Destruction and Peace

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to attend to the prompting of the Spirit to contemplate the source of storms on our journey and accept the support of Jesus as we weather our troubles.

Help in the storms of our journey

The reading from the Book of Genesis details the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

* [19:25] Overthrew: this term, lit., “turned upside down,” is used consistently to describe the destruction of the cities of the Plain. The imagery of earthquake and subsequent fire fits the geology of this region. (Genesis, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)

Psalm 26 is a plea for Justice and a Declaration of Righteousness.

* [Psalm 26] Like a priest washing before approaching the altar (Ex 30:17–21), the psalmist seeks God’s protection upon entering the Temple. Ps 26:1–3, matched by Ps 26:11–12, remind God of past integrity while asking for purification; Ps 26:4–5, matched by Ps 26:9–10, pray for inclusion among the just; Ps 26:6–8, the center of the poem, express the joy in God at the heart of all ritual. (Psalms, PSALM 26, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus stills the Storm.

* [8:23] His disciples followed him: the first miracle in the second group (Mt 8:23–9:8) is introduced by a verse that links it with the preceding sayings by the catchword “follow.” In Mark the initiative in entering the boat is taken by the disciples (Mk 4:35–41); here, Jesus enters first and the disciples follow.

* [8:24] Storm: literally, “earthquake,” a word commonly used in apocalyptic literature for the shaking of the old world when God brings in his kingdom. All the synoptics use it in depicting the events preceding the parousia of the Son of Man (Mt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:11). Matthew has introduced it here and in his account of the death and resurrection of Jesus (Mt 27:51–54; 28:2).

* [8:25] The reverent plea of the disciples contrasts sharply with their reproach of Jesus in Mk 4:38.

* [8:26] You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Great calm: Jesus’ calming the sea may be meant to recall the Old Testament theme of God’s control over the chaotic waters (Ps 65:8; 89:10; 93:3–4; 107:29). (Matthew, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J. thinks Jesus wants us to know that he is with us, and that he has power over the "wind and the waves" - the storm stuff.  But, instead of being with us, always stopping the forces of nature and free will from whipping up into storms, Jesus wants to be with us comforting us with our faith.  Jesus wants us to know that our faith can help us deal with our fears - all our fears, even death itself. 

Our act of faith today is to pray, "My life is in your hands."  Some days, that will be said with tears streaming down our faces.  Some days,  it will be prayed in the presence of so much anxiety and fear.  Some days, it can only be the Spirit praying those words within us.  But the more days we say those words, the more deeply those words will come from our hearts.  It is not so much that we "place" our lives in God's hands; rather, we recognize that our lives are in God's hands. (Alexander, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Training in courage and endurance,” by John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D.

"He took the disciples with him, not for nothing and not merely to face an absurd hazard but in order to permit them to witness the miracle that was to take place on the sea. For like a superb trainer, he was gradually coaching and fitting them for endurance. He had two objectives in mind. He wanted to teach them to remain undismayed amid dangers and modest in honors. So, to prevent them from thinking too much of themselves, having sent away the multitude, he kept them near him but permitted them to be tossed with a tempest. By doing so he disciplined them to bear trials patiently. His former miracles were indeed great, but this one contained a unique kind of discipline of exceptional importance. For it was a sign akin to that of old [referring to Moses parting the Red Sea]. To do this, he took his disciples with him by himself. He permitted others to see his other miracles, but when trials and terrors were rising, he took with him none but those he was training to be champions of the gospel. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 28.1.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 19:15-29 comments that this story also shows us that sometimes the Lord asks us to flee from something that is harming us, something we should leave behind because things will end badly if we don’t. It might be a habitual sin pattern or a situation that continually subjects us to temptation. It might be an unhealthy relationship. Whatever it is, God wants us to move forward in following him. Looking back on what we are losing just makes it all the harder to do that.

For your prayer today, reflect on whether God is asking you to flee from something that is not his will for you. If so, make a resolution to obey him. It might be painful to do, and you may need to keep asking for his grace to stay the course. But trust that God has something so much better for you ahead. And don’t look back!

“Father, you know what’s best for me. Help me to listen to you in all things.” (Meditation on Genesis 19:15-29, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that God saved Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of Abraham. Lot shows characteristics that he is not quite ready for total surrender to God. Friar Jude notes how Jesus demonstrates power over demonic forces in the calming of the sea.

Barbara Holmes reflects on solidarity and this year’s Daily Meditations theme The Prophetic Path. Author Margaret Swedish considers a spirituality of solidarity that begins with honoring the divine presence in each human being.

“I believe that God gave us the greatest example of solidarity when God sent his son Jesus to live with us,” [Salvadoran refugee] Ernesto Martell says. “God gave us the dignity of living with Jesus among us.” … This is one of the pillars of a Christian spirituality of solidarity—belief in a God who became human like us and in so doing revealed the true dignity of each human being.  

What this means is that we must, first of all, be able to see the other, the human being next to us, or in a Salvadoran village, or in a refugee camp in Rwanda, as a person with value equal to our own. My life is no more valuable and worthy, of no greater or lesser significance, than that of this other human being. I am no more or less deserving. My rights are not more important than those of this person.… 

This spirituality starts in a painful place—with an acceptance of the fact that the world is broken and that we are broken. In this we find our deep bonds with the wounded ones of our world. And in that vulnerable place we find the heart of solidarity: compassion. [2] (Holmes, 2023)

On our journey, we have the Spirit to guide our decisions to leave behind what is damaging to our growth and to express gratitude for the life giving events.

References

Alexander, A. (2023, July 4). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070423.html 

Genesis, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/19?15 

Holmes, B. (2023, July 4). The Spirituality of Solidarity — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-spirituality-of-solidarity-2023-07-04/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?23 

Meditation on Genesis 19:15-29. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/04/726630/ 

Psalms, PSALM 26. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/26?2 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Why Are You Afraid, O Men of Little Faith? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jul4 

Penance Prayer Perseverance

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to be open to the promptings of the Spirit to pray about our desires and seek openness to surrender to the will of God calling us into communities of Love.

Seeking Reconciliation

In the reading from the Book of Genesis, Abraham intercedes for Sodom.

* [18:20] The immorality of the cities was already hinted at in 13:13, when Lot made his choice to live there. The “outcry” comes from the victims of the injustice and violence rampant in the city, which will shortly be illustrated in the treatment of the visitors. The outcry of the Hebrews under the harsh treatment of Pharaoh (Ex 3:7) came up to God who reacts in anger at mistreatment of the poor (cf. Ex 22:21–23; Is 5:7). Sodom and Gomorrah became types of sinful cities in biblical literature. Is 1:9–10; 3:9 sees their sin as lack of social justice, Ez 16:46–51, as disregard for the poor, and Jer 23:14, as general immorality. In the Genesis story, the sin is violation of the sacred duty of hospitality by the threatened rape of Lot’s guests. (Genesis, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)

Psalm 138 is a prayer of thanksgiving and praise.

* [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 138, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter to the Colossians declares the sovereign tole of Christ.

* [2:14] The elaborate metaphor here about how God canceled the legal claims against us through Christ’s cross depicts not Christ being nailed to the cross by men but the bond…with its legal claims being nailed to the cross by God. (Colossians, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke shares the Lord’s Prayer and a metaphor about perseverance in prayer.

* [11:13] The holy Spirit: this is a Lucan editorial alteration of a traditional saying of Jesus (see Mt 7:11). Luke presents the gift of the holy Spirit as the response of the Father to the prayer of the Christian disciple. (Luke, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Molly Mattingly comments that remembering Jesus’ words within the context of teaching us how to pray helps bring them into focus. In Ignatian spirituality, we know God speaks to us through our deepest desires. Naming our desires before God is an honest prayer. God wants us to ask, seek, and knock about those desires! Honesty like that is the foundation of good discernment, a collaboration with God, a participation in the abundant life God wants to give us. “Even when you were dead,” writes Paul, “[Christ] brought you to life along with him.” God draws us close through our desires. Abraham “drew nearer” to God to pray centuries before Jesus taught his disciples.

So who is this God to whom Jesus teaches us to pray? A loving parent, a generous friend, a just king, and a compassionate teacher who is with us amid our struggles (Jesus himself). This God is not a trickster, a miser, or cruel. If we are skeptical that God could be that good to us, Jesus holds up a mirror to help us out. If we know how to be loving parents, generous friends, fair judges, and compassionate, encouraging teachers – and most of us have a pretty good idea of how to do those things, even if we don’t always do them perfectly – how much more does God know how to love us? Then Jesus teaches us to ask for what draws us closer to God: for forgiveness, for what we need, for the coming of the Kingdom. If we seek the coming of the Kingdom, we can begin to see it and participate in it. If we knock on the door of abundant life, it opens. Indeed, we may find we were holding it closed to begin with, and it opens easily once we let go of the handle to knock. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The privilege and responsibility of calling God Father”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"For the Savior said, 'When you pray, say, 'Our Father.' And another of the holy Evangelists adds, 'who art in heaven' (Matthew 6:9)... He gives his own glory to us. He raises slaves to the dignity of freedom. He crowns the human condition with such honor as surpasses the power of nature. He brings to pass what was spoken of old by the voice of the psalmist: 'I said, you are gods, and all of you children of the Most High' (Psalm 82:6). He rescues us from the measure of slavery, giving us by his grace what we did not possess by nature, and permits us to call God 'Father,' as being admitted to the rank of sons. We received this, together with all our other privileges, from him. One of these privileges is the dignity of freedom, a gift peculiarly befitting those who have been called to be sons. He commands us, therefore, to take boldness and say in our prayers, 'Our Father.'"(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 71) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:1-13 comments that boldness didn’t come naturally to the disciples—and it doesn’t come naturally to us. So Jesus gives all of us an insider’s view of the kind of Father we have. He is more merciful and generous than the best human father (Luke 6:36; 11:13). He is attentive to our needs and always ready to hear and answer our prayers (12:30; 11:10). He will not give us a scorpion when we ask for an egg (11:12). He is rich in kindness and forgiveness (23:34). How awesome that he welcomes us as his children!

Jesus wants to give you the courage to pray, “Father.” So at Mass today, pray the Lord’s Prayer with gratitude and awe that God is your loving Father.

“Father! Thank you for making me your child.” (Meditation on Luke 11:1-13, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the chutzpah of the prayer conversation of Abraham with God in Genesis. The author of Colossians shares how God responds to our transgressions calling us to rise with Christ in Baptism. Luke notes Jesus' prayer for discernment eleven times in his Gospel. Friar Jude connects our persistence in prayer to communicating with chutzpah our desire to accept the Will of God.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that this year’s Daily Meditations theme is “Nothing Stands Alone,” a truth revealed in God as Trinity and throughout all of creation. This week we explore how listening with depth, respect, and even reverence is key to building and maintaining loving relationships. In this homily, Father Richard speaks of Jesus’ desire for us to remain connected.

Everybody seems to be trying to prove that they are right. We have almost a collective incapacity to admit failure, to ever admit that we are wrong, which makes us liars most of the time. Jesus is calling forth a very different kind of human being.

Jesus says people who live the vulnerable life of connection and relationship will bear much fruit. These are the people we trust, like, and admire. And yet so many of us are afraid to be the very thing that we admire the most. How foolish human beings are! But again, Jesus has told us the way: he is the vine. We are the branches. None of us can be or need to be correct, but we can always be connected. (Rohr, 2022)

We pray and explore our relationship with God through which the Spirit encourages us to knock and receive our family in the Body of Christ.

References

Colossians, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/2?12 

Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072422.html 

Genesis, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/18?20 

Luke, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?1 

Meditation on Luke 11:1-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/24/447868/ 

Psalms, PSALM 138. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/138?1 

Rohr, R. (2022, July 24). Remain in Relationship — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/remain-in-relationship-2022-07-24/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture ... Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul24