Presence and Faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the effect of the Presence of God in our hopes, understanding, and love for others.

Presence and Faith

The reading from the Book of Wisdom is an exhortation to Uprightness.

* [1:1] Righteousness: not merely the cardinal virtue of justice (cf. 8:7), but the universal moral quality which is the application of wisdom to moral conduct. You who judge: “judges” and “kings” (cf. 6:1) are addressed in accordance with the literary customs of the times and with the putative Solomonic authorship, but the real audience is the Jewish community.

* [1:4] In these verses personified Wisdom is identified with the spirit of the Lord; so also in 9:17.

* [1:5] Discipline: here and elsewhere, another name for Wisdom. (Wisdom, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Psalm 139 praises the Inescapable God.

* [Psalm 139] A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1–6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7–12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13–16). Summing up Ps 139:1–16, 17–18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule—wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Ps 139:19–24).

* [139:2] When I sit and stand: in all my physical movement.

* [139:9] Take the wings of dawn: go to the extremities of the east. Beyond the sea: uttermost bounds of the west; the sea is the Mediterranean. (Psalms, PSALM 139, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents some sayings of Jesus about temptations to Sin and saying of Faith.

* [17:3] Be on your guard: the translation takes Lk 17:3a as the conclusion to the saying on scandal in Lk 17:1–2. It is not impossible that it should be taken as the beginning of the saying on forgiveness in Lk 17:3b–4. (Luke, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

David Crawford asks what are we teaching our little ones in our unguarded moments?  For that matter, what are we teaching them with how we go about our everyday lives, at home and in public?

There are so many things in our daily lives that challenge us, and we have so many examples of people responding to hatred with hatred, to violence with violence.  We who follow Christ are called to respond differently, lovingly.  What Dr. King professed so many years ago is still true today:  “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  We just need faith, no bigger than a mustard seed, that love, which comes from God and is God (1 John 4:7-8), is ours. (Crawford, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “To increase faith is to strengthen it by the Holy Spirit,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"They ask, 'Add faith to us.' They do not ask simply for faith, for perhaps you might imagine them to be without faith. They rather ask Christ for an addition to their faith and to be strengthened in faith. Faith partly depends on us and partly is the gift of the divine grace. The beginning of faith depends on us and our maintaining confidence and faith in God with all our power. The confirmation and strength necessary for this comes from the divine grace. For that reason, since all things are possible with God, the Lord says that all things are possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). The power that comes to us through faith is of God. Knowing this, blessed Paul also says in the first epistle to the Corinthians, 'For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, and to another faith in the same Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:8). You see that he has placed faith also in the catalogue of spiritual graces. The disciples requested that they might receive this from the Savior, contributing also what was of themselves. By the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit, he granted it to them after the fulfillment of the dispensation. Before the resurrection, their faith was so feeble that they were liable even to the charge of being 'little of faith'." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILIES 113-16) (Schwager, 2022)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 17:1-6 comments that it can be easy to read this passage and conclude that if only our faith were stronger, we would be able to do just about anything. All the “mulberry trees” in our lives would literally fly into the sea! But that’s missing the fact that our faith is only the lever. We need to be founded firmly on Jesus—on his wisdom, his will, and his plan for our lives. We can’t “believe” our way into something that God doesn’t want for us!

The key, as in all things, is to stay connected to the Lord. Then we can move all the things that need to be moved in our lives. Are you struggling with a sin pattern? You can move it as you stay rooted in Christ. Are you facing a new opportunity for evangelization or service but aren’t sure you can meet the challenge? With Jesus as your “fulcrum,” you can. His love and his grace and his power are far bigger than any mulberry tree in the world!

“Lord, teach me to surrender to your will, even as I trust in your mighty power!” (Meditation on Luke 17:1-6, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler explains the connection of the Book of Wisdom to Greek philosophy in the 2nd Century BCE. The Book, written only in Greek, is excluded from the Jewish and Protestant canon. In the New Testament, Jesus is portrayed as “Wisdom Incarnate”. Friar Jude reminds us that the “little ones” to whom we do not give bad examples may also include the anawim and he underlines the different depths of faith that as a gift from God call us to do the best we can.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio who describes spiritual maturation as a growth in consciousness and a radical surrender into divine love.

We cannot know this deeper divine reality if we live only on levels of mediocrity and self-preservation. We are created out of love and are made to energize the world in love…. Aging can be either a life of nostalgia or a wholehearted engagement with the future. It is a disruptive process as things break down, friends and pets die, houses are sold, and memories of the past haunt the present. Months melt into years, and we find ourselves in the flow of life.

Growing inward by falling upward means learning from our mistakes…. Even if the felt experience of life dims, we are invited to let go and surrender to the wild love of God, living into the endless vitality of life itself. Letting go into God is coming home to our true selves, where we discover that our root reality is infinite divine love, and in love, we are eternally free. (Rohr, 2023)

We are awakened by the Spirit to the Presence of God in our environment and through our faith that is the affirmation of our journey to fullness of life.

References

Crawford, D. (2023, November 13). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111323.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?1 

Meditation on Luke 17:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/11/13/829402/ 

Psalms, PSALM 139. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/139?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, November 13). A Breakthrough in Consciousness — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-breakthrough-in-consciousness/ 

Schwager, D. (2022, October 2). Lord Jesus Increase Our Faith. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=nov13 

Wisdom, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/1?1 

Lifestyle Forgiveness and Faith

The texts from the Roman Catholoic Lectionary today invite us to assess the expressions of faith in our actions that work with the Spirit to transform our environment.

Faith to Transform

The reading from the Letter to Titus prescribes his mission in Crete.

* [1:5–9] This instruction on the selection and appointment of presbyters, substantially identical with that in 1 Tm 3:1–7 on a bishop (see note there), was aimed at strengthening the authority of Titus by apostolic mandate; cf. Ti 2:15. In Ti 1:5, 7 and Acts 20:17, 28, the terms episkopos and presbyteros (“bishop” and “presbyter”) refer to the same persons. Deacons are not mentioned in Titus. See also note on Phil 1:1. (Titus, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Psalm 24 is a prayer on entrance into the Temple.

* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10).

* [24:4–5] Lit., “the one whose hands are clean.” The singular is used for the entire class of worshipers. (Psalms, PSALM 24, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke warns about temptations to sin and shares some sayings of Jesus.

* [17:3] Be on your guard: the translation takes Lk 17:3a as the conclusion to the saying on scandal in Lk 17:1–2. It is not impossible that it should be taken as the beginning of the saying on forgiveness in Lk 17:3b–4. (Luke, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

Gladyce Janky comments that today’s reading offers guidance for growing faith and trust.

Finally, I hear in this reading that increasing my faith is more than just asking Jesus to transform me instantly.  Faith and trust unfold over my life as I accept God’s invitation to embrace total surrender, which Ignatius prayed for in the Suscipe.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

my memory, my understanding,

and my entire will,

All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

that is enough for me.

May we each seek to grow our faith beyond the size of a mustard seed. (Janky, 2022)

Don Schwager quotes “To increase faith is to strengthen it by the Holy Spirit,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"They ask, 'Add faith to us.' They do not ask simply for faith, for perhaps you might imagine them to be without faith. They rather ask Christ for an addition to their faith and to be strengthened in faith. Faith partly depends on us and partly is the gift of the divine grace. The beginning of faith depends on us and our maintaining confidence and faith in God with all our power. The confirmation and strength necessary for this comes from the divine grace. For that reason, since all things are possible with God, the Lord says that all things are possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). The power that comes to us through faith is of God. Knowing this, blessed Paul also says in the first epistle to the Corinthians, 'For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, and to another faith in the same Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:8). You see that he has placed faith also in the catalogue of spiritual graces. The disciples requested that they might receive this from the Savior, contributing also what was of themselves. By the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit, he granted it to them after the fulfillment of the dispensation. Before the resurrection, their faith was so feeble that they were liable even to the charge of being 'little of faith'." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILIES 113-16) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 17:1-6 comments that we may see the Lord do some amazing things in answer to our prayers, and this can surely increase our faith in him. And yet we all know that sometimes his answers to our prayers look very different than what we had expected or hoped for. This doesn’t mean that he hasn’t heard us, of course. Rather, because he is a great God, his ways are beyond our ways (see Isaiah 55:9). When we choose to leave the outcome of our prayers in his hands, we are giving our faith a chance to grow. We are choosing to believe that he is working, even when we can’t see it.

So let’s look at that little mustard seed of faith as a seed of trust as well, one that will grow in us as we continue to walk with the Lord. When we pray, let’s look to God’s greatness, not our own lack of faith. Let’s also place our needs and desires in his hands. As we do, we may see our faith increasing. Maybe not enough to cast a mulberry tree into the sea, but perhaps in some surprising and amazing ways nonetheless.

“Lord Jesus, with the little faith I do have, I place my trust in you.” (Meditation on Luke 17:1-6, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the developed ecclesiology in the Letter to Titus that points to the Pastoral Letters as written in the name of Paul. Jesus draws attention to those who cause others, children or anawim, to sin by their bad example. Friar Jude reminds us that the perfect number, seven, indicates that we have not limit on the number of times we forgive others.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on how his commitment to Christ and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have continually helped him recognize God in other traditions.

And yet, at age fourteen, I was sent to study with the Franciscans in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they gave me a very ecumenical theological education.

One of the best courses I had was on the Hebrew Scriptures, which gave me a great love for Judaism… In 1969, when I was sent as a deacon to the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, …Indigenous peoples here had contemplative prayer long before we Franciscans ever appeared…. Starting in the 1960s, our increased interaction with Eastern religions in general, and Buddhism in particular, helped us recognize and rediscover our own very ancient Christian contemplative tradition. The Sufis’ deep love of mysticism, especially as expressed by their poets Rumi and Hafiz, often captures the stirrings of my own heart….My latest discovery was really Hinduism, which is considered the oldest world religion. In the early 1980s, I gave a retreat in Nepal; between talks I would just walk the old streets and walk into temples and try to remain invisible…. What do we think they’re bowing to except God, the Mystery?

Like the wind, the Spirit blows where it will (see John 3:8). (Rohr, 2022)

We reflect on the guidance of the Spirit on our spiritual journey as we petition God that our faith advance the transformation of the lives we encounter.

References

Janky, G. (2022, November 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/110722.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?1 

Meditation on Luke 17:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/11/07/528477/ 

Psalms, PSALM 24. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/24?1 

Rohr, R. (2022, November 7). Learning from Others — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/learning-from-others-2022-11-07/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lord Jesus Increase Our Faith. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=nov7 

Titus, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/titus/1?1