Monday of Third Week in Ordinary Time, July 2,2007 Tuesday of Third week, July 3, 2007.
our marvelous Assembly called "Come to the Desert" and decided not to make
any calls or use the internet. This made the desert more real interiorly
and complemented what we experienced from the desert surrounding Tucson.
Not that we were hydrated! All was provided for us in a super five star
hotel run by Marriott. So here I am back again with a few thoughts on the
readings. I will try to recover those I missed sending you them in
addition to the current ones. I believe you can find some on the blog I
have:
Scripture: Genesis 18:16-33. Psalm 103:1-4,8-11. Matthew 8:18-22.
Lectionary #377:
Several of the authors in both the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) and
the New Testament use what are called "summary statements." I discovered
one in Genesis this morning and recall that when Jesus ended the sermon on
the Mount, St. Matthew gave us a short summary statement. Today's from
Genesis reads, "...(God)he had finished speaking to Abraham." At the end
of each discourse, Matthew gives us five such summary statements. The one
that ended the Sermon on the Mount is, "Jesus finished his discourse and
left the crowds spellbound." These texts help us to realize the Scriptures
can be a prayer dialogue between ourselves and God. That is the purpose for
which they were written and read. We profit from them as individuals and
as members of a believing community nourished by these sacred texts.
Prayer is speaking with God as a friend. We have seen from the start of
the Abraham cycle to its close (chapters 12-24 of Genesis) that Abraham
speaks with God as a friend and God responds as a friend. This is better
than the internet! We are listeners and participators when we engage
ourselves with the word of God. We are called "followers" and "disciples"
when we listen and heed the words of Jesus. In our reading about Abraham,
we see that he is so confident in his relationship with God that he can
barter for saving some people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He
downloads the number he barters for from fifty to forty, then from thirty
to twenty, and finally the barter mode stops at ten. We are left waiting
to find out what will happen, but that is given in tomorrow's reading. Ten
is a sacred number for the practices of prayer in Judaism. I remember
being invited by a band of nine men in Jerusalem to join them in prayer to
make up what is known as a "minyan". Prayer is seen not through a place but
through persons gathering to praise and honor God. Was Abraham suggesting
this when he thought of God pardoning the ten from being destroyed with the
two cities? Probably not! But it does make us relate to the symbolic
meaning of ten who are just and gathered in prayer. Abraham was praying
for God to be merciful to some who were obeying him. So our story ends
without God finishing his part of the dialogue in today's selection. As we
turn to the Gospel, we find Jesus continuing his efforts to make demands of
radical discipleship on those who really want to follow him through thick
and thin. The long sermon has been heard by both the crowds and the
disciples, now is the time to face what it means to make a decision to
follow the Lord totally. Simplicity is suggested in the line about Jesus
not having where to rest his head; while in the following line the question
of detachment from even those who are most dear to us is required in the
radical call to discipleship. We realize how difficult it is to lose our
independence and freedom; we do not like it when our comfort space and
feelings are to be left aside, but as disciples of the Lord we realize that
we are sometimes called to make this extra effort in the following of
Christ. Sure it hurts, but it is worthwhile. Amen.
Tuesday, July 3, Scripture: Genesis 19:15-29, Psalm 26:2-3,9-12. Matthew
8:23-27: Lectionary # 378:
In the dialogue and bartering scene of yesterday, we finally have an answer
to Abraham's plea to spare the destruction of the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah. God grants the favor to the family of Abraham and Lot that they
are the ones spared even though Lot falls short in his response to God.
His hospitality was not as generous as Abraham's and his selfishness comes
through in the way he relates to his own daughters. His wife is lost in the
destruction almost reminding us of some of the people who were buried in
the ashes of Vesuvius when we hear she was turned into a pillar of salt.
Thus only a few were exempt and it was due to the faith of Abraham and
Sarah our great ancestors in what it means to be people of faith. Abraham
was very attentive to the three visitors and so too was Sarah. They will
have progeny in Isaac because of this. Lot, on the otherhand, seems to
have been what today would be called a dysfunctional family. He was not as
attentive to the generosity in hospitality nor was his way of solving
problems very just , yet God's mercy spared him because of the fidelity of
Abraham and Sarah. The Psalm for today seems to reflect the prayer and
thougts of an Abraham or a Sarah. I found the verses to complement the
first reading in a prayer mode and devout expression of praise and love.
"O Lord, your kindness is before my eyes." The Gospel talks of how Jesus
saves his disciples from a storm at sea. He chides them for their lack of
trust and faith in him, but does deliver them from the raging waters. They
were somewhat smart by staying in the boat with Jesus while he seemed
unconcerned or was asleep. We are to continue to be with Jesus in the
Church (the boat) even when we sense he is asleep and there is no promise
of a miracle. Like the disciples we are dumbfounded when peace returns to
us. We pray with them today, "What sort of man this that even the winds
and the sea obey him?" Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 12:17 PM
<< Home