Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Isaiah 1:17
The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23: 11-12
PietyLitany of Humility
(Adapted from a prayer written by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X.[1])
From the desire to be esteemed,
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved by all...
From the desire to be honored ...
From the desire to be praised ...
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
Deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, ridiculed and wronged...
Deliver us, Jesus.
That I out of my riches may give to others in their poverty,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That I may know the depth of my own poverty
Jesus, grant me the grace to understand it.
That others may increase and I may decrease...
Jesus may it be.
Studyhttp://www.usccb.org/nab/021908.shtml
“Hear, O Heavens, and Listen” pleads the greatest prophet. He invites us, “Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD.”
How do we set things right with the Lord? Not by continuing to behave the way the Lord has witnessed. Both Isaiah and Matthew seek right behaviors, right relationships between the Lord and the children of God. Isaiah tells us that God rejects the sacrifices that people have been offering. No, says the Lord. “Your hands are full of blood.”
But we have a chance to turn things around. “If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land.”
Listen. Obey.
Jesus picks up on this same theme in today’s reading from Matthew. He does not want us to imitate those who should not be imitated – the leaders who pray for show. Jesus also tells us how we can set things right. Jesus rejects the behavior of the Pharisees just like Isaiah rejected the sacrifices of the people.
“Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.” He does not want us to follow those who talk the talk but do not walk the walk.
Listen. Obey.
Rather than setting ourselves up for a exalted places of honor, we should instead identify with the widow and the orphan. Shun walking with the rich and walk with the poor.
The greatest are not those with preferred seats at synagogue. Just the opposite. The greatest are those in the back row. “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
We can not just hear the word. It must affect our very lives and actions.
Beth and I just came back from seeing the movie “There Will Be Blood” on this holiday weekend. [Spoiler alert – I may say things which reveal things about the movie that you would prefer not to know until or unless you see it.]
Critics seem to think that on Sunday night, this movie may very well win many of the top awards – director, actor, best picture. It is indeed a powerful movie but it has a very pessimistic view of humanity – a view which is defeated in the end.
The paradox of
Although a critical success, the little Oscar statuette does not always go to the most popular films of the year. Of the five films nominated for best picture, “There Will Be Blood” has grossed the least among domestic audiences. “Juno” is the first and my favorite, “Michael Clayton” is third, just ahead of “Atonement.”
“There Will Be Blood” follows Daniel Plainview’s life through a series of accidents and opportunities that set him back and propelled him onward. The accident consume the lives of those around him. Yet, he will not let these misfortunes hold him back. When a man is killed drilling for oil, he closes the rig for half a day. He progresses to wiping out or threatening to wipe out anyone who stands in his way – not accidentally but intentionally. His inhumanity to his neighbors, to his adopted son, to his workers, and to all who try to get close to him finally add up to his fatal flaw that can no longer be hidden.
Daniel Plainview is like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. He rejects religion unless it will help him get ahead. We seem him assault the minister who can not heal his son’s disability. That rejection doesn’t stop
All his faults and flaws are out there in plain view. His life serves as the antithesis of the “Third Revelation.” The First Revelation was when Moses brought down the law from the mountaintop etched it in the two stone tablets. The Second Revelation is when God sent His only son to redeem the world and revealed a new law etched in his life, his word, his works and on the cross he carried on his back. The Third Revelation is when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and transforms us from thinking about ourselves to thinking about others.
Today’s Gospel reading rejects the life of the showy Pharisees and those who use religion for their own end. The lesson we hear from Isaiah and Jesus is that we need to do our best in favor of our least neighbors, in favor of humanity – not self – in order to make this world a better place. That is the ideal for our own spiritual journey. The only way to pursue that ideal is to put our lives upside down.
If you watch the Oscar telecast on Sunday night, join me in cheering on the rejection of all that Daniel Plainview represents. It is finished.
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