Beyond Our Expectation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to openness to the Spirit to expand our understanding and experience of God in our lives.

Unexpected revelation

 

The reading from the Second Book of Kings describes the healing of Naaman.

* [5:12] Wash in them and be cleansed: typical of the ambiguity in ritual healing or cleanliness. The muddy waters of the Jordan are no match hygienically for the mountain spring waters of Damascus; ritually, it is the other way around.1

 

Psalm 42 expresses a longing for God and His help in distress. Psalm 43 is a prayer to God in time of Trouble.

* [Psalms 42–43] Ps 42–43 form a single lament of three sections, each section ending in an identical refrain (Ps 42:6, 12; 43:5). The psalmist is far from Jerusalem, and longs for the divine presence that Israel experienced in the Temple liturgy. Despite sadness, the psalmist hopes once again to join the worshiping crowds.2

 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus experiences rejection at Nazareth as “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown”.

* [4:25–26] The references to Elijah and Elisha serve several purposes in this episode: they emphasize Luke’s portrait of Jesus as a prophet like Elijah and Elisha; they help to explain why the initial admiration of the people turns to rejection; and they provide the scriptural justification for the future Christian mission to the Gentiles.3

 

Scott McClure comments that today's readings speak to the reality of a world of the unexpected. This is fitting, isn't it? After all, God has proven himself to be a God of the unexpected. In this way, the created world is the apple that doesn't fall far from its Creator, the proverbial tree.

When faced with such unexpected (and unwelcome) circumstances, our reflex can be to hurl [them] down headlong as Jesus' audience was aiming to do to him. We shy away from tension, don't we? It can be uncomfortable, even unbearable, to face the unexpected; to face what challenges us, what we think and what we feel. But this is precisely where Jesus calls us to be. He doesn't come to smooth everything over for us or to shield us from difficulties. Instead, he calls us to trust in him and to place our hope in him. As we hear in the Psalms today, I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word. This Lent, let us welcome where God comes to us in the unexpected, and let us place our trust in him when we meet it.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Could anyone refuse to love our God?”, by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Fulfill the commandments out of love. Could anyone refuse to love our God, so abounding in mercy, so just in all his ways? Could anyone deny love to him who first loved us despite all our injustice and all our pride? Could anyone refuse to love the God who so loved us as to send his only Son not only to live among human beings but also to be put to death for their sake and at their own hands?"5

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Kings 5:1-15 comments that one “simple” avenue for healing is the sacraments, which “give growth and healing to Christ’s members” (Catechism, 798). In the Sacrament of the Anointing, God gives special grace to restore and strengthen us when we are tried by illness (1510–11). In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God can heal us of every kind of sin, whether jealousy, anger, or resentment, and bring us peace as we are reconciled to him (1496). And in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus can fill us with grace, strengthen our love for God and neighbor, and help us let go of harmful behaviors (1323, 1394).

Not all of us need physical healing, but everyone needs spiritual healing. This week, set aside any disdain for the “simple cure” and your own thoughts of how God ought to heal. Let nothing keep you from the grace he offers in the sacraments. Consider going to daily Mass or Confession. Trust your Father to meet you there with the balm of mercy and grace and the strength to be made whole. Trust him to provide that simple cure. “Lord, I need your healing today.”6

 

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the likely nature of Naaman’s skin disease. The contradiction of a simple act to solve a complex problem delays the response of Naaman. Friar Jude notes that Jesus' reference to the faith of pagans requires Him to pass through the angry crowd.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the paradoxical impact that Paul’s revelation of Christ had for him. His way of thinking and being changed completely. Meeting the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus changed everything for Paul. He experienced the great paradox that the crucified Jesus was in fact alive! And he, Paul, a “sinner,” was in fact chosen and beloved. This pushed Paul from the usual either/or, dualistic thinking to both/and, mystical thinking.

The truth in paradoxical language lies neither in the affirmation nor in the denial of either side, but precisely in the resolution of the tug-of-war between the two. The human mind usually works on the logical principle of contradiction, according to which something cannot be both true and false at the same time. Yet that is exactly what higher truths invariably undo (for example, God is both one and three; Jesus is both human and divine; bread and wine are both matter and Spirit). Unfortunately, since the Reformation and the Enlightenment, we Western, educated people have lost touch with paradoxical, mystical, or contemplative thinking. We’ve wasted five centuries taking sides—which is so evident in our culture today!7

 

The mystery and marvel of full life on our journey testifies to the benefit of attention to the unexpected prompts of the Spirit.

 

References

1	(n.d.). 2 Kings, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2kings/5
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 42 | USCCB. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/42
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/032122.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=mar21
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/03/21/335161/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://cac.org/a-tug-of-war-with-truth-2022-03-21/

 

Justice righteousness thanksgiving humility

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate messages from the Hebrew Testament and a modern day rabbi that open a light on religion rather than theology.

Not giving up on God

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah declares an accusation against the people and shares the way to appeal to God.

 * [1:10–17] A powerful indictment of the religious hypocrisy of rulers and others who neglect just judgment and oppress the weaker members, yet believe they can please God with sacrifices and other external forms of worship. The long list of observances suggests the Lord’s tedium with such attempts. Sodom…Gomorrah: the names are picked up from v. 9, but now to emphasize their wickedness rather than the good fortune of escaping total destruction.Psalms 501

Psalm 50 rebukes the hypocritical worshiper and concludes with a threat and a promise.

 * [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20).2

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus denounces the scrupulosity of Scribes and Pharisees.

 * [23:8–12] These verses, warning against the use of various titles, are addressed to the disciples alone. While only the title ‘Rabbi’ has been said to be used in addressing the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:7), the implication is that Father and ‘Master’ also were. The prohibition of these titles to the disciples suggests that their use was present in Matthew’s church. The Matthean Jesus forbids not only the titles but the spirit of superiority and pride that is shown by their acceptance. Whoever exalts…will be exalted: cf. Lk 14:11.3

Jeanna Schuler asks where is my heart? If we follow our heart it points to what we love. Am I buoyed up by titles, honors, where I sit at the table? Am I quick to judge and slow to listen? Do I burden others and enjoy whatever slack my privilege buys? Do I sit high above the messy fields where struggles ensue? It’s Lent. It’s time to “learn to do good.” The Pharisee in me wants to look sharp and say the right things. But don’t listen to lofty words. Look at what we do. The child sees what we do and ignores the rest. Let’s learn from small creatures about what matters.

 How can a codger set in her ways “make a new heart and a new spirit”?  Of course we know what’s good. But how to change course this far downstream?  It isn’t as hard as we fear. Heroic sacrifice isn’t demanded, just a willing heart.  If we open up space this Lent, God finds us. If we sing praise in croaky tones, God hears us.  In encountering those beaten down daily, we learn to love anew. There You are, still in the ditch, not on that splendid throne.
It’s Lent.  God, help us to set things right.  Show us Your face.4

Rabbi Harold Kushner comments ''People want less theology and more religion,'' Rabbi Kushner says, paraphrasing the Jewish theologian Martin Buber. ''They want an encounter with the living God that will change their lives.''

 ''There were so many people who were really ticked off at religion because when they needed it, it was not there for them,'' Rabbi Kushner says. ''What I came along and said was, 'If you want to get angry at God, get angry, but when you get over your anger, don't let it be a barrier to you.' '' In other words, anger need not mean separation from God or faith.5

Mary Hynes introduces an episode of Tapestry@25 that features Rabbi Harold Kushner, who is one of CBC Tapestry’s all-time most requested guests. In this interview, Rabbi Kushner cites sources that connect some of the challenges of an encounter with the Living God to theology of the Reformation.

 Kushner has been on the programme quite a few times: addressing everything from the spiritual fallout of the Sept. 11 attacks, to feeling afraid without giving in to the fear, to his most famous topic: why do bad things happen to good people?6

Sean Salai, S.J. asks Why does the Reformation matter today? In his book, Heroes and Heretics of the Reformation, Mr. Philip Campbell’s, a lay Catholic history teacher, author and editor of The Complete Works of St. Cyprian, looks to its main characters to understand.

 We also have to mention, though, that the title Heroes and Heretics refers really to two poles—Catholic saints as the heroes, and the Protestants as the heretics. But a great many individuals were somewhere in between. I was particularly fascinated by the story of Erasmus, a man who criticized the church ruthlessly and sympathized with reformist ideals, but also was unwilling to break with the Catholic Church. He was castigated by Catholics for pouring fuel on the fire of the Reformers, but was also mocked by the Reformers for being unwilling to join the Protestants. So, while the defining characters of the age were definitely the Catholic saints and Protestant heresiarchs, it is good to remember that people can seldom be so easily categorized. A good number of people of the time had mixed sympathies.7

Don Schwager quotes “Who are the proud?” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "Who are the proud? Those who do not perform penance and confess their sins in order to be healed through humility. Who are the proud? Those who attribute to themselves the few good qualities they seem to possess and endeavor to diminish the mercy of God. Who are the proud? Those who, while attributing to God the good they accomplish, insult others for not performing such works and raise themselves above them."  (Commentary on Psalm 93, 15)8

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 observes that God doesn’t mince any words here. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, he laments that his chosen people have committed sins that are “like scarlet” (Isaiah 1:18). That’s a pretty strong image! But in addition to calling them out, God is also offering them the opportunity to repent and change. He sounds like a stern but loving father when he says, “Come now, let us set things right” (1:18).

 The Hebrew word for “repentance,” the word Isaiah would have used, is teshuva, or metanoia in Greek. It literally means to turn back or to turn around and go in a different direction. This word—along with Isaiah’s prophecy today—shows us that repentance is not just about recognizing our guilt and confessing it. It also means “setting things right” by taking some kind of action.
In what areas of your life might the Lord be inviting you to turn around? It may help to use an examination of conscience, such as the one inside the front cover of this magazine. As you pray, the Holy Spirit may show you some small stuff—areas in your life you’re tempted to overlook or excuse. Or he may show you something bigger that affects other people and requires significant change.9

Friar Jude Winkler touches on the use of rabbinic exaggeration in Jewish teaching. The unforgivable sin against the Spirit is our decision that our guilt is greater than the mercy of God. Friar Jude reminds us that rabbinic interpretation of the calling God “Father” is more subtle and nuanced than some Christians have embraced.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that some of the Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism, did a very thorough investigation of the nature of the Head Center. That’s one of the reasons I think Thomas Merton was drawn to studying certain things about Buddhist practice. What Eastern traditions all agree on is the true nature of Mind is complete stillness, silence, and spaciousness. Boundless stillness, peace, clarity, forever and ever, amen. So Fr. Richard would say that the Head Center gives us the possibility of sensing, recognizing the Eternal Presence that’s right here in the midst of phenomena.

 There is this process of opening to this stillness, the vast freedom, peace, clarity of the soul, of spirit. . . . You could see your thoughts are happening. [But] what surrounds them and is inside them is this tremendous peace and stillness. And . . . this stillness is not inactive. . . . The stillness . . . brings the sense of knowing, of recognition, of clarity and wisdom. Don [Riso] and I have called it the sense of guidance, where you’re kind of clear it’s not you thinking exactly. It’s like a spontaneous recognition of truth/reality that just comes. You don’t have to plan it. It’s like you just relax and suddenly. . . . Pow. There it is. It’s right in your mind. [1]10

Our understanding of the nature of our relationship with God benefits from our study and contemplation of our salvation history in the 500 years since the Reformation, the millennia since Jesus lived in Palestine, and the many centuries of our relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 1 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/1
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 50 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 23 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/23:35
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(1996, November 6). Staying With God For Better or Worse - The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/06/style/staying-with-god-for-better-or-worse.html
6	(2020, March 6). Tapestry@25: life advice from Rabbi Harold Kushner - CBC.ca. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/tapestry-25-life-advice-from-rabbi-harold-kushner-1.5488838
7	(2017, October 30). Why does the Reformation matter today? Look to its main .... Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/10/30/why-does-reformation-matter-today-look-its-main-characters-understand
8	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
9	(n.d.). 2nd Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/03/10/
10	(n.d.). The Head Center — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://cac.org/the-head-center-2020-03-10/

Children and the Lamb

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today declare our dignity as children of God who are challenged by the Spirit to be people of reconciliation, peace and Love.

Path of reconciliation

The reading from the First Letter of John declares that we are children of God who are called to avoid sin.

 * [3:4] Lawlessness: a reference to the activity of the antichrist, so it is expressed as hostility toward God and a rejection of Christ. The author goes on to contrast the states of sin and righteousness. Christians do not escape sin but realize that when they sin they cease to have fellowship with God. Virtue and sin distinguish the children of God from the children of the devil.1

Psalm 98 praises the Judge of the World.

 * [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9).2

In the Gospel of John, the Lamb of God is known to John the Baptist.

 * [1:29] The Lamb of God: the background for this title may be the victorious apocalyptic lamb who would destroy evil in the world (Rev 5–7; 17:14); the paschal lamb, whose blood saved Israel (Ex 12); and/or the suffering servant led like a lamb to the slaughter as a sin-offering (Is 53:7, 10).3

Andy Alexander, S.J. declares the experience of knowing Jesus - experiencing his love and mercy, personally - is quite powerful. It is freeing, emboldening, and it sets us apart from the world around us and its ways.

 Take the word "success." Our world has a variety of ways of describing success and what a successful person looks like, or signs of achieving success. Our world's language has ways of describing a successful family, a successful career, or even what we mean when we say our children have become successful. We know what those signs are. In some ways, they will have to do with honor, money, status. Once we know Jesus, personally - once that encounter with his unconditional love and mercy has overwhelmed us - everything changes. Success is then defined in terms of whatever helps me become closer to him and his ways. It involves humility, dying to myself, and service of others and the common good. Ultimately, it means taking on his mission to include others, forgive them, heal them, and share with them the joy of the Good News of his love. And, the sign of that highest degree of success is that we will embrace the gift of eternal life with him forever in heaven. That's why St. Ignatius speaks of the spiritual journey as the "reformation of our desires”.4

Bill McCormick, SJ, regent at Saint Louis University, teaches political science and philosophy. This story was first published in the Fall 2017 issue of the USA Central and Southern Jesuits Magazine. It still resonates with our need for examples of peace and unity today more than ever. How will Christians - whether Catholics, Protestant, Orthodox - come together to be the sign of that peace?

It seems that our age has an exceptional thirst for reconciliation. President Donald Trump’s cancellation of DACA, Senator Dianne Feinstein’s comments about Catholicism during the confirmation hearings of a judicial appointment, Brexit, the reaction to Jesuit Father James Martin’s book on welcoming LGBT Catholics within the Church, North Korea, the continuing controversies surrounding Amoris Laetitia, the Charlottesville tragedy, protests for racial justice in St. Louis, even some of the responses to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma: all are painful reminders that not only are we in desperate need of reconciliation, but that there seem to be precious little hope for it.5 

Don Schwager quotes “John points to Jesus' saving mission,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

 "No longer does John need to 'prepare the way,' since the one for whom the preparation was being made is right there before his eyes... But now he who of old was dimly pictured, the very Lamb, the spotless Sacrifice, is led to the slaughter for all, that he might drive away the sin of the world, that he might overturn the destroyer of the earth, that dying for all he might annihilate death, that he might undo the curse that is upon us... For one Lamb died for all (2 Corinthians 5:14), saving the whole flock on earth to God the Father, one for all, that he might subject all to God." (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.1)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:29-34 notes God told John the Baptist what to look for: “On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit” (1:33). John faced the same perplexity any of us might: did that thought really come from God?

 This new year, decide to spend time every day listening to what God wants to say to you. Become familiar with how he speaks to you: in thoughts or pictures that come to your mind; in a Scripture passage or a homily; in a stirring, pounding, or yearning of your heart; in tears or a sense of joy. Write it down in a journal. At the end of each week, review what you have written. Revisit the senses and impressions you felt in prayer. Over time, you may find yourself learning more about God’s goodness, his mercy, or his plans for you. Make this a year of listening and testing out what you hear.7

Friar Jude Winkler highlights ideas that we have a special relationship as children who, in sin, belong to the evil one of God in the Letter of John. The Aramaic language translates the proclamation of Jesus nature to “lamb” or “servant”. Friar Jude reminds us that Christian Baptism is our entry into the Life of the Trinity.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the vision of Brian McLaren who describes the need to be (2) “radically collaborative” and to (3) “love as Jesus taught and embodied.” Rather than a top-heavy institution concerned about in-house salvation, the Christianity of the future will place love of God, neighbor, self, and all creation at the center. Brian writes:

 When I think of this [new] kind of Christianity of the future, then, I think of a movement of revolutionary love. I see it as distinctively Christian, but not in any exclusive way, because if we truly see love as Jesus’ point and passion, then the depth of our devotion to Christ will always lead us to love our Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Indigenous, nonreligious, agnostic, atheist, and other neighbors as ourselves. . . .
In this desirable future, every willing Christian congregation makes every competing interest subsidiary to love, which is the fruit of all contemplation and the goal of all action. If we embody this [emergent] form of Christianity, . . .  if we become the seeds of a movement of contemplative activism in the Spirit of Christ, I can imagine hundreds of thousands of congregations, . . . each a locally and globally engaged school of love, teaching future generations to discover, practice, and live in love: love for our neighbor, love for ourselves, love for all creatures and all creation—all comprising love for God, who is all in all.8

The children of God are called to reconcile with all and be the sign of the Love of the Spirit in the world.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John, chapter 3 - United States Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/3
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 98 - United States Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 1 - United States Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(2017, October 25). The Reformation and Our Thirst for Reconciliation. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://jesuitscentralsouthern.org/Story?Feature=The-Reformation-and-Our-Thirst-for-Reconciliation-&TN=PROJECT-20171025084732
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/1/3/
8	(n.d.). Summary: An Evolving Faith Archives — Center for Action and .... Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://cac.org/themes/summary-an-evolving-faith/