Patient and wise servant and dissonance

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today lead us from a gentle concession of wisdom in the concept that “no good deed goes unpunished” to a challenge to serve those who are considered outside and are not able to repay our efforts.

Learning from the child

The author of Wisdom draws on Isaiah and other texts to share the treatment of the good people by the unjust.

* [2:12–5:23] From 2:12 to 5:23 the author draws heavily on Is 52–62, setting forth his teaching in a series of characters or types taken from Isaiah and embellished with additional details from other texts. The description of the “righteous one” in 2:12–20 seems to undergird the New Testament passion narrative.

True wisdom and causes of division are explained in the Letter of James.

* [3:13–18] This discussion of true wisdom is related to the previous reflection on the role of the teacher as one who is in control of his speech. The qualities of the wise man endowed from above are detailed (Jas 3:17–18; cf. Gal 5:22–23), in contrast to the qualities of earthbound wisdom (Jas 3:14–16; cf. 2 Cor 12:20).
* [4:1–3] Passions: the Greek word here (literally, “pleasures”) does not indicate that pleasure is evil. Rather, as the text points out (Jas 4:2–3), it is the manner in which one deals with needs and desires that determines good or bad. The motivation for any action can be wrong, especially if one does not pray properly but seeks only selfish enjoyment (Jas 4:3).

The Gospel from Mark shows that the disciples fail to understand the prediction of the Passion and how serving the anawim is the role of the greatest in the Kingdom.

* [9:33–37] Mark probably intends this incident and the sayings that follow as commentary on the disciples’ lack of understanding (Mk 9:32). Their role in Jesus’ work is one of service, especially to the poor and lowly. Children were the symbol Jesus used for the anawim, the poor in spirit, the lowly in the Christian community.

Wes McAdams is concerned about our judging attitude that is contrary to the wisdom of peace that James extolls.

If a person is in Christ (Galatians 3:26-28), he is my brother. We may disagree on some things. We may have to privately reason through some issues. But unless he does something for which Scripture says I must withdraw from him (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5; Titus 3:10), I will not condemn him or write him off. I will continue to bear with him in love and hope he will do the same for me. God is long-suffering and gracious with us, we must be that way with one another.

The Archdiocese of Miami offers Catholic Conversations on the Scriptures for the Ministry of Christian Formation that include some reflection questions on today’s passage from the Gospel from Mark.

1. Do I tend to look for status and control over others in my family, parish community,workplace, etc.?2. Do I look at Jesus as a source of material prosperity, good health and long life? How do Ilook at suffering for the sake of the gospel? Explain.

Diane Jorgensen shares that self-care and service to others are not in opposition to each other but rather service is the good fruit of healthy self-care.

What he tells them next must have been quite a shock. “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” If this had been the 21st century, we might interpret this action as welcoming innocence and trust, vulnerability and dependence. But in this time and place, children had no status, they were not even considered to be a person. And what was the child doing in the room with the teacher and his disciples? The child’s place was with the mother and other siblings. How does this change your understanding of Jesus’ words?

Don Schwager quotes “Downward roots enable upward growth”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Observe a tree, how it first tends downwards, that it may then shoot forth upwards. It fastens its root low in the ground, that it may send forth its top towards heaven. Is it not from humility that it endeavors to rise? But without humility it will not attain to higher things (Proverbs 18:12). You are wanting to grow up into the air without a root. Such is not growth, but a collapse." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, SERMON 38.2)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 9:30-37 comments that Jesus was at the center of attention—healing people, contending with opponents, calming storms, and multiplying bread. He always took the lead. He always spoke with authority. He was the one shaping the story. But at the cross, where it matters the most? Jesus remained quiet, humble, and vulnerable.

The truth is, this is what Jesus intended all along. He came as God’s gift to us. A gift doesn’t tell the recipient how to use it. He left it up to us to decide how we were going to receive him. We didn’t have to reject him as many of his people did. We didn’t have to deny him as Peter did. We didn’t have to kill him as the Romans did. We could have embraced him and accepted his message of salvation. But we didn’t.

Friar Jude Winkler observes in the text from Wisdom that good will nevertheless suffer for defending the truth. The godless want to make the believer suffer to determine if will God intervene. Friar Jude concludes we serve the anawim who cannot pay us back and strangers. These are those the Son is willing to die for. We die to ourselves in service doing it for the Love of Christ.

Strangers in Islam?

Often one of the “strangers” to Christians are Muslims. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares some background, drawing from Karen Armstrong’s work on Islam. He hopes this brief introduction will help you recognize God’s image and likeness in your Muslim brothers and sisters and learn more about their faith.

The Qur’an has no interest in “belief.” . . . Theological speculation that results in the formulation of abstruse doctrines is dismissed as zannah, self-indulgent guesswork about matters that nobody can prove one way or the other but that makes people quarrelsome and stupidly sectarian. Like any religion or philosophia, Islam [is] a way of life (din). The fundamental message of the Qur’an [is] . . . an ethical summons to practically expressed compassion: it is wrong to build a private fortune and good to share your wealth fairly and create a just society where poor and vulnerable people are treated with respect. [2]

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus draws a child into His conversation with the disciples to refocus our attention on those outside our daily experience who need and cannot repay. Wisdom is a Greek text, outside the canon of Jews and Protestants. Islam is often placed outside our idea of faith observed by people who also are in the image of God. Patience for enlightenment by the Spirit of God is our strategy to resolve these apparent dissonances.

References


(n.d.). Wisdom chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/2
(n.d.). James chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/james/3
(n.d.). James chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/james/4
(n.d.). Mark chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/9
(2016, June 29). The Sin of Division | Radically Christian. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://radicallychristian.com/the-sin-of-division
(2009, September 20). Ministry of Christian Formation Gospel reading A reading from t. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://www.miamiarch.org/atimo_s/news/CCS_E_090920.pdf
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 23, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2015, September 17). What does the phrase 'no good deed goes unpunished' mean? - Quora. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-phrase-no-good-deed-goes-unpunished-mean
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

From seeds to Life

The image of the seed is resonant with the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.

Ready to receive the seed?

The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians compares the seed we are now to our earthly body as he explains to the community about our resurrected body.

* [15:1–58] Some consider this chapter an earlier Pauline composition inserted into the present letter. The problem that Paul treats is clear to a degree: some of the Corinthians are denying the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12), apparently because of their inability to imagine how any kind of bodily existence could be possible after death (1 Cor 15:35). It is plausibly supposed that their attitude stems from Greek anthropology, which looks with contempt upon matter and would be content with the survival of the soul, and perhaps also from an overrealized eschatology of gnostic coloration, such as that reflected in 2 Tm 2:18, which considers the resurrection a purely spiritual experience already achieved in baptism and in the forgiveness of sins. Paul, on the other hand, will affirm both the essential corporeity of the resurrection and its futurity. His response moves through three steps: a recall of the basic kerygma about Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor 15:1–11), an assertion of the logical inconsistencies involved in denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12–34), and an attempt to perceive theologically what the properties of the resurrected body must be (1 Cor 15:35–58).

In the Gospel from Luke Jesus uses seed as a symbol for the Word of God as he explains the Parable of the Sower.

* [8:4–21] The focus in this section is on how one should hear the word of God and act on it. It includes the parable of the sower and its explanation (Lk 8:4–15), a collection of sayings on how one should act on the word that is heard (Lk 8:16–18), and the identification of the mother and brothers of Jesus as the ones who hear the word and act on it (Lk 8:19–21). See also notes on Mt 13:1–53 and Mk 4:1–34.

Tom Quinn comments that true spiritual nurturing and stability can only be attained by hearing, and acting, on God’s word.

Jesus did not often explain each line of his parable.  This time, however, he underlines some possibilities we may experience when we hear God speaking to us; these range from ignoring God’s words, and failing to live spiritually, to embracing his message completely, and thriving.   When reflecting on this, it seems that most of us have experienced our own rejection(s) of God. We are sometimes tempted by the “weeds” that we feel support us, only to discover that they are slowly destroying us

Don Schwager quotes “The Devil snatches good seed off the path”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD) to draw attention to the hardness of our attitude when we are closed to the Word of God.

"The seed is the Word of God. Those on the way are they who have heard. Afterwards, the devil comes and takes away the Word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. We see in a moment that the hardness of the ground causes the seed on the pathways to be snatched away. A pathway always is hard and untilled, because it is exposed to every one's feet. It does not admit any seed into it, but it lies rather upon the surface, ready for any birds that will to snatch it away. All whose minds are hard and unyielding, and so to speak, pressed together, do not receive the divine seed. The divine and sacred admonition does not find an entrance into them. They do not accept the words that would produce in them the fear of God and by means of which they could bring forth as fruits the glories of virtue. They have made themselves a beaten and trampled pathway for unclean demons, yes, for Satan himself, such as never can bear holy fruit. Let those who are awake, whose heart is sterile and unfruitful, open your mind, receive the sacred seed, be like productive and well-tilled soil, bring forth to God the fruits that will raise you to an incorruptible life." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 41)

Transformation is the experience that we are called to by God. We prepare our soil by inviting the Holy Spirit to enlighten and open our mind.

References

(n.d.). 1 Cor 15:26. Retrieved September 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians15.htm
(n.d.). Luke chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/8:10
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 22, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 22, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

Maturing to mercy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Feast of St. Matthew, today, explore the process of moving from our recognition of a call from God to becoming a mature community bringing our gifts to the Body of Christ.

Invited to the table

The author of the Letter to the Ephesians appeals for unity in the Body.

* [4:1–16] A general plea for unity in the church. Christians have been fashioned through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body, Eph 4:4, 12; cf. Eph 4:16), belonging to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world), and by one way of salvation through faith, brought out especially by the significance of baptism (Eph 4:1–6; cf. Rom 6:1–11). But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11–16). This teaching on Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in Eph 4:8 by a citation of Ps 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in Jerusalem. It is here understood of Christ, ascending above all the heavens, the head of the church; through his redemptive death, resurrection, and ascension he has become the source of the church’s spiritual gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9–10) refers more probably to the incarnation (cf. Phil 2:6–8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the world of the dead (cf. 1 Pt 3:19).

The calling of Matthew in the Gospel of Matthew underlines the need to seek acting with mercy as we mature in our faith.

* [9:13] Go and learn…not sacrifice: Matthew adds the prophetic statement of Hos 6:6 to the Marcan account (see also Mt 12:7). If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity.

Larry Hopp reflects on the challenges in meeting our calling.

Jesus teaches us how to deal with people that can be hard to love.  Matthew was a corrupt tax collector. Could anyone love and extend grace to someone who routinely cheated poor families out of their resources – the resources they so desperately needed for their very existence.  Yet Jesus met Matthew, knowing full well who and what he was, and went to his house that very day for dinner, dinner with all his fellow tax collectors and sinners. If that example of how to respond to fellow sinners were not enough, Jesus powerfully explained his actions “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

Pastor Jeremy Vaccaro, of Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, preaches that to be a community of worship means that together and individually we are growing in our love and acknowledgement of God.

The Pharisees were zealous about obeying the Law of God completely.  They even made up rules that kept them from getting close to breaking the rules that God had given His people.  Yet, they were missing the point! Their worship was empty. God wanted their love; God wanted relationship; God wanted them to acknowledge Him, to know Him.  And God wanted that to be lived out in the Pharisees’ leadership of the people of God. To be a community of worship means that together and individually we are growing in our love and acknowledgement of God.  Hosea’s Israel was missing it. The Pharisees were missing it

Don Schwager quotes John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, who describes Matthew's calling.

"Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he called Peter and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time when he knew that they would respond to him. He came at a different time to call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Similarly, he called Paul at a different time when he was vulnerable, after the resurrection, something like a hunter going after his quarry. For he who is acquainted with our inmost hearts and knows the secrets of our minds knows when each one of us is ready to respond fully. Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning, when Matthew was still in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread abroad, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:9-13 observes that it can be easy to buy into the lie that we are unworthy to answer Jesus’ call. Don’t believe it! Don’t imagine that our sins or weaknesses have convinced Jesus to pass us by in favor of a more worthy candidate. Remember what he said to the people who objected to his calling of Matthew: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). We are all sinners, and still, Jesus calls all of us: “Follow me” (9:9). He wants us to be with him.

So don’t let your sins and failings hinder your yes to the Lord. Quite the opposite—they are the perfect opportunity to show the world how merciful he is. Tradition tells us that Matthew went on to evangelize the very Jews he had once scandalized. The evidence of his change of heart must have made a deep impression on many of them.

Friar Jude Winkler recognizes the call to live in the unity of the Holy Spirit in the Letter to the Ephesians. We all have a role in this Church and we have received charisms for the benefit of the community. Friar Jude notes the attitude of the Pharisees that sin is a contagion. Even though sinfulness has alienated the tax collectors from the community, Jesus invites them to table fellowship and calls us into his love.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that many people naturally grow into nondual consciousness through great suffering or great love. He cites Howard Thurman and Barbara A. Holmes on contemplative gifts of the Africana tradition or Black church.

As unlikely as it may seem, the contemplative moment can be found at the very center of such ontological crises . . . during the Middle Passage in the holds of slave ships . . . auction blocks . . . and the . . . hush arbors [where slaves worshipped in secret]. Each event is experienced by individuals stunned into multiple realities by shock, journey, and displacement. . . . In the words of Howard Thurman, “when all hope for release in the world seems unrealistic and groundless, the heart turns to a way of escape beyond the present order.” [1] For captured Africans, there was no safety except in common cause and the development of internal and spiritual fortitude. . . .

Jesus declares His role as physician to us who need healing and restoration as members of communities that bring life to the body of Christ. Our experiences of deep love and deep suffering are often the stage of our development when we hear His call to “Follow Me”.

References


(n.d.). Ephesians chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/4
(n.d.). Matthew chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 21, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Priority One Mercy Not Sacrifice Hosea 616 PDF Free Download. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from https://zapdoc.tips/priority-one-mercy-not-sacrifice-hosea-61-6.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

New Life of action and thanksgiving

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the kerygma of the New Life that is the fruit of Jesus resurrection and how this Love is the initiation of our freedom from attachments that steal our fullness of life.

Buy into ??

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul separates the The Gospel Teaching from Greek concepts of the body and the soul.

* [15:1–58] Some consider this chapter an earlier Pauline composition inserted into the present letter. The problem that Paul treats is clear to a degree: some of the Corinthians are denying the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12), apparently because of their inability to imagine how any kind of bodily existence could be possible after death (1 Cor 15:35). It is plausibly supposed that their attitude stems from Greek anthropology, which looks with contempt upon matter and would be content with the survival of the soul, and perhaps also from an overrealized eschatology of gnostic coloration, such as that reflected in 2 Tm 2:18, which considers the resurrection a purely spiritual experience already achieved in baptism and in the forgiveness of sins. Paul, on the other hand, will affirm both the essential corporeity of the resurrection and its futurity. His response moves through three steps: a recall of the basic kerygma about Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor 15:1–11), an assertion of the logical inconsistencies involved in denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12–34), and an attempt to perceive theologically what the properties of the resurrected body must be (1 Cor 15:35–58).

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus is anointed by a woman who expresses her thanksgiving for forgiveness through visible acts of love.

* [7:36–50] In this story of the pardoning of the sinful woman Luke presents two different reactions to the ministry of Jesus. A Pharisee, suspecting Jesus to be a prophet, invites Jesus to a festive banquet in his house, but the Pharisee’s self-righteousness leads to little forgiveness by God and consequently little love shown toward Jesus. The sinful woman, on the other hand, manifests a faith in God (Lk 7:50) that has led her to seek forgiveness for her sins, and because so much was forgiven, she now overwhelms Jesus with her display of love; cf. the similar contrast in attitudes in Lk 18:9–14. The whole episode is a powerful lesson on the relation between forgiveness and love

The musing of a Franciscan friar include comments that Jesus says that the woman has already been forgiven her sins.

that is evident because of her love. She would not be able to show such love unless she had first accepted love (forgiveness, acceptance). The forgiveness has set her free to love. When Jesus says “Your sins are forgiven,” he is confirming what is already true in her; in the different context of the healing of the paralyzed man, Jesus forgave the sins at the moment of declaration (5:20). It is not that her love has earned forgiveness. By faith she accepted Jesus’ (God’s) loving forgiveness that saved her (see 1:77) and is now able to love

John Shea, S.J. echoes the comments of the Franciscan friar.

We don’t know what sins the woman committed that prompted her to wash the feet of Jesus. We do know that Jesus compares her sins to a large debt. He notes that her “many sins” have been forgiven. But she was not forgiven because of her act of love. She experienced God’s forgiveness first and then responded with gratitude by bathing, kissing and anointed the feet of Jesus. Although her sins were “many” the Gospel passage does not emphasize them. Instead, Jesus lists her many acts of love.

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus the Physician brings miraculous healing to the woman's sins”, by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).

"Healing the sick is a physician's glory. Our Lord did this to increase the disgrace of the Pharisee, who discredited the glory of our Physician. He worked signs in the streets, worked even greater signs once he entered the Pharisee’s house than those that he had worked outside. In the streets, he healed sick bodies, but inside, he healed sick souls. Outside, he had given life to the death of Lazarus. Inside, he gave life to the death of the sinful woman. He restored the living soul to a dead body that it had left, and he drove off the deadly sin from a sinful woman in whom it dwelt. That blind Pharisee, for whom wonders were not enough, discredited the common things he saw because of the wondrous things he failed to see." (excerpt from HOMILY ON OUR LORD 42.2)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 notes that our story may not be exactly as dramatic as St. Paul’s, but in many ways it is no different. We too have received God’s grace, and this grace has not been ineffective: we have believed and decided to follow Jesus. So how do we respond to this constant flow of God’s grace? In his classic book The Cost of Discipleship, German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer talked about the difference between “cheap grace” and “costly grace.”

We can “cheapen” our experience of grace by failing to respond to its flow in our lives. Every day we face numerous situations in which we can call on God’s grace or try to move on without it. For example, you may be tempted to nurture resentment or bitterness over something someone said or did. You can ask God for the grace to forgive. You may want to lose patience with one of your children who is acting out of line. You can stop for a moment, and call on God’s grace so that you can deal with the issue calmly.

Friar Jude Winkler explains the difficulty of Greek spirituality with the ideas of resurrection. Pharisees who consider sin is a contagion are upset. Jesus presents a different way that is an expression of love about the debt forgiven the woman, Friar Jude comments.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, concludes that on the practical (read “transformational”) level, the Gospel message of Jesus and the Twelve-Step message of Bill Wilson are largely the same. Addiction can be a metaphor for what the biblical tradition called sin. It is quite helpful to see sin, like addiction, as a destructive disease instead of something for which we’re culpable or punishable and that “makes God unhappy.” If sin indeed makes God “unhappy,” it is because God loves us, desires nothing more than our happiness, and wills the healing of our disease.

Pope Francis clearly understands sin in this way. Shortly after he proclaimed the Holy Year of Mercy in 2015, he was asked why humanity is so in need of mercy. He replied that in part it’s due to “considering our illness, our sins, to be incurable, things that cannot be healed or forgiven. We lack the actual concrete experience of mercy. The fragility of our era is this, too: we don’t believe that there is a chance for redemption; for a hand to raise you up; for an embrace to save you, forgive you, pick you up, flood you with infinite, patient, indulgent love; to put you back on your feet. We need mercy.” [1] ([1] Pope Francis, The Name of God Is Mercy: A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli (Random House: 2016), 16.)

Fr. Richard is convinced that when the great medieval spiritual teachers talked so much about attachment, they were really talking about addiction. We are all attached and addicted in some way. At the very least, we are addicted to our compulsive dualistic patterns of thinking, to our preferred self-image, and to the usually unworkable programs for happiness we developed in childhood—which then showed themselves to be inadequate or even wrong.

References

(n.d.). 1 Cor 15:26. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians15.htm
(n.d.). Luke 7:36. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/7:36
(2013, June 15). A Prophet a Pharisee and a Loving Woman | friarmusings. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://friarmusings.com/2013/06/15/a-prophet-a-pharisee-and-a-loving-woman/
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Mature Love and wisdom

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that our experience and practice of Love is a journey from childish self serving attitudes to a mature position where we strive to live agape, putting the needs of the other ahead of our desires.

The journey

The Thirteenth Chapter of Letter to the Corinthians is one of the greatest poetic expressions of the nature of Love.

* [13:4–7] This paragraph is developed by personification and enumeration, defining love by what it does or does not do. The Greek contains fifteen verbs; it is natural to translate many of them by adjectives in English.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus notes that we are too often impossible to please when the spiritual path presented to us does not meet our expectations.

[7:31–35] See note on Mt 11:16–19.

* [11:16–19] See Lk 7:31–35. The meaning of the parable (Mt 11:16–17) and its explanation (Mt 11:18–19b) is much disputed. A plausible view is that the children of the parable are two groups, one of which proposes different entertainments to the other that will not agree with either proposal. The first represents John, Jesus, and their disciples; the second those who reject John for his asceticism and Jesus for his table association with those despised by the religiously observant. Mt 11:19c (her works) forms an inclusion with Mt 11:2 (“the works of the Messiah”). The original form of the saying is better preserved in Lk 7:35 “…wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” There John and Jesus are the children of Wisdom; here the works of Jesus the Messiah are those of divine Wisdom, of which he is the embodiment. Some important textual witnesses, however, have essentially the same reading as in Luke.

Bob Connolly at Enola Baptist Church cites work of Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, p.1046, on the verbs used in 1 Corinthians 13.4-7.

One important  grammatical point that affects our understanding of these four verses:–        "Most English translations render the Greek as if it used adjectives to describe the nature of love ‘timelessly,’ e.g., love is patient; love is kind; etc.
–        But the nature of love is expressed by Paul in a series of verbs, the active character of which may not be fully indicated by adjectives
–        Our translation strives to preserve the verbal structure of the Greek, as against the adjectival structure of many English translations”

The prayer site, Sacred Space, a joint apostolate of the Irish Jesuits and Loyola Press, shares reflections on the Gospel from Luke.

This scripture passage reminds us that children tend to act out of their feelings of the present moment. Mature adulthood can share feelings but can put order into life and give preference to reason and trust. God helps us to grow in this kind of maturity, and through our relationship with Him we learn to follow His ways. He passes on His wisdom to us so that we can be in charge in our lives, not be victims of our moods. Lord, that I may see and understand.

Don Schwager quotes The song and dances of the prophets, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"'Therefore, wisdom is justified by all her children.' He fittingly says 'by all,' because justice is preserved around all. In order that an acceptance of the faithful may happen, a rejection of the unbelieving must occur. Very many Greeks say this, “Wisdom is justified by all her works,” because the duty of justice is to preserve the measure around the merit of each. It aptly says, “We have piped to you, and you have not danced.” Moses sang a song when he stopped the flow in the Red Sea for the crossing of the Jews (Exodus 15:1-18), and the same waves encircled the horses of the Egyptians and, falling back, drowned their riders. Isaiah sang a song of his beloved’s vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), signifying that the people who before had been fruitful with abundant virtues would be desolate through shameful acts. The Hebrews sang a song when the soles of their feet grew moist at the touch of the bedewing flame, and while all burned within and without, the harmless fire caressed them alone and did not scorch (Daniel 3:19-25). Habakkuk also learned to assuage universal grief with a song and prophesied that the sweet passion of the Lord would happen for the faithful (Habakkuk 3:13). The prophets sang songs with spiritual measures, resounding with prophecies of universal salvation. The prophets wept, softening the hard hearts of the Jews with sorrowful lamentations" (Isaiah 46:12). (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.6-7)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13 declares that Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8) Paul’s beautiful hymn of charity, as this passage is often called, paints the picture of a mature love filled with spiritual vitality. It’s not the textbook definition of love that we find in a dictionary, but a soaring hymn that expresses what Christian love looks like as it is lived out day by day. This love is patient and kind rather than irritable; it serves the needs of others and does not insist on its own way; it is not quick-tempered; and it doesn’t brood over injuries (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5).

As he wrote about growing from childish ways into mature faith, Paul surely had his own life in mind as well as the Corinthians’ lives. Paul had started out as a zealous young Pharisee who persecuted Christians. It took some time, even after his conversion, for him to calm down. But over time, he grew in his love for Jesus and became a more effective force for reconciliation and unity.
So make it a goal to grow in love. If you find yourself getting impatient, ask the Lord for the grace to be patient. If you find yourself getting consumed by anger, try to put on gentleness. If you find yourself getting puffed up by pride, ask the Spirit to give you a greater share in the gift of humility.

Friar Jude Winkler notes the difference of the vocabulary in this portion of the Letter to the Corinthians and the way Paul usually writes. The characteristics cited for Love serve as an examination of conscience and our motivations. Friar Jude comments that as we develop the power of abstraction we become more open to the call to die to oneself that may be presented to us by challenges from surprising sources.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Genesis story of the Judeo-Christian tradition is really quite extraordinary. It says that we were created in the very “image and likeness” of God, proceeding from free and overflowing love (Genesis 1:26). This flow is rediscovered and re-experienced by various imperfect people throughout the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. This sets us on a positive and hopeful foundation, which cannot be overstated. The Bible illustrates, through various stories, humanity’s objective unity with God, the total gratuity of that love and, unfortunately, our resistance to such an “impossibility.”

Due to a lack of mysticism and contemplative consciousness, I find that many Christians still have no knowledge of the soul’s objective union with God (e.g., 1 John 3:2, 2 Peter 1:4). Such gratuity is too good to be true. Even ministers often fight me on this, quoting Augustine’s “original sin,” Calvin’s “total depravity,” or Luther’s statement, “humans are like piles of manure, covered over by Christ.” I am sure they all meant well, but they also dug a pit so deep that many could never climb out or allow themselves to be lifted out.

Fr Richard reminds us that we can’t accomplish or work up to union with God, because we have it.

“Before the world began you were chosen, chosen in Christ to live through love in his presence” (Ephesians 1:4).

The biblical revelation is about awakening, not accomplishing. It is about realization, not performance. You cannot get there, you can only be there. Only the humble can receive it and surrender to such grace. 

References

(n.d.). I Corinthians 13. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians13.htm
(n.d.). Luke 7. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/7:31
(n.d.). 1 Corinthians 13 - Purified by Faith. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.purifiedbyfaith.com/ShortBibleStudies/1Cor13_1-13/1Cor13_1-13.htm
(n.d.). Luke 7:31-35 | Sacred Space. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.sacredspace.ie/scripture/luke-731-35
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Great spiritual gifts

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect us to an appreciation of spiritual gifts that we exercise as disciples of Christ.

Gifts for our spirit

The First letter of Paul to the Corinthians enumerates some of the gifts that the One Body of Christ expresses in people for the good of the Body.

* [12:27–30] Paul now applies the image again to the church as a whole and its members (1 Cor 12:27). The lists in 1 Cor 12:28–30 spell out the parallelism by specifying the diversity of functions found in the church (cf. Rom 12:6–8; Eph 4:11).

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus compassion for the widow of Nain is a template for our suffering with those in the Body who are struggling with life.

* [7:11–17] In the previous incident Jesus’ power was displayed for a Gentile whose servant was dying; in this episode it is displayed toward a widowed mother whose only son has already died. Jesus’ power over death prepares for his reply to John’s disciples in Lk 7:22: “the dead are raised.” This resuscitation in alluding to the prophet Elijah’s resurrection of the only son of a widow of Zarephath (1 Kgs 7:17–24) leads to the reaction of the crowd: “A great prophet has arisen in our midst” (Lk 7:16).

Cindy Costanzo quotes a wonderful Jesuit priest who recently passed said ….I believe I am in the presence of God daily here on earth.  My family, friends, colleagues, the gardens, the seasons…all are signs that God is here on earth with me everyday. A simple but profound statement.

I want to believe that I am in the presence of God daily. My evidence includes the following. I have a wonderful Father who just turned 89 and is in good health. He lives close to me and calls me daily.  I just spent a wonderful week with my sister and daughter on vacation. We laughed, told stories, read books and reconnected. My son is coming to visit this week and I am excited to see him.

Don Schwager’s meditation asks how do we respond to the misfortunes of others?

In a number of places the Gospel records that Jesus was "moved to the depths of his heart" when he met with individuals and with groups of people. Our modern use of the word "compassion" doesn't fully convey the deeper meaning of the original Hebrew word which expresses heart-felt "sympathy" and personal identification with the suffering person's grief and physical condition. Why was Jesus so moved on this occasion when he met a widow and a crowded funeral procession on their way to the cemetery? Jesus not only grieved the untimely death of a young man, but he showed the depth of his concern for the woman who lost not only her husband, but her only child as well. The only secure means of welfare in biblical times was one's family. This woman had lost not only her loved ones, but her future security and livelihood as well.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 100:1-5 reminds us that our worship is never routine.

Mass is never meant to be routine. How can it be when the body of Christ gathers and the angels and saints join in worship? With a little bit of imagination and a lively faith, you can be caught up in this beautiful prayer. You can be caught up to heaven, where Jesus, your great high priest, is offering himself to you.

Friar Jude Winkler finds connection to those Stoic and Gnostic members of the community in the letter of Paul to the Corinthians. There are experiences that cannot be expressed in words so that speaking in tongues is intended to be a sense of being overcome by the Spirit. Friar Jude comments that the focus of Luke on Jesus compassion reinforces our expectation that he was a physician.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explains learning the terms “True Self” and “false self” in connection with earlier parts of the Tradition and throughout time in the experience of the great mystics, [are] about the self-in-God, and God-in-self, which may be called the Scriptural Model of Spirituality.

I learned the terms “True Self” and “false self” from Thomas Merton—words he used to clarify what Jesus surely meant when he said that we must die to ourselves or we must “lose ourselves to find ourselves” (see Mark 8:35). Merton rightly recognized that it was not the body that had to “die” but the “false self” that we do not need anyway. The false self is simply a substitute for our deeper and deepest truth. It is a useful and even needed part of ourselves, but it is not all; the danger is when we think we are only our false, separate, small self. Our attachment to false self must die to allow True Self—our basic and unchangeable identity in God—to live fully and freely.

Some of the pitfalls in Christian community have come from over emphasis on difference and preference for our doctrine and charisms within the Body of Christ. A Scriptural Model of Spirituality where we are living sacraments of the Presence of God is a focus that takes us “out into the deep”.

References


(n.d.). 1 Corinthians 12. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians12.htm
(n.d.). Luke chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/7:31
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 18, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

Too worthy to wait

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with a theme that is salient in our actions today that we are often too worthy to wait.

Build it now!

Paul addresses the rude and impatient actions of some members of the community in the First Letter to the Corinthians.

* [11:17–34] Paul turns to another abuse connected with the liturgy, and a more serious one, for it involves neglect of basic Christian tradition concerning the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Paul recalls that tradition for them and reminds them of its implications.

Jesus remarks on the faith of a Roman Centurion, in the Gospel of Luke, who respects Jewish belief and practice while recognizing Jesus connection to Divine power.

* [7:1–10] This story about the faith of the centurion, a Gentile who cherishes the Jewish nation (Lk 7:5), prepares for the story in Acts of the conversion by Peter of the Roman centurion Cornelius who is similarly described as one who is generous to the Jewish nation (Acts 10:2). See also Acts 10:34–35 in the speech of Peter: “God shows no partiality…whoever fears him and acts righteously is acceptable to him.” See also notes on Mt 8:5–13 and Jn 4:43–54.

L. Michael White, Professor of Classics and Director of the Religious Studies Program University of Texas at Austin,

Gentile and Roman

comments on the Gentile audience for Luke’s Gospel and the role of the Evangelist as the first Christian apologist.

Luke's audience seems to be predominantly gentile.... when they talk about the story of Jesus there's more of an emphasis on the political situation of Jesus today. Jesus is less of a rabble rouser, and so is Paul, for that matter, in these stories. And this suggests something about the situation of the audience, that they too are concerned about the way that they will be perceived, the way that the church will be perceived by the Roman authorities. It's sometimes suggested that Luke's gospel should be seen as a kind of an apologetic for the beginnings of the Christian movement, trying to make its place in the Roman world, to say, "we're okay, don't worry about us, we are just like the rest of you: we keep the peace, we're law abiding citizens, we have high moral values, we're good Romans too."

Luis Rodriguez, S.J. reminds that we do not partake in the Eucharist because we are worthy, but because God in sheer goodness considers us worthy enough.

It is such a Roman officer that does not consider himself worthy to receive a Jew under his roof. As we transpose his setting to ours today, it raises two pertinent questions for us. One is about our own respect for people of other faiths and for the faith of other peoples (even if they are of our own faith), a respect that in the gospel passage went beyond tolerance into actually facilitating their different faith life. The other question is the way we approach God: as entitled to God’s action on our behalf, or aware that we have no real claim that would make us worthy? Do we let the centurion’s words, which we echo before communion, sink into us and help us approach communion more aware of our not being entitled to it?

Don Schwager shares the comments of Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D. on the power of Divinity and the grace of humility.

"How great is the sign of divine humility, that the Lord of heaven by no means disdained to visit the centurion’s servant! Faith is revealed in deeds, but humanity is more active in compassion. Surely he did not act this way because he could not cure in his absence, but in order to give you a form of humility for imitation he taught the need to defer to the small and the great alike. In another place he says to the ruler, 'Go, your son lives' (John 4:50), that you may know both the power of Divinity and the grace of humility. In that case he refused to go to the ruler's son, lest he seem to have had regard for riches. In this case he went himself lest he seem to have despised the humble rank of the centurion's servant. All of us, slave and free, are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11)." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.84)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 7:1-10 comments that many miracles in Scripture occurred because someone went to Jesus on another person’s behalf. Often it was a parent pleading for a child or a friend begging Jesus to intervene. And over and over, Jesus answered their request.

Intercession like this isn’t limited to biblical times. We can all be intercessors. We don’t need a special title or training. In fact, you probably already intercede for your family and friends. But maybe now is an opportunity to learn to pray a little more effectively. How? Like the centurion, try making a plan and pushing yourself to stick with it.

Friar Jude Winkler begins with comments on the horizontal nature of the Eucharist as reaching out to all, especially the disadvantaged. The vertical dimension of Eucharist is captured in the Aramaic words “this is me” connected to the commemoration. Luke reaches out to Gentiles through a Centurion “god-fearer” who recognizes the supernatural authority of Jesus, Friar Jude notes.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, recalls how in the 1950s and 1960s, Thomas Merton brought renewed interest to the contemplative tradition in the West. He became a Trappist monk and “left the world” for the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where he learned the lessons of contemplation and action.

Through contemplation—holding the paradoxes of life—Merton struggled against “the evil [that] is in us all . . . [and] the blindness of a world that wants to end itself.” He fought against violence, war, racism, poverty, and consumerism. He wrote, “Those who continue to struggle are at peace. If God wills, they can pacify the world. For [the person] who accepts the struggle in the name of Christ is delivered from its power by the victory of Christ.”

Prayer and petition from a position of humble recognition of Jesus Presence is a counterbalance to impatience. Contemplation of mystery and paradox is our struggle to see the Grace and gifts we are connected to through our life in Christ.

References

(n.d.). 1 Corinthians chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1Corinthians/11:17
(n.d.). Luke chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/7:31
(n.d.). The Story Of The Storytellers - The Gospel Of Luke | From Jesus To .... Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/luke.html
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 17, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/