Suffering Rejection and Full Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the role of suffering and rejection in our journey to fullness of life as siblings of Jesus.

The Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims the mystery of God.

* [2:1] The mystery of God: God’s secret, known only to himself, is his plan for the salvation of his people; it is clear from 1 Cor 1:18–25; 2:2, 8–10 that this secret involves Jesus and the cross. In place of mystery, other good manuscripts read “testimony” (cf. 1 Cor 1:6).

* [2:3] The weakness of the crucified Jesus is reflected in Paul’s own bearing (cf. 2 Cor 10–13). Fear and much trembling: reverential fear based on a sense of God’s transcendence permeates Paul’s existence and preaching. Compare his advice to the Philippians to work out their salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), because God is at work in them just as his exalting power was paradoxically at work in the emptying, humiliation, and obedience of Jesus to death on the cross (Phil 2:6–11).

* [2:4] Among many manuscript readings here the best is either “not with the persuasion of wisdom” or “not with persuasive words of wisdom,” which differ only by a nuance. Whichever reading is accepted, the inefficacy of human wisdom for salvation is contrasted with the power of the cross. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 glorifies God for the Torah and exhorts fidelity to the Law.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. 

* [119:97] Lord: the inclusion of “Lord” follows the tradition of the Septuagint and the Vulgate. (Psalms, PSALM 119, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth.

* [4:16–30] Luke has transposed to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry an incident from his Marcan source, which situated it near the end of the Galilean ministry (Mk 6:1–6a). In doing so, Luke turns the initial admiration (Lk 4:22) and subsequent rejection of Jesus (Lk 4:28–29) into a foreshadowing of the whole future ministry of Jesus. Moreover, the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown hints at the greater rejection of him by Israel (Acts 13:46).

* [4:16] According to his custom: Jesus’ practice of regularly attending synagogue is carried on by the early Christians’ practice of meeting in the temple (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:12).

* [4:18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me: see note on Lk 3:21–22. As this incident develops, Jesus is portrayed as a prophet whose ministry is compared to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Prophetic anointings are known in first-century Palestinian Judaism from the Qumran literature that speaks of prophets as God’s anointed ones. To bring glad tidings to the poor: more than any other gospel writer Luke is concerned with Jesus’ attitude toward the economically and socially poor (see Lk 6:20, 24; 12:16–21; 14:12–14; 16:19–26; 19:8). At times, the poor in Luke’s gospel are associated with the downtrodden, the oppressed and afflicted, the forgotten and the neglected (Lk 4:18; 6:20–22; 7:22; 14:12–14), and it is they who accept Jesus’ message of salvation.

* [4:21] Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing: this sermon inaugurates the time of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Luke presents the ministry of Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament hopes and expectations (Lk 7:22); for Luke, even Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection are done in fulfillment of the scriptures (Lk 24:25–27, 44–46; Acts 3:18).

* [4:23] The things that we heard were done in Capernaum: Luke’s source for this incident reveals an awareness of an earlier ministry of Jesus in Capernaum that Luke has not yet made use of because of his transposition of this Nazareth episode to the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. It is possible that by use of the future tense you will quote me…, Jesus is being portrayed as a prophet.

* [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. (Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tamora Whitney knows someone who grew up in Minnesota, and always said she never understood the big deal about Bob Dylan, who grew up down the street from her.

Jesus is telling the story of Naaman and Elisha when he is in Nazareth – his own home region. And he’s telling this story to his own countrymen who do not accept that Jesus is the messiah and do not recognize his power. Jesus reads the passage from Isaiah that he himself is fulfilling, but those listening are enraged that Joseph’s son is claiming to be the Lord. There was an ad running on tv about saving money on car insurance. A man needs to save some money and his father suggests this car insurance, but the man disregards his advice. Then he sees a tv commercial where a tv dad says the same thing, and this time the man thinks it’s a great idea. He won’t take the good idea from his own father. People want something fancy and flashy, something different, and can disregard the best answer that’s right in front of them because it seems too ordinary.

Jesus is right in front of us telling us to follow him. Maybe we should do that. (Whitney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “By reading Isaiah, Jesus shows he is God and Man,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"Now it was necessary that he should manifest himself to the Israelites and that the mystery of his incarnation should now shine forth to those who did not know him. Now that God the Father had anointed him to save the world, he very wisely orders this also [that his fame should now spread widely]. This favor he grants first to the people of Nazareth, because, humanly speaking, he had grown up among them. Having entered the synagogue, therefore, he takes the book to read. Having opened it, he selects a passage in the Prophets which declares the mystery concerning him. By these words he himself tells us very clearly by the voice of the prophet that he would both be made man and come to save the world. For we affirm that the Son was anointed in no other way than by having become like us according to the flesh and taking our nature. Being at once God and man, he both gives the Spirit to the creation in his divine nature and receives it from God the Father in his human nature. It is he who sanctifies the whole creation, both by shining forth from the Holy Father and by bestowing the Spirit. He himself pours forth his own Spirit on the powers above and on those who recognized his appearing. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts today. In the First Letter to the Corinthians Paul presents the message of Christ in weakness, fear and trembling. Paul is not an orator or powerful. He trusted in the Spirit and the power in his words. The people converted because they heard the cross and resurrection of Jesus. In Luke, Jesus is in the synagogue at Nazareth and He quotes Isaiah as the Scripture being fulfilled by His Presence in Nazareth. This is his home and they are ready to reject Him, like Elijah and Elisha who were only accepted by the outsiders too. Many things are easily available and we can take them for granted. In the Eucharist, we receive the living Lord. Friar Jude urges that we make our words and actions significant. He suggests looking at the people around us and seeing their holiness and how God is working in our midst.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 4:16-30 asks Am I happy with his message until it challenges some deep-seated attitude in me? Jesus loves us too much to leave us stuck in limiting mindsets and ways of thinking. God’s plan is big!

So let in the light of his truth today. Accept Jesus’ message. Don’t try to silence him as his neighbors did. Where is the “line” that you don’t want him to cross? Who do you see as an “enemy”? Jesus is calling you to love everyone as he does and trust in him to overcome sin in each human heart—starting with your own.

“Lord, open my eyes to the ways I resist your good plan. Come and heal me!” (Meditation on Luke 4:16-30, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr considers how Jesus' choice to go to the cross reveals God’s solidarity with suffering. The “crucified God” as personified in Jesus revealed that God is always on the side of suffering wherever it is found, including the wounded and dying troops on both sides in every kind of war, and both the victims and the oppressors of this world; frankly, this pleases very few people.

If God is somehow participating in human suffering, instead of just passively tolerating it and observing it, that changes everything—at least for those who are willing to “gaze” contemplatively. All humble, suffering souls learn this from God, but the Christian Scriptures named it and revealed it publicly and dramatically in Jesus.

We can’t do it alone at all, but only by a deep identification with the Crucified One and crucified humanity. Jesus then does it in us, through us, with us, and for us. Then we have become a “new creation” (Galatians 6:15), a true disciple of Jesus, and a very different kind of human being. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek patience and perseverance as the Gifts of the Spirit that will sustain our mission to live our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader in the environment of family and friends where our familiar face may moderate how our message is received.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?16 

Meditation on Luke 4:16-30. (2026, August 31). The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/31/1657546/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/2? 

Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Standing in Solidarity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/standing-in-solidarity/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). No Prophet Is Acceptable in His Own Country. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Whitney, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved August 31, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-31-2026 

Subjected to testing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to confront the tension between declaring an orthodox position and being able to recognize our inherent position of being unknowing in the ways of God.

Truth and beauty

Paul explains to the Galatians that he is teaching a message in accord with the Church pillars in Jerusalem, even if the actions of Peter appear to contradict the orthodoxy.

* [2:11–14] The decision reached in Jerusalem (Gal 2:3–7) recognized the freedom of Gentile Christians from the Jewish law. But the problem of table fellowship between Jewish Christians, who possibly still kept kosher food regulations, and Gentile believers was not yet settled. When Cephas first came to the racially mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians in Antioch (Gal 2:12), he ate with non-Jews. Pressure from persons arriving later from Jerusalem caused him and Barnabas to draw back. Paul therefore publicly rebuked Peter’s inconsistency toward the gospel (Gal 2:14). Some think that what Paul said on that occasion extends through Gal 2:16, 21

In the Gospel from Luke, one of Jesus many occasions of prayer is to teach us to recognize God as Father.

* [11:1–4] The Matthean form of the “Our Father” occurs in the “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 6:9–15); the shorter Lucan version is presented while Jesus is at prayer (see note on Lk 3:21) and his disciples ask him to teach them to pray just as John taught his disciples to pray. In answer to their question, Jesus presents them with an example of a Christian communal prayer that stresses the fatherhood of God and acknowledges him as the one to whom the Christian disciple owes daily sustenance (Lk 11:3), forgiveness (Lk 11:4), and deliverance from the final trial (Lk 11:4). See also notes on Mt 6:9–13.

George Butterfield comments that Paul traveled to Jerusalem and presented the Good News that he preached to the original apostles so that everyone would "be on the same page." He did not want to be running in vain.

Running is Old Testament language for a prophet, a missionary, an apostle (which means, "one who is sent"). A prophet stands in the council of God, gazes upon the beauty of God, hears his voice, is commissioned to take God's word to the people, and then is sent on his mission. When he is sent, he runs. He is a missionary, an apostle, a runner. Jeremiah refers to false prophets who did not hear the voice of God and wasn't sent by him but ran anyway. In other words, they made up God's word as they went along. Paul is not so arrogant as to think that consulting with the other apostles is somehow a denial of his mission from Jesus. Thus, he meets with them so that they can know for sure that he has been entrusted with the same Gospel that they proclaimed, although their mission was to the Jews and his to the Gentiles. They recognized that the same grace working in them was working in him.

John J Parsons claims that many Christian commentators of the Book of Galatians fail to make certain critical distinctions between the idea of “law” and the idea of “covenant”. He notes the importance of the ongoing meaning of the Torah for Christians today.

Don Schwager quotes Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD) on the privilege and responsibility of calling God Father.

"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)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14 comments that St. Paul cites the pillars that support the Church. He uses this term to describe James and Peter and John, leaders who set the course for the Church, provided support and stability, and upheld all the people around them.

Friar Jude Winkler, OFM Conv, sheds light on the decision to release Gentiles from full observance of Jewish legal observances while maintaining a kind of Temple tax. In Matthew is the Our Father of community liturgy and in Luke the prayer Jesus taught. Friar Jude connects the Jewish understanding of the “contagion of sin” to the problem of baptized Gentiles who are not still caught up in their sin.

Stepping back from the details of religious practice, Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares a reflection of Rick Hocker that resonates with the imagery of Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) who describes the soul as a castle with a series of mansions through which we journey.

Let’s consider a drop of water as a metaphor for God’s indwelling presence. Water drops in the atmosphere are created when water vapor condenses on tiny particles of dust. At the center of every water drop is a particle. Similarly, every soul is wrapped around a particle of God, but this particle, although small, is boundless since the infinite God isn’t confined. God is found at your innermost center . . . and beyond.
It’s not just that God dwells inside you, but God is at the center of your spiritual makeup, an integral and enduring part of who you are. God is not added to you, but you are added to God. God is the foundation onto which your soul is built. Everyone you meet is also a God-particle wrapped in a soul.

That God is One resounds from the Shema and is at the core of revelations to Christian mystics. Our openness and patience with the tension between different religious practices recognizes our depth of unknowing.

References

(n.d.). Galatians chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/galatians/2
(n.d.). Luke chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/11:29
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Do we die to the Torah? Thoughts on Galatians - Hebrew for Christians. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Galatians/galatians.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Fulfill the Law

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate how to draw close to God.

Trust in God

The struggle of Elijah with the worship of Baal come to a climax through the action of the Lord in the passage from the First Book of Kings.

* [18:1–45] The story of the conflict with the prophets of Baal (vv. 21–40) is embedded in the story of the drought and its ending (vv. 1–20, 41–45). The connection between the two stories is found in Canaanite theology, in whose pantheon Baal, “the Cloud Rider,” the god of rain and storm, was recognized as the one who brings fertility. Worship of many gods was virtually universal in the ancient world; the Israelite requirement of exclusive worship of the Lord (Ex 20:3) was unique. The people of Israel had apparently become comfortable worshiping both Baal and the Lord, perhaps assigning mutually exclusive spheres of influence to each. By claiming authority over the rain (17:1; 18:1), the Lord was challenging Baal’s power in Baal’s own domain. The entire drought story in chaps. 17–18 implies what becomes explicit in 18:21–40: this is a struggle between the Lord and Baal for the loyalties of the people of Israel.

In the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus affirms that He intends to fulfill the Law.

* [5:17–20] This statement of Jesus’ position concerning the Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew’s sermon documentation (see note on Mt 5:1–7:29), other Q material (cf. Mt 18; Lk 16:17), and the evangelist’s own editorial touches. To fulfill the law appears at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Mt 5:18). Yet the “passing away” of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood, as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe. The “turning of the ages” comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Mt 5:21–48) show.

Francois P. Viljoen Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa cites Karl Barth on the Law and antitheses in Matthew’s Gospel.

Other scholars explain the apparent contradiction between Matthew 5:17-19 and Matthew 5:21-48 by arguing that Jesus does not refer to the written Mosaic Law as such in the antitheses, but merely to the oral traditions of the scribes and Pharisees. Barth (1963:93) remarks: 'It is plain that the antitheses are not directed primarily against the Old Testament itself, but against the interpretation of it in the Rabbinate.'

Kimberly Grassmeyer reflection on the texts today has helped her to make more sense of the dichotomy and to better understand how she was parented by her own loving father and how she elected to parent her sons.

open my heart a bit to the “Old Testament God-The-Father” that I’ve long held at arm’s length; to imagine that God-The-Father was a necessary antecedent to God-The-Son, whose love may have been less visible, welcome or appreciated had it come first; to marvel at the realization – long understood in parenting – that it is the two together that help to form the healthiest offspring.

Don Schwager reflects on learning reverence and respect by observing the Laws of the Torah.

Jesus taught reverence for God’s law - reverence for God himself, reverence for the Lord's Day, reverence or respect for parents, respect for life, for property, for another person's good name, respect for oneself and for one's neighbor lest wrong or hurtful desires master and enslave us. Reverence and respect for God's commandments teach us the way of love - love of God and love of neighbor. What is impossible to humans is possible to God who gives generously of his gifts and the Holy Spirit to those who put their faith in him.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 18:20-39 emphasizes that Elijah gives us three clues to draw close to God: Remember. Speak simply. Trust God.

Trust God. Elijah believed God would answer his prayer on Mount Carmel, and God responded dramatically. Sometimes, though, God answers prayers in ways that are unexpected, even undesired. What then? Trust the Lord, and wait. Continue to remember and speak simply: Lord, you are my hope. I believe you hear my prayers. I trust you to answer me and bring good out of this situation.

The Post by Franciscan Media about Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint of the Day for June 13, describes his contribution as priest and Doctor of the Church.

Recognized as a great man of prayer and a great Scripture and theology scholar, Anthony became the first friar to teach theology to the other friars. Soon he was called from that post to preach to the Albigensians in France, using his profound knowledge of Scripture and theology to convert and reassure those who had been misled by their denial of Christ’s divinity and of the sacraments..

Friar Jude Winkler provides some background on the contest on Mt Carmel between Prophets of Israel and Baal in the territory of Jezebel. The God of the storm in Psalm 29 was changed by a Jewish author to the Lord from Baal. Friar Jude notes that the demographics of the growth of Christianity favoured the Pauline approach to the Law over the rabbinic method familiar to the Jewish Christians of Matthew's community. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites Jack Jezreel, the founder of JustFaith Ministries, who writes about crucial ingredients for Christianity to be an effective force for peace and justice.

Catholic social teaching speaks to dignity, solidarity, the option for the poor, the rights of workers, care of creation, peace and so on. It is, in fact, an extraordinary tradition. The only problem is that it is so often not integrated in the life of the local faith community, the parish. It is, to use a tiresome and now pathetic phrase, “our best kept secret.” . . .

Authentic love will not allow us to continue to ask the rest of the world to put itself at the mercy of our conveniences.

References

(n.d.). CHAPTER 18 Elijah Ends the Drought. 1Long afterward, in the third .... Retrieved June 13, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/1kings18.htm

(n.d.). Matthew 5:3. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew5.htm

(n.d.). Jesus' halakhic argumentation on the true intention of the law in .... Retrieved June 13, 2018, from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2074-77052013000100009

(n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Saint Anthony of Padua – Franciscan Media. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-anthony-of-padua/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/