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Archive for August, 2021

Psalm 9:15-20: The Hope of the Poor

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , , , on August 31, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Tuesday, August 31, 2021

PovertyPsalms 9:15-20

The Hope of the Poor

Jeremiah has given us so much to process; he lays out before us a reason for righteous anger . . . and he also proposes that a new order is coming.

The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.

Our own life experience tells us that the innocent suffer and the ungodly hold the upper hand.

The Lord is known by acts of justice; the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.

And our spiritual life tells us that we must leave judging and condemnation to God.

The wicked shall be given over to the grave, and also all the peoples who forget God.

Rather than preoccupy ourselves with the sins of the ungodly, let us work together to bring all peoples to God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

God sees even the smallest of us and it is our great work to join God in solidarity with the poor.

Rise up, O Lord, let not the ungodly have the upper hand; let them be judged before you.

God sees even the smallest of our actions to remedy the plight of the poor.

Put fear upon them, O Lord; let the ungodly know they are but mortal.

Rather than pray for the end of our enemies, let us pray for their great conversion of heart.

God says: I realize that you live in a world of injustice. I understand that you want me to remedy even unbalance, each inequality, all corruption and lack of integrity. And that is the great work to which I call each of you. Join me in kingdom-building, in forgiveness and reconciliation. Join me in the greatest and most important work of your lives. Feed the physically poor. Tend to the spiritually poor. Aide the mentally poor. It is in so doing that you will come to see the beauty and worth of my kingdom. It is in so doing that you will put aside your anger and fear. It is in so doing that you will discover the serenity and peace of the kingdom. This is my new covenant with you. Reconcile yourself to me and begin anew, for in this is the hope of the poor. 

And the people reply . . . The Lord is known by acts of justice. Let us join the Lord in the great work of The Kingdom. Let us become, with the Lord, the hope of the poor.

Enter the word kingdom-building into the blog search bar and explore what kingdom-building work God might have in mind for each of us.

For information about poverty and health in the USA, click on the image above or go to: http://blog.oup.com/2013/11/poverty-public-health-united-states/

For a world rural poverty map, visit: http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/region 

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Jeremiah 31:21-40: Good News!

Posted in Favorite, tagged , , , , , , on August 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Monday, August 30, 2021

The Old Temple Housing the Old Covenant

The Old Temple Housing the Old Covenant

Jeremiah 31:21-40

Good News!

Watered gardens, priests with souls of abundance, shouts of joy, radiance at the generosity of the Lord, new wine and new oil, virgins dancing, old and young men rejoicing together, return from the land of the enemy. Surely all will rejoice with this good news!

Set up road marks, place guideposts, turn and return to God.

Days are coming when the Lord will write a new covenant on our hearts rather than on tablets of stone in the desert. I will be their God and they will be my people. There will be no need for instruction each to his neighbor for all will know the Lord.

Days are coming and indeed, they are already here. We have every reason to rejoice!

covenant_black+on+redThis is the Good News of the Return from Exile. It is the description of The Road we must travel. It is the reminder that there is An End to Our Mourning. It is The Summons Home. It is the Certainty of God’s Promise. And it is the prediction of the Rebuilding of Jerusalem.

We are a people in exile who yearn for the running water which flows through Jerusalem.

We are a pilgrim people who travel The Way laid out for us by Jesus, the Savior.

We are a chastened people who wish to cease mourning.

We are a hopeful people who respond to the Call to turn and return.

We are a faithful people who remember our Covenant with the Creator.

hands in hands

The New Covenant: Our hands in God’s hands . . . our hearts in God’s heart.

We are a loving and love-filled people who tremble with the anticipation of the Holy Spirit.

We are a holy people who witness, work and wait.

For the days are coming and, indeed . . . they are already here!

Adapted from a reflection written on October 24, 2007

Images from: http://poetrybydeborahann.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/if-god-is-the-potter/ and http://loudcry.org/sda/archives/4998 and http://www.journeythroughthestory.com/2014/08/ezekiel-3637.html

 

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Jeremiah 31: Slaughter

Posted in Web site included, tagged , , , , , on August 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Sunday, August 29, 2021

Francois-Joseph Navez: The Massacre of the Innocents

Francois-Joseph Navez: The Massacre of the Innocents

Jeremiah 31

Slaughter

In these tragic but beautiful verses Jeremiah laments the slaughter of innocents. Footnotes will tell us that “Ramah is a village about five miles north of Jerusalem, where Rachel was buried (1Sm 10, 2). Rachel: said to mourn for her children since she was the ancestress of Ephraim, the chief of the northern tribes. Mt 2, 18 applies this verse to the slaughter of the innocents by Herod”. (Senior cf. 988)

We know that Rachel refuses to be consoled because her children are no more. And we also know that the Lord replies: cease your cries of mourning, wipe the tears from your eyes. The sorrow you have sown will be its reward . . . they shall return from the enemy’s land. There is hope for your future.

In later verses Ephraim replies: I have come to myself, I strike my breast; I blush with shame, I bear the disgrace of my youth.

As we have observed in our Noontime reflections, not all suffering is a result of our actions, and it is a fact that much of the world’s pain is endured by innocents who have committed no wrong and have nothing to repent. Yet still slaughter and mayhem walk among us and we struggle to pray for those schemers who plot chaos. We rally ourselves to stand in solidarity with the faithful who witness to injustice. We keep vigil, we begin campaigns to change corruption, we witness, watch and wait, we petition God, we pray, we form support groups and action pacts, and and we hope for better outcomes.

Despite the fact that we believe there may be a genetic cause for much of the violence in society, science is a long way from understanding the intricate dance the human mind must perform in order to avoid admitting to the sociopathy of evil. In an interview with the author of Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight, M.E. Thomas tells Baltimore columnist and former talk show host Dan Rodricks about the frightening territory of those who observe or commit harm without remorse. The podcast is worth our listening time if we struggle with someone close to us who has little or no empathy for others.

Today Jeremiah tells us that slaughter will take place, and that mourning and wailing will have little effect on those among us who lack an emotional response to others. But he also tells us that amid the tears and pain there is always hope offered by the Living God who accompanies us in our exile. There is always mercy for those who suffer as there also is for those who cause turmoil and violence.  There is always the possibility to turn and return to God despite of, and even in the face of, a great slaughter.

Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.cf. 988.Print.   

For more on the anger gene, visit: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/code-rage-the-warrior-gene-makes-me-mad-whether-i-have-it-or-not/

To hear Dan Rodrick’s Midday podcast with M.E. Thomas, the author of Confessions of a Sociopath, go to: http://wypr.org/post/confessions-sociopath 

For another reflection on these verses, click on the image above or go to: http://signoftherose.org/2014/04/15/jeremiah-31-out-of-the-nightmare-a-dream-for-a-new-future/

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Jeremiah 31:1-14: Age-Old Love

Posted in Poetry, tagged , , , on August 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Saturday, August 28, 2021

gods_love3Jeremiah 31:1-14

Finally a respite from the torrent appears in Jeremiah’s prophecy.

With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore you and you will be rebuilt.

There comes a moment when we can stand no more; and it is, gratefully, at that moment when the light pierces the darkness. It is, thankfully, at that moment when we hear our reprieve; and it is, mercifully, in that moment that there comes an awakening. Gates that held back emotion at last fly open. And we hear the good news of return.

Age-Old Love

Weary from the road, the faithful take refuge.

Worn by the journey, the remnant tumbles into uncertain shelter.

Still cowering beneath the whip of the uncaring, the dry-eyed seek cover to wait as the worst of the nightmares arrives.

Roaring winds of flying bits torment the skin and yet . . . 

From the maelstrom comes the smallest of voices announcing the greatest of loves.

Seeking, searching, never tiring.

Calling, looking, always enduring.

For thus says the Lord . . . words whisper against the rising wind . . . 

Again you will plant vineyards and gather in the wheat.

Once more you will strike the festal tambourine. 

With dance and with song you will celebrate.

With reconciliation and with joy you will finally rest.

Behold, says the Lord . . . words curl into ears longing for respite . . .

I will bring you back.

I will deliver my faithful remnant.

I will heal your wounds and restore you to your place.

This I promise!

For with grain and with wine I restore you.

With infinite mercy I redeem you.

With an age-old love I have loved you.

As I love you still.

Image from: http://bessg.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/love-we-can-trust/

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Jeremiah 30: A Cry of Dismay

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , , , on August 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Friday, August 27, 2021

Bedouin Tent in the Sahara

Bedouin Tent in the Sahara

Jeremiah 30

A Cry of Dismay

In this portion of Jeremiah’s prophecy, we have a reprise of oracles already spoken. Perhaps we need to hear this message once more. We have heard and read these words and yet, do we fully comprehend God’s promise?

The Old Testament God unleashes the storm upon those who have fallen away from the covenant. God guides, admonishes and protects. The New Testament God lives our trial with us. Jesus heals, restores and redeems. The Spirit comes to live within each of us to console, fortify and counsel.

Let us spend some time today with these verses so that we might more fully understand. Read the four Bible versions on the scripture link above, or choose others from the drop-down menus on the scripture site. Listen for God’s unique response to our own cry of dismay, and determine to rest in the peace that only God can give.

A cry of dismay we hear; fear reigns, not peace.

Be not dismayed. Behold, I will deliver you from the far-off land.

You shall again find rest, for I am with you.

“The outcast” they have called you, “with no avenger”.

See! I will restore the tents of Jacob.

When I summon you, you will approach me.

You shall be my people, and I will be your God.

See, the storm of the Lord!

When the time comes . . . you will fully understand.

To read a blog post on women in scripture dwelling in tents, click on the image above or go to: http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2012/05/dwelling-in-tent.html

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Jeremiah 29: A Message to Exiles

Posted in Web site included, tagged , , , on August 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Thursday, August 26, 2021

jeremiah 29-11Jeremiah 29

A Message to Exiles

Jeremiah is clear: the future prosperity of those going into exile depends upon settling in and making the most of a long captivity. Hananiah and his followers have miscalculated, and have lost their lives in the bargain; the exile will not be a short one. Jeremiah and his supporters have proved correct; Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire is not a passing force; it will hold a central position in the region for quite a long time. (Mays 567)

At first glance we find a bleak situation – there is no remedy, no rescuer, and no plan in place to put injustice right. And yet, Jeremiah offers hope with some of the most beautiful verses in all of sacred scripture. He brings hope to a desolate and despairing people; he brings us words from the Living God that will sustain us when nothing else will.

When nights are endless and days are wearying, we remember . . .

Thus says the Lord: I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare, not for woe!  plans to give you a future full of hope.

When human resources are gone and we know we are empty . . .

When you call me, when you go to pray for me, you will find me.

When we see nothing but obstacles before us . . .

Jeremiah 29.13Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, and I will change your lot.

When we believe we can no longer survive . . .

I will gather you together from all the nations.

When we yearn for a time past when we understood more and were confused less . . .

I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.

When we consider the periods of exile we experience even in the midst of our lives busy with families, neighbors and colleagues, we might turn to Jeremiah who harbingers the promise of God’s outrageous hope, the promise of Christ’s redemption, and the promise of the Spirit’s in-dwelling. This is his message to the exiles and to us: God has plans for you . . . plans for your joy . . . and not for woe . . . plans to bring you back . . . to the place you have been promised.

Images from: http://lauragoins.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeremiah-2911.html and http://creativeconfetti.blogspot.com/2012/07/jeremiah-2913.html

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Mark 4:37-41: A Great Calm

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on August 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Delacroix: Christ on the Sea of Galilee

Eugène Delacroix: Christ on the Sea of Galilee

Mark 4:37-41

A Great Calm

As we move through Jeremiah’s prophecy we may feel as though we are tossed by a violent squall, our little ship of life rolling up and down thundering waves. When we feel swamped, we panic. When lightning flashes, our spirit fades. Looking for a break in the cloud cover or searching for the slightest sign of sunlight from beyond the glowering clouds, we might feel as the apostles did when they called out: Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.

Our personal and public lives are jammed with the minutiae of a modern life. Newsfeeds, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, the Blogosphere all fill our waking and sleeping thoughts whether consciously or subconsciously.  Friendly resources have become too much information, but turning off the inflow only serves to isolate us. And we are filling up. Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

We look for a leader who will solve the world’s problems. We look for the seer who might tell us how to maneuver the difficulties we see looming like the giant waves of the storm-tossed sea. We look for the teacher who will show us wisdom.

Jesus rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”

We look for the pill that will ease our tension. We look for the possession that will fulfill our need. We look for the status that will give us security.

The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

In struggling with the details we miss the bigger picture. In cutting down the saplings we miss the enormous trees. We upbraid ourselves and others for all that is lacking only to miss all that is there.

Here_Today-Gone_TomorrowThey were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even the wind and sea obey?”

Let us also be filled with awe at the impossible that God brings into our lives. Let us also be filled with wonder at the mystery and beauty of God’s love. Let us nourish the gift of faith we are given – no matter how small or struggling. When we flounder, let us sing out to the Teacher that we are perishing. When we are full of anxiety or fear, let us be ready to hear God’s word: Quiet! Be still! Why are you terrified? I am the one whom even the wind and the sea obey.

And let us be prepared for the great calm that will always follow the violent squall.

Enter the word storm into the blog search bar and reflect on the times that God has quieted the squalls of our lives.

Images from: http://www.wikiart.org/en/eugene-delacroix/christ-on-the-sea-of-galilee-1854 and http://the3rs.mlblogs.com/tag/dustin-pedroia/

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Jeremiah 28: False Confidence

Posted in Mini-Noontime, Web site included, tagged , , on August 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Jeremiah2Jeremiah 28

False Confidence

We grow accustomed to easy words that support a belief we hold dearly; we reject words that bring news we do not want to hear. We live secure in our possessions and good health; we spend too little time thinking of those who have little or even nothing. In our fear of change and upheaval, we place all of our confidence in those who cannot help us when calamity strikes – as it always does. In our worry about how we will maneuver around or over the obstacles in our lives, we build up false confidence in events and agencies that are fallible and finite. And we turn our backs on the Living God who creates, heals, restores and builds up. Today we hear the story of Hananiah, the false prophet who wrongly predicts a brief two-year period of exile, and who dies in the face of the false confidence he hoped to inspire.

Removing the wooden yoke from Jeremiah’s neck, Hananiah enters into a reality he creates in his mind. Jeremiah went away, verse 11 tells us, but then he returns, unable to keep silent. In verse 17 we hear that Hananiah dies in the seventh month of that year. Jeremiah lives on to continue his call to anyone who will listen.

God says: You do not need others to build you up. Do I not waken you every morning, feed you every noontime, and call you to rest each night? Do I not abide with you even when your anger or fear turn you away from me? Do I not continue to accompany you on the many roads you take to escape my gaze? Fear not, I am with you always. Even until the end of the age. I will heal you always, calling you home to me despite all that has gone wrong for you. I will restore you and set you back into your promised place, just as I have always done for Jeremiah and his faithful remnant.

As we struggle to obey Babylon in our place of exile, let us remember these two prophets Hananiah and Jeremiah, one speaking for self and his false leaders, and the other for God alone.

Enter the word confidence into the blog search bar and let us consider what or who inspire us to have confidence. Let us consider where our confidence lies. And let us determine if we might say that our confidence is false or just.

Or . . . return to the earlier blog posts from the beginning of Jeremiah’s prophecy and reflect on how God’s promise might offer hope and might balance the difficult periods in our lives. 

For a reflection on The Duel of the Prophets, click on the image above or go to: http://www.passionistjpic.org/2010/12/duel-of-the-prophets/ 

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Jeremiah 27: Obeying Babylon

Posted in Web site included, tagged , , , on August 23, 2021| 2 Comments »


Monday, August 23, 2021

Nebuchadnezzar Cylinder

Nebuchadnezzar Cylinder

Jeremiah 27

Obeying Babylon

In Jeremiah 27 we find an odd command from God: obey Babylon or perish. This may puzzle us until we look more closely for deeper meaning.

Now I have given all of these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant; even the beasts of the field I have given him for his use.

This may seem odd to us. The Lord speaks through Jeremiah, telling the faithful that a foreign king will now have control of the kingdom they struggled so mightily to pull together. Corruption had allowed it to split in two, Israel to the North and Judah to the south, and now was the hour of the conqueror. The people of David’s Kingdom have strayed too far from the Sinai Covenant.

You must not listen to your prophets, to your diviners and dreamers, to your soothsayers and sorcerers, who say to you, “You need not serve the king of Babylon”. They prophesy lies to you in order to drive you far from your land.

This may also seem an unusual message from the Living God until we consider the considerable exploitation that the priests had used in their sacred work. These elect had taken advantage of those with no recourse and now they have lost credibility with God.

To Zedekiah, king of Judah, I spoke the same words: Submit your necks to the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, so that you may live.

Even to the King, Yahweh has spoken. Even the king will be forced to submit to circumstances of the ruling class’s making. This too, may seem odd, until we reflect on the deterioration in leadership that had taken place in recent centuries.

To Babylon they shall be brought, and there they shall remain, until the day I look for them, says the Lord; then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.

Despite the deception and deceit, Yahweh remains. Through exile and captivity, Yahweh abides. During turmoil and frustration, Yahweh continues to shepherd the remnant. For now . . . during exile . . . the faithful must do the unthinkable . . . and obey Babylon.

Enter the word Babylon into the blog search bar and spend time reflecting on her role in our Judeo-Christian history.

Image from: http://www.greatcommission.com/index.html

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