray, we should “Ask God our Lord for what I want and desire.”  Being attentive and asking for a grace, a desire, helps me listen more deeply to God.  Beginning my prayer by asking for a grace reminds me that prayer is not a high-powered negotiation session for a particular request but rather a rich conversation with God. (Brock, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Persistent prayer transforms iniquity and wickedness into mercy,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).

"How was that unjust judge immoral and wicked? How was the upright judge gracious and just? The first in his iniquity was not willing to vindicate the widow, and in his wickedness, he was not willing to put her mind at rest. The justice of God knows how to vindicate, and his grace discerns how to give life. The iniquity of this wicked judge was contrary to the justice of God, and the wickedness of this rebel was in opposition to the grace of the gentle One. His wickedness therefore was stubbornness, for it dared to go against the fear of God. His boldness was stubborn, for it refused the lowly person."

"These two were stubborn, but persistent prayer was even more stubborn. The persistence of the widow humiliated both the iniquity that was rebelling against God and the boldness that was behaving arrogantly towards human beings. She subjected them to her will, so that they might provide her with a vindication over her adversary. Persistence transformed these two bitter branches, and they bore sweet fruit that was against their nature. The iniquity of the judge brought about a righteous judgment and a just retribution for the falsely accused woman. His wickedness gave peace to the afflicted one, although iniquity does not know how to judge, and wickedness does not know how to give refreshment. Persistence forced these two evil and bitter branches to give good fruit against their nature. If we persist in prayer, we should be even more able to prevail on the grace and justice of God to give us fruit that agrees with their nature. Let justice vindicate us, and let grace refresh us. Accordingly, the fruit of justice is the just reward of the oppressed, while the giving of refreshment to the afflicted is the fruit of grace." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 16.16.6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:1-8 asks how do we handle unanswered prayers? This is one of life’s hardest questions. Even Jesus prayed that his “cup” of suffering would pass—and it didn’t (Matthew 26:39). He prayed for all believers to be one—and we aren’t (John 17:21). Even so, Jesus tells us to pray always and not grow weary because in the end, God will see that justice is done (Luke 18:1, 7).

So like Jesus, we can keep bringing our prayers to God. Like him, we can hold on to God’s love and trust him. And like Jesus, we can persist in surrendering to God’s ways, even when we don’t understand. “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus knows that none of this is easy. But the God who sent angels to comfort Jesus will strengthen you. And one day he will bring you into his presence. So until then, keep praying. Trust and hope in the Lord who will make all things new.

“Lord, in your goodness, answer me.” (Meditation on Luke 18:1-8, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler underlines from the example of Aaron and Hur how we need the support of a praying community. The Holy Spirit placed emphasis and inspired the words of the authors of Scripture. We need to read and study the context to ponder the confusion, contradiction and grammatical errors we encounter. Friar Jude reminds us of the powerful chutzpah that often accompanies traditional Hebrew prayer.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the work of justice is rooted in the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures. Christianity has given little energy to prophecy, which Paul identifies as the second most important charism for building the church (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). Too often, when Christians talk about prophecy, we think prophets make predictions about the future. In fact, prophets say exactly the opposite! They insist the future is highly contingent on the now.

The prophets ultimately reveal a God who is “the God of the Sufferers” in the words of Jewish philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965). [1] I’d like to put it this way: it is not that we go out preaching hard and difficult messages, and then people mistreat and marginalize us for being such prophets (although that might happen). Rather, when we go to the stories of the prophets and of Jesus himself, we discover the biblical pattern is just the opposite! When we find ourselves wounded and marginalized, and we allow that suffering to teach us, we can become prophets. When we repeatedly experience the faithfulness, the mercy, and the forgiveness of God, then our prophetic voice emerges. That’s the training school. That’s where we learn how to speak the truth.

The prophets were always these wonderful people who went to wounded places. They went to where the suffering was, to the people who were excluded from the system. They saw through the idolatries at the center of the system because those who are excluded from the system always reveal the operating beliefs of that system. Speaking the truth for the sake of healing and wholeness is then prophetic because the “powers that be” that benefit from the system cannot tolerate certain revelations. They cannot tolerate the truths that the marginalized—the broken, the wounded, and the homeless—always reveal. (Rohr, 2022)

We reflect on our journey to appreciate the persistent themes in which we seek fullness of life for our community.

References

Brock, M. L. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/101622.html 

Exodus, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/17?8 

Luke, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/18?1 

Meditation on Luke 18:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/10/16/513175/ 

Psalms, PSALM 121. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/121?1 

Rohr, R. (2022, October 16). The Example of the Prophets — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-example-of-the-prophets-2022-10-16/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=oct16 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/3?14 

Freedom to Declare Truth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the paradox of the diversity in the missions of Peter and Paul as the guidance of the Spirit led them to live the truth of Jesus.

From ‘Apostles Peter and Paul’ by El Greco

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles declares that James is killed and Peter imprisoned and then delivered from prison.

* [12:1–19] Herod Agrippa ruled Judea A.D. 41–44. While Luke does not assign a motive for his execution of James and his intended execution of Peter, the broad background lies in Herod’s support of Pharisaic Judaism. The Jewish Christians had lost the popularity they had had in Jerusalem (Acts 2:47), perhaps because of suspicions against them traceable to the teaching of Stephen. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

Psalm 34 gives praise for deliverance from trouble.

* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 34, n.d.)

The reading from the Second Letter of Timothy shares Paul’s reward for fidelity.

* [4:6] The apostle recognizes his death through martyrdom to be imminent. He regards it as an act of worship in which his blood will be poured out in sacrifice; cf. Ex 29:38–40; Phil 2:17. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew is Peter’s declaration about Jesus at Caesarea Philippi.

* [16:13–20] The Marcan confession of Jesus as Messiah, made by Peter as spokesman for the other disciples (Mk 8:27–29; cf. also Lk 9:18–20), is modified significantly here. The confession is of Jesus both as Messiah and as Son of the living God (Mt 16:16). Jesus’ response, drawn principally from material peculiar to Matthew, attributes the confession to a divine revelation granted to Peter alone (Mt 16:17) and makes him the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Mt 16:18) and the disciple whose authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven, i.e., by God (Mt 16:19). (Matthew, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)

Julie Kalkowski shares today's reading from St. Paul was the exact one used at her father’s funeral.

While my dad could be difficult at times, I believe he “competed well” and “kept the faith” as St. Paul wrote in today’s second reading. My dad’s strength came from God so he could often ‘be obedient to charity.’ May that be true for all of us. (Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Only by hope,” by Basil the Great, 329-379 A.D.

"'Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you' (Psalm 114:7). The brave contestant applies to himself the consoling words, very much like to Paul, when he says: 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice.' These things the prophet also says to himself: Since you have fulfilled sufficiently the course of this life, turn then to your rest, 'for the Lord has been bountiful to you.' For, eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in him." (excerpt from HOMILIES 22) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 12:1-11 comments that Peter and Paul built up the Church in very different ways, but despite their differences, both men chose to obey Jesus’ call to “Follow me” (Acts 12:8). They didn’t become like each other or lose their personalities. Instead, through the Spirit, they became more like Jesus. Today, we honor them together because in the end, they followed Jesus unto death, both dying as martyrs in Rome.

Each of us is unique, but whatever our personalities, this one truth is the same: the same Spirit that empowered Peter and Paul lives in us. Do you feel unqualified to serve the Lord? Are you burdened by your past? Look to these two heroes of the faith. Their lives were changed by the power of the Spirit, just as yours can. Today, ask them to pray for you as you seek to yield to the Spirit and follow Jesus wherever he leads you. “Holy Spirit, help me to follow Jesus today.” (Meditation on Acts 12:1-11, n.d.)

Fr John Twist SJ, Chaplain to Stonyhurst College, comments that saints Peter and Paul were both men of great faith and influence, but they had very different understandings of the Messiah to whom they dedicated their lives.

It is believed that the two great apostles were both martyred in Rome: Paul executed with a sword as a Roman citizen; Peter crucified upside down in imitation of his friend, Jesus. There can be little doubt that Paul was the more influential figure, with his letters forming a major part of the New Testament; Paul was the great theoretician of Christianity. But it is Peter who is more warmly embraced. Here is a very human figure, with real defects but great generosity; a man all of us can not merely admire, but to a degree can hope to imitate. Paul’s thoughts have left their mark on Christianity, but it is Peter’s personality that has moved Christian hearts. (Twist, 2013)

Friar Jude Winkler uses the lives of Peter and Paul to remind us that God accompanies us in life and even to martyrdom. The readiness of Paul to accept life or death is expressed in his letter to the Philippians. Friar Jude notes that the date of Matthew’s Gospel is later than the death of Peter, indicating that the head of the Church is conferred on the descendants of Peter, the Pope.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965) who helped introduce the non-Jewish world to the passionate spirituality of nineteenth-century Hasidism. As a young boy, Buber lived with his grandparents in Lemberg, present day Lviv, Ukraine. He was impacted by his grandfather’s Hasidic faith and went on to dedicate much of his scholarly life to sharing the legends, sayings, and stories of Hasidism. Much like the sayings of the Christian desert fathers and mothers, Hasidic short sayings contain wisdom beyond their words. We share several from Martin Buber’s work and encourage you to read them slowly, several times, to experience their prayerful wisdom. This saying reminds us that, while God’s presence is found in all reality, it takes an inner willingness to encounter it.

‘Where is the dwelling of God?’ 

This is the question with which the Rabbi of Kotzk surprised a number of learned men who happened to be visiting him. 

They laughed at him: ‘What a thing to ask! Is not the whole world full of [God’s] glory?’ 

Then he answered his own question:  

‘God dwells wherever man lets him in.’ [4] (Rohr, 2022)

Our gifts, received through the grace of God, are activated by the prompting of the Spirit to build the Freedom of the Kingdom of God.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/12?1 

Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. (n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062922.html 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?13 

Meditation on Acts 12:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/29/421721/ 

Psalms, PSALM 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?2 

Rohr, R. (2022, June 29). Shining the Light of Divine Life — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/shining-the-light-of-divine-life-2022-06-29/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun29a 

Twist, J. (2013, June 28). Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Thinking Faith. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130628_1.htm 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/4?6