Sunday the Twenty-second

Sorry for the lack of timely posting ... Here it is, albeit late. Irene knocked out power and internet.

ANTIPHON

I call to You all day long, have mercy on me, O Lord. You are good and forgiving, full of love for all who call to you (Psalm 85:3, 5).

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

My soul is thirsting for You, O Lord my God. (Psalm 63).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPTS

     “You duped (פָּתָה, pathah) me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.” (Jeremiah 20:7).”
     “From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind (ὀπίσω, opiso) me, Satan (σατανᾶ, Satana)! You are an obstacle (σκάνδαλον, scandalon) to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.. (Matthew 16:21-35).”

REFLECTION

"Dupe" is an interesting translation in the NAB Bible of the Hebrew ָּתָה, pathah. The Revised Edition of the NAB uses the verb "seduce," which is closer in meaning to the original. Either way, "dupe" or "seduce" do not seem appropriate ways to describe God’s manner of dealing with humanity, especially a person like Jeremiah who is doing God’s work as a prophet. One thing is certain here, Jeremiah is quite angry with God. In the verses leading up to this Sunday’s proclamation, we learn that Jeremiah had been arrested and put in stocks for essentially doing God’s work. Jeremiah appears confused - ‘I do the Lord’s work and this is the thanks I get?’ Isn’t this the same question many of ask when misfortune comes our way. ‘Why are you doing this to me God, I’m one of your ‘good ones?’

Jeremiah rightly terms his entrance into ministry as a seduction. Jeremiah sees, hears and senses a life and love that ignites a life within in a way that even he finds hard to explain. He know the pleasure of speaking on God’s behalf (technically what the Hebrew word nabi [prophet] means) yet has not come to grips with the fact that this proclamation of the Word requires some very important lessons, most notably the distinction between message and messenger. The misfortunes, detours and derailments of life are products of a fallen, yet redeemed world. None of us gets a pass. We are in the world and the setbacks - both the unexpected and the ones-seen-coming - are part of life. The person and persons in covenant relationship with the Lord of Life are challenged to learn the lesson that only God has the final word, not the things that go wrong. In time, Jeremiah does learn this lesson and sees in his lifetime that suffering can be redemptive.

Like Jeremiah, Peter still has a ways to go in being formed as the Master’s disciple. Last week’s proclamation saw Jesus Himself rejoicing in the work that His Father was doing in the life of Peter and how Peter was cooperating. Peter has come to faith that Jesus is the Christ. Wonderful. But what exactly does it mean to confess Jesus as the Christ? In what seems to be an instant, Peter reverts to a purely human way of viewing the world. When Jesus speaks about His suffering that will be redemptive, Peter’s knee-jerk reaction is to literally ‘stand in front’ of Jesus and “trip” Him in His journey to Jerusalem. Note carefully the text. When Peter balks at Jesus’s words, Jesus commands Peter to “get behind (ὀπίσω, opiso).” What has happened? Peter lost his sense of where he is to be relative to Jesus. The disciple is always behind the Master. Recall Moses and his incessant plea to God to see the Divine Face. When Moses was eventually permitted to gaze upon God, the choreography was quite clear. Moses was placed in a cleft (a cut out) in the rock, God’s hand covered Moses and withdrew in time to see only the back of God. When the disciple is anywhere except behind the Master, the disciple becomes a scandolon (scandal, obstacle). Scandolon in Jesus’s day was graphically and tragically described as ‘putting a rock in the path of a blind person.’ The horror of that picture fills us with indignation. And yet that is precisely the stinging word that Jesus addresses to Peter.

This background is important to understand Jesus’s address to Peter as “Satan.” There is no soft-pedaling this one. Even from a linguistic point of view, Jesus addressed Peter as Satan (the vocative case in Greek). The difficulty is that when many people hear the word “Satan,” images abound. Some think of the red, hoofed creature wielding a pitch fork against a backdrop of sky and ocean wrapped in fire. Some might think of Satan in terms of the ‘litte bad voice’ on one shoulder competing with the good angel on the other shoulder prompting us to do certain things. Some may recall the 1970's comedian Flip Wilson and his famous quip, "the Devil made me do it” or more recently Dana Carvey’s portrayal of "Church Lady" and her propensity to make Satan responsible for all evil. All of these fall short of the Gospel presentation of Satan as the one who hinders the plan of redemption by attempting to remove the Cross from reality. Sadly, when Satan is confined in our lives to ‘the bad voice,’ Satan actually accomplishes more as the deadly work of twisting our minds and hearts to weaken the Cross and its necessity alters the Christian Gospel and hinders the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus in no way sugar-coats His words to Peter. They are blunt and stinging which probably left Peter thinking, ‘what just happened? I thought I was doing something nice for my friend, wasn’t I?’ Admittedly the Cross is not attractive and its pain is repulsive to life. Yet the Cross does stand in a Christian center. Without the Cross, there can be no transformation because the ‘work’ of the Cross is essentially the first commandment Jesus gives at the start of His Public Ministry, “Be converted (μετανοεῖτε, metanoeite [Mark 1:15]).” The Cross draws one from self to Other, not just in actions but also in words and thoughts. Thinking, speaking and acting gradually become less self-centerred and more focused on the other - AND - as good as this truly is, the Cross of Jesus redeems all. Yes, a world of greater selflessness would be wonderful, but that selflessness can only occur as the fruit of redemption, a redemption won by Christ, Christ crucified. Jesus’ insistance on the Cross is not to create a utopian society but a community of people “bought back” from death to life eternal.

OPENING PRAYER

Almighty God,
every good thing comes from You.
Fill our hearts with love for You,
increase our faith,
and by Your constant care
protect the good You have given us.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and
the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Sunday the Twenty-first

ANTIPHON

Listen, Lord, and answer me. Save Your servant who trusts in You. I call to you all day long, have mercy on, O Lord (Psalm 85:1-3).

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands (Psalm 138).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT

     “Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority” (Isaiah 22:18-20).”
     “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19).”

REFLECTION

Admittedly Shebna, Eliakim and Hilkiah are not household names. Hopefully these names will not be too difficult for lectors to pronounce properly. But when you hear their names, what goes through your mind? Do you know them? Is it important to know them? While the simple answer to that question is “yes,” it is important to know why we need to know them and their story when it comes to following Jesus Christ. Time for a brief lesson in Old Testament History.

In the first 39 chapters of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, life is very uncertain for many of the Israelites, especially those living in what was known then as the Northern Kingdom. This area bordered Assyria (part of modern day Syria) and tensions ran high between the people of the Northern Kingdom and the people of Assyria. In the context of this uncertainly, the Prophet Isaiah called the people continuously to “trust in God.” It was hard. They could not eyeball God yet they could easily see (and hear!) the might of the Assyrian military machine. Some of Israel's leaders decided to take matters into their own hands and prepare for war and make alliances with others to help when war broke out. Enter Shebna.

Scholars are mixed as to what his exact job was in the empire. Minimally, it was some type of steward or treasury official in the government. No matter the position, Shebna was a powerful person in the empire who answered only to the king. There is some scholarship that suggests Shebna (whose name linguistically appears to be more Egyptian than Hebrew) was attempting an alliance with the Egyptians. Earlier in Isaiah 22, mention is made of a rather ambitious building campaign (including quite an ornate burial place for himself) that results in some type of scandal and betrayal of his master (an EXTREMELY serious offense in the Ancient Near Eastern world), though the text is silent about the scandal's details. The text is quite clear about the consequences of the scandal: “The LORD shall hurl you down headlong, mortal man! He shall grip you firmly and roll you up and toss you like a ball into an open land to perish there, you and the chariots you glory in, you disgrace to your master’s house (Isaiah 22:17-18).” In the portion of the chapter proclaimed this Sunday, we learn of Shebna's public humiliation and the loss of his government position to Eliakim (whose name, interestingly, means “God establishes”).

So what does Old Testament History 101 have to do with this Sunday's Word? The biblical mandate uttered by Isaiah, “trust in God,” is for the good of one's life and the lives of others. Disaster occurs time and time again in Isaiah when leaders, who ought to know better, decide to orchestrate the life of the kingdom based on their own agenda. This agenda, which attempts a ruse of concern for one’s subjects, is nothing more than a ploy for patrimony, power and perpetuity which increases the ego, hurling one deeper and deeper into the abyss of narcissism. Shebna thought he was smart in abandoning the covenant and the Word of God delivered by the prophet. He poured massive resources of Israel's life into shoring up defenses (which really were not all that sound, but apparently benefitted him) and building a marvelous mausoleum as a perpetual testimony to his life, which also backfired in the end. Failure to listen to the prophet results in a loss of profit on so many levels of life.

The 'rocks' of Caesarea Philippi including the entrance to a seemingly bottomless pit. In antiquity, rock formations near and on the entrance gave the appearance of foreboding jaws (gate) leading to the nether world. This was also the site of the ancient cult of the pagan god, Pan. Not far from here are the cool, fresh-water springs that combine and form southward flowing streams contributing to the Sea of Galilee. The day my beloved Dad and I visited Hermon Springs was hot (temperature was estimated at 102°F) and rather humid. Kneeing down and sipping the spring water was quite a treat.

Contrast all this with Peter. He does no campaigning, not that he would have even known what was coming by responding to a simple question from the Master. He does no manipulating of the crowds, fellow disciples or even Jesus. Out-of-the-blue Jesus declares him “Rock!” and invests him with keys (an Old Testament image used to sum up all civil and religious authority exercised by leaders. In Judaism, the ‘power of the keys’ also referred to the Rabbi’s teaching authority) and solidifying his authority with the power to bind and to loose. As the “key of the house of David” was placed upon Eliakim's shoulders, so Peter is given the Keys of the Kingdom. Peter gets the keys and binding/loosing power precisely because God establishes this, not himself. Peter responds to Jesus’ question in such a way that it is clear Peter is open to the Father’s revelation. Peter, in this context, is an Eliakim. So long as the one called “Rock” lives his ‘Eliakim roots’ he will never become ‘Rocky.’ Peter will come to learn that much vigilance is required as the letter “y” can easily be appended to his stone name (next week’s lesson). A rock that provides a sure foundation can become unstable in the blink of an eye. Ask anyone who has lived through an earthquake. Similarly, life quickly becomes ‘rocky’ when “trust in the Lord” no longer grounds the foundation of life. The laws of physics are quite clear: nature abhors a vacuum. Something or someone is always waiting to pounce and fill a void. “Trust in God” keeps life filled with proper direction, energy and liveliness. Its absence results automatically in “trust in self” along with consequences that never builds-up but only tears-down. Gospel joy and peace await all who allow God to establish life even when times are humanly uncertain and rocky.

OPENING PRAYER

Father,
help us to seek the values
that will bring us lasting joy
in this changing world.
In our desire for what You promise
make us one in mind and heart.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sunday the Twentieth

Antiphon: God, our protector, keep us in mind; always give strength to Your people. For if we can be with You even one day, it is better than a thousand without You (Psalm 83:10-11)."

Responsorial Psalm: "O God, let all the nations praise you! (Psalm 67)"

Scripture excerpt: "Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour (Matthew 15: 21-28)."

The scene is familiar in Jesus' Public Ministry. A request is made of Jesus. At the end the request is granted, noting the faith of the person. Sound familiar? It is a pattern found in many of Jesus' healing works. The difficulty, if I may use the word, is neither the request nor the result. It is the dialogue leading to the conclusion, especially Jesus' words to the Canaanite woman that causes many to squirm. Initially, Jesus ignores her request. When she comes back at him, He all but says, 'because you are not Jewish, I cannot help you' (“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”). Her response causes Jesus to respond in a way that stops many of us dead in our tracks. Did Jesus refer to her as a dog? I once asked undergraduate students in a Gospel course their take on the episode if it were a person other than Jesus. Many used words such a bigot, racist and even a narcissist. But the reality is this Person is Jesus, and the literal sense of the Sacred Text (it is what it is) challenges us in a way like the woman challenging Jesus.

Let's step back a moment to Scripture 101, particularly Catholic Scripture 101 which is guided by the Church's teaching at Vatican II, Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation). In chapter 3 of the document (article 12) we read, "But, since Holy Scripture must be read and interpreted in the sacred spirit in which it was written, no less serious attention must be given to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out. The living tradition of the whole Church must be taken into account along with the harmony which exists between elements of the faith. It is the task of exegetes to work according to these rules toward a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture, so that through preparatory study the judgment of the Church may mature." What this means for us is that we seek, with the Holy Spirit, prayerful study/research and the judgment of the Church, the original intention of the account. We also listen and ponder the text, no less importantly, in the context of the Church's living Tradition. This Tradition celebrates and proclaims the sinlessness of Jesus as the One Who saves all from their sins (see Matthew 1 and Eucharistic Prayer IV). So while we affirm Jesus' true human nature, we also affirm His true divine nature in the unity of a single Divine Person Who is sinless. Where then does this leave us with Jesus ignoring a person and using what amounts to an ethnic slur?

I do not like using personal examples, as I am well aware of my own limitations, shortcomings and sins. But as I was driving for hours today as well as sitting in construction zones on a major Interstate (and not to mention a week of discussing this with priest and bishop friends on vacation), I could not help but think of an episode when I was undergoing the final examination for my theology license examination (an STL) in Rome. A panel of 3 professors (imposing as they sat on a dais in their Dominican habit) began with the first examiner critiquing and questioning my 45-minute theology lesson (what they call in Rome a 'lectio coram'). The next examiner 'put me through the ringer' on a variety of topics in Dogmatic and Patristic theology, in rapid-fire succession so much so that I could hardly breathe between my response and the next question. The examiner didn't even tell me if the response was correct or incorrect. When he was finished, I breathed a sigh of relief, as the next examiner was my beloved director. He and I spent many hours conversing about the Fathers of the Church. A true polyglot, Fr Ambrose Eszer OP (Ambrosius Eßer, may you rest in peace!), shared with me many of his works in various languages on the Church Fathers as well as conversation he had with Fr Irene Hauser, a giant in the world of Patrology many years ago. I thought to myself, this part of the examination would be a breeze. Well, Fr Ambrogio, with his heavy German accent, directed me to pages of Greek that I had translated in the tesina (for Americans, a tesina is a Master's thesis on mega-steroids). He opened by challenging my translation of a patristic Greek text. He then selected Greek words at random and wanted me to parse them, particularly the verbs. I began thinking to myself, ‘What is going on! He read the tesina, graded it and commended me on the insights. I knew going into the examination that I had more than 'passed' the tesina part of the examination.’ Then, in the midst of my thoughts, he pronounced, "You do not know the Greek and the conclusions are erroneous!" For a moment, I thought the ground beneath me shifted and I was floundering. There was an eerie silence in the room. I paused for a moment, collected myself and fired back that the translations were correct and I gave the reasons. After 10 minutes of retort that seemed an eternity, he looked at me with a smile and solemnly pronounced in German: "Gut gemacht (“Well done!"). As the examination ended, professors in the room went to my director – yes, my director – and told him “You have produced a fine student.” I stood there in amazement, grateful that it was all over but still wondering what had happened. An American professor came up to me and said, “You’re new to this, aren’t you? You see, Fr Eszer knew you had much and he pushed you to express it confidently and persuasively.”

Thus I offer one possible way of looking at this episode (would love to hear your take). Jesus truly knew the woman’s faith. Like another episode in the same Gospel involving foreign people, the Magi (Matthew 2) are presented as seekers who come to faith and do so in a bold way to travel “from the East” (in other words, so far East that these are super-Gentiles, super foreigners). No matter who the disciple or the person-coming-to-faith, Jesus will always challenge that faith so that the relationship may continue growing and maturing. There can never be anything static about the relationship called faith. Weak or strong, faith must grow and mature. For people like the Canaanite woman who certainly seems to ‘have her act together’ and appears as a very strong woman of faith, it takes more to push her in the way of maturity. As the masterful teacher and counselor, Jesus knew the limits to which He could push her. The fact that this woman is the ONLY person in Jesus’ Public Ministry who was able to spar with Him in such a witty way indicates to me that she knew Jesus was not using terms in a pejorative or demeaning way. She knew who she was in that Jewish world, an outsider - a dog, yet wasn't about to leave no matter what was said. Jesus' words are strong and appear startling to us. Each alleged 'jab' on the part of Jesus moves her to deeper resolve. Yes it looks as though Jesus is not 'nice' and seems downright cruel. But sit in a physical therapy room and watch a therapist stretch a knee or move an arm that has atrophied. The patient groans and complains but hangs in there with the knowledge that she or he is being pushed for the eventual goal of healing. The therapist knows how far to push, even though the patient (or observer) may think he or she cannot do it. Such were my own thoughts about a beloved mentor at a public examination until I learned what he was doing. Would I have liked a ‘nicer way?’ Sure. But I don’t think I would be in the ‘place’ where I am today.

‘Niceness’ at times can deceive and derail the challenge of the Gospel to embrace a mature faith. Human standards or perception of what constitutes being nice can ruffle feathers that are often fluffed by desires for complacency and comfort. The Gospel proclaimed, lived and embodied in Jesus is about His Father's Kingdom and its demanding way of living sustained by mature faith, not human perceptions or standards of 'niceness' that mask for "missing the mark" of Kingdom living.

Opening Prayer:
God our Father,
may we love You in all things
and above all things
and reach the joy You have prepared for us
beyond all our imagining.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sunday the Nineteeth

Antiphon: “Lord, be true to Your covenant, forget not the life of Your poor ones for ever. Rise up, O God, and defend Your cause; do not ignore the shouts of Your enemies (Psalm 73:20, 19, 22, 23).”

Gospel excerpt: “Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost (φάντασμα [phantasma]),” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:24-31)”

     Scholars tell us that the "fourth watch of the night" is the period of time between 3 and 6 in the morning. This is a time of paradox. Around 3am, intense darkness engulfs all reality. On the Sea of Galilee, darkness is so intense that when you stretch out your arm, you cannot see your fingertips. Without light, it is easy to loose your bearings and wander off course. The heart pounds faster. Breathing quickens as fear of being lost takes hold of life. Add an unexpected storm that tosses a 30-foot fishing boat mercilessly at the whim of wind and waves and you have a recipe for disaster.

     Yet as time drifts closer to the 6am hour, the other pole of the paradox dawns. Not only does light gradually transform darkness, it does so with colors that are rarely seen in the brightness of noonday sun. Color, born of light and water, take hold of life where there was once fear. The captivating prism of light transforms fear to calm and brings a touch of ‘the wow’ to both body and soul. Water, darkness and light all combine to signal hope: the gift of a new day with all of its surprises and blessings.

     For a group of first-century Galilean fishermen, a particular day dawned like no other. In the midst of dealing with the wind and sea (traditional images of chaos in the Old Testament over which God alone has power to cause order [cosmos]), the unexpected sight of Jesus triggered fear. The Evangelist records the sight as a φάντασμα (phantasma) which is translated in the New American Bible as “ghost.” In the ancient world, people recognized that a phantasma could be real or imaginative. However real or imaginative, the perceiver or the viewer had no control over the sight. This is an important dimension of the ancient meaning of phantasma as it contributes to the human experience of fear. When we are not in control of life, we often sense that as a threat and instinctively the flight/fight mechanism engages with the hope of survival. Later in the Christian era, phantasma's Greek root is part of a larger group of words that eventually means a “showing of God” - an epiphany or a theophany.

     All of this - the “fourth watch of the night,” the paradox of time, the metaphor of water and wind for chaos and antiquity's meaning of phantasma - gives us much to ponder this Sunday as God’s Word is proclaimed. While the western mind may want to figure out and perhaps dismiss "walking on water" because it seems so disconnected from our lives, caution is strongly advised and needed. None of us can dismiss the reality of darkness in our lives. We wish we would not have to experience it yet maturity demands that each acknowledges times of aimlessness, confusion, and perhaps even despair that cast gradually intensifying darkness on and in our lives. The same fear that gripped the fishermen in the boat grips us and we look for a way out to experience perhaps just a glimmer, if not the rich colors of life. Faith memories instinctively move us to call out “God, come to my assistance!” as Elijah and the fishermen did. The difficulty is that we often block the God-showing in our lives and thereby run the risk of Jesus passing us by. We call out for help - AND - at the same time we want the showing of God and Divine Help on our terms, not on the Lord's terms. It is the ever-present struggle in our lives to be in control, to hold not only the remote-control but the batteries as well.

     Faith in the Person Jesus always requires letting go of the false self. The paradox is that when we put our “hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee” life’s darkness is transformed bit by bit into dazzling colors enabling us to see, hear, speak and live as Galilee's famous Carpenter Who managed to teach fishermen a thing or two about life ... as He does so today for us.

Opening Prayer:
Almighty and ever-living God,
Your Spirit made us Your children
confident to call You Father.
Increase Your Spirit with us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.