Perceive, desire and reason in the Light of Faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers serious contemplation of what we do with our evil desires and how faith is the light whereby we reconcile the tensions in human consciousness.

.@adamkotsko created a usefully annotated reading list about what is “political theology”, in 13 items, from Nietzsche’s 'The Genealogy of Morals' to Jared Hickman’s ‘Black Prometheus’: https://t.co/LyDTSyTUpI

— Ph. Theophanidis (@aphelis) January 21, 2018

The Letter of James alerts us to the source of temptation in our lives.

* [1:16–18] The author here stresses that God is the source of all good and of good alone, and the evil of temptation does not come from him.

Jesus confronts the lack of understanding of the disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees from the Gospel of Mark.

* [8:15] The leaven of the Pharisees…of Herod: the corruptive action of leaven (1 Cor 5:6–8; Gal 5:9) was an apt symbol of the evil dispositions both of the Pharisees (Mk 8:11–13; 7:5–13) and of Herod (Mk 6:14–29) toward Jesus. The disciples of Jesus are warned against sharing such rebellious attitudes toward Jesus; cf. Mk 8:17, 21.

Tom Shanahan, S.J. offers a prayer inspired by how frustrating it must have been for Jesus to see how profoundly the disciples misunderstood him.

Jesus, come to my misunderstandings of who you are and how I am called to follow you.  This is my desire, but it eludes me so often, and I forget your call choosing my ways over yours.  Be with me as I learn your great love and respond by acknowledging moving away from my lack of understanding.  Let me attend to your gifts of faith, hope and love and to be your messenger (disciple)to those near me.   Help me to grow in trusting you and your patience in calling me to service particularly when my eyes and ears seem not to be working effectively

Don Schwager quotes Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD) that the works of the law are now to be viewed in the light of faith.

"The apostles are ordered to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They are warned not to be involved in the disputes of the Jews. The works of the law are now to be viewed in the light of faith. They are forewarned that they, into whose time and age the truth had appeared incarnate, should judge nothing except which lies within the position of hope in likeness of the truth that is revealed. They are warned against allowing the doctrine of the Pharisees, who are unaware of Christ, to corrupt the effectiveness of the truth of the gospel." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 16.3)

Kevin Cotter provides a summary of Lumen Fidei, (The Light of Faith) Pope Francis' First Encyclical, including this abstract of the introduction.

The encyclical starts with what the ancients put their faith in and proceeds to move directly to what our culture believes about faith – that it is something for the blind, those driven by emotion. But, at the same time, our culture is discovering that reason is not enough. Confusion has set in on what is good and evil, right and wrong. Faith in Jesus and love in Him gives us a new vision to see the world.

The new vision to see the world is beyond our biological nature, examined by Nietzsche, that makes experiencing and thinking outside of selfish categories impossible. David Deane of the Atlantic School of Theology comments that only through a re-orientation of this biological reality through relationship with Christ by the presence of the Holy Spirit can this be altered.

And so what my book hopes to do is say, “yes” to Nietzsche. Milbank and Benedict say, “no”. But Nietzsche is right. Our biological nature makes experiencing and thinking outside of selfish categories impossible. Only through a re-orientation of this biological reality through relationship with Christ by the presence of the Holy Spirit can this be altered. Let me say again, the question of “Reason” is most honestly understood as a question of mission. Our reasoning is contextual, only if our context is life in the triune God[4] can we perceive, desire and reason coherently. If when Benedict says ‘dialog’ he really means mission, then I agree with him. If not then I think that we must all re-read Nietzsche and ask ourselves - do I recognize this account of the self? Because if it’s true we can only be converted, not convinced.

Craig Carter teaches theology and ethics at Tyndale University College and he comments that Christian theology describes reality better than the version of modern science that begins with atheism as its presupposition.

Now, I do not believe it is actually rooted in empirically verifiable reality and I think this is the point at which N. must be challenged if he is not to triumph. But this is a question that Milbank and Hart do not take up and, (I can't believe I'm saying this) Deane and Barth do not really get to terms with either! Why? Milbank and Hart don't get to grips with N's truth claims because they opt for trying to tell a better, more convincing story than N., on the assumption that no one can prove that any story is true by means of science. Deane critiques their attempt for being insufficiently Christological, which gets us half way there, but not all the way. What seems to me to be still missing is the claim that Christian theology describes reality better than the version of modern science that begins with atheism as its presupposition.

Friar Jude Winkler draws the line from temptation to action as sin. When we buy into sin in the smallest way it will expand like leaven spreads to dough so we need to be careful and watchful.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, declares that it becomes the very function of religion to put darkness and light, heaven and earth back together in human consciousness. The precise reason that Jesus is the icon of salvation is because he holds these seeming contraries together so beautifully within himself, thus assuring us we can do the same.

Heaven and earth, divinity and humanity, have never really been separate of course, but we think so. The Bible calls this perceived state of separateness “sin”; “naughty” or so-called “bad” actions proceed from this state of consciousness. The essential task of all religion is to reconnect people to their original identity “hidden with Christ in God,” as Paul says (Colossians 3:3). This happens through forgiving and thus loving what first seems to be imperfect, unworthy, excluded, separate, wrong, or sinful. This is how we reunite that which the mind had begun to punish.

Our context is life in the Triune God. Therein we can perceive, desire and reason coherently.

References


(n.d.). James 1.12-18. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/james/1:12

(n.d.). Mark 8:1–10. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/mark8.htm

(n.d.). Online Ministries at Creighton University. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Lumen Fidei: A Summary on Pope Francis' First Encyclical - FOCUS. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://focusoncampus.org/content/lumen-fidei-a-summary-on-pope-francis-first-encyclical

(2009, May 16). The Politics of the Cross Resurrected: Milbank's Critique of Nietzsche. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from http://politicsofthecrossresurrected.blogspot.com/2009/05/milbanks-critique-of-nietzsche.html

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Wisdom, signs and trust

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to consider how faith, trust and signs of the Presence of God are agents of transformation for humanity.

Looking for a sign

The Letter of James opens with an exhortation to seek wisdom from God.

* [1:5] Wisdom: a gift that God readily grants to all who ask in faith and that sustains the Christian in times of trial. It is a kind of knowledge or understanding not accessible to the unbeliever or those who doubt, which gives the recipient an understanding of the real importance of events. In this way a Christian can deal with adversity with great calm and hope (cf. 1 Cor 2:6–12).

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus continues to be confronted with the disbelief of the Pharisees.

* [8:11–12] The objection of the Pharisees that Jesus’ miracles are unsatisfactory for proving the arrival of God’s kingdom is comparable to the request of the crowd for a sign in Jn 6:30–31. Jesus’ response shows that a sign originating in human demand will not be provided; cf. Nm 14:11, 22.

Eileen Burke-Sullivan is struck by how deeply her understanding of faith challenges modern cultural assumptions.

This week serves as a good time to enter the season of Lent.  As this period of Ordinary Time comes to a close it is well to consider that everything that is authentic about us as creatures of God’s loving creation, depends on God’s compassion and mercy.  If it is trials that we are to be subjected to, we must consider them gifts because they give us the opportunity to ask in faith for God’s help.  In asking for help we recognize our dependence upon God and upon other people.  This position of humility reflects what is true and therefore brings us life that will last in eternal joy.

Don Schwager asks if we are good at reading signs? The people of Jesus' time expected that the coming of the Messiah would be accompanied by extraordinary signs and wonders. He quotes John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) on: Why does this generation seek a sign?

"But for what sign from heaven were they asking? Maybe that he should hold back the sun, or curb the moon, or bring down thunderbolts, or change the direction of the wind, or something like that?... In Pharaoh's time there was an enemy from whom deliverance was needed (Exodus 3-15). But for one who comes among friends, there should be no need of such signs." (excerpt from GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW, HOMILY 53.3)

Friar Jude Winkler gives us some background on the Letter of James written to Jewish Christians. Pharisees wanted absolute proof. In our time, people have stopped trusting. Disciples of Jesus should prove our trustworthiness in our efforts to encourage trust in God.

Background to the Memorial of Saint Apollonia is shared in a post by Franciscan Media that hints at the difficulty of St Augustine with martyrdom achieved by jumping into the fire.

There were many churches and altars dedicated to her. Apollonia is the patroness of dentists, and people suffering from toothache and other dental diseases often ask her intercession. She is pictured with a pair of pincers holding a tooth or with a golden tooth suspended from her necklace. Saint Augustine explained her voluntary martyrdom as a special inspiration of the Holy Spirit, since no one is allowed to cause his or her own death.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us that the realm of myth, art, and poetry can heal and create coherence, connection, and deep trust for the human psyche much better than prose that “tells it like it is.”

Good religion, art, poetry, and myth point us to the deeper levels of truth that logos can’t fully explain. Early Christians knew this; but the Western Church spent the last five centuries trying to prove that the stories in the Bible really happened just as they are described. For some Christians, it’s imperative that the world was created in six literal days, otherwise their entire belief system falls apart. Christianity came to rely heavily on technique, formula, and certitude instead of the more alluring power of story, myth, and narrative. These give room for the soul, mind, and heart to expand. Ironically, from such an open and creative stance, we can actually solve problems much more effectively.

In being open to wisdom as a gift from God we are aware that Christianity came to rely heavily on technique, formula, and certitude instead of the more alluring power of story, myth, and narrative wherein wisdom point to truth.

References

(n.d.). James, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/James/1:1

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/8

(n.d.). Online Ministries at Creighton University. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Saint Apollonia – Franciscan Media. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-apollonia/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Reversals and taking no offense

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the need to deal with circumstances in our lives that result in change that we had not anticipated.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Gospel Reading from the book of St. Mark 1:40-45https://t.co/X6NnpHIzGF pic.twitter.com/d77Qf0sKkt

— Jovenes de Inmaculada Concepcion (@JDMCIC) February 11, 2018

The Book of Leviticus documents the way those in the community who were deemed to have an infectious skin condition were isolated and shunned.

* [13:45–46] The symbolic association with death is found in the mourning activities in which those diagnosed with these afflictions engage: rending clothes, disheveling the hair, and covering the mouth. They are also excluded from the camp. Cf. examples of exclusion in Nm 5:1–4; 12:14–15; 2 Kgs 7:3–10; 15:5; 2 Chr 26:21. Persons with scaly infections must have been able to pollute others in the priestly system, though this is not stated. Hence, they must cry out “Unclean, unclean!” to warn others of their presence.

In the Letter to the Corinthians, Paul advises a response of avoiding giving offense to people by our actions.

* [10:32–11:1] In summary, the general rule of mutually responsible use of their Christian freedom is enjoined first negatively (1 Cor 10:32), then positively, as exemplified in Paul (1 Cor 10:33), and finally grounded in Christ, the pattern for Paul’s behavior and theirs (1 Cor 11:1; cf. Rom 15:1–3).

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus authority to heal the leper ironically creates a change in His ability to enter the towns among which He journeys with the Good News.

* [1:40] A leper: for the various forms of skin disease, see Lv 13:1–50 and the note on Lv 13:2–4. There are only two instances in the Old Testament in which God is shown to have cured a leper (Nm 12:10–15; 2 Kgs 5:1–14). The law of Moses provided for the ritual purification of a leper. In curing the leper, Jesus assumes that the priests will reinstate the cured man into the religious community. See also note on Lk 5:14.

Tom Purcell ponders what seems to him is a call to emulate Christ’s attitude.

It seems to me he is calling us to emulate Christ’s attitude – avoid offending people, acting not for self but for others, doing everything for the (greater) glory of God.  When we encounter pain and suffering, disfigurement and other physical woes in the person in front of us, Paul is challenging us to be an imitator of Christ.  Jesus would not walk away, but would engage.  Jesus would not recoil, but embrace.  Jesus would not turn away His eyes, but deeply connect.  Even if Jesus did not cure the physical pain, He would share the emotional turmoil and console.

Don Schwager quotes Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) on Why did Jesus touch the leper?

"And why did [Jesus] touch him, since the law forbade the touching of a leper? He touched him to show that 'all things are clean to the clean' (Titus 1:15). Because the filth that is in one person does not adhere to others, nor does external uncleanness defile the clean of heart. So he touches him in his untouchability, that he might instruct us in humility; that he might teach us that we should despise no one, or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable, because of some wound of their body or some blemish for which they might be called to render an account... So, stretching forth his hand to touch, the leprosy immediately departs. The hand of the Lord is found to have touched not a leper, but a body made clean! Let us consider here, beloved, if there be anyone here that has the taint of leprosy in his soul, or the contamination of guilt in his heart? If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say: 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.'" (excerpt from FRAGMENTS ON MATTHEW 2.2–3)

Friar Jude Winkler explains the Instruction for the community on leprosy in Leviticus and the backstory to the advice of Paul on giving not offense. People, like the leper, recognized the authority of Jesus yet the religious authorities denied His role.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, examines our starting point and asks do we proceed out of love and abundance or fear and hatred? He asserts that how we begin is invariably how we end and how we proceed, so our creation story is important.

The Judeo-Christian creation story says that we were created in the very “image and likeness” of God (Genesis 1:26) out of generative love. The focus is original blessing instead of original sin (which comes two chapters later, in Genesis 3). We are first sent out with cosmic hope rather than a big problem that must be solved. The Holy Spirit holds this divine image within every created thing, and becomes its “soul.” It drives us toward “life, and life more abundantly” (John 10:10). When we start in a positive way instead of with a problem, there is a much greater chance we will remain positive as we move forward. Even the business world today knows that a vision statement must precede and inform the mission statement. As Matthew Fox taught many years ago, Christianity’s contrived “Fall-Redemption” spirituality [1] just keeps digging us into a deeper and deeper hole (my words!). We must return to our original “Creation Spirituality” for the foundational reform of Christianity.

From our original blessing onward we experience circumstances of health and wealth, joy and pain and communion and rejection.

The Eucharist expresses the mystery of Christ's freedom, the gift of liberation; it means love to the end, for only love can liberate. Sharing our life in Christ and in communion with our brothers and sisters, we freely share our gifts and resources, we make moral decisions that take the other into consideration and that promote the good of others and not just ourselves. The risen Christ is the source and measure of the fullness of all freedom.

As disciples of Jesus we seek the best for others and find His Presence in the reversals that we experience. Our original “Creation Spirituality” leads us to a full life (John 10:10) and is crucial for foundational reform of Christianity.

References

(n.d.). Leviticus, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/leviticus/13

(n.d.). 1 Corinthians, chapter 10. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/10

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/1

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Freedom: Gift and Responsibility “Jesus wants us ... - Diocese of Orlando. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://www.orlandodiocese.org/images/stories/wtl/freedom/freedom_video_script.pdf

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

The Benedict Effect and spiritual food

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today provide seeds for us to consider how in diverse ways our relationship with God feeds our need for faith, trust and moral direction.

Source :http://www.theamericanconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4646083730_543d2cc6b8_o.jpg

The motivations of Jeroboam’s cultic innovations described in the First Book of Kings were displeasing to God.

* [12:32–13:10] This unit of the Jeroboam story corresponds to 12:21–25. Before Jeroboam’s cultic innovations, a man of God from Judah proclaimed the Lord’s approval of the political separation of the kingdoms. After Jeroboam’s cultic innovations, a man of God from Judah proclaims the Lord’s disapproval of Israel’s religious separatism. The unit begins with a long, detailed introduction about the dedication festival Jeroboam holds at Bethel (12:32–33); then follows the scene of the ceremony disrupted by the oracle of the man of God (13:1–10).

In the Gospel from Mark, the account today of feeding the multitude is specifically directed at Gentiles.

* [8:1–10] The two accounts of the multiplication of loaves and fishes (Mk 8:1–10; 6:31–44) have eucharistic significance. Their similarity of structure and themes but dissimilarity of detail are considered by many to refer to a single event that, however, developed in two distinct traditions, one Jewish Christian and the other Gentile Christian, since Jesus in Mark’s presentation (Mk 7:24–37) has extended his saving mission to the Gentiles.

On the Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin and twin sister of St Benedict, a comment by Rod Dreher on a web article by Vladimir Basenkov, who takes the measure of The Benedict Option from a Russian point of view is relevant.

Focusing on your inner state, on your way of life and that of your community, on asceticism and your spiritual education is useful for any Christian even in a period of “the empire”, when “the weather is fine” and “the sun is shining”, figuratively speaking. The unforgettable words of St. Seraphim of Sarov, “Acquire the spirit of peace and a thousand souls around you will be saved”, remind us (who are sometimes carried away by “external activities” in the Church, though nobody denies their role) that nurturing and caring for the soul is of paramount importance to Orthodox Christians. For, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you (Lk. 17:21).

Don Schwager quotes the Breaking the bread of God's Word, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"In expounding to you the Holy Scriptures, I as it were break bread for you. If you hunger to receive it, your heart will sing out with the fullness of praise (Psalm 138:1). If you are thus made rich in your banquet, be not meager in good works and deeds. What I am distributing to you is not my own. What you eat, I eat; what you live upon, I live upon. We have in heaven a common store-house - from it comes the Word of God." (excerpt from SERMONS ON NEW TESTAMENT LESSONS 45.1)

Angela Maynard urges us to take some time to reflect on our ability to completely trust that God will provide for us.

I’ve found that once I could identify one small example of this, it became easier for me to recognize numerous times that my God provided for me, and gave me strength.  This has helped me increase my ability to trust in Him…to ‘Let Go and Let God,’ as the saying goes.  I pray we all have the same results.  It’s a refreshing feeling to feel cared for, strong, and nourished.

Friar Jude Winkler explores the challenges for the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the many parallels between Jewish worship tradition and that of their pagan neighbours. The symbolism of the feeding of the multitude indicates a perfect feast that is able to satisfy all the people of the world.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, identifies the paradox in which all of creation and each of us have received an original blessing, yet we have been conditioned to focus on the negative in ourselves and others.

Repeat the positive statement aloud, slowly, with intention and trust, several times. Then rest silently in the awareness that you are already and forever, without any effort or achievement on your part, a beloved and blessed child of God.

A positive approach and an openness to diverse expressions of the internal passion of all humanity to be in relationship with God brings us closer to the fullness of life forecast by faith and trust in Providence.

References


(n.d.). 1 Kings, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/12

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/8

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2018, February 5). Benedict Option In Russia | The American Conservative. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/benedict-option-in-russia/

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 10, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Prescription for good life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the importance of good-willed people and a reliable God to preserve the essentials of living in the Kingdom.

Jesus has done everything well. (Mark 7:37) -9.2.18- 1Kings 11:29-12:19, Psalms 81:10-15, Mark 7:31-37. pic.twitter.com/mltSzWhESz

— godnewsalert.org (@godnewsalert) February 9, 2018

In the First Book of Kings, Prophet Ahijah encounters Jeroboam and symbolically tears his cloak and gives 10 of 12 pieces to Jeroboam.

* [11:29] The narrator uses a powerful wordplay here. In the Hebrew consonantal text, Ahijah’s cloak (slmh) is indistinguishable from Solomon’s name (slmh). Since a prophetic gesture such as Ahijah’s was understood as effecting the event it announced, Ahijah’s tearing of his cloak embodies the divine action that will tear Solomon’s kingdom apart (cf. vv. 11–13).

Jesus teaches being open as He brings healing to the pagan communities of the Decapolis in the Gospel from Mark.

* [7:24–37] The withdrawal of Jesus to the district of Tyre may have been for a respite (Mk 7:24), but he soon moved onward to Sidon and, by way of the Sea of Galilee, to the Decapolis. These districts provided a Gentile setting for the extension of his ministry of healing because the people there acknowledged his power (Mk 7:29, 37). The actions attributed to Jesus (Mk 7:33–35) were also used by healers of the time.

Julie Kalkowski understands being open to include action on what piece of misery can we address in our dealings with the people we will encounter today?

Later that night when I asked my Nanny Marie about all those people she had helped, she shushed me and told me that it’s just what people do for each other.  She didn’t see the need to talk about the countless people she had helped whether hard times. My Nanny Marie was “open” to seeing her neighbor in need and willing to step up to doing something about it.

Don Schwager asks us about showing kindness and compassion to our neighbors and and treating them with considerateness as Jesus did.

The people's response to this miracle testifies to Jesus' great care for others: He has done all things well. No problem or burden was too much for Jesus' careful consideration. The Lord treats each of us with kindness and compassion and he calls us to treat one another in like manner. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us enables us to love as Jesus loves. Do you show kindness and compassion to your neighbors and do you treat them with considerateness as Jesus did?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with love and compassion. Make me attentive to the needs of others that I may show them kindness and care. Make me an instrument of your mercy and peace that I may help others find healing and wholeness in you."

Friar Jude Winkler provides background to the prophetic action of Ahijah for Jeroboam. Speech that is not gossip is true, kind, and helpful. We need practice in using and training our speech, sight, and hearing for the Kingdom.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we think of Jesus’ teaching as prescriptions for getting to heaven. Instead, the Sermon on the Mount is a set of descriptions of a free life.

Jesus’ moral teaching is very often a description of the final product rather than a detailed process for getting there. When you can weep, when you can identify with the little ones, when you can make peace, when you can be persecuted and still be joyful . . . then you’re doing it right. He is saying, as it were, this is what holiness looks like. When you act this way, “The Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21). Jesus doesn’t seem to be concerned about control, enforcement, or uniformity. His priority is proclamation, naming, and revealing. Then he trusts that good-willed people and a reliable God will take it from there.

Living in the Kingdom today is our best action to preserve the essentials of Christianity.

References

(n.d.). ii. the reign of jeroboam. Retrieved February 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/1kings11.htm

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/7

(n.d.). Online Ministries at Creighton University. Retrieved February 9, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 9, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 9, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive

Live beyond convention

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to live beyond secular and religious conventional wisdom.

Today's the First Day of National Marriage Week for the US! (Feb. 7-14) Here's Pope Francis' Guide to Love in Marriage #AmorisLaetitia @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/q8Q0OtHN9V

— Salt + Light (@saltandlighttv) February 7, 2018

The First Book of Kings records the displeasure of God with the decision of Solomon to reject monogamy and accept idolatry in his decision to live according to secular conventional wisdom.

* [11:1–13] The next major unit of the Solomon story corresponds to 3:1–15. Like the earlier passage it includes the narrator’s remarks about Solomon’s foreign wives and his building projects, and a divine word commenting on Solomon’s conduct. However, where 3:1–15 is generally positive toward Solomon, the present passage is unrelievedly negative. Chronicles has no parallel to this material.

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus proclaims the faith of the pagan woman to be greater than those children of Israel who lived in religious conventional understanding.

* [7:27–28] The figure of a household in which children at table are fed first and then their leftover food is given to the dogs under the table is used effectively to acknowledge the prior claim of the Jews to the ministry of Jesus; however, Jesus accedes to the Gentile woman’s plea for the cure of her afflicted daughter because of her faith.

Jason Jackson reviews some scholarship on the reference by Jesus to “dogs” in His dialogue with the Syrophoenician woman seeking healing for her daughter.

“And he said to her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs” (Mark 7:27). Jesus used the diminutive form of the term “dogs” (i.e., the little dogs). D. Edmond Hiebert observed, “Jesus softened the force of the expression with His use of the diminutive, ‘little dogs’. . . Clearly His reference is to the little household pets, which, while not children in the house, yet had a place in the affairs of the household” (The Gospel of Mark: An Expositional Commentary, Greenville, S.C.: Bob Jones University Press, 1994, p. 210).

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the transition from the aspects of Solomon that gave praise to God to the behaviour that was in opposition to the will of God. Mystery surrounding the different relationship of David and Solomon with God and the meaning of Jesus choice of language in the dialogue with the pagan woman gives us some areas where we still explore for understanding.

Don Schwager quotes John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) on the power of her faith and her humility.

"See her humility as well as her faith! For he had called the Jews 'children,' but she was not satisfied with this. She even called them 'masters,' so far was she from grieving at the praises of others. She said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.' Behold the woman's wisdom! She did not venture so much as to say a word against anyone else. She was not stung to see others praised, nor was she indignant to be reproached. Behold her constancy. When he answered, 'It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs,' she said, 'Yes, Lord.' He called them 'children'” but she called them 'masters.' He used the name of a dog, but she described the action of the dog. Do you see this woman's humility? Then compare her humility with the proud language of the Jews: 'We are Abraham's seed and were never in bondage to any man'(John 8:33). 'We are born of God' (John 8:41). But not so this woman. Rather, she calls herself a dog and them masters. So for this reason she became a child.

A Post by Franciscan Media shares Saint Josephine Bakhita’s Story who helps direct our attention to the lives of those still victims of modern forms of slavery.

Josephine’s body was mutilated by those who enslaved her, but they could not touch her spirit. Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward asserting her civic freedom and then service to God’s people as a Canossian Sister.
She who worked under many “masters” was finally happy to address God as “master” and carry out everything that she believed to be God’s will for her.

ICYMI. Feb. 8 is Feb. 8 World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking and feast of St. Josephine Bakhita. https://t.co/p4LfolC8HO

— Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) February 8, 2018

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Jesus small community is being persecuted, and Jesus tells them to “rejoice and be glad”! He quotes Theologian Marcus Borg (1942-2015) and notes that persecution for the cause of justice is inevitable.

The gospel of Jesus—the good news of Jesus’ own message—is that there is a way of being that moves beyond both secular and religious conventional wisdom. The path of transformation of which Jesus spoke leads from a life of requirements and measuring up (whether to culture or to God) to a life of relationship with God. It leads from a life of anxiety to a life of peace and trust. It leads from the bondage of self-preoccupation to the freedom of self-forgetfulness. It leads from life centered in culture to life centered in God.

Living beyond secular and religious conventional wisdom is the Way demonstrated by Jesus. The peace of living in the Kingdom of God is the experience to which we are invited.

References

(n.d.). 1 Kings, chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/11

n.d.). Mark, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/7

(n.d.). The Syrophoenician Woman: A Woman of Great Faith : Christian Courier. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1235-syrophoenician-woman-a-woman-of-great-faith-the

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Saint Josephine Bakhita – Franciscan Media. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-josephine-bakhita/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Inner Wisdom and wickedness

The commentary on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today recognizes that Jesus directs us to an internal examination of our vices as the source of the evil we identify around us.

Mark 7:14-23
‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’ pic.twitter.com/T6CFn07HiN

— Kalina Boulter (@KalinaBoulter) February 7, 2018

The biblical encounter of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in the First Letter of Kings presents the ancient connection between wisdom and success evidenced in material wealth.

* [10:1–13] The sub-unit on Solomon’s wisdom contrasts with 3:16–28. There Solomon’s gifts led him to listen to the humblest of his subjects; he accomplished justice and was revered by all his people. Here the emphasis is on his clever speech to a foreign monarch. She is duly impressed by the glory of his court, but it is she, not Solomon, who recalls the monarch’s duty of establishing justice (v. 9). The unit is interrupted briefly by a remark about Solomon’s maritime commerce (10:11–12).

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus enumerates many vices that he positions as originating in the heart, seat of wisdom, of people.

The parable of Mk 7:14–15 in effect sets aside the law itself in respect to clean and unclean food. He thereby opens the way for unity between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of God, intimated by Jesus’ departure for pagan territory beyond Galilee.

Colleen Chiacchere contemplates that Jesus seems to be warning us and highlighting the slippery slope of evil that can come from our heart being in the wrong place.

Perhaps one way to approach this reading might be to examine a change in our own understanding.  Is there something in our lives that resonate with this Gospel passage? Perhaps we have had an experience lately where we discover that something that we have known to be true, wise and/or common practice is surprisingly turned upside down and proven false or irrelevant?  It takes effort and energy (and grace) to handle with change well, but handling change can be even more difficult when it goes against a long standing tradition or hits us suddenly.  Sometimes, we can even begin to question what is true among our other commonly held beliefs and practices, too.

Don Schwager quotes Tertullian, 160-225 A.D. on how the cycle of bitterness is broken by forbearance.

"Let us, then, his servants, follow our Lord and patiently submit to denunciations that we may be blessed! If, with slight forbearance, I hear some bitter or evil remark directed against me, I may return it, and then I shall inevitably become bitter myself. Either that, or I shall be tormented by unexpressed resentment. If I retaliate when cursed, how shall I be found to have followed the teaching of our Lord? For his saying has been handed down that one is defiled not by unclean dishes but by the words which proceed from his mouth ( Mark 7:15)." (excerpt from ON PATIENCE 8)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the extravagant hospitality described in the meeting of Solomon and the Queen from Sheba (Yemen). When we fill our hearts, eyes, and spirit with good things there is not room for the vices that lead to evil.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM quotes John Dear who writes about the verse (Matthew 5:9) in the Sermon on the Mount that throws out thousands of years of belief in a violent god and every reference to a warmaking god in the Hebrew Scriptures. Rohr explains that the peacemaker has a pro life orientation from womb to tomb.

If you are truly a peacemaker, your very means have to be nonviolent and you have to be consistently pro-life—from womb to tomb. One of the most distressing qualities of many Christians today is that they retain the right to decide when, where, and with whom they will be pro-life peacemakers. If the other can be determined to be wrong, guilty, unworthy, or sinful, the death penalty is somehow supposed to serve justice. That entirely misses the ethical point Jesus makes: We are never the sole arbiters of life or death, because life is created by God and carries the divine image. It is a spiritual seeing, far beyond any ideology of left or right.

The slippery slope leading to evil, mentioned by Colleen Chiacchere, is evidenced in testimony today about lack of perseverance leading to conflict, our imagination of vice leading to unfortunate actions and our peacemaker ethic calling us to a respect that life is a gift from God over which we are never the sole arbiters.
References


(n.d.). 1 Kings, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1kings/10:1


(n.d.). Mark, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/7


(n.d.). Online Ministries at Creighton University. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/


(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 7, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/