The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with themes of gratitude and mission.
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| Growing in gratitude |
The passage from the Hebrew Testament is Ezra’s Prayer of gratitude for the restoral of the exiles to Jerusalem.
* [9:6–15] The prayer attributed to Ezra is a communal confession of sin, of a kind characteristic of the Second Temple period (cf. Neh 9:6–37; Dn 9:4–19; 1QS 1:4–2:1), but adapted to the present situation.1
The response from the Book of Tobit is a call to acknowledge God before the nations.
* [13:1–18] Tobit’s hymn of praise is divided into two parts. The first part (vv. 1–8) is a song of praise that echoes themes from the psalms; the second (vv. 9–18) is addressed to Jerusalem in the style of those prophets who spoke of a new and ideal Jerusalem (Is 60; cf. Rev 21). Joyful praise: words for joy and gladness occur throughout this prayer (vv. 1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18).2
The Gospel of Luke gives a summary of Jesus mission to the Twelve.
* [9:1–6] Armed with the power and authority that Jesus himself has been displaying in the previous episodes, the Twelve are now sent out to continue the work that Jesus has been performing throughout his Galilean ministry: (1) proclaiming the kingdom (Lk 4:43; 8:1); (2) exorcising demons (Lk 4:33–37, 41; 8:26–39) and (3) healing the sick (Lk 4:38–40; 5:12–16, 17–26; 6:6–10; 7:1–10, 17, 22; Lk 8:40–56).3
Eileen Burke-Sullivan observes that at this time of year the readings also challenge each and all Christians to face, claim and practice their purpose – which is to provide fruit.
Today’s liturgy should serve as a good challenge to all of us that are concerned about rebuilding God’s Church to a faithful voice of mercy and reconciliation in a very broken world. We will never be effective if we don’t pay attention to the “internship” in ministry that Jesus put his disciples through. Trusting in God is the essential energy that proclaiming the Kingdom flows from – and all the Baptized are called to exercise the discipleship of proclamation and healing.4
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus gave power and authority to his apostles,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The grace bestowed upon the holy apostles is worthy of all admiration. But the bountifulness of the Giver surpasses all praise and admiration. He gives them, as I said, his own glory. They receive authority over the evil spirits. They reduce to nothing the pride of the devil that was so highly exalted and arrogant. They render ineffectual the demon's wickedness. By the might and efficacy of the Holy Spirit, burning them as if they were on fire, they make the devil come forth with groans and weeping from those whom he had possessed... He glorified his disciples, therefore, by giving them authority and power over the evil spirits and over sicknesses. Did he honor them without reason and make them famous without any logical cause? How can this be true? It was necessary, most necessary, that they should be able to work miracles, having been publicly appointed ministers of sacred proclamations. By means of their works, they then could convince men that they were the ministers of God and mediators of all beneath the heaven. The apostles then could invite them all to reconciliation and justification by faith and point out the way of salvation and of life that is this justification." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 47)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezra 9:5-9 comments that it is tempting to believe that God is done with us when we find ourselves falling into the same old sins. We may even keep some distance from him, afraid of what he might say or do if we were to pray. But Ezra shows us another way. Rather than letting shame control us, we can turn to God in repentance and ask for the grace—again—to start over.
Where have you been struggling lately? Maybe you have become judgmental and harshly critical of people. Perhaps you are caught up in jealousy over something your friend has that you want. Whatever it is, instead of looking at it as something to hide from the Lord, address it head-on. Admit that it is wrong, and ask God for his mercy.
What if you should fall again? Don’t be discouraged. God is more than willing to meet you where you are and give you another chance. He is always waiting for you with open arms. He is always ready to shower you with grace so that you can finally know freedom and peace. So go ahead and run to him.6
Friar Jude Winkler connects the prayer of Ezra to the triumph of God’s mercy over our sin. Our rejection of this truth is the sin against the Spirit that Jesus warns against. Friar Jude reminds us that prudence in our missionary effort is required so as not to waste time casting pearls before swine.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to consider how a “one-lump” awareness of reality upends so many of our current obsessions. Our arguments about private worthiness; reward and punishment; gender, race, and class distinctions; private possessions—all the things that make us argue and compete are not essential, ontological traits. Weighing, measuring, counting, listing, labeling, and comparing only gets us so far.
Of course, we must recognize and respect our differences. “Colorblindness” is actually harmful in the face of measurable inequities for people of color. Pride parades and other cultural celebrations of identity are valuable expressions for many groups whose voices have been silenced. People with privilege and power like myself are called to move to the bottom and to destroy the illusion of our supremacy. Those who have been marginalized and deemed inferior are invited to reclaim their inherent value and belonging. As Jesus said, “The last will be first and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).
The Gospel is about learning to live and die in and with God—all our warts and wounds included and forgiven by an Infinite Love. The true Gospel democratizes the world. We are all saved in spite of our mistakes, in spite of our suffering, and in spite of ourselves. We are all caught up in the cosmic sweep of Divine grace and mercy. And we all must learn to trust the Psalmist’s prayer: “Not to us, not to us, O Lord, but to your name be the glory” (Psalm 115:1).7
Our experience of grace and Providence is fertile ground to grow our mission to gather all in communion with the One.
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