Avoid Arrogant Assumptions

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today contrast the arrogant with those who approach life with childlike humility.

The childlike attitude

The reading from the Prophet Isaiah declares that Arrogant Assyria is also judged by God.

 * [10:5–34] These verses contain a series of oracles directed against Assyria. Verses 5–15 portray Assyria as simply the rod God uses to punish Israel, though Assyria does not realize this. The original conclusion to this unit may be the judgment found in vv. 24–27a, which continues the imagery and motifs found in vv. 5–15. Verses 16–23, because of the quite different imagery and motifs, may originally have been an insertion directed against Aram and Israel at the time of the Syro-Ephraimite War.1

Psalm 94 praises God as the avenger of the righteous.

 * [Psalm 94] A lament of an individual who is threatened by wicked people. The danger affects the whole community. Calling upon God as judge (Ps 94:1–2), the Psalm complains about oppression of the holy community by people within (Ps 94:3–7). Bold declarations of faith follow: denunciation of evildoers (Ps 94:8–11) and assurance to the just (Ps 94:12–15). The Psalm continues with further lament (Ps 94:16–19) and ends with strong confidence in God’s response (Ps 94:20–23).2

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus thanks His Father for revelation to the childlike.

 * [11:25–27] This Q saying, identical with Lk 10:21–22 except for minor variations, introduces a joyous note into this section, so dominated by the theme of unbelief. While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus’ preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father’s revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes.3

Jeanne Schuler comments that in a dialogue, Yahweh puts the empire in its place. “You are my tool. I am the power that swings the rod. You are the wood of the weapon. My people will endure the blows of your military might. But you will not crush them.” It is lawless empires and arrogant rulers that disappear from history.

   The world is under siege.  The death toll mounts. “Where are you, Yahweh?  Is this punishment for our wayward lives?  Is this harsh medicine to heal our crooked souls?  Are pandemic victims just wood in the rod you swing?  Have you resolved to test us, like Job?”  The wise and learned ponder the problem of evil.  Their best efforts arrive at this conclusion: God does not abandon us.
An uprising overlays the pandemic.  The prudent and vulnerable hang back.  On our screens we see young people pour into the streets.  Like the wise they ask “why?”   Then, with urgency, they act.  We arrive at this time of reckoning through the persistence of the children.4

Don Schwager quotes “Revealed to babes,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).

 "And he revealed these things to children. To which children? Not those who are children in age but to those who are children in respect to sin and wickedness. To them Jesus revealed how to seek the blessings of paradise and the things to come in the kingdom of heaven, because thus it was well pleasing before God that 'they should come from the east and the west and that they should lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but that the sons of this worldly kingdom should be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:11-12).'" (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 26)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 11:25-27 notes a child’s relationship with their parents is a precious thing. A child’s boundless trust leads them to turn instantly to Mom or Dad. This is precisely the image Jesus uses in his prayer to his Father in today’s Gospel. There was something about the people who accepted Jesus, something that made them open to receiving the word of God. Jesus calls these people “the childlike”.

 If God reveals himself to the childlike, then how can we become like children in relation to God? It’s easy to think that in order to know God, we had better begin a long course of study and a rigorous program of virtue building. We might also think, “Gosh, look how far behind I already am!”
But that’s not being like a child. We can learn from a one-year-old here: I need, I want, I hurt. We begin with, “Help me, God!” And think of how Jesus taught us to pray: Our Father.
This kind of innocent trust, turning to God in our pain as well as our joys, reaching up our hands and trusting that he will pick us up—that is childlike. That is the attitude we are all invited to adopt.6

Friar Jude Winkler explains that the arrogance of Assyria brought them to a vicious campaign where they thought of themselves as gods. Our mission and talents are from God. Friar Jude underlines our call to surrender to the Mystery of what we cannot fully understand.

StAnthonyCompanions · July 15, 2020

A post by Franciscan Media on Saint Bonaventure, Saint of the Day for July 15, explains his teaching career came to a halt when the Friars elected him to serve as their General Minister.

 His 17 years of service were not easy as the Order was embroiled in conflicts over the interpretation of poverty... because he was a man of prayer and a good administrator, Saint Bonaventure managed to structure the Order through effective legislation. But more importantly, he offered the Friars an organized spirituality based on the vision and insights of Saint Francis. Always a Franciscan at heart and a mystical writer, Bonaventure managed to unite the pastoral, practical aspects of life with the doctrines of the Church. Thus, there is a noticeable warmth to his teachings and writings that make him very appealing.7

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Jesuit priest Pedro Arrupe (1907–1991) was a deeply spiritual man who was entirely committed to serving others, particularly the poor in whom he saw Christ. Authors Kerry Walters and Robin Jarrell describe some of the pivotal events of his life.

 Described by one of his friends as “a second Ignatius” who “refounded” the Jesuit Order “in the light of Vatican II,” Arrupe focused the Jesuits during his term as Father General on both renewed spirituality—as a result of his years in Japan, Arrupe himself practiced Zen meditation daily—and social justice advocacy. Along with other proponents of liberation theology, he identified the suffering endured by the victims of war and poverty with Christ’s Passion and taught that alleviating the one through justice was honoring the other in faith.8

Using the gifts from God in humble service is a way to avoid arrogant attitudes and behaviour.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 10. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/10
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 94. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/94
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 11. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11:28
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture .... Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
6	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations//
7	(n.d.). Saint Bonaventure - Franciscan Media. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-bonaventure/
8	(2020, July 15). Defender of Liberation Theology — Center for Action and .... Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://cac.org/defender-of-liberation-theology-2020-07-15/

Acting like brothers and sisters

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today warn us about arrogant and impetuous behaviour that will put us in conflict with those in the family of Jesus.

Brothers and cousins

The Book of Proverbs offers many principles for living in a moral way.

* [21:4] Heart and eyes depict, respectively, the inner and the outer person. “Haughty eyes” peering out from a “proud heart” show a thoroughly arrogant person. How can such a person flourish! Their lamp, which signifies life, will go out.
* [21:5] The antitheses are diligent and impetuous. The metaphor characterizing each type is taken from the world of commerce. Planning is important; bustle leads to waste.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus uses the opportunity of an interruption to express the type of life to which members of His family aspire.

* [8:21] The family of Jesus is not constituted by physical relationship with him but by obedience to the word of God. In this, Luke agrees with the Marcan parallel (Mk 3:31–35), although by omitting Mk 3:33 and especially Mk 3:20–21 Luke has softened the Marcan picture of Jesus’ natural family. Probably he did this because Mary has already been presented in Lk 1:38 as the obedient handmaid of the Lord who fulfills the requirement for belonging to the eschatological family of Jesus; cf. also Lk 11:27–28.

Jude Siciliano, OP compares the approach of Mark and Luke.

Luke follows the basic structure of Mark’s gospel, but with his own additions and modifications. Unlike Mark, he has an extended infancy narrative of the births of both John the Baptist and Jesus (1:5 – 2:52). Mark portrays Jesus as "rough and ready." Luke softens the picture making Jesus especially attractive to the fragile, elderly, infirmed, sinners and women. In his inaugural preaching (4:17-19) he announces "liberty to captives" – which the gospel reveals to be not only a freeing of people imprisoned by sin, but also those under society’s restrictions, religion’s exclusion, physical and mental afflictions and the power of death itself.

Kyle Lierk quotes a practitioner of Ignatian spirituality who says with a wry smile, “We choose to listen to that which we value.” He presents a prayer of Thomas Merton about wondering if we are indeed listening to God’s voice or that of some impostor.

Today’s readings are all about listening to God’s word - God’s voice - and acting upon it.  We are invited to consider what value we place on the voice of God amidst all the other voices that clamor for our attention in life.  We listen to what we value, and Jesus is calling upon us to listen to God’s voice above all else.

Don Schwager quotes Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD) on those who listen and obey God's word and become true children of God.

"The present lesson teaches us that obedience and listening to God are the causes of every blessing. Some entered and spoke respectfully about Christ's holy mother and his brothers. He answered in these words, 'My mother and my brothers are they who hear the word of God and do it.' Now do not let anyone imagine that Christ scorned the honor due to his mother or contemptuously disregarded the love owed to his brothers. He spoke the law by Moses and clearly said, 'Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you' (Deuteronomy 5:16). How, I ask, could he have rejected the love due to brothers, who even commanded us to love not merely our brothers but also those who are enemies to us? He says, 'Love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44 notes that today’s first reading teaches us how to live in ways that please the Lord. Then, our Responsorial Psalm gives us a beautiful response to these teachings.

“Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.”

Friar Jude Winkler, OFM Conv, comments that the passage from Proverbs is not specifically religious but teaches morality and how to live a good life in the world. He connects to Micah’s advice to walk humbly. Friar Jude warns that arrogance has consequences. He notes that Luke is not as harsh Mark and Matthew on Mary who incarnated the Word who shows up at Pentecost as the perfect disciple.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Karen Armstrong who continues exploring the origins of Islam. Fr Richard concludes that mature Islam beautifully parallels the Franciscan and Christian contemplative emphasis on orthopraxy (right practice) and the importance of nondual consciousness.

Like any religious tradition, Islam would change and evolve. Muslims acquired a large empire, stretching from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas, but true to Qur’anic principles, nobody was forced to become Muslim. Indeed, for the first hundred years after the Prophet’s death, conversion to Islam was actually discouraged, because Islam was a din [way of life] for the Arabs, the descendants of Abraham’s elder son, Ishmael, just as Judaism was for the sons of Isaac, and Christianity for the followers of the gospel.

Our practice of acting like brothers and sisters of Jesus is opening our hearts, minds, and bodies to union. It takes lifelong practice.

References


(n.d.). Proverbs chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/21
(n.d.). Luke 8:19-21. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/luke8.htm
(n.d.). Preaching Luke - Preacher Exchange. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from http://www.preacherexchange.com/pe_preachingluke.htm
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 25th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved September 25, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/