God Thoughts

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Matthew 16:21-27
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

[Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Matthew 16:23

When my thoughts flurry and squall, I hope God thinks calmly, without hurry, in an orderly and harmonious fashion.

When my thoughts descend into despair about the heartaches and violence in our world, I hope God thinks healing into the grief and peace into the unrest.

When my thoughts dwell on what’s wrong with me, I hope God thinks I’m loveable and precious and right where I’m supposed to be.

 

Proclaiming the Christ

The Good Shepherd

JESUS MAFA. The good shepherd, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48288 [retrieved August 24, 2014].

[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15-16

My words, attitudes, behaviors, and actions are all that I have to proclaim Jesus as the Christ.

Does my way of being in the world proclaim  compassion? forgiveness? nonviolence? humility? healing? community?

To those I know and those I don’t know, am I a loving presence ? respectful? courteous? generous?

Do I speak words that encourage? lift up? give hope? inspire?

How will I proclaim Jesus the Christ today?

 

Compelled by faith

Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB Jesus and the Canaanite Woman

Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB
Jesus and the Canaanite Woman

Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour. Matthew 15:28

Faith is certainty in the goodness of God, in the truth of God’s vision of love, compassion, and healing, and in our position as beloved, precious children of God.

The persistent, unshakeable faith of the Canaanite woman is unanswerable except by Jesus being God, showing God, acting as God in that moment to heal her beloved, precious daughter in love and compassion.

 

 

 

A little faith

Waldemar Flaig, Jesus mit den Jüngern im Sturm

Waldemar Flaig, 1892-1932
Jesus mit den Jüngern im Sturm
oil, by 1932
via Wikimedia Commons

But when [Peter] saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31

Faith to walk on water. Faith to face the storm. Faith to battle the wind. Faith to walk toward God.

And when we begin to sink from fear, fatigue, stress, and anxiety, a little faith to cry out to Jesus to save us.

Inseparable

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Basilica di Sant' Apollinare Nuovo Ravenna ITALY 6th century

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes
Basilica di Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo
Ravenna ITALY
6th century

When it was evening, the disciples approached [Jesus] and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Matthew 14:15

Nothing can separate me from the love of God except my own refusal to love my neighbor as myself. Immigrants, refugees, the homeless, the ill, the elderly, those who don’t look like me or act like me or speak like me—we are all God’s precious children, worthy of love and respect and the best life has to offer.

Dismissing others is not the way of Jesus.

Searching

Pearl of Great Price

An etching by Jan Luyken illustrating Matthew 13:45-46 in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England
By Phillip Medhurst (Photo by Harry Kossuth) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

[Jesus said to his disciples,] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Matthew 13:45-46

That which we long to find is what prompts us to search: God’s love deep in our hearts, the pearl that has no price because it is beyond our ability to value.

The finding is in the searching and the searching is in the finding. And so we give up selfishness and self-pity, greed and resentment, fear and prejudice—and we find Love.

 

Love yeast

 

Parable of the Mustard Seed An etching by Jan Luyken in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England By Phillip Medhurst (Photo by Harry Kossuth) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

Parable of the Mustard Seed
An etching by Jan Luyken in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England
By Phillip Medhurst (Photo by Harry Kossuth) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

[Jesus] spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” Matthew 13:33

We take just a tiny bit of love and mix it with our families, friends, neighbors, strangers, our workplaces, our communities, our homes – and we watch it grow.

That is the kingdom of heaven: our tiny bit of love moving freely to grow encouragement, kindness, respect, courtesy, and compassion in our tiny bit of the world.

One Word

Millet, Jean François, 1814-1875 ca. 1865-1866 black conté crayon and pastel on paper Clark Art Institute Williamstown, MA

Millet, Jean François, 1814-1875
The Sower, ca. 1865-1866
black conté crayon and pastel on paper
Clark Art Institute Williamstown, MA

[And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:] “But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Matthew 13:23

Today is a bad pain day. It is taking most of my energy to breathe. The soil I have to offer the Lord feels stony, weed-infested, and prickly with thorns. How can I hope to bear any fruit at all?

By letting go of self-pity, self-judgment, self-loathing and opening my mouth to say the one Word that heals: Jesus.

Time to rest

I will give you rest

James Tissot (1836-1902)
Jésus engage les apôtres à se reposer (Jesus Commands the Apostles to Rest)
between 1886 and 1894
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
Brooklyn Musuem

[Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

I know some days I am heavy with pain, fatigue, and discouragement. I know others carry heavy responsibilities, grief, and stress. I know the world is heavy with violence, racism, and injustice.

I don’t know how to heal the heaviness. But Jesus does. I will practice turning my attention to Jesus. I will trust him with my burdens, the burdens of others, and the world’s burdens. I will rest from my tendency to do-it-myself and let Jesus help me through the day.

Without labels

Apostles Peter and Paul

El Greco (1541-1614)
Apostles Peter and Paul, ca.1592
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15

I can’t control God with labels. All I can do is rest in the presence of the Divine and be filled with the gifts chosen for me.

All I can do is model myself—to the best of my ability—on Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Compassion of God, Father of Mercies, God of All Comfort.

All I can do is let God be God and turn my will and my life over to God’s tender care and loving direction.