Food in due season

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today praises God “you give them their food in due season”. (Psalms 145:15). The prophet Isaiah questions the faithful who appear to be unaware of the invitation of the Divine “to Abundant Life”. Paul addresses the Romans and proclaims that our relationship with Christ makes us conquerors of all “hardship, distress, or persecution”. We are invited to be people in relationship with the Divine steadfast love and providence. This time of year we have the opportunity to witness in nature the ongoing cycle of life, growth and awesome beauty which surround us. The actions of many people we meet reflect lives taking advantage of the promise of abundant life as they join family and friends in reunions. We see many come to assist with the spiritual, emotional and material needs of their fellow people. What are we required to do? Matthew’s Gospel tells of those who took their lives with the troubles and illness to listen to Jesus and to be recipients of His compassion and healing. Trusting in Providence restores those who are awake to their intimate relationship with God to life and security.

Herod Herodias and influence

The episode which relates how John the Baptist met his death from the Gospel of Matthew in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today prompts consideration of the influences from which we make our decisions. Herod is in fear of the people who consider John the Baptist a prophet and he has been reluctant to act against him until his image as a ruler comes into question following the promise to Herodias daughter to give her whatever she asked. How we look in the eyes of others is too often a strong decision making influence for us. Our pride is so often the cause of our failure. The psalmist advises praise of God for His graciousness and blessings. From the attitude of gratitude we are less likely to overvalue our own position and promotion as we become aware of the involvement of Providence in our daily life. The text from Leviticus indicates the need in our lives for the time of fallow and restoration of our relationship with the Divine and one another when our tendency to unbalance the scales in favour of our position and privilege has been in the forefront.

Wailing and grinding of teeth

The parables in the Gospel of Matthew from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring two or three items to mind which inform us of the nature of God and of our need to be inspired to work at understanding more of what a relationship with the Divine means. The wailing and grinding of teeth is the image of the fate of we who are complex creatures who are simultaneously living as children of God and as creatures of the earth. The fact of our reality and the understanding we have from sources “old and new” that Good and Evil cannot coexist is difficult to process. The obedience of Moses to the instructions of God around the reverence to the tabernacle contains the interesting placement of the seat of mercy above the Ark of the Covenant. This understanding of the mercy of God and the praise of the psalmist for the steadfast and detailed love of God suggests that our wailing and grinding of teeth is our response to the separation we may interject in our intimacy with God through our pursuit of self centered goals.

A pearl of great price

The text in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today from the Gospel of Matthew is a portion of three parable of Jesus on the reaction of people to encountering great value. The parable does not describe what it was about the pearl or the treasure which put it in the category of great value. The psalmist today praises God for a quality of “for holy is He’. The sign that Moses had been in valuable communication with God described in Exodus was a radiant and shining face. Our faces, perhaps particularly our eyes are often reflective of the things of value we encounter. The gaze of the lover towards the beloved, the joy of children as they approach family and the gracious gifts of Presence, people and place will cause our disposition to reflect the value we experience. The parable underlines what we know from experience that these extremely valuable finds are the result of our thirst for whole or holiness and they cannot be purchased with the currencies of our commercial culture. As we incorporate the priceless pearl and the great treasure of our relationship with the Divine into our being, we radiate, like Moses, a sign that there is something of great value here.

Blessings seen and heard

The summer is a season for family reunions. The gathering of the youngest and the oldest of the extended family is an experience which is related to the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The youngest in the family are celebrated as the blessings which are seen and heard and offer to the oldest the great hope in the future. Mathew’s Gospel relates Jesus addressing His disciples who in the family of God are witness to the blessings and hope for which he previous generations have been waiting. The Church commemorates the Joachim and Ann the parents of Mary who witnessed and is witness to the fulfillment of the Promise praised by the psalmist. The parents and grandparents plant the seed which bears fruit in the children. Enjoy family. It is a model within which the Body of Christ lives and offers intimacy with the Divine.

Not power but humble service

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are present at the same time as we try to understand some of the why associated with the massacre of young people in Norway. The lesson of leadership in the Kingdom of God is the theme of the text from Matthew’s Gospel on the feast day for St James. Jesus shows James and John the model of leadership is in humble service. The leader gives all to others in service. The ideal of western democracy is that the people choose their leaders. The best leaders in democratic history have served. The young people who were so viciously attacked were beginning to experience the path of democratic leadership. Paul addresses the Corinthians on the topics of affliction, confusion, persecution and attack. The power which assures that none of these evils will prevail is the power of our intimate relationship to the Divine as the Body of Christ. In our earthly ‘servant-leadership’ we activate the will of God and like Jesus are invited to be the model of leadership which will be inspiration to all people. We call out today with the deep need and certainty of help of the psalmist. “Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.”

Treasure, pearls and fish

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today bring searching to mind. Solomon is to replace his father David as King. The Lord offers him anything he asks for his life. The search of Solomon leads him to ask for wisdom for which he becomes a synonym. The psalmist praises the treasures of God as mercy, steadfast love and commandments. (Wisdom?) Fr Larry Gillick SJ begins his reflection for today with the image of our life journey. Paul proclaims to the Romans the great Christian passage of consolation. The love of God transforms all that those who are searching for intimacy with the Divine encounter to good. The searching of the one who is digging in the field and the merchant in the parables of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel emphasize the search and the joy of finding the treasure which is the intimate relationship of our indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God and valuing that relationship above everything. The sorting of the fish and the reference to the ‘called’ in Romans 8:28 suggest that the joy and consolation presented in these texts may not be the experience of all. We are always challenged to continue to search, to continue the journey. This unfinished journey contains unanswered questions. Who are the called? (everyone?) Who does not search for the Meaning in Life? (no one?)