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Archive for October, 2023

Psalm 22: Spiritual Warfare – Part I

Posted in Favorite, Web site included, tagged , , , on October 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Psalm 22: Spiritual Warfare – Part I – A Reprise

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

This Favorite was written on November 11, 2008, Veteran’s Day in the U.S.A., and we post it again in reprise as we consider spiritual and physical warfare.

Today, the day on which we celebrate the end of war in many parts of the world, we pause to think about the spiritual warfare in which we are all daily engaged.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

While still on the cross, Christ appealed to the father with this prayer that generations of his people have used while addressing God in times of stress.  In the NAB the psalm bears the title Prayer of an Innocent Person.  Jesus, the unblemished lamb, dies in innocence, in the act of bringing healing to peoples crying for relief.  But Christ knew, as Paul tells us in Ephesians: Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.  Paul describes the armor of God we must wear as we enter into the warfare each day: the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Our feet must be shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace.  (Ephesians 6)

Many bulls surround me; fierce bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Bashan – a land east of the Jordan noted for the size of its animals – provides fierce opposition to the life of a Christian.  Again, Paul reminds us in his letter to Titus how to be consistent with sound doctrine, namely, that . . . [we] be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love and endurance, reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train [others].  (Titus 2) Paul also calls women to a role subordinate to men which was appropriate for the day – and which we now recognize as outmoded in its effect.  The point here is that combat as we witness need not be fierce.  It need only be faithful, prayer-filled, and consistent with the Gospel.

Then I will proclaim your name to the assembly; in the community I will praise you.

Tomorrow, when we are lost we are found.

Image from: https://www.pursuegod.org/warfare/ and 

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Romans 12:1-2: This Age

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , , , on October 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Romans 12:1-2: This Age – Our Generation

Monday, October 30, 2023pauls-letter-to-the-romans

Jesus has spoken to his own generation and he speaks to ours.

I urge you, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. (NAB)

Paul reminds us that our own generation lures us to sleep if we are not watchful.

So here’s what I want you to do. Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (THE MESSAGE)

We might call one another to holiness, to newness of the heart, to openness of the mind.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God. (DOUAY-RHEIMS AMERICAN)

A 17th Century depiction of Paul writing his epistles

A 17th Century depiction of Paul writing his epistles

We step outside of that familiar place where we begin as children, come to age as adolescents and form our conscience as adults. We examine our fears, our motives, our addictions and our loves. We take stock of our resources. We rest in God. When we examine our own generation, what do we have to say for ourselves? What do we have to say about this age?

When we use the scripture link and drop-down menus to examine other translations of these verses, we begin to see humanity’s march toward union in Christ. 

Images from: https://christinesbiblestudy.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/book-of-romans-chiastic-structure/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Romans

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Luke 11:47-54: A Prayer for This Generation

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , , , on October 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Luke 11:47-54: A Prayer for This Generation

Sunday, October 29, 2023

We continue to pray and reflect on the crisis in the Middle East.

Jacob Jordeans: Jesus Driving the Merchants from the Temple

Jacob Jordeans: Jesus Driving the Merchants from the Temple

How terrible for you! You make fine tombs for the prophets—the very prophets your ancestors murdered.

Knowing that all generations falter in their hope to follow Christ, we pray for ourselves and for all who are willing to ask for hope in hopeless situations.

You yourselves admit, then, that you approve of what your ancestors did; they murdered the prophets, and you build their tombs.

Knowing that all generation murder prophets and bury them in white-washed tombs, we pray for ourselves and for all who honor life that comes from God.

How terrible for you teachers of the Law! You have kept the key that opens the door to the house of knowledge; you yourselves will not go in, and you stop those who are trying to go in!

Knowing that all generations hold the key of knowledge and use it for good and for ill, we pray for ourselves and all who continue to prophesize in the face of corruption.

So the people of this time will be punished for the murder of all the prophets killed since the creation of the world.

Knowing that all generations both bless and condemn the Spirit, we pray for ourselves and all who are willing to unravel plots and reveal those who freely deceive others.

When Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began trying to lay traps for him and catch him saying something wrong.

El Greco: The Purification of the Temple

El Greco: The Purification of the Temple – The Frick Collection

Knowing that all generations lay plots and lie in waiting to put an end to goodness, we pray for ourselves and all who dare to bring light to the world.

When Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to criticize him bitterly and ask him questions about many things.

Knowing that God’s enormous love is capable of healing all wounds, bridging all abysses, and restoring all peace, we pray for ourselves and for all who persist in carrying God’s love into the world.

Amen.

For more images of Jesus driving the money-lenders from the Temple, click on the image above or visit: http://www.artble.com/artists/el_greco/paintings/the_purification_of_the_temple

The El Greco image is from: https://collections.frick.org/objects/197/purification-of-the-temple

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Luke 11:47-54: This Generation – Part III

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , on October 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Luke 11:47-54: This Generation – Part III

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Giandomenico Tiepolo: Expulsion of the Money-Changers from the Temple

We have heard Jesus’ call to our best selves. We have heard the voice describing the hope placed in humankind. We have felt the presence of the Spirit that longs to live in love in every heart.

How do the wise of Jesus’ day react to this startling good news?

As soon as Jesus left the table, the religion scholars and Pharisees went into a rage. They went over and over everything he said, plotting how they could trap him in something from his own mouth. (THE MESSAGE)

How do those Jesus challenges react?

Lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch something from his mouth, that they might accuse him. (DOUAY-RHEIMS AMERICAN)

How does our own generation respond to Jesus’ call?

When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say. (NRSV)

How do we today return the enormous love that are given?

When Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to criticize him bitterly and ask him questions about many things, trying to lay traps for him and catch him saying something wrong. (GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION)

How do we open our ears and eyes, minds and hearts to God’s loving Word?

When we compare varying translations of these verses using the scripture link and drop-down menus, we find The Word speaks to our own generation just as he spoke to his own.

Image from Museo Thyssen: https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/tiepolo-giandomenico/expulsion-money-changers-temple

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Luke 11:47-54: This Generation – Part II

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , on October 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Luke 11:47-54: This Generation – Part II

Friday, October 27, 2023key-of-knowledge

We are spending time with Jesus’ words, reflecting on his audience to determine if we are the hopeless scholars or the marginalized flock.

Jesus says: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled from the time earth began until now, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was struck down between altar and sanctuary, is on your heads. Yes, it’s on the bill of this generation and this generation will pay.

What is the bill Jesus tells us is coming due? Who are the prophets whose blood we willingly shed? What is the price we told we will pay?

God says: This bill my son speaks of rises from the lack of action when my sheep are lost and hungry, naked and without shelter. These sheep are the gentle prophets whose presence and truth are too often ignored. The price to be paid is a heavy one. This is why I awake you each morning with a gentle touch to ask you to follow my son. This is why I rock you to sleep each night wrapped in the arms of my Spirit.

Jesus says: You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won’t go in yourself, and won’t let anyone else in either.

What is the key of knowledge that Jesus points out to us here? What door have we shut and why have we shut it? Who are the others whose entry we refuse?

God says: The key of knowledge is my invitation to enter the Kingdom I create for you. The key is my loving presence that longs to love more than you can imagine. I am saddened when you cast off my presence as coincidence or karma. When you discourage others from believing in me you shut the door to t his kingdom. When you call others as I call you, you open windows and doors.  

Today we consider the bill. Tomorrow, the bill comes due.

For more on the key of knowledge, visit: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/11-52.htm

Image from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/435371488949839561/

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Luke 11:47-54: This Generation – Part I

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , on October 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Luke 11:47-54: This Generation – Part I

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Paolo Veronese: Jesus Among the Doctors in the Temple

Paolo Veronese: Jesus Among the Doctors in the Temple

Jesus tells his own generation – and he tells us – that an accounting will be taken.

You’re hopeless! You build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed. (THE MESSAGE)

Jesus reminds his neighbors – and he reminds us – that our deeds must match our words.

How terrible for you! You make fine tombs for the prophets—the very prophets your ancestors murdered. (GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION)

Jesus calls the leaders of his day – and he calls ours – to rise to a level that befits their office.

Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. (NRSV)

Jesus asks the people of his day – and he asks us – to live as he lives, hope as he hopes, and love as he loves.

Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. (KJV)

Jesus says to those who will listen – and he says to us – that we must put aside false pretense, we must filter out the noise, and we must cling to all that is good, and whole and holy. Jesus speaks to his generation and he speaks to us. We know what happens to his contemporaries. Do we know what will happen to us?

Tomorrow, the audience.

Using the scripture link and the drop-down menus, we might compare various translations of these verses to better hear The Word.

In the image above, we see the young Jesus taking his place among Temple scholars. Veronese depicts these early leaders as Renaissance Italian courtiers. How would we describe this scene in our own day? Click on the image to find another reflection, or visit: http://scripture-for-today.blogspot.com/2010/10/luke-1147-54-for-you-build.html 

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Exodus 3: Fire in the Desert

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , on October 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Exodus 3: Fire in the Desert

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

The bush was blazing away but it didn’t burn up.

There are times in our lives when we experience an event that stuns us, when the impossible appears to be possible.

The angel of God appeared to Moses in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. 

There are times in our days when we know that the power of God buoys us, times in our nights when the Spirit of God heals and comforts us.

Moses said, “What’s going on here? I can’t believe this! Amazing! Why doesn’t the bush burn up?”

When we meet the impossible made possible, do we credit coincidence or chance before we credit our loving God with our rescue?

God says: I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey.

When we hear God’s call to act as prophet, do we assume we are incapable or do we trust God’s plan to see us through?

Moses answered God, “But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

When we feel Christ’s presence in the dangerous moments of our lives, do we rise with hope or disappear in fear?

I’ll be with you, God says. And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain.

When we hear the call to follow God’s heart, do we put aside our fears to follow? Do we dare to believe that a bush might burn in the desert and never disintegrate into ash?

Images from: https://www.hamptonroadschurch.com/exodus/2017/10/17/exodus-3-the-burning-bush and https://renewalchristiancenter.org/blog/2020/03/16/may-you-encounter-the-god-of-the-burning-bush

For a reflection and prayer, visit: https://renewalchristiancenter.org/blog/2020/03/16/may-you-encounter-the-god-of-the-burning-bush

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1 Samuel 13: The Heat of Self-Knowledge – Part II

Posted in Favorite, tagged , , , on October 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »


1 Samuel 13: The Heat of Self-Knowledge – Part II

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

David and King Saul

We watch a conflagration take hold in the Middle East and pray that peace might come to these people and to all peoples of the world.  

The fire of battle is a familiar setting for scripture stories and for our own lives as well. Whether the skirmishes are physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, blood of one kind or another is constantly spilled. Misery seems to be a constant human companion and because of this we may begin to think that God is not present as we suffer. But in this thinking we will not be correct, for God is always present, even – and perhaps especially – when circumstances are bleakest.

We generally consider the fires of life to be destructive but today’s Gospel brings us another perspective (Luke 12:49-53). Jesus says: I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! What are to make these words uttered by the Lamb of God who constantly speaks of unity and peace? What can he possibly mean when he asks: Do you think I have come to establish peace on earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division. What Jesus is speaking of here is the fact that when we are acting in the Gospel, when we are true disciples of Christ, there will be friction and even conflagration. There will be destruction; yet this destruction will be an opportunity for new building.

Catherine of Siena has this insight to today’s Gospel when she describes how we become alight with the fire of self-knowledge, the fire of Christ: The soul’s being united with him and transformed into him is like fire consuming the dampness in logs. Once the logs are heated through and through, the fire burns and changes them into itself, giving them its own color and warmth and power. It is just so with the Creator . . . We begin to experience the heat of self-knowledge- which consumes all the dampness of our selfish love for ourselves.  As the heat increases, we throw ourselves with blazing desire into God’s measureless goodness, which we discover within our very selves.  (Cameron 312)

King Saul and David

What we see in yesterday’s and today’s Noontime reading is Saul allowing the dampness to consume him rather that the fire of the heat of self-knowledge. Many of us back away from self-examination because we do not want to face the demon within. What Christ tells us, and what Catherine of Sienna clarifies for us, is that without Christ’s fire of self-knowledge we too, are lost because it is this very conflagration that purifies and binds. It is this fire that transforms. It is the blaze that makes us new again.

Tomorrow, fire in the desert. 

Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 22.10 (2009): 312. Print.

Images from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul and https://www.petesantucci.com/13-reasons-why-king-saul-wasnt-as-bad-as-sunday-school-teachers-make-him-out-to-be-2/

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1 Samuel 13: The Heat of Self-Knowledge – Part I

Posted in Favorite, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »


1 Samuel 13: The Heat of Self-Knowledge – Part I

Monday, October 23, 2023

Benjamin west: Saul and the Witch of Endor

Benjamin West: Saul and the Witch of Endor

As we continue to work and pray for peace in a world so full of turmoil, we reflect on this important story from Scripture. 

This is the portion of the Samuel story in which we watch Saul move away from God to begin his long slide into darkness. This downward movement happens because he presumes to know best. Saul takes action on his own without waiting for Samuel, who is designated by God as the judge/leader, to offer sacrifice before battle. Although his son Jonathan and the rest of Saul’s troops have immediate success, Saul himself is eventually lost. He becomes paranoid about his fear of David (1 Samuel 18) and forces David to flee the court (1 Samuel 19).H e allows his fears to overtake him as when he orders the priest of Nob to be slaughtered (1 Samuel 22) and continues his frenetic search for David in the wilderness (1 Samuel 23). In his panic he consults with a seer in Endor (1 Samuel 28); and finally he meets his dreadful end (1 Samuel 31) along with his beloved son Jonathon. This is a sad ending for a man who had shown such promise but who, in the end, did not trust God. Today we see the beginning of Saul’s long and terrible journey into the dark. Unwilling to admit his errors or to seek pardon, Saul gives himself over to the fantastical thinking that he knows better than God, that he can do without God. He sees his troops slithering away before the battle and, thinking that he will keep them from leaving, he steps in to intervene – countering God’s plan.

Today we reflect on Saul’s story and examine our motivations to see if the fire of self-knowledge threatens to consume us. Tomorrow, the fire of battle. Do our conflicts help us to know ourselves better? Or do they send us further into deception and denial? 

Image from: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/saul-and-the-witch-of-endor-benjamin-west.html

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