Adversity, the almighty leveler - Sunday's reading reflection

"Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" 

What can adversity teach us about the healing power of love and mercy? When adversity strikes you find out who truly is your brother, sister, and friend. The gospel records an unusual encounter between individuals who belonged to groups which had been divided and hostile towards one another for centuries. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as heretics worse than pagans.  And as a result they had no dealings with each another. In this gospel narrative we see one rare exception- a Samaritan leper in company with nine Jewish lepers. Yes, sometimes adversity forces us to drop our prejudices. When this band of lepers saw Jesus they made a bold request.  They didn't ask for healing, but instead asked for mercy.

The word mercy literally means "sorrowful at heart". But mercy is more than just compassion, or heartfelt sorrow at another's misfortune. While compassion empathizes with the sufferer, mercy goes further. It removes suffering. Mercy is also connected with justice. Thomas Aquinas said that mercy "does not destroy justice, but is a certain kind of fulfillment of justice. Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; (and) justice without mercy is cruelty."  Pardon without repentance negates justice. 

So what is the significance of these ten lepers asking for mercy? They know they are in need of healing, not just physical, but spiritual healing as well. They approach Jesus with contrition and faith because they believe that he can release the burden of guilt and suffering and make restoration of body and soul possible. Their request for mercy is both a plea for pardon and release from suffering. Jesus gives mercy to all who ask with faith and contrition.

Those once alienated are now members of the “kingdom”. Why do the "belongers" not return but the "non-belonger" does? Perhaps the major difference has to do with “humility”. Jesus asks about the other “nine”. I imagine that they were not ungrateful, but more likely not humble enough to admit that once they were outside — different, unwelcomed. They would have to live with their pasts into their futures. The “Kingdom” is for those who stand in their earthliness which has been blessed by the “Holy Land” who is Jesus. The Pharisees stand always at a distance greater than that of the lepers when they sought cleansing. It is not so much about who gave thanks and who did not. Jesus is dedicated to calling all of humanity away from the leprosy of self-righteous pharisaic posturing. Jesus is the Land upon which, and within which we do not posture, but take positions of living our healed conditions.

Here is a little thought. The “nine” represent most Christians - at least in this. They enjoy being freed from leprosy, but lose contact with the reality of their having been outsiders, alienated, defined by something negative. They might be grateful, but they are not sure grateful for what.

The “one” returnee represents each of us when coming to our senses; we get in touch with what it means to be redeemed by Jesus. We get in touch with our soul’s sicknesses. We touch into how disordered, depressed, angry, and/or violent we once were and immersing ourselves seven or more times in the river of the redeeming Jesus, we both enjoy the freedom from and the freedom for the living out of his touch.

“The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.”

(Adapted from Don Schwager & Larry Gillick, SJ)

Their minds were made up; there was no talking to them - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste."

There is a common saying that “when our minds are made up, we don’t like being confused with facts”. The minds of Jesus’ adversaries had been made up for some time, so the fact that Jesus had just driven out a demon confused them. Some asked for a sign from heaven –another one? Some said that he was using Beelzebul’s power to drive them out. They could not, and did not attempt to, deny the fact, so they tried to twist its meaning: not a power derived from God –a sign from heaven–, but a sharing in Beelzebul’s own power. Jesus does not seem to address directly those asking for a sign from heaven, though their asking for one implied that the healing of the possessed person was not seen by them as such a sign. But he does address the accusation of his being in cahoots with Beelzebul.

First Jesus tries a bit of logic with them: you are not making sense. If Satan is against himself, then his kingdom cannot last. Not just a matter of internal division into factions within that kingdom, but more like what today we would describe as split personality in Satan’s own person: for and against himself. The preceding demonic possession was “for” Satan, the expelling allegedly in Beelzebul’s name would be “against” Satan. You are not making sense.

Then Jesus turns the tables on them: how about your own exorcists? in whose name do they drive out demons? People living in glass houses should not throw stones into the air. This arguing ad hominem seems to bring the specific issue to closure, as least in today’s passage.

Yet Jesus chooses to take the opportunity to expand the issue: “whoever is not for me is against me”. No room for sitting on the fence. The late Cardinal Leo J. Suenens once remarked that, faced with Jesus, one would have to take a position for or against him and that pretending not to take a position is already taking a position; that neutrality is wishful thinking and just words. Regardless of our word positions, our lives make a strong statement. In Ralph W. Emerson’s words, “what you do speaks so loudly, that it does not let me hear what you say”. Inconsistency between our words and our lives’ deeds could put us in the predicament of sounding somewhat like suffering from split spiritual personality: for and against.

(Adapted from Luis Rodriguez, S.J.)

Are you defined? - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"You have defied me in word, says the LORD"

Has the LORD defined you in a word?  If so, would that word be "grateful"?

Jesus used the illustration of a late-night traveler to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from good neighbors. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame because it was a sign of in-hospitality.  If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need.

Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, once said “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”  When we take greater satisfaction in what we have than in how we serve, in what we own than in what we give, in what we want than in what we need, we are ignoring our spiritual side in favor of our human side.  When we place too much stock in our abilities to provide for ourselves, and forget to be like the birds of the sky who do not fear for their future but glory in the gift of their present, we are looking through the back side of our tapestry.  When we forget we are spiritual creations of a loving God, then we prevent ourselves from fully realizing our unique identity," as his beloved children.  

For that alone we can and ought be grateful.  Everything else is icing on the cake.

(Adapted from Don Schwager & Tom Purcell)

A look at "daily bread" - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"daily bread"

The disciples ask Jesus what they should ask God for, and he gives them (and us) these five petitions, all related to the inauguration of God’s reign on earth. For four of them that connection is pretty obvious (“make holy your name”; “establish your reign”; “forgive our failings”; and “put us not to the test when your rule upsets the way we have ordered our world”). But “give us each day our daily bread” . . . how does that fit? 

This petition has challenged scholars since the early days of the Church. It is often interpreted to mean what it seems to say – that we should ask God for what we need to get by, day by day. And indeed we should ask, for doing so acknowledges both our ultimate dependence upon God and God’s own goodness. But that is probably not what was meant by Jesus when he told His disciples to ask for this bread, nor what was understood by the early Church. Otherwise Matthew, in assembling the Sermon on the Mount, would have had Jesus contradicting himself. Recall: Jesus told his disciples not to worry about food or clothing. “Your Father in heaven knows you need all those things.” So it would seem unlikely that, in the same sermon, Jesus would tell people to ask God for food.

But there is an even stronger, linguistic reason for rejecting this apparently obvious interpretation. The word the Latin Bible translates as “daily” was actually a made-up word, coined by the evangelists or their sources, and not otherwise in use outside the Bible. Its etymology suggests that it meant “super-essential”, clearly something more than ordinary bread. Most likely it referred to what, in St. John’s gospel, is termed the “bread of life” – Jesus’ own self. In Catholic Christianity that would be a reference to the Eucharist and to what it foreshadows, the messianic banquet when God’s reign/kingdom on earth is fully realized. 

As ordinary bread (or its equivalent) is essential for ordinary life, so this “super-ordinary” bread is essential for the Christ life, the “super-ordinary” life conferred on us at Baptism. With ordinary nutrition food not only serves as fuel, but many of its components are incorporated into our own body tissues. We actually do become, in a sense, what we eat. So, in the Eucharist, Christ’s own life is renewed in us, providing food for the journey, while at the same time Christ Himself is literally absorbed into our being. We become more and more Christ-like.

Surely that is an important thing to ask for, and just as surely it is necessary for God’s reign among us. That’s why Jesus tells us to ask for it.

(Adapted from Robert P. Heaney)

God has no bridle - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time..."

It’s normal to want to be in control and know where God is taking us.  We want God’s plan to match our plan.  That said, sometimes I think God has to short circuit our plans for our own benefit.  Through Jesus, we know that God is good and God loves us.  With that knowledge, we can endure a seemingly painful change in our plans and still be joyful, hopeful and open to God’s plan. 

(Adapted from Dan O'Reilly)

Orvieto Eucharistic miracle inspires thousands

Italy's Orvieto miracle inspires thousands during jubilee :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)