Wrongdoing and Friendship

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the power of prayer to recalibrate our relationship with God and our neighbours whom we love with our talents.

Support for Friends

The reading from the First Letter of John seeks Prayer for Sinners.

* [5:13–21] As children of God we have confidence in prayer because of our intimate relationship with him (1 Jn 5:14–15). In love, we pray (1 Jn 5:16–17) for those who are in sin, but not in deadly sin (literally, “sin unto death”), probably referring to apostasy or activities brought on under the antichrist; cf. Mk 3:29; Heb 6:4–6; 10:26–31. Even in the latter case, however, prayer, while not enjoined, is not forbidden. The letter concludes with a summary of the themes of the letter (1 Jn 5:18–20). There is a sharp antithesis between the children of God and those belonging to the world and to the evil one. The Son reveals the God of truth; Christians dwell in the true God, in his Son, and have eternal life. The final verse (1 Jn 5:21) voices a perennial warning about idols, any type of rival to God. (1 John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 149 offers praise for God’s Goodness to Israel.

* [Psalm 149] A hymn inviting the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance (Ps 149:1–3, 5) because God has chosen them and given them victory (Ps 149:4). The exodus and conquest are the defining acts of Israel; the people must be ready to do again those acts in the future at the divine command (Ps 149:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 149 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the Final Witness of the Baptist.

* [3:22–26] Jesus’ ministry in Judea is only loosely connected with Jn 2:13–3:21; cf. Jn 1:19–36. Perhaps John the Baptist’s further testimony was transposed here to give meaning to “water” in Jn 3:5. Jesus is depicted as baptizing (Jn 3:22); contrast Jn 4:2.

* [3:23] Aenon near Salim: site uncertain, either in the upper Jordan valley or in Samaria.

* [3:24] A remark probably intended to avoid objections based on a chronology like that of the synoptics (Mt 4:12; Mk 1:14).

* [3:25] A Jew: some think Jesus is meant. Many manuscripts read “Jews.”

* [3:29] The best man: literally, “the friend of the groom,” the shoshben of Jewish tradition, who arranged the wedding. Competition between him and the groom would be unthinkable. (John, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that in the Gospel, John’s declaration, “He must increase; I must decrease," reminds us to prioritize God's mission and point the way to Jesus any chance we get.

As we reflect on the readings for today, we are invited to recalibrate our relationship with God. We are invited to engage with God in prayer and learn from the humility exemplified by John the Baptist. Both readings encourage us to forge a path where our desires align with God’s will and find joy and peace in surrendering our lives to God’s greater purpose, which can be both comforting and challenging at the same time. Embracing these messages can transform our faith, guiding us toward a more fulfilling and meaningful relationship with God, who delights in us. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Christ is the husband of the church, his bride,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"This means he alone is the husband of the church (John 3:29), he is the expectation of the nations, and the prophets removed their sandals while offering to him a union of nuptial grace. He is the bridegroom; I am the friend of the bridegroom. I rejoice because he is coming, because I hear the nuptial chant, because now we do not hear the harsh penalties for sinners, the harsh torments of the law, but the forgiveness of offenses, the cry of joy, the sound of cheerfulness, the rejoicing of the nuptial feast." (excerpt from ON THE PATRIARCHS 4.22) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 3:22-30 comments that like John, each of us has been given a role to play. Whether it’s the same mission as some other person or group or a different one doesn’t matter. There’s so much work to be done, and the Lord doesn’t want us wasting our time and energy competing with one another. After all, we’re all on the same team!

Are you tempted to view someone as a rival? If so, remember the humility of John the Baptist. He was confident of his own calling; he knew he was doing what God had sent him to do. That’s all we need to be concerned about as well. Like John, let’s give glory to God for allowing us to play a role in bringing his kingdom to earth.

“Jesus, make me a humble servant like St. John the Baptist!” (Meditation on John 3:22-30, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the end of the First Letter of John and the advice about praying for sinners. Is praying for mortal sinners a waste of time? This letter is very dualistic when it considers being under the power of the evil one. Friar Jude reflects on the matrimonial symbolism that indicates Jesus as the New Covenant, the bride of the widow, Israel and the Baptist as the bridegroom.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Yvette Flunder who encourages us to use our own gifts in the service of others. She notes that Paul is talking to Timothy about the gift of God placed in Timothy by God. Apparently some thing or some string of things has caused Timothy’s gift to die down. It is there, but barely distinguishable. Paul is encouraging the young Tim to stir it up. The metaphor literally means to kindle anew the flames of fire … to shake the ashes off the God-given fire that is already in you so a new blaze of fire can be clearly seen…. 

Stir it up: You cannot stand off from a fire that has died down and command it to flame up. You must get involved with it. Move it around, see what is there, and assess what is needed…. Knock the ashes off to reveal the hot spots. Challenge yourself. Search around internally and externally for your gifts. Tune up your ear to listen for the voice of God…. Tune out those voices and choices that stand in opposition to the voice and will of God for you. Find your creativity again … dream again … vision again. Don’t let traditional things be a barrier to stirring up the gift of God in you—things like age, time, physical disability, and lack of resources. Your destiny is in those coals. They are still burning, passion is still there; you just need to shake off the ashes and stir it up…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful for the prayers we receive in response to our shortcomings and we ask the Spirit to guide us in the application of our talents and gifts to build the Kingdom of God.

References

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/011125.htm  

John, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3?22 

Meditation on John 3:22-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/01/11/1177663/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/5?14 

Psalms, PSALM 149 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/149?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. A Transforming Movement: Weekly Summary. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-transforming-movement-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). This Joy of Mine Is Now Full. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 11, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jan11 

Living Grace

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to fan into flames the coals of our faith in Providence and our journey to a deeper relationship with God.

Life and the Spirit

The reading from the Second Letter to Timothy offers Thanksgiving and Encouragement.

* [1:6] The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an ecclesiastical office. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.

* [1:8] Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel.

* [1:9–10] Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.

* [1:11] Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 123 is a Supplication for Mercy.

* [Psalm 123] A lament that begins as a prayer of an individual (Ps 123:1), who expresses by a touching comparison exemplary confidence in God (Ps 123:2). The Psalm ends in prayer that God relieve the people’s humiliation at the hands of the arrogant (Ps 123:3–4). (Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question about the Resurrection.

* [12:13–34] In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).

* [12:18–27] See note on Mt 22:23–33. (Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Suzanne Braddock comments on the dead being raised, and Jesus questioning the Sadducces about the Book of Moses ( the Torah) about the bush, and how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? " He is not God of the dead but of the living.” Of course Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all “dead” before God spoke to Moses at the burning bush -She takes this to mean even if one is “dead’, one is alive to God. God is the God of all, because all are alive in him.

I have heard that there are many today who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus or of anyone for that matter. Even some people affiliated in an official capacity with the Church express their doubts. The blinking light by my father’s chair may have been a  signal, a reminder of a promise kept, but for sure the power of God is greater. I recall Jesus’ words: “I am the Resurrection and the  Life.” Jesus didn’t say “IF they rise from the dead” but “WHEN they rise from the dead”. What a wonderful future awaits. The exact parameters  of that mystery are unknown, but we trust in the Love that created us, the Love that sustains us, the Love that welcomes us home. (Braddock, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “No marriage in the resurrection,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"What did the Lord say to the Sadducees? He said, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they marry neither husbands nor wives; for neither do they start dying again, but they will be equal to the angels of God' (Mark 12:24-25; Matthew 22:29-30). The power of God is great. Why do they not marry husbands or wives? They will not start dying again. When one generation departs, another is required to succeed it. There will not be such liability to decay in that place. The Lord passed through the usual stages of growth, from infancy to adult manhood, because he was bearing the substance of flesh that still was mortal. After he had risen again at the age at which he was buried, are we to imagine that he is growing old in heaven? He says, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' He eliminated the assumption of the Jews and refuted the objection of the Sadducees, because the Jews did indeed believe the dead would rise again, but they had crude, fleshly ideas about the state of humanity after resurrection. He said, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' ... It has already been stated that we are to rise again. We have heard from the Lord that we rise again to the life of the angels. In his own resurrection, he has shown us in what specific form we are to rise again." (excerpt from SERMON 362.18-19.30) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 comments that Paul may have been concerned that the burdens of leadership and the challenges of discipleship had caused Timothy to grow weary. So he exhorts Timothy to rouse the gift he already has. Why? So that the fire of God could blaze brightly through him and enable him to bring the light of Christ to the people of Ephesus.

The Spirit is always with you. But like that smoldering campfire, sometimes it needs stirring. You can rekindle your flame by shaking off the ash—by repenting and turning away from sin. You can stoke the embers by reading the word of God and letting it move you to walk in God’s ways. Like bellows, you can bring oxygen to the fire by opening your heart to God’s grace as you pray. The Spirit will bless your efforts so that your flame burns brightly before everyone around you.

“Help me, Lord, to stir up the gift of your Spirit!” (Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the advanced ecclesiology of the Pastoral Letters and the likelihood that they were not written by Paul. The letters are set in the time of Paul’s imprisonment and share Paul’s experience of a passion like Jesus and the need to trust in God who we realize is in charge. Friar Jude reminds us that the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Torah where there is no mention of resurrection as they use the Levirate marriage custom to question Jesus.

James Finley continues to reflect on St. Symeon’s instructions for praying the Jesus Prayer.

St. Symeon instructs us to “shut your eyes” when praying the Jesus Prayer. What if we could all close our eyes right now and be interiorly awakened? And what if, when we open our eyes, we would see through our own awakened eyes what Jesus saw in all that he saw? What would we see? We’d see God! Because Jesus saw God in all that he saw. (Finley, n.d.)

We are aided by the Spirit in our contemplation of the Presence of God, today, and the eternal nature of our relationship with the Divine.

References

Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060524.html 

Finley, J. (n.d.). From Head to Heart. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/from-head-to-heart/ 

Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12? 

Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/05/989959/ 

Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/123?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Know Neither the Scriptures nor the Power of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun5 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1?