Path to Holy Living

The letter of Paul to the Colossians in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tells of the joy of Paul as he proclaims the action of the relationship with Christ in bringing those outside the Law and in self serving life style into the faith community and into a lifestyle seeking holiness. The psalmist voices the prayer of Saul for the continued protection and presence of God. It is the desire of Creatures to seek and be in the Presence of God. The sincere pursuit of holiness can be confused with religiosity which Jesus points out as the attitude and practice of the Pharisees in the text from the Gospel of Luke. Going through the motions, attending the ceremonies and seeking the self satisfaction of our holy habits is missing the point. God seeks the deep and meaning transformation of our lives. This transformation has many aspects including the deep commitment to peace and love for all people which is the change we pray for in ourselves as we gather in vigil and fast todaywith the Holy Father to seek the path to peace in Syria.

New and ancient

Paul teaches the Colossians about the Divine nature of Jesus in one of the texts today from the Roman Catholic Church. Often our reaction to the declarations of Paul concerning Jesus is muted by our familiarity with the phrases. The words clearly identify the Jewish man who taught, prophesized and was executed in the Roman occupied territory around Jerusalem as somehow also existing as Creator of the universe and the head of a Body on earth which is to fulfill the promise of God that the relationship of Covenant with God would be extended to all people. The Promise to the Jews of this relationship is praised by the psalmist as the steadfast Love of the shepherd for his people. The Divine Shepherd with the history of steadfast love is much more compatible with human understanding, then and now, when this is a heavenly Being, not of our flesh, not resurrected and not existing eternally in the Body of humanity which includes the Church. The tension between “old” and “new” is addressed by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The Gentiles, the new wineskins, will perhaps need to let this revelation mature in their lives. The ‘old” is good. The resolution of the “Word made flesh” in our intimacy with the Divine is the reward of struggling with the tension.

Working all night

The prayer of Paul for the Colossians in the text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is one for knowledge of God’s^* will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. This desire often crosses the mind of the believer. What is the will of God? The psalmist praises that the Lord has made known His victory in the steadfast love and faithfulness to Israel. Frank Doyle SJ in the Living Space blog comments on the passage in the Gospel of Luke where the expert fisher Peter is confronted by the amateur teacher and preacher Jesus telling him to go and cast his nets where the expert knows there are no fish. Frank Doyle notes that this Gospel to the Gentiles was likely written by using the other Gospel accounts of the calling of the disciples and perhaps the post resurrection account of Peter fishing just prior to his reconciliation with the resurrected Jesus. Our western mind would prefer to treat the Gospel as journalistic and linear in time, written without objectives and goals to teach particular audiences at particular time. What challenge does this passage present in developing our spiritual wisdom and understanding? The boat of Peter, the Church, when it attends to the Spirit of Jesus, is fruitful in bringing many to Christ. We can expect to be overwhelmed like Peter by this attraction and our pride and expertise will be humbled and we will strain under the overwhelming graciousness of God for His Creation. We will be prepared, as Luke insists is the response of the true disciple, to leave everything, following Him after working all night in which we have caught nothing.

Two signs of Love

The closing of the distance between people and the Divine is the spark for thanksgiving in the texts today from the Roman CatholicLectionary. The psalmist proclaims trust in the steadfast love of God. It is the love of God for those who are becoming holy in Colossae through the action of the Spirit which prompts the thanksgiving of Paul as he opens his first letter to the Colossians. The writing of some Calvinist commentators resonates with some observations of Friar Jude Winkler. The faith of the inhabitants of this community has produced the fruit of love. This love is not of the romantic flavour of weak knees and fluttering heart but it is a deep motivation to pursue the highest good of another. Christian love, as noted frequently by Friar Jude, has a vertical and horizontal dimension. The vertical Love of God is the essential transformation of our lives in holiness. We have faith that all the action of God in our lives is for our “highest good”. The horizontal dimension which Paul witnessed in Colossae and which Jesus shows as he journeys to Jerusalem in the account in the Gospel of Luke is about putting the highest good of the other before our selfish passions, pride and pursuit of power and privilege. The Presence of Jesus in the actions of the Gospel of Luke heals and drives out the demons which attempt to root self centered motivation in our being. We note that like the people, Luke mentions, who pursued Jesus into the desert, we often try to hold those people, preaching, and liturgies which resonate with our Spirit for ourselves. The establishment of communities who are faithful to the mission of Jesus includes the openness to a mission which includes the inhabitants of other “spiritual cities”. The children of God are in all communities of people. Catholic, Calvinist, Jew, Muslim and all are called to be examples of Love.

Love the simple truth

The texts today from the RomanCatholic Lectionary include the episode from the Gospel of Luke where Jesus is given attribution as One who commands unclean spirits and out they come. The battle for truth and against evil is one of the characteristics of the life of SaintGregory the Great, pope and Doctor of the Church who lived in the second half of the sixth century. It was a time of much turmoil, tragedy and distress in Rome from attacks from natural and political enemies. The tone of the writing of this saint suggests to some biographers a sense that the end times were imminent. Paul addresses the Thessalonians to assure them that the second coming of Jesus, and the end times, would not catch them unaware as they already had begun to live as Jesus would direct them. The theme of waiting for the Lord rings in the words of the psalmist today too. It is the action of faith which brings life to believers in situations where the situation in our environment is slipping into darkness and despair. The history of Saint Gregory and the practice of Pope Francis recommend seeking a clear vision of the direction of truth and love by living simply. The monastic retreat time of Gregory, even when surrounded by the opulence of Constantinople or the desolation of post empire Rome under threat of capture by Germanic tribes brought clarity and peace and the ability to experience the dispatch of the unclean spirits tempting us to pride, power and political privilege through faith in Jesus as He carries us along in His journey and ours to our Jerusalem.

Prophets and promises

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary inspire five P words for consideration. The words prophets, poverty, pagan, pride and promises come to mind. The Gospel from Luke tells of Jesus return to the synagogue in Nazareth after He had begun His public ministry in other communities of Galilee. RobertL. Deffinbaugh looks in detail at this event as part of his Bible Study work on the Luke as the Gospel for the Gentiles. The people of Jesus home town where He is known as the son of Joseph were perhaps hoping that the miracles which accompanied Jesus visit to Capernaum and other towns of Galilee would be manifest in Nazareth. The reading of the text from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah was politely received and, according to Deffinbaugh, not really deeply understood. The preference of the mission of God to address the needs of the poor, oppressed and downtrodden is too often missed by the ears of the powerful and privileged. The reference by Jesus to the miracles done by God in the Hebrew Bible for the pagan widow and leader reminds the audience of the long standing directive to the Chosen People to be a light to all nations and to bring these of unclean race and culture into the Messianic Kingdom. Pride can be personal and it can be tribal. How does this man of Nazareth claim to fulfill the prophetic words of Prophet Isaiah by inviting the poor and pagan to the Kingdom? It is too much. The promise in the Book of Isaiah to establish the Kingdom of God is rejected once again. The promise to the pagan people of Thessalonica, confirmed by Paul, is that those who have died before the second coming of Jesus will join those alive at that time and enter the Eternal Kingdom. All those gathered at the second coming will be singing the praises of God like the words from the psalmist today.

Humility invites reversal

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary probe our experience of being humble and being invited. The Book of Sirach offers the advice that our deeds which are performed with humility make the glory of God known to others. This wisdom literature cautions people to avoid the life style of the proud which is infected with an evil root. Father Larry Gillick, SJ finds traditional Jewish teaching in the text today that we need to remember who we are and who we are not. The danger of misunderstanding humility lies in the decision to hide ourselves and not venture into the world. This is not humility. It is seen by Father Larry as a prideful response which is centered in the declaration that I only have so many gifts to give and until God gives me more I will hide myself. The author of the letter to the Hebrews tries to bring us to the deeply unique mystery of relationship with God which is not based on fear and intrusion into a foreign place but is an invitation to come home. Our pride is often the barrier to accepting the invitation to participate in life as Luke shows in the Gospel today. When Jesus is invited to dine with the Pharisees on the Sabbath, He continues to offer us reversals of the deadly practices of privilege, power, position and pride. Father Larry offers the summary that humility is truth in action, generosity in public, and joyfulness in being invited. This gift is rooted in gratitude and expresses itself to others as the calmness and peace of a gently flowing stream. Our experience of our giftedness, the people in our lives for which we are so grateful and the joy of using our talent to enable the growth of others prepares us to accept the invitation into the Mystery which is seen and heard most clearly by the humble.