Suffering and Service

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to incorporate the willingness to suffer misunderstanding as we act with the Spirit to be in service of the mission of Christ in our environment.

Working in Service

 

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is from the fourth Suffering Servant oracle.

* [53:1–10] What we have heard: this fourth servant oracle is introduced by words of the Lord (52:13–15) but is now continued by speakers who are not identified, perhaps those referred to in 52:15, perhaps Israel (cf. “struck for the sins of his people”—v. 8). The Lord is again the speaker in vv. 11–13.

* [53:10–11] Reparation offering: the Hebrew term ’asham is used of a particular kind of sacrifice, one that is intended as compensation for that which is due because of guilt. See Lv 5:14–26 and note. Justify: the verb means “to be acquitted,” “declared innocent,” but since the servant bears “their iniquity,” an effective rather than simply legal action is suggested. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 53 | USCCB, n.d.) 

Psalm 33 praises the Greatness and Goodness of God.

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews declares Jesus as the Great and Compassionate High Priest.

* [4:14–16] These verses, which return to the theme first sounded in Heb 2:16–3:1, serve as an introduction to the section that follows. The author here alone calls Jesus a great high priest (Heb 4:14), a designation used by Philo for the Logos; perhaps he does so in order to emphasize Jesus’ superiority over the Jewish high priest. He has been tested in every way, yet without sin (Heb 4:15); this indicates an acquaintance with the tradition of Jesus’ temptations, not only at the beginning (as in Mk 1:13) but throughout his public life (cf. Lk 22:28). Although the reign of the exalted Jesus is a theme that occurs elsewhere in Hebrews, and Jesus’ throne is mentioned in Heb 1:8, the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) refers to the throne of God. The similarity of Heb 4:16 to Heb 10:19–22 indicates that the author is thinking of our confident access to God, made possible by the priestly work of Jesus. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the request and ambition of James and John.

* [10:38–40] Can you drink the cup…I am baptized?: the metaphor of drinking the cup is used in the Old Testament to refer to acceptance of the destiny assigned by God; see note on Ps 11:6. In Jesus’ case, this involves divine judgment on sin that Jesus the innocent one is to expiate on behalf of the guilty (Mk 14:24; Is 53:5). His baptism is to be his crucifixion and death for the salvation of the human race; cf. Lk 12:50. The request of James and John for a share in the glory (Mk 10:35–37) must of necessity involve a share in Jesus’ sufferings, the endurance of tribulation and suffering for the gospel (Mk 10:39). The authority of assigning places of honor in the kingdom is reserved to God (Mk 10:40).

* [10:42–45] Whatever authority is to be exercised by the disciples must, like that of Jesus, be rendered as service to others (Mk 10:45) rather than for personal aggrandizement (Mk 10:42–44). The service of Jesus is his passion and death for the sins of the human race (Mk 10:45); cf. Mk 14:24; Is 53:11–12; Mt 26:28; Lk 22:19–20. (Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tom Lenz comments that Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark, provides the clearest teaching about self-emptying of all the readings from today.

Jesus makes it even clearer by telling his disciples that we do not achieve this “seat” as the rulers of the Gentiles try to do. But rather through the self-emptying of becoming the servant and the slave. In other words, let us not take so seriously our achievements, titles, and authority, but instead assume a posture of service and give up the ego-self for our True-Self. (Lenz, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Not to be served but to serve,” by John Chrysostom (344-407 AD).

"[Jesus] says, 'The Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.' It is as if he were saying, 'I willed not even to stop at death but even in death gave my life as a ransom. For whom? For enemies. For you. If you are abused, my life is given for you. It is for you. Me for you.' So you need not be too picky if you suffer the loss of your honor. No matter how much it is lowered, you will not be descending as far as your Lord descended. And yet the deep descent of one has become the ascent of all. His glory shines forth from these very depths. For before he was made man, he was known among the angels only. But after he was made man and was crucified, so far from lessening that glory, he acquired further glory besides, even that from his personal knowledge of the world."

"So fear not then, as though your honor were put down. Rather, be ready to abase yourself. For in this way your glory is exalted even more, and in this way it becomes greater. This is the door of the kingdom. Let us not then go the opposite way. Let us not war against ourselves. For if we desire to appear great, we shall not be great but even the most dishonored of all. Do you see how everywhere Jesus encourages them by turning things upside down? He gives them what they desire but in ways they did not expect. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 65.4.25) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the author of this section of Isaiah writes to Jews and Gentiles about the connection between dying to self and being raised. Jesus applied the Songs of the Suffering Servant to Himself. Friar Jude notes that Jesus predicts His Passion three times in Mark’s Gospel with inappropriate responses from the disciples.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers the many challenges we face when seeking to “hear” God’s voice. In light of today’s information overload, people are looking for a few clear certitudes by which to define themselves. We see fundamentalism in many religious leaders when it serves their cultural or political worldview. We surely see it at the lowest levels of religion, where God is used to justify violence, hatred, prejudice, and “our” way of doing things. The fundamentalist mind likes answers and explanations so much that it remains willfully ignorant about how history arrived at those explanations or how self-serving they usually are. Satisfying untruth is more pleasing to us than unsatisfying truth, and full truth is invariably unsatisfying—at least to the small self. 

Great spirituality, on the other hand, is always seeking a very subtle but creative balance between opposites. When we go to one side or the other too much, we find ourselves either overly righteous or overly skeptical and cynical. There must be a healthy middle, as we try to hold both the needed light and the necessary darkness.  

We must not give up seeking truth, observing reality from all its angles. We settle human confusion not by falsely pretending to settle all the dust, but by teaching people an honest and humble process for learning and listening for themselves, which we call contemplation. Then people come to wisdom in a calm and compassionate way and without the knee jerk overreactions that we witness in so many today.  

Faith isn’t supposed to be a top-down affair, but an organic meeting between an Inner Knower (the Indwelling Holy Spirit) accessed by prayer and experience, and the Outer Knower, which we would call Scripture (holy writings) and Tradition (all the ancestors). This is a calm and wonderfully healing way to know full Reality. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the suffering servant and the emptying of our High Priest as we seek to be open to the prompting of the Spirit in our search for goodness, peace, and love.

References

Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/4?14 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 53 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/53?10 

Lenz, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/102024.html 

Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/10?35 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?4 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Learning to Listen. Richard Rohr. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/learning-to-listen/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Not to Be Served but to Serve. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct20 

Authentic Lives for Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge the authenticity with which we lead our lives as followers of Christ.

Authentic Living 

 

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares the righteous Judgement of God.

* [2:1–11] As a first step in his demonstration that Jews enjoy no real moral supremacy over Gentiles, Paul explains that the final judgment will be a review of performance, not of privilege. From this perspective Gentiles stand on an equal footing with Jews, and Jews cannot condemn the sins of Gentiles without condemning themselves.1 

Psalm 62 is a song of trust in God Alone.

* [Psalm 62] A song of trust displaying serenity from experiencing God’s power (the refrains of Ps 62:2–3 and Ps 62:6–7) and anger toward unjust enemies (Ps 62:4–5). From the experience of being rescued, the psalmist can teach others to trust in God (Ps 62:9–12).2 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus declares “Woe to you Pharisees!”

* [11:44] Unseen graves: contact with the dead or with human bones or graves (see Nm 19:16) brought ritual impurity. Jesus presents the Pharisees as those who insidiously lead others astray through their seeming attention to the law.3

 

Scott McClure comments that Jesus admonishes a Pharisee for his judgment; for the appearance of purity on the outside while harboring evil within. Judgment, Jesus seems to communicate, is an unjustifiable practice for those who are, themselves, imperfect. (See John 8:7 for more on this point.) Recently, Pope Francis communicated consonance with this teaching. A September 27 America article reported recent words of Pope Francis: "Let us ask for the grace to overcome the temptation to judge and to categorize." In short, if Jesus can not only not judge while hanging on the cross but continue giving, who are we to judge?

Judgment is all too easy, especially when we feel wronged, offended or threatened. These situations or even the mere perception of them, we think, can justify our judgment. If there ever was justified human judgment, I imagine Jesus may have exercised it while hanging on the cross. He did not. Rather, he prayed that God may forgive his transgressors. He continued and continues to give all to us. He continues to seek communion with us rather than division from us.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Binding heavy burdens on others,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Just as the scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the church who sit upon the ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who have the right understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what each person needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but they won't even lift a finger to help. These are the ones the Savior is talking about when he says, 'Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of God' (Matthew 5:19). There are others, however, who sit on the throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely, restraining those who are disordered. They place merciful burdens on the shoulders of others. They themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden, for the exhortation of other listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks when he says, 'He who does so and teaches others to do so, this man will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 2:1-11 comments that we know that we will all face judgment. But until that time, how does God deal with our sinfulness? He shows us “priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience” (Romans 2:4). And he does this because he wants to lead us to repent and return to him. He deeply wants us to enter into that close friendship with him that we were created for.

Today, Jesus stretches out his hand to grab hold of yours. He asks you to let go of the sin that drags you down. In him, our heavenly Father hasn’t just revealed his desire to save us. God has come alongside us, and he has dealt with the deepest root of our sinfulness. He has opened for us the way back to himself. This is the patience of God. This is his forbearance. This is his kindness, which lovingly calls us to repentance. “Father, let me never take your kindness for granted.”6 

Friar Jude Winkler connects the message in Romans to the Gentiles yesterday to the mercy of God expressed by Paul in Chapter 3 of Romans. If the religiosity of Pharisees were applied today, we would count grains of salt to offer to God. Friar Jude reminds us of the corruption that comes from inauthentic lives.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that those of us who grew up with the common Trinitarian notion of God probably saw reality, consciously or unconsciously, as a pyramid-shaped universe, with God at the top of the triangle and all else beneath. We like the pyramid. Knowing the line of authority or the pecking order can take away our anxiety. But this is exactly what the Trinity is not—the early fathers of the church said that the closest metaphor we can get for God is a circle dance of communion. It’s not hierarchical, monarchical, or a pyramid. [1] The following passage from Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley, a theologian and Cherokee descendant, describes the power of understanding life through the symbol of the circle.

One model of understanding our relationship to everything is a simple symbol used among Native Americans: the circle. The harmony way of living is often referred to symbolically as a circle or a hoop. . . . Perhaps you remember when you were a child and an adult said something like, “OK, kids, gather around” or “Let’s get in a circle,” or simply, “Circle up.” Circles are found in nature; perhaps that’s why we are so comfortable imitating the pattern. . . . The circle has no beginning and no end, so one can enter at any place or stage. The circle can explain stages of life, values, and different people groups. Circles can explain the seasons, how they all continue on to create harmony and balance. Life is a sacred circle. When we gather in a circle, the praying has already begun. When we gather in a circle, we communicate with each other and with Great Mystery, even without a word being spoken. [2]7 

Examination, guided by the Spirit, of our relationships with people is helpful in discovering the areas in which we need to become more authentic.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Romans, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/2
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 62 | USCCB. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/62
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/101321.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=oct13
6	(2021, October 12). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/10/13/221548/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Richard Rohr. Retrieved October 13, 2021, fromhttps://cac.org/sacred-circles-2021-10-13/

References