Peace People Perfection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today recognize our desire for peace and our timidity under tension.

Gimme Shelter

The Reading from the Book of Leviticus proclaims a Jubilee.

Psalm 81 declares all the nations will praise the Lord.

The Gospel of Matthew presents the martyrdom of John the Baptist.

Suzanne Braddock reflects on how a thoughtless promise sprung from misguided desires and fear of losing status resulted in a gruesome outcome.

Don Schwager quotes “Integrity is a hardship for the morally corrupt,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD)

"John aroused Herod by his moral admonitions, not by any formal accusation. He wanted to correct, not to suppress. Herod, however, preferred to suppress rather than be reconciled. To those who are held captive, the freedom of the one innocent of wrongdoing becomes hateful. Virtue is undesirable to those who are immoral; holiness is abhorrent to those who are impious; chastity is an enemy to those who are impure; integrity is a hardship for those who are corrupt; frugality runs counter to those who are self-indulgent; mercy is intolerable to those who are cruel, as is loving-kindness to those who are pitiless and justice to those who are unjust. The Evangelist indicates this when he says, "John said to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother Philip.'" This is where John runs into trouble. He who admonishes those who are evil gives offense. He who repudiates wrongdoers runs into trouble. John was saying what was proper of the law, what was proper of justice, what was proper of salvation and what was proper certainly not of hatred but of love. And look at the reward he received from the ungodly for his loving concern!" (excerpt from SERMONS 127.6-7)

[Peter Chrysologus, 400-450 AD, was a renowned preacher and bishop of Ravena in the 5th century]

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Maria Shriver who invites readers to discern how we can engage with our imperfect world.

We ponder the false path of seeking perfection and seek the guidance of the Spirit to find peace in our service to the people we encounter on our journey.

Reunion and Rejection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to participate in the gathering of people in faith and to meet a sense of rejection with humility.

Reality and Reunion

The Reading from the Book of Leviticus describes the festivals of the LORD.

Psalm 81 proclaims a pilgrimage feast as the people assemble in the Temple

The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus' rejection at Nazareth.

David Crawford asks how often do we fail to hear when God speaks through someone we already have devalued because of our own preconceptions about what that individual has to offer?

Don Schwager quotes “Few miracles done because of their unbelief”, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)

"It seems to me that the production of miracles is similar in some ways to the case of physical things. Cultivation is not sufficient to produce a harvest of fruits unless the soil, or rather the atmosphere, cooperates to this end. And the atmosphere of itself is not sufficient to produce a harvest without cultivation. The one who providentially orders creation did not design things to spring up from the earth without cultivation. Only in the first instance did he do so when he said, 'Let the earth bring forth vegetation, with the seed sowing according to its kind and according to its likeness' (Genesis 1:11). It is just this way in regard to the production of miracles. The complete work resulting in a healing is not displayed without those being healed exercising faith. Faith, of whatever quality it might be, does not produce a healing without divine power.' (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.19)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today and the Law concerning the feasts of Israel. Jesus is teaching in the Synagogue and the family of Jesus is present and “prophets are not without honour except in their native place”.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Anne Lamott who found comfort in St. Paul’s struggle to accept his own imperfection.

We are imperfect agents of the love, mercy, and compassion of Christ who rely on the Spirit to guide our relationships toward peace, acceptance, and service.

Witness to Conversion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept our call to be witnesses to the truth, love, and compassion of the Way of Jesus.

Action and Conversion

President Donald Trump, left, and first lady Melania Trump attend the national prayer service led by Rev. Mariann Budde at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) 

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul Tells of His Conversion in Defense before the Jerusalem Jews

* [22:1–21] Paul’s first defense speech is presented to the Jerusalem crowds. Luke here presents Paul as a devout Jew (Acts 22:3) and zealous persecutor of the Christian community (Acts 22:4–5), and then recounts the conversion of Paul for the second time in Acts (see note on Acts 9:1–19). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)

The passage from the Acts of the Apostles describes the Conversion of Saul.

* [9:1–19] This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8. The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).

* [9:2] The Way: a name used by the early Christian community for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The Essene community at Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life.

* [9:8] He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. Acts 26:18).

* [9:13] Your holy ones: literally, “your saints.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 117 is a Universal Call to Worship.

* [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity. (Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark describes the Commissioning of the Eleven and Signs of Believers.

* [16:9–20] This passage, termed the Longer Ending to the Marcan gospel by comparison with a much briefer conclusion found in some less important manuscripts, has traditionally been accepted as a canonical part of the gospel and was defined as such by the Council of Trent. Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus, reflecting, in particular, traditions found in Lk 24 and Jn 20. (Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that one (unfortunate) theme binding the two readings is differentiating oneself from "the other".  In the first case this differentiation manifests itself as early followers of Christ being hunted down by the Jew Saul (Paul); in the second, non-believers who will receive condemnation as opposed to the privileges that will accrue to the baptized Christian faithful.

So, how do I claim my faith without fearing the judgments and persecutions that follow it for so many in the world, while also understanding that it has been used to judge and persecute those of other faiths?  How do I commit to and embrace my faith, but not embrace its exclusionary elements? We're all aware of the atrocities committed across time and borders, in the name of religion.  We agree, I hope, that we can and should do better? I want my faith to always lift up.  I want to always model love for the stranger.  I want to live, to the best of my earthly, 21st century ability, the teachings of a loving, forgiving, welcoming Jesus.  Others around me achieve these with more grace and regularity than I do, so I know there is room for me to grow as a Christian.  Will you join me in asking for the strength, wisdom and will to do so?  Amen. (Grassmeyer, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Our witness is trustworthy if we live accordingly,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"For [Paul] truly became a witness to [Jesus], and a witness as one should be, both by what he did and by what he said. We too must be such witnesses and not betray what we have been entrusted. I speak not only of doctrines, but also of our way of life. Look, what he knew, what he heard, he bore witness to this before all, and nothing hindered him. We too have heard that there is a resurrection and ten thousand good things; therefore, we ought to bear witness to this before all. 'We do in fact bear witness,' you say, 'and believe.' How, since we do the opposite? Tell me, if someone should say he was a Christian but should then apostatize and act like a Jew, would his testimony be sufficient? No, not at all; for people would look for testimony through his actions. Likewise, if we say that that there is a resurrection and ten thousand good things but then look down upon them and prefer the things here, who will believe us? For all people pay attention not to what we say but to what we do. 'You will be a witness,' [Christ] says, 'to all' (Acts 1:8). That is, not only to the friends, but also to the unbelievers. For this is what witnesses are for: they persuade not those who know but those who do not. Let us become trustworthy witnesses. How will we become trustworthy? By the life we lead." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 47) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 22:3-16 comments that Paul’s conversion is especially relevant now, at the beginning of this Jubilee Year. For the Jewish people, the Jubilee was a time marked by forgiveness of debts and freedom from bondage. For us, it is a time to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ. God does not want us to define ourselves by our past. He wants to cancel our debts, shower us with his mercy, and offer us the grace to live each day in a way that is pleasing to him.

So no matter how far from the love of Christ you may feel you are, know that he is waiting for you to return to him. There is nothing you have done or will do that disqualifies you from receiving his love and mercy. If he can forgive Paul and use him for his eternal purposes, he can do the same for you!

“Lord Jesus, thank you for offering me a new beginning this Jubilee Year!” (Meditation on Acts 22:3-16, n.d.)

Kathleen Bonnette who works at the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University, where she also teaches theology, comments that Bishop Budde showed faithful moral courage. Catholics should follow her lead.

Bishop Budde’s act of moral courage in the face of these attempts to further marginalize already vulnerable people is laudable and should inspire the rest of us—especially our pastors and bishops—to proclaim the dignity of all clearly and with conviction from our positions of influence. Statements like that of Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who urged Mr. Trump to “pivot from these enforcement-only policies to just and merciful solutions” are one way to do this, but it will also require explicit comment by clergy and lay leaders in homilies and other public reflections. (Bonnette, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the three accounts of the conversion of Saul, the Aramaic version of Paul, in Acts. The film removed from Paul’s eyes may indicate cataracts as a result of a lightning strike. Friar Jude notes the effect of the serpent bite on Paul’s ministry in the ending of Mark’s Gospel that comes from Matthew.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who reflects on how we are called to love imperfect people imperfectly.

I’m wondering what love means now. On the way to an election and on the other side of it, whenever you hear these words, who’s your neighbor and how do you love them? Can you see and feel their humanity? Sense their connectedness to you, the way you’re alike, even though you’re different? The way their blood is red, no matter what color their skin is? The way their heart beats, no matter who they love or how they love them? Can you sense your neighbor’s kinship with you and therefore be imagining that their self-interest and your self-interest are intertwined?… (Rohr, n.d.)

We are enlightened by the Spirit to be witnesses to the Way.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/22?3 

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9? 

Bonnette, K. (n.d.). Bishop Budde showed faithful moral courage. Catholics should follow her lead. America Magazine | The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://www.americamagazine.org/ 

Grassmeyer, K. (2025, January 25). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/012525.html 

Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16?15 

Meditation on Acts 22:3-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://wau.org/ 

Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/117?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go into All the World and Preach the Gospel. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Called to Surrender

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary have been selected by the CCCB for the feast day of Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions.

Call to Action

The reading from the Book of  Revelation describes the vision of the multitude from every nation.

* [7:1–17] An interlude of two visions precedes the breaking of the seventh seal, just as two more will separate the sixth and seventh trumpets (Rev 10). In the first vision (Rev 7:1–8), the elect receive the seal of the living God as protection against the coming cataclysm; cf. Rev 14:1; Ez 9:4–6; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30. The second vision (Rev 7:9–17) portrays the faithful Christians before God’s throne to encourage those on earth to persevere to the end, even to death. (Revelation, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)

Psalm 124 is a thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance.

* [Psalm 124] A thanksgiving which teaches that Israel’s very existence is owed to God who rescues them. In the first part Israel’s enemies are compared to the mythic sea dragon (Ps 124:2b–3a; cf. Jer 51:34) and Flood (Ps 124:3b–5; cf. Is 51:9–10). The Psalm heightens the malice of human enemies by linking them to the primordial enemies of God’s creation. Israel is a bird freed from the trapper’s snare (Ps 124:6–8)—freed originally from Pharaoh and now from the current danger. (Psalms, PSALM 124, n.d.)

The reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians presents the paradox of the ministry.

* [4:7–5:10] Paul now confronts the difficulty that his present existence does not appear glorious at all; it is marked instead by suffering and death. He deals with this by developing the topic already announced in 2 Cor 3:3, 6, asserting his faith in the presence and ultimate triumph of life, in his own and every Christian existence, despite the experience of death. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells of the conditions of Discipleship.

* [9:23] Daily: this is a Lucan addition to a saying of Jesus, removing the saying from a context that envisioned the imminent suffering and death of the disciple of Jesus (as does the saying in Mk 8:34–35) to one that focuses on the demands of daily Christian existence. (Luke, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, the coming of Jesus’ Hour is foretold.

* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life. (John, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

Maureen McCann Waldron comments on the USCCB texts for Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

Daily Scripture net reflects on the USCCB Gospel for Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=sep26 

Franciscan Media details the story of Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and their Companions.

Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ’s cross deep in our land. The Church in North America sprang from the blood of martyrs, as has been true in so many places. The ministry and sacrifices of these saints challenges each of us, causing us to ask just how deep is our faith and how strong our desire to serve even in the face ofdeath. (Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean De Brébeuf, and Companions, n.d.)

The Word Among Us  Meditation on Job 1:6-22 is from the USCCB Gospel for Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the USCCB texts for Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, unpacks the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee (Luke 18:9–14), showing how Jesus affirmed a spirituality of imperfection.

This repositions the whole role of religion. Didn’t most of us think that it’s all a meritocracy? I certainly did! Many religious people think that it’s all a merit badge system—all achievement, accomplishment, performance, and perfection. The good people win and the bad people lose. Of course, once we cast anything as a win-lose scenario, the irony is that everybody loses. Why can’t people see that competitive games are not the way to go?

I’m convinced that Jesus’ good news is that God’s choice is always for the excluded one. Jesus learned this from his Jewish tradition: God always chooses the rejected son, the barren woman, the people enslaved in Egypt or exiled in Babylon. It’s not a winner’s script in the Bible—it’s a loser’s script. It’s a loser’s script where, ironically, everybody wins. (Rohr, 2022)

We have access to the prompting of the Spirit in those circumstances where we need to surrender in the manner of the seed that brings forth new growth.

References

John, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/12 

Luke, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9 

Psalms, PSALM 124. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/124 

Revelation, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/7 

Rohr, R. (2022, September 26). A Gospel of Humility — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-gospel-of-humility-2022-09-26/ 

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-isaac-jogues-jean-de-brebeuf-and-companions 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/4