Fortune reversed and life protected

The texts from the Roman Catholic lectionary today resonate with concepts of fortune reversed and life protected.


The apostasy of Joash, described in the Second Book of Chronicles, is a reminder of how the influence of bad companions may result in very poor decisions.

The inability to serve two masters and our preferred attitude of dependence on God are the subjects of Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.

* [6:25–34] Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs (Mt 6:32), but forbids making them the object of anxious care and, in effect, becoming their slave.

Tom Purcell reflects on the relationship between these passages.

the blessings we enjoy also may be our roadblocks – our attachments to people and things and material goods make it much harder to live life in harmony with God.  What Jesus is calling us to do today, and what the people of Judah did not do, is to be in tune with God, to synchronize our actions with the life that God calls us to live, to detach ourselves from things that do not matter and to help God do the things that need to be done to bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Don Schwager asks what do the expressions "serving two masters" and "being anxious" have in common?

They both have the same root problem - being divided within oneself. The root word for "anxiety" literally means "being of two minds." An anxious person is often "tossed to and fro" and paralyzed by fear, indecision, and insecurity. Fear of some bad outcome cripples those afflicted with anxiety. It's also the case with someone who wants to live in two opposing kingdoms - God's kingdom of light, truth, and goodness or Satan's kingdom of darkness, sin, and deception - following God's standards and way of happiness or following the world's standards of success and happiness.

The Word Among Us meditation on Matthew 6:24-34, suggests what Jesus wants us to be on the lookout for. He knows it’s impossible for us to stop worrying completely. But He wants not to let anxiety paralyze us.

Some experts recommend keeping a “worry list” and setting aside thirty minutes during the day devoted to the list. Each time a worry starts to dominate your thoughts, stop and write it down. Then put the list aside until your worry time. That’s when you can pay attention to it. If it’s something you can fix, make a plan to fix it. Plan to call a mechanic and make an appointment to check out that noise in your car. But if the worry is something you can’t control, like the future of your airplane flight, acknowledge it, recognize that it’s out of your hands, and do your best to turn it over to God.

Friar Jude Winkler describes how Joash allowed himself and the nobles to behave in pagan ways resulting in Judah being conquered. If we do evil things, the evil will come back on us in the misery we have brought into our lives. Friar Jude offers prudence as a balance to Jesus use of Jewish exaggeration in His teaching. When we selfishly build up riches, we are stealing from the poor.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, summarizes teaching on justice noting that only by solidarity with other people’s suffering can comfortable people be converted. Otherwise we are disconnected from the cross—of the world, of others, of Jesus, and finally of our own necessary participation in the great mystery of dying and rising.  Watch this short music video of Eileen Shaughnessy, who teaches on environmental and social justice at the University of New Mexico & the In-Betweens hosting a dance party with friends in front of a beautiful mural—“Honor the People” by artist Nani Chacon—on historic Route 66 through the heart of Albuquerque.

The attitude described by Jesus toward the material world places emphasis of being in harmony with the will of God.

References

(n.d.). 2 Chronicles, chapter 24 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/2Chronicles/24:17

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew6:48

Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html 

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

Treasure and darkness in our political history

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider our heritage of political conflict and open our eyes to what has true value to serve God and our neighbour.

Heritage of material values

The reading from 2 Kings describes the violent nature of political conflict in the family of Ahab and Jezebel and the nature of the promises made between God, king and people.


* [11:17] There are two covenants. One is between the Lord as one party and the people, headed by the king, as the other. The second covenant, between king and people, is comparable to that made between David and the elders of Israel at Hebron (2 Sm 5:3).

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus addresses treasure in our lives and the Light in which we see the world as part of the Sermon on the Mount.

* [6:22–23] In this context the parable probably points to the need for the disciple to be enlightened by Jesus’ teaching on the transitory nature of earthly riches.

Edward Morse prays that God will shape our perceptions and open us to the cues we need for our formation, knowing that nothing is wasted in the economy of the kingdom of heaven if we trust things to God.

Like Athalia, sometimes our perceptions become clouded.  Empty promises of happiness can fool us into taking a path that can only deliver misery. Such are the tactics of our adversary.  But thanks be to God that he can save us from that path! The world may scoff, but Jesus offers the only path that works. Of course, we will also find suffering and difficulty on that path.  God can turn these things into good in forming us and fitting us for His kingdom. The path to perdition delivers suffering and difficulty, too, and no such promise

Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D. on seeking the right intention.

"We know that all our works are pure and pleasing in the sight of God if they are performed with a single heart. This means that they are performed out of charity and with an intention that is fixed on heaven. For 'love is the fulfillment of the law'(Romans 13:10). Therefore in this passage we ought to understand the eye as the intention with which we perform all our actions. If this intention is pure and upright and directing its gaze where it ought to be directed, then unfailingly all our works are good works, because they are performed in accordance with that intention. And by the expression 'whole body,' Christ designated all those works that he reproves and that he commands us to put to death. For the apostle also designates certain works as our 'members.' 'Therefore,' Paul writes, 'mortify your members which are on earth: fornication, uncleanness, covetousness' (Colossians 3:5), and all other such things." (excerpt from SERMON ON THE MOUNT 2.13.45)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 6:19-23 notes that what we take in through our eyes shapes the focus of our hearts and our actions.

Today, think about the many images that you see in a given day. Then, just for fun, get a piece of paper and a red and a green marker. All morning, pay attention to what you are seeing. If it is an image you should filter out, make a red mark. If it is a good image, make a green mark. Then, during lunch, take stock. Are there too many red marks? What can you do about it? How can you make your eyes as clear as possible? By fixing them on Jesus as often as you can remember to.

Friar Jude Winkler shares the backstory on the daughter of Ahab, Athaliah, a king in hiding and a palace coup. Treasures on earth and material things need to be managed with prudence so that we not fall into selfishness. Friar Jude asserts that the things we look at enter into our consciousness. If everything we see,we see in the Lord, we look for good and find it. If we look for bad we find it too.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the history of injustice in the south west United States and how it connects to how we see the other.

Migration—whether chosen or forced—is a reality we must continue to face. U.S. interference in Central America has led to destabilization and violence. In 1986, the year before the Center for Action and Contemplation officially opened, our governor declared New Mexico the country’s first “State of Sanctuary,” a welcoming place for those fleeing civil wars in Central America. Albuquerque’s mayor, Tim Keller, recently affirmed that we are an “Immigrant Friendly” city, limiting city resources in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Political power achieved by manipulation and images designed to show the other in negative terms are ancient strategies that are in conflict with the vision of people filled with the light of Christ.

References

(n.d.). 2 Kings, chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2kings/11

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew6:48

(2018, June 5). The Good Eye, The Evil Eye – Matthew 6:22-23. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://podcast.stuffyoumissed.com/e/the-good-eye-the-evil-eye-%E2%80%93-matthew-622-23/

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 22, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Prayerful conversation for wisdom and forgiveness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today emphasize Wisdom in our Spiritual Tradition and Jesus instruction for initiating conversation with “Our Father”.

Conversation initiated

The Book of Sirach describes how Elisha continued Elijah’s work as evidence of the Wisdom of the Prophets of the Hebrew people.

* [48:12–16] Elisha continued Elijah’s work (vv. 12–14), but the obstinacy of the people eventually brought on the destruction of the kingdom of Israel and the dispersion of its subjects. Judah, however, survived under the rule of Davidic kings, both good and bad (vv. 15–16).

In the Gospel from Matthew, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us how to pray to the Father.

* [6:9–13] Matthew’s form of the “Our Father” follows the liturgical tradition of his church. Luke’s less developed form also represents the liturgical tradition known to him, but it is probably closer than Matthew’s to the original words of Jesus.

An article by Brent MacDonald compares the versions of The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew and Luke.

The Lord's Prayer, our "Our Father," or "Pater Noster," is a prayer found in two occurrences in the New Testament. While often referred to as parallel passages, they are only so in relative content and not in circumstances.  It appears that Jesus taught on prayer at two different times, one recorded in the gospel of Matthew, the other in the gospel of Luke.

Larry Gillick, S.J reflects that the prayer of Jesus encourages us to share the “Daily Bread” of forgiveness in our forgiving others, not judiciously, but "revealationally." He notes that all we have, including our being forgiven, is not just for me, but for us, God’s family.

Our experiences of being slighted, injured, slandered and betrayed are difficult to be healed.  We find it not easy to forgive ourselves as well as to forgive others. We have a strong sense of Justice in such a way that revenge seems the only way for Justice to be served.  In a sense grudges, resulting from injury, become a possession of power and we can hold them as a treasure for a long time, just waiting for that power, that richness, to be served upon our “injurer”.

Don Schwager explores the wisdom of John Cassian (360-435 AD), an early church father, who lived for several years with the monks in Bethlehem and Egypt before founding a monastery in southern Gaul. He wrote about the Lord's Prayer and the necessity of forgiving one another from the heart.

"The mercy of God is beyond description. While he is offering us a model prayer he is teaching us a way of life whereby we can be pleasing in his sight. But that is not all. In this same prayer he gives us an easy method for attracting an indulgent and merciful judgment on our lives. He gives us the possibility of ourselves mitigating the sentence hanging over us and of compelling him to pardon us. What else could he do in the face of our generosity when we ask him to forgive us as we have forgiven our neighbor? If we are faithful in this prayer, each of us will ask forgiveness for our own failings after we have forgiven the sins of those who have sinned against us, not only those who have sinned against our Master. There is, in fact, in some of us a very bad habit. We treat our sins against God, however appalling, with gentle indulgence - but when by contrast it is a matter of sins against us ourselves, albeit very tiny ones, we exact reparation with ruthless severity. Anyone who has not forgiven from the bottom of the heart the brother or sister who has done him wrong will only obtain from this prayer his own condemnation, rather than any mercy."

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15 offers that when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we’re praying the essentials—the things we need to say. Then we can quickly shift our attention to listening to God and giving him an opportunity to open himself up to us.

Try devoting your prayer time today to the Lord’s Prayer. Recite it slowly. Pause for a moment to dwell on each phrase. Know that God hears every word. What’s more, he sees your heart. He is aware of all of your needs today—you don’t even have to mention them. Instead, you can thank him for giving you such a beautiful, simple prayer. Then invite him to respond. Who knows? This could lead into a very meaningful conversation.

Friar Jude Winkler provides background on finding a Hebrew version of Sirach. The elugies of the great figures of Israel are showing that Hebrew Wisdom is just as good as Greek Wisdom. In Jesus time God was considered very distance. The Our Father is countercultural. We are invited into special relationship with God as “Abba”. Friar Jude comments on the suggestion of Pope Francis to change the English translation of this ancient prayer.

M J C Warren, Lecturer in Biblical and Religious Studies, University of Sheffield, writes that Pope Francis is wrong about the Lord’s Prayer.

There are two major issues with Pope Francis’s call to change the Lord’s Prayer. In attempting to remove any implication that God has some hand in evil, the Pope not only overlooks the many biblical examples where God works with Satan to test his followers and even his own son, but he also ignores the plain meaning of the Gospel text. A more consistent understanding of God actually requires that wording, begging God not to lead a worshipper into temptation.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that mystics from every tradition testify to the aliveness and sentience of all things, and that the natural world is lit up with the flame of divinity. This does and must include us.

St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-c. 394) offered another beautiful, succinct, and useful definition of sin. Sin, he [suggested], is a refusal to keep growing. [3]
This is a growing moment. Growth is painful.
I don’t believe hell or heaven to be post-life destinations. I believe they are states of consciousness largely visible here and now. A world of objects is a kind of hell. A world of subjects—divine beings honoring the divinity in the other—is surely heaven. May we point our feet toward this heaven and begin the hard and necessary work of walking there.

The conversation we begin with the Lord’s Prayer urges us to grow with the Body of Christ avoiding temptations to treat the other as less.

References


(n.d.). Sirach, chapter 48 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/sirach/48

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew6:48
(n.d.). NJAB - The Lord's Prayer, Matthew vs Luke. Many manuscript variants .... Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://notjustanotherbook.com/thelordsprayer.htm

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 21, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.htm

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 21, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). 11th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(2017, December 8). 'Lead us not into temptation': why Pope Francis is wrong about the .... Retrieved June 21, 2018, from http://theconversation.com/lead-us-not-into-temptation-why-pope-francis-is-wrong-about-the-lords-prayer-88886 

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

A spiritual DNA for alms, prayer, and fasting

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer contemplation of the contrasts between a transactional approach to our relationship with God and our being led by the Spirit to discovery of our essence as the image of God.

A heritage of relationship with God

In the Second Book of Kings, Elisha seeks to inherit a double portion of the Spirit of Elijah including the power to call on God for miraculous events.

* [2:9] Double portion of your spirit: as the firstborn son inherited a double portion of his father’s property (Dt 21:17), so Elisha asks to inherit from Elijah his spirit of prophecy in the degree befitting his principal disciple. In Nm 11:17–25, God bestows some of the spirit of Moses on others.

In the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares how to practice almsgiving, prayer and fasting, as recommended by the rabbis when seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

* [6:1–18] The sermon continues with a warning against doing good in order to be seen and gives three examples, almsgiving (Mt 6:2–4), prayer (Mt 6:5–15), and fasting (Mt 6:16–18). In each, the conduct of the hypocrites (Mt 6:2) is contrasted with that demanded of the disciples. The sayings about reward found here and elsewhere (Mt 5:12, 46; 10:41–42) show that this is a genuine element of Christian moral exhortation. Possibly to underline the difference between the Christian idea of reward and that of the hypocrites, the evangelist uses two different Greek verbs to express the rewarding of the disciples and that of the hypocrites; in the latter case it is the verb apechō, a commercial term for giving a receipt for what has been paid in full (Mt 6:2, 5, 16).

Keith Krell, a senior pastor, explores the concept from Matthew 6 of a receipt for what has been paid in full as he underlines that we need to do the right thing in the right way.

The word translated “in full” (apecho) is a technical term for commercial transactions and means to “receive a sum in full and give a receipt for it.”20 When you seek to impress people you are not giving but buying, and you get what you paid for. [Take out a receipt.] This receipt shows that I made a purchase at Jack In The Box and received some “food” (if you can call it that). I paid for my food. I received it in full and consumed it. End of story. This is equally true when I seek to impress people instead of God. I am paid in full with no hope of any future reward.

Julie Kalkowski suggests that knowing God is watching even we think others are not can help nudge us into doing the right thing.

We are all called to use the gifts God has blessed us with to serve others.  What a lucky girl I was to be close to two very different grandmothers who did just that. It wasn’t a competition for them, they were just following an old prayer about being “the hands and feet of Jesus”.  And that is how we build God’s kingdom here and now, one quiet kindness at a time.

Don Schwager offers that the Lord rewards those who seek him with humble and repentant hearts. He renews us each day and he gives us new hearts of love and compassion that we may serve him and our neighbor with glad and generous hearts. Seek him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in need.

What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is union with God our Father. In him alone we find the fullness of life and happiness, truth and beauty, love and joy. Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) wrote the following prayer in his Confessions: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete.

Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 teaches that fasting is just as valuable today as it was in Jesus’ time.

It gives us more time to turn to the Lord in prayer. The physical hunger we feel can help put us in touch with our spiritual hunger for Jesus. It confirms Jesus’ teaching that we don’t live on bread alone “but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Even better, tuning in to the Lord through fasting puts us more clearly in touch with his love, his desires, and his peace. These spiritual rewards far outweigh any temporary feelings of discomfort from hunger

Friar Jude Winkler makes connections between Elijah, Joshua and Moses. The trio of Enoch, Elijah, and Moses were thought to have special understanding of heaven by apocalyptic authors in the centuries before and after Jesus life. Friar Jude looks at the tension between doing “in secret” and being set upon a lampstand as a witness to Christ.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, emphasizes that searching for and rediscovering the True Self is the fundamentum, the essential task that will gradually open us to receiving and giving love to God, others, and ourselves, and thus to live truly just lives.

The single and true purpose of mature religion is to lead you to ever new experiences of your True Self. If religion does not do this, it is junk religion. Every sacrament, every Bible story, every church service, every sermon, every hymn, every bit of priesthood, ministry, or liturgy is for one purpose: to allow you to experience your True Self—who you are in God and who God is in you—and to live a generous and just life from that Infinite Source.

Ave Maria Press questions Dan Horan, OFM, about the links between the True Self of Thomas Merton and Franciscan spirituality.

Ave Maria Press: Thomas Merton is known for his insight into the “True Self.” In your book you trace this concept back to a Franciscan perspective. Can you explain the connection there?Dan Horan, OFM: The origin of and the theological foundation for Merton’s notion of the “True Self” can be traced back to the original work of a medieval Franciscan friar named John Duns Scotus. Scotus argued that what makes something a particular or individual thing was not external or extrinsic to that thing (as many other theories held), but that everything is particularly loved into existence by God with a unique, inalienable, and unrepeatable identity that is really identical with a thing’s very existence This “principle of individuation” (the technical term) of Scotus is called haecceitas in Latin (meaning “this-ness”), which Merton refers to during his studies of the tradition and around the time he begins working on what will become his book New Seeds of Contemplation in which the “True Self” concept first appears..

Religious experience leads us to ever new experiences of your True Self. Our almsgiving, prayer and fasting is energized by our spiritual DNA in the image of God.

References

(n.d.). 2 Kings, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2kings/2

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew6:48

(2010, March 23). 7. Secret Service (Matthew 6:1–18) | Bible.org. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://bible.org/seriespage/7-secret-service-matthew-61-18

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Saint Romuald, Abbot (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/

(2014, October 14). Author Spotlight: Dan Horan, Author of The Franciscan Heart of .... Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://www.avemariapress.com/news/2014/10/14/author-spotlight-dan-horan-merton-and-st-francis/

A sermon on enemies and love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect our desire to live in accord with the will of God to practical action in the social and political environment around us.

Conscience and consequences

Condemnation of the dynasty of Ahab by Elijah in the First Book of Kings had serious political implications.

* [21:20–26] In these verses the narrator uses against the third Israelite dynasty the same condemnation formula that was uttered against the first two dynasties, those of Jeroboam (14:9–11) and Baasha (16:2–4). Part of the formula is put in Elijah’s mouth, in an oracle against Ahab and his descendants (vv. 21–22), and part of it in an aside to the reader that extends the condemnation to Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, and his whole household (vv. 23–24). The oracle against Jezebel will be fulfilled in 2 Kgs 9:36; the obliteration of the dynasty will be recounted in the bloody stories of 2 Kgs 9–11.

In the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus directs us to love our enemies.

* [5:43–48] See Lv 19:18. There is no Old Testament commandment demanding hatred of one’s enemy, but the “neighbor” of the love commandment was understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament (Ps 139:19–22) and at Qumran (1QS 9:21) hatred of evil persons is assumed to be right. Jesus extends the love commandment to the enemy and the persecutor. His disciples, as children of God, must imitate the example of their Father, who grants his gifts of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.

Andy Alexander, S.J observes that, for the most part, we are followers of Jesus' way up to a point and then stop.

Then I can ask myself - perhaps throughout the day - Do I love my enemies?  Do I pray for those who persecute me? It shouldn't be very hard to come up with people that fall into this category:  from people who bug me to people I simply can't stand. I should include people who really don't like me. Of course, anyone who has hurt me badly in the past should go on this list.  And, I can even let myself consider "classes of people" I don't care too much for - the people who act or think differently from me.
Next, before I become terribly discouraged about ever being able to be Christian at all, if it means loving people on this list, I can simply and humbly ask our Lord for the grace he wants to give me to love these people the way he has loved me: with patience, compassion, healing and peace.

Don Schwager uses the words of John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D to ask if we perceive how elevated is a Christian disposition?

"For neither did Christ simply command to love but to pray. Do you see how many steps he has ascended and how he has set us on the very summit of virtue? Mark it, numbering from the beginning. A first step is not to begin with injustice. A second, after one has begun, is not to vindicate oneself by retaliating in kind. A third, to refuse to respond in kind to the one who is injuring us but to remain tranquil. A fourth, even to offer up one's self to suffer wrongfully. A fifth, to give up even more than the wrongdoer wishes to take. A sixth, to refuse to hate one who has wronged us. A seventh, even to love such a one. An eighth, even to do good to that one. A ninth, to entreat God himself on our enemy's behalf. Do you perceive how elevated is a Christian disposition? Hence its reward is also glorious. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 18.4)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:43-48 comments that we share many similarities with many people—if we dig deep enough.

Once you have identified these similarities and others, you can take the next step: look for some of that person’s unique qualities. He probably has his own story of heroic generosity and virtue. She may well be bearing an unseen cross with quiet faith and trust. Because everyone bears the image of God, everyone can reveal a facet of God’s nature that you never have encountered.
So are we the same? Or are we different? We are both. And that’s exactly how God wants it.

Fr Jack Mahoney SJ, Emeritus Professor of Moral and Social Theology, is asking what value we might find in historical and more modern attempts to interpret and live up to the values set forth in this important passage in Matthew’s Gospel.

Likewise, ‘rationalising’ the Sermon on the Mount divorces it from its theological context in Matthew’s Gospel, which we saw earlier, and disregards its purpose as being the demanding yet grace-bearing code of life for the followers of Jesus as they enter into God’s kingdom and live his new covenant with his new chosen people. Christian morality must be understood as part of an embracing love of God as well as of neighbour. Both the Decalogue and Sermon on the Mount begin with the gift of God and his covenant, and sketch the response of members of the chosen people, the ancient and then the new Israel, as they attempt to live with God’s gift and grace in their lives.

Friar Jude Winkler provides background on the “banana republic” instability of the northern kingdom of Israel when Elijah condemns Ahab. When we cheat and lie we are committing a form of blasphemy. Love is a question of giving what you need whether you deserve it or not. The Sermon on the Mount calls us to be perfect in Love and purify our motivation and act out of selflessness.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us that the church’s role is to change the world through the life and love of Jesus Christ. He quotes Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.”

WE BELIEVE we are one body. In Christ, there is to be no oppression based on race, gender, identity, or class (Galatians 3:28). [I would add sexual orientation as well.] The body of Christ, where those great human divisions are to be overcome, is meant to be an example for the rest of society. When we fail to overcome these oppressive obstacles, and even perpetuate them, we have failed in our vocation to the world—to proclaim and live the reconciling gospel of Christ.

Fr Jack Mahoney SJ quotes German scholar, Georg Strecker that, ‘there is scarcely a realm of New Testament exegesis in which the danger of erroneous interpretations is so great as in the area of actualizing the Sermon on the Mount’. St Francis of Assisi had a point when he is said to have demanded, ‘the Gospel without the gloss’ (evangelium sine glossa), or explanatory footnotes, for in this case many of the attempts to explain the Sermon on the Mount can easily slide into explaining it away.

References

(n.d.). 1 Kings, chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/21

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 19, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 19, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Sermon on the Mount | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits .... Retrieved June 19, 2018, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/tags/sermon-mount

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 19, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Response to evil

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our response to encountering evil in the some of our actions to get what we want.

Struggle for our needs

The First Book of Kings relates the evil plot of Jezebel to acquire the lands tended by Naboth the Jezreelite.

* [21:1–16] The story tells how Jezebel manipulates important structures of Israelite social order, law, and religious observance to eliminate a faithful Israelite landowner who frustrates Ahab’s will.

In the Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus proposes an antithesis to the Law of Moses on proportionate retaliation.

* [5:38–42] See Lv 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.

Nancy Shirley asks how we react when others are unkind and unfair to us?

This is a difficult lesson, at least for me.  I certainly don’t seek vengeance but I sometimes find it so difficult to forgive.  At times, I can do some rationalizing about some behavior and come to a level of acceptance.  However, I can’t always do it so easily. The older I get though, the more the words of the Our Father echo in my head.  Each time I say it, I am clearly reminded, as I ask for forgiveness of my trespasses, that I must also forgive others. Those words penetrate more deeply these days as I struggle to make peace – we never know when “our time is up” and when it will be me asking for forgiveness and I’m sure I will be asked how I forgave others.  Did I turn my cheek? Did I offer my coat?

Don Schwager’s Meditation today asks if someone insults you or tries to take advantage of you, how do you respond?

Jesus approached the question of just retribution with a surprising revelation of God's intention for how we should treat others, especially those who mistreat us. When Jesus spoke about God’s law, he did something no one had done before. He gave a new standard based not just on the requirements of justice - giving each their due - but based on the law of grace, love, and freedom.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:38-42 considers law that helped keep the cycle of revenge from spiraling into ever-increasing violence.

As helpful as this law was, Jesus asks us to go one daring step further.Turn the other cheek. Resist not the evildoer. These are challenging words. It’s tempting to say that Jesus was just exaggerating, but his own witness tells us otherwise. He really does want us to be as merciful and peaceloving as possible. But he also knows who we are and how far we have to go before we get there. He knows that we want to be forgiving, but that there are certain situations that can be very hard for us. So take heart, try your best, and remember that Jesus is perfectly merciful. He will never demand “an eye for an eye” from you. No, he chooses to pray, “Father, forgive.” Every time.

Friar Jude Winkler offers background on the two capitals of northern Israel, for Jews, and pagans. He explains the lex talionis and the sense of merciful retribution. Christianity has vertical and horizontal dimensions that connect Love of God and love of humanity.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, chooses Francis and Claire as examples of  “living on the edge of the inside” at the beginning of the 13th Century. This means building on the solid Tradition (“from the inside”) but doing it from a new and creative stance where you cannot be co-opted (“on the edge”) for purposes of security, possessions, or the illusions of power.

As I’ve said many times, “the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.” This approach guards against the most common criticism of religion in general and social-justice work in particular, which, frankly, has tended to produce many negative, oppositional, and judgmental people—from reactionary conservatives to limousine liberals.

Our spirituality forms our inner lives and is then lived outwardly in the world, which is to live a life of love and justice for others. True contemplation must become action.

References

(n.d.). CHAPTER 21 Seizure of Naboth's Vineyard. 1Naboth the Jezreelite .... Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings/1kings21.htm

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://usccb.org/bible/matthew/5

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved June 18, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Faith and the seeds for growth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with images of growth that is in the hands of God and our decision to let faith lead us to discover our destiny.

Seeds and growth

The Prophet Ezekiel teaches that only Israel’s God can restore a people’s destiny.

Yechezkel reverses the negative prophecies and includes a vision of hope. Referring to Mashiach, he describes a small cedar shoot which will be restored to the high mountain of Yerushalayim. This tree will grow, bear fruit, and provide protection for all those who seek it. Yechezkel is teaching that in the time of redemption, not only will Israel seek out Hashem, but all the nations of the world will travel to Yerushalayim to seek Israel’s friendship and to acknowledge God’s sovereignty.

In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul proclaims we are like citizens in exile or far away from home.

* [5:6–9] Tension between present and future is expressed by another spatial image, the metaphor of the country and its citizens. At present we are like citizens in exile or far away from home. The Lord is the distant homeland, believed in but unseen (2 Cor 5:7)

Jesus parables in the Gospel of Mark use the image of seed to explain the work of God within humanity.

* [4:1–34] In parables (Mk 4:2): see note on Mt 13:3. The use of parables is typical of Jesus’ enigmatic method of teaching the crowds (Mk 4:2–9, 12) as compared with the interpretation of the parables he gives to his disciples (Mk 4:10–25, 33–34) to each group according to its capacity to understand (Mk 4:9–11).

Ilia Delio reviews New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton highlighting chapters about the foundational truth of self-discovery in God.

The search for true identity requires an honest self-love. Love of self is not selfishness but a humble recognition of our lives as true, good and beautiful. Without real love of self, all other loves are distorted. Lack of self-knowledge, St. Bonaventure once wrote, makes for faulty knowledge in all other matters. Merton realized that so many people are weighed down by deep hurts, anger, resentment, lost loves, broken relationships, desperately seeking to fill their lives with happiness and peace. As he himself was searching for truth and identity, he came to a deep insight, that each human person already has what they are looking for: "Within myself is a metaphorical apex of existence at which I am held in being by my Creator."

Tamora Whitney describes that just people are like cedar trees, upright and fruitful, and rooted in God.

If I were singing Mass today I would sing Dan Schutte’s lovely song “Like Cedars They Shall Stand.” It’s taken from today’s Psalm. (Psalm 92) How good it is to thank and honor God. And the just people are like cedar trees, upright and fruitful, and rooted in God. The kingdom of God is like the flora. The small seed grows into the large plant. It only takes a speck to grow into something vast. The mustard seed is tiny, but the plant is like a tree. It starts small then blossoms and grows into something amazing, all the people like a forest loving and praising God.

Don Schwager reminds us in the words of Isaac of Nineveh (a Syrian monk, teacher, and bishop), 613-700 A.D. that God gave us what was most precious.

"The sum of all is God, the Lord of all, who from love of his creatures has delivered his Son to death on the cross. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But his aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us." (excerpt from ASCETICAL HOMILY 74.28)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 4:26-34 instructs us to keep being quirky! Love. Forgive. Pray. Give. Then, when someone asks why you are the way you are, tell them you’re just trying to be like Jesus.

St. Mark tells us that Jesus himself spoke in riddles and parables to the people around him—he even mystified his closest disciples! This was part of his strategy: to provoke his listeners to think more deeply about God and about their lives. He wanted to awaken in them a hunger for God so that they would come ask him for more. Then, when they were ready, he could open their hearts to the “mystery of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11).

Scott Hahn reflects on the Tree of Righteousness in the texts of the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

God Himself will empower the works He expects from us, though we freely choose to correspond to His grace. In the prophetic oracles, He scattered the seed that sprang up and became the mustard tree, large enough to accommodate all the birds of the sky, just as Ezekiel had seen. He gavethis doctrine to His disciples in terms they were able to understand, and He provided a full explanation. In the sacraments He provides still more: the grace of faith and the courage we need to live in the world as children of God.

Friar Jude Winkler responds to the theme that the Lord lifts up the lowly and brings down the mighty. The Lord produces the growth. We have to share and live the Good News. We forgive, share, and  smile. He reminds us of the advice to do small things with great love from St Teresa of Lisieux .

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that Brian McLaren is not afraid to say directly that it is time for us to acknowledge Christianity’s past fraught with imperialism and colonialism.

Only by solidarity with other people’s suffering can comfortable people be converted. Otherwise we are disconnected from the cross—of the world, of others, of Jesus, and finally of our own necessary participation in the great mystery of dying and rising. People who are considered outsiders and at the bottom of society—the lame, poor, blind, prostitutes, tax collectors, “sinners”—are the ones who understand Jesus’ teaching. It’s the leaders and insiders (the priests, scribes, Pharisees, teachers of the law, and Roman officials) who crucify him.

The theme of sowing seed and reversal of fortune between the lowly and the powerful underline our search for holiness as our true self walking now by faith rather than sight.

References


(n.d.). Ezekiel, chapter 17 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/17

(n.d.). Ezekiel 17:23 - The Israel Bible. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from https://theisraelbible.com/bible/ezekiel/chapter-17/verse-23

(n.d.). 2 Corinthians, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/5

(2017, January 23). Discovering the true self in God with Merton's guidance | National .... Retrieved June 17, 2018, from https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/discovering-true-self-god-mertons-guidance

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/4

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 17, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved June 17, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Sunday Bible Reflections | St. Paul Center. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from https://stpaulcenter.com/studies-tools/sunday-bible-reflections/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 17, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/