Persecution and Vigilance

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the last day of the Church year alert us to be vigilant in our attention to Advent spirituality in the midst of the persecution by the commercial pressure of the secular seasonal celebration.

Watch and Prepare

In the reading from the Book of Daniel, Daniel’s Visions are interpreted.

* [7:18] “Holy ones” in Hebrew and Aramaic literature are nearly always members of the heavenly court or angels (cf. 4:10, 14, 20; 8:13), though here the term is commonly taken to refer to Israel.

* [7:25] The reference is to the persecution of Antiochus IV and specifically to the disruption of the Temple cult (1 Mc 1:41–64). A time, two times, and half a time: an indefinite, evil period of time. Probably here, three and a half years, which becomes the standard period of tribulation in apocalyptic literature (Rev 11:2; 13:5 [in months]; 11:3 [in days]; and cf. 12:14). As seven is the Jewish “perfect” number, half of it signifies great imperfection. Actually, the Temple was desecrated for three years (1 Mc 4:52–54). The duration of the persecution was a little longer, since it was already under way before the Temple was desecrated. (Daniel, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)

The response is from Daniel 3 of Saturday December 2, 2023

* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures. (Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke is an exhortation to watch and be vigilant.

* [21:5–36] Jesus’ eschatological discourse in Luke is inspired by Mk 13 but Luke has made some significant alterations to the words of Jesus found there. Luke maintains, though in a modified form, the belief in the early expectation of the end of the age (see Lk 21:27, 28, 31, 32, 36), but, by focusing attention throughout the gospel on the importance of the day-to-day following of Jesus and by reinterpreting the meaning of some of the signs of the end from Mk 13 he has come to terms with what seemed to the early Christian community to be a delay of the parousia. Mark, for example, described the desecration of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans (Mk 13:14) as the apocalyptic symbol (see Dn 9:27; 12:11) accompanying the end of the age and the coming of the Son of Man. Luke (Lk 21:20–24), however, removes the apocalyptic setting and separates the historical destruction of Jerusalem from the signs of the coming of the Son of Man by a period that he refers to as “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24). See also notes on Mt 24:1–36 and Mk 13:1–37. (Luke, CHAPTER 21, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly comments that despite his ongoing anxiety, Daniel rejoices in that good news in his psalm of praise.  In it, he further encourages all servants and the Lord, holy people of humble heart, spirits and souls of the just, to bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever.  Daniel’s response is instructive.

I am pretty sure that we too are those servants of the Lord, holy people of humble heart, and spirits and souls of the just that Daniel refers to in the Old Testament, and that doesn’t make our lives any easier either.  Whether we are called to prophecy, witness, or teaching, we can be sure that we will experience some anxieties when God puts us to work to send a message about salvation.  Yet we, like Daniel, should also bless the Lord and praise and exalt Him above all forever.  Lucky for us, unlike the prophets in the Old Testament, God chooses not to reveal certain things to us like He did to Daniel.  There is still an element of mystery surrounding it all even though the Scriptures reveal what is necessary for us to know.  But this is where faith comes in, at least for me.  Our response to those who say they can’t believe in a God that they don’t see or talk to everyday or understand is to share the good news of salvation that Jesus brings.  As servants of the Lord, we don’t have to interpret dreams anymore.  We can live our lives wide awake without fear!  We also need to share the good news of Jesus humbly and patiently with those who have a lot of anxieties about the kingdoms of this earth.  Especially so these days, we also need to give glory and eternal praise to the Lord who reveals to us the Kingdom of God is eternally ours in Christ Jesus. (Dilly, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Drunkenness weakens both soul and body,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"'But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare.' You heard the proclamation of the eternal King. You learned the deplorable end of 'drunkenness' or 'intoxication'. Imagine a skilled and wise physician who would say, 'Beware, no one should drink too much from this or that herb. If he does, he will suddenly be destroyed.' I do not doubt that everyone would keep the prescriptions of the physician's warning concerning his own health. Now the Lord, who is both the physician of souls and bodies, orders them to avoid as a deadly drink the herb 'of drunkenness' and the vice 'of intoxication' and also the care of worldly matters. I do not know if any one can say that he is not wounded, because these things consume him.

"Drunkenness is therefore destructive in all things. It is the only thing that weakens the soul together with the body. According to the apostle, it can happen that when the body 'is weak,' then the spirit is 'much stronger' (2 Corinthians 12:10), and when 'the exterior person is destroyed, the interior person is renewed' (2 Corinthians 4:16). In the illness of drunkenness, the body and the soul are destroyed at the same time. The spirit is corrupted equally with the flesh. All the members are weakened: the feet and the hands. The tongue is loosened. Darkness covers the eyes. Forgetfulness covers the mind so that one does not know himself nor does he perceive he is a person. Drunkenness of the body has that shamefulness." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 7.5-6) (Schwager, 2023)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 21:34-36 comments that anxiety about the daily issues we face can make us lose sight of our true purpose and goal in life. We were made to love and serve the Lord, to build his kingdom on earth, and to spend eternity with him in heaven. Unfortunately, our day-to-day concerns have the potential to consume our thoughts and actions to the point that we become “drowsy” about what matters most: our life with God. And that life is what prepares us for Jesus’ return.

Trying to tackle anxieties head-on can be a bit like playing whack-a-mole. Hit one, and another one pops up somewhere else. A better strategy is to turn to the Lord and spend some time praising him. As we do, our minds and hearts become focused on his goodness and care for us. Rather than becoming drowsy, our hearts will swell with love and gratitude. And that will make us more than ready to welcome the Lord when he comes again!

“Jesus, whenever I am filled with anxiety, help me to turn to you in praise and thanksgiving.” (Meditation on Luke 21:34-36, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the latter part of Daniel 7 is very apocalyptic like Revelation which was also written near this time. The text declares that even the Seleucid Empire would be crushed. Friar Jude urges us to do everything we can today and even better tomorrow as we ponder the Day of the Lord.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to center ourselves and all we do each day in the flow of God’s love.

When I studied The Divine Comedy in college, I was fascinated that Dante had some of the souls in the highest heaven spinning around. It seemed silly to me that the great reformer St. Peter Damien just “whirled” into deeper and deeper love.

Then, a few years ago in Istanbul, I attended the prayer of the Sufi whirling dervishes. Again, in this sacred dance, there was a spinning around a calm and fixed center. In fact, a dervish cannot fake a calm center and survive the prayer. One foot has to be firmly, calmly grounded in a Stable Love or they cannot do the dance; one hand raised and one hand grounding….

We’ve got to keep whirling in the midst of all that today’s going to demand of us. We’ll have to do this and that. We’ll have to feel this and that. But we’ve got to keep the stable center by a conscious choice for love. If we practice returning to that Love, it will become truly real and vital. We must allow, notice, and draw upon this divine, inherent spinning of love within us, between the three—and of course, we become the fourth! [2] (Rohr, 2023)

We close out the Church year and prepare for Advent even as we ponder our response to the secular winter seasonal celebration that has so much of our attention as the Spirit invites us to anticipate the representation of the Incarnation.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7?15 

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

Dilly, B. (2023, December 2). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120223.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 21. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/21? 

Meditation on Luke 21:34-36. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/02/840494/ 

Rohr, R. (2023, June 16). The Prophetic Path: Motivated by Love: Weekly Summary. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-prophetic-path-motivated-by-love-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (2023, June 16). Lest Your Hearts Be Weighed Down. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec2 

Growing Commitment

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the tension in our lives between our self serving action and the path that leads to fullness of life.

Wheat and weeds

 

The reading from the Book of Exodus describes the ratification of the Covenant.

* [24:4] Sacred stones: stone shafts or slabs, erected as symbols of the fact that each of the twelve tribes had entered into this covenant with God; see 23:24; Gn 28:18.1 

  Psalm 50 praises the acceptable sacrifice.

* [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 teaches the Parable of Weeds among the Wheat.

* [13:24–30] This parable is peculiar to Matthew. The comparison in Mt 13:24 does not mean that the kingdom of heaven may be likened simply to the person in question but to the situation narrated in the whole story. The refusal of the householder to allow his slaves to separate the wheat from the weeds while they are still growing is a warning to the disciples not to attempt to anticipate the final judgment of God by a definitive exclusion of sinners from the kingdom. In its present stage it is composed of the good and the bad. The judgment of God alone will eliminate the sinful. Until then there must be patience and the preaching of repentance.3 

Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that evil humans among us can influence us. They can sow doubt, foment anger, tempt us with earthly desires, turn us from our better angels. Can we believers keep our faith, walk the right road, not be led into temptation, and remain in God’s grace when the world around us doesn’t want us to?

God (the householder of the parable?) trusts us to remain steadfast in his word.  Prayer, being in community, acting in service to others, and other spiritual disciplines help us to do so.  I pray today that we have the optimism, discipline, and trust in the grace of our Lord, to grow into tall, healthy wheat that will be harvested into the barn.  Healthy in faith despite any weeds that work to distract us.  “Lord, let my heart be good soil,” fertile for the “good seed” you’ve sown in me.  Amen.4 

Don Schwager quotes “The Lord sows good seeds in our heart,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"The Lord clearly points out that he is the sower of good seeds. He does not cease to sow in this world as in a field. God's word is like good seed in the hearts of people, so that each of us according to the seeds sown in us by God may bear spiritual and heavenly fruit." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 51.1)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15 notes that we can surely recall times when we saw God’s power at work. Perhaps someone arrived to help us just when we were in desperate need. Or maybe something unexpected happened that ended up restoring a broken relationship. Maybe we were flooded with peace during an anxious situation. At these times, offering praise to the Lord is not a burden. But what about those times when we can’t see how God is working, or we don’t know what we will face in the future? Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

So go ahead and praise your God and heavenly Father. Decide to trust him and give him praise even in the darkness or disappointments. When you do, you’ll strengthen your faith in the God you’re praising—the one who created the heavens and the earth, who has given you a share in his divine life, who has shown you boundless mercy and grace. Little by little, God will lift up your heart and open your eyes to his love. “Father, you are always worthy of my praise. Help me lift my voice to you today.”6 

Franciscan Media writes about St. Sharbel Makhlūf who followed the example of the fifth-century Saint Maron. Sharbel lived as a hermit from 1875, until his death. His reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly.

John Paul II often said that the Church has two lungs—East and West—and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God’s grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response.7 

Friar Jude Winkler shares that Moses proclaimed the Commandments and offered a sacrifice to “cut” a Covenant. Followers of Jesus ponder why evil continues to exist in the world. Friar Jude reminds us to avoid judgement, live in joy, and do our best.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Douglas-Klotz, who offers several possible understandings of Jesus’ teaching “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He offers an embodied prayer practice to help us sense the powerful message of this beatitude.

When in emotional turmoil—or unable to clearly feel any emotion—experiment in this fashion: breathe in while feeling the word lawile (lay-wee-ley) [longing]; breathe out while feeling the word netbayun (net-bah-yoon) [loving]. Embrace all of what you feel and allow all emotions to wash through as though you were standing under a gentle waterfall. Follow this flow back to its source and find there the spring from which all emotion arises. At this source, consider what emotion has meaning for the moment, what action or nonaction is important now.8

As we grow in our relationship with the Trinity, the love of the Spirit moves us to compassion and care for all people.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Exodus, CHAPTER 24 | USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/24
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 50 | USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50
3	(n.d.). Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072421.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=jul24
6	(2021, July 24). Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings .... Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/07/24/190382/
7	(n.d.). Saint Sharbel Makhlouf | Franciscan Media. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-sharbel-makhlouf
8	(2021, July 18). The Sermon on the Mount Archives — Center for Action and .... Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://cac.org/the-sermon-on-the-mount-weekly-summary-2021-07-24/