Escher: Approaches to InfinityOnce I begin to read these verses, I cannot stop. They ring as true today as when they were written so long ago. They are proof that human nature, like water, swirls to the lowest level if left unchecked; but if effort is spent, water can be managed into refreshing spray, into nurturing irrigation channels. Water can both destroy and mend. So too, can humans.
The shrewd man perceives evil and hides, while simpletons continue on and suffer the penalty . . . Be not friendly with a hot-headed man, nor the companion of a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways, and get yourself into a snare . . . Look not on the wine when it is read, when it sparkles in the glass. It goes down smoothly, but in the end it bites like a serpent, or like a poisonous adder. Your eyes behold strange sites, and your heart utters disordered thoughts . . .
Some things never change.
If you remain indifferent in time of adversity, your strength will depart from you . . . Lie not in wait against the home of a just man, ravage not his dwelling place; for the just man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble to ruin . . . Be not provoked with evildoers, nor envious of the wicked; for the evil man has no future, the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
Some people never change.
He who plots evil – men call him an intriguer. Beyond intrigue and folly and sin, it is arrogance that men find abominable.
Proverbs are a fountain of strength because we can find sayings that suit all people and occasions. As I read, the images of many people flood my mind. Images of myself also come to me – both from good times and from bad.
These are universal sentiments for all people for all times. On a hot summer evening we do well to pause, to read, to listen, watch and pray.
Written on June 12, 2008 and posted today as a Favorite.
Joy on stone . . .We have never been told that apostleship is easy. It has never been said that discipleship is easily lived. What we have been told, and what has been said is this: your mourning will turn into joy, your reward will be great.
In this chapter Jesus speaks frankly, honestly and openly with his friends. He assures them that once he goes their life will become difficult. He reminds them that this is God’s plan and that once he, Jesus, has made his Exodus, the Holy Spirit will come to live with them – to continue to guide, protect and encourage them.
The apostles – and we – stumble through his meaning. What is this little while of which Jesus speaks? Jesus tells them that they must begin to petition the Father in Jesus’ name. And suddenly these followers of the Christ begin to focus on the coming event: The Resurrection which Jesus predicts. Suddenly, because they are familiar with all of the predictions made in their Testament of Torah, Wisdom and Prophets, they begin to understand that persecution must follow because Jesus isGod.
In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.
If we are sailing easily through life’s storms, we must be ignoring some of our assignments. If we are never challenged by the headlines, by our friends, by our dear ones, we must not be living in the now. When we hear our thinking going toward “making nice,” “not wanting to upset anyone,” “ignoring something until it goes away or someone else takes care of it,” then we know that we are still stumbling through the meaning of the Christ’s words which he speaks to us today in Chapter 16 of John.
We must not be disheartened when we meet stiff necks, hard hearts, personal agendas. We must call upon Christ to bring us hope, call upon the Holy Spirit to bring us comfort, call upon the Father to bolster our faith that all harm will be turned to good. And we must step fully into the arena of life.
And so we pray . . .
Jesus, God, Holy Comforter, we know that you will never lead us falsely, yet we fear the coming storm. We doubt our own ability to follow you. We know that you are always with us, yet your presence is sometimes difficult to feel. We doubt our own steadfastness. We know that your words are true, because you are Truth. We know that your words are loving, because you are Love. We know that the darkness is shattered by your presence, because you are Light. Bolster us with confidence, send us courage, because we know of the persecution of this world. And we also know that you have already conquered this world. We ought not to fear, but we are human. Send us your strength. Teach us how to find joy in the stony path of life. Remind us that joy will come of our mourning. Amen.
First written on June 11, 2008. Re-written and posted today as a Favorite.
When surprisesprings upon us we stagger a bit in wonderment and then we too often we move forward quickly, passing by the opportunity to reflect with God about how the surprise he has given us will continue to change our lives. It is these changes and surprises that tell us we can trust God. It is these changes and surprises that reveal God’s fidelity and care for us. It is these changes and surprises that bring us evidence of God’s deep and abiding love.
Today we spend time thinking about the new order. Zechariah predicts the newness that accompanies the Messiah. The Pharisees do not want to hear this news. From today’s Gospel reading from Luke: Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose’.”
God brings order out of the chaotic universe. Jesus brings order out of the corrupt hierarchy when he tells us that we are priests in our own right, the adopted daughters and sons of the creator, no longer needing the intercession of priests in the temple. We are our own temple, Christ having destroyed the old and having become the new. We enter into that temple when we humble ourselves, take up our assignments, and follow.
To have a deep understand of the meaning in the Book of Zechariah it is best to read notes and commentary; but even at a quick glance we can feel the newness of these words. The Word is rain in the spring season. The Word brings about the falling away of deceitful dreams and empty comfort. The Word gathers up the sheep who wander searching for meaning and feeling in their lives that lasts and does not flicker and vanish with the slightest whisper of struggle. The Word strengthens us so that we might walk in his name.
Whoever strives to be made God’s dwelling place, should strive to make himself humble and peaceable, that he may be known to be God’s servant, not by his greed for talk and pliability of mien, but by the reality of his lowliness; for goodness of heart requires no false unction of talk. (Saint Columban, d. 615- MAGNIFICAT, Oct 30, 2008)
When I suddenly find myself swimming upstream against tremendous odds, I know that it is time to halt, to humble myself, to take stock and to listen so that I might hear The Word that never fails. When I find that I do not comprehend what is before me, I know that I have entered into a new time – an exciting time – when I am accompanied closely by Christ. Zechariah predicts his coming to the people, his coming to each of us. In all of our struggle and anticipation we might overlook the fact that he already walks among us.
The True Word is not false. It does not flatter. It does not waver. It does not manipulate. It frees. It speaks truth always. It produces good fruit in due season. The Word is the New Order. We have heard this story many times. Let us act as if we believe.
Let us not forget the surprising good news that the prophet Zechariah brings us.
Cameron, Peter John, Rev., ed. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 30 October 200. Print.
Jan Vermeer: Christ in the House of Martha and MaryThere is only need of one thing.
There is a time for action and a time for reflection. This well-known story of Martha and Mary reminds us of the opening of Chapter 3 in Ecclesiastes: There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. And frequently these times occur at once, leaving us a bit dizzy and exhausted. We need not worry that we have missed an opportunity, for God always allows us another opportunity to amend. What we must do is to allow ourselves enough action time balanced with quiet time in order that we both witness and wait.
There is only need of one thing.
This story is followed by the time when Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray to the Father. I always think it must have been startling for his followers to hear that he encouraged them to address the creator with the name of Abba . . . Father, a name of endearment and intimacy. This relationship with God that Jesus urges is quite different from the one which Israel had experienced as chosen tribe. This new relationship is one in which we are loved beyond measure, it is one in which we are urged to ask so that we might receive. It is one in which we are encouraged to petition so that we might be answered.
There is only need of one thing.
In the midst of so many seasons, so many turnings, so many routes, so many options . . . There is only need of one thing . . . to listen to the voice of God, to witness and to wait, to petition and to ask . . . Abba, Father . . .
Titian: Judith and the Head of HolofernesThis is one of my favorite stories – perhaps because the protagonist is a woman. A good commentary will let us know that there were Hebrew, Latin and Greek versions of this story and that while no one knows the actual events which this narrative describes, it is meant as a text that will bolster the peoples’ faith in the presence of God among them. It is “a tract for difficult times; the reader, it is hoped, would take to heart the lesson that God was still the Master of history, who would save Israel from her enemies. Note the parallel with the time of Exodus: as God had delivered his people by the hands of Moses, so he could deliver them by the hand of the pious widow Judith.” (Senior 520)
Chapter 7 tells of the siege of the town Bethuliaby the Assyrian troops of King Nebuchadnezzar under the military leadership of Holofernestogether with local tribes; and it sets the story. If you have time today or this evening, read the entire story. I promise you will not be disappointed.
It is fascinating to read about these two groups of men who take into account both the small details and the broad strategies in order to lay out the best plans. They reconnoiter approaches, locate water sources, assess troop strength, close off escape routes, and store up resources. Meanwhile, the Israelites watch and pray. Their leader tells them: Let us wait five days more for the Lord our God, to show his mercy toward us; he will not utterly forsake us. Still, because the odds were so stacked against them, the Hebrew people of Bethulia mourned. They saw no hope of deliverance and believed they would all be killed or enslaved.
They were in a desperate place with desperate circumstances, yet they hoped. And a woman acts to save them. As we have observed, it is a great story.
As we reflect on this story we arrive at this thought: If we always turned to God at the first moment an army amassed itself against us, and if we would be willing to trust an unlikely agent – such as the widow Judith – we might find ourselves less anxious and more joyful.
Today’s Psalm at Mass is 112 with the repeated antiphon: The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord. One of the stanzas reads: An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes.
If we might trust as Judith trusts, if we might steady our hearts to make them steadfast and focused on Christ – the rescuer who rescues all who turn to him – we might find more success and less war. When we hear evil reports as we do each day when we tune into the news, we would tremble less. When we hear rumors about family, friends and colleagues, we might wait five days or so and petition God for advice in the meantime. When we fear that we have gone wrong and have lost our way, we might rely on God’s mercy, knowing that he will not forsake us.
If you have time today to spend with some ancient people who thought they faced extinction and yet were saved, you will be rewarded with a story about a pious widow who saves a town, and your heart may move closer to firmness, to justice, to trust in the Lord.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.520. Print.
Written on June 2, 2009 and posted today as a Favorite.
We must remember this when we are afraid, and say it as often as we must until we feel peaceful. It is Psalm 86, verse 2: Keep watch over my life for I am faithful, save your servant who puts trust in you.
God says: Fidelity to my way of living (believing in me, hoping for things that others have given up on, interceding with me for the people who harm you) and trusting me in all you do (I know this is really hard because I struggled with this in Gethsemane garden one night) will bring you peace because when you practice fidelity and trust in and to me, you form pathways of your own for receiving peace. You will not have to depend on any other person or any outside force to obtain peace. The next time something frightens you, you will automatically and naturally turn to me, and I will bring you a peace that cannot be shaken or taken away.
Christ’s peace dwells within. This is something we must remember. Especially when we are afraid.
Ezra and Nehemiah, priest and administrator, return from exile to rebuild Jerusalem after its fall and the nations’ exile. In joy tinged with sadness they dig into the ruins of their past to re-discover their covenant with Yahweh and to and re-pledge their fidelity to him. Yet in this bittersweet moment as they return from deportation, they continue to ignore God – even the leaders among them who are to serve as models. We read the long list of their names further along in the chapter and we pause to reflect that we too, are among the guilty.
We remember that although the Old Testament response to their recognition of unfaithful ties with non-Jewish spouses and children was severance and abandonment, our New Testament response is one of openness and an invitation to reconciliation. Today we might look at Ezra’s response to the original act of betrayal: for he was in mourning over the betrayal by the exiles. A leader among them, Shecaniah, during his appeal to Ezra says: Yet even now there remains a hope for Israel . . . have courage and take action! The action they take is to name the culpable, and to expel the innocent women and children from their presence. This story has always troubled me, as does any total severance I encounter in my life. here is something about it which does not match the Gospel story.
We know that there are times when even Jesus recommends that his missionaries shake dust from the feetto move out of hostile territory and on to new places. We also know that only God can soften hearts, and can give the gifts of faith, hope and love of enemy. Only God can unbend stiff necks and open closed eyes, ears and hearts. Only God can send us the graced moments that make our relationships come alive for an eternity. Yet, we also believe that we must always make ourselves available for the miracles God wishes to give us. We must be open to the outrageous possibility that God can grant our hearts’ desires when we ask in Jesus’ name. We must be willing to remain as constant as God has remained with us. And we – the victims of abuse – must be willing to petition intercession and salvation for our abusers while maintaining a prudent, watchful and open stance with our enemies. This must be our response, for it is the Christian response.
Many times in the Gospel we see Jesus defer to the Father and we hear the words and bind them to our minds and to our hearts: Do not be afraid. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Jesus’ response is to rely on the creator and it must be our response. Just as Jesus trusts in God’s wisdom and plan, so must we.
It is easy to assign culpability to the blameless, faceless and nameless women and children in today’s reading who find themselves as destitute as these Jewish people themselves had several times been in their history – slaves in Egypt, exiles in Babylon. Yet they show no compassion. Christ has not yet walked among them to show them The Way.
I like to think that when confronted with difficult decisions like the ones we read about and think about today, that we will choose the Jesus Way, the Jesus Approach to the dilemma. Our response, if we follow Jesus, must be as honest, prudent and open as his. What isthis response? With prudence and with trust in God, let us welcome the guilty, for we are among them. Let us forgive, for we are forgiven.
Tower of David Ruins: JerusalemAt the time that the Jews were returning from their exile, Ezra condemns certain priests who intermarried with the Gentiles strayed from Yahweh. Their solution? To sever relationships with wives and children and make a guilt offering. This is a course of action appropriate for their time but it is not the action that New Testament people will take. If we are People of the Restoration, People of Resurrection and healing, we will build bridges where there is dissent and conflict. We will look for compassionate yet just ways to maintain contact and to heal breaches in relationships.
Let us welcome the guilty, for we are among them.
Let us forgive, for we are forgiven
From the MAGNIFICAT morning intercessions.
You made all human beings in your image: fill us with reverence for one another. Hear your children’s plea!
You restored us in your image through the work of the cross: teach us to work to restore the dignity of all those degraded by the works of evil. Hear your children’s plea!
You raise us to newness of life in Jesus Christ: fill us always with Easter joy. Hear your children’s plea!
Written on April 16, 2008 and posted today as a Favorite.
Juan de Flandes: Christ and the Canaanite Woman“When Jesus goes to the region ofTyreandSidon– two cities with evil reputations (Ezekiel 28) – he meets a Canaanite woman. ‘Canaanite’ adds to the negative connotation of ‘Tyre and Sidon’ . . . The evangelist speaks against the woman, that he may show forth her marvelous act, and celebrate her praise the more . . . The woman addressed Jesus as Lord and Son of David and asks for mercy for her daughter, who suffers from a demon. Jesus’ response is silence – he is ether turning her down or testing her faith. The disciples then want her dismissed. Jesus . . . declares her commitment to Israel [and] . . . he thus promotes a biblical doctrine of election . . . salvation comes to those outside Israel in response to their faith in Jesus”. (Barton and Muddiman 864)
God redeems those who seek him.
In today’s Noontime, we watch Jesus go to non-Jewish territory to interact with a woman who is not a believer in the Mosaic Law. She is a Canaaniteand does not believe that Yahweh is the one true God; yet she understands that God is present in Jesus in a singular way. She believes in miracles.
With God all things are possible.
“A distinctive feature of Matthew’s Gospel is that it frequently portrays Jesus as a recipient of worship . . . For Matthew, this motif is connected to the belief that God is present in Jesus and present in others through him. Matthew does not think it appropriate to worship anyone other than the Lord God (4:10), but God is present in Jesus to such an extent that worshiping Jesus counts as worshiping God”. (Mays 872)
God sent God’s Word to live among God’s people.
In this episode, as with the story of Jesus’ healing the centurion’s servant in Matthew 8, we see Jesus heal from a distance because of faith enacted by one outside of Yahweh’s covenant. What are we to think about this, and in Jesus’ first reply to the woman? It is not right to take the food of children and throw it to the dogs.The woman in today’s reading believes that Jesus can make her daughter whole. She believes that Jesus is God and so says boldly: Even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters. Her persistence pays off and her distant daughter is healed.
Not a hair of your head shall fall that God does not mark it.
This episode is followed by stories of Jesus healing and feeding the many lost sheep who follow him seeking wholeness. We are these sheep. We are the centurion and the Canaanite woman. We have the power to ask and to have our requests fulfilled when we persist, when we worship, when we acknowledge that God is God.
Ask and you will receive. Knock and the door will be opened. By faith you will move mountains.
The Noontimes 