Life Tokens

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to recall life experiences, events, and “tokens” that have made the love and care of God visible on our journey.

Tokens and Life

The reading from the Book of Numbers proclaims the Bronze Serpent.

* [21:5] This wretched food: apparently the manna is meant.

* [21:6] Seraph: the Hebrew name for a certain species of venomous snake; etymologically the word might signify “the fiery one.” Compare the winged throne guardians in Is 6:2, 6; see also Is 14:29; 30:6.

* [21:8] Everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover: in the Gospel of John this scene is regarded as a type for the crucifixion of Jesus (Jn 3:14–15).

* [21:9] King Hezekiah, in his efforts to reform Israelite worship, “smashed the bronze serpent Moses had made” (2 Kgs 18:4). (Numbers, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 102 is a prayer to the Eternal King for Help

* [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity. (Psalms, PSALM 102, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, the Father’s Ambassador, foretells His Death.

* [8:21–30] He whose ambassador I am is with me. Jesus’ origin is from God; he can reveal God.

* [8:21] You will die in your sin: i.e., of disbelief; cf. Jn 8:24. Where I am going you cannot come: except through faith in Jesus’ passion-resurrection.

* [8:22] The Jews suspect that he is referring to his death. Johannine irony is apparent here; Jesus’ death will not be self-inflicted but destined by God.

* [8:24, 28] I AM: an expression that late Jewish tradition understood as Yahweh’s own self-designation (Is 43:10); see note on Jn 4:26. Jesus is here placed on a par with Yahweh.

* [8:25] What I told you from the beginning: this verse seems textually corrupt, with several other possible translations: “(I am) what I say to you”; “Why do I speak to you at all?” The earliest attested reading (Bodmer Papyrus P66) has (in a second hand), “I told you at the beginning what I am also telling you (now).” The answer here (cf. Prv 8:22) seems to hinge on a misunderstanding of Jn 8:24 “that I AM” as “what I am.” (John, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

David Crawford comments that for the Israelites suffering under Roman rule, Jesus Christ filled that role.  John 3:14-15 makes a direct connection:  And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  In today’s Gospel reading, when Jesus warns the Pharisees that unless they lift up the Son of Man, unless they believe as God would have them believe, they will die in their sins. 

That message resonates with us today.  Perhaps one lesson to be learned here is that when we focus on the troubles nipping at our heels, we are in serious trouble; but when we lift our gaze and put our focus on Christ, raised for all to see, healing and redemption are available to us.  Continually surrender your problems, challenges and worries to God, and continually trust in God.  In the word’s of an old hymn:  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. (Crawford, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Aided by Christ's grace,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God the Father said: 'I sent you One who would seek you out, walk with you, and forgive you. So he had feet to walk with and hands to forgive with. Thus, when he ascended after his resurrection, he showed hands, side, and feet: hands with which he gave pardon to sinners; and side from which flowed the ransom of the redeemed.'" (excerpt from Sermon 16A,10) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Numbers 21:4-9 comments that the Lord wasn’t telling his people to worship a false god. He wanted to bring them to repentance for their lack of trust in him. So he gave them a graphic image of what happens when they turn away from him: sadness, suffering, and death. Looking upon that bronze serpent brought them face-to-face with the very real consequences of their sin.

We live in a world that avoids the harsh realities displayed on the cross. But the only way we can be saved is to confront those realities, confess our sin, and humbly ask Jesus to rescue us. So gaze at the cross today. Fix your eyes on the One who suffered so humbly out of love for you.

“We adore you, O Lord, for by your cross you have redeemed the world!” (Meditation on Numbers 21:4-9, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the bronze serpent that is a totemistic object that appears in Hebrew and Christian tradition to recognize healing by God including at shrines today where people acknowledge healing. Jesus' declaration of “I Am” to the Pharisees is not even subtle. Friar Jude notes that Jesus' exaltation on the Cross is fulfilling the Will of the Father.

Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes (1943–2024) reflects on the desert experiences of Jesus and the early Christians. She describes how we can live out this desert legacy and wisdom today. 

If the desert is a place of renewal, transformation, and freedom, and if the heat and isolation served as a nurturing incubator …, one wonders if a desert experience is necessary to reclaim this legacy.

We are in need of those values central to African [desert] monasticism and early Christian hospitality; they include communal relationships, humility, and compassion. Laura Swan sums up these virtues in the word apatheia, defined as “a mature mindfulness, a grounded sensitivity, and a keen attention to one’s inner world as well as to the world in which one has journeyed.” [1] Inevitably, the journey takes each of us in different directions; however, by virtue of circumstances or choice, each of us will at some point in our lives find ourselves on the outskirts of society listening to the silence coming from within. During these times, we realize that contemplation is a destination as well as a practice. The monastics knew this and valued both. (Holmes, n.d.)

We consider the role of “tokens” on our journey to connect us to events of conversion, healing, compassion, mercy, and love that reveal Divine truth, goodness, and Providence.

References

Crawford, D. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040825.html 

Holmes, B. (n.d.). Recognizing Deserts Today. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/recognizing-deserts-today/ 

John, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?21 

Meditation on Numbers 21:4-9. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/08/1243478/ 

Numbers, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21?4 

Psalms, PSALM 102. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102?2 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). When You Have Lifted up the Son of Man. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr8 

Patience Mercy and Justice

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to respond to the weeds in our environment with the love and patience of Christ.

Weeds and Wheat 

The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah proclaims God’s Judgement on the Nation.

* [7:1–15] The Temple of the Lord will not guarantee safety against enemy invasion or any other misfortune.

* [7:6] The alien: specially protected within Israelite society; cf. Ex 22:20; Nm 9:14; 15:14; Dt 5:14; 28:43. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 84 praises the Joy of Worship in the Temple.

* [Psalm 84] Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.

* [84:4] The desire of a restless bird for a secure home is an image of the desire of a pilgrim for the secure house of God, cf. Ps 42:2–3, where the image for the desire of the pilgrim is the thirst of the deer for water. (Psalms, PSALM 84 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Parable of Weeds among the Wheat.

* [13:24–30] This parable is peculiar to Matthew. The comparison in Mt 13:24 does not mean that the kingdom of heaven may be likened simply to the person in question but to the situation narrated in the whole story. The refusal of the householder to allow his slaves to separate the wheat from the weeds while they are still growing is a warning to the disciples not to attempt to anticipate the final judgment of God by a definitive exclusion of sinners from the kingdom. In its present stage it is composed of the good and the bad. The judgment of God alone will eliminate the sinful. Until then there must be patience and the preaching of repentance.

* [13:25] Weeds: darnel, a poisonous weed that in its first stage of growth resembles wheat.

* [13:30] Harvest: a common biblical metaphor for the time of God’s judgment; cf. Jer 51:33; Jl 4:13; Hos 6:11. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that Jeremiah recognizes the ever-present danger that religious piety and worship become escapist or compartmentalized from the rest of our lives. Orthodoxy, literally “right worship,” requires orthopraxis, or “right action.”

Held together, then, Jeremiah 7 and Psalm 84 cut to the heart of the good news of the Jewish and Christian traditions. God calls us to a holistic gospel, connecting mind, body, and spirit, inner and outer, personal and social. We are called to recognize that genuine spirituality entails reforming our lives and reflecting in action what we profess with our lips. Yearn and pine for the courts of the Lord, yes, but first love your neighbor and do justice to the innocent. Then, by the grace of God, may we be counted among the wheat on the day of final harvest. (Carney, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “The Lord sows good seeds in our heart,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"The Lord clearly points out that he is the sower of good seeds. He does not cease to sow in this world as in a field. God's word is like good seed in the hearts of people, so that each of us according to the seeds sown in us by God may bear spiritual and heavenly fruit." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 51.1)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:24-30 asks why would a landowner hesitate to remove harmful weeds from his field? But if Jesus meant for the landowner to represent God, maybe we can learn something about the way our heavenly Father looks at us and at the growth of his kingdom.

Our God is merciful. Our God is patient. Our God is just. Let’s praise him for his care for us!

“Father, thank you for the way you manage the ‘field’ of your kingdom.” (Meditation on Matthew 13:24-30, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that Jeremiah speaks about the holiness of the Temple and contrasts it with the oppression of aliens and neglect of widows and orphans. Our worship is not a superstitious act but an expression of who we are and who we want to be. Friar Jude reminds us of the very strong theme of a final accounting in Matthew and our need to do the best we can and it will all be sorted out in the end.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces authors Thomas Bien and Beverly Bien who approach recovery through an ongoing, mindful approach.

Remember that mindfulness is “choiceless awareness”; that is, it is the willingness to be present with whatever is going on. This includes being willing to become aware of your forgetfulness and to return again to mindfulness. If you become self-critical or frustrated, you have become too goal oriented about your spiritual practice. Relax. Use humor. Smile. Tune into the fun…. Isn’t it funny that, if we struggle too hard, we get caught in the very net of suffering we want to escape?… 

Make patience and self-acceptance your main practice. And one day you will realize you have changed. You will see that you have become a more mindful person. You get there, not by trying all at once to attain some perfection, but just by the simple daily things…. You get there one mindful breath at a time. (Rohr, n.d.)

As we grow and mature we become more aware of the wheat and weeds in our field and we are grateful for the love, patience, and mercy of our companions on the journey as we seek transformation as followers of Christ.

References

Carney, J. (2024, July 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072724.html 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/7?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13? 

Meditation on Matthew 13:24-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/27/1033707/ 

Psalms, PSALM 84 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/84?3 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Breathing Under Water, Week Two: Weekly Summary. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/breathing-under-water-week-two-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul27