These verses remind us that the beauty surrounding us does not occur through coincidence.
I give thanks to God with everything I’ve got – wherever good people gather, and in the congregation. God’s works are so great, worth a lifetime of study – endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark God’s craft; God’s generosity never gives out. God’s miracles are God’s memorial – this God of Grace, this God of Love.
These words remind us that God’s miracles are gifts from a loving creator.
God gave food to those who love the LORD, God remembered to keep God’s ancient promise. God proved to the people that God could do what God said. God manufactures truth and justice; all God’s products are guaranteed to last – never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof. All that God makes and does is honest and true.
These verses remind us that God’s authority and works are authentic and sustaining, and last forever.
God is so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
These verses remind us that God’s love is intimate and transforming, bringing with it the healing of our woes, the blessings for a lifetime.
The good life begins in the love of God – do that and you’ll know the blessing of God. God’s Hallelujah lasts forever!
These words remind us that we might join in with God’s great Hallelujah.
The ten Hallelujah Psalms are numbers 106, 111-113, 135, and 146-150. When we spend time with these songs and compare differing translations, we find renewal in the Spirit of Pentecost.
A Favorite from 2017 celebrating the feast and gift of the Pentecost.
With the indwelling of the Spirit, we know Christ more intimately.
Jesus Christ has brought us by faith into this experience of God’s grace, in which we now live.
Through the promise and gift of God’s grace, we live more fully.
And so we boastof the hope we have of sharing God’s glory!
With the gift of life’s obstacles, we find our way to God through Christ.
We also boastof our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and God’s approval creates hope.
With the transformation and peace of God’s wisdom, we become true disciples of Christ.
This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out God’s love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us.
With persistence in faith, courage in hope, and charity in love, we come to understand the true gift of the Spirit’s indwelling.
When we spend time with these verses by reflecting on varying translations, we open ourselves to the Spirit’s indwelling, and we learn to endure in Christ.
The Book of Lamentations is dark and moody, full of wrath and anger. The coming of Christ is the only antidote against such deep grief. Our own petition for goodness and wholeness brings us into union with this Messiah, Christ. Each day, each night we have the choice before us. We can either try to solve the problems that confront us on our own, or we can Rise up, shrill in the night to beat against heaven’s gate, asking God for mercy and justice for ourselves, for our loved ones, for our enemies. This is what best combats the ugliness we read about today.
In order that we not consumed by this ugly anger that would compel us into further depths, we might look at the opposite of rage-filled thinking. We take on a thinking that rejects rumor, derision, the stirring up of hate and falsehood. Psalm 101:1-7 is part of the Morning Prayer in MAGNIFICAT today. The citation before the prayer follows: Every day offers a choice: what sort of reading, what sort of TV, what sort of conversation, what sort of friends will we choose to welcome into our home? And so we sing with the psalmist: My song is about loyalty and justice, and I sing it to you, O Lord.
Another citation from the Morning Prayer is Philippians 4:8: Whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
We know the world is made of diverse creatures and creations that bring us sorrow and joy, diverse conditions that create havoc and love. In order to dispel the dark clouds of today’s lamentation, we might continue.
Whatever is evil, whatever is deceitful, whatever is lie . . . rise up, shrill in the night against the darkness.
Whatever is good, whatever is holy, whatever unites and calls home . . . rise up grateful, in praise of the light.
Whatever is Christ, whatever is spirit, whatever is life-giving . . . rise up joyful, singing with expectation of God’s mercy and justice.
In all circumstances, dark or light, rise up singing with the Lord.
My song is about loyalty and justice, and I sing it to you, O Lord.
The Law, the Prophets, and the later writers have left us a wealth of valuable teachings, and we should praise Israel for the instruction and wisdom they provide. (GNT)
When we look for advice during times or worry, there is always a place to turn.
Now, those who read the scriptures must not only themselves understand them, but must also as lovers of learning be able through the spoken and written word to help the outsiders. (NRSV)
When we search for a firm foundation on which to stand, there is always wisdom at our fingertips.
You are invited, therefore, to read with goodwill and attention and to be forgiving in cases where we seem less than perfect in translating some expressions, despite working hard on the translation. (CEB)
When we find that our burden is too heavy to carry, the Creator calls us in the enormity and passion of creation.
All wisdom is from the Lord and remains with him forever.
The sands of the sea, the drops of rain, the days of eternity—who can count them? (NABRE)
When we want to rejoice in the presence of the Lord, the universe shows us God’s power.
Heaven’s height, earth’s extent, the abyss and wisdom—who can explore them?
Before all other things wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity. (NABRE)
When we are ready to celebrate the endless compassion of God’s patience and wisdom, we assure ourselves of infinite happiness, delight and length of our days.
Love of the Lord warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days.
When we compare different translations of these verses and reflect on wisdom we find, we open our hearts to happiness, peace and length of days.
Richard Rohr tells us that generative people have learned so much from life that they are able to see God, the world and themselves with a broad perspective and with profound depth. They have arrived at living their old life in a new way. “In the second half of life, we do not have strong and final opinions about everything, every event, or most people, as much as we allow things and people to delight us, sadden us, and truly influence us. We no longer need to change or adjust other people to be happy ourselves . . . We have moved from doing to being”. (Rohr 161)
John the Evangelist tells us that . . . In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus, being with the Creator from the beginning of time, generates life so intensely that he returns from the dead.
He was in the beginning with God.
Jesus, living in and with the Spirit, returns from the dead to share his new life with us.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Jesus, loving us endlessly, persists in saving and redeeming each of us.
In Him was life, and the life wasthe Light of all.
Jesus, fulfilling God’s promises for us, generates new life that brings the light of liberation to the darkness of our fears.
When we compare varying versions of John’s verses, we begin to realize the power of God’s promises, the force of God’s generative love, and the importance of striving to live as one who is upright in God.
Richard Rohr, OFM. A Spring Within Us: A Book of Daily Meditations. Albuquerque, NM: CAC Publishing, 2016.
Fr. Richard Rohr speaks of psychologist Erik Erikson’s (1902-1994) description of a generativeperson as “one who is eager and able to generate life from his or her own abundance and for the benefit of following generations”. (Rohr 160)
When we reflect on this topic and how it links with Old Testament thinking, we might spend time with these verses from this ancient book of wisdom. The commentary in the HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE tells us: “The ancestors are glorious because of their recognition by God, their honorable achievements, their recognition by their own generations, their godliness, their legacy to their children, and their lasting name and memory”. (Meeks, 1601)
We consider what it means to be upright in God and we look at Acts 2:36-41: For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.
All generations – from our distant ancestors to our childrens’ childrens’ children are known to God.
All generations – from the beginning of time to its ending – are well loved by God.
All generations have the opportunity to be upright in and with God.
Rohr continues: “The God [of generative people] is no longer small, punitive, or tribal. They once worshipped their raft; now they love the shore where it has taken them. They once defended signposts; now they have arrived where the signs pointed. They now enjoy the moon itself instead of fighting over whose finger points to it most accurately, quickly, or definitively”. (Rohr 160)
And so we ask ourselves . . . What raft do we steer, and on what shore have we landed? What signposts do we hold up, and which do we follow? On what moon do we set our gaze, and what do we do with the gift of God’s promises?
Tomorrow, whose gaze do we follow?
Adapted from a reflection written on April 26, 2017.
Revelation 3: Superficiality, Fidelity, and Mediocrity
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
To the church in Sardis . . . I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead . . .
A Greek temple in Sardis
To the church in Philadelphia . . . You have limited strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name . . .
To the church in Laodicea . . . I know that you are neither hot or cold . . .
Today we read the greetings to three of the seven churches addressed by John in the last book of the Bible. The seven represent the universal church. Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea have something special to tell us.
Notes will inform us that Sardis was once a capital city and was noted for its immense wealth at the time of Croesus in the 6th century before Christ. It had a fortress with the fame of being impregnable, yet it was taken by surprise by both Cyrus and Antiochus. This church gives the appearance of being unassailable . . . but is warned to be on its guard. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete . . .
We will also learn that Philadelphia was rebuilt by the Emperor Tiberius in C.E. 17 after a different quake. It may be for this reason that there are references to its royal nature. Because you have kept my message of endurance, I will keep you safe in the time of trial that is going to come . . .
Ruins in Laodicea
Laodicea was a wealthy industrial and commercial center eighty miles east of Ephesus that exported beautiful woolen garments. It had a famous medical school and was known for an eye salve that could be purchased there and the people had so much money that they were able to rebuild after a devastating earthquake about sixty years after Christ. And they did this with no outside help. They were able to stand in their own and were beholding to no one. For you say, “I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,” and yet you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see . . . (Senior 403-404)
Ancient Philadelphia
Here we have the faithful church sandwiched between the complacent, self-satisfied, self-protecting churches. As we contemplate this juxtaposition, we might ask ourselves where we stand today. Are content with doing just enough? Do we tend to appearance and neglect the inner self? Are we bothered by poverty of all kinds, or do we brush it away where we cannot see it? Do we even allow ourselves to see suffering in any way? If we do, how do we react? We can spend time in Revelation 2 and 3 and wonder how our preparations for a guest compare with how we prepare ourselves to receive Christ. Now we focus on three churches that bring us a special window we might open into our own souls. Are we superficial? Are we content with mediocrity? Do we follow Christ faithfully even though the journey of life has taken its toll?
Superficiality, Fidelity, or Mediocrity . . . how do we choose to live? What is our guiding principal? Whom do we follow? Why and how do we do what we do? The Book of Revelation announces what Christ expects. Whoever has ears ought to hear what the spirit says to the churches.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.403-404. Print.
Nothing I experience is useless; not even one second is in vain. We should be aware of everything we live, because everything is for his plan.
Monsignor Luigi Giussani (MAGNIFICAT, Monday, May 24, 2010 Meditation)
We read these words and comprehend their meaning; but this does not always translate into something we can live. We are not always able to manage our anxiety and fear.
We know that sacred scripture is God speaking to us and that the Psalms of petition are particularly appropriate for the faithful to intone when they are frustrated, disheartened or discouraged. Psalm 54, Confident Prayer in Great Peril, is one that we will want to pray often, especially when we feel that all we have said and done has been said and done in vain. As Monsignor Giussani reminds us today, in God’s economy, no word and no act is lost or wasted. All that we say and do finds a place in God’s plan.
In verse 7 we see that the psalmist asks that the work of the evil be turned back upon them. The writer is familiar with how God moves in our lives for we know that when the wicked fall, it is by a plot of their own making that has turned in upon them. And when the faithful flourish, they do so despite the evil that would severe their connection with God. In the closing verses, the psalmist recognizes the power we find in making petitions in God’s name and so we find the logic in ending each prayer with the final words of . . . we pray this in God’s name . . . or . . . we ask this in Jesus’ name . . . or . . . we make this petition in Jesus’ name who together with the Holy Spirit hears our prayers.
God’s word lies open to us today and we have the opportunity to examine our word as we make our requests known to God. We will want to consider if we pray in confidence or in hesitation. We will want to examine our relationship with God. Does our doubt outweigh our faith? Is our disappointment stronger than our hope? Is our antagonism more intense than our love? And we will want to take a look at how and when and why we think that the words we have uttered and the acts we have accomplished in God’s name may have been completed in vain.
Nothing I experience is useless; not even one second is in vain. We should be aware of everything we live, because everything is for God’s plan.
When we petition the Lord, let us ask with confidence, let us know that God turns evil back upon itself, and let us believe that all we say and do has a place in God’s plan, especially when we ask in God’s name.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 24.5 (2010). Print.
Isaiah 61-63: The Mission of the Afflicted . . . Prayer for the Return of God’s Favor
Monday, May 27, 2024
The spirit of the Lord is upon me . . . I am called an oak of justice, planted by the Lord to show God’s glory.
The people of Isaiah’s day yearned for the intimate presence of their God. Today, faithful sufferers have this precious union in the protective armor of Christ that they put on each morning. Today these loyal servants have the nurturing presence of the Holy Spirit to drink in each morning at their rising. They live in the days of the Presence, the days between the arrival of the Christ and his second coming. They are the faithful who walk The Way guided by the Maker, accompanied by the Word, dwelt in by the Spirit. And so we pray.
Fellow pilgrims,
When suffering arrives at our door, perches on our shoulders, tears down all that we have seen built up in Christ’s name, we remember this. We are so blessed. We are so honored. We are so loved, for we walk in the footsteps of the Teacher who shows all God’s children The Way. We do not shy away from some dreadful task that is done in Christ’s name; rather, we take it up gladly. For it is in this pain that the kingdom comes. It is in this suffering that dreams are birthed into reality. It is in this dreadful passage from dark to light where miracles transport us to the super reality of our transformation and resurrection with Christ. This is an arduous Way; but it is the way for all who follow Christ. This is the mission of the afflicted. It is the life of the disciple, and it is the reward of the brokenhearted.
When suffering arrives at our door remember this – it is a sign that we have all been set free.
When suffering arrives at our door remember this – it is a spark that will ignite the fire of our love.
When suffering arrives at our door remember this – it is a drink of clear water that quenches in the desert.
When suffering arrives at our door remember this – it is the arrival of the groom who comes in search of his bride.
When suffering arrives at our door remember all of this.
The Noontimes 