Called from silence in trust

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary call us to be visible spokespersons for our relationship with Christ.

Learning trust

The vision of God experienced by Isaiah became a call to speak truth to power.

* [6:5] Doomed: there are two roots from which the verb here could be derived; one means “to perish, be doomed,” the other “to become silent,” and given Isaiah’s delight in puns and double entendre, he probably intended to sound both notes. “I am doomed!” is suggested by the popular belief that to see God would lead to one’s death; cf. Gn 32:31; Ex 33:20; Jgs 13:22. “I am struck silent!” is suggested by the emphasis on the lips in vv. 5–6, and such silence is attested elsewhere as the appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple (Hb 2:20).

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus assures us that He is present in our times of trial and persecution.

* [10:26] The concealed and secret coming of the kingdom is to be proclaimed by them, and no fear must be allowed to deter them from that proclamation.

Colleen Chiacchere reflects on how as followers of Christ, we will be ridiculed for our values, we will experience hardships and we’ll endure suffering.

On a practical level, I think of the daily task of brushing my almost five year-old daughter’s hair.  It’s a labor of love to tame her hair in preparation for leaving the house each morning. The dark, thick, straight locks hang below her shoulders in a tangled mess most of the day.  The several minutes it takes me to (painstakingly? lovingly? hurriedly?) brush it each morning (a difficult task for us both, most days) offer me only a glimpse into counting all the hairs on her head.  The time, effort and desire I have for her, as displayed by the routine of brushing her hair each morning, is only a fraction of the intimacy God has of us. On a similar level, it is noticeable to see the confidence that my daughter displays knowing she is loved and sent off for the day, a tip of the iceberg in knowing her worth is “more than many sparrows.”  Maybe I can also learn from my daughter about the confidence to meet the world each day with the profound understanding that my worth is also “more than many sparrows,” in God’s eyes.

Don Schwager asks What is godly fear?

It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear (godly respect) and reverence for God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:24-33 suggests that Jesus’ words make it clear that God is involved with all of his creatures, even to the point of feeding birds and dressing lilies. He doesn’t even mind counting hairs! So shouldn’t it follow that he is intimately involved in our life as well?

When Jesus talks about counting the hairs on our heads, he’s not talking about taking inventory. This is not a cold and businesslike action taken by some celestial clerk with a clipboard. It’s more like a mother stroking her baby’s head as she cradles him. It’s more like a father taking note of every one of his son’s features as he follows the boy’s growth into manhood. So if, in the back of your mind, you are hesitant to approach God, remember how precious you are to him. You are his pride and joy, and he has wonderful plans for you.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, several years ago, wrote a simple prayer on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

God of all races, nations, and religions,
You know that we cannot change others,
Nor can we change the past.
But we can change ourselves.
We can join you in changing our only
And common future where Love “reigns”
The same over all.
Help us not to say, “Lord, Lord” to any nationalist gods,
But to hear the One God of all the earth,
And to do God’s good thing for this One World.

The trust we experience in the our family relationships, often with the youngest, model the attitude we are invited to share with Jesus.
References


(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 14, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/6 

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 14, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mt/10:44

(n.d.). Online Ministries Home Page - Creighton University. Retrieved July 14, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/preparing.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 14, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Saint Henry (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 14, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 14, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

From Lebanon Matthew and Merton to the Spirit of conversion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today point to sources of hope in the triumph of beauty and truth through living in the Spirit.

Beauty and truth

The Prophet Hosea uses images from Lebanon to inspire the people of Israel to sincere conversion and new life.

* [14:4] These good intentions promise a reversal of Israel’s sins: no more reliance on “Assyria,” i.e., on foreign alliances (see notes on 8:9 and 12:2), on “horses,” i.e., on human power (10:13), and on idolatry (8:4–6; 13:2). Israel will trust in the Lord alone.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus recognizes the persecution that comes from those who reject the message of New Life and he promises the Holy Spirit as our strength.

* [10:17] The persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission now begin to be spoken of. Here Matthew brings into the discourse sayings found in Mk 13 which deals with events preceding the parousia.

Eli Rosencruft offers some background to the prominent role of Lebanon in the glorious beauty described in the Hosea text today.

The Holy Spirit in Matthew 10 is discussed by John Piper, founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.

If you think you can know the Bible well enough, and know the world well enough, to take away your anxiety, you nullify this promise. The whole point is that what is needed in this moment is beyond you. You need the Holy Spirit. Jesus promises he will be there. So live with him day by day. And when the hour of trial comes, he will be there to give you what you need. It is an amazing and precious experience. Come, enjoy it.

John Shea, S.J. often wishes for a script as the perfect reply to a difficult scenario or the comforting response to an impossible situation.

I will never have an adequate response to the profound tragedies life brings. So I find solace in the words of Jesus: “do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) on the Spirit of our heavenly Father speaking through us in every age.

"To be sure, we heard in that reading, 'But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious how or what you are to speak... for it is not you who are speaking but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.' And he says in another place: 'Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20). Does this mean that the people who heard those words of the Lord would be here until the end of the world? The Lord was referring, rather, not only to those about to depart from this life but also to the others, including us and those who would come after us in this life. He saw everyone in his single body, and the words he spoke, 'I am with you even to the end of the world,' were heard by them and by us too. And if we did not hear them then in our knowledge, we heard them in his foreknowledge. Therefore, safe as sheep among the wolves, let us keep the commandments of him who directs us. And let us be 'innocent as doves but cautious as snakes' (Matthew 10:16). Innocent as doves that we may not harm anyone; cautious as snakes that we may be careful of letting anyone harm us." (excerpt from the  Sermon 44a.2)

Gregory Hillis reviews Thomas Merton's understanding of nonviolence that comes with extraordinary demands.

"Christ brought to His disciples a vocation and a task," Merton writes, "to struggle in the world of violence to establish His peace not only in their own hearts but in society itself." Merton insists that, not only must nonviolent resisters be unwilling to use power in any way to vanquish the adversary given his dignity and worth, and given our call to unity with him, but the nonviolent resister must enter into the kind of dialogue with the adversary in such a way as to be open to learning from and being transformed by him.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:16-23 suggests that we try to look at “being sent” from a different angle.

So keep on speaking words of hope and performing deeds of kindness. But also rest in the knowledge that it’s not only about you. It’s also about the One who sends you, the God who has sealed you with his grace. He knows about your smudges and bent corners, and he’s sending you anyway because he trusts in the power of the stamp he has affixed to your life.

Friar Jude Winkler considers the message of Hosea to the vassal state of the northern kingdom to return to the Lord and He will restore you. The problem of sin is that we turn our back on God’s mercy. The political situation for Matthew was that a council of rabbis expelled the Christians from synagogues a decade before the Gospel was written. If they persecute you  they cannot stop the message.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, refers to work of Wes Granberg-Michaelson on “From Mysticism to Politics,”and “Politics and Religion,” for a glimpse of creation’s purpose and a glimmering of the Spirit’s movement amid the world’s present pain, brokenness, and despair.

Transformative change in politics depends so much on having a clear view of the desired end. Where does that vision come from? Possibilities may be offered by various ideologies, or party platforms, or political candidates. But, for the person of faith, that vision finds its roots in God’s intended and preferred future for the world. It comes not as a dogmatic blueprint but as an experiential encounter with God’s love, flowing like a river from God’s throne, nourishing trees with leaves for the healing of the nations (see Revelation 22:1-2). This biblically infused vision, resonant from Genesis to Revelation, pictures a world made whole, with people living in a beloved community, where no one is despised or forgotten, peace reigns, and the goodness of God’s creation is treasured and protected as a gift.

The necessary detachment from this ugly and injurious present political climate depends upon our inner attachment to the mystery of God’s unbounded grace and divine, creative love. That is the foundation from which we can witness to truth, nurture community, and build essential bonds of solidarity with those who suffer. More than ever, politics which offers redemptive hope will begin with mysticism.

References


(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 14 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 13, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/14

(n.d.). CHAPTER 10 The Mission of the Twelve. 1 Then he summoned his .... Retrieved July 13, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew10.htm

(n.d.). historical interpretation - Unfamiliar metaphors in Hosea 14:6-7 .... Retrieved July 13, 2018, from https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/1894/unfamiliar-metaphors-in-hosea-146-7

(2016, December 27). God Will Give You Something to Say | Desiring God. Retrieved July 13, 2018, from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-will-give-you-something-to-say

(n.d.). Online Ministries Home Page - Creighton University. Retrieved July 13, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/preparing.html

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

(2017, May 22). A 'Fully Human Solution' to War: Thomas Merton on Christian ... - ABC. Retrieved July 12, 2018, from http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/22/4673126.htm 

(n.d.). Saint Henry (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 13, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 13, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Kingdom and Holy One are present

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today illuminate the immanence of God that is experienced as we attend to our lives in the present.


The Prophet Hosea speaks of God drawing the northern kingdom to Him through love that is likened to that of a parent for a child.

* [11:4] I drew them…with bands of love: perhaps a reversal of the yoke imagery of the previous chapter, i.e., not forcing them like draft animals, but drawing them with kindness and affection.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus sends the disciples as witnesses to life in the Kingdom of God.

* [10:8–11] The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them.

Maureen McCann Waldron quotes Jesuit priest Greg Boyle, S.J. who writes that “Paradise is not a place that awaits our arrival, but a present we arrive at.  A place, in fact, we are already in. How many chances a day are we given to recognize this – an opportunity to practice sacred presence?”

We have what we need to be in the Kingdom, except an awareness of that.  It takes practice to be aware. Each morning we can ask Jesus for the focus and open heart to really encounter each person we come across.  In the smallest interaction, we can look into the eyes of the person we are with, as we really see the person, the life before us, recognizing the person before us is as beloved by God as deeply as we are beloved. That is when miracles can begin.  Healing of the sick, might mean reaching out to someone we are angry with or who annoys us. It might mean healing of our impatience with others. Our mindful love for others might cleanse the lepers of judgement and drive out demons of anger.

Don Schwager offers a prayer that we might be witnesses to the Kingdom.

“Lord Jesus, may the joy and truth of the Gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”

The Word Among Us meditation on Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9 notes that St. John and Hosea wanted people to experience the mercy of God, not just hear about it. The author quotes Pope Francis.

“It is not easy to entrust oneself to God’s mercy, because it is an abyss beyond comprehension. But we must! ‘Oh, Father, if you knew my life, you would not say that to me!’ Why, what have you done? ‘Oh, I am a great sinner!’ All the better! Go to Jesus: he likes you to tell him these things. . . . He forgets, he kisses you, he embraces you, and he simply says to you, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ That is the only advice he gives you.”

Friar Jude Winkler comments that God is a loving parent to the northern kingdom of Israel and not a judge. He notes we cannot force people to believe when we preach but those who consciously choose not to accept the message choose to live outside the love, a foretaste of hell. The mandate to the disciples is to show the Kingdom of God is at hand, that is, God’s Law on the earth.

In an article for Sojourners Richard Rohr notes that political movements or leaders today that promote fear, hate, and bigotry are only able to rise because all of these things were first in the hearts of people.

If you walk around with hatred all day, morally you’re just as much a killer as the one who pulls out the gun. We can’t live that way and not be destroyed. Yet, for some reason, many Christians have thought they could think and feel hatred, negativity, and fear. The evil and genocide of World War II was the final result of decades of negative and paranoid thinking among good German Christians. The tragic fascism of Nazi Germany was fomenting in people’s hearts long before a political leader came to catalyze their hate and resentment.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us that in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus directly says that our inner attitudes and states are the real sources of our problems, preceding our outward behaviors.

Jesus insists that we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). For Jesus, prayer seems to be a matter of waiting in love, returning to love, trusting that love is the unceasing stream of reality. Prayer isn’t primarily words; it’s an attitude, a stance, a state that precedes “saying” any individual prayers. That’s why Paul could say, “Pray unceasingly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If we think of prayer as requiring words, it is surely impossible to pray always. Whatever we do in conscious, loving union with the Reality right in front of us is prayer. As Leonard Cohen sang, we have had far too much of “killers in high places [who] say their prayers out loud.” [1] You know this is true.

Our mandate may be to understand as Leonard Cohen shares “The crack in everything is how the light gets in” and be that light to others.

References

(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 12, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/11

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 12, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 12, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

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

(n.d.). Saint Benedict, Abbot (Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(2016, June 1). 'Radical' Politics? | Sojourners. Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://sojo.net/articles/radical-politics

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Breaking up a new field

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Memorial of St Benedict, founder of Western monasticism, connect to themes of the necessity to reinforce in our society Christian principles based on the Word, Jesus.



The Prophet Hosea calls to the people of Samaria, where the kings do the opposite of what they are supposed to do, to plow a new field.

* [10:3] No king: the instability of the monarchy (7:3–7) and its vassalage to foreign kings (7:8–16) render the monarchy ineffective. The kings do the opposite of what they are supposed to do (10:4).

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus assigns twelve of His disciples to bring the message of His actions to the people of Israel.

* [10:5–6] Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry.

Angela Maynard reflects on the vocation of a young friend and the Rule of St Benedict that he has chosen to follow. She asks if the apostles had a handbook. The apostles had the best kind of guide — they lived with Jesus. There are four gospels written about him. Her young monk has an instruction book at his disposal, it’s called St. Benedict’s rule. It, too, is rooted in the gospels.

For today, take some time to think about what OUR rule might look like. Life according to me …
Consider:
What is important to me?
How do I spend my time?
Do my actions impact anybody, and if so, how?
What does God want from me—what is my purpose?

Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option, quotes Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, on the collapse of our society.

“it is obligatory to compare today’s situation with the decline of the Roman Empire. In its final days, Rome still functioned as a great historical framework, but in practice its vital energy had been depleted.”

Dreher discusses what the Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith and his colleagues call the “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” (MTD). MTD uses the language and conceptual vocabulary of historical, biblical Christianity, but in fact it teaches a malleable, feel-good, Jesus-light philosophy perfectly suited to a consumerist, individualistic, post-Christian society that ­worships the self.

Don Schwager asks if we believe in the life-changing power of the Gospel and experience its transforming effect in our lives?

The core of the Gospel message is quite simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is very near! What is the kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who know God's love and mercy, and who willingly obey and honor God as their Lord and King. In the prayer which Jesus gave to his disciples (the Lord's Prayer or Our Father), he taught them to pray for God to reign in their daily lives and in the world around them: May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10 comments that Jesus has given us a share in his authority. He has called us by name and empowered us with his Spirit. Like the young person first sitting behind the steering wheel, we have much to learn. But don’t let that keep us from trying!

Friar Jude Winkler finds some comments on social justice in the words of the Hosea. We live like people of God in the way we treat each other. The very Jewish Gospel of Matthew also reaches out to pagans who are recognized by Jesus as having faith, sometimes greater than the people of Israel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, sees in the status quo that most religion is highly “legitimating religion.” It is used for social control and public order by the powers that be and individuals. This oppressive use of religion has allowed much of Christian history to fully cooperate in toxic and unjust societies—just as long as each person had “a personal relationship with Jesus.” This will not work anymore; in fact, it never did.

Most of us need to have the status quo shaken now and then, leaving us off balance and askew, feeling alienated for a while from our usual unquestioned loyalties. In this uncomfortable space, we can finally recognize the much larger kingdom of God. Many churches don’t seem to understand this, even flying the national flag in sanctuaries while daring to talk about “one God before us” in the same space. After authentic conversion, our old “country” no longer holds any ultimate position. We can’t worship it any longer as we were once trained to do. Our national identity is okay, probably necessary, but very limited in its capacity for truth, much less universal truth.

The message of the Scripture today as lived by St Benedict is one of strengthening ourselves through our relationship with Jesus to be in service to others.

References


(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/10

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10

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

(2017, July 14). Signs of the Times: Rod Dreher discusses the Benedict Option by Rod .... Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/benedict-option-signs-of-the-times

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

(n.d.). Saint Benedict, Abbot (Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Whirlwinds, political idols, and labourers for conversion

The themes in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today of whirlwinds and idols in a society that is in desperate need of shepherd leadership resonate with our current social and political situation.



The text from the Book of the Prophet Hosea warns of the return of Israel to slavery as a consequence of attention to self serving political goals instead of their relationship to Yahweh.

* [8:11] The altars had become places of self-serving worship (cf. v. 13)

In the Gospel from Matthew, the action of Jesus to care for those who were suffering like a good shepherd is in conflict with the image of messiah that would support the social and political goals of the religious authorities.

* [9:37–38] This Q saying (see Lk 10:2) is only imperfectly related to this context. It presupposes that only God (the master of the harvest) can take the initiative in sending out preachers of the gospel, whereas in Matthew’s setting it leads into Mt 10 where Jesus does so.

Kyle Lierk is reminded of the conversion of Ignatius Loyola by the readings today where we learn of individuals and communities who are misusing the “stuff” of life.

Having laid down his sword and courtly clothes at the foot of a Marian statue, Ignatius the pilgrim spent time in a cave mapping out a proper path toward union with God that he titled the “Spiritual Exercises.”  One of the last pieces he crafted, which would become the beginning of the Exercises, was the “First Principle and Foundation.” At its core, this piece invites humans to use the things of the world that aid them in praising, reverencing and serving God and to abstain from those people or places or things that take them further from God.  By doing this, he says, we save our souls.

Don Schwager quotes Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD) on the freedom and healing in Christ that accompanied the conversion of the Gentiles.

"In the deaf and dumb and demoniac appear the need of the Gentiles for a complete healing. Beleaguered on all sides by misfortune, they were associated with all types of the body's infirmities. And in this regard a proper order of things is observed. For the devil is first cast out; then the other bodily benefits follow suit. With the folly of all superstitions put to flight by the knowledge of God, sight and hearing and words of healing are introduced. The declaration of the onlookers followed their admiration over what took place: 'Never has the like been seen in Israel.' Indeed, he whom the law could not help was made well by the power of the Word, and the deaf and dumb man spoke the praises of God. Deliverance has been given to the Gentiles. All the towns and all the villages are enlightened by the power and presence of Christ, and the people are freed from every impairment of the timeless malady. (excerpt from ON MATTHEW 9.10)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:32-38 addresses conversion that does involve a complex plan to bring the good news to our friends or family members or even strangers. We might just wish God would infuse them with knowledge of the gospel, but Jesus shows us that the right place to start is through relationships.

Make yourself present to people, as Jesus did. Listen to them. Show them some kindness. So many people just want to be heard; they just want someone to treat them with a little kindness. As you start doing that, you will see trusting relationships beginning to form.
It’s in the context of a relationship that you are able to speak honestly about who God is in your life. It’s when a friend asks, “Why do you even go to church?” that you can share how the Eucharist gives you strength. It’s when he comments on the Bible you keep in your car that you can talk about how you hear God speaking to you through Scripture.

Friar Jude Winkler reviews the political turmoil in the “banana republic” of the Northern Kingdom during the time of Hosea. Use of religious discipline to support political goals is not confined to our time and place. Religious leaders opposing Jesus were unwilling to accept they no longer acted as shepherds. Their ministry was missing simple acts of kindness, prayer, and compassion.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that people have good reasons to be angry and afraid today. Poverty, racism, climate change, and so many other injustices are causing real suffering for much of the world. Unfortunately, dualistic and oppositional energies cannot bring the change we so desperately need; we cannot fight angry power with more angry power. Only the contemplative mind has the ability to hold the reality of what is and the possibility of what could be. Unless our hearts are transformed, our fears will continue to manipulate our politics, reinforcing a polarized and divided society. He quotes Quaker activist and teacher Parker Palmer.

Human beings have a well-demonstrated capacity to hold the tension of differences in ways that lead to creative outcomes and advances. It is not an impossible dream to believe we can apply that capacity to politics. In fact, our capacity for creative tension-holding is what made the American experiment possible in the first place. . . . America’s founders—despite the bigotry that limited their conception of who “We the People” were—had the genius to establish [a] form of government in which differences, conflict, and tension were understood not as the enemies of a good social order but as the engines of a better social order.

We aspire to the optimistic view of Richard Rohr that we have the capacity to grow beyond ego and nationalism into a new identity, one that holds space for everyone to belong and be loved. We share his hope that human consciousness can and will evolve—but apparently we have not suffered enough yet to realize our need for such evolution.

References

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

(n.d.). Matthew 9:37-38. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew9.htm

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

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

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/

False dichotomies challenge chances for life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer an opportunity to contemplate the tension between our trust in love or power to meet our needs.

Healing divisions

The Prophet Hosea sees the parallel between his relationship with his unfaithful wife Gomer and the Covenant of God and Israel.

* [2:16] Therefore: this word in Hebrew normally introduces an oracle of doom; here, surprisingly, it leads to hope. Allure: as though seducing a virgin (Ex 22:15–16). Ordinarily this word connotes deception (Jgs 14:15; 16:5; 1 Kgs 22:20–22).

The woman who suffered with a hemorrhage for years is saved by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and the daughter of a synagogue official is healed by reanimation.

* [9:18–34] In this third group of miracles, the first (Mt 9:18–26) is clearly dependent on Mark (Mk 5:21–43). Though it tells of two miracles, the cure of the woman had already been included within the story of the raising of the official’s daughter, so that the two were probably regarded as a single unit. The other miracles seem to have been derived from Mark and Q, respectively, though there Matthew’s own editing is much more evident.

Jeanne Schuler comments that the tension that pits science against religion displays faulty thinking.

An “enlightened” society that disdains God is impoverished.  We do not learn how to love from laws or psych theories. We do not learn the origin of life from the Book of Genesis.  Both science and religion are ways of knowing. Both involve faith. Without trust, no human endeavors move forward. The more we understand the world, the greater God’s glory appears.

Don Schwager quotes John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) in a sermon on “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

"So what did Messiah do? He did not let her go unnoticed but led her into the center of attention and made her visible. He had many reasons for doing this. Some might imagine that 'he did this merely for love of glory - otherwise why would he not allow her to remain concealed?' But what are they proposing who might say this? That he should keep her silent, that he should ignore her need, and thereby pass up miracles too numerous to mention, all because he is in love with glory? What an unholy thought, inspired by the most unholy one of all."
"What then is his intention in bringing her forward? First, Jesus puts an end to her fear. He does not want her to remain trapped in dread. He gives no cause for her conscience to be harmed, as if she had stolen the gift. Second, he corrects her assumption that she has no right to be seen. Third, he makes her faith an exhibit to all. He encourages the others to emulate her faith. Fourth, his subduing the fountains of her hemorrhage was another sign of his knowledge of all things. And finally, do you remember the ruler of the synagogue? He was at the point of despair, of utter ruin. Jesus is indirectly admonishing him by what he says to the woman." (excerpt from the  THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 31.2)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22 underlines one of Hosea’s most important messages that God, our divine spouse, is always taking the initiative.

God wants to coax you today. He wants you to come away with him to a place free of distractions. Let him speak to your heart. Let him convince you of his faithfulness and his love. If you feel that your failures are too great, don’t let that stop you from joining him.

Friar Jude Winkler compares Hosea and Gomer, who was unfaithful, being lured into the desert to a second honeymoon between God and Israel. Jesus recognizes faith by a saving action for the whole person, rather than just healing the body, Friar Jude observes.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, asserts that as humans we can’t help but be political whether we recognize it or not—so let’s learn how to participate in the public forum as God’s image and likeness!

Over the years, I’ve met many social activists who were advocating for crucial justice issues, but they were still largely living out of their false self with the need to win and look good—and defeat “the enemy.” They might have the answer, but they are not themselves the answer. In fact, they are part of the problem because they still trust in power over love.

The tendency to separate faith and action, science and religion, and politics and human interaction are false dichotomies that tend to obstruct our openness to full life in relationship with Christ.

References


(n.d.). Hosea, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hosea/2

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew9:47

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 9, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

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

(n.d.). 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 9, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Blocked from believing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our default response to prophetic messages, personal obstacles and our assumptions about the role of spiritual leaders.

Blocked from believing

The Prophet Ezekiel is tasked to make the people aware of a prophet from God in their midst.

Before Jerusalem is destroyed (587 B.C.), Ezekiel is concerned to convince his audience that they are responsible for the punishment of exile and to justify the Lord’s decision to destroy their city and Temple.

In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives witness to the strength he finds through the action of God in his weakness.

* [12:10] When I am weak, then I am strong: Paul recognizes a twofold pattern in the resolution of the weakness-power (and death-life) dialectic, each of which looks to Jesus as the model and is experienced in him. The first is personal, involving a reversal in oneself (Jesus, 2 Cor 13:4a; Paul, 2 Cor 1:9–10; 4:10–11; 6:9). The second is apostolic, involving an effect on others (Jesus, 2 Cor 5:14–15; Paul, 2 Cor 1:6; 4:12; 13:9). The specific kind of “effectiveness in ministry” that Paul promises to demonstrate on his arrival (2 Cor 13:4b; cf. 2 Cor 10:1–11) involves elements of both; this, too, will be modeled on Jesus’ experience and a participation in that experience (2 Cor 9; 13:3b).

The episode from the Gospel of Mark shows the inability of the people in Jesus hometown to recognize His relationship with God.

* [6:4] A prophet is not without honor except…in his own house: a saying that finds parallels in other literatures, especially Jewish and Greek, but without reference to a prophet. Comparing himself to previous Hebrew prophets whom the people rejected, Jesus intimates his own eventual rejection by the nation especially in view of the dishonor his own relatives had shown him (Mk 3:21) and now his townspeople as well.

Steve Scholer is inspired to encourage us to think about how welcoming we have been to our own kin, in our own house.

Are we “giving service to others” in our own home, with our own family and close friends, and showing them just how much we love and value them, or are we saving that love and compassion for others?

Don Schwager quotes Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) on Distinguishing God's power and our faith.

"And perhaps, as in the case of metallic substances there exists in some a natural attraction toward some other thing, as in the magnet for iron, and in naphtha for fire, so there is an attraction in such faith toward the divine power according to what Jesus said: 'If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, 'Move to another place,' and it shall be moved' (Matthew 17:20). Matthew and Mark wished to present the all-surpassing value of that divine power as a power that works even in those who do not believe. But they did not deny that grace works even more powerfully among those who have faith. So it seems to me that they accurately said not that the Lord did not do any mighty works because of their unbelief, but that he did not do many there (Mark 6:5). Mark does not flatly say that he could do no mighty work there at all, and stop at that point, but added, 'except that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them' (Mark 6:5). Thus the power in him overcame even their unbelief." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.19)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 wants us to let this sink in for a moment: Paul the miracle worker, a man through whom people were healed just by touching his clothes, was himself not healed (Acts 19:12). Clearly, healing is a mystery that we cannot fully understand.

God knows all of the thorns in our lives—spiritual, emotional, and physical—and he knows the plans he has for our lives. In many cases, we won’t find the answers to these mysteries until we are united with the Lord in heaven. But that doesn’t mean we should lose our faith. If anything, these mysteries should deepen it! Sometimes, the only answer is to pray for courage, resiliency, and steadfastness. Sometimes, the only answer we have is to trust God and have faith in “what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Friar Jude Winkler underlines the role of Ezekiel as prophet to let Judah know they would be responsible for their deeds. He discusses Jesus as carpenter, son of Mary, and the viewpoint of some Orthodox and Protestants on Jesus’ cousins. The misunderstanding of Jesus role by His disciples, family and townsfolk is related to an expectation of a Messiah of power.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, is encouraged to see many Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist brothers and sisters actively engaged with the political realm, speaking truth to power, and holding our political leaders accountable. Being political is a basic civic, human, and spiritual duty!

Like it or not, politics (civic engagement) is one of our primary means of addressing poverty and other justice issues. I am not talking about partisan politics here, but simply connecting the inner world with the outer world. As a result of our dualistic thinking, the word “partisan” has come to be synonymous with the word “political.” And so many church-goers do not want to hear the Gospel preached—as it might sound political!

Our baptismal role of prophet who makes God present in our social and political relationships is one for which our faults will be noticed by others and redeemed by our faith in God.

References


(n.d.). Ezekiel — introduction - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/0

(n.d.). 2 Corinthians, chapter 12. Retrieved July 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/12

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 8, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/6

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 8, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

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

(n.d.). 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 8, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 8, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/