prayer – Page 2 – Writing to Pray

22nd Sunday, 2017

Psalm 63
Matt 16:21-27

According to Robert Alter, Hebrew Bible language describing physical sensations associated with desire with the Lord are not intended as extended metaphors. They depict reality as experienced by the psalm-singer. He searches, his throat thirsts, flesh yearns. He remembers seeing the Lord’s strength, his lips praise, palms are lifted. His being sated, his lips and mouth praise again, he contemplates and utters glad song.

Like Satan in the desert, Peter tempts Jesus to be the Mighty Warrior King Savior. Both Satan and Peter intend to derail Jesus from doing God’s will, however, Peter speaks out of impulsive love and sorrow. Satan attempts to seduce with promises of power. In the desert, Jesus tells Satan, “Begone,” while here He replies to Peter, “Begone behind me” (8). He doesn’t dismiss Peter from His presence, only reminds him of his role as follower: the intention behind a temptation is consequential.

We might imagine, as a spiritual (and writing) exercise, Jesus reflects on the temptation by Peter with the paired psalm as His prayer. The psalm-singer states, “My being clings to You.” “The verb ‘cling’ is often used to denote the proper relationship with God in the deuteronomistic literature” (4). Jesus responses to Peter by urging those present to give up their life and take up the cross. He invites us too, to cling to the cross. As the psalm-singer describes, clinging requires the participation of the whole body: we cannot do this from a distance.

Journal Questions:

What physical sensations do I experience in prayer?
When has someone, out of love for me, encouraged me to take the easy road, or one contrary to what I believe the Lord is asking of me? What decisions was I faced with, what was the discernment process and its consequences?
How far away does the Lord feel to me at present? Does my being cling to God? Should I make any changes?

References: Refer to blog post entitled Resources

21st Sunday, 2017

Matt 16:13-20
Psalm 138

Jesus must have been happy, pleased, thankful, content, satisfied… Peter has progressed. I’m sure Peter’s silliness must have made Jesus shake His head from time to time. Over time, however, He sees Peter gain, not faith, so much as an understanding and awareness of his friend as Lord. Jesus must be pleased and grateful as He witnesses Peter grow into His intended role.

The Lord gives Peter the keys to the kingdom, identifying him as the steward, the household member with the role of opening doors. Some assume that as Peter is the first ‘pope’ this is a statement of exclusion of non-Roman Catholics, however, keys are objects, ideas, and skills necessary to open what is otherwise unaccessible. Peter’s understanding is the perceptive ancestor to our Lord-orientated intuition. An awareness and recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, and our friend is the key to Heaven.

Cassiorodus, 6th Century Biblical scholar and monk, wrote of Psalm 138, “So this entire psalm…is to be recited by the mouth of the Lord Christ.” As I wrote my earlier post on the shift in reflections, we can imagine this psalm is Jesus’ prayer response to Peter’s testimony.

“On the day I called You answered me, You made strength well up within me” (5). Peter’s enthusiastic love and growing awareness of Jesus’ divinity is a strength within Jesus’ ministry. Peter is like a well, collecting understanding and strength for the other disciples and the Early Church. The psalm ends, “The Lord will requite me, O Lord, Your kindness is forever. Do not let go of Your handiwork” (5). Jesus would certainly and often ask His Father to hold fast to the handiwork of the Early Church: Peter is pivotal in the ministry’s development.

Like Peter, insight of Jesus and Christ and recognition of Him in our lives wells up within us. Our divinely inspired insight is intended to be a key for others so they too have access to the Kingdom of Heaven: it’s vital to continuing the Trinity’s handiwork.

Journal Questions:

When has the Lord been pleased with progress you’ve made? How did He communicate it?
When have you seen another progress in spiritual understanding? How did you thank Himself?
Reflect on the idea that faith is more understanding and awareness, and less belief in an unknown.
How has your personal growth benefitted others?

References: Refer to blog post entitled Resources

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