Rembrandt: Saul and DavidSeveral weeks ago, we reflected on celebrating escape from something or someone who would have brought us great ruin or harm. Yesterday’s Gospel gave us the opportunity to examine how Jesus is able to escape the traps laid for him by those who hated him. Today we take a look at a small portion of the story of David, the young man who is designated as King of Israel by Samuel but who waits his turn as leader of God’s chosen people by resisting the temptation to fight against Saul. David does not deny that he has been chosen King, nor does he murder Saul in order to take what is his; rather, he abides in God’s will and God’s time. And he takes the routes of escape that God offers while he actively waits on the fulfillment of God’s plan.
Today we read the story of how God saved his imperfect yet faithful servant and we are no less than David.
Today we read the story of how David relied on his God’s constancy and he did not allow fear to turn him toward revenge or cowardice.
In yesterday’s Gospel (Matthew 22:15-21) we read the story of how Jesus confronted prejudice and hatred and we do well to follow his example.
In yesterday’s Gospel we were given a road map for how to escape manipulation and scheming. We must rely on God always, remain faithful to the covenant God shares with us, and always act inlove and forlove of God. In this way we will always know escape from anything danger or evil that hopes to overtake us.
And so we pray . . .
When the call to do God’s work pulls us into alien and dangerous territory, we must rely on God’s wisdom and not our own.
When the hand of God heals us and then sends us out to do God’s work, we must rely on God’s fidelity and nurture our own.
When the voice of God urges us to work in fields are that unfamiliar to us and that sap our energy, we must rely on God’s strength and conserve our own.
When the heart of God sends us to work with those who would do us harm, we must rely on God’s love and hope for redemption. Amen.
Written on March 5 and posted today as a Favorite . . .
Yesterday we reflected on the idea that God sets a sign before us; he comes to live among us in the person of Jesus. Today we reflect on the reality that God has a plan in mind; God does not come to humanity as an afterthought. It has always been God’s idea to be born of woman as a redeemer of God’s own creation. God’s plan is to create us and to give us a choice of eternal life or death in the world. God’s plan is to come to us as a saver and protector who will lead us out of the physical and into the spiritual world. God’s plan is to abide with us as a comforter and lover who brings us wisdom, forgiveness and compassion. God’s plan is to lay before us life and death. God’s plan is that we choose life, but he allows us to choose death.
Amazingly, even though we may make poor choices, God is still willing to allow us to atone and in fact the Lord rejoices when we reverse course to turn back to God. God knows that Satan patrols the world as we have examined in Job 1:7. God knows it is Satan who has tempted Adam and Eve to think that heholds the mystery of eternal life when it is Godwho actually does. And God knows how and why we will choose between self-serving pride and life-sustaining humility at the hinge points of our lives. And through all of this, God abides. This is God’s plan.
Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and when he does, these are Jesus’ responses.
Scripture says: Human beings live not on bread alone.
You must do homage to the Lord your God, him alone must you serve.
Do not put your Lord your God to the test.
At the end of this passage, the Gospel remarks: Having exhausted every way of putting [Jesus] to the test, the devil left him, until the opportune moment.
And so when Satan approaches to test us and to draw us away from God, as he does so often, let us stick to God’s plan and let us pray the words Jesus uses when tempted by Satan in the desert – the words of God come to walk among us on earth.
Dear Lord, deliver us and remind us that we do not live on bread alone.
Dear Lord, protect us and remind us that it is you alone we serve.
Dear Lord, love us and deliver us from this test.
Dear Lord, do not allow us to become blind by the light of adversaries who seek to dazzle us with their moments of opportunity
When we experience the bleakness Isaiah described, we will want to remember that light will follow this darkness. Isaiah tells us of the coming cornerstone that will lie in Zion, in Jerusalem, the city he describes as destroyed in Chapter 29. This prophet cautions, warns, exhorts, and pleads with the people to avoid pacts with foreign, pagan tribes. He cries out against overconfidence in human help – either the help of others or our own over-valued talents. He foretells thunder, the whirlwind, the storm and the consuming flame. He describes blindness and perversity, fear and terror. When our circumstances are the most dire, we must remember that our lives in Christ promise a redemption that always accompanies suffering.
And so, we pray with Isaiah.
But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard shall be regarded as a forest!
Make of us forests of your love, O Lord of hosts.
The deaf shall hear the words of a book; and out of the gloom the eyes of the blind shall see.
Make of us light to shine in all the dark corners, O Lord of hosts.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
Make of us your wisdom, O Lord of hosts.
For the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will have gone; all who are alert to do evil will be cut off . . .
Make of us your justice, O Lord of hosts.
When [Jacob’s] . . . children see the work of my hands in his midst . . .
Before we leave the story of Esther, we re-visit a Favorite from May of 2007. Today we consider the nature of our repentance as we move closer to the season of Lent; and we commit to enacting the fidelity, hope, and love we profess.
From the introduction in the New American Bible, “The book was intended as a consolation for Israel, a reminder that God’s providence continually watches over sincererepentance.” We have been hearing about sincerity versus insincerity in recent weeks. And again we see it today.
Yesterday’s first reading is from Sirach 17:24: “But the Lord will allow those who repent to return to him. He always gives encouragement to those who are losing hope.”And yesterday’s morning Psalm was 130:“My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word. . . Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption, Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity”.
There is hope for all; yet, how do we show our gratitude for redemption? By being doers of the word and not hearers or sayers only. We show our sincerity before the Lord by not deluding ourselves.
This morning’s reading is one of my favorites from James, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25)
May we be hearers, sayers, and doers of the Word. May we persevere in our doing. And may we, like Esther, live up to our potential in order that we too may save nations.
The book of Esther, with all of its additions and amendments, is a wonderful story. We must read it when we can.
Being a teacher, Jesus asks his listeners a question to see if they have fully understood the enormity of his message; and when it is clear they have not, he calls forth the very principal on which they stand to show them where they err. He truly is a master. He uses what we say and do to mirror back to us the echo of what we declare.
From today’s MAGNIFICAT: From the beginning of time, God has acted to reverse the loneliness which represents the consummate curse to the human race – an experience analogous to hell. Even this master defers to his creator, God, in all the important decisions of his life. He responds to the call of love which washes away the fears of loneliness, anxiety, betrayal, failure and abandonment. This master obeys the voice within that calls him to act in and for love. If Christ does this, if this is what it means to be Messiah, then how can we believe that we know a better way to exist? How do we dare to defy God?
From today’s MAGNIFICAT reflection by Mother Elvira Petrozzi: If you are able to be an instrumentin the hands of God, if you have trust, love, and the patience to accept His plans for you, He restores to you what you have given, one hundred times over . . . Those who trust in him will not remain imprisoned in their little plans. I have seen young people who built a cage with their own hands and then fell into desperation because of it.
Christ built no cages; he opened doors and windows. Christ did not succumb to the siren song of Satan to be like gods.Christ obeyed the voice of his vocation.
I am reminded of a favorite verse from Jeremiah: For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for your woe! (29:11)
This is what it means to be Messiah. Obeying God for love of God rather than out of fear or laziness. Loving God for the passion we feel for God rather than from a sense of duty or response to a whim. Committing ourselves to the Messiah even as the Messiah commits himself to God, this is what we believe. This is what we follow. Enormous plans for our joy, rather than little plans for woe. Awesome plans for a serenity that comes from doing what is good and right and beautiful even though there may be pain in the interim. For . . .
It is in the doing that we redeem and are redeemed.
It is in the acting that we declare and are declared.
It is in the obeying that we love and are loved.
This we know. This we believe.
Let us rise up and follow the Messiah born to us this night.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 12.2 (2009). Print.
Adapted from a Favorite written on February 12, 2009, posted on Christmas Day 2017.
Here again is the image of the shepherd brought to us by the prophet Micah. God gathers his scattered people and guides them to safety. Just as Yahweh sent Moses to shepherd the people from Egypt, through the desert, and eventually to the Promised Land, so too, does Jesus arrive in Bethlehem to shepherd us to our own promise. And this is what Micah predicts. He tells of the one who comes to rebuke nations yet to teach us his ways and paths. Micah warns of the coming persecution, but from that persecution and suffering come redemption and restoration. There will be universal peace.
These are comforting words. These are words we need to hear.
Adapted from a reflection written on April 1, 2007.
When we worry, there is nothing but to turn to God.
When we hope for the forgiveness of sins, we must also ask for redemption.
Suffering is our road to Christ. Let us not avoid it.
Joy accompanies us along the way, but we may not at first feel it.
Paul reminds the Philippians and he reminds us: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
So let us put aside our divisions and celebrate even as we suffer. Let us lay down our enmities and pardon even as we are pardoned. Let us dialog with our enemies and turn all anxiety over to Christ; and let us celebrate our union in the Spirit. Let us celebrate our union in prayer.
Use the scripture link to compare varying versions of these verses and let us find union in prayer and praise.
Knowing that we find humility, emptiness, and service when we willingly become branches on the great vine of Christ, we look to understand how God’s glory arrives through the world’s hatred.
Today’s lesson on Glory: Even the hatred of the world cannot overcome the love of God. This may be difficult to believe until we remember that with God . . . all things are possible.
We each have encountered animosity in our families and among our friends and colleagues. There is no question about the existence of these negative forces that threaten security. There is no doubt that we ourselves have been drawn into the darkness that loops itself in its negative quashing of peace; yet – as Christ has told us – we need not fear for before the power of hatred presented itself at our door, it has struggled with the redeeming power of Christ.
If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
We remember God’s words to Samuel: It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king. (1 Samuel 8:7)
I have chosen you out of the world and so the world hates you.
We remember Jesus’ words to his followers: Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. (Luke 4:24)
When the Advocate comes who whom I will send to you from the Father, he will testify to me.
We remember the words of Psalm 118: I thank you for you have answered me; you have been my savior. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord this has been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (Psalm 118:21-23)
And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
We remember the words of Jesus to his disciples: Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.(Matthew 21:41-43)
And so we pray,
Understanding and gentle God, you understand our pain and suffering at the hands of those we love. You know the suffering we experience when we are wrongly accused. We know that especially in the world’s anger you are present to heal, transform and restore. We rest in the knowledge that no force is greater than your love, no darkness can escape your redemption, no atrocity can overcome your glory. We ask your constant guidance and transformation through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The prophets warn, threaten, exhort, and promise us that God is always present, even though we may not recognize this presence. The Old Testament prophecies foreshadow the good news of the New Testament, andthey remind us that no matter our circumstance God’s joy rescues us from sure destruction, Christ’s joy redeems us from our recklessness, and the Spirit’s joy heals us despite the gravity of our wounds. Today we may or may not identify with Jonah’s story. If we do, we understand that we are loved despite our reluctance to respond to God’s goodness. If we do not, we have all the more reason to rejoice in the presence of the Lord.
“This book is a didactic story with an important theological message. It concerns a disobedient prophet who attempted to run away from his divine commission, was cast overboard and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and sent on his way to Nineveh, the traditional enemy of Israel . . . From this partly humorous story, a very sublime lesson may be drawn. Jonah stands for a narrow and vindictive mentality, all too common among the Jews of that period . . . [This prophecy] has prepared the way for the gospel with its message of redemption for all”. (Senior 1137)
Jonah 2:3: Out of my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me; from the midst of the netherworld I cried for help, and you heard my voice . . . In the maelstrom God is always present.
Jonah 2:6: The waters swirled around me, threatening my life; the abyss enveloped me; seaweed hung about my heard. Down I went to the roots of the mountains; . . . but you brought up my life from the pit . . . In the storms of life God’s promise prevails.
Matthew 12:39-41: [Jesus] answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. j For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here”.
Jonah tells us that despite his reluctance and fear, he finds a reason to rejoice.
Jesus tells us that despite the storm that rages, he is always with us.
If can find the time to spend with this short prophecy, we will be well rewarded. And we may find the strength and joy to celebrate an end to our own reluctance.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990. 1137. Print.
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