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20th Sunday, 2017

Psalm 67
MT 15:21-28

Generally, psalm-singers mention to the Lord a current problem, petition for help, and then reminds Him of His help in the past. After this, he refers back to the troubling situation, thanking the Lord for resolving the issue as if He’s already done so. It’s typically clear, however, the help he requested would not yet have occurred in chronological time.

Biblical scholar, Robert Alter suggests the psalm-singer has received assurance of future fulfillment of the petition from a priest who speaks with the Lord ‘off-page.’ Because of this assurance, the psalmist sings as if it has already been answered (5). This idea implies a fluidity of tenses unfamiliar to us, but one natural to those present. When the saving deeds of Lord God are mentioned in the psalms, there’s often a shifting between an individual and the collective. In one psalm, for example, on one line it may seem one specific person is saved, while in the next line it may appear Lord God has rescued an entire people (5). This Sunday’s psalm also reminds its listeners of their belief; Lord God plans to use them, His Chosen People, to be the vehicle through which people from every nation come to know and worship Him alone (1, 3).

In the gospel reading a Canaanite woman asks for healing for her daughter who is possessed by a demon. After ignoring her, Jesus then replies, “My mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She responds with a confession of faith in Him and He grants her request. Similar to the Divine action in the psalm, Jesus turns his head towards her. In the movement, He literally, “Shines His face upon her.”

We may imagine this psalm to be Jesus’ conversation with the Father during or after the event. We may wonder, “Jesus knew He came to save all people; maybe He’s thanking Father for its fulfillment? Maybe Jesus is celebrating with His Father and with love, this Caanite woman and her role in the inevitable moment? Does Jesus believe my faith can have the same long-term, wide-spread effect that this woman’s does?”

Journal Questions:

Do the ideas related above about the fluidity of time and individual vs. collective in scripture resonate with me? It is foreign to our general understanding; how might I explore these ideas?
Have I experienced a moment in which I feel the Lord turned His head towards me; when His face shone upon me?
Have I experienced a time when it seemed as if something already occurred, although it had not in time, but because of my trust in the Lord?

Resources: see post entitled “Resource List”

Resource List

This reference list will be used from this point forward in the reflections I post on this site. If I use a resource not already listed, I will give its details at the end of the post in which it is included.

Resources

1- The Collegeville Bible Commentary; Old Testament. The Order of St. Benedict, The Litugical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1992.

2- The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Editor: Laymon, Charles. Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1971.

3- New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary. Editors: Gaventa, Beverly Roberts, and David Petersen. Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2010.

4- New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Editors: Brown, Fitzmyer, Murphy. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jeresy, 1990.

5- The Book of Psalms, Alter, Robert. WW Norton and Company, New York, NY, 2007.

6- The Old Testament and Apocrypha: Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Editors: Yee, Page, Coomber. Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 2014.

7- The New Testament: Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Editors: Aymer, Kittredge, Sanchez. Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 2014.

8- The Gospel of Matthew, Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible Series, The Westminister Press, Philadephia. 1975.

Shift Explained

I would like to explain a shift in the focus of reflections posted on this site; explorations and questions intended to inspire the practice of writing to pray. I have strived to better understand the connective tissues between each of the Sunday readings. Beyond thematic threads, the first and second intensify and illuminate the seminal essence of the gospel moment. Although I have overlooked them, the richness of the psalms augments our heart-knowing as well; I will turn to focus solely on their kinship to the gospels.

The Book of Psalms is characterized as a hymn book for Temple worship in the time of antiquity (4). As such, it would have flowed through the veins of a devout and well-schooled Jew, such as the Son of the Father, like blood. Having learned this, I now wonder, “What if this psalm was in Jesus’ heart at or following the gospel moment before me?” The following questions quickly follow:

What might I discover about Jesus’ life, ministry and Passion which I don’t currently understand?
What new insights might I glean about my own experiences, faith, divine nature and human character?
If the psalms are prayers, what might they teach me regarding praying both the gospels and my own life?

Please understand, I am not attempting to explain Jesus’ thinking or emotional state. Asking these questions does not presume we can assume to know His internal landscape. If we allow the Prince of Peace to lead us through this intuitive leap, however, our discernment process will sharpen, epiphanies unfold routinely, and our relationship with the Lord deepen.

References: Refer to blog post entitled Resources

19th Sunday 2017

1 KGS 19:9A, 11-13A
ROM 9:1-5
MT 14:22-33

In Robert Alter’s translation of Elijah and the cave, the Lord explains to Elijah all which is about to happen, i.e., Elijah is told of their arrival beforehand. After the Lord states He will not be in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, He does not say, “I’ll be in the sound of minute stillness.” He says rather, “And after the fire, a sound of minute stillness” (1). In the conversation that follows, the Lord explains how Elijah will pass the mantle to Elisha.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrestles with God’s faithfulness to His chosen people; it is often interpreted as a bemoaning of God’s pre-determined plan of who receives salvation, and who damnation (2). When Paul accepts Jesus as Christ for himself, his hatred for and persecution of Jesus and His followers is replaced by love. He receives the grace of salvation in his lifetime, not simply as a promise for the end of time. Paul wants not only strangers, but all those he loves to experience the same delight and joy in the discovery of the love of the Lord. He is perhaps heart-broken his own are not a part of the movement or community which he wants to share.

Peter issues the Lord a challenge, “If it is you, command me to come to you.” After “Peter the rock sinks like a stone” (2), Jesus says to him, “Oh ye, of little faith.” The remark, however, could be a reference to the doubt which inspired the request, Peter’s lack of faith in Jesus, or his own self-doubt. In this event, Peter has not been commissioned by Jesus to perform miracles in His name, nor is he simply a witness to a Jesus-miracle: he’s in the middle of the miracle as a participant.

When Jesus wakes in the boat to the fear of His friends, He calms the storm to protect and reassure them (Mt 8:23-27). In general, extreme weather symbolizes the difficulties of personal struggles and tragedies, events we’ve no choice but to endure and survive. But in this case, the Lord accepts Peter’s challenge to prove His identity by issuing a challenge in return. He invites Peter to walk voluntarily into and within the turbulence.

Peter’s confusion over the Presence of the Lord inspires him to command Jesus to prove Himself, but is ultimately clarified as self-doubt in the face of turmoil. Likewise, Elijah states, “I am no better than my ancestors.” He too faces self-doubt at his ability to triumph over situational impossibilities. In both cases, the Lord responds to each’s fear and doubt with an eye on the future.

The Lord invites each man to look forward. After the ‘sound of minute stillness,’ Elijah is instructed as to how to pass the mantle to Elisha. In a variation on the theme, Jesus also passes the mantle to Peter by inviting him to follow His example, and lead new disciples in their faith despite the impossible political storm facing the Early Church. Paul expresses his sorrow that some of those whom he wishes to pass the mantle to are unreceptive. Our life-stories include “all of the above,” as we accept the mantle, bestow it onto others, and walk in the middle of the miracle of discipleship.

Journal Questions:

In what ways do I demand the Lord prove He is Himself? He responded to Peter with a challenge and invitation to greater faith; how does this call and response play out for me?
What are the storms in my life? Are they starting to brew, winding down, or in full force? What storms have I survived in the past? What have I learned about the presence of the Lord through those circumstances?
Like Peter, I am invited to be a part of the miracle of discipleship. How do I characterize my own discipleship? How do I invite others to also participate?

Resources:

1- Ancient Israel, Alter, Robert. WW Norton & Co, New York, 2013.
2- The New Testament: Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Editors: Aymer, Kittredge, Sanchez. Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 2014.

Transfiguration

DN 7:9-10, 13-14
2 PT 1:16-19
MT 17:1-9

This vision from Daniel is considered apocalyptic literature: the purpose of which was to unveil, uncover, or reveal (1). Such stories, common in the day and region, contain and reveal hidden information. Scholars have here identified the influence of Babylonian creation myth, Canaanite mythical imagery, and myths of Ugarit (1). Despite literary blending and borrowing, ancient Judaic revelations intended to convey news of Lord God’s plan for imminent salvation from suffering experienced by His chosen people (1).

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an important revelation of Jesus as the Son of the Father. It is similar to God’s self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai (2); each takes place on the seventh day, occur on a mountain, each takes three companions, their faces shine with God’s glory, God is present in a ‘glory cloud,’ and God speaks through a heavenly voice.

According to biblical scholar Robert Alter, events or words which echo typically highlight new meaning through the additions or subtractions between the repeats. This telling of the Transfiguration is an example of a writer’s intentional intensification through parallelisms between the Old Testament and the New (*see note). Each event is a Lord God self-revelation; because we recognize the scene as a moment of self-revelation, we recognize that God is revealing Jesus as Himself.

The Transfiguration also harkens back to Jesus’ Baptism, however, after God the Father says, “This is my beloved Son,” He adds, “Listen to him” (3). So too, early in our faith journey, it is enough for us to recognize Jesus’ presence in our lives, but as the relationship develops, we must improve our listening habits and skills.

Israelite prophets and kings determined action based on Divine revelation through dreams, visions and their interpretations. Peter, however, claims in his letter his authority comes from the real experience of witnessing the Transfiguration (4). In other words, his self-proclaimed validation of authority is based on the revelation of an event experienced in the flesh. Neither Daniel or Peter understood the revelation at the moment of its manifestation; Daniel received help from ‘one present’ (an angel) and the events themselves after the Resurrection taught Peter their meaning.

We too have visions of the Lord. Like Daniel, sometimes we experience dreams (either in sleep or day-dreams) but don’t understand what the Lord is communicating; we need to ask for help. He is present in our physical, waking world as well, and like Peter, we may not see it in the moment. The word ‘vision’ not only refers to our physical, human eyesight, but to our ability to comprehend what is before our very eyes. Whether the sights we behold are of a spiritual nature or of a physical one, we can only perceive and interpret by the Grace of God. Both Peter and Daniel teach us that the understanding of the vision, what we behold before us with our eyes, is a Holy experience.

Journal Questions:

How has the Lord revealed Himself to me? Who helped me interpret and understand it?
How would I evaluate my success or failure in listening to Jesus at present?
Do I take comprehension of what I see for granted? When have I achieved understanding of what had unfolded before me some time after the fact? Why might have understanding taken time to develop?
In recounting a sleep or day dream, where was the Lord? What might He be telling me?

Resources:

1- New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary, Gaventa, Beverly Roberts, and David Petersen. Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2010.

2- The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Hahn, Scott, Curtis Mitch. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2010.

3- The New Testament: Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Editors: Aymer, Kittredge, Sanchez. Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 2014.

4- The Letters of James and Peter, the Daily Study Bible Series, Barclay, William. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1976.

* Note: Robert Alter is a Jewish biblical scholar; the comment here about intentional intensification between the Old and New Testaments by the writers is my own perception and not his.