Love and Mission

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today affirm our role to love our brothers and sisters through application of our God given talents to address their needs.

Seeing the Mission

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians emphasizes mutual charity as we love all the brothers and sisters more.

Psalm 98 praises the Judge of the World.

* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Parable of the Talents.

* [25:14–30] Cf. Lk 19:12–27.

* [25:14] It will be as when…journey: literally, “For just as a man who was going on a journey.” Although the comparison is not completed, the sense is clear; the kingdom of heaven is like the situation here described. Faithful use of one’s gifts will lead to participation in the fullness of the kingdom, lazy inactivity to exclusion from it.

* [25:15] Talents: see note on Mt 18:24.

* [25:18] Buried his master’s money: see note on Mt 13:44.

* [25:20–23] Although the first two servants have received and doubled large sums, their faithful trading is regarded by the master as fidelity in small matters only, compared with the great responsibilities now to be given to them. The latter are unspecified. Share your master’s joy: probably the joy of the banquet of the kingdom; cf. Mt 8:11.

* [25:26–28] Wicked, lazy servant: this man’s inactivity is not negligible but seriously culpable. As punishment, he loses the gift he had received, that is now given to the first servant, whose possessions are already great.

* [25:29] See note on Mt 13:12 where there is a similar application of this maxim.

* [25:30] See note on Mt 8:11–12. (Matthew, CHAPTER 25, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J. ( 2013 ) had the joy of serving in a parish where the Parish Council and its committees saw their role as calling forth the gifts of the whole community. Something incredibly wonderful happened as more and more people came forward, responding to the consistent invitation. We found ourselves working hard to create more ways to use the wonderful skills and creativity and generosity that started to gather. People saw their response as part of their baptismal commitment - to be one with Jesus, in being for others. It was empowering. Offering some of their gifts, and having those gifts welcomed and affirmed, people were discovering that they had even more gifts that they had not ever recognized, not ever exercised. We all discovered what power came from the collaborative efforts that were happening - each of our gifts complimented and strengthened others. 

It is wonderful to pause today to remember that Jesus has entrusted to us - put us in charge of - tremendous resources. For us who are baptized into him, they are truly his resources. It is good to remember that I probably don't fully appreciate what I have been given, and therefore, what I have to invest. And I probably don't fully appreciate the gifts that others around me have, and what resources they might be able to share. Even when I am stretched and learn new skills - becoming a better listener, changing a long standing pattern and discovering a new ability, taking a risk that pays off many times over - the inspiration and gift is from the Lord. Whether we are practicing better patience, greater self-confidence and courage, fuller chastity, deeper generosity, these are all fruits of his Spirit - given to us for the benefit of all, for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Dear Lord,

help us to receive and come to appreciate the gifts you give us, to develop further and to share with others.

Help us to be more generous, risky, free.

Inspire us to see and trust your gifts in others.

Let us all call forth the gifts of others in our communities.

May we all one day be gathered to share your joy. (Alexander, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Eternal Joys,” by Gregory the Great (540-604 AD.

"All the good deeds of our present life, however many they may appear to be, are few in comparison with our eternal recompense. The faithful servant is put in charge of many things after overcoming all the troubles brought him by perishable things. He glories in the eternal joys of his heavenly dwelling. He is brought completely into the joy of his master when he is taken into his eternal home and joined to the company of angels. His inner joy at his gift is such that there is no longer any external perishable thing that can cause him sorrow." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 9.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 25:14-30 comments that God has entrusted us with talents and gifts, and he expects us to “invest” them by using them to build his kingdom.

The more aware you become of how you have been blessed with specific gifts, the more your eyes will be opened to all the opportunities around you to use them. Be willing to start small, and be patient with yourself and with others as you discover new ways to share your talents. Share them generously as you await the Master’s praise: “Come and share in my joy”!

“Father, thank you for being so generous with the gifts you have given me. Help me to freely give away what I have received.” (Meditation on Matthew 25:14-30, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the encouragement of Paul to the Thessalonians to live a tranquil life working with their hands and showing the greatest love possible to their community. The talent in Jesus' time was a large amount of precious gold or silver. Friar Jude reminds us of the gifts we have for building up the Kingdom that are not intended for our self aggrandizement.

James Finley introduces author Esther de Waal who considers Thomas Merton’s practice of contemplative photography. It was in the later 1950s that the journalist John Howard Griffin [1920–1980] visited Merton in his hermitage. He had his camera with him and … let [Merton] keep it on extended loan. At first when Merton sent him the negatives, John Howard Griffin was puzzled, for [Merton’s] view was so different from that of most people. Merton photographed whatever crossed his path—a battered fence, a rundown wooden shack, weeds growing between cracks, working gloves thrown down on a stool, a dead root, a broken stone wall. He approached each thing with attention, he never imposed, he allowed each thing to communicate itself to him in its own terms, and he gave it its own voice. 

Later on when he was out in the woods with a young friend, Ron Seitz, both with their cameras, Merton reprimanded him severely for the speed with which he approached things. He told him to stop looking and to begin seeing:  

Because looking means that you already have something in mind for your eye to find; you’ve set out in search of your desired object and have closed off everything else presenting itself along the way. But seeing is being open and receptive to what comes to the eye…. [1] 

He used his camera primarily as a contemplative instrument. He captured the play of light and dark, the ambience, the inner life. But above all he struggled towards an expression of silence through the visual image, so that his photographs show us that ultimately his concern was to communicate the essence of silence. (Finley, 2023)

We understand that our mission is concerned with love and our talents are called to share and grow love as we are prompted by the Spirit to see opportunities on our journey.

References

Alexander, A. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/090223.html 

Finley, J. (2023, September 2). A Contemplative Heart: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-contemplative-heart-weekly-summary-2023-09-02/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 25. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25? 

Meditation on Matthew 25:14-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/02/770936/ 

Psalms, PSALM 98. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep2 

Aware of Consequences

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on our call to put on Christ as we relate to people we encounter on our journey.

The Banquet for Full Life

 

The reading from the Book of Judges describes the consequence of Jephthah’s rash vow.

* [11:30–40] Jephthah’s rash vow and its tragic consequences reflect a widespread folklore motif, most familiar in the Greek story of Iphigenia and her father, Agamemnon. The sacrifice of children was strictly forbidden by Mosaic law (Lv 18:21; 20:2–5), and when the biblical writers report its occurrence, they usually condemn it in strong terms (2 Kgs 16:3; 21:6; Jer 7:31; 19:5). In this case, however, the narrator simply records the old story, offering no comment on the acceptability of Jephthah’s extreme gesture. The story may have been preserved because it provided an explanation of the custom described in vv. 39–40 according to which Israelite women mourned Jephthah’s daughter annually in a four-day ceremony1 

Psalm 40 is thanksgiving for deliverance and a prayer for help.

* [Psalm 40] A thanksgiving (Ps 40:2–13) has been combined with a lament (Ps 40:14–17) that appears also in Ps 70. The psalmist describes the rescue in spatial terms—being raised up from the swampy underworld to firm earth where one can praise God (Ps 40:2–4). All who trust God will experience like protection (Ps 40:5–6)! The Psalm stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced (Ps 40:7–11). A prayer for protection concludes (Ps 40:12–17).2

 

In the Gospel of Matthew, The Parable of the Wedding Banquet challenges us to assess how we reflect the Love of our King.

* [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.3

 

Suzanne Braddock imagines receiving a beautiful, personal invitation from our generous and loving God to attend a fabulous feast.

Can I drop everything-my worldly cares and distractions-and rummage quickly through my closet for a suitably festive garment and attend the feast? I try to consider each day, no matter what my mailbox holds, to be a personal invitation to hear the word of God and keep it. This is the daily feast we all share. To go about our days remembering we are truly at a wonderful celebration, sharing the joy of being a child of God with every person we meet, no matter what our mailboxes hold. To clothe ourselves in faith, hope and love. This garment surely will allow us entrance to God’s feast prepared just for us.4 

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)5 

Don Schwager also quotes Dieterich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian in Germany who died for his faith under Hitler's Nazi rule, contrasted "cheap grace" and "costly grace".

"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves... the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance... grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate... Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14 comments that Jesus is warning us about the sad consequences people will face if they arrive at heaven’s gate without the mysterious “wedding garment” (Matthew 22:11).

It is tempting to become so consumed with the demands of life in this world—as the people in today’s parable were—that we lose sight of the magnificent feast that awaits us in heaven. That’s why Jesus gives us a glimpse of that feast every time we celebrate Mass. There, gathered as royal wedding guests, we nourish ourselves with the words of Scripture and we receive Jesus’ own Body and Blood. This beautiful assembly, coupled with the grace of Confession, gives us all we will ever need to keep our wedding garments clean and spotless as we await the final banquet call. Jesus tells us, “Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). God is inviting you today. Accept his invitation! Heed his warning! A glorious life awaits all who keep their wedding garments clean. “Thank you, Jesus, for clothing me in your grace. Help me to be pleasing to you today.”6 

Friar Jude Winkler outlines the story of Jephthah’s Vow as an etiology to explain the practice of mourning virginity in Israel. We see the behaviour of the people of Israel, the Prophets, Gentiles, and pagans in the parable today. Friar Jude suggests the custom was to have wedding garments at the door for guests so our will must be open to put them on.

 

James Crampsey SJ helps us to make sense of the sequence of events in Matthew’s version (which differs from Luke’s).

Although Paul and Matthew are unlikely bedfellows, Paul develops the language of putting on Christ and is always urging us to do so. Different pieces of the suit of armour are images for virtues, like faith, hope, love, compassion, endurance. This is what the king is looking for and does not see.  We don’t go to our wardrobes to find these things to wear. They have to become part of us organically, and the way that we can make them our own is because other people give them to us. We learn to endure from the model of other people who have taught us, we learn to love because other people have loved us, we learn to trust because others have trusted us, we learn to forgive because others have forgiven us as God forgave them.  There is an absolute connectedness which makes a space for God’s gifts in our lives. A wedding is the perfect metaphor for connectedness. The man without the wedding garment is not connected, he has not allowed himself to receive, he has excluded himself. Perhaps it is fair after all.7 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Artist and author Christine Valters Paintner explores how we might reconsider traditional approaches to photography. Instead of “taking” pictures, she asks us to “receive” images similar to how we might welcome the presence of God in contemplation.

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke [1875–1926] writes in one of his poems of “no forcing [and no] holding back.” [1] When we are receptive we let go of our agendas and expectations. We allow ourselves to see beneath preconceived ideas. Rather than going after what we want in life, or “forcing,” we cultivate a contentment with what actually is. Similarly, instead of “holding back” and merely observing life or falling asleep to it, we stay awake and alert, participating fully in its messiness and we keep our eyes open for the holy presence in its midst. Photographing in this way can become an act of revelation. One of the gifts of art in general, and photography in particular, is that the artist can offer others this vision of the graced ordinary moment.8 

Putting on Christ prepares us to be faithful to our mission to bring the Good News of full life to all people gathered to our encounter.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Judges, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judges/11
2	(n.d.). Psalm 40 - USCCB. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40
3	(n.d.). Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB - United States Conference of .... Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/081921.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=aug19
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/08/19/190613/
7	(2017, October 11). Anyone who has ears to hear… | Thinking Faith. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/anyone-who-has-ears-hear%E2%80%A6
8	(2021, August 15). Theme: Finding God in the Arts - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from https://cac.org/receiving-images-2021-08-19/