Contrast misery and peace

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are a contrast in misery and peace. The Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus invitation to peace which comes from learning from Him by living as He lives. This peace is not the absence of war but is more the opposite of anxiety and misery that the psalmist and Isaiah describe in the lives of the Hebrew people as a result of one of the abandonments of the Covenant. We are still continually abandoning the Covenant; we continue to know the anxiety of no direction or certainty. We are daily aware of the suffering around us. We are also daily invited to allow the indwelling Spirit to accept the “yoke” which is the sign of the intimate relationship with the Divine wherein the soul finds the only peace.

Oremus Bible Browser

Our Plans and Divine Will

The Roman Catholic Lectionary texts for today give another glimpse into the Divine which reveals the truth of the Divine ways not being our ways. Isaiah understands that the Assyrian menace may have been intended by God to open the eyes of Israel to the slackness in their relationship with the Divine, yet these foreign armies have seemed to go beyond the ‘will of God” for them. As a consequence of putting themselves before God and indulging in self praise their cohort would suffer diminishing influence and become “sickly” in the region. Jesus thanks the Father that Divine inspiration has been understood among the less educated, less sophisticated and more worldly people who have come to follow Him. Consider the paradoxical challenge that the immature in faith, hope and charity are aware of the need for intimacy in the Divine and are called to grow to live with these heroic virtues at a level of practice that is supported and enabled and only possible through an intimate, “adult” living with the indwelling Spirit. Jesus closing statements in Matthew’s Gospel underline the need for the relationship with the Divine to be aware and connected to the great mysteries.
Verbum Domini mp3 Lectionary texts

Choosing a King

Woes to Unrepentant Cities


The Glory and Strength of Zion

Isaiah Reassures King Ahaz

Isaiah 7:1-9

Psalms 48:2-3, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Matthew 11:20-24

The passage from Isaiah in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is a portion of the 300 year story of the Two Kingdoms, Israel and Judah, and the social, political and religious turmoil of struggles for power by Egypt, Assyria and Babylon in the Middle East. The prophets were often warning the Hebrew people not to create a kingdom, monarchy or political power in the region. The people of God were to depend on the Presence of God to guide their affairs. Isaiah reassures King Ahaz that the Assyrian menace will not deal with Judah as it had deal with Israel in the north. Often the conquering and conquered people adopted the customs and practices of each other. Isaiah warns that Judah needs to remain faithful to God and the Hebrew practices. The psalmist proclaims that the citadel of Zion, captured by David and the sight of Solomon’s Temple would be the sign to all that God is with his people and that would be the source of their protection from attack. The relationship to which to the Divine invites humanity is not always chosen by people. Matthew comments on the choice of the cities of the region that had seen the action of Jesus yet failed to respond to His invitation to repent or return to intimacy with God. The consequence of walking away from Divine guidance is spiritual disruption. The extension of this to physical and material disruption may not be obvious. The wholeness of people is an asset to confront all of life’s challenges.

A Divine Justice Mystery

Not Peace, but a Sword


We are certainly not surprised to discover that the mystery of the Divine contains many paradoxes. The unraveling of these eternal puzzles may be within our ability but the thousands of years that we have evidence of human civilization would indicate that the mysteries have always challenged human analysis and understanding. One such dilemma is the concept of the justice of the Divine. The unconditional love and mercy of the Divine is a state which most humans concede is at most times beyond our practice. We have through time cried out for justice from God. This practice continues. What is the nature of the Just God? The Hebrew Scriptures and the passage in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today from Isaiah describe a just relationship which is not about words of locality and faithfulness but is about care for the marginalized, “widow and orphan”. The Just God, as we understand it, demands that we care for the least. The psalmist adds that we have discipline and put the words we know from the Divine into action. In many ways, our most likely path to bringing Divine justice to our environments is to act according to the motivation of the indwelling Spirit which is not bound by laws, policies and common sense. So often these constraints seem to pacify our passion for justice by attempting to control our doing with procedure and human protocols. Matthew’s Gospel for today outlines Jesus advice that seeking the justice of God will divide those who hear and act from those who prefer not to hear the cry of the Lord for justice.

Who is my neighbour?

The text in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today from Luke 10:25-37 is familiar as The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke has Jesus address the question of “And who is my neighbour?” I believe Richard Rohr would suggest that this parable illustrates the method of non dual thinking which is such an aid to attempt to draw wisdom from the events of life. I attended a wedding yesterday and even though the famous passage in 1 Corinthians 13 about the nature of love was not a part of the ceremony, the part of Paul’s letter (1 Corinthians 13.10-13)”Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known” came to mind as I reflected on the community of “neighbours” who had gathered to celebrate the wedding. In many ways the people who gather at weddings and the stories they tell are living evidence that the “Good Samaritan” of Luke’s Gospel lives among us. Parents, children, friends, partners, cousins and aunts and uncles collectively witness to love, which as Paul proclaimed to the Corinthians is part of our being fully known in the relationship with the Divine. This full knowledge that the Creator has of the creatures is that we are loving and that the “kingdom of God is near” to us. “It is easy to love those who love us”. That is true. The wedding shows that “communities” brought together by their ties to bride and groom can extend their practice of being neighbour to others and from this base can come the hope that we see all people as neighbour.

Protection Persecution Penitent People Paradox

More of the paradox in the relationship of humanity and Divine is highlighted in the texts, today, from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The story of unfaithfulness and rejection being met by tenderness and forgiveness continues as the prophet Hosea considers the actions of Israel as threats from outside loom over God’s people. The psalmist voices some of the most remorseful words from Psalm 51 which express the deep desire of the sinner for reconciliation. This psalm indicates that we always know two important realities, how we have sinned and the desire of the Divine to show us mercy as we return to an intimate relationship. The state of the world is such that many who are not responding to the Divine call for reconciliation may be the “wolves” among whom Matthew tells us Jesus sends His followers. The witness of the disciples as they endure persecution and abuse to deliver the message of forgiveness and love will see them among the marginalized as Jesus moved among those who needed to know the Divine presence in their lives. Many were healed by this experience and some were angered and terrified and they struck out to attempt to remove the stimulation. (Oremus Bible Browser Link)

Divine ways are not human ways

The expectations we might have for the action of God are given a shake in the readings from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The prophet Hosea comes to the understanding that the relationship of God to Israel is like the relationship of parent to child. From this insight he realizes that the severe anger of God towards Israel will not result in revenge, but the fundamental love will prevail. The critics of the understanding of the Divine relationship based on love, mercy and forgiveness often suggest that some laws and rules need to be respected. Matthew relates the discipline that Jesus gives His disciples as they go out to engage the people with the message of the proximity of the Kingdom of God. We are human creatures. Sign and symbol are ancient and intimate means to get our attention and explain our intention to others. The necessity of discipline and rules is meet human needs. Our thoughts and ways are not the thoughts and ways of the Divine.