Happiness is found in the pursuit of our vocation as an integral part of God’s plan in God’s time. Today’s reading tells us that we are to take individual responsibility for our actions, or lack of them. We remind ourselves that so frequently we become targets of anger when we work in God’s vineyard. We also remind ourselves that Wisdom serves a double function: it helps us in our search for our place in God’s plan, and she is also our bulwark in times of fear.
From today’s MAGNIFICAT Morning Prayer: John 15:18,20: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. No slave is greater than his master.” Disciples who follow Jesus faithfully must expect to follow him into dislike, ridicule, even persecution from those who find the Gospel threatening to their ways of thinking and acting.
Psalm 31tells us that sometimes In the face of all my foes I am a reproach, an object of scorn to my neighbors and of fear to my friends.As my Dad used to say, You know who your friends are when it’s “stand up” time.
Wisdom 2:12-14 Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the Lord. To us he is censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us.
Jeremiah 6:25: Do not go out to the fields or walk on the roads, for the enemy has a sword, and there is terror on every side.
As we know, so often when we are doing the work we are called to do we encounter huge opposition. When we stand to witness, a wave of resistance greets us. This is when we need to rest in Wisdom.
Mother-likeshe meets and embraces us. She shelters us from the heat and dwells in our home. We can lean upon her and not fall. We can put our trust in her and not be shamed. We will find joy and gladness and everlasting name in her.
Where do we find Wisdom?
We pursue her like a scout, peep through her windows and listen at her doorways. We encamp near her house and fasten our tent pegs near her walls. We build nests in her leafage and lodge in her branches.
We learn from scripture that Wisdom comes from patient and active waiting on the word of God. When we meditate on this word, we receive the answers we seek. These answers will come in God’s time and in God’s way, but they will arrive.
So let us pray for those who would terrorize us. Let us forgive those who wish us ill and bring them with us as we ask Wisdom to open her doors to us.
And let us pray.
Psalm 31: As for me, I trust in you, Lord, I say: “You are my God. My life is in your hands, deliver me from the hands of those who hate me.”
And grant us the Wisdom to see goodness in all things and all people, just as you see goodness in each of us. Amen.
A re-post from March 4, 2012.
Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 11.3 (2009). Print.
“The account of a single day’s ministry of Jesus on a sabbath in and outside the synagogue of Capernaum (21-31) combines teaching and miracles of exorcism and healing. Mention is not made of the content of the teaching but on the effect of astonishment and alarm on the people. Jesus’ teaching with authority, making an absolute claim on the hearer, was in the best tradition of the ancient prophets, not of the scribes.” (Senior 69 cf. 1, 21-45)
I am thinking of these two words that appear in opposition to one another: astonishment and alarm.
Jesus comes to each of each day; but in this season of Lent he comes to us in a special way. He urges us to come away from the temptation to be discouraged with our constant slipping into separation from him. We are to not regard these times as failures, but rather as opportunities to be healed. In a continual cycle of forgetting, regretting followed by an epiphany of self-awareness, we draw ever closer to the compassionate mercy with which we are loved by Christ. In this way we receive God’s fullness.
From MAGNIFICAT this morning: Receiving God’s word with a willing heart and returning it to him in prayer and praise is a work of Lenten transformation.We indicate to God that we have heard his voice, heard the Christ, by thanking him, by witnessing for him as best we can, and by telling the good stories about all he has done for us. This may be astonishing news to us. It may also be alarming when we think of all this implies, that we are called to greatness, we are called to our divinity. This is the promise of the season.
When we read this clipped and quick story by Mark, we might be tempted to run through these verses hurriedly; yet perhaps the impact of these words is all the sharper for their brevity.
The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught as one having authority and not as the scribes.
This is wonderful news; yet it can be alarming. If we are so loved by such a one, are we ready to live up to this promise? This duality of amazement and apprehension pulls us into an intense and deep self-awareness, one into which we might not otherwise enter if it were not for this soul piercing encounter with God. We err, yet still we are loved. In our astonishment and alarm, we move forward in hopeful expectation, just like the people of Capernaum two millennia ago.
From the MAGNIFICAT evening prayer: Answer us, Lord our God!
Your love is unfailing: may our trust in you not fail us. Answer us, Lord our God!
Your mercy is boundless: may our hope in your forgiveness grow. Answer us, Lord our God!
Your desire for our salvation knows no limit: may our willingness to repent and be converted deepen through this season. Answer us, Lord our God!
When we call, the answer from our God is, as always, yes!
A re-post from March 3, 2012.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.69. Print.
A number of months ago we looked at Ezekiel 2 and focused on the image of the scroll. Today as we watch Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem we look at just a few of the verses. From the Jerusalem Bible: The[y] are defiant and obstinate; I am sending them to you to say, “The Lord Yahweh says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them, do not be afraid when they say, “There are thorns all around you scorpions under you.” There is no need to be afraid either of their words or of their looks, for they are a set of rebels. You must deliver my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are a set of rebels.Jesus knows that he is about to settle into the thorns; he is aware that scorpions lie in wait; yet he goes willingly to do as the Father asks.
In today’s reading from Philippians (2:6-11) Paul describes for us Jesus’ manner before God. Perhaps when we spend some time reflecting on these verses we will be better able to do as God asks. We know that this obedience will lead us from time to time to sit among thorns and be surrounded by scorpions; yet we obey as Jesus obeys, knowing that we are led and loved by God.
And so we pray . . .
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped . . .
If Christ himself does not try to supersede the creator, why do we?
If Christ himself does as the Father asks, why cannot we?
He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness . . .
If Christ empties himself so that the Spirit may enter, why cannot we?
If Christ enslaves himself to the will of God, how might we?
Found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross . . .
If Christ humbles himself and bows to the creator, when can we humble ourselves as well?
If Christ obeys unto death, even death on a cross, when do we?
Because of this, God greatly exalted him.
If Christ settles into thorns to sit among the scorpions, why don’t we also?
If Christ calls us to follow even into the thorns and among the scorpions, why don’t we go?
What do we fear when we know that we are led and loved by God?
Let us place our cloaks on the ground to make a passage way for Christ. When Palm Sunday arrives, let us take up the fronds of palm to wave them in joy. And let us follow the one who leads and loves so well – even knowing that we go among the thorns and the scorpions. Amen.
Carl Bloch: Christ Healing at the Pool of Bethsaida
If ever we are in doubt as to how to serve as a role model when in community, Paul’s letters to Timothy are a mine of wealth. Regarding slavery, the rights of women and children, and respect due to non-heterosexuals, we understand the thinking of the times. We take all of this in its ancient context and shift it to the twenty-first century, adding all that has been revealed to us over the millennia about these topics. Despite the change in science and understanding, this is still good advice for us to consider, and it is the only way to build community – the only way to build Christ’s kingdom.
Call everyone to unity through diversity.
Remove contempt and profanity from our thinking.
Walk away from silly myths.
Demonstrate trustworthiness by our actions.
Express respect for all in everything we think, do and say.
Persevere, work on ourselves, mark progress.
Nurture the gift of self that we bring to the world.
Paul advises Timothy that the best way to form and build community is by persisting in performing these simple tasks which come together in such a big way. We are to look for the joy which awaits, usually hidden in some conflict.
This all reminds me of a verse from today’s Gospel (John 5:1-16) when Jesus asks the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda: Do you want to be well? Despite the fact that Jesus knows all our unspoken thoughts, he asks this man if he wishes to be new? This particular man replies in the affirmative, and he is healed. This having happened on a Sabbath, this man must work to defend his cure. This causes conflict. Usually, as Paul tells Timothy, celebration is accompanied by grief, and this is something we must expect; however, our sorrow may turn into dancing if we follow the advice given to Timothy. This is often difficult to understand.
Do you want to be well?Jesus asks us this frequently, yet are we prepared to take up our mat and walk, despite the pain? We, like Timothy with Paul and like the man in today’s Gospel, are free to answer either yes or no.
Do you want to be well?Paul calls Timothy to ask this question of his fledging congregation, despite the conflict.
Do you want to be well?We are likewise called to ask this question of one another, to seek common ground amidst our differences and look for unity, despite the barriers.
Do you want to be well?We are called to rise to this challenge, despite the fact that we often wish to wallow for awhile in our tears.
Today we pray: Paul describes to Timothy and to us how we might allow God to enter our lives in order that we become a beacon for the community. When we hear Christ’s voice how will we reply to his call?
Do we want to be well? Let us shed our paralysis and persist in outrageous dreams and hopes.
Do we want to be well? Let us transform our addictions and self-satisfaction through the fire of the conflicts we are willing to share.
Do we want to be well? Let us redeem broken promises with forgiveness.
Do we want to be well?Let us turn from our idols to the one true God.
Do we want to be well?Let us be willing to allow God to exchange our sorrow for joy.
Do we want to be well? Yes!
Amen.
Adapted from a reflection posted on March 26, 2019.
The faithful will always have a priest willing to intercede for them. Today we read about Aaron who intercedes as a spiritual leader for the Israelites; every day we have Jesus who intercedes for us in all that we petition.
Bridge-building is important to a Christian community for without the lifelines that we toss out to connect ourselves to one another, we run the risk of sinking into oblivion. Just as camel caravans link the living water and sheltering palms of desert oases, we reach out to one another so that we do not become stranded in the lonely desert parts of life. We must celebrate life where we find it, and build bridges to call together the limbs of Christ’s Mystical Body.
Forgiveness – both the asking and the granting – is the essential construction material that we will need for these Jesus bridges. There is no one among us who has not needed to ask and to give forgiveness and so we pray.
The world is rent asunder by our refusal to forgive, we pray: Bring us, Lord, your perspective of hope.
For the hardness of heart we have shown toward those we have hurt, we pray: Bring us, Lord, your openness of heart.
For the breaches in relationships we have allowed to live and grow, we pray: Bring us, Lord, your depth of wisdom.
For the resentments we have accumulated, we pray: Bring us, Lord, your counsel and courage.
If the Lord rescues me from the snare of my faults, should I not extend the same hand of rescue to my neighbor? Resentment, grudges, retaliation do not help the one who offends me. They merely confirm the breach between us. Bridge-building is costly, as the cross demonstrates, but the people stranded on both banks are all freed by the bridge.
These prayers and thoughts are adapted from yesterday’s MAGNIFICAT, and as always, when I think about bridge-building, I am aware that there is a difference – although small – between pardoning behavior and allowing abuse to continue. There is a reality that exists in bridge-building that comes into being when we empower people – they are freed from a former unhealthy behavior that has stunted growth and dried up life. When we enable people to continue in an unhealthy behavior, we become part of the problem. When we gently confront people, we set into place the pillars of the bridge.
When we allow Christ to show us what tool to use next, what material to bring out of storage for use as the struts and cables of the bridge, we begin to make links, we will see that we are building a bride that will last for all time. We will also see that it is a bridge of and to salvation.
This work does not happen without physical and spiritual exertion; but when we have the Master as our project planner, the work becomes less arduous and less frightening.
When we find ourselves stranded in a small, backwater oases, looking through the burning sun in the day and the cold darkness of night, waiting for something to appear on the horizon, we will know that it is time for bridge-building. Let as ask the Master Planner to intercede for us. Now. Today. And all days.
Adapted from a Favorite written on March 18, 2009.
Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 3.17 (2009). Print.
Francesco Hayez: The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem
Today’s reflection follows yesterday’s Noontimereading and here we see the Babylonian Captivity is a seminal episode in our Judeo-Christian history; it is an experience against which we measure many others.
A cruel site, revealed to me. Trauma, upheaval, betrayal, suffering, turmoil – this is what Isaiah sees coming. The conqueror will be conquered. This is unimaginable.
I am too bewildered to hear, too dismayed to look. Terror, shock, horror, panic, dread – this is what we fear is around the corner, up the street, in our own backyard. We turn away confused by what we see and hear. Nothing makes sense.
My mind reels, shuddering assails me.We are so upset that we make ourselves ill. This is an experience we know. We also know that we cannot endure unless someone somehow brings us relief. We struggle to stay afloat; we flail our arms to remain upright. We cannot believe we are in this situation.
For thus says the Lord to me: Go, station a watchman, let him tell what he sees. We pull ourselves together and decide that rather than fall completely to pieces we have to trust someone. Tentatively we put out a hand to God.
And I stay at my post through all the watches of the night.As long as nothing more happens we can stand erect watching, waiting for our deliverance. We scan the horizons to see how God will come to our rescue. We wait and keep watch, fearful yet hoping.
James Tissot: The Flight of the Prisoners [The Babylonian Exile]Here he comes now: a single chariot, a pair of horses; he calls out and says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and all the images of her gods are smashed to the ground.We hear the news we never thought we would hear. The impossible has taken place. An old foe has fallen. A former enemy begs forgiveness. We are stunned and know how to respond as the truth of our deliverance seeps into our consciousness.
Oh my people who have been threshed, beaten on my threshing floor! What I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have announced to you.At first we think we have miss-heard, misunderstood but it dawns on us that God has brought about the impossible. God has answered our prayer. And although others may encourage us to take revenge upon a vanquished opponent we choose to react as Jesus asks. We give thanks, and we heed the words of St. Paul to the Colossians (3:12-14).
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.
And so we pray . . .
Good and generous God, we are tempted to crush the enemy we see fallen; but we know that you call us to intercede for those who have plotted our downfall. The enemy who wished to annihilate us has in turn been vanquished; you have saved us from destruction. Help us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Remind us to bless as we have been blessed. Let us love as we have been loved. Amen.
Near the Biblical site of HormahGod always gives us plenty of warning. Yet somehow we blunder forward, believing ourselves more knowledgeable than the one who invented and then brought into being all of creation. God sends us teachers, prophets and even the Messiah; still, we put down our head, shove our shoulders forward and stubbornly insist on moving a boulder that we are meant to climb over. In this portion of Numbers we see the Israelites suffer great remorse yet still they persist in going up against great odds without God. Why are we such a stiff-necked people? It seems we are adamant about suffering defeat, unyielding in wanting to live life our own way; we are resolute in being beaten back as far as Hormah.We must learn to discern God’s voice. We must listen when the wise one cries out: This cannot succeed!And when we are beaten back to the limit of our own endurance, we must pick ourselves up, ask forgiveness, and journey home from Hormahwhere we have sent ourselves.
Lent is a time for re-thinking and re-aligning. It is a time of sorting and organizing. It is a time of turning and returning. God awaits each of us with open arms and full heart; we can always expect a welcome from God. The first steps of the going home again are ours to take; but first we must heed God’s voice when it says to us: This cannot succeed.
And so we pray Psalm 51: The Miserere.It is believed that this psalm was written by David when his illicit relationship with Bathsheba was brought to light. (2 Samuel 11 and 12) We pray today, asking forgiveness for the most recent time that we have gone astray.
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
It is not our intention to go against your suggestions – we just have a way of thinking that we know our lives better than you do.
Wash away my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
We do not set out to wander away from your guiding hand – the circumstances of our lives influence us more than you do.
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
It is not our aim to put ourselves above you or to pretend that we have better judgment than you – rather it is that we find the influence of our friends to be greater than our awareness of you.
Wash away my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
It is not that we disbelieve you so much as we succomb to our own fear.
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
It is not that we do not love you enough – rather it is just that we have difficulty trusting your wisdom.
Wash away my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
When we are calm and away from anything that might threaten us we are able to have a clear understanding of how much you love us.
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
Help us to remain in you, guide us in hoping in you, bring us back from Hormah. Bring us back to loving you.
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.In this way Paul describes our work for us; he defines our lives; he makes it clear that no other calling is more important.
It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal.In this way Paul states his creed; he clarifies his position; he spells out his limits and existence.
What do you possess that you have not received?With these words Paul points out that all that we have and all that we are come from God; he helps us to see that we can take credit only for following God and being gracious recipients of God’s gifts.
We go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands. With these words Paul describes his circumstances, and he invites us to join him in his holy work.
When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment. With these words Paul tells us that being Christ’s servants, stewards and ministers will not be easy, that kingdom building will be a dangerous and difficult vocation.
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit? With these questions Paul brings us to the brink of ourselves; Paul calls us to a reality we may not like. Do we wish to be forced, then why do we attempt to force others even though we dislike being forced ourselves? Do we wish to be loved, then why do we not love others even when we wish to be loved?
And so we pray . . .
Good and loving God, you have forgiven all, you have sacrificed all, you have remembered all, and you have loved all. Make of us the servants you wish us to be. Remain in us that we might be the stewards you wish us to be. Guide us as we strive to be your ministers; build with us the foundations and pillars of your kingdom. For we are nothing without you. We are all because of you.
Abide with us as we struggle to be good servants of Christ. Live in us as we labor to be good stewards of the mysteries of God. Dwell in us as we learn to be good kingdom builders who minister in the Spirit of the Lord. Amen.
The Noontimes 