Scripture reflection for May 14, 2008

Wednesday May 14, 2008. Scripture for Wed. of Ordinary time, sixth week.
James 1:19-27. Psalm 15:2-5. Mark 8:22-26. Lectionary # 337:

Wednesday was traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph before Vatican
II. He is the righteous and holy person, the spouse of Mary, the mother of
Jesus. The reading from James fits him well for he seems to be an ideal
role model for fulfilling what James is encouraging his listeners to do.
The Psalm also points out what is expected of a good and wholesome person,
a devout follower of the God of Abaham, Isaac, and Jacob. The great
patriarch Joseph in the Hebrew Scriptures lives out these prescriptions and
so,too, does St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus and husband of Mary of
Nazareth. According to James we can say that both Josephs lived out and
practiced "freedom's ideal law" and continued to live by it throughout
their lives. We have their complete stories in Genesis chapter 39-50 for
the Patriarch Joseph and chapters 1 and 2 of Matthew for Joseph, the
husband of Mary. St. Joseph listened carefully to the signs God gave him
both in dreams and through his own care and concerns for Mary and her
child. He protected them from Herod and from Roman oppression. He lived out
the epistle of James in a remarkable manner. We have him implicitly saying
only one word in the Scriptures, the holy name of Jesus. He controlled his
tongue as James suggests and never sinned with it.
In today's Gospel scene, Jesus heals a blind man and enables him to
see clearly. In our own lives we need spiritual healing for all kinds of
blindness so that we may see clealy the paths the Lord calls us to follow.
Joseph can be our model in this clear manner of seeing what God wants of
us. He is the just and holy model for us and it is good that we keep the
tradition of calling him to mind on a Wednesday. As it was said of the
Patriarch Joseph who helped Israel and his sons, "Ite ad Joseph" so we take
up the same encouragement and we go to Joseph. Amen.

Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle and Martyr, May 14, 2008. Scripture: Acts
1:15-17, 20-26. Psalm 113:1-8. John 15:9-17. Lectionary #564:

The Upper Room is a sacred location for many of the important events
that happen in the founding of the Church on Pentecost. Prayer, union of
minds and hearts, gathering of the apostles and the women, and the symbolic
number 120 for the renewing of the concept of the Sanhedrin for the Jewish
Christians. The person to take the place of Judas Iscariot is also present
there and it is he whom we commemorate this day as the chosen "apostle" to
make the number correspond to the twelve tribes of Israel in Jesus' choice
of twelve during his lifetime. This is to continue according to Luke's
criteria for the choice of an apostle: first, he had to know Jesus as a
follower or disciple during his active ministry from his baptism by the
Baptist; secondly, he had to witness to the resurrection. Then he had to
be chosen through prayer and inspiration from the Holy Spirit to be an
apostle taking the place of the betrayer. Two qualified for this call, but
Matthias was chosen by lot. His name means " Gift of God" and is based on
the name Mattathias, the priest of Modin, and the father of Judas Maccabee.
It is possible that Matthias had been a disciple of John the Baptist, but
then started following Jesus after he received baptism from John. There
are legends about him and even apocryphal writings that are attributed to
him. He is said to have worked in southern Cappadocia (Turkey). Many of
the stories we have about the missionary journeys of the apostles and their
martyrdom come from the apocryphal writings. An entry from J.L.McKenzie on
Matthias helps us not to take these writings as historially accurate. He
writes, " Matthias, chosen by lot to take the place of Judas Iscariot as
one of the Twelve (Acts 1:23-26). He is not mentioned elsewhere in the New
Testament, and the traditions about him found in the apocryphal books and
in the Fathers are historically worthless." (Dictionary of the Bible,
p.556).
The reading from the Gospel from John for today's feast is
appropriate for the call of Matthias. He lived out the commandment of love
and gave his life for the Gospel. He was a true and faithful friend of
Jesus and merited to be numbered among the twelve who personally walked
and talked with the Lord. He most likely did die as a martyr. This line
from today's Gospel sums up who he is, "There is no greater love than this;
to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13). Amen.