When glory appears

“Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full” is the response today to the psalm in the Roman Catholic Lectionary This praise proclamation is appropriate for the texts from the Second Book of Maccabees and from the Gospel of Luke. The second book of Maccabees, which is only in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox canon, tells individual stories of the decision of Jewish believers to accept martyrdom instead of submitting to the demands of the Greek rulers to practice pagan rituals including the eating of ``unclean`` food. The glory for which the faithful await is their return to God in resurrection.Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that this faith in resurrection is also a sustaining hope for full joy in the Christian journey when we are beset with the twists and turns of life that can so often steal our joy. The history ofthe Land of Israel in the period 166 - 129 BCE was one of struggle against the Hellenist Seleucids which culminates in the triumph of the Maccabees (Hebrew for hammer)/Hasmoneans (family name) and the restoration of worship in a purified Temple which is celebrated in Jewish tradition as the holiday of Chanukah. The ruler character in the parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke who goes away and leaves the administration of his kingdom in the hands of those who work for him isinterpreted by some as Jesus preparing His disciple for the long time between His death and return in the final days. During this time, Robert P. Heaney, John A. Creighton University Chair, advises that we be alert to the directive that we are responsible to God to use our gifts to bring return on the investment of God in us to His people. The action of making our gifts work for the benefit of others requires faith. The apparent unfairness of those who have the most coins in the parable getting more applies to faith. Faith which is not exercised in action and reaction with the people of God dies and strips us of the joy which the psalmist knows can be ours in the Presence of God.

An element of surprise

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.⁴ I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill (Psalm 3:3-4) The relationship expressed by the psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is one which we all seek to know. A shield from God to protect us from the influences that threaten to destroy our peace and contentment seems an ideal righteous environment. The elderly, like Eleazar, in the passage from  the Second Book of Maccabees should perhaps be given some kind of a pass to the peace and contentment of retirement but FriarJude Winkler reminds us of the great responsibility of those gifted with the experience of life to be examples of living the Gospel in their relationships with others. Many spiritual writers including Richard Rohr in his book FallingUpward celebrate the freedom of the ‘second half of life’ to live in witness to the great Love of God. The surprise of becoming a “white martyr” as our mission at retirement time offers a renewal of the role we see ourselves doing in the vineyard. The Gospel of Luke is an account full of journeys and surprises. As Jesus is travelling through Jericho to Jerusalem He becomes the object of the deep desire of Zacchaeus to see Him. Perhaps as a chief tax collector Zacchaeus, is in the second half of life. This encounter with Jesus has been interpreted in more than one way. The tense of the Greek verb can favour the scenario where Zacchaeus is like the Prodigal Son who declares an intention in the future to repent and perhaps convert or in the comments of Dan Clendenin, he is a righteous man today who Jesus identifies to show us how we too often misjudge without having all the information. It that light, the tax collector has been living as the “white martyr” receiving scorn and rejection as the result of the careless assumptions of the community. The ‘realized eschatology’ in the Gospel of Luke reminds us that the Life in the surprise of Love is now! 

Interrupt me

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers some meditation about seeing the path we should take and the difficulty we may have with the crowd who are distracting us from fullness of life. The psalmist cries out to proclaim that he is frustrated in the zeal he has for the decrees of God because his foes despise him and ignore the message of Life from God. When Israel came under the control of the Greek Empire in the two centuries before the birth of Jesus, many of the Jewish people reacted to the destruction of Jerusalem and the imposition of pagan religious practice by adopting the customs of the conquerors. The Books of Maccabees tell of brothers who saw things differently and rebelled against this invasion. In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus is on His journey to Jerusalem and, as noted by Don Schwager, is very likely adopting a teaching style of rabbis to talk to the crowd as He walked. We are invited by Michele Bogard of Creighton University to put ourselves in this text. We might be become aware of times when our desire to hear and teacher or homilist has been interrupted by a person distracting us from the flow of the session. We recall our frustration and annoyance about this intrusion into our doing something good, worthwhile and perhaps holy. Another position in the Gospel is that of Jesus. How likely are we to have stopped telling our important story or teaching to say to the one who interrupts   (Luke 18:41) "What do you want me to do for you”?  The path of our movement to holiness is fraught with interruptions. The Spirit will become present to us as an interrupting of patterns which are moving more with the crowd perhaps away from our mission. Hear the Word!

The Good Day is coming

The journey of Christians following Jesus often brings opportunity to reflect on the aspects of life which we truly value. The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today give advice and warning about choosing to live without consideration of true value. The Prophet Malachi, according to Friar Jude Winkler, is extending an understanding among Jews of his time that those outside the Law, the Gentiles, were the evildoers who would meet the wrath of God to the members within the community who had seemingly had forgotten the Love of Yahweh for the poor ones and who used their power and privilege to live well as respected Jews without the need to act in Love and justice. The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is addressed to some in that community who have accepted a life style of not contributing to the community because the imminent end of the world would make such work futile. The Gospel from Luke warns that the timing of the end of the world is not known. The tribulation to which Jesus refers is a constant in human history. Father LarryGillick SJ comments on Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador for whom the fear and tribulation of their opponents wrought by the work of these Christians living the Word led to their execution. Father Roberto Donato (Lectio Divina Nov 14 2013) and Father Larry point to the beginning of this Chapter of Luke where the poorest widow is putting all her savings in the temple collection basket while the wealthy gave from their surplus. She, by putting her money in the treasury, places her treasure in the good times coming (Luke 21.1-4). The working disciple of Jesus is given faith to see the true values which lead to Love and justice.

A Prayer Plan

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today praises the deliverance of the Israelites by God. “For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.” (Psalm 105:42). An analysis of the time line of God in keeping the Promise shows that Abraham would not live to see the growth of his people to be as numerous the stars. Moses, later, would not cross over to the Promised Land after the great escape from Egypt at the hands of God praised today by the author of the Book of Wisdom. The timeline of the action of God is not the schedule of the finite imperfect creatures who are His Children. The parable from the Gospel of Luke today reminds Eileen Wirth ofCreighton University of her action in response to the requests of her children. The process of parents and children coming to a solution over the latest request is one of the inexperienced and impatient working with the more experienced, patient and loving parent who seeks the best for the child as he hopes to direct the request to the best outcome. Friar Jude Winkler encourages Christians to adopt the chutzpah often found in Jewish prayer. The expression of our passion, even in as an animated discussion or argument with God, in the manner of Abraham, wherein we explore the reasons perhaps that God might not look so good by refusing our request is prayer which opens our relationship to see and hear more of the Love of Our Father. (and the “Our Father”). Don Schwager cites (Luke 17:5) to tell us ask the Lord to increase our faith. The trust of Abraham and the faith of Mary that God acts beyond the boundaries of human understanding to bring us closer in intimate communion through the Spirit is the solid foundation to pray with patience and persistence in an expectant manner.

What we see

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts which offer a meditation on how what we see and what we believe are so closely connected. The author of the Book of Wisdom could make the observation today concerning those who only accept humanistic or logical understanding of the “Big Questions” that “for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things? (Wisdom 13.9)” Creation reveals the Creator. Perhaps we focus too much on the What? When? And How? of the universe? The question for deep meditation is Why? The psalmist proclaims the wordless truth about God which goes out to those who seek to see in the rhythm of day and night life. The Gospel from Luke today is rich in images about life, judgement and separation. This text is often included by those seeking some literal evidence to argue about pre tribulation rapture as opposed to post tribulation rapture. Michael D. Guinan, O.F.M brings a review of the tradition of Roman Catholic thought on this matter. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the visibility of the action of God in daily life and the possible misunderstanding of rapture from interpretation of Revelation and the words of Paul. The experience of God and the Love we know as intimacy with Jesus, who preferred the company of sinners, makes the sudden separation of righteous and wicked in a rapture (Luke 17:34) an action very far removed from the image in the Gospel of Luke of God with infinite patience calling for sinners to be reconciled. Perhaps the understanding of Catie O'Malley at Creighton University which focuses on Luke 17:33 is the essential difference presented between our life when we live in service of others, because of Jesus Love, and our experience of life when we are serving ourselves. Don Schwager comments that our intimacy with a godly person does not allow us to pass off our responsibility to Live the Word. We are not preparing for that sudden judgement if we allow our spiritual journey to be done by proxy. The people in our daily lives are the vineyard where our Love will become service and we will lose our lives as we gain Life as intimate participant in the Life of the Creator of heaven and earth.

Wisdom to see the flashes

The search for knowledge and understanding of the nature of God is a fundamental human quest explored in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. An attribute of God is wisdom. The manifestation of this Wisdom is proclaimed in the text today from the Book of Wisdom. People in pursuit of holiness are assured that “in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets” (Wisdom 7.27). Friar Jude Winkler explains the numerology of this passage of 21 attributes as the superlative expression of perfection. A Jewish commentary on Wisdom literature includes the observation that wisdom comes to man only as a divine gift, and that it belongs to the very nature of God himself. In the Gospel passage from Luke , today, Jesus addresses the nature of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Joan Blandin Howardof Creighton University expresses the experience of a Roman Catholic believer that the “Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21) as one of lack of attention to the Living Spirit being in the events of our everyday life. The commentaryfrom other sources, perhaps those without a Eucharistic Presence experience, seems to have difficulty with the Kingdom which is now through Jesus Present Within. The flashings in the sky mentioned in this passage have many reflections in the time line of acceptance of Jesus Presence, observations actions of the Spirit, His Resurrection and the final days. The Gift of Wisdom leads us as we struggle to comprehend. This Sunday's scripture text (about the end times) is encouragement for the faithful who worship God and try to live justly and righteously.