Weekly Reflection 063002AD

Sunday,June 30, 2002AD

13^th Sunday in Greentime

What Might Paul Mean?

Even the Spirit-inspired writer, St Paul had to use the medium of human language to communicate with his Christian audience in Rome in the mid-50’s, AD. Then and now, human language limps when it comes to expressing our relationship with the Transcendent, with God. Still, laboring with that disadvantage, we try to hear Paul speak to Catholics in the summer, 2002 AD.

St Paul saw baptism as the entrance “into Christ Jesus“, to the life of Christian faith, in which we share in the victory of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In faltering human language, he tells us that our existence is different if we trust that we live each day “in Christ Jesus”. We live each day “with and through Christ Jesus”. What does this mean?

In an effort to explain what St Paul meant, St Irenaeus of Lyons wrote a master work entitled Adversos Haeroses , Against Heresies . He explained St Paul’s description of Jesus as the “New Adam”, through the idea of recapitulation, that is, Jesus Christ is the summation of what God the Creator is saying about the human person (the pinnacle of all creation). Just as in the First Adam, all died; so in the New Adam, all can come to the life that God intended. There are some who think that according to St Irenaeus’ theory that, even if sin had not entered the human scene, Christ would still become a human person to bring creation to its Pleroma, its fulfillment. The Incarnation would complete the union of Creator with Creation. Sin is something that had to be taken care to complete the process that the Creator had intended “in Christ Jesus”.

As Thomas Groome, a lay theologian at Boston College, recently wrote, “Jesus Christ is the human face of Divinity as well as the Divine face of humanity.” In the Person of Jesus Christ, Creator and Creation are one. In Christ Jesus, we can live as the Creator intends.

St Irenaeus wrote, “God’s greatest glory is the human person fully alive.” Life and all its blessings are gifts or results of gifts from God. God wants us, all receivers, to become givers, with God’s Help. Once interpreted in a very bourgeois way, viz., “be all you can be”, now the saint’s words are understood to mean that we are to share God’s blessings with those less fortunate than we are. Working for the improvement of human living for others is part of God’s Plan for us in creation.

Although their human language is inadequate ultimately, St Paul and St Irenaeus and Thomas Groome express a vision that believers can intuit. We feel in faith that all three are all speak of a reality beyond language’s ability to verbalize.

We see God’s plan in the person of Jesus Christ. Through baptism, we are called into Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus, we hear Jesus’ words in St Matthew’s Gospel again (maybe, for the first time). In Christ Jesus, “whoever loses his life for (JC’s) sake will find it. In Christ Jesus, “whoever does not take up his cross and follow after (JC) is not worthy of (JC). In Christ Jesus, “what will it profit a person if one gains the whole world and suffer the loss of one’s soul?” These words are relevant always. In our mid-point of the Year of the Lord, 2002, all of us, young and old, should consider again and again what it means to live “through, with and in Christ Jesus.” How are things different for me because I make Christic choices?

As we near the 40^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the popular term, “universal call to holiness” is still very much in our minds and hearts. The term recaptures what Jesus intended in the Sermon on the Mount (Mtt 5-7), that all are called by God to be perfected (integrated, completed, fulfilled), no matter what road to holiness that the individual follows. One may be a married person, dedicated single, religious or clergy (maybe, a combination of some of the above). Still, we are all called “into Christ Jesus “ to live each day “in Christ Jesus.” 063002 AD jfq

Weekly Reflection 062302AD

Sunday June 23, 2002AD

12^th Sunday in Greentime

Joan and What’s Her Name?

A contemporary of Joan of Arc, Blessed Juliana of Norwich (1342 – c. 1420??) lived a completely different life than the Maid of Orleans. Her heritage, nevertheless, is only now slowing coming into its own. Juliana has much to teach us in 2002 AD. Juliana’s thoughts offer us insights as we reflect on today’s Liturgy of the Word.

Juliana lived in a world described by Barbara Tuchman, modern historian, as A Distant Mirror for the world in which we live today. Frequent war between England and France (100 Years War) was a reality. (Joan of Arc and Juliana of Norwich were on opposite sides obviously.) Disease was prevalent among the rich and the poor alike with the bubonic plague that killed 25% of the population of Europe. There was civil discord in England with a Peasant’s Revolt” led by Wat Tyler. There were church-state tensions when Catholicism did not always do its best to be a “nice religion”. In fact, Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, was executed as a common criminal for challenging what he considered unjust authority. You and I were fortunate not to be alive in Juliana’s and Joan’s time.

Juliana had a powerful religious experience in the midst of an illness that all expected would culminate in her death. She had asked for an experience of how much God loved her. She saw the crucified Head of Jesus and realized that this was her final request before she died. However, she recovered and the strength of this powerful religious experience led her to become one of the most remarkable women of her time. She was not formally canonized because, among other things, she referred to Jesus as a “Nurturing Mother” Who nourishes us with His Body and Blood. Juliana’s church was not ready for that one.

She was convinced that God was in charge of history. She believed that, as St Paul wrote, that God had already won the victory over evil through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and that we were living in the clean up days, which we can help or hinder, but not thwart.

She wrote that there were 4 types of fear that humans face. We fear assault; we fear pain; we fear anguish. With the Help of God, we can convert these 3 fears into an opportunity of trust and reliance upon God. However, there is a fourth fear which is a radical source of blessing in itself. It is the fear of the Lord, what we call poverty in spirit, spiritual poverty, humility, meekness, cleanheartedness, all the things about which Jesus speaks in the Beatitudes. Juliana teaches us that “Fear of the Lord” is another name for “Awe or Reverence for God as God” (In the early twentieth century, Rudolf Otto, a German theologian, described God as mysterium tremendum et fascinans, the awesome and fascinating mystery.)

Juliana also taught that believers trust that God in God’s Power and Wisdom is capable of doing what God wants. (We believe, although, at times, we hedge our bets because we would like surety.) Juliana wrote that we trust that God is all powerful and all wise and therefore, can do all things. However, she also wrote that her world (and maybe our world, even more so) was reluctant to believe that God could do all things because God is Love (1 John).

The world in which we live has honored the techniques of Joan of Arc in which militarism brought her to execution by English fellow Catholics. Let us reflect on Juliana’s words as we hear Jesus tell us, “Fear no one.” and Jeremiah’s words, “The God of Life is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble; they will not triumph.” 062302 AD jfq

Weekly Reflection 061602AD

Sunday, June 16, 2002AD

11^th Sunday in Greentime

Even Now, But Not Yet!!!

Whenever we pray the Our Father, one of our first petitions is “Thy Kingdom come.” Those who study St Matthew’s version of Jesus’ signature prayer discern in it a combination of the intimate (Abba, Father) and the transcendent (Who art in heaven), the pray-er’s wish for God (the first petitions) and the pray-er’s wish for ourselves (the latter petitions), the formal (Jewish liturgical prayers echo in it) and the informal (earthy petitions for bread, forgiveness and strength).

The consensus of biblical scholars is that the first three petitions are three ways of expressing the same wish. 1) “Hallowed be Thy Name.” 2) “Thy Kingdom come”. 3) Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. These three wishes express our hope that God will be recognized as God in this world. Then, God’s Name will be held holy by all; God’s Kingdom will come; God’s will will be done on earth.

“Thy Kingdom come” appears to have been the slogan which Jesus used during His public ministry. It was God’s Kingdom, not Jesus’ or yours or mine, that Jesus wanted to establish. He wanted recognition of the centrality of YHWH (the God of Life, the God of Mystery, the God of Creation). Jesus provided the motivation and the energy (grace) to strive for the Kingdom in His message and His mighty deeds. Again, God gives the possibility of salvation; we receive it if we want. Jesus wanted to establish a world in which God’s cause would be advanced. The God of Life’s cause is the human cause. Where human life is advanced, the Kingdom of the God of Life is advanced. God brings the Kingdom, not you or I. Whenever and wherever the human cause of life is advanced, then, we are closer to the Kingdom which the God of Life wants to establish.

However, in today’s Gospel, there is a paradox, “The Kingdom of the God of Life is (already) at hand, (already in our midst.) Biblical scholars write that Jesus believed that His ministry of Word and Mighty Deeds made the reality of the Kingdom of the God of Life present. The sick were cured; the dead were raised; the lepers were cleansed; the demons were driven out. The human cause was advanced by Jesus when He did such deeds and hence, the divine cause became a reality (for those whose humanity was enhanced by Jesus’ deeds.)

Jesus asks us to maintain this tension in our Catholic lives. Obviously, we do not yet live in a reality in which we can say that God’s Will is already done. As Father Andrew Greeley wrote, “Original sin is the one doctrine of Catholicism which is absolutely verifiable in our world.” Still, Jesus wants Catholics to build better human communities that reflect the human cause, the God of Life’s cause, more authentically. Jesus wants us to make the world freer from hunger, violence, injustice, inequality, cruelty. Jesus wants us to acknowledge that God is the Center of Reality, not us. The great false god to be de-throned is EGO (Easing God Out).

However, Jesus gives us the energy or grace to make the world freer from evil, more God-centred, more monotheistic (EGO cannot rule with God). We cannot make the world perfect, but we can make it better. That is what Jesus asks us of us. When we respond to His call, with His Help, while the Kingdom of the God of Life is still to come in its fullness, even now, it is present in our midst. It is already here on earth whenever God’s Will is done (as it is in heaven). 061602 AD jfq

Weekly Reflection 060902AD

Sunday June 9, 2002AD

10^th Sunday in Greentime

Call of Levi, 2002 AD

A few streets away from the Piazza Navona in Roma, there is a beautiful church called San Luigi de Francia, St Louis of France, the national French church in the Eternal City. Anyone who says a prayer there for the King of France can still get a plenary indulgence!!! Like many Roman Churches, this one is worth a visit because, among other things, there is a baroque Italian painting by Caravaggio entitled, “The Call of Levi”. Its theme concerns our Gospel reading today.

The painting shows Jesus entering the house of the Tax collector and challenging Levi (Matthew, according to today’s Gospel) to follow Him. Levi is still seated on the desk and is listening to Jesus’ Words. However, in the painting, his alertness is such that he has not yet “got up and followed Him.” (Of course, we know from the Gospel that Levi (Matthew) did obey Jesus’ words.)

The interesting thing about the painting is the attire of the other men in the tax office with the disciple to be. Some of them are wearing 1^st century clothing and others are wearing 16^th century clothing. They were meant to represent those called to be disciples of Jesus in Caraviaggio’s time. If the artist were around today, the workers in the workplace would be clothed in 21^st century office attire. There would be both men and women in the office. If it were a Friday on which Jesus made His call, it would have been dress down day casual attire that they would be wearing.

Jesus calls us again and again to follow Him in the journey of our lives. The presumption in the story is that Levi must heard Jesus speak before the encounter in the Gospel today. We hear Jesus speak to us again and again in a variety of ways, whether in Scripture, in reflection on Scripture, in sacramental moments, whether liturgical or otherwise, in the call of relationships and the wonders of creation all around us. He challenges us again and again to follow Him. It might be a Gospel nuance to a business or professional decision which we face. It might b e how to handle a personal crisis involving illness or disappointment for ourselves or for someone close to us. We are called by Jesus to follow Him by living the life of a Christic disciple. How much does each of us follow Jesus in the course of our lives each day?

There appears to be a certain pattern that is established by the Synoptic Evangelists (Mark, Matthew, Luke) for the call to discipleship. How does your journey to discipleship fall into pattern? 1) Jesus calls you. God’s Grace always precedes our response. 2) Those called are involved in ordinary work. 3) The call ultimately is heard distinctly, viz., “I am called to live differently as a disciple of Jesus.” 4) Jesus calls us to be with Him and His way of life in our everyday lives. 5) Our response is to be immediate. “Yes, it makes a positive difference in my life to follow Jesus.” 6) Our response is not an individual response. Rather, we join with a community of disciples who have experienced the same call in their own lives.

Imagine yourself seated at the table with Levi (Matthew). If it has not happened yet, it certainly will. No matter what your attire is, how do we respond? Do we follow Him or what…? O60902 AD jfq

Weekly Reflection 060202AD

Sunday June 2, 2002AD

Corpus Christi

Pope John XXIII

We celebrate the memory of Pope John XXIII, who died on June 3, 1963. If you were around then, you recall the short time of his ministry. You still live with the effects of his Spirit-filled Petrine Ministry.

(In St Peter’s Basilica, by far, the two most visited sites are the tomb of St Peter under the main altar and the tomb of Pope John, off to the side.) There is a reason for the popularity of Pope John’s tomb.

In the papal election of 1958, the Cardinals thought that an interim Pope would be best because they felt that no suitable successor to Pope Pius XII was available. They deliberately elected the 77 year old Patriarch of Venice as an interim.

What an interim he was!! In his five year ministry, Pope John responded to the call of the Holy Spirit for an ecumenical council to bring aggiorniamento, an updating of the Catholic Church. He wanted to open the windows of the Church to the world recovering from World War II. In addition, he tried to mediate the Cold War between the USA and the USSR with his great encyclical, Pacem in Terris.

His death was mourned by people all over the world. He is still remembered today.

One of the practical changes brought about by the Holy Spirit in Vatican II was the reform of the liturgy of the Eucharist. Today as we celebrate Corpus Christi, we gather with a reformed and renewed sense. We are a welcomed and welcoming people who listen to the Word of God and worship at the Table of the Lord. We are renewed by the Spirit as witnesses to Jesus the rest of the 167 hours of the week ahead. We commit ourselves to welfare of others, not ourselves only.

We strive, with God’s Help, to share the Body of Christ so that we become the Body of Christ. We are all called and we convene or come together. We come as a community, not as individuals. We try to commit more and more, with God’s Help, to the Christic view of reality proclaimed by Jesus. We are companions on the Way for one another. We are committed to a catholic (wholistic) worldview. We are concerned with the complete person (body, mind, soul and spirit) both of our neighbor as well as ourselves and we care about all creation.

Pope John’s deathbed message in June, 1963 said in part, “Now more than ever, certainly more than in the past centuries, our intentions (as a Church) is to serve people as such and not only Catholics; to defend above all and everywhere the rights of the human person and not only of the Catholic Church; it is not the Gospel that changes; it is we who begin to understand it better…The moment has arrived when we must recognize the signs of the times, seize the opportunity and look far abroad.”

The Holy Spirit sent Pope John into our world in 1958 to unleash again the evolutionary process that had begun in the upper room on Pentecost morning, 30 AD. We pray that our church heed the signs of the times once more and make the aggiornamentos necessary to thrive anew.

The Holy Spirit surprised us then and will continue to do so. As 1 Peter told us throughout Easter, through baptism, we became a “Chosen Race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.” St Paul quoted the lyrics of a baptismal hymn in Gal 3.28, “In Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus.” In the midst of this period of purgation which we experience as a church, we pray that the Spirit raise up leaders to prepare us for the future, towards a Vatican III, as reflect on Peter and Paul’s words in 2002 AD. 060202 AD jfq