Called to a Change of Heart

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to accept the invitation of the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and more fully participate in life.

A heart of flesh

The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares regeneration of the people with a heart of flesh.

* [36:25–26] God’s initiative to cleanse Israel (cf. 24:13–14) is the first act in the creation of a new people, no longer disposed to repeating Israel’s wicked past (chap. 20). To make this restoration permanent, God replaces Israel’s rebellious and obdurate interiority (“heart of stone”) with an interiority (“heart of flesh”) susceptible to and animated by God’s intentions (“my spirit,” v. 27). (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 36, n.d.)

Psalm 51 is a prayer for cleansing and pardon.

* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. (Psalms, PSALM 51, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches using the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.

* [22:1–14] This parable is from Q; see Lk 14:15–24. It has been given many allegorical traits by Matthew, e.g., the burning of the city of the guests who refused the invitation (Mt 22:7), which corresponds to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. It has similarities with the preceding parable of the tenants: the sending of two groups of servants (Mt 22:3, 4), the murder of the servants (Mt 22:6), the punishment of the murderers (Mt 22:7), and the entrance of a new group into a privileged situation of which the others had proved themselves unworthy (Mt 22:8–10). The parable ends with a section that is peculiar to Matthew (Mt 22:11–14), which some take as a distinct parable. Matthew presents the kingdom in its double aspect, already present and something that can be entered here and now (Mt 22:1–10), and something that will be possessed only by those present members who can stand the scrutiny of the final judgment (Mt 22:11–14). The parable is not only a statement of God’s judgment on Israel but a warning to Matthew’s church. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22, n.d.)

Mary Lee Brock desires a “natural” heart to welcome God’s voice as she prepares to return to teaching in “back to school” days.

The invitation to hear God’s voice puts my overloaded back to school list of tasks in perspective.  I am reminded of why I am called to teach and pray for the grace for my teaching to serve the kingdom of God.  This fall when I encounter a nervous student, I pray that I hear the voice of God in that nervousness and show the compassion the student needs.  I pray for those who want nothing more than to go to school, but yet are not allowed.  When I wonder if a lesson I prepared is clever enough, I ask God to remind me to keep my ego in check so I can truly serve.   And I pray as we enter this season of back to school, we all learn to always hear God’s voice. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “A guest with no wedding garment,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"But since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy church, as a result of God's generosity, be careful, my friends, lest when the King enters he find fault with some aspect of your heart's clothing. We must consider what comes next with great fear in our hearts. But the king came in to look at the guests and saw there a person not clothed in a wedding garment. What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast, but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy church. He may have faith, but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this is what our Creator himself possessed when he came to the marriage feast to join the church to himself. Only God's love brought it about that his only begotten Son united the hearts of his chosen to himself. John says that 'God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for us' (John 3:16)." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 38.9) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14 comments that God’s invitation to us isn’t just once and done. Every day, he calls us to celebrate the wedding feast of his son. Every day he invites us to enter into his joy. Whether it’s in the more private celebration of personal prayer or the communal celebration of the Mass, God is welcoming us into his presence, where we can know his joy and feast on his word.

Today, ask yourself, “Am I listening for the Lord’s invitation? Am I prepared to accept it?” If you’re hesitating, think about what might be holding you back. Maybe it’s time to reexamine your priorities. Perhaps lesser things have subtly crept into your life, and it’s time to again put God and his kingdom back at the center. Or maybe anxiety over your child, your job, or your finances is preventing you from even expecting an invitation to the banquet of the Lord.

Whatever it might be, recommit yourself to your heavenly Father so that you don’t miss out on what he has for you. He longs to draw you into the richness of his wedding feast. May nothing hold you back!

“Father, give me the grace to accept your invitation, today and every day.” (Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the change from condemnation in the writing of Ezekiel to the promise of God to cleanse and put a new heart in His people. The burning of cities in the parable in Matthew may be a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans. Friar Jude uses the choice of the guest not to wear a wedding garment to remind us of the final accounting that is prominent in the Gospel of Matthew.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Mirabai Starr who finds inspiration in mystics Julian of Norwich (1343–c. 1416) and John of the Cross (1542–1591). Both endured profound suffering and yet discovered a deep and Divine love in its midst. Mystics see through a lens of paradox: dazzling darkness, beautiful wound, the longing that is the remedy for longing. Paradox points beyond itself to a truth that both transcends and includes logic, a truth that is alive, generative, and whole. Such a dynamic mode of knowing demands our complete attention.

What does a religious woman who dwelt in an anchor-hold during the Middle Ages have to do with you and me today? Julian endured a long and cruel pandemic. The disease ravaged her community and carried off the people that she loved. She learned to shelter in place, focusing on cultivating her interior landscape and sharing the fruits of her wisdom through the window that opened from her cell onto the busy streets of her city (think computer screen and Zoom), where she offered counsel to visitors . . . each day….

And how could a renegade monk, who survived the Spanish Inquisition despite the Jewish and Moorish blood that flowed through his veins, have anything to teach us about flourishing in our own dark nights? John of the Cross illumines the transformational power of radical unknowing. He rekindles our latent longing for union with the Beloved and, through sublime poetry and precise prose, blows on the flames so that they dance back to life in our beleaguered hearts. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the nature of the transformation that God seeks to accomplish in His people to witness to love, compassion, mercy, by our lives.

References

Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/081822.html 

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 36. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/36?23 

Matthew, CHAPTER 22. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?1 

Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/08/18/470803/ 

Psalms, PSALM 51. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/dazzling-darkness-2022-08-18/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Would Not Come to the Feast! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 18, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=aug18 

Peace and Prophet

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the possible tension between prophetic advice and peace in our lives.

Prophecy and Peace

 

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah declares an Eternal Covenant of Peace in the New Zion.

* [54:4–8] As with some other Old Testament themes, Second Isaiah uses that of Israel as the Lord’s bride in a new manner. Whereas Hosea and Jeremiah had depicted Israel as the Lord’s spouse to emphasize both Israel’s infidelity and the Lord’s continued love (Hos 1–3; Jer 2:2; 3:1–15) and Ezekiel to accuse Israel unsparingly (Ez 16; 23), Second Isaiah speaks only of the love with which the Lord restores the people, speaking tender words with no hint of reproach.1

 

Psalm 30 offers Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness.

* [Psalm 30] An individual thanksgiving in four parts: praise and thanks for deliverance and restoration (Ps 30:2–4); an invitation to others to join in (Ps 30:5–6); a flashback to the time before deliverance (Ps 30:7–11); a return to praise and thanks (Ps 30:12). Two sets of images recur: 1) going down, death, silence; 2) coming up, life, praising. God has delivered the psalmist from one state to the other.2

 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives testimony to John the Baptist as Prophet and Messenger.

* [7:24–30] In his testimony to John, Jesus reveals his understanding of the relationship between them: John is the precursor of Jesus (Lk 7:27); John is the messenger spoken of in Mal 3:1 who in Mal 3:23 is identified as Elijah. Taken with the previous episode, it can be seen that Jesus identifies John as precisely the person John envisioned Jesus to be: the Elijah who prepares the way for the coming of the day of the Lord.3 

Andy Alexander, S.J. (in 2016) comments that these readings offer a different kind of hope. They offer us the opportunity to have hope based upon a sense of God's fidelity, to such a degree that we trust it. Trusting God's assurances of love and a promise "My love shall never leave you," we can believe our God has mercy on us.

Hope and joy comes from experiencing mercy and the promise that we will never be alone, that God's love endures forever. That confidence is so freeing. As the joy grows, we can actually feel the self-absorption fall away. We can sense ourselves no longer carrying the same burdens. Our hearts begin to become sensitized again to notice and care about the suffering of others. Our own Advent hope is the "glad tidings" we have to share with others. The "gifts" we have to give to others, for the world, are more about our hope and joy, to lift others' spirits, to allow us to be a community which cares for each other. Yes, we have great differences and deep divisions, and we've almost been trained by our culture to demonize each other - the ultimate self-absorption. With hope and joy come freedom to pay attention to what disturbs others and leads to anger and even hatred. We can be Advent people when we move to heal and comfort, to have compassion on woundedness and rejoice that our God is near, in fact, always with us, with all of us. We may not be able to imagine how God can love us all. That's what it begins with really believing our God can really love me.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Born of Woman or Born of God?”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"'What then did you go out to see?' Perhaps you say, 'A prophet.' Yes, I agree. He is a saint and a prophet. He even surpasses the dignity of a prophet. Not only did he announce before that I am coming but pointed me out close at hand, saying, 'Behold the Lamb of God that bears the sin of the world' (John 1:29). The prophet's voice testified of him as the one who was sent before my face to prepare the way before me (Malachi 3:1). I witness that there has not arisen among those born of women one greater than he. He that is least, in the life according to the law, in the kingdom of God is greater than he. How and in what manner is he greater? In that the blessed John, together with as many as preceded him, was born of woman, but they who have received the faith are no longer called the sons of women, but as the wise Evangelist said, 'are born of God'" (John 1:12). (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 18)5

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 54:1-10 comments that God is immutable. He is unchanging. He is constant and firm in his love for you. His attributes, his will, and his promises “do not change” (Malachi 3:6). If God says something, he will act on it; and if he declares something, he will bring it about. Not always in the way we expect and not always when we think it should happen. But it will happen. And he has promised that his love will never leave us.

This all-powerful, unchanging God wants to be the source of your peace. He wants to calm your heart when, like Israel, you face uncertainty and suffering. When your sins feel too great for him to forgive, he wants to remind you of his omnipotent and immutable love. When you are tempted to embrace the weak, changeable love of this fallen world, he longs to gather you to himself in great tenderness (Isaiah 54:7). This is the God whose love will never leave you! “Lord, I praise you for your unchanging, all-powerful love!”6 

Friar Jude Winkler connects the text from Deutero Isaiah to a promise of restoration to the exiles in Babylon. The “tough love” of God is not vindictive but is restorative. Friar Jude reminds us of the expectation of the Pharisees of a conquering hero.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that many of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, along with thinkers and mystics in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, have described prayer as bringing our thinking down into our heart. It is not the words themselves as much as the rhythmical repetition that localizes one in the heart. Greek Orthodox author Frederica Mathewes-Green describes the practice of the Jesus Prayer, which is the simple repetition of the phrase: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

At first the Prayer is just a string of words repeated, perhaps mechanically, in your mind. But with time it may “descend into the heart,” and those who experience this will be attentive to maintain it, continually “bringing the mind” (the nous, that is) “into the heart.” . . . This “descent into the heart” does include reference to the physical heart (or the general region of the heart within the chest). This blending of matter and spirit can be surprising to Western Christians, but it came naturally to the earliest Christians, who inherited from ancient Judaism an expectation that God is present throughout Creation. “Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:24). “Prayer of the heart” occurs when the Prayer moves from merely mental repetition, forced along by your own effort, to an effortless and spontaneous self-repetition of the Prayer that emanates from the core of your being, your heart. You discover that the Holy Spirit has been there, praying, all along. Then heart and soul, body and mind, memory and will, the very breath of life itself, everything that you have and are united in gratitude and joy, tuned like a violin string to the name of Jesus.7

 

We are invited to bring the tension between prophecy and peace to prayer in communication with the Spirit to seek resolution and restoration.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, CHAPTER 54 | USCCB. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/54
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 30 | USCCB. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/30
3	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/7
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121621.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=dec16
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/12/16/267155/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://cac.org/prayer-of-the-heart-2021-12-16/