Lighten the Burden for All

The author of Second Isaiah offers praise to the God of Creation who the people of Israel, who find themselves in exile in Babylon, may, as Friar Jude Winkler notes, have become concerned that they are forgotten in their plight. The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today speak to the truth that we are not alone. The task which the exiles in Babylon prayed they would undertake involved return to Jerusalem and restoration of their life in harmony with the Covenant with God. The ‘second Exodus’ became reality and the strength which lifted them on eagle’s wings and gave them the vitality and perseverance of young men became their experience. The apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, “The Joy of the Gospel”, sets out the dream from Jesus prayer to the Father that they all be one (John 17:21). The Gospel passage today from Matthew resonates with people who face and are living with challenge. Canadian Sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, inspired by Matthew 11:29-30 has created a piece “TakeUp My Yoke” which depicts the circumstance of experiencing Jesus pulling together with us. Maureen McCann Waldron of Creighton University identifies the stress and burden of the To Do list which too often blocks our time to meditate on God, Creator, and Transcendent and our personal experience of having the yoke pulled more by our intimate companion, Jesus, than by our own feeble efforts. Sculptor Schmalz and Friar Jude express our experience of the many faces of which are Christ to us in the world. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit acting through and in those yoked with Jesus that the dreams of Papa Francesco and many people for the shalom of Isaiah extending to all will be our experience.

Looking to the Shepherd

The shepherd is the image that comes to mind when we reflect today on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The position, in Jesus society, of the shepherd brings contradictory evidence, not surprisingly, for us to weigh as we sort out the implications of shepherds in the Bible. The great tension is between the tasks given the shepherd to live rough among the animals in poverty on the lower end of the social scale where it was difficult to be ritually clean and the image of the Divine gathering people like sheep. The shepherds who will witness the Incarnation would not be welcome in the Temple in Jerusalem. On the other hand, the image of restoration of the exiles in Babylon to communion with God in Jerusalem from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah today is made most reassuring by the description of God like a Shepherd gathering the lambs to Himself. Friar Jude Winkler notes that Psalm 23, which describes the Lord as my Shepherd, comes from this time in salvation history. Edward Morse of Creighton University understands that the restoration of the exiles was a community struggle. The flock needed to work together. Don Schwager identifies the desperation of the lost sheep, a social being like humans, who becomes distressed and neurotic in separation from the flock. Papa Francesco, in word and deed is exhorting believers to a renewed assessment of the role of the Church to be Shepherd to the lost and desperate. This action will require us to set aside the niceties of social position and comfort in the flock and live the experience of those outside and rejected who search the lost and gather them to communion with the Incarnate who showed Himself to lowliest, living rough in the hills around Bethlehem. The experience of living the Word and depending on Providence is a proclamation of the Glory of God which is centred with the lost sheep and their experience. This vision of the New Jerusalem in the eyes of lost sheep is direction for the Church.

Gifted to Act

The Gospel from Matthew in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents prophesy of John the Baptist concerning Jesus who will soon supersede the baptism of repentance offered by John. “He will baptize you with^* the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3.11). Friar Jude Winkler comments on the attributes which the Prophet Isaiah associates with the king to arise from the stump of Jesse to restore the people to a relationship with God characterized by shalom. These are known by Christians, through the Latin translation, as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Danger is, as John the Baptist warns the Scribes and Pharisees, associated with the affiliation with God. Carol Zuegner of Creighton University notes that “we have to act; we have to ‘produce good fruit as evidence of our repentance.’” Paul addresses the Romans and us with the assurance that the promises made to the Jews for the coming of the Anointed One or Messiah were also extended to the Gentiles. The fruit of this gift of intimacy with God through Jesus is life in harmony with one another. Pope Francis restates the vision of Isaiah and Paul and the challenge we face to produce fruit today in his ApostolicExhortation, Evangelii Gaudium - "The Joy of the Gospel". The widows and orphans which Friar Jude identifies as the name of Isaiah for those who are unprotected, exploited and do not share in the wealth of society are with us today. The fire of the Holy Spirit does not permit us to forget them and remain in communion with God. The gifts of the Spirit are the necessary tools to work as Paul exhorts with steadfastness and encouragement to bring the harmony which results from justice for all through giving of ourselves to others as affiliation with Jesus in Baptism mandates.

Led by the blind

And those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction. (Isaiah 29:24). This verse in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today from the book of the Prophet Isaiah certainly has resonance with educators at the end of the fall semester. The first association we might make with grumbling people who err in spirit might be with our students. Our frustration that they don’t see things our way tends to find fault with them. What aspect of blindness shields our vision from deeper truths in this situation? The reflection of physicist Michael Cherney at CreightonUniversity points to the challenge we all have to step outside our own experience and point of reference to see things differently. The healing of the blind men in Chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew today, who interrupt Jesus addressing Him as Son of David has David Guzik comment that they asking God for the best thing they could: mercy. When Jesus asks the blind men whether they believe He is not making His mercy conditional. Perhaps He is like the teacher who does not make presentation of the answer sought by the student conditional, but, in addressing it seeks to draw deeper from the inner richness of the student to illustrate perhaps that the understanding or motivation that the student may not appreciate in themselves is actually there. The faith of the blind men is revealed and the inability of those who have their lives changed in encounter with the mercy of God to be private and quiet about it is the evangelizing zeal which Papa Francesco exhorts those healed by Jesus to bring to a renewed Church and society. Chapter 9 of Matthew is full of surprises! The Kingdom is the rich world where the deaf, blind and meek restored in harmony with the prophesy of Isaiah lead a communion of tax collectors and sinners with the Living God to fill society with new wine of mercy, understanding, compassion, instruction in the Word in new wine skins of a society which is restored to a moral compass attracted to the will of God.