Offense and Retaliation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with motives based in greed, retribution, and injustice that stand in complete opposition to Jesus' exhortation to “turn the other cheek.”

Dealing with Discord

The reading from the First Book of Kings, relates injustice around Naboth’s Vineyard.

* [21:1–16] The story tells how Jezebel manipulates important structures of Israelite social order, law, and religious observance to eliminate a faithful Israelite landowner who frustrates Ahab’s will.

* [21:3] Heritage: Hebrew naḥalah. Naboth is unwilling to sell or exchange his vineyard. According to the Israelite system of land tenure and distribution, land was held in common within a social unit. The ancestral naḥalah was not private property, to be alienated at will. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 5 urges Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies.

* [Psalm 5] A lament contrasting the security of the house of God (Ps 5:8–9, 12–13) with the danger of the company of evildoers (Ps 5:5–7, 10–11). The psalmist therefore prays that God will hear (Ps 5:2–4) and grant the protection and joy of the Temple. (Psalms, PSALM 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew teaches Concerning Retaliation.

* [5:38–42] See Lv 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.

* [5:41] Roman garrisons in Palestine had the right to requisition the property and services of the native population. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Julie Kalkowski asks how do we develop the internal strength to take the high road?...  to not cooperate with evil? 

Pope Francis writes:  “The power of Jesus is love.”  To overcome evil with good , we have to make time each day to connect with God’s grace and love so that we too can stand up to evil…to ‘turn our other cheek’. 

Let us close by praying:  “Jesus, you who love me, teach me to love like you. Jesus, you who forgive me, teach me to forgive like you.  Send your spirit, the spirit of Love, upon me.”  Pope Francis (Kalkowski, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “You tear yourself apart by hating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church

"We have seen how murder is born from anger and adultery from desire. In the same way, the hatred of an enemy is destroyed by the love of friendship. Suppose you have viewed a man as an enemy, yet after a while he has been swayed by your benevolence. You will then love him as a friend. I think that Christ ordered these things not so much for our enemies as for us: not because enemies are fit to be loved by others but because we are not fit to hate anyone. For hatred is the prodigy of dark places. Wherever it resides, it sullies the beauty of sound sense. Therefore not only does Christ order us to love our enemies for the sake of cherishing them but also for the sake of driving away from ourselves what is bad for us. The Mosaic law does not speak about physically hurting your enemy but about hating your enemy. But if you merely hate him, you have hurt yourself more in the spirit than you have hurt him in the flesh. Perhaps you don't harm him at all by hating him. But you surely tear yourself apart. If then you are benevolent to an enemy, you have rather spared yourself than him. And if you do him a kindness, you benefit yourself more than him." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 13, The Greek Fathers) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42 comments that we may not have warm feelings for our adversaries, but by keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can wish for their good. This gaze happens most effectively in prayer: intimate prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, convicting prayer while reading the Gospels, joyful prayer of praise and thanksgiving, and fruitful prayer after Communion.

The radical love and mercy Jesus is asking of us can only come into the world one person at a time. So when you want to retaliate, look at your struggle as an opportunity. When you respond to evil with God’s goodness, you are pouring the love of Christ into human hearts.

“Lord Jesus, I need your inexhaustible grace. Stay with me on my journey through this rough terrain.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the mistreatment of Naboth by Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, to take the vineyard from him that had been granted by God. Jesus extends the intention of the lex talionis in the Sermon on the Mount by instructing us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Friar Jude suggests that our generous response may cause evil to be deflected.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers his own basic overview of the stages of spiritual development, which also account for our developmentally appropriate psychological needs.

1. My body and self-image are who I am. 
   We focus on our own security, safety, and defense needs.  

2. My external behavior is who I am. 
   We need to look good from the outside and to hide any “contrary evidence” from others, and eventually from ourselves. The ego’s “shadow” begins to emerge at this time.  

3. My thoughts and feelings are who I am. 
   We begin to take pride in our “better” thoughts and feelings and learn to control them, so much so that we do not even see their self-serving nature. For nearly all of us, a major defeat, shock, or humiliation must be suffered and passed through to go beyond this stage.  

4. My deeper intuitions and felt knowledge in my body are who I am. 
   This is such a breakthrough and so helpful that many of us are content to stay here, but to remain at this level may lead to inner work or body work as a substitute for any real encounter with, or sacrifice for, the “other.”  

5. My shadow self is who I am. 
   This is the first “dark night of the senses”—when our weakness overwhelms us, and we finally face ourselves in our unvarnished and uncivilized state. Without guidance, grace, and prayer, most of us go running back to previous identities.  

6. I am empty and powerless. 
   Some call this sitting in “God’s Waiting Room,” but it is more often known as “the dark night of the soul.” At this point, almost any attempt to save ourselves by any superior behavior, morality, or prayer technique will fail us. All we can do is to ask, wait, and trust. God is about to become real. The false or separate self is dying in a major way.  

7.  I am much more than who I thought I was. 
   We experience the permanent waning of the false self and the ascent of the True Self as the center of our being. It feels like an absence or void, even if a wonderful void. John of the Cross calls this “luminous darkness.” We grow not by knowing or understanding, but only by loving and trusting.  

8.  “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). 
   Here, there is only God. There is nothing we need to protect, promote, or prove to anyone, especially ourselves. Our false self no longer guides the ship. We have learned to let Grace and Mystery guide us—still without full (if any) comprehension.  

9.  I am who I am. 
   I’m “just me,” warts and all. We are now fully detached from our own self-image and living in God’s image of us—which includes and loves both the good and the bad. We experience true serenity and freedom. This is the peace the world cannot give (see John 14:27) and full resting in God.  

Reference: 
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2009), 164–166.  (Rohr, n.d.)

We consider the tension between the way of the world and Jesus' Way of love and self sacrifice as it plays out in our daily interactions with people in our environment.

References

Kalkowski, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061724.html 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5 

Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/17/1002408/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/21?1 

Psalms, PSALM 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/5?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-maturing-spirituality/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Return Evil for Evil. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun17 

Quietly complete

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of our generosity and the growth we encounter when we act to make our time, treasure, and talent available for others.

Generous support

The reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians links our generosity to God’s indescribable Gift.

* [9:8–10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone.1 

Psalm 112 details the blessings received by those who remain close to God.

 * [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111.2

Today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel from Matthew is Jesus teaching about Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting.

 * [6:1–18] The sermon continues with a warning against doing good in order to be seen and gives three examples, almsgiving (Mt 6:2–4), prayer (Mt 6:5–15), and fasting (Mt 6:16–18). In each, the conduct of the hypocrites (Mt 6:2) is contrasted with that demanded of the disciples. The sayings about reward found here and elsewhere (Mt 5:12, 46; 10:41–42) show that this is a genuine element of Christian moral exhortation. Possibly to underline the difference between the Christian idea of reward and that of the hypocrites, the evangelist uses two different Greek verbs to express the rewarding of the disciples and that of the hypocrites; in the latter case it is the verb apechō, a commercial term for giving a receipt for what has been paid in full (Mt 6:2, 5, 16).3

Kimberly Grassmeyer focuses on the opportunity that we have to generously share God’s abundance.

* [6:1–18] The sermon continues with a warning against doing good in order to be seen and gives three examples, almsgiving (Mt 6:2–4), prayer (Mt 6:5–15), and fasting (Mt 6:16–18). In each, the conduct of the hypocrites (Mt 6:2) is contrasted with that demanded of the disciples. The sayings about reward found here and elsewhere (Mt 5:12, 46; 10:41–42) show that this is a genuine element of Christian moral exhortation. Possibly to underline the difference between the Christian idea of reward and that of the hypocrites, the evangelist uses two different Greek verbs to express the rewarding of the disciples and that of the hypocrites; in the latter case it is the verb apechō, a commercial term for giving a receipt for what has been paid in full (Mt 6:2, 5, 16).3 

Don Schwager quotes “Pray with the angels,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.

"When you pray, it is as if you were entering into a palace - not a palace on earth, but far more awesome, a palace in heaven. When you enter there, you do so with complete attentiveness and fitting respect. For in the houses of kings all turmoil is set aside, and silence reigns. Yet here you are being joined by choirs of angels. You are in communion with archangels and singing with the seraphim, who sing with great awe their spiritual hymns and sacred songs to God, the Lord of all. So when you are praying, mingle with these voices, patterning yourself according to their mystical order. It is not to human beings that you are praying but to God, who is present everywhere, who hears even before you speak and who knows already the secrets of the heart. If you pray to this One, you shall receive a great reward. 'For your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.' He did not merely say he would give it to you but reward you, as if he himself had made a pledge to you and so honored you with a great honor. Because God himself is hidden, your prayer should be hidden." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 19.3)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 comments that Paul told them, in other words, God is blessing you abundantly so that you can bless other people.

 Maybe he will help you see more clearly all the ways he has provided for you, inspiring you to give some of the money you now spend on entertainment to help the poor. Perhaps your kids are grown, and you now have more free time—time you can donate to your parish. Or maybe you have been blessed with a rich prayer life, and you sense God asking you to devote some of your prayer time to interceding for other people’s needs.6

Friar Jude Winkler shares some background to the rabbinic attention to prayer, almsgiving, and fasting after the destruction of the Temple in 70. Generosity becomes a sacrament of God’s bounty. Friar Jude answers “yes” to the question of private or visible prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, urges generosity in struggling with one’s own shadow self because facing interior conflicts and moral failures, undergoing rejection and abandonment, all daily humiliations, experiencing any kind of abuse or form of limitation, can be gateways into deeper consciousness and the flowering of the soul.

To put it another way, what I let God see and accept in me also becomes what I can see and accept in myself. And, even more, it becomes that whereby I see everything else. This is “radical grace.” This is why it is crucial to allow God and at least one other person to see us in our imperfection and even in our nakedness, as we are—rather than as we ideally wish to be. It is also why we must give others this same experience of being looked upon tenderly in their imperfection; otherwise people on either side will never know divine love. I pray there is at least one person before whom you can be imperfect. I have several in my life, and they are such a relief and joy to be around.7

Generosity makes mercy and compassion present and invites deeper awareness of God among us.

References

1	(n.d.). 2 Corinthians, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/9
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 112 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/6
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(2019, June 19). Saint Romuald, Abbot (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 19, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/19/
7	(2019, June 19). Love the Contradictions — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from https://cac.org/love-the-contradictions-2019-06-19/

Transformed Transform

To what can we attribute the overwhelming confidence of Paul expressed in the text from Romans in today's Roman Catholic Lectionary that absolutely nothing can separate us from the Love of God. Richard Rohr in “The Naked Now" expresses the thought that the transformed people transform others. Certainly, Paul is the transformed person who has in 2000 years assisted in the transformation of many. His transformation is His confidence in the Love of God.

Presence in Prayer

In the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Luke tells of the selection of the Apostles. ” Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them” (Luke 6:12). I am currently reading “The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr. He questions how we so easily fall into public liturgical prayer which may be positioning ourselves like the Pharisees and lawyers that Jesus referred to as hypocrites. Rohr offers Jesus as the model of prayer, which is being aware of Presence, an as Luke tells us is on the mountain in the “naked now”!

Resonance and the sense of intense understanding

I just finished ordering Richard Rohr's new book, The Naked Now, after hearing an interview with him on the CBC Program, Tapestry. Rohr is a Franciscan priest who talks eloquently about the life of St. Francis, as a man who "got it". He formulates an approach to avoiding dual thinking. This non dual thinking is, in Rohr's opinion, the thinking and action of Jesus. The interview and the web searching I have done since listening to the radio program resonate with my search. The The Enneagram: A Typology of Personality, used by Rohr to explore the ego and psychology of believers also identified well my personality type. How satisfying it is to encounter ideas and techniques which resonate with your spirit!