Errors and Unbelief

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess the assertions and programs that may lead us away from truth, goodness and compassion.

Look to Our Foundations

The reading from the Book of Wisdom declares the Error of the Wicked.

* [2:1–20] In this speech the wicked deny survival after death and indeed invite death by their evil deeds. (Wisdom, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 34 offers praise for Deliverance from Trouble.

* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 34 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers and at the Festival of Booths the question “Is This the Christ?”

*  [7:14–31] Jesus teaches in the temple; debate with the Jews.

* [7:26] The authorities: the members of the Sanhedrin (same term as Jn 3:1). (John, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tamora Whitney comments that the wicked are threatened by the righteous and need to get rid of them in order to continue their own wicked ways unperturbed.

But the Lord hears the cries of the poor and confronts the evildoers. The wicked say if the righteous are right, then God will save them. And God does. The wicked may succeed here. And often do. There is evil and it always tries to do away with the good. Jesus says that he is from God and follows God, “the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me." The bad guys are wrong, but they can be powerful and in charge. Their plans to do away with the good can be strong. But whatever success they have does not make them right. Getting rid of the good does not make the wrong right. The right path is still the path of the good, the path that leads to God. (Whitney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Christ our physician,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant. In this school we learn something every day. We learn something from commandments, something from examples, and something from sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for study." (excerpt from Sermon 218c,1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 7:1-2, 10, 25-3 comments that we are now at a point during Lent when the plot quickens, and our readings begin to point toward the cross. Jesus has already revealed himself as the Messiah. But many in authority not only fail to welcome his light, but they actively seek to extinguish it. Now every time Jesus openly announces himself, his very life is in danger.

Do you ever feel as if you’re stumbling in the darkness? Jesus is crying out to you! He is calling you by name so that you can come out of the darkness into the light of his love. So listen to his voice. Don’t run away or snuff out his light! Welcome him, come close to him, and allow him to bring his light into your heart.

“Lord Jesus, I hear you calling me. Come, shine your light in me.” (Meditation on John 7:1-2, 10, 25-3, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the Book of Wisdom, written in and influenced by Greek language and philosophy, is not included in the Jewish or Protestant Canon. The recompense of the hidden counsel of God and an afterlife (a later development in Jewish theology) is presented. Friar Jude notes that John observes those that think in earthly ways cannot understand the signs that point to a spiritual reality of healing and forgiveness.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, turns to Scripture and contemplation in the face of collective suffering. If contemplation means anything, it means that we can “safeguard that little piece of You, God,” as Etty Hillesum describes. What other power do we have now? All else is tearing us apart, inside and out. We cannot abide in such a place for any length of time or it will become our prison.

God cannot abide with us in a place of fear. 

God cannot abide with us in a place of ill will or hatred. 

God cannot abide with us inside a nonstop volley of claim and counterclaim. 

God cannot abide with us in an endless flow of online punditry and analysis. 

God cannot speak inside of so much angry noise and conscious deceit. 

God cannot be born except in a womb of Love. 

So offer God that womb. 

Contemplation can help stand watch at the door of your senses, so chaos cannot make its way into your soul. If we allow it for too long, it will become who we are, and we’ll no longer have natural access to the life-giving “really deep well” that Etty Hillesum returned to so often to find freedom. 

In this time, I suggest some form of public service, volunteerism, mystical reading from the masters, prayer—or, preferably, all of the above. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we are confronted daily by claims and actions that challenge our call to live in Jesus’ Way.

References

John, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/7?1 

Meditation on John 7:1-2, 10, 25-3. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/04/1240483/ 

Psalms, PSALM 34 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?17 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-deep-well-within/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). His Hour Had Not yet Come. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr4 

Whitney, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040425.html 

Wisdom, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 4, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/2?1 

Repentance and Riches

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess the conditions we may have imposed on our love, mercy, compassion, and generosity as we implore the Spirit to guide our surrender to Jesus’ invitation to a full life.

Path to Full Life

The reading from the Book of Sirach is a Call to Repentance.

Psalm 32 praises the Joy of Forgiveness.

* [Psalm 32] An individual thanksgiving and the second of the seven Penitential Psalms (cf. Ps 6). The opening declaration—the forgiven are blessed (Ps 32:1–2)—arises from the psalmist’s own experience. At one time the psalmist was stubborn and closed, a victim of sin’s power (Ps 32:3–4), and then became open to the forgiving God (Ps 32:5–7). Sin here, as often in the Bible, is not only the personal act of rebellion against God but also the consequences of that act—frustration and waning of vitality. Having been rescued, the psalmist can teach others the joys of justice and the folly of sin (Ps 32:8–11). (Psalms, PSALM 32 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus discusses the path to eternal life with the Rich Man.

* [10:18] Why do you call me good?: Jesus repudiates the term “good” for himself and directs it to God, the source of all goodness who alone can grant the gift of eternal life; cf. Mt 19:16–17.

* [10:23–27] In the Old Testament wealth and material goods are considered a sign of God’s favor (Jb 1:10; Ps 128:1–2; Is 3:10). The words of Jesus in Mk 10:23–25 provoke astonishment among the disciples because of their apparent contradiction of the Old Testament concept (Mk 10:24, 26). Since wealth, power, and merit generate false security, Jesus rejects them utterly as a claim to enter the kingdom. Achievement of salvation is beyond human capability and depends solely on the goodness of God who offers it as a gift (Mk 10:27). (Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tamora Whitney comments that the path to eternal life is still to treat others decently and fairly, to be charitable, caring, and compassionate. But in our contemporary culture that does not seem to be the idea of success.

Today greed and cruelty are normalized and encouraged. Compassion and charity are not only discouraged but made illegal. Someone today might not see this path as the means to success. And someone today might not even be legally able to treat others fairly or to be compassionate and charitable. And it is sad.

The goal has not changed, and the path has not changed. Treating each other respectfully and charitably is still the way to eternal life. Greed and cruelty does not lead to the Kingdom of God. But it is harder now to find and follow that path, or maybe even to recognize that it is the means to success. (Whitney, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Seek the life that endures,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The Lord said to a certain young man, 'If you would enter life, keep the commandments' (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18). He did not say 'If you would have life' but 'If you would enter life,' defining that life as eternal life. Let us first consider then the love of this life. For this life is loved, whatever its quality; and however troubled it is, however wretched, people are afraid to end it. Hence we should see, we should consider, how much eternal life is to be loved, when this miserable life that must at some time be ended is so loved. Consider, brothers, how much that life is to be loved when it is a life you never end. You love this life, where you work so much, run, are busy, pant. In this busy life the obligations can scarcely be counted: sowing, plowing, working new land, sailing, grinding, cooking, weaving. And after all this hard work your life comes to an end. Look at what you suffer in this wretched life that you so love. And do you think that you will always live and never die? Temples, rocks, marbles, all reinforced by iron and lead, still fall. And a person thinks that he will never die? Learn therefore, brothers, to seek eternal life, when you will not endure these things but will reign with God forever." (excerpt from SERMON 84.1.9) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 10:17-27 comments that Jesus, the Lord of creation, is entirely committed to us. His love does not rise and fall based on our choices. If we walk away sad one day, he will make sure that we have more chances to make a different choice. That’s because the call to follow him is not a one-time offer. It’s more like a standing invitation. So don’t look at these moments of decision as tests that we either pass or fail. Look at each one as a gift, another opportunity to build our relationship with the God who loves us perfectly.

Today’s Gospel ends with words of great encouragement from Jesus: “All things are possible for God” (Mark 10:27). That means it’s possible for him to heal your sorrow over poor choices in your past. It also means he will make it possible for you to choose him today and into the future. It’s never too late!

“Lord, help me to choose to follow you—gladly—every time!” (Meditation on Mark 10:17-27, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Book of Sirach comes late in the history of Israel and presents Jewish wisdom as valuable as Greek wisdom. The afterlife in Sirach has no reward but is explained in the belief in Sheol. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' concern about wealth and security being obstacles, unknown to the anawim, that may divert our attention to “our own god” and away from Divine Grace. 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Pixie Lighthorse, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, who describes how grief can encourage us to change.

What new levels of grieving, feeling, healing, and awakening to deeper individual and collective purposes will be required to make the kinds of shifts you want to see in the world? What waters can you honor and protect as sacred? What kind of world do you want for all our grandchildren? What fears are held in your unconscious, underground river that may be holding you hostage? What items from the past are tied to unprocessed grief?…

When grief flows, the past heals. We inherit new transmissions of wisdom from sources already surrounding us. By honoring grief and healing, we re-member, and we put ourselves back together. We can make decisions about how to move forward from our core selves rather than our guarded hurts. The shape of us and our world is being reimagined in this process from a place that has a little bit more wholeness. When the past is offered healing, compassion, and forgiveness, the future will have good water to put our feet in. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Wisdom of the Spirit to help us understand the changes in our attitudes towards peace and justice that may have been distorted by our material success and move us to action in response to Jesus' invitation to eternal life.

References

Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/10?17 

Meditation on Mark 10:17-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/03/03/1218216/ 

Psalms, PSALM 32 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/32?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Letting Grief Flow. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/letting-grief-flow/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Give - and You Will Have Treasure in Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=mar3 

Sirach, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/17?20 

Whitney, T. (2025, March 3). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/030325.html 

Good God Thanksgiving Healing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect with my personal questions concerning pursuit of good, truth, and beauty by doing ceremonial things, the psychology of being driven by forces beyond our strength, and seeking the balance in relationship by listening more than speaking.

QE II hospital

The reading from the Prophet Amos urges us to seek good not evil as he shows the people’s attempt to offer worship with hands unclean from oppression of their fellow Israelites.

 * [5:21–27] The prophet does not condemn cultic activity as such but rather the people’s attempt to offer worship with hands unclean from oppression of their fellow Israelites (cf. Ps 15:2–5; 24:3–4). But worship from those who disregard justice and righteousness (v. 24) is never acceptable to the God of Israel. Through the Sinai covenant the love of God and the love of neighbor are inextricably bound together.1

Psalm 50 declares the acceptable sacrifice to God is a sacrifice of thanksgiving. “ For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.”

 * [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20).2

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Heals the Gadarene demoniacs who cry out “ What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

 * [8:29] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Before the appointed time: the notion that evil spirits were allowed by God to afflict human beings until the time of the final judgment is found in Enoch 16:1 and Jubilees 10:7–10.3

Ed Morse comments on people who claimed to be following God by doing ceremonial things, but their basic commitment to “seek[ing] good and not evil” required attention.

 Like those demons, these townspeople recognized Jesus’ authority.  They saw evidence from miraculous signs in which savage men were calmed and restored.  But the local swine herd was decimated.  Unlike other healing miracles, this miracle had also imposed costs.  Surely other townspeople needed healing and restoration!  But I think the townspeople worried about what other costs might be imposed if Jesus remained. 
Amos’ admonition stings me.  Doing ceremonial things is easier than following the inner witness to seek good and avoid evil.  I also share the Gadarenes’ wariness of the Lord, keeping him at a distance because I fear what it might cost me, without recognizing that he alone is good.  When we sin by suppressing the anamnesis, we deform our inner selves.  Thanks be to God that the inner sense He implanted within us is still there, making us uncomfortable with our bad choices, drawing us to repentance!
God is good.  He leads us to life in which truth, beauty, and goodness abound.  The way of sin deforms us, keeping us burdened and in chains.  Come near, Lord Jesus.  Heal and restore our inner selves.  Help us seek after you, who alone embody all that is good.  Thanks be to God.4

Don Schwager asks in meditation: do we ever feel driven by forces beyond your strength? Two men who were possessed and driven mad by the force of many evil spirits found refuge in the one person who could set them free. Both Mark and Luke, in their Gospel accounts of this incident, describe this demonic force as a legion (Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30). A legion is no small force but an army 6,000 strong! For the people of Palestine who were often hemmed in by occupying forces, a legion - whether human or supernatural - struck terror! Legions at their wildest committed unmentionable atrocities. Our age has also witnessed untold crimes and mass destruction at the hands of possessed rulers and their armies. Schwager quotes “Christ is triumphant over the forces of demons,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD).

 "[Jesus] said to them, 'Go!' The foul-smelling animals are delivered up, not at the will of the demons but to show how savage the demons can become against humans. They ardently seek to destroy and dispossess all that is, acts, moves and lives. They seek the death of people. The ancient enmity of deep-rooted wrath and malice is in store for the human race. Demons do not give up easily unless they are forcibly overcome. They are doing the harm they are ordered to do. Therefore the foul-smelling animals are delivered up that it may be made clear to the demons that they have permission to enter the swine but not to enter humans. It is by our vices that we empower them to do harm. Similarly, by our power of faith we tread on the necks of demons. They become subject to us under Christ who is triumphant." (excerpt from SERMONS 16.8)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Amos 5:14-15, 21-24 comments that Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853) and his companions founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a way to promote acts of charity and spiritual renewal among Catholics. New chapters quickly opened, and they soon spread beyond the borders of France. What began as a trickle eventually swelled into a network of thousands of streams flowing around the globe.

 Right now, try to imagine Jesus’ love for everyone who is suffering. Let that love soften your heart and break down any barriers of comfort and indifference within you. Picture Jesus’ mercy flowing like a gentle stream toward the homeless woman living under a nearby bridge or a local couple grieving a miscarriage.
If you don’t know how to help, just be present. Listen more than you speak. Then see where it leads. Even small acts of mercy can grow into something powerful. Frédéric believed that when we sit with the poor, feel the same cold that pierces them, and listen, justice will surge like water within our hearts.
“Lord, let your love for the poor surge within me.”6

Friar Jude Winkler touches on the vertical and horizontal aspects of faith in the text from Amos who is seeking the good and dignity for brothers and sisters. He opposes superficial Hour of the Lord does not represent justice to widows and orphans. Friar Jude comments that pigs killed demons in pagan territory (In Mark 1 demoniac and 2 demoniacs in Matthew) as the same story in two different communities. 

StAnthonyCompanions · July 1, 2020

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that despite many differing views of Jesus’ life and teaching, we can say confidently that Jesus was a poor man who fully embraced life with those on the margins of society. Francis of Assisi certainly did the same, and it became his litmus test for all orthodoxy and ongoing transformation into God. Clare of Assisi (1194–1253) wanted to imitate Francis in this. She and her sisters, the Poor Clares, have kept the vow of poverty much better than some Franciscan friars have done. Today, Bridget Mary Meehan helps us understand how radical simplicity helped Clare and her sisters come to a singleness of focus and heart.

 Through the centuries Clare has continued to be a beacon of light to women and men who long to love Christ with an undivided heart, to serve others generously, and to live simply in a world that glorifies material possessions. If we have too many clothes in our closets, too much money in the bank, too many things cluttering our lives, Clare can help us find the one thing necessary—God who will liberate and fill our emptiness with divine love. Our conversion process may take time—sometimes years—but we will experience freedom and joy when we live with a loose grasp on material things, when we are willing to share our possessions as well as our time and energy with those in need.7

My recent thoracic surgery exposed me to another opportunity to consider empathy as a primary “seeking good” component driving action in humans (and many mammals). Recent hospitalization has reinforced my conviction that thanksgiving is the gift of God that centres our love and healing of our whole person, physically, psychologically, and spiritually in the pursuit of God for the greater good.

References

1	(n.d.). Amos, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/amos/5
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 50. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved July 1, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved July 1, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from https://wau.org/
7	(2020, July 1). Clare of Assisi Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 1, 2020, from https://cac.org/tag/clare-of-assis/