Tempted by Trivial Treatment

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live in the tension between our need to define according to our reference points and the invitation to new life through new understanding of our situation.

Taking Time for Life

The Reading from the Second Letter of Timothy presents Thanksgiving for The Gifts Timothy Has Received.

* [1:1–2] For the formula of address and greeting, see note on Rom 1:1–7.

* [1:1] The promise of life in Christ Jesus: that God grants through union with Christ in faith and love; cf. Col 3:4; 1 Tm 4:8.

* [1:3] As my ancestors did: this emphasizes the continuity of Judaism and Christianity; for a similar view, see Rom 9:3–5; Phil 3:4–6.

* [1:6] The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an ecclesiastical office. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.

* [1:8] Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel.

* [1:9–10] Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.

* [1:11] Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7.

* [1:12] He is able to guard…until that day: the intervening words can also be translated “what I have entrusted to him” (i.e., the fruit of his ministry) as well as “what has been entrusted to me” (i.e., the faith). The same difficult term occurs in 2 Tm 1:14, where it is modified by the adjective “rich” and used without a possessive. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 123 proclaims exemplary confidence in God.

* [Psalm 123] A lament that begins as a prayer of an individual (Ps 123:1), who expresses by a touching comparison exemplary confidence in God (Ps 123:2). The Psalm ends in prayer that God relieve the people’s humiliation at the hands of the arrogant (Ps 123:3–4). (Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question about the Resurrection.

* [12:18–27] See note on Mt 22:23–33. (Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [22:23–33] Here Jesus’ opponents are the Sadducees, members of the powerful priestly party of his time; see note on Mt 3:7. Denying the resurrection of the dead, a teaching of relatively late origin in Judaism (cf. Dn 12:2), they appeal to a law of the Pentateuch (Dt 25:5–10) and present a case based on it that would make resurrection from the dead ridiculous (Mt 22:24–28). Jesus chides them for knowing neither the scriptures nor the power of God (Mt 22:29). His argument in respect to God’s power contradicts the notion, held even by many proponents as well as by opponents of the teaching, that the life of those raised from the dead would be essentially a continuation of the type of life they had had before death (Mt 22:30). His argument based on the scriptures (Mt 22:31–32) is of a sort that was accepted as valid among Jews of the time.

* [22:23] Saying that there is no resurrection: in the Marcan parallel (Mk 22:18) the Sadducees are correctly defined as those “who say there is no resurrection”; see also Lk 20:27. Matthew’s rewording of Mark can mean that these particular Sadducees deny the resurrection, which would imply that he was not aware that the denial was characteristic of the party. For some scholars this is an indication of his being a Gentile Christian; see note on Mt 21:4–5.

* [22:24] ‘If a man dies…his brother’: this is known as the “law of the levirate,” from the Latin levir, “brother-in-law.” Its purpose was to continue the family line of the deceased brother (Dt 25:6).

* [22:29] The sexual relationships of this world will be transcended; the risen body will be the work of the creative power of God.

* [22:31–32] Cf. Ex 3:6. In the Pentateuch, which the Sadducees accepted as normative for Jewish belief and practice, God speaks even now (to you) of himself as the God of the patriarchs who died centuries ago. He identifies himself in relation to them, and because of their relation to him, the living God, they too are alive. This might appear no argument for the resurrection, but simply for life after death as conceived in Wis 3:1–3. But the general thought of early first-century Judaism was not influenced by that conception; for it human immortality was connected with the existence of the body. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that, inspired by the words of Jesus and Saint Charles Lwanga’s legacy, we, too, must ask: where are we misled? Too often, we find ourselves focusing on trivial things, trapped in the narrow confines of flawed human reasoning, and limiting God’s promises to what fits our understanding.

So, what does this mean for us today? Look at the worries that press on your heart—fear of the future, grief over loss, relationships you cling to, or dreams you insist must happen. Sometimes we try to box God in, and we attempt to contain sacred mysteries within our own understanding, but like Saint Charles Lwanga, we are called to have bold faith despite pressure and confusion. The invitation is always the same: to trust God’s word, see beyond uncertainty, and live each day with resurrection faith. That includes, forgiving when anger is easier, letting go of control for true peace, speaking truth with courage, and loving even when rejected. As we live with a resurrection faith, each “little death”—whether ego, fear, or selfishness—becomes not an ending, but the beginning of new life.

Faithful God, may we have the courage to open our hearts to the life that waits on the other side of surrender, trusting in the God who transforms everything—fear into faith, death into life, and limitation into eternity. Amen. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “No marriage in the resurrection,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"What did the Lord say to the Sadducees? He said, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they marry neither husbands nor wives; for neither do they start dying again, but they will be equal to the angels of God' (Mark 12:24-25; Matthew 22:29-30). The power of God is great. Why do they not marry husbands or wives? They will not start dying again. When one generation departs, another is required to succeed it. There will not be such liability to decay in that place. The Lord passed through the usual stages of growth, from infancy to adult manhood, because he was bearing the substance of flesh that still was mortal. After he had risen again at the age at which he was buried, are we to imagine that he is growing old in heaven? He says, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' He eliminated the assumption of the Jews and refuted the objection of the Sadducees, because the Jews did indeed believe the dead would rise again, but they had crude, fleshly ideas about the state of humanity after resurrection. He said, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' ... It has already been stated that we are to rise again. We have heard from the Lord that we rise again to the life of the angels. In his own resurrection, he has shown us in what specific form we are to rise again." (excerpt from SERMON 362.18-19.30) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 comments that Pope Benedict XVI explained, our faith is “not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with . . . a person” (Deus Caritas Est, 1). It is Jesus who changes our hearts and sets us on a new path.

We can know Jesus like that, too. We can encounter him and form a relationship with him that grows throughout our lives and becomes the foundation on which we build everything else. Knowing Jesus can inspire us to proclaim the good news without shame, just as Paul did. It can enable us to bear hardship for his sake. And it can cement our trust that God is loving and taking care of us and will accomplish his plans in and through us.

So spend time with Jesus today, whether at Mass, Adoration, or your prayer time. Let him bring you to a deeper knowledge of himself so that you can proclaim with Paul, I know him in whom I have believed!

“Jesus, help me to come to know you better. I believe in you and want to build my life on you!” (Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments, in 2 Timothy, we have to remember that the Pastoral Letters were likely written in the name of Paul because the description of the Church is much more advanced than in Paul’s time. The Church would represent suffering in the faith like Paul called to self sacrifice and boldness and share the message of Paul as apostle and preacher. Timothy is encouraged to do the same. In the Gospel of Mark, the Jewish leaders, the Sadducees, are trying to confound Jesus. They are conservative in belief and the Pentateuch does not mention angels nor the resurrection of the dead. They try to confront Jesus in the practice of the  Levirate marriage custom that seems to treat the woman as a piece of property. Jesus asserts that you do not marry and own people in heaven. In the Pentateuch, in Exodus, God revealed His name as the God of Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob. Friar Jude comments that the God of the living and not the dead can still exist as implied in the Pentateuch. 

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC team member Cassidy Hall who reflects on our impulse to ask questions of those we see as fundamentally different than us.

Even if we let go of the need to know or understand, our society still obsesses about naming, claiming, and defining. As I worked on my documentary film about Thomas Merton, I listened to audio clips of his stream-of-consciousness thoughts from his hermitage, and I especially resonated with this line: “I know in my heart that I do not need to be defined, I do not need to define myself, and yet I have this allergy of definition.”

Like most of us, I’ve spent a large chunk of my life figuring out, naming, and identifying the things around me…. But when we reach to trap anything in definition, we also trap ourselves. A desire to define or know does not give me permission to ask questions simply to satisfy my own curiosity. Rather, the desire to name, define, or identify is a different invitation altogether. It’s an invitation for me to examine and hold openhanded my own definition, my own name, and my own identity, over and over again….

We are ever evolving, ever becoming, and ever unfolding. Identity is an ever-moving target, and any conviction that the self is singular or fixed is limiting and often even harmful. Instead, we can hold what we think we know about ourselves with open hands. We can allow ourselves to become, which offers us room to breathe and blossom…. Contemplative life beckons us to the same: encouraging us to loosen our grip on ourselves, those around us, and the Divine. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to guide our exploration of life and love in the Way that refutes judgement based on our limited knowledge, personal privilege or prejudice.

References

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-3-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22? 

Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/03/1584503/ 

Psalms, PSALM 123 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/123? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Resisting Definition. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/resisting-definition/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Know Neither the Scriptures nor the Power of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1? 

Tradition and Truth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to approach the tension between tradition and truth with the inspiration of Jesus teaching.

Faith and Tradition

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah presents the Plot Against Jeremiah.

j. [11:19] Jer 18:18; 20:10; Wis 2:20.

k. [11:20] Jer 15:15. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 7 expresses hope for the just God’s protection.

* [Psalm 7] An individual lament. The psalmist flees to God’s presence in the sanctuary for justice and protection (Ps 7:2–3) and takes an oath that only the innocent can swear (Ps 7:4–6). The innocent psalmist can thus hope for the just God’s protection (Ps 7:7–14) and be confident that the actions of the wicked will come back upon their own heads (Ps 7:15–17). The justice of God leads the psalmist to praise (Ps 7:18). (Psalms, PSALM 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents discussion about the Origins of the Messiah.

* [7:40–53] Discussion of the Davidic lineage of the Messiah. (John, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that Nicodemus steps forward with hesitant courage. He does not claim to have all the answers, nor does he openly identify as a follower of Jesus. However, he dares to voice a question, to challenge the easy certainty of the Pharisees, he asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him?” Nicodemus reminds us that the journey of faith often begins with a question and that it takes courage to ask questions with humility and seek truth, even when it is easier to remain silent or go along with the crowd. We, too, like the crowd, often resist truths that challenge us—or reject those we deem “unlikely” messengers of God’s grace—someone who does not look the part, does not speak with familiar words, or does not belong to the right group. We might even find ourselves categorizing them as a “threat” rather than an “invitation.” Lent asks us to confront the stubbornness within us. Are there ways we confine God to our expectations? Do we, like the Pharisees, dismiss Christ’s presence in people or situations that seem too ordinary, inconvenient, or uncomfortable?

Both passages underscore how fear—unchecked, unexamined, and unresolved—can distort collective judgment, leading not only to the misjudgment of truth, but also to the unjust treatment of individuals who embody it. Fear is only one voice in the conversation. It need not be the final word. So, where in your life is fear holding too much sway? Whom are we too afraid to defend because it disrupts our comfort? What and whom do we dismiss too quickly?

God of justice, when our fears and preconceived notions blind us to how you move in unexpected ways, please help us to choose faith, to discern, to pause, and listen, trusting that you always see the full picture when we cannot. We entrust our cause back to you, Lord. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes  “Not by walking but by loving,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"We approach God not by walking but by loving. The purer our love for him toward whom we are striving, the more present to us will he be. To him, therefore, who is everywhere present and everywhere whole, we must proceed not by our feet but by our moral virtues - judged not by the object of our knowledge but by the object of our love." (excerpt from Letter 155,13) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Jeremiah spoke about the sinfulness of Jerusalem that was punished by the Babylonians. The people of Jerusalem plotted against the Prophet. Vengeance to Jeremiah was to assert that the ways of God have to be respected. In John’s Gospel people are confused by Jesus. How could the Messiah come from Galilee, a mixed, impure population? This origin was distasteful to the Jews who did not realize Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David. The guards refuse to arrest Him after hearing his speech. Nicodemus visits Jesus by night. He half defends him to the authorities. The third time, he steps forward to bury a condemned criminal. Friar Jude reminds us about the growth in his faith. Our faith life has to grow with time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 7:40-53 comments that of course, it’s normal to be upset by the injustice in the world. In fact, we should be upset by it! And it’s normal to listen respectfully to those around us who may be skeptical or even cynical. But at the end of the day, we have to listen even more closely to the words of Jesus and let them change us—just as the Temple guards did.

I

t’s supremely human to doubt ourselves. It’s normal to question our experiences, especially when we are confronted with someone else’s strong, overpowering opinions. But amid our doubts and despite the noise from everyone else’s thoughts, opinions, and expectations, we need to remember that Jesus can speak to our hearts in ways that no one else can. His power, compassion, and love for us will never change. And his words, planted in the depth of our hearts, can bring us to life in ways that no other words can.

“Jesus, thank you for your truths, which always bring life to my heart!” (Meditation on John 7:40-53, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces public theologian Rachel Held Evans (1981–2019) who honors her own parents’ commitment to her well-being and inclusion, despite differences in faith and practice:

When I hear these stories, I empathize, but I can’t relate. Because my parents have been wonderful. We don’t always agree on theology or politics … but my parents have always prioritized maintaining our relationship over maintaining ideological uniformity….

They were, and are, proud of me…. When I blustered, and fulminated, and foolishly rocked the boat for the sake of rocking it, they refused to treat me as a problem or an embarrassment or something to fear. They loved me unconditionally.

I’m pretty sure their response helped preserve my faith. I’m certain it preserved our relationship….

One of the most destructive mistakes we Christians make is to prioritize shared beliefs over shared relationship, which is deeply ironic considering we worship a God who would rather die than lose relationship with us….

God does not demand that we all agree. God only asks that we love one another well. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we practice our religious tradition ever mindful of the glass darkly through which our human existence often encounters truth and Providence.

References

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-21-2026 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/11?18 

John, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/7?40 

Meditation on John 7:40-53. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/21/1522268/ 

Psalms, PSALM 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/7?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Subverting the Honor-and-Shame System: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/subverting-the-honor-and-shame-system-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Reaction to Jesus' Words. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/