Three reflections for Lectionary #464 and 465 and 466 or Oct. 7, 8, and 9, 2010
Luke 11: 5-13:
Evangelists are also theologians of the word of God. They are spirtual
persons who share their own journey of faith by framing the journey of
Jesus in their Gospels. Today, St. Luke shares with us one of his primary
spiritual convictions--prayer. He has almost all of the New Testament
words that are associated with prayer in his Acts and in the Gospel he has
handed down to us for our spiritual journey with him and, of course, with
Jesus. The main theme today is persistence or perseverance in prayer even
to the point of disturbing the gates of heaven with our knocking, calling
out, and begging!
Luke always associates prayer with the Holy Spirit as we see in persons of
Zecariah, the father of John the Baptist, as we then see in Mary, the
mother of Jesus, and finally in all of the newly-born Christians in the
upper room who are gathered in prayer waiting for the Spirit who does
indeed come with fiery tongues and rumbling noises.
Persistence is essential in our prayer according to the teaching of Jesus
and the conviction of Luke in remembering this parable of Jesus and handing
it down for us. The parable contains the element of hospitality hidden
under the point of prayer. The one sleeping who has taken plenty of time
to bolt the door and put his children to bed is not awakened. His neighbor
has no bread for the visitors who made the difficult journey by foot and
now are waiting for some nourishment. Everyone is involved in this parable
both in prayer and action that allows prayer to do what it is supposed to
do. Because of the constant knocking the door is eventually opened and the
parable falls apart into our lap. We got the message and it does help us to
be more persistent in our prayers.
It is Jesus who teaches us about prayer through parables like this one.
Jesus himself prays often in the Gospel of Luke (more than in the others
put together) and he keeps reminding us to persevere in our own prayer.
The word that is used by Luke in this passage is "aiteo, aitein" It can
have stronger connotations when we realize it also mens to ask, to request,
to require, and to demand! We should not hesitate to pray and to knock on
the gates of heaven. Jesus assures us that the gift of the Holy Spirit will
be ours--"How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him." Amen.
Oct. 8th, Friday. Lectionary # 465.
Scripture: Lectionary 465. Galatians 3:7-14. Psalm 111:1-2,3-4. 5-6. Luke
11:15-26:
Three themes appear in today's holy readings of the word of God in our
liturgy of the word. First, faith is the theme Paul presents to us in the
Epistle to the Galatians. Then the Psalm gives us the theme of covenant
fidelity; third, the Gospel asserts the presence of the Holy Spirit when
there is need for us to overcome evil or Satan.
Paul reminds all of us that we share in the faith of Abraham, our father in
faith. He is the righteous one who lived by faith and gave us the great
example of how to put our faith in God. The very faith and trust that
Abraham had in God is what Paul bequeathes to us in this passage. God is
our inheritance and all three great religions share in that inheritance
through the father in faith--Abraham. Paul has opened the Scriptures to
the Gentiles and now those who are baptized realize they too are part of
God's family. The Muslims also believe in God through Abraham who is the
father of faith for them. All three of these religions are aware of the
rock of Abraham in the mosque in Jerusalem and honor the memory of Abraham
through this sacred rock or relic.
For us Christians the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible affirms what we know about
Abraham. The Koran does the same for Islam. If we listen carefully to what
Paul is saying we learn that he sees us Gentiles as being called to have
faith in God through the paradox of Jesus dying on the Cross. This is at
the center of the Eucharist and the Paschal Mystery of the Lord Jesus.
First comes his suffering, then the Cross in the middle, and finally, the
Resurrection. Paul does not deny the sacred words of God in the Torah. He
sees the covenant is essential, the observances of the rituals and
practices are not the same for the Gentiles. The paradox of the Cross is
that it is a curse for the Jewish reader, but paradoxically, it is the
instrument of salvation for us, the Christian Gentiles.
In the second theme the Psalm itself is covenantal and it reminds us that
God is ever faithful to the promises that he has made to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. The Davidic covenant follows as well and the covenant we
Christians have through Jesus and his Paschal Mysteries. All of God's
promises are kept. The gifts of God are without repentance, that is, they
are never abrogated. All of the true covenants that we share with God and
with one another are sacred agreements made through a faith response to
God's call. God is our inheritance and he has measured out our lot in life.
(Psalm 16). Yes, as the response says, "The Lord will remember his
covenant forever."
Luke is the Evangelist of the Holy Spirit and in the controversy Jesus has
with the leaders over the exorcism of the demons and evil, Jesus confirms
that he does this not under any foreign god nor under magical power. Jesus
casts out demons and evil by the finger of God (a symbol for the Holy
Spirit). Jesus by his union with his Father and the Spirit has absolute
power over all demonic evil and over sin. And that the kingdom has come
among us through the Holy Spirit is a sign that God's power is at work now.
Amen.
October 9, Lectionary 466.
Scripture: Lectionary 466. Galatians 3:22-29. Psalm 105:2-3,4-5,6-7. Luke
11:27-28:
Saturdays are appropriate for honoring the person of Mary, the Mother of
Jesus. This is encouraged by the Popes and is an opportunity for celebrants
and liturgists to make use of the 46 Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary in
the special sacramentary and lectionary prepared for these celebrations.
They help espeically in shrines and chapels and churches dedicated to Mary.
Priests are encouraged to celebrate her memory in the variety of prayers
and readings selected in these books.
Luke himself, as an Evangelist, is one of the most dedicated writers of the
New Testament who expresses love and fondness for the Mother of Jesus by
sharing with us several great events in her life. He has the most to say
about Mary. Even the small passage we have today gives us an occasion to
remember her on a Saturday or whenever a marian passage apprears in a
feast.
Today's passage is what we call in biblical language a beatitude (it means
being integrated and happy, fortunate, and even lucky). Mary for the
unnamed woman who utters the beatitude in favor of the mother of Jesus sees
her as a beatitude in person and in its action just by the fact she is his
mother and has nursed him from her breasts and cuddled him in her lap.
Jesus seems to lay this beatitude aside, but only is enhancing it by
telling us that she too is happy for doing God's will and in bringing the
Son of God into this world. Luke who is so sensitive to the presence of
Mary and has already shown her to be a beatitude person in the Visitation
scene. Elizabeth tells us Mary is blessed for having believed.
Father W.J. Harrington gives us a good context for reading this simple line
of Luke: "The idea is Jewish: a woman's joy in her son, especially a
distinguished son (Genesis 30:13; Proverbs 23:25). Fr. Lagrange also says
in his commentary, "A woman gives the right reason with a mother's heart."
The woman who "beatifies" Mary is a Jewess not a Christian. She realized
the importance of Jesus' mother in his daily life and how he came to this
stage of his life that is so impressive. Jesus is a healer, a consoler, a
preacher and a teacher for so many. He undoubtedly was nourished, taught,
and prepared for his vocation as the Savior through her love and dedication
to the will of God. Luke keeps this incident alive for us today as we hear
about in from the lecturn. This evangelist cherished the memory of Mary
and made it sacred.
One spiritual writer from France has interpreted the beatitudes as saying
they mean " En marche" or "Walk forth." "This is a radical departure from
the usual translation not only in meaning but also in mood, which in "Walk
forth" ! becomes an imperative--in other words a command to action." (Andre
Chouraqui).
Therefore, let us keep moving on with Jesus who tells us the kingdom is
here (both in what he brings and within in our hearts). We all are pilgrims
on a journey with Jesus while remembering his mother who has shown us the
way to follow him. Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 12:08 PM
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