We do not like to think of the calamities that happen to us, or of the ones yet to come; yet we realize that the human condition is precisely this: the learning to survive in a healthy way when disaster strikes – as it always will.
This week we have reflected on how we handle calamity when we live in discipleship. Today we reflect on calamity as seen from the center of the loving Trinity that embraces us.
The evil time is not known . . . but the time of goodness is – it is now, and we make it so by our words and deeds.
The evil time falls suddenly upon them . . . but the goodness is always with us – and we live out this goodness to others by our words and deeds.
A time of calamity comes to all alike . . . and a time of redemption through the goodness of God, the deeds and words of Christ, and the gifts of the Spirit.
The Pole or North Star guides those who watch and witness . . .
The race is not won by the swift, nor the battle by the valiant, nor a livelihood by the wise, nor riches by the shrewd, nor favor by the experts . . . yet we are given all of this and more when we live in Christ rather than in the world.
Amid all of the uncertainties of life, this we know for certain: calamity does arrive. And when it does, we will want to be wearing Christ as our armor, following God as our polestar, and living in the eternal peace of the Spirit.
When calamity strikes . . . what do we do? How do we behave? Where do we go? To whom do we turn?
This chapter contains the last of Jesus’ speeches in Matthew and as we read we can feel the Messiah’s urgency to gather in his sheep before the coming storm. From a MAGNIFICAT essay by Peter John Cameron, O.P. when he quotes Aquinas,“Goodness is diffusive of itself” (Summa Theologiae). He goes on to describe God: When something is truly good, it cannot remain self-contained. It wants to go out of itself, share itself . . . Goodness implies a self-gift. And this is why intercessory prayer is the mark of a good and holy person. This is how we share divinity with Jesus, by cautioning, warning, advising, seeking, and asking . . . just as the Shepherd does with his sheep.
What do we do when calamity strikes . . . ?
Disciples will behave as Jesus does in Matthew 24.
The faithful will call constantly to one another and they will gather to intercede for those who have strayed from The Way.
This giving of self rather than preservation of self can create great difficulty and calamity for ourselves and others, but it is the work we are asked to do.
We are called to be persistent, to persevere, to endure, to walk through the fire.
Yesterday’s MAGNIFICAT MEDITATION is written by Sr. Jean-Marie Howe, O.C.S.O. who cites Simone Weil: There is no fire in a cooked dish, but one knows it has been on a fire. On the other hand, even though one may think to have seen the flames under them, if the potatoes are raw it is certain they have not been on the fire. It is not by the way a man talks about God, but by the way he talks about the things of the world that best shows whether his soul has passed through the fire of the love of God.
We can hear the urgency in Christ’s voice and that urgency is this: He knows that destruction, calamities and great tribulation are upon the world . . . and he does not want to lose even one of his lambs. That is why he has chosen us as disciples and our work is this: to go out and bring into the feast those on the highways, to be fishers of men and women, to distribute the fish and loaves and then to gather up the baskets of crumbs. And as these disciples we will walk through the fire of this world, and we will suffer in ways we had not thought possible. Yet beyond the flames, there is always the goal: the sanctuary of Christ with open arms, calling the sheep to the fold . . . the sanctuary against all calamity.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 12 and 13.5 (2008). Print.
This is the first of three reflections on Matthew 24 that school us on how to follow Christ who shows us the way through calamity. This weekend, as we begin to step back out into the world of pandemic, we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. Next weekend brings us the Pentecost and the promise of Christ as universal shepherd. In the turmoil of our present catastrophe, we look for and find the steadily beating heart of God.
Chapter 24 of Matthew is full of images and predictions from Jesus himself, the prophet, priest, son, Messiah. The Destruction, Calamities and Great Tribulation are followed by the Coming of the Son of Man predicted by the prophet Daniel centuries before. The footnotes are longer than the text in the New American Bible and if you ever have time to sit with this chapter, you will find many gems to collect and carry with you for remembrance. Here are a few of these treasures. Try to find time today to sit with them.
Vigilant waiting does not mean the cessation of daily work to wait in stillness for the restoration and healing; rather, it is the faithful continuing of our daily routine with an awareness that Christ can and does come at any moment to cure, to heal, and to free us.
Disciples must always be ready for the coming of the Teacher; and it is this awareness of the disciples that will be their measure.
The faithful need not ask for signs, but the one we might mark will be that of Jonah (see Matthew tells us in 12:39-40) . . . restoration after living in the belly of the beast for three days.
Faithful completion of an assigned duty is paramount among disciples.
When we meet calamity, rather than see the destruction around us as a sign of God’s abandonment . . . we must consider how closely God always abides with those who suffer.
When we find ourselves against insurmountable barriers, rather than despair that all is lost . . . we must consider that with God all gain is loss and all loss is gain.
When we struggle with the difficulties of discipleship, rather than consider that the work is too hard . . . we must consider that we are privileged to serve one who rides out calamities with compassion and justice, one who restores and heals and transforms.
Tomorrow, Jesus’ words to us . . . his disciples . . . when we meet calamities . . .
This is good news! Commentary tells us that we should read this citation along with Chapter 1: The Exhortation to Rebuild the Temple. After the destruction and capture and exile by the Babylonians, the Jewish people were finally allowed to return in groups to Judah, but they had a good deal of trouble in rebuilding their temple and themselves. We can read about this in Ezraand Nehemiah.
The Samaritansin the northern part of the former Jewish territory who had intermingled with non-Jews have become the enemies of Jews returning to their home in the southern region of Judah. These Samaritans now block the way home for the returning exiles. In a time of return from deportation when we might imagine a new joy rising from the hearts of the Israelites, it is instead corruption and idol worship that they experience. In a time when physical and emotional fatigue from the return journey sap the strength of God’s people, they are called to dig deep into their inner selves to find the energy to rebuild. Yet despite the energy they expend in their struggle to return to their Jerusalem home, the faithful find the wherewithal to rebuild. They rely on their custom of maintaining contact with Yahweh through exile. They are an exhausted people who return from the north and yet here the prophet Haggai entreats the people to rebuild what was lost and he promises that there will be immediate joy. We might feel tired just thinking of the turmoil, disappointment and suffering they experience. We also might feel their hope, animation and sense of fulfillment.
This is a story that inspires.
Some of this prophecy (in particular the portion of chapter 2 just before today’s reading) takes the form of a “torah” or instruction given by a priest and so it carries particular significance. We are reminded that we are nothing if not first thought and then created by God. We are exhorted to re-build the old temple and to rebuild ourselves. We are reminded that God will fill us with the persistence and fortitude to answer this call. We are told that there is one to come who will shepherd his sheep in their return to an old home in a new spirit.
As we near the end of this Eastertide in the midst of pandemic, we have journeyed for two months of celebration in the most unusual of ways. We experience both the death of a hope and the birth of a new way of living, and throughout these weeks, we have always had the intimate presence of the resurrected Christ who arrives as fulfillment of all the prophets have predicted. Jesus is the new temple, and we are the building blocks. He is the promise, and we are the beneficiaries. He is the blessing, and we are the blessed. As we return from our own personal exiles, may we live up to this promise. And so we pray . . .
Dear and gracious Lord, you have called us back from our time of exile. You have offered us transformation and new life. You have filled us with new energy and new strength. May we live up to the potential we embody. May we learn to be true, living stones in your temple. And may we experience the joy of your immediate blessing. Amen.
Adapted from a Noontime first written on May 17, 2007.
This Pauline citation is perfect for us to read when we come up against an obstacle that looks unmovable. It reminds us that with God, all things are possible. Paul is writing in reference to the split which nearly happens in the early church between two factions: those who want to require circumcision of men before entrance into the church and those who do not. A lively conversation takes place but the miracle of unification occurs and the church as Christ begins it remains intact and flourishes. We can read the details in ACTS.
I once heard miracles defined as the possibilities we dream that already exist but that cannot be seen with human eyes, cannot be heard with human ears, cannot be touched with human hands. In the documentary/fictional story What the Bleep Do We Know?, we are remindedto hope for our impossible petitions in a daily litany. The creators of this film examine how we might adjust our perspective just slightly so that we might see as God sees because – as we know – with God all things are possible.
It is worth our while to sit with a good study Bible and a concordance to examine the many times we are told in scripture . . . With God, all things are possible. The effects of these five simple words are healing. The reality of this short sentence is more real than the world we imagine we live in.
Each time we repeat these words and believe them a layer of anxiety slips away. Each time we witness to God’s impossible possibilities a new strength and boldness lifts our spirit. Each time we admit to the quiet miracles that pepper our lives, a new patience and serenity infuse our bones.
We must give ourselves the gift of allowing the Easter reality of impossible possibilities to be our reality. We must petition God each day with our list of impossible requests and ask that God consider them as our reality. And we must not allow ourselves to be misled by the pessimism of the world for as we so well know from our daily Noontimewith scripture . . . with God, all things are possible.
May all of our miracles that we ask of God come to fullness in our new impossible reality.
If you have two hours, click on this link and watch: What the Bleep Do We Know?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6G3-Zc9mtM Critics comment that it misrepresents science and makes awkward connections between quantum physics and spirituality. Others say that is an invitation to think in a new way. In either case, this thinking is worth our reflection.
“By a barrage of questions, by challenges both serious and ironic, by paradox heaped upon paradox, even by insults hurled at his opponents, [Paul] strives to awaken in his hearers a true sense of values and an appropriate response.” (Senior 275). Sometimes in community we need to do the same. We need to challenge, and we also need to use uncomfortable means to save souls. Yet we do this from a stance of weakness, as Paul says, and not from a position which overpowers. We call, we do not force. Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. . . For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong.
Paul and the Jesus community of Corinth struggled within a long, faithful, combative covenant, the one never giving up on the other. Scholars believe that this letter may be a cobbling together of several smaller letters and for that reason may seem disjointed; but it is evident that the people in the community of Corinth kept these missives and read them aloud at their gatherings, even though there are passages that are critical of the Corinthians themselves. These people are a solid example of those who are willing to remain in relationship with one another through trial, beyond criticism, straining toward unity and the formation of community. Paul says in these verses that his own amazing strength comes from his weakness, and that he relies on this mystery of strength through weakness as it was taught by the risen Jesus. And it is Jesus who continues to teach this lesson to us each day.
We have been celebrating Eastertide and we have examined the gifts we receive through discipleship. We move toward the Pentecost event when the Spirit comes to live in intimacy with us. As we witness the mystery of Christ’s passion and resurrection, and our own redemption and restoration, it is good to look at the closing words of this letter. We recognize some of them as the prayer we hear at Mass just before the kiss of peace.
Rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
And may the peace of Christ be with each of you. Amen.
In this time of pandemic, we welcome the Holy Spirit into our midst as we gather in families who shelter in place. In this time of pandemic, we remember that when we follow The Way Christ shows us, every day is Pentecost.
Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person. If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then in all truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward.
We think of prophets as people who hear God’s word easily and who are dedicated to speaking God’s word no matter how it threatens their lives or livelihood. We see prophets as living in ancient times to lead God’s faithful through troubling times. If this is our thinking we miss Matthew’s message to us today . . . for prophets dwell and work and play among us today, sharing God’s word with us, urging us to stay close to God. Yet how many prophets speak to us each day and we ignore them? How many of us are prophets and fear speaking out the words God asks us to speak?
We think of upright people as those who have a strong moral compass, as those ethical, decent few who remain in God’s Way despite all the temptations and lures that might draw them away from following God closely. We see upright people as that small percentage of somber and serious faithful who eschew fun because it threatens their serenity. If this is our thinking we miss Matthew’s message to us today . . . for the upright live and labor and enjoy human company as much as the divine. Yet how many upright people do we avoid as too pious or too starry-eyed? How many of us avoid showing our uprightness and fear sharing our thoughts about God because we do not want to be perceived as odd or strangely different?
We think of disciples as people who follow God so closely that they rely on God for every decision they make despite the tug of social, political or religious influences. We see disciples as those marked with a special sign or those given special courage or graced with exceptional perseverance. We somehow believe that they are scarce in any given group of people and that they were born with unique perception and power. If this is our thinking we miss Matthew’s message to us today . . . for disciples walk and talk and co-mingle with us each day all day. How many of us avoid God’s disciples because they seem a bit off and are not influenced by sports figures, by politicians or church leaders? How many of us are clearly disciples but are leery of identifying ourselves as one who follows Christ?
Today Matthew tells us that the miracle of Pentecost is timeless, that its power is endless, and that its space is unlimited. Today Matthew invites us to be those upright, prophetic disciples whom Christ has called. Today Matthew urges us to be our best selves. Today Matthew calls us to be one with Christ . . . to be divine. And so we pray . . .
Dear God: We hear your voice and yet for some reason we falter; give us the courage and strength to look nowhere but at you.
Dear Jesus: We know your command to put our feet in your footsteps and yet somehow we stumble; give us the fortitude and fidelity to never give up to any threat and never give in to any voice that calls us away from you.
Dear Spirit: We gather ourselves to step forward in acceptance of your gift of discipleship. In this Eastertide, as we rejoice in your in-dwelling, remind us of the holy privilege we share with your upright prophets and disciples as we follow Christ, and shelter in your presence.
Bless and keep us always as we celebrate with you and all your holy ones. Amen.
During the shelter-in-place practiced in much of the world during the Covid 19 pandemic, we know that domestic abuse, and abuse against women in particular, will rise sharply. Let us remember that although we “turn the other cheek” to offense, we never promote the idea that anyone remain with an abuser. Wherever we are, whenever we find violence in the home, we look for help for ourselves or others. A helpful resource and hotline in the U.S. can be found at https://www.thehotline.org/help/
Imagine the consternation that would stir in hard hearts if instead of subjugating women we celebrated them as this canticle does: The Lord Almighty thwarted them, by the hand of a female!
Imagine the change that might take place in the world if we allowed our love of God to shine from our eyes and go forth from our mouths: Judith, the daughter of Merari, by the beauty of her face brought him down.
Imagine the world as a place where we helped those who have few or no resources rather than took advantage of the vulnerable: When my lowly ones shouted, and my weak ones cried out the enemy was terrified, screamed and took to flight.
Imagine the impact our lives might make on the world if this could be sung about each of us when we have died: During the lifetime of Judith and for a long time after her death, no one ever again spread terror among the Israelites.
The Canticle of Judith holds dreadful, vengeful, Old Testament imagery that celebrates retaliation against our enemies. It also reveals the coming of the New Testament when Christ tells us that a new Way has come to dwell in us. We are to turn the other cheek and pray for those who brutalize others; we are to heal the wounded with soft words and gentle gestures; we must take risks with Christ and trust in the guidance of the Spirit; and we are called to witness to the coming of this newness. We are called to be one of the powerless, one of the vulnerable, one of the abused disciples of this New Way. And we are called to witness and celebrate God’s gift of discipleship to us.
Judith 16 is a famous canticle of praise for the woman who dares to do God’s will against all advice, against all odds. Her tools are not power and influence that she has gleaned for herself; rather, they are her beauty and her fidelity to God, both gifts from her creator.
Let us pause today to thank God for all we are given. Let us sing a canticle of praise, and let us imagine how the world would be if we all believed that we can do the impossible by following God’s voice . . . just as Judith does. And let us imagine the impact our lives might make on the world if this could be sung about each of us:During her lifetime, and for a long time after her death, no one ever again spread terror among the Israelites.
Tomorrow . . . a prayer in celebration . . . Pentecost . . .
Today we reflect on joyful celebration after deliverance from disaster, and we pause to consider the sudden and surprising gifts of discipleship.
The book of Judith is a wonderful story about a woman who puts aside her widow’s weeds to save her nation. Her ability is doubted by the elders of her own community, and her enemy underestimates her by a wide margin. Judith succeeds in accomplishing the impossible. We watch her follow a dangerously treacherous and narrow path, listening for and then obeying God’s voice. We see her unfold in beautiful discipleship. During this Eastertide we have re-discovered the gifts of discipleship that bloom in our lives when we see our vulnerability to God as privilege; and we watch Judith as she trusts in God alone to deliver her people and herself from a deadly enemy.
Judith’s meeknessbrings her humility . . . an ability to listen for God’s word and to heed it.
Judith’s broken–heartedness brings her vulnerability . . . an ability to petition God for help.
Judith’s constancybrings her fidelity . . . an ability to rely on God alone.
Judith’s honestybrings her truth . . . an ability to see reality as God sees it.
Judith’s willingnessbrings her integrity . . . an ability to perceive and respond to God’s call authentically.
Judith’s steadfastnessbrings her persistence . . . an ability to follow God without flagging.
These are the gifts of discipleship with which God graced Judith . . . and these are the same gifts of discipleship that God gives to each of us today.
As we near Pentecost, let us consider these gifts that God freely gives. And let us celebrate our own deliverance.
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