Dig deep for a strong foundation

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge the idea of a surface affiliation with the Divine. Paul asserts that the believer is aware that we are in communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. The tendency to be distracted by the idols which gratify our needs is a rejection of the bounty of goodness praised by the psalmist in celebration of intimacy with the Divine. Luke presents Jesus use of the parable to express the completely sensible concept that good things come from good people. The person who speaks the words of the believer yet does not work on deepening the understanding of the relationship risks loss of all when the storms of faith arrive.

Brothers keepers

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today emphasize the outlook for the welfare, material and spiritual of our fellow humans. The path to full development of love, forgiveness and compassion or in other words, holiness, requires that we become our brothers (and sisters) keepers. The practice of walking in the shoes of others assists in our activity to follow Jesus as Christians.

Lineage seems unnecessary

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate the feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary. The texts tell of the expectation among the Jews of “Emmanuel” or” God is with us” to arise from humble Bethlehem. The lineage of Jesus is presented from the beginning to His birth as the son of Mary. The question of “Who is Jewish?” can traditionally be determined by matrilineal descent. The son of a Jewish woman is Jewish. Mary who was born as a Jew and who personified trust as she consented to the will of God to be with child and not be married became the path for “Emmanuel” to be completely “God with us” in fully human form. This transcendent mystery is at the core of the intimacy which God is inviting people to know. How close is the Divine? Through Mary “the Word has become flesh and dwells among us”. The implications of this relationship with God, desired by the ancients, and even now poorly appreciated by humanity are huge! Jesus lineage puts the Divine in time and space and history. Certainly this was not necessary for God. It is completely necessary for humanity.

Rules and Rogues

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today features texts which invoke consideration of evil behaviour among holy people. The western press has reported many incidents of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. How is this behaviour reconciled with the mission to be Christ in the world? The tension between good and evil is within the spirit or “soul” of all people. The tension created by being, at the same time, invited to an intimate relationship with the Divine and the self satisfaction and gratification of “sinful” behaviour creates an internal psychological need to resolve this “cognitive dissonance”. Paul appears to be aware of the public presentation of “evil” among the followers of the Way. He advocates a public action to exile the offender from the group. Paul allows that this is a act which will hopefully allow for the eventual reconciliation of the individual with God. The Pharisees sought resolution of the conflict through rules and regulations. Jesus action of compassion towards the Man with a Withered Hand, described in Luke’s Gospel, was against the law designed to maintain the holiness of the Sabbath. The tension between good and evil is not going to be satisfactorily dealt with through human regulations. Paul sought help from God to remove the “thorn in his side”. The response to Paul is the best advice to us. The power of God, in our lives is sufficient to defeat the evil on a daily basis. The ‘continuing battle” keeps us aware of our humble status and even powerlessness before some sinful behaviour. It also reaffirms the Higher Power through which reconciliation and restoration is a daily truth.

The Question about Fasting

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring the question of “holy behaviour” to mind. The Pharisees are shocked, according to Luke’s Gospel that Jesus disciples eat and drink and are not fasting and praying as the disciples of other religious leaders have done in the past. The activities of pray and fasting are essential for development of a full spiritual life. These practices are followed by believers of many creeds. Jesus is pointing out that there are other important aspects to intimacy with the Divine. This communion is with the transcendent power of the Creator. It is beyond our understanding and certainly our control. We are invited to rejoice in this relationship. Luke compares it to the company of the bridegroom prior to the wedding. The psalmist exhorts us to be in communion with the Divine. The peace, joy and sense of righteousness is not achievable in any other way.

Power seeks to call the impotent

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today reminds us that “the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (1 Cor 3: 19). Paul exhorts those who claim to be with human leaders should consider the place of all as members of Christ. This life with Christ makes folly of the mere human associations which we seem to which we seem to cling relentlessly. The psalmist advises that the pure of heart and those without evil in their hands will be able to be comforted in the Divine Presence. Jesus calls His followers with actions which reveal the impotence of human action and the call is offered even to these who are pitifully weak. Our power is insignificant. We follow and are open to be agents of Divine action.

Divisions in the Devoted

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today shows how we tend to elevate the role of human activity in our work of spreading the Good News. Paul refers to the early tendencies in the Church to follow one human leader or another and to attribute to them status which belongs to the Divine. When we set up our group or tribe we tend to elevate our group as "better" than the other. The psalmist reminds that the position of faithfulness is to wait for the Lord and trust in the movement of the indwelling Spirit to direct our work. In Luke's Gospel Jesus is ministering to the people close to Him yet the passage ends with the restatement of the will of God that the Good News be preached to all.