We humans often reject Jesus’ teaching about revenge. Whether we practice this teaching or struggle to understand it, this Eastertide is the season to open ourselves to God’s word anew.
To better understand the Law of Love as Jesus describes it, read different versions of these verses using the scripture link above, spend time with the Vengeance Noontime. Enter the word Revenge into the blog search bar and explore. Read the opening to Paul’s second letter to Timothy and consider how we might be bold with God’s gifts.
And consider how we might bring the Law of Love to our daily prayers, thoughts and actions.
Tomorrow, Jesus’ describes how we might love our enemies.
In this Eastertide, we humbly consider Jesus’ words.
You have heard it said, “Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow”.
This might be easy or difficult for us. In either case, let us remain faithful to God all we say and do.
You have heard it said, “Do not swear at all; not by heaven because it is God’s . . .”
How can we know the mind of God? Let us remain always in God’s hope.
You have heard it said, “Do not swear at all; not by the earth because it is God’s footstool . . .”
How can we know the love of God? By allowing ourselves to love the broken and marginalized.
You have heard it said, “Do not swear at all; not by Jerusalem because it is the city of a great king . . .”
How do we seek God’s sacred heart? By replacing our pride with humility, our fear with constancy, our strength with weakness and our bravura with vulnerability.
You have heard it said, “Do not swear at all; not by your head because you cannot make a single hair white or black . . .”
Why do we think our agenda surpasses the plans of God? We will always come up against the wall of willfulness if we do not put God first all that we say and do.
You have heard it said, “Let your ‘Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No.’ Anything more is from the evil one”.
Where do we find God’s wisdom? When we heal in the Spirit, remain in Christ and rest in God. Then – and only then – will be able to cease our cursing. Then – and only then – will we come to fully know our God. Then – and only then – will we finally stumble upon God’s serenity.
A widow contributes two small coins to the Temple treasury
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Scholars tell us that there are various opinions on the meaning behind these verses. Compare these verses using the scripture link, and listen for God’s Word.
God says: Just as adultery is difficult to understand, so too is the idea of divorce. It is true that there are some marriages that are abusive and dangerous; and these relationships must be dealt with prudently and prayerfully. Divorce in some cases is a protective link with another, particularly when children are included in these families. It is also true that many marriages might be saved if one or both partners put away pride and anger. In relationships that struggle it is always wise to seek expert advice and counseling. And of course, in all circumstances prayer and guidance are invaluable. Connection with me is always a source of strength and wisdom. Jesus spoke about the abuse of divorce when husbands put away, or even put to death, first wives in favor of those who are younger. In all of these cases, it is important to remember that no matter the event or context, divorce is a rupture to be avoided. It is a break in a union that is meant to be sacred. And it is equally important to remember that I will never ask you to maintain a status that endangers you. Keep me close at all times. Seek advice from those whose opinions and guidance merit your attention. And be prepared to examine yourself as closely as you examine the actions and words of others.
Martha complains to Jesus about her sister Mary
Choose an online or print commentary and reflect on the ideas you find. In this Eastertide, as we celebrate reconciliation and resurrection, use the chart at the link below to choose two or three women in the Gospels. Read their verses, consider the well-know stories, and reflect on Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew 5:31-32.
These words spoken by Jesus may be difficult to understand and so we may want to read various versions in order to allow God’s teaching to settle into our consciousness.
God says: Adultery has many ways of seeping into your being. You may be deeply sad and looking for happiness in places and ways you will never find it. Infidelity has many forms of appearing in your lives. You may have arrived at performing ritual rather than actively engaging with me and with others. Deceit has many slippery slopes on which you may take the first perilous step. You may be seeking to deny a truth that stands before you; reality may be too difficult to take in or comprehend. No matter what form this betrayal takes, and whether you are the betrayer or the betrayed, remain close to me at all times so that you might recognize dishonesty when you see it at its inception. Remain in me so that you might have awareness of its strength. Remain for me so that you might overcome it at all times in all places.
Faithlessness is more that the sin of lust. It is even more than stepping into an act that we know is dishonest or unfaithful. It is the smallest turning away from what we know to be true. Let us consider Jesus’ teaching today and determine how we might bring Easter salt and light into the smallest part of each day.
Anger is a universal, human emotion which each of us handles in our particular way. In today’s citation we hear Jesus tell us how important it is that we learn to identify our anger, to name its origin and to manage its effects immediately and completely. Verse 24 tells us that nothing engendering anger may be allowed to take root and live in us; nothing can be allowed to separate us from God.
From Julian of Norwich in ALL WILL BE WELL: “In his merciful way, our good Lord always leads us as long as we inhabit this impermanent life. I saw no anger other than humanity’s, and God forgives us that, for anger is no more than perverse opposition to peace and love. It arises from a lack of strength, or wisdom, or goodness. And this failure lies in ourselves rather than in God. Our sin and desperation generate in us a wrath and a continual opposition to peace and love”.
The best antidote to anger is mercy, Julian tells us, for “the ground of mercy is love, and the ministry of mercy is to preserve us in love. For mercy works in love, with generosity, compassion, and sweetness. And mercy labors within us, preserving us, and conveying everything to the good”.
In his sermon on the mount, Christ tells us: Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Jesus understands well how the entry of a third party into a conflict can either quell or stir the flames of anger. A quiet mediator who empowers those in conflict to listen to one anotheris invaluable. Any person outside the conflict who delights in adding to that roiling emotions that often accompany a rift nearly always spell death for the relationship. It is for this reason that Jesus urges us to seek settlement before appearing before a judge. Not all third parties have the best interests of those in conflict in their hearts.
Julian concludes her comments with a thought about the effects of anger and a possible sure: “Our failure is frightful, our falling inglorious, our dying wretched. Yet never does love’s compassionate eye turn from us, nor does the operation of mercy cease”.
Mercy and goodness when applied to anger bring about change that transforms. When carrying our gift of self back to God, we must first put anger away. We must first seek and give mercy. We must remember that our travels here are temporary and that the next world, where there is no place for anger to fester and take over, is permanent and eternal. This anger we experience here must be left behind. We must convert it to compassion . . . for in so doing, we enter into Christ’s love and body.
Tomorrow, Jesus’ teaching about adultery.
Julian of Norwich. ALL WILL BE WELL. Ave Maria Press, 1995, 2008. Print.
We humans rarely understand how the new law of the Beatitudes brings the Mosaic Ten Commandments to fulfillment. We who hope to testify to the Easter miracle struggle to comprehend the depth of God’s love for creation. We who want to enact the Gospel in our daily actions look for a present-day structure to lend us strength.
To better understand the Law of Love as Jesus sees it, read different versions of these verses using the scripture link above, enter the words Teaching on the Law in the blog search bar.Click on the image above to reflect on the importance of forgiveness in our lives. And consider how we might bring the Law of Love to our daily prayers, thoughts and actions.
As we celebrate Holy Week and Easter, we have spent a number of days with the Beatitudes, exploring the inverted ways of the kingdom where the poor are central, the mourning find comfort, the meek receive abundant gifts, the merciful are treated with mercy, the clean of heart see God and the persecuted inherit God’s kingdom. This way of living is not celebrated and is even alien to the first century and modern societies in which power, influence and comfort are the most coveted goals. As much as Jesus enacts Gospel thinking, we humans seem determined to strive for the opposite; and perhaps this is why Jesus describes his followers as salt and light.
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Salt without taste is like life with a misdirected purpose.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand where it gives light to all in the house.
Light of its own nature moves outward in warmth and does not retract in coldness.
You are the salt and the light of the world . . .
Let your salt bring out the goodness in life. Let your light shine before others and glorify God.
Matthew records the words of Jesus’ lessons in his Sermon on the Mount. During this Eastertide, let us savor these words like fresh salt. Let us hear these verses in new light. And let us determine to put away our tastelessness and darkness to live the Gospel as salt and light to the world.
Tomorrow, Jesus’ teaching about the Law.
For an interesting read on salt, check out Mark Kurlansky’s novel about salt at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/salt-mark-kurlansky/1102487050?ean=9780142001615
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God. (Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount)
What does Jesus mean when he speaks of peacemakers? Is he describing those who say nothing in the face of conflict? Is he telling us that silence creates calm and confronts evil and chaos? Is he asking to create comfort zones for ourselves and our loved ones?
How does Jesus enact peace? By aligning himself with those in power? By ignoring the influential? By harsh deeds and punitive actions?
The peace that Jesus describes and enacts is revealed quite simply through scripture. Jesus dines with tax collectors and includes one of them in his closest circle of friends. Jesus interacts with women on a par with men. Jesus speaks and acts when called upon by the Creator. Jesus lives and moves in the Spirit. Jesus heals and saves. Jesus woos and calls.
Jesus lives the life of a peacemaker . . . and asks that we follow his example. It is in this way that we become builders and workers in the kingdom. It is in this way that we become Children of God.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. (Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount)
How do we strive to be clean or pure of heart? Richard Rohr, O.F.M., write and speaks frequently about our compulsion to see the world as dual rather than united. We humans are drawn to a divisive “us-versus them” world in which we earn God’s attention and grace. What we fail to consider with this model is God’s true identity. We choose to see God as we have created God; and we disregard God as revealed through scripture and the person of Jesus. In this non-dual, unitive concept of the creator we create God in our own image rather than God to create us as sisters and brothers in Christ.
God says: You have read the story of my journey on earth with you in the person of Jesus. Return to those stories and read my words to the people of the first century. I repeat them to you today. You have heard of the hope and promise I have in mind for you. Return to the words of the prophets and remember the plans I have in mind for you. They are plans for your joy and not your woe. You have witnessed the perfection of my kingdom in the persistence on my apostles and disciples. Imitate my followers and do not be surprised when you fail. The pure of heart are not free from error; rather, they have learned that my kingdom has room for the sinner, accepts the fallen and care-worn, lifts up those who have been trampled by life’s woes and worries. Come then, and live in my perfection, a way that perseveres in faith, lives in hope and acts in love.
It is not possible for humans to attain perfection except in their perseverance in belief, except through the fire of Christ’s Easter passion, except by the healing call of the Spirit. It is in this way that we cleanse our hearts and truly come to see the face of God. It is in this way that we witness the goodness of God’s kingdom.
And consider how we might bring the Law of Love to our daily prayers, thoughts and actions.
The Noontimes 