Practice is powerful

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite reflection on the role of religious practice in the lives of believers. The noble men of the Book of Daniel, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, are brought to the court of the conquering power and plan to continue the Jewish dietary practices in the face of great potential personal danger. Providence is in play as they find a way to convince the official in charge of their care to substitute allowed vegetables for the "unclean" food of the court. We may question the concern of the God of the Universe for the maintenance of "Kosher" or "Halal" or "meatless Friday" food choices. The practice of the dietary restrictions is the sign to the wider community that the believer is honoring a commitment or a Covenant or a closeness in intimate relationship with the Divine. As Jesus comments in the Gospel of Luke, the Widow's Mite, is two small coins given from the resources she needs to survive to pay her portion to the practice of supporting the Temple. The power of her understanding of the deep giving of self that she presents puts flesh on the desire of Israel that the Lord God be in intimate relationship with the people and be the love of our entire body and soul. Our being is sustained in the gracious love of God. Our practice makes this tangible.

Sheep Shepherds and Goats

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. The leadership of the people of God is described in the reading from the Prophet Ezekiel and in the well known Psalm 23 as shepherd-like. The consequence of such leadership for the people is the security and certainty of the dominance of goodness and mercy in our relationship with God. The action required to bring this will of the Father that the scattered, lost and strayed be brought back to the attention and care of the community has, according to Friar Jude Winkler, been neglected by the kings of Israel, in the Exile time of Ezekiel. The leaders who have used their position to enrich themselves will be replaced by a Covenant relationship between the weak, lost and injured and the Presence of God. Fr Larry Gillick, SJ, carries the theme of investment from recent Gospel readings to the Latin origin of the "vest" which Jesus wears and shares with those mentioned in the "Last Judgement" texts from the Gospel of Matthew. The distinction is made in this Gospel between sheep and goats. Friar Jude explains the behavior observed in these animals by the herds people of Matthew's day. Sheep graze and drink while maintaining the life of the grass and stream. Goats destroy the grass roots and muddy the stream as they take care of their needs to the exclusion of others. This battle between providing for ourselves and being food, drink, comfort and security for others in whom Jesus is invested is on going. The proclamation of Paul that even our tendency to self aggrandizement will be defeated as Jesus reign as King puts all his enemies under His feet encourages us to complete this liturgical year and look forward to grow more aware next yearof our membership in His Kingdom.

Snared in the work of our hands

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present a reminder that our cleverness to seek gain and advantage for ourselves is path which requires much energy and effort. The First Book of Maccabees details the last days of Antiochus Epiphanes which are marked by a life sapping depression and illness which are a consequence of the fear of the king as his empire begins to collapse. The psalmist praises the work of the Lord which has caused the enemies of Israel to be "shared in the work of their own hands".  This theme will be presented to us as the Christmas season arrives and we revisit Dicken's "A ChristmasCarol" and see how Scrooge has become trapped in the persona of one driven by greed. The Sadducees, in the Gospel of Luke attempt to trick Jesus by a legalistic question about life after the resurrection. Their position is that there is no resurrection and they are seeking to expose the error of those who do not hold their position. Jesus brings them to the proclamation of Moses concerning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The texts which the religious authorities know refer to the Patriarchs in the present tense when Moses encounters God at the burning bush. The scribes, who are the opponents of the Sadducees, praise Jesus answer probably more for the silencing of the questioners than for its insight into the Divine Plan. The journey to praise of the simple and beautiful works of the Creator does not detour to self aggrandizement.

Holy Places are essential

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today mark the commemoration of believers of Sacred Locations where communion with the Divine is experienced. The First Book of Maccabees details the cleansing and dedication of the Temple after the Macabeen rebels had recovered it from the armies of Antiochus Epiphanes. The celebration of this rededication is today known as Hanukkah. The passage from First Chronicles presents the praise for God which overwhelms David. This intimate connection with God is the experience of many. It may be in the Holy Place where nature reveals the sheer majesty and beauty of the Creator. It may be in the eyes of the infant looking out to the world with great expectation at his parent or grandparent. It may be that "still quiet voice" which whispers in the leaves by the water. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is angered by those who have made the sacred space of the Holy City into a bizarre. The reverent atmosphere which Holy Ground requires is absent. Our Christian understanding of our membership in the Body of Christ as "Temples of the Holy Spirit" is the meditation which needs to produce fruit of cleansing and rededication of our Holy Space. We have to seek the experience of David as we encounter the Presence of the Creator in all people.

Standing up for the relationship

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us the opportunity to consider the depth of our relationship with the Divine. The decision of Mattathias in the episode from the 1st Book of Maccabees is to act in "righteous anger" against the attempt of the occupying powers to have the Jews renounce their Covenant by sacrifice at the pagan altar. His response is in the pattern of Moses and results in the exile of the Jewish faithful to the hills in the wilderness. The words of the psalmist offer praise for the protection of God for those who endure sacrifice to maintain the Covenant. The text from Luke's Gospel has Jesus comment on the focus of the crowd on the provision by Jesus of food and healing to them which seems to be drawing them away from embracing the deep intimate relationship which He offers even to the extent of accepting betrayal to the authorities, who seek His death, by those to whom He offers satisfaction of their spiritual hunger and righteousness through healing of the offense they may have provided to God. We are challenged to open our eyes  and ears to  revelation of how we could move away from the distractions to a deeper level of intimacy with God.

God does have a plan

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider the nature of the plan of the Creator for the universe and our role in that plan. This may seem to be an enormous undertaking but Friar Jude Winkler today provides the background research to set the stage of belief in the resurrection and the necessity of martyrdom for the passage from Maccabees and the Stoicism in Matthew's background for his sensitivity to the realization of the plan of God in real time and places like Jerusalem. In our time the understanding that the love of God with our entire being, including "body and soul", is being replaced with more of a limited commitment to give. "God cannot expect me to..." is frequently our attitude. This does not seem to be the understanding of those put to death in the first reading. Jesus continues His journey to Jerusalem where the Will of the Father will bring Him into conflict with the authorities and to His death. The parable from the Gospel advises that when we know to a greater or lesser degree what the Will of the Father is for us, we show our involvement in the relationship of unconditional love with God by attending to the work and activity that is our vocation and for which we are amply provided with resources. Our prayer like the psalmist is that God will hear, protect and remain visible to us.

Salvation is witnessed

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite some consideration of what Richard Rohr writes in Falling Upward that we can enter the "second half of life" with a new journey toward greater intimacy with the Divine. This new journey is a return home to the simple and beautiful. The decision of Eleazar in the passage from the second book of Maccabees to be tortured to death instead of eating the flesh of animals sacrificed to idols  is a decision to put the elder duty of role model at the forefront of his following the Will of God which is the journey to a new relationship with God deeper than the one which he feared he would loose by rejecting the call to be a martyr. The approval of his friends is one of the "deaths" he experiences in the saving of his life through loosing it. In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus calls Zacchaeus into the second half journey by inviting Himself to visit Zacchaeus house and initiate the response of loosing wealth, former friends and position of influence as Jesus proclaims that the new journey bringing Zacchaeus into deeper relationship with God is "salvation has come to this house". Both these Scripture texts are the evidence of the proclamation of the psalmist that "Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people!"