Monday, OT 21

Well, what a scathing greeting we find in today's Gospel.

The readings begin innocuously enough with Paul's opening to the Thessalonians. A staunch reminder of the occasional formailties one must endur.

Then in the Gospal comes the monstrous lambasting from Jesus that we rarely hear of in today's world, where everyone wants light and togetherness.

"Woe to you you hypocrites!"

Whoa, excuse me, can't we all just get along here?

Jesus has a stunning knack for downplaying pastoral concerns. He basically tells the religious leaders that they are leading souls to perdition by making their concerns for business and appearance.

His point, and our point today, is that we should strive to be persons of integrity. And if we are striving to be persons of integrity, conformed to Christ, then let's just do it. It's not necessarily easy, and it's not about simply pleasing people.

These teachings are difficult...

There are many points we can take up in today's readings, and many opportunities for reflection. A major starting point might be the scene wherein many of Jesus disciples decide to leave and go on'to new things; things which are easier. "These teachings are difficult, who can accept them?"

We join these 'disciples' [today] at the precise moment where they are entering into this struggle aloud, voicing their silent cries of desperation at the daring Truths presented by the master. Note what they don't say. They don't say 'These teachings are absurd." And they don't say "what foolishness!" What they say is... these teachings are difficult. How can we accept these things and these challenges?

This is a precise moment in each of our lives, the moment wherein we meet the truth of Christ, and the moment when we face our own creature comforts, habits, attitudes. It's often a daily moment, an ongoing struggle. [Virtue comes in winning that struggle, maintaining truths in our lives.]

We hear also in God's words today, of the death of Joshua. The name Joshua, derived from the Hebrew Jeshua bears the same meaning as the name Jesus. In this light we can look to Joshua and see how he strove to witness to the great ideas of truth in his own time.

If we consider the ancient Egyptians, wherein Moses dwelt along with the ancient Israelites, we might consider how closely related we are to them as a people of Faith living in difficult times. It is not uncommon to find our Faith in the papers daily; often not in the best light. And its not uncommon to have the values which our faith teaches, mocked in public circles. Our teachings are difficult, and many cannot accept them, preferring to witness to their own reasoned truths.

Moses can be seen as an illumined presence in a land of darkness, inspired by the ideals of freedom, of truth. He leads the people out of this desolation, and at the foot of the Jordan can go no further. Joshua, in his way united with the ideas of the Christ's mind, leads us into the promised land. This bears witness to the need for perseverance when divine ideas come to us. We all experience grand and enlightened ideas, by sheer nature of our Baptism, and the work of the Holy Spirit. As Moses strove to lead those ideas into reality, and as Joshua kept the course and brought those ideas into fruition, into the Promised Land, so do we take those examples into our own lives, and into our own prayerful
undertakings.

In prayer we are inspired into action; but it is up to each of us to concentrate and bring that action into fruition; to stay the course; to arrive in the promised land.

Our Faith is a challenging Faith. It is not necessarily a reasoned faith; it is revealed to us. In the revelation of it, we meet the disciples of Jesus. These teachings are difficult, how can we accept them? We can accept them by uniting ourselves with the mind of Christ; through prayer, word, action and daily conscious choice.

Or, can we also join those disciples who left Jesus. Our Christ is a demanding Christ, a challenging Christ.

Do we accept the revealed teachings of Christ, which live on in his Church? Do we accept the reasoned teachings of Man, as presented in our society? It's a daily choice, and up to each one of us. It's a daily struggle. The Father may be loving and merciful, but his son surely is demanding!

One day, I want the Promised Land in my own life, the promises of heaven. God grant us worthy.

St. Rose of Lima

St Rose of Lima

The Patron Saint of the Americas, for people ridiculed for their piety, of Peru (and actually a a few other things as well,) Rose was born in the late 1500’s in Lima, Peru. She devoted her life to God early on lived a severely penitential life, offering up her sufferings for others.

I visited her birthplace, and saw her little adobe hut, and the bed where she slept, tying her hair up to a peg in the wall so she wouldn't sleep more than two hours a night. Quite an odd woman, one might think. But there was something about her, and her relationship with God, that transcends our understanding of ordinary life.

Perhaps in today’s world, we can take that model when we pray, or when we sometimes forget that there is actually a lot of suffering in today’s world.

The Queenship of Mary

Simple things, done in the beauty of love, have great and lasting power.

Since the earliest days of the Church we have held Mary in the highest esteem. We revere her as the Queen of Heaven. It is very fitting that we look to the Book of Ruth for our beginnings. Ruth, the Moabitess, was widowed and ultimately left alone with her mother in law Naomi, who urged her to return to her family, and not stake her future wiht the dim prospects her mother in law offered. Turly, in that world and time, they had very dim prospects, in thier grief and anguish.

But Ruth spoke those words which have lived on for so long, "Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, there will I lodge. Your people shall be my people; and your God, my God too. " What more beautiful example of pure love do we hope to find? She is willing to let the certainty of love guide her in life. And made her choices for that, knowing that a path of certainty was that which would lead her in life, and in love.

In no short order Ruth was married to Boaz, and she and Naomi both fared well and grew in prosperity and abundance. Several generations later, a great-grandson was born and given the name David, and from thier house eventually came the great Messiah, Jesus Christ. Simple things, done in the beauty of love, have great power over time.

The fullness of love is represented in Jesus two simple commandment; Love God with your whole heart, and Love your neighbor as yourself.

We turn our attention to Mary, and her great act of love which allowed the Christ to be born. "behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord, be it done according to your will." What more perfect model of unselfish love, and acquiesence to a higher ideal? Mary, Queen of Heaven; pray for us.

Jephthah

In further reflection, perhaps Jephtheh did not intend his daughter to die because of his vow; perhaps he intended her to be consecrated to a state of virginity, in service to the Temple.

Rising as he does from the lineage of his mother, who was a harlot, to being one of the judges of ancient Israel, he persists in leading the way from lower base thoughts, to the higher and more pure thoughts that hold to the ideals of goodness and perfection; he leads Israel to victory, and to peace.

So maybe we can take from this a willingness to dwell on those thoughts and actions which we discern to be true, noble, and which will reflect our dignity. Our choices can then be exericised in good judgement, and in good faith.

Memorial of Pius X

The readings today are so filled with light; you can almost see butterflies floating upon the spring breeze as the words roll across your lips. Jephthah was a chieftan of our ancient heritage, who was very strong in the ways of the Lord. Thankfully, the ways of the Lord are much clearer to us now; hopefully none of us would consider killing an only daughter as a sacrifice to God.

But what can this tell us of his mindset, and of a way to live a life of holiness? There is strength; there is conviction; there is great and enormous sacrifice. What can we learn from his daughter? There is a love so strong that she will not allow dishonor to come upon her Father's house. There is a nobility in her mourning, and in her desire for God's will to be done. "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will!"

In the Gospel, Christ tells of the great wedding feast for which no one prepared. The king was mightily enraged, as well he should have been. We don't show up for great events with out proper preparation. In this passage too, we see a call to the responsibility which comes from acceptance of an invitation in a way of life.

If we accept the invitation to live in God's love and mercy, there is the sacrifice of giving up certain other things in life; for some this has eventually resulted in death, so strongly have they held to thier beliefs.

Today, we can earnestly pray, "To do your will O God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart."

Quotable Quotes

"We need no immature criticism from those persons who have never outgrown their religious puberty."

Hugo Rahner (Carl Rahner's older brother) from his ouvre, The Church, God's Strength and Human Weakness.

Here we go, this is to start using the theological reflections blog. This will hopefully encompass every day of my internship at here.

Thursday June 18, 2003 - 11th week OT

“Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully.”

These ancient and time honored words surely express some great spiritual truth, or do they merely attest to the fact that Paul was feeling the pinch? I think he was trying to minister unto the Corinthians and they were listenign to all Gospel's, the 'superapostles', and claiming to live in the light when in fact they were not supporting the work of the Church as fully as they were expecting to participate in it, or to reap it's benefits. So here is a first model of the need to fully support the ministers in the work you desire for them to do, or the work which is done in God's name, called by the Church.

But too, the express the truth of parsimony. Many people don't give of themselves thougthfully, and don't get very much back either. A part of living well is being generous with your time, your talents and your treasure. "Ít's good to give God credit, but he needs cash too."