Confusion Mercy and Forgiveness

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary explore behaviours of believers which have taken them away from the deepest intimacy with the Divine and have as the Book of Daniel expresses brought confusion to our faces. The confusion which sets in and draws us away from our direction to grow in holiness is the effect of our decisions to act for ourselves, our ego and our pride. The psalmist cannot make a claim of being worthy of forgiveness but does appeal to the nature of God and the “Name” which is love and compassion. The Gospel of Matthew relates Jesus instruction on imitating the Father in mercy and pointing to the need to be merciful as you seek mercy, to be forgiving as you seek forgiveness and to give was you seek to be blessed with gifts

Mountaintop Experience

Many people recall “Mountaintop Experiences” in their lives. The account of these experiences may have some similarity to the episode of the Transfiguration of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel in the Roman Catholic lectionary today. We may explain these experiences as knowing when we were in top form. The sense of the liturgy today is the role of faith in the movement we discern towards holiness and deeper intimacy with the Divine. We are called to reflect on the mountaintop as marker and challenge for change. Larry Gillick SJ, of the Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Creighton University offers a reflection on the change in the understanding of Jesus experienced by the apostles, Peter and James and John. Their friend and teacher is suddenly presented as much more. The revelation is beyond their understanding. The Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) and the message declaring the beloved Son are to be integrated into their journey. How? When? The reality of “mountain top experience” is often difficult to grasp. As Paul exhorts Timothy in his second letter to surrender himself to the holy calling which is to accomplish the purpose of God through the power of the grace and intimate union with Word made flesh. Genesis begins the story of the faith journey of Abram, who responds with faith in a reality he cannot see to continue his obedience to the will of God. The blessings he has known in Haran are to be carried as memories as he lives the new challenge of responding to the call to move on to greater intimacy and trust. The psalmist proclaims “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love” The ‘fear’ around mountaintop experience has a few components. Certainly the fear connected with awe, amazement and the unknown is present but the ‘fear’ which builds hope, faith and the trust which enables action is the ‘fear’ that the new revelation, relationship or understanding will disappear. It is the ‘fear’ in which we work out our salvation.

(Gillick S.J., 2011)



Gillick S.J., L. (2011, March). Daily Reflection. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Creighton University's Online Ministries : http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/032011.html

Faith and Steadfastness

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are chosen to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary. The texts establish the salvation history of the promise of God to Abraham and to David of continued steadfast Presence with the descendants of Abraham and of the establishment of a New Kingdom through the descendants of the great king David. The fulfillment of these promises requires faith. The descendants of Abraham were, to human eyes suddenly to end with Isaac as Abraham obeys the direction of God to sacrifice his only son. The glory of David’s Kingdom and his personal righteousness before God seemed to place his descendants in line to continue as God’s Monarchy. However, the human failing of David brought him to the shadow of decline and disgrace. The intimacy of his relationship with the Divine continued through triumph and tragedy, holiness and dishonour. In the letter of St. Paul to the Romans the case is made for the faith of hoping against hope and beyond what our senses reveal being the essence of our continued intimacy with the Divine. God is steadfast in continuing the Covenant. The role of the people is to be open as Mary and Joseph, in Matthew’s Gospel to accept the direction and will of God which is consistent with both the ancient promise to be Present and the call to live through faith in the relationship with the Divine.

The balance of good and evil

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary resonate with the world condition and the internal condition of the battle between good and evil. The role of evidence in the exercise of judgement is too often neglected. The assessments in the Book of Ezekiel about the wicked man changing to good and the righteous man choosing evil are serious. The righteous man descends to iniquity, abominable things and treachery after presenting evidence of his previous goodness. This rejection is deemed mortally serious. Some analysis uses the mass balance method of measuring good and evil. The good and righteous acts of life only need to “outweigh” the nasty and self serving episodes. The texts today support the importance of the intention and direction of our movement in the tensions between good and evil. The psalmist aware both of the depth with which his transgressions have damaged the intimacy with the Divine and the immeasurable mercy and forgiveness of the Lord expressed in the intense desire of the Divine to restore the relationship. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus cautions against a surface, keep the rules and laws, approach to right relationship with God and others. The intention and the direction of our engagement with God and people marks the path we are currently living in the tension between self worship and intimacy with the Divine through our indwelling Spirit.

Seeking Help

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are a reminder of the tension that people experience between doing and wanting things to go “my way” and seeking help, even Divine help when situations appear to be beyond our understanding and control. How does this tension impact our relationship with the Divine? The ancient evidence like that in the story of Ester is that God hears the cry of people in dire situations. The praise proclaimed by the psalmist today are reminiscent of the well known Psalm 23 in which intimate experience of the nature of God boosts the faith of people that the “right hand of God delivers me’. The less omnipotent image of our relationship with the Divine expressed in Matthew’s Gospel is of the parent who knows what the child needs. The parent and child dialogue about wants and needs. The choice of the child is preserved to provide evidence and support for the good decisions and choices. The consequence of the poor decisions also needs to be understood. The Divine relationship like the parental one is marked by close watching and constant vigilance. The Parent sees the turn to Home while the child is ‘still a long way off”.

Aware of the Signs

What is missing in the vision and hearing of the generation to which Jesus addresses himself as recorded today in the Gospel of Luke from the Roman Catholic Lectionary? The Book of Jonah tells of the consequence of the visit of Jonah to the city of Nineveh, in reluctant and delayed obedience to the message of God. The sign of Jonah prompts the desire of the population to return to the intimate understanding of the Divine in their lives. The great psalm of the return of the repentant to the Lord declares that by the teaching and example of the one who has had a change of heart many will return to the invitation to intimacy in the Divine. Luke appears to identify that many remain to be touched by the example of those in the past and now those in the present who are responding to the “Follow Me” of Jesus to the intimate communion of indwelling Spirit and the Divine Presence. The call is to wake up and use the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to generate the inner disposition to be aware of the signs all around us.

Not empty phrases

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present a thread on the power of words. The prophet Isaiah declares that the Word of God goes forth with power to accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. The Creation Narrative in Genesis is the realization of the universe from the Word of the Creator. We seek out and try to hear the “Words” spoken to our ancestors that we might come to some understanding of the role of the Word we hear in our lives. The psalmist declares today that are aware of the Presence of the Lord when we hear and fear Him. This ‘fear” is related to the nature of the fear we experience in our intimate relationships. We ‘fear’ that the relationship may be damaged and the beloved may move away. This awareness is of the Presence. It is in communion with our indwelling Spirit and we hear the words which speak to our ‘name’ or essence. The Gospel of Matthew presents the “words” given us by the Word Made Flesh to begin, continue or conclude our focused dialogue with the Divine. In the times of trouble and ‘fear” sweeping people it is a strong collection of mighty phrases to reset our compass and reconnect our being with the Divine.