Category Archives: Musings

Adoption into Glory

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For more than a week we have been reading from The Letter to the Romans.  We transitioned from hearing about Abraham as an example of faith working its way through human imperfection to the source of that imperfection: sin. “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death.” (Rom 5:12) The readings that followed traced the unfolding of the consequences of sin unleashed into the world. But St. Paul offers us hope in the person of Jesus Christ. “…just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:18-19)  St. Paul is making the point that now it is the obedience of the faith that keeps us on the path of righteousness as an antidote to the death brought about by sin.

That obedience is necessary because we live in a world where temptation roams unrestrained emerging from an evil that St. Paul describes as an entity seeking to corrupt the good of the world and people so that we experience death rather than glory. Evil seeks to reign over all, and rob us of the glory God intended for us. It is as St. Peter (1 Peter 5:8), evil is on the prowl and means to devour you. And it is not just you. It is as Paul describes in Romans 8, “…creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Rom 8:21). The whole world waits for us to accept our adoption as daughters and sons of God. That acceptance brings us into the presence of God.

Being in the presence of God is a big deal, as big as it comes. Being in God’s presence was lost in Eden and perhaps the rest of Scripture can be thought of as God’s efforts to restore us to that intimate presence afforded to the family of God.

What could keep us from that presence? In the language of the Old Testament it is because something has rendered us “impure” in that we have come in contact with Death. Death that entered the world through the sin of one man. The Book of Leviticus has two whole sections on ritual and moral purity. Leviticus provides rituals of thanksgiving and atonement with one purpose in mind: that we be mindful that we worship the God of Life – Life that is meant to be whole, complete, and without the corruption of decay. Life that is meant to be lived in the presence of God. Life that is Holy as God is Holy.

In the Old Testament, there were regulations to keep the faithful from contact with that which would make them impure and not ready to enter into the presence of God. These regulations were designed so the impurity of forbidden things (e.g., a corpse) would not “infect” the person. The rituals were to restore the person.

In the New Testament, Jesus reaches across those regulations to touch the ritually impure. The lepers, the blind, and in today’s gospel, the woman who was “crippled by a spirit” and as a result was so “bent over” that she was “completely incapable of standing erect.”

Jesus reached out to touch her. Was Jesus made corrupted and rendered impure? No, his holiness “infected” the woman, removing that which was never desired or intended by God. Now she stands upright, a child of God, an heir to the glory of God. 

Now she may draw near into the presence of God as the taint of death has been removed.

May we realize that in this Eucharist we are again touched by Jesus that we may be made holy and live fully in the presence of God. We are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ … that we may also be glorified with him.”

Image credit: Healing of the Crippled Woman. By Theophylact, Byzantine Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria. 1055 AD | PD USA

Through One Man: Sin and Death

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In today’s first reading our selection from The Letter to the Romans moves on from its prior focus on Abraham as a model of trust/belief/faith even when he has moments of doubts. Moving ahead to Chapter 5, St. Paul now takes on the matter of sin and death. Paul’s claim that “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death” would have been nothing new to anyone familiar with Genesis chapters 2-3 and the Jewish understanding of those chapters. This “man” is, of course, Adam, whose very name means “man.”

Throughout Romans Chapter 5 and well into Chapter 8, Paul attributes to “sin” a very active role: 

it “reigns” (5:20; cf. 6:13, 14), can be “obeyed” (6:16–17), pays wages (6:23), seizes opportunity (7:8, 11), “deceives,” and “kills” (7:11, 13). In a word, he personifies sin, picturing it as a power that holds sway in the world outside Christ, bringing disaster and death on all humanity. Through this personification, Paul shows that individual acts of sin constitute a principle, or “network,” of sin that is so pervasive and dominant that the person’s destiny is determined by those actions. In the present instance, then, the “sin” that enters the world is more than an individual sin; it is the bridgehead that paves the way for “sinning” as a condition of humanity. The fact that Paul attributes to Adam this sin is significant since he certainly knows from Genesis that the woman, Eve, sinned first (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14). [Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, 1996; p.319]

The verse above is incomplete. The entire verse reads: “and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch (houtōs) as all sinned.” The word houtōs is one of those words that depending on how it is translated has lots of different implications. Remember it is all tied to the expression “through one man.” That being said, the majority of commentators think that “houtōs” draws a comparison between the manner in which death came into the world—through sin—and the manner in which death spread to everyone—also through sin. The implications are death is universal because sin is universal: “all sinned.”

But it is not the only possible rendering. Perhaps the most famous alternative is the translation “in whom,” adopted by Augustine and others. For, assuming that “the one man” is the antecedent of the pronoun, we have then an explicit statement of “original sin”: “in Adam all sinned.” St. Paul’s single verse has resulted in centuries of debate and caused deep divisions among Christians over the “transmission of original sin.”

However, St. Paul’s main interest is not to talk about sin or death, but rather to draw a contrasting picture of Adam and Christ, prominent figures of the beginning and the end time respectively. Adam is a “prototype” of the person to come, namely, Jesus, who would far surpass what Adam did. The world was changed by both of these individuals.

Adam unleashed an active hostile force into the world (sin), which had the power to cause definitive alienation (death) from God, the source of all life, inasmuch as or because all individuals have sinned through personal, actual deeds (v. 12). Thus death has two causes in human existence: Adam’s sin and personal ratification of that deed by individuals who sin. This was Adam’s effect on the world. In contrast, Christ’s effect is starkly different. Through the gracious gift, namely, the redemptive death of Jesus Christ uprightness and life superabound for all individuals who accept him. [Collegeville Bible Commentary, 1989, p.1086]

Debates aside, it is good to remember sin and death are real, but more real are grace and eternal life found in Christ as Lord and Savior.

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Trust and Human Imperfection

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“How could God listen to me after all that I have done?” Not an uncommon question asked of priests. The person asking is a sinner…and a saint…a complex person. Today’s first reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, one of the most challenging and complex of all the New Testament books – and addresses an equally complex character in the person of Abraham. Known for his unwavering faith in God he is a person who is not always righteous and forthright; a person who sometimes acts in ways not in accord with the will of God. Consider some moments in the story of Abraham.

Early in his journey, Abraham doubted God’s promise of protection, which led him to lie about his wife Sarah being his sister to Pharaoh in Egypt, putting her in a compromising position. This act showed a lack of trust in God’s ability to protect them.  And this tale was repeated to King Abimelech making one wonder about his honesty and trust in God.

Both Abraham and Sarah laughed when God promised them a child in their old age. While this laughter can be seen as a natural reaction to an incredible promise, it also reflects a degree of doubt or disbelief, a lack of trust that led to actions reflecting that doubt.  At Sarah’s urging Abraham had a son via Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar. He essentially took on a concubine who bore Abraham’s son, Ishmael. The rivalry between Sarah and Hagar, and their descendants, the Israelites and the Ishmaelites, persisted for generations – even to this day.

Abraham’s negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah could be considered his hesitation to accept God’s judgment without question.

That is one side of the ledger. Abraham’s choices for and with God are a far longer list and one might say, on balance, Abraham “did good” and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Except it isn’t a ledger. 

It is a story that serves as a testament to the idea that faith can coexist with human imperfection. Abraham’s journey, marked by both faith and human flaws, is a central narrative in the Book of Genesis. It is as St. Paul notes it is not about the works, even when called for by God. It is not about the failings – for St. Paul notes, quoting the Psalms: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.”

It is a story to accept the grace to trust in the One who can justify even the ungodly. It is a story about accepting the grace to take action in the world. It is a story about accepting the grace of forgiveness. It is a story about trusting and continuing the journey.

That’s how God can listen to us after all we have done.

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Jesus: …will He find faith on earth?

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The gospel for the 29th Sunday, the parable of the “Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow,” concludes with: 7 Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? 8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Jesus’ comments make clear the intended parallels: from an unjust judge to God; from the widow to God’s elect.  The term “his chosen ones” (hoi eklektoi), used in Luke-Acts only here, echoes texts such as Isa. 42:1; 43:20; 65:9, 15, 22; Ps. 105:6, 43 (cf. Sir. 47:22), which use the term “chosen” in a context that emphasizes election to serve Yahweh (also refers to Deut. 4:37; 7:7; 1 Chron. 16:13; Ps. 77:31; 88:3). 

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The Widow

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The gospel for the 29th Sunday is the parable of the “Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow.” Language and etymology can tell us a lot. The word chḗra, meaning “widow,” derives from a root meaning “forsaken.” Widows are associated with others who are disadvantaged, e.g., orphans, aliens, or day laborers. They suffer wrongs (Is. 10:2) or loss of rights (1:23). They are held in low esteem (54:4); cf. their special clothes (Gen. 38:14). Yet the OT enjoins all the righteous to be kind to widows. God is their refuge, and he helps them to their rights (Ps. 146:9; Dt. 10:18). He threatens judgment on those who wrong them and promises blessing to those who assist them (Ex. 22:21ff.; Jer. 7:6)

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The Judge

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The gospel for the 29th Sunday is the parable of the “Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow” which begins in v.2, “There was a judge in a certain town.” A more literal translation: There was a certain judge in a certain town, echoes a previous passages – a certain rich man who experienced an abundant harvest or a certain rich man (fool) who lived in purple garments and fine linens but never gave heed to poor Lazarus.  

This judge is likely a local magistrate yet of notable status within the community. Despite his exterior bearing Jesus characterizes him as someone who neither feared God nor respected any human being (v.2).  In the scriptural tradition The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Prov 1:7) and the threshold of God’s grace: His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him (Luke 1:50).  Fear (holy awe) is the manner in which he disciples and others respond to Jesus’ power (8:25, 35; 9:34, 45). Further, Jesus instructs the disciples not to fear their persecutors but to fear God (12:4-5).  Luke portrays those who “fear God” in a positive manner (cf. Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26).  It can be taken that a lack of such fear is a sign of one’s thorough wickedness.  The statement that the judge does not fear God points to 2 Chron 19:7, where King Jehoshaphat appoints judges in Judah, charging them, “And now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Act carefully, for with the LORD, our God there is no injustice, no partiality, no bribe-taking.” Without such fear, can one expect justice or impartiality except with a bribe?

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The Focus of the Parable: A Judge and a Widow

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The gospel for the 29th Sunday is the parable of the “Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow.” This parable is a twin of the parable of the neighbor in need (11:5-8). Both are used to illustrate the importance of persistence in prayer. Both present a person in need persistently pressing a request, and both parables call for reasoning from the lesser to the greater: If a neighbor or an unjust judge will respond to the urgent need and repeated request, then will not God also respond? It is an argument from lesser to the greater by which Jesus affirms the faithfulness of God – He will assuredly act on behalf of the righteous.

The widow’s actions are a model of perseverance in the midst of wrong. The literal translation of v.8 is not “faith” as a general category, but is “the faith” – that is the manner of faith demonstrated by the widow. She is certain of God’s justice and thus acts in resolute faithfulness in anticipation of that certainty. The parable is a metaphor for Jesus’ followers who also will encounter hostility, look for the deliverance that accompanies the coming of the reign of God – and not finding it in their lifetime, may become disheartened. Jesus insists that adversity is integral to the process by which God brings salvation (cf. 17:25, 32-34) – and assures his disciples that, despite delay, they are always to be rooted in hope (18:1-18).

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What is Visible

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Today’s first reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, one of the most challenging and complex of all the New Testament books. After opening his epistle, Paul provides a summary of covenant history in just a few verses.

For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks (Rom 1:19-21).

In Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Laudato Si’, he wrote that our eyes are not meant to stare into a virtual world of human making, but that our eyes are meant to look into the eyes of another to gain human connections and be in relationships with one another. Our eyes are also meant to look up, around and outside of ourselves so that we might see “invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity” of God – and be amazed, be awed, and understand.

Many years ago while hiking and rock climbing in the Utah desert lands, we were camped out on a rock outcropping under a canopy of stars. There was no city shine, no moon, but there were shadows from the brilliance of the stars. One of our crew remarked that while she appreciated the expression “a thousand points of light” the night sky was really a soft canvas of a night glow. Silently we passed her a set of glasses. The next voice we heard was “Oh my.” The veil had been lifted and she saw what had been present since the creation of the world.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that priests “dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight”. And yet even the very scientific method was developed by the Franciscan priest Roger Bacon. Sure we had a rough spot with the whole Galileo thing, but the Church worked through it with the Vatican Observatory continuing to contribute to our understanding of the cosmos. In a striking challenge to the academic consensus that science and faith are incompatible, two French scientists argue that the latest scientific data and theories point to a singular beginning which can lead to only one logical conclusion: an all-powerful deity created the universe and all life within it. 

The question of the compatibility of science and faith is not going away, but for us mere mortals we are left to make this day and all days, a time when we are mindful of the world God created with his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity.  Our eyes were meant for this world, not the virtual world on screens. Look up, around and outside of ourselves to see what God has created and then accord him glory as God [and] give him thanks.

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Prayer and Hopeful Faith

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The gospel for the 29th Sunday is the parable of the “Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow.” It is Jesus’ parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary (v.1) stands as a climax for the longer section on faithfulness at the coming of the Son of Man (17:20-18:8). Read against the horizon of 17:22-37, Jesus’ teaching is particularly oriented toward the necessity of steadfast, hopeful faith in the midst of trials.

This parable is unique to Luke, as is the following parable on prayer (18:9-14, the gospel for the 30th Sunday in Year C). Luke has a greater emphasis on prayer than the other gospels. In the following five synoptic events, Luke adds a comment that Jesus is praying that is not found in the other gospels:

  • Jesus is praying at his baptism before heavens open (3:21)
  • Jesus spends the night praying to God before selecting the twelve (6:12)
  • Jesus is praying before he asks the disciples, “Who do the crowds/you say that I am?” (9:18)
  • Jesus is praying on the mountain before the transfiguration. (9:28, 29)
  • Jesus is praying before the disciples ask him to teach them to pray. (11:1)
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The Kingdom Among Us

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On the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time the story of the 10 lepers and the portions of Luke’s gospel that precede those verses, dealt with forgiveness, faith and gratitude. There is a portion of Luke’s gospel that is passed over in the Ordinary Time sequence – Luke 17:20-37.  The passage is known in the New American Bible as “The Coming of the Kingdom of God” and “The Day of the Son of Man.” You can find the passage here. At first read this somewhat apocalyptic text seems misplaced – aren’t those readings located in Jerusalem just prior to the Passion? But Luke has a logic for inclusion of vv.20-37. 

The disciples had asked that their faith be increased and they were told that they did not understand the nature of faith (17:5-6). As almost a counterpoint, the one leper who returns in gratitude to Jesus (vv.15-16) is told that his faith has saved him (v.19). The experience of the leper, seeing his healing and praising God, offers an apt illustration that the kingdom of God is among you (v.21) even as the Pharisees ask in v.20 when the kingdom of God would come.

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