Truth and Our Questions

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today anchor our faith in the truths proclaimed to us through the action of the Spirit.

Spirit of Truth and Love

In the reading from the First Letter of John, a New Commandment is proclaimed.

* [2:3–6] The way we may be sure: to those who claim, “I have known Christ and therefore I know him,” our author insists on not mere intellectual knowledge but obedience to God’s commandments in a life conformed to the example of Christ; this confirms our knowledge of him and is the love of God…perfected. Disparity between moral life and the commandments proves improper belief.

* [2:7–11] The author expresses the continuity and freshness of mutual charity in Christian experience. Through Christ the commandment of love has become the light defeating the darkness of evil in a new age. All hatred as darkness is incompatible with the light and Christian life. Note also the characteristic Johannine polemic in which a positive assertion is emphasized by the negative statement of its opposite. (1 John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 96 offers praise to God Who Comes in Judgement.

* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. (Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Is Presented in the Temple.

* [2:22–40] The presentation of Jesus in the temple depicts the parents of Jesus as devout Jews, faithful observers of the law of the Lord (Lk 2:23–24, 39), i.e., the law of Moses. In this respect, they are described in a fashion similar to the parents of John (Lk 1:6) and Simeon (Lk 2:25) and Anna (Lk 2:36–37).

* [2:22] Their purification: syntactically, their must refer to Mary and Joseph, even though the Mosaic law never mentions the purification of the husband. Recognizing the problem, some Western scribes have altered the text to read “his purification,” understanding the presentation of Jesus in the temple as a form of purification; the Vulgate version has a Latin form that could be either “his” or “her.” According to the Mosaic law (Lv 12:2–8), the woman who gives birth to a boy is unable for forty days to touch anything sacred or to enter the temple area by reason of her legal impurity. At the end of this period she is required to offer a year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a turtledove or young pigeon as an expiation of sin. The woman who could not afford a lamb offered instead two turtledoves or two young pigeons, as Mary does here. They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord: as the firstborn son (Lk 2:7) Jesus was consecrated to the Lord as the law required (Ex 13:2, 12), but there was no requirement that this be done at the temple. The concept of a presentation at the temple is probably derived from 1 Sm 1:24–28, where Hannah offers the child Samuel for sanctuary services. The law further stipulated (Nm 3:47–48) that the firstborn son should be redeemed by the parents through their payment of five shekels to a member of a priestly family. About this legal requirement Luke is silent.

* [2:25] Awaiting the consolation of Israel: Simeon here and later Anna who speak about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem represent the hopes and expectations of faithful and devout Jews who at this time were looking forward to the restoration of God’s rule in Israel. The birth of Jesus brings these hopes to fulfillment.

* [2:35] (And you yourself a sword will pierce): Mary herself will not be untouched by the various reactions to the role of Jesus (Lk 2:34). Her blessedness as mother of the Lord will be challenged by her son who describes true blessedness as “hearing the word of God and observing it” (Lk 11:27–28 and Lk 8:20–21). (Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Mike Cherney asks what did Mary and Joseph know about their Son? The Gospel says, “The Child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about Him” in conjunction with Simeon’s comments. Were Jesus’ parents fully aware of who He was, or did they too need to grow in this knowledge? 

My prayer today focuses on the present.     

Dear Lord,
So much of my life has been spent living in the future or living in the past.
Allow me to live fully in the present, experiencing and growing in knowledge.
Help me to direct my attention to the here and now.
Assist me in being more aware of Your many gifts that surround me.
Let me sing a new song with praise and gratitude.
Guide me with the use of my time acting in Your service.
Grant me the strength and awareness to practice what I preach. (Cherney, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Simeon and Anna represent both sexes awaiting their Redeemer”, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"Simeon and Anna, a man and a woman of advanced age, greeted the Lord with the devoted services of their professions of faith. As they saw him, he was small in body, but they understood him to be great in his divinity. Figuratively speaking, this denotes the synagogue, the Jewish people, who, wearied by the long awaiting of his incarnation, were ready with both their arms (their pious actions) and their voices (their unfeigned faith) to exalt and magnify him as soon as he came. They were ready to acclaim him and say, 'Direct me in your truth and teach me, for you are my saving God, and for you I have waited all the day' (Psalm 25:5). What needs to be mentioned, too, is that deservedly both sexes hurried to meet him, offering congratulations, since he appeared as the Redeemer of both." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.18) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:22-35 asks us to stretch out our arms and let Mary place Jesus in them.

Treasure the Messiah, the hope of your people, whom you are holding in your own arms. Let him move your heart to respond and to offer your life to him!

“Jesus, I am so grateful that you set aside your heavenly power and glory to become a vulnerable child I can hold in my arms! Thank you for the unconditional love that has brought you so very close to me.” (Meditation on Luke 2:22-35, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes how the emphasis on keeping the commandments in the Letters of John is different from the Gospel of John in which Love of Jesus is the commandment.The Holy Family goes up to the Temple for the purification rite for the mother and the Redemption rite of the first born male. Friar Jude reminds us of the difficulty of the the young Jewish girl to discern the mission of Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us of the loving heart of the prophets.

We need the wisdom of a “full prophet,” one who can love and yet criticize, one who can speak their words of correction out of an experience of gratitude, not anger. We have to pray to God to teach us that. I don’t know how else we learn it. We can’t learn it in our minds rationally. God has to soothe our angry hearts and spirits. God has to allow us to come to a place of freedom, a place of peace, and a place of fullness before we can speak as a prophet. [1]

A prophet must hold on to the truth of their anger, especially as it is directed toward injustice—but the danger of the anger is that when we let it control us, we’re not a help anymore. That’s why we have so many false prophets in America and in the world today. They are so angry. I want to sit there and say, “I agree with you. That situation deserves anger, but you’re not a good messenger because you’re only making me more angry. You’re feeding your anger by letting it become your ego.” Of course, in my early life that was me. I think what we see in the Hebrew prophets is autobiographical. My early social justice sermons at New Jerusalem just edged people out of the room. I’m sure many of them thought, “I don’t think we want to hear Richard today. He’s on one of his tirades.” They saw me at my angriest when I had just come back from Latin America and Africa. Anger is usually a necessary starting place, but it is never the full message. [2]

That’s why I always go back to prayer. It’s the only way for me. I rest in God, let God massage my heart for a while, cool me down and say, “I love you. You don’t have to save the world, Richard. You don’t have to ‘play’ the prophet and you don’t have to do anything except what I tell you to do.” The more I rest there with God, the next time the words come out so differently.

We’ve got to learn how to discern the Spirit. We have to listen to our own hearts and discern where the voices are coming from. Are they harsh, angry, hurtful, resentful, cynical voices telling us we’ve got to go out and do some righteous thing? Or are they coming from a place of freedom and a place of peace? (Rohr, 2023)

Our faith in Jesus Christ is supported by our connection to the role of the Messiah, who is revealed in the truth of the Holy Spirit.

References

Cherney, M. (2023, December 29). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122923.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?22 

Meditation on Luke 2:22-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/29/862080/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/2?3 

Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, December 29). A Full Prophet — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-full-prophet/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Favor of God Was upon Him. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec29 

Signs of the Redeemer

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our role to make Jesus Way visible to those we encounter on our journey.

Making the Kingdom visible

 

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah proclaims the Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

 

* [41:14] Redeemer: in Hebrew, go’el, one who frees others from slavery and avenges their sufferings; cf. Lv 25:48; Dt 19:6, 12. Cf. note on Ru 2:20.1

Psalm 145 praises the greatness and the goodness of God.

 * [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.2

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ testimony to John recalls the Prophet Elijah who is to come.

 

* [11:11] John’s preeminent greatness lies in his function of announcing the imminence of the kingdom (Mt 3:1). But to be in the kingdom is so great a privilege that the least who has it is greater than the Baptist.3

Ann Mausbach comments that when Jesus enters the scene John steps aside. He understands that Jesus is the true prophet. He has the humility to understand that all the preaching, baptizing, traveling around the country wasn’t about him, it was about Jesus. He helped to pave the way for Jesus’ message to be heard.

 

Thus, I wanna be like John. I want to be humble enough to listen to God’s voice. I want to be like John and get out of my own way and let Jesus work His wonder in my life. I want to be like John and spread light and goodness in this world. I wanna be like John. As we pray throughout this Advent season let’s play ball like John the Baptist. In doing so we will be preparing ourselves to receive our most precious gift, Jesus the Savior.4

Don Schwager quotes “The Kingdom of Heaven,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

 

"What violence (Matthew 11:12)? People did not believe in John the Baptist. The works of Christ were held to be of no importance. His torment on the cross was a stumbling block. 'Until now' prophecy has been dormant. But now the law is fulfilled. Every prediction is finished. The spirit of Elijah is sent in advance through John's words. Christ is proclaimed to some and acknowledged by others. He is born for some and loved by others. The violent irony is that his own people rejected him, while strangers accepted him. His own people speak ill of him, while his enemies embrace him. The act of adoption offers an inheritance, while the family rejects it. Sons refuse to accept their father's last will, while the slaves of the household receive it. This is what is meant by the phrase 'the kingdom of heaven suffers violence' (Matthew 11:12). Earlier expectations are being torn apart. The glory that was pledged to Israel by the patriarchs, which was announced by the prophets and which was offered by Christ, is now being seized and carried off by the Gentiles, through their faith." (excerpt from the commentary ON MATTHEW 11.7)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 41:13-20 notes that this message is for us as well. God will help us overcome our challenges as we journey toward him.

 

Think about a challenge you are facing. What help do you most need today? You may see obstacles that lie in your way. But know that your loving and powerful God will help you. He will walk with you. Sometimes he crushes a “mountain” that prompts you to overcome the obstacle of a negative pattern of behavior—along with a renewed trust in God’s grace to help you. He might cause a “spring” to well up from dry ground with a comforting sense of his love and presence that heals some inner hurt and helps you take steps to mend a wounded relationship. He could make you fruitful like a “verdant tree” by prompting you to help a friend in need or moving you to become more involved in a parish outreach.6

Friar Jude Winkler points out the intimate us of the pronoun “I” in the text from Isaiah. Violence in the proclamation of the Kingdom by John may have been in his message and in his suffering. Friar Jude suggests the Scripture connects Elijah more to John the Baptist than Jesus.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Professor and Episcopal priest Vincent Pizzuto who writes about how being engaged in some form of contemplative practice, we are more able to bring Christ into the world. By emptying ourselves, we are more able to embody God’s presence for others.

 

We pray not that we might become mystics but that we might become ever more authentic Christians who embody the love of Christ in the world. John of the Cross [1542–1591] takes up the analogy of a smudgy window to make the connection between deification [becoming more like God] and contemplative discipleship. A smudgy window, he says, is less able to transmit the sunlight shining through it. The more cleaned and polished the window, the more identical it appears with the rays of sunshine. While the nature of the window is distinct from the sun’s ray, a clean window better participates in the ray of sunlight that passes through it. As one progresses in the spiritual life it is as if the window all but disappears, allowing the Christ light to shine through it without hindrance. [1] . . . It is not mystical experience we are after but radical interior transformation, so that others may experience Christ more fully in us. [2]7

The One who takes our part is calling us to be transformed into witnesses for the Kingdom.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 41 - usccb. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/41:4
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145
3	(n.d.). Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - Online Ministries .... Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121020.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2020&date=dec10
6	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for December .... Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/12/10/177560/
7	(2020, December 10). Fruit of Our Labor — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://cac.org/fruit-of-our-labor-2020-12-10/