Tempted by Trivial Treatment

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live in the tension between our need to define according to our reference points and the invitation to new life through new understanding of our situation.

Taking Time for Life

The Reading from the Second Letter of Timothy presents Thanksgiving for The Gifts Timothy Has Received.

* [1:1–2] For the formula of address and greeting, see note on Rom 1:1–7.

* [1:1] The promise of life in Christ Jesus: that God grants through union with Christ in faith and love; cf. Col 3:4; 1 Tm 4:8.

* [1:3] As my ancestors did: this emphasizes the continuity of Judaism and Christianity; for a similar view, see Rom 9:3–5; Phil 3:4–6.

* [1:6] The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an ecclesiastical office. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.

* [1:8] Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel.

* [1:9–10] Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.

* [1:11] Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7.

* [1:12] He is able to guard…until that day: the intervening words can also be translated “what I have entrusted to him” (i.e., the fruit of his ministry) as well as “what has been entrusted to me” (i.e., the faith). The same difficult term occurs in 2 Tm 1:14, where it is modified by the adjective “rich” and used without a possessive. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 123 proclaims exemplary confidence in God.

* [Psalm 123] A lament that begins as a prayer of an individual (Ps 123:1), who expresses by a touching comparison exemplary confidence in God (Ps 123:2). The Psalm ends in prayer that God relieve the people’s humiliation at the hands of the arrogant (Ps 123:3–4). (Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question about the Resurrection.

* [12:18–27] See note on Mt 22:23–33. (Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [22:23–33] Here Jesus’ opponents are the Sadducees, members of the powerful priestly party of his time; see note on Mt 3:7. Denying the resurrection of the dead, a teaching of relatively late origin in Judaism (cf. Dn 12:2), they appeal to a law of the Pentateuch (Dt 25:5–10) and present a case based on it that would make resurrection from the dead ridiculous (Mt 22:24–28). Jesus chides them for knowing neither the scriptures nor the power of God (Mt 22:29). His argument in respect to God’s power contradicts the notion, held even by many proponents as well as by opponents of the teaching, that the life of those raised from the dead would be essentially a continuation of the type of life they had had before death (Mt 22:30). His argument based on the scriptures (Mt 22:31–32) is of a sort that was accepted as valid among Jews of the time.

* [22:23] Saying that there is no resurrection: in the Marcan parallel (Mk 22:18) the Sadducees are correctly defined as those “who say there is no resurrection”; see also Lk 20:27. Matthew’s rewording of Mark can mean that these particular Sadducees deny the resurrection, which would imply that he was not aware that the denial was characteristic of the party. For some scholars this is an indication of his being a Gentile Christian; see note on Mt 21:4–5.

* [22:24] ‘If a man dies…his brother’: this is known as the “law of the levirate,” from the Latin levir, “brother-in-law.” Its purpose was to continue the family line of the deceased brother (Dt 25:6).

* [22:29] The sexual relationships of this world will be transcended; the risen body will be the work of the creative power of God.

* [22:31–32] Cf. Ex 3:6. In the Pentateuch, which the Sadducees accepted as normative for Jewish belief and practice, God speaks even now (to you) of himself as the God of the patriarchs who died centuries ago. He identifies himself in relation to them, and because of their relation to him, the living God, they too are alive. This might appear no argument for the resurrection, but simply for life after death as conceived in Wis 3:1–3. But the general thought of early first-century Judaism was not influenced by that conception; for it human immortality was connected with the existence of the body. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that, inspired by the words of Jesus and Saint Charles Lwanga’s legacy, we, too, must ask: where are we misled? Too often, we find ourselves focusing on trivial things, trapped in the narrow confines of flawed human reasoning, and limiting God’s promises to what fits our understanding.

So, what does this mean for us today? Look at the worries that press on your heart—fear of the future, grief over loss, relationships you cling to, or dreams you insist must happen. Sometimes we try to box God in, and we attempt to contain sacred mysteries within our own understanding, but like Saint Charles Lwanga, we are called to have bold faith despite pressure and confusion. The invitation is always the same: to trust God’s word, see beyond uncertainty, and live each day with resurrection faith. That includes, forgiving when anger is easier, letting go of control for true peace, speaking truth with courage, and loving even when rejected. As we live with a resurrection faith, each “little death”—whether ego, fear, or selfishness—becomes not an ending, but the beginning of new life.

Faithful God, may we have the courage to open our hearts to the life that waits on the other side of surrender, trusting in the God who transforms everything—fear into faith, death into life, and limitation into eternity. Amen. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “No marriage in the resurrection,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"What did the Lord say to the Sadducees? He said, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they marry neither husbands nor wives; for neither do they start dying again, but they will be equal to the angels of God' (Mark 12:24-25; Matthew 22:29-30). The power of God is great. Why do they not marry husbands or wives? They will not start dying again. When one generation departs, another is required to succeed it. There will not be such liability to decay in that place. The Lord passed through the usual stages of growth, from infancy to adult manhood, because he was bearing the substance of flesh that still was mortal. After he had risen again at the age at which he was buried, are we to imagine that he is growing old in heaven? He says, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' He eliminated the assumption of the Jews and refuted the objection of the Sadducees, because the Jews did indeed believe the dead would rise again, but they had crude, fleshly ideas about the state of humanity after resurrection. He said, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' ... It has already been stated that we are to rise again. We have heard from the Lord that we rise again to the life of the angels. In his own resurrection, he has shown us in what specific form we are to rise again." (excerpt from SERMON 362.18-19.30) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 comments that Pope Benedict XVI explained, our faith is “not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with . . . a person” (Deus Caritas Est, 1). It is Jesus who changes our hearts and sets us on a new path.

We can know Jesus like that, too. We can encounter him and form a relationship with him that grows throughout our lives and becomes the foundation on which we build everything else. Knowing Jesus can inspire us to proclaim the good news without shame, just as Paul did. It can enable us to bear hardship for his sake. And it can cement our trust that God is loving and taking care of us and will accomplish his plans in and through us.

So spend time with Jesus today, whether at Mass, Adoration, or your prayer time. Let him bring you to a deeper knowledge of himself so that you can proclaim with Paul, I know him in whom I have believed!

“Jesus, help me to come to know you better. I believe in you and want to build my life on you!” (Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments, in 2 Timothy, we have to remember that the Pastoral Letters were likely written in the name of Paul because the description of the Church is much more advanced than in Paul’s time. The Church would represent suffering in the faith like Paul called to self sacrifice and boldness and share the message of Paul as apostle and preacher. Timothy is encouraged to do the same. In the Gospel of Mark, the Jewish leaders, the Sadducees, are trying to confound Jesus. They are conservative in belief and the Pentateuch does not mention angels nor the resurrection of the dead. They try to confront Jesus in the practice of the  Levirate marriage custom that seems to treat the woman as a piece of property. Jesus asserts that you do not marry and own people in heaven. In the Pentateuch, in Exodus, God revealed His name as the God of Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob. Friar Jude comments that the God of the living and not the dead can still exist as implied in the Pentateuch. 

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC team member Cassidy Hall who reflects on our impulse to ask questions of those we see as fundamentally different than us.

Even if we let go of the need to know or understand, our society still obsesses about naming, claiming, and defining. As I worked on my documentary film about Thomas Merton, I listened to audio clips of his stream-of-consciousness thoughts from his hermitage, and I especially resonated with this line: “I know in my heart that I do not need to be defined, I do not need to define myself, and yet I have this allergy of definition.”

Like most of us, I’ve spent a large chunk of my life figuring out, naming, and identifying the things around me…. But when we reach to trap anything in definition, we also trap ourselves. A desire to define or know does not give me permission to ask questions simply to satisfy my own curiosity. Rather, the desire to name, define, or identify is a different invitation altogether. It’s an invitation for me to examine and hold openhanded my own definition, my own name, and my own identity, over and over again….

We are ever evolving, ever becoming, and ever unfolding. Identity is an ever-moving target, and any conviction that the self is singular or fixed is limiting and often even harmful. Instead, we can hold what we think we know about ourselves with open hands. We can allow ourselves to become, which offers us room to breathe and blossom…. Contemplative life beckons us to the same: encouraging us to loosen our grip on ourselves, those around us, and the Divine. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to guide our exploration of life and love in the Way that refutes judgement based on our limited knowledge, personal privilege or prejudice.

References

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-3-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22? 

Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/03/1584503/ 

Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/123? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Resisting Definition. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/resisting-definition/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Know Neither the Scriptures nor the Power of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1? 

Prophets and Problems

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to see beyond what our limited ability reveals by trusting in Providence to guide us in truth, goodness, and love.

Seeing Beyond

The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel proclaims a Prophet Among Them.

* [2:1] Son of man: in Hebrew, “son/daughter of…” is a common idiom expressing affiliation in a group; in this case, “a human being.” The title is God’s habitual way of addressing the prophet throughout this book, probably used to emphasize the separation of the divine and the human. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 123 is a Supplication for Mercy.

* [Psalm 123] A lament that begins as a prayer of an individual (Ps 123:1), who expresses by a touching comparison exemplary confidence in God (Ps 123:2). The Psalm ends in prayer that God relieve the people’s humiliation at the hands of the arrogant (Ps 123:3–4). (Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes a Thorn in the Flesh.

* [12:5–7] This person: the indirect way of referring to himself has the effect of emphasizing the distance between that experience and his everyday life, just as the indirect someone in Christ (2 Cor 12:2) and all the passive verbs emphasize his passivity and receptivity in the experience. The revelations were not a personal achievement, nor were they meant to draw attention to any quality of his own.

* [12:7] That I might not become too elated: God assures that there is a negative component to his experience, so that he cannot lose proper perspective; cf. 2 Cor 1:9; 4:7–11. A thorn in the flesh: variously interpreted as a sickness or physical disability, a temptation, or a handicap connected with his apostolic activity. But since Hebrew “thorn in the flesh,” like English “thorn in my side,” refers to persons (cf. Nm 33:55; Ez 28:24), Paul may be referring to some especially persistent and obnoxious opponent. The language of 2 Cor 12:7–8 permits this interpretation. If this is correct, the frequent appearance of singular pronouns in depicting the opposition may not be merely a stylistic variation; the singular may be provoked and accompanied by the image of one individual in whom criticism of Paul’s preaching, way of life, and apostolic consciousness is concentrated, and who embodies all the qualities Paul attributes to the group. An angel of Satan: a personal messenger from Satan; cf. the satanic language already applied to the opponents in 2 Cor 11:3, 13–15, 20.

* [12:8] Three times: his prayer was insistent, like that of Jesus in Gethsemane, a sign of how intolerable he felt the thorn to be.

* [12:9] But he said to me: Paul’s petition is denied; release and healing are withheld for a higher purpose. The Greek perfect tense indicates that Jesus’ earlier response still holds at the time of writing. My grace is sufficient for you: this is not a statement about the sufficiency of grace in general. Jesus speaks directly to Paul’s situation. Is made perfect: i.e., is given most fully and manifests itself fully. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark describes the Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth.

* [6:1] His native place: the Greek word patris here refers to Nazareth (cf. Mk 1:9; Lk 4:16, 23–24) though it can also mean native land.

* [6:2–6] See note on Mt 13:54–58.

* [6:3] Is he not the carpenter?: no other gospel calls Jesus a carpenter. Some witnesses have “the carpenter’s son,” as in Mt 13:55. Son of Mary: contrary to Jewish custom, which calls a man the son of his father, this expression may reflect Mark’s own faith that God is the Father of Jesus (Mk 1:1, 11; 8:38; 13:32; 14:36). The brother of James…Simon: in Semitic usage, the terms “brother,” “sister” are applied not only to children of the same parents, but to nephews, nieces, cousins, half-brothers, and half-sisters; cf. Gn 14:16; 29:15; Lv 10:4. While one cannot suppose that the meaning of a Greek word should be sought in the first place from Semitic usage, the Septuagint often translates the Hebrew ’āh by the Greek word adelphos, “brother,” as in the cited passages, a fact that may argue for a similar breadth of meaning in some New Testament passages. For instance, there is no doubt that in v. 17, “brother” is used of Philip, who was actually the half-brother of Herod Antipas. On the other hand, Mark may have understood the terms literally; see also 3:31–32; Mt 12:46; 13:55–56; Lk 8:19; Jn 7:3, 5. The question of meaning here would not have arisen but for the faith of the church in Mary’s perpetual virginity.

* [6:4] A prophet is not without honor except…in his own house: a saying that finds parallels in other literatures, especially Jewish and Greek, but without reference to a prophet. Comparing himself to previous Hebrew prophets whom the people rejected, Jesus intimates his own eventual rejection by the nation especially in view of the dishonor his own relatives had shown him (Mk 3:21) and now his townspeople as well.

* [6:5] He was not able to perform any mighty deed there: according to Mark, Jesus’ power could not take effect because of a person’s lack of faith. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jeanne Schuler comments that prophets steer us to higher ground.  Without a jab or two, complacency holds us back.  Paul sucks in the joy of God’s momentous revelations.  But this exuberance is punctured by thorns.  Paul begs God for relief: “Take away this curse.”  God refuses.  Some thorns are embedded in the self.  They are not alien forces.  They are me.  God does not seek the pristine me but the mottled me.

One hand opens to the reality of God’s love for me.  The other stretches out for more.  We exist in this tension: dwelling in the hands of God we yearn for all weakness to be gone.  But thorns turn us back to the God for whom we are already enough. 

The recovering alcoholic thanks God for the affliction that dragged her into the depths.  From deep in the pit, she cries for help.  Help comes.  We are not alone. (Schuler, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “Distinguishing God's power and our faith,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"And perhaps, as in the case of metallic substances there exists in some a natural attraction toward some other thing, as in the magnet for iron, and in naphtha for fire, so there is an attraction in such faith toward the divine power according to what Jesus said: 'If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, 'Move to another place,' and it shall be moved' (Matthew 17:20). Matthew and Mark wished to present the all-surpassing value of that divine power as a power that works even in those who do not believe. But they did not deny that grace works even more powerfully among those who have faith. So it seems to me that they accurately said not that the Lord did not do any mighty works because of their unbelief, but that he did not do many there (Mark 6:5). Mark does not flatly say that he could do no mighty work there at all, and stop at that point, but added, 'except that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them' (Mark 6:5). Thus the power in him overcame even their unbelief." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.19) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 comments that there is a freedom that comes with recognizing our limitations and embracing this kind of childlike dependence on God. The more we honestly acknowledge our weakness, the more room we make for God’s strength to grow in us. We realize that there’s only so much we can do ourselves. But we also realize that as soon as we stop thinking everything depends on us, God will show us what he can do.

So let’s embrace our “littleness.” Let’s lean into our weakness and rely on God’s strength so that we can reveal his power more and more clearly.

“Father, I acknowledge my weakness. Lord, come and carry me!” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Ezekiel who was taken to Babylon in 597 BCE reminds the people that God will stand firm with the people even after the destruction of the Temple in 537 BCE and the removal of the people to Babylon in 537 BCE. Paul proclaims that God’s grace is sufficient to conquer his ‘Thorn in the Flesh’. Friar Jude reminds us that tradition from the early days of the Church holds that Mary only had one Son and that the “brothers and sisters” mentioned in Mark are references to cousins.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that faith is strengthened by acknowledging that everything changes.

The inner process of change and growth is fundamental to everything, even our bodies. Having undergone several surgeries, cancer, and a heart attack, I’ve been consoled by the way my body takes care of itself over time. In religion, however, many people prefer magical, external, one-time transactions instead of this universal pattern of growth and healing—which always includes loss and renewal. This is the way that life perpetuates itself in ever-new forms: through various changes that can feel like death. This pattern disappoints and scares most of us, even many clergy who think death and resurrection is just a doctrinal statement about Jesus.  

Religions tend to idealize and protect the status quo or the supposedly wonderful past, yet what we now recognize is how they often focus on protecting their own power and privilege. God does not need our protecting. We often worship old things as substitutes for eternal things. Jesus strongly rejects this love of the past and one’s private perfection, and he cleverly quotes Isaiah (29:13) to do it: “In vain do they worship me, teaching merely human precepts as if they were doctrines” (Matthew 15:9). Some Christians seem to think that God really is “back there,” in the good ol’ days of old-time religion when God was really God, and everybody was happy and pure. As if that time ever existed! This leaves the present moment empty and hopeless—not to speak of the future. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to allow Wisdom to prevail when we are led astray by our presumptions, preconceived notions, and prejudices.

References

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/2?2 

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?1 

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/07/1017994/ 

Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/123?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Evolving Faithfully. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/evolving-faithfully/ 

Schuler, J. (2024, July 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070724.htm 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul7 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/12?7