Building Connection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of our essential connection to God and the relationship we ignore when we focus entirely on what we can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste.

Build Connection

The reading from the Prophet Haggai presents the Command to Rebuild the Temple.

* [1:1] First day of the sixth month in the second year: August 29, 520 B.C. This is the first of six chronological indicators in Haggai. Darius: Darius I, emperor of Persia from 522 to 486 B.C. Governor: term used for local rulers of provinces in the Persian imperial structure. Zerubbabel: grandson of King Jehoiachin (cf. 2 Kgs 24:8–17).

* [1:4] Your paneled houses…house lies in ruins: the contrast here is between the unfinished Temple and the completed houses of the Judeans.

* [1:5] Reflect on your experience: the prophet exhorts the people to consider the futility of their efforts as a result of their neglecting work on the Temple. The following verses call attention to harsh conditions in Judah after the return from exile and the preoccupation of the people with their personal concerns.

* [1:8] That I may be glorified: for the prophet, the rebuilding of the Temple restores the glory God had lost in the eyes of the nations by the Temple’s destruction.

* [1:9] Oracle of the LORD: a phrase used extensively in prophetic books to indicate divine speech. (Haggai, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Psalm 149 is 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, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, we learn of Herod’s perplexity.

* [9:7–56] This section in which Luke gathers together incidents that focus on the identity of Jesus is introduced by a question that Herod is made to ask in this gospel: “Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”(Lk 9:9) In subsequent episodes, Luke reveals to the reader various answers to Herod’s question: Jesus is one in whom God’s power is present and who provides for the needs of God’s people (Lk 9:10–17); Peter declares Jesus to be “the Messiah of God” (Lk 9:18–21); Jesus says he is the suffering Son of Man (Lk 9:22, 43–45); Jesus is the Master to be followed, even to death (Lk 9:23–27); Jesus is God’s son, his Chosen One (Lk 9:28–36). (Luke, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)

Candice Tucci, OSF, asks what is our relationship with Jesus? Or Christ. Or the Holy Spirit, Or God our creator? How do you know God and how do you find ways to grow in a more intimate relationship with our triune God? Is there a need to rebuild a broken relationship? 

Yes, God desires this relationship. What must each of us do to perhaps restore, renovate, or widen the walls of our hearts to recognize this Sacred Occupant of our Temple? Go up or deep into your interior landscape and gather all that is needed for you to begin. 

Unlike Herod, you can see/know this Holy Presence and do not evict it! Hear God say,
listen, and know that I am God, with you, in you, around you, always. Then…

Let the faithful exult in glory.
Let them sing for joy!
Let high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all God’s faithful! (Ps. 149)

 This is a blueprint for life! (Tucci, 2023)

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] (Schwager, 2022)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Haggai 1:1-8 comments that we all get discouraged by the daily grind of “building” our spiritual houses. Some of the work can be tedious and repetitive. But see what God tells the exiles: “That I may take pleasure in it” (Haggai 1:8).

Even as you keep on building, know that God takes pleasure in you. He sees that your spiritual house is still a work in progress, but he also sees how far you have already come. He rejoices every time you come to him in prayer or lift your heart to him at Mass. He smiles every time you choose to be generous. He takes pleasure every moment that you say no to temptation and yes to his Spirit. All of these actions help to build your inner “house,” and God takes delight in each of them. He takes delight in you!

So as you “get on with it” and build a house for the Lord today, remember that God, the Architect and Master Builder of all creation, sees and honors your work.

“Father, help me to trust you as I continue to build a house for you in my heart.” (Meditation on Haggai 1:1-8, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that Haggai was a prophet before Ezra and Nehemiah, shortly after the end of the Babylonian exile, expresses concern about neglecting the rebuilding of the Temple. The people may have presumed upon the mercy of the Lord and not been faithful. Friar Jude comments that the friendship between Pilate and Herod was formed through their contact during Jesus Passion.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers how dwelling in sacred space ultimately involves seeing God and the world through a unified vision. But we don’t get there without some sort of suffering.

In mature religion, the secular becomes sacred. There are no longer two worlds. We no longer have to leave the secular world to find sacred space because they’ve come together. That was the significance of the temple veil rending when Jesus died. The temple divided reality into the holy world inside and the unholy world outside. That’s why Jesus said the temple had to fall: “Not a stone shall stand on a stone” (Matthew 24:2). Our word “profane” comes from the Latin words pro and fanum, meaning “outside the temple.” Teilhard de Chardin said, “Nothing here below is profane for those who know how to see.” [1] There is only one world, and it’s the supernatural one. There is no “natural” world where God is not. It is all supernatural. All the bushes burn now if we’ve seen one burn. Only one tree has to fill up with light and angels, and then we never again see trees the same way. That’s the true seeing we call contemplation.

We need to refresh our seeing through contemplation because we forget. We start clinging and protecting. Unless there is a readiness to let go, we will not see the vision of the whole. God cannot be seen through such a small lens. (Rohr, 2023)

We may be guided by the Spirit to connect with our entire reality that includes a relationship with Divine Presence.

References

Haggai, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/haggai/1?1 

Luke, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?7 

Meditation on Haggai 1:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/28/793317/ 

Psalms, PSALM 149. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/149?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, September 28). One Sacred World — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/one-sacred-world/ 

Schwager, D. (2022, October 2). Suppressing Truth to Ease a Guilty Conscience. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep28 

Tucci, C. (2023, September 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092823.html 

Perplexed about Purpose

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with some of the experience of the “three score and ten people” mentioned by the psalmist.

Life Expectations

The reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes expresses the vanity of human toil.

* [1:2] Vanity of vanities: a Hebrew superlative expressing the supreme degree of futility and emptiness.

* [1:3] Under the sun: used throughout this book to signify “on the earth.”

* [1:8] All things are wearisome: or, “All speech is wearisome.”

* [1:11] Movement in nature and human activity appears to result in change and progress. The author argues that this change and progress are an illusion: “Nothing is new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Psalm 90 praises God’s Eternity and human frailty.

* [Psalm 90] A communal lament that describes only in general terms the cause of the community’s distress. After confidently invoking God (Ps 90:1), the Psalm turns to a complaint contrasting God’s eternity with the brevity of human life (Ps 90:2–6) and sees in human suffering the punishment for sin (Ps 90:7–12). The Psalm concludes with a plea for God’s intervention (Ps 90:13–17). (Psalms, PSALM 90, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke reveals Herod’s perplexity.

* [9:7] Herod the tetrarch: see note on Lk 3:1.

* [9:9] And he kept trying to see him: this indication of Herod’s interest in Jesus prepares for Lk 13:31–33 and for Lk 23:8–12 where Herod’s curiosity about Jesus’ power to perform miracles remains unsatisfied. (Luke, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth comments that a recent book, “Jesus and John Wayne,” by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, an evangelical historian, sheds light on a far more militaristic version of Christianity than she espouses. Eileen feels it’s extremely important for people like her to understand that viewpoint. Jesus commands us to love our enemies but opponents should not be enemies. It can be just as hard to listen with an open heart to good people who fundamentally disagree with us as to love enemies. We must find ways to embrace each other by finding  common ground whenever possible.

My friend, for example, is active in his church’s outreach to the poor just as I am. Common ground. He abhors racism, more common ground. He has also raised a wonderful family, still more that we share.

I wish I were a model of being open-hearted as Jesus commands in the Sermon on the Mount. I’m not, especially when it comes to judging masses of people with whom I don’t have a relationship. It’s hard and like most people, I tend to fail when things are difficult.

Baby steps, I tell myself. Take baby steps. That’s why I’ve just invited my friend for dinner. Maybe we’ll just talk about sports and the weather but someday maybe we’ll have the courage to lovingly discuss the significant differences in our Christian beliefs. (Wirth, n.d.)

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) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 asks shouldn’t believing in Jesus and obeying him put a smile on your face every moment of the day? Shouldn’t helping people be its own reward, no matter how futile it can seem at times? Of course, we know the answer to these questions should always be yes. But there’s often a difference between what we should experience and what we actually do experience. Some of our greatest saints, like Mother Teresa and John of the Cross, have faced the loneliness and confusion of feeling distant from God.

God wants to bless your efforts—but he has to have efforts to bless. So even if you feel unenthusiastic, take those first steps to accomplish the work he has put in front of you. The work may be unglamorous and hidden to the world, but God can still draw blessings from it. That’s because his faithfulness knows no bounds!

“Lord, give me the strength to carry your light into the world.” (Meditation on Ecclesiastes 1:2-11, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the musing of Qoheleth on the mystery of life. Doing the best we can is a response to the mystery of life. Herod, responsible for the deaths of John the Baptist and James, wants to know more of Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us how people may be brought to wonder by stories of faith.

James Finley shares his thoughts on spiritual maturity as a form of ripening. The lifelong process of ripening brings about a corresponding ripening of our ability to understand the fundamentals in a wiser, peace-giving manner. . . . As a person ripens in unsayable intimacies in God, they ripen in a paradoxical wisdom. They come to understand God as a presence that protects us from nothing, even as God unexplainably sustains us in all things. This is the Mystery of the Cross that reveals whatever it means that God watches over us; it does not mean that God prevents the tragic thing, the cruel thing, the unfair thing, from happening. Rather, it means that God is intimately hidden as a kind of profound, tender sweetness that flows and carries us along in the intimate depths of the tragic thing itself—and will continue to do so in every moment of our lives up to and through death, and beyond.

And so it is with us. As we grow old we realize that, in all we have been through, Love has been using us for its own purposes. And for this we feel immensely grateful. We know, too, that our inevitable passing away, in which we fall into the ground and die, is not the end of our ripened and transformed life. It is rather our passage into an infinite and deathless fulfillment. Saint John of the Cross [1542–1591] talks about a windfall of delight. [1] When fruit becomes very ripe, the slightest wind can cause it to fall to the ground. This is also true of us, and not just in the sense in which we learn to be undone and fulfilled in all the unexpected little blessings that come to us throughout the day. The windfall of delight pertains as well to our last breath, which we know and trust will send us falling forever into the deathless depths of God. (Finley, 2022)

We are enlightened by the Spirit to respond with gratitude to the Presence of God in our journey that affirms our experience and inspires our hope.

References

Ecclesiastes, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ecclesiastes/1?1 

Finley, J. (2022, September 22). A Windfall of Delight — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-windfall-of-delight-2022-09-22/ 

Luke, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?7 

Meditation on Ecclesiastes 1:2-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/09/22/493713/ 

Psalms, PSALM 90. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/90?3 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture ... Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=sep22 

Wirth, E. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092222.html