Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land, and for the might and the terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel. Deuteronomy 34:10-12
Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:18-20
Piety
The Prayer of St. Francis de Sales
Be at Peace
Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;
rather look to them with full hope as they arise.
God, whose very own you are,
will deliver you from out of them.
He has kept you hitherto,
and He will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it,
God will bury you in his arms.
Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering,
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination.
St. Francis de Sales 1567-1622
Study
This is all that Jesus wants: To be in our midst and answer our prayers. To have a relationship with us like He did with Moses: face-to-face! These are the two aspects of the Lord’s sought-after relationship with us. First, the personal. He wants to know us face-to-face. Second, the communal. He wants to know the kind of company we keep.
If we maintain such dual-aspects in our relationship with Jesus, the commandments almost become immaterial. If Jesus is our friend, would we not do whatever our friend wants? We come to the table as a community gathered around the Divine presence. When it comes time to eat, Jesus comes into our mind, body, and soul individually.
Every scene in Matthew’s book is about Jesus being in the midst of a community or building a relationship with an individual. Matthew even starts off with the Ancestry.com file for Jesus. A long line of individuals who make up the community of the family and descendants.
Jesus does not want to be the stranger on a distant shore wondering from afar whether we have caught any fish. If he can’t walk on water to our boat, he invites us to join him on the beach to share the fruits of our labor with him.
That is a relationship in a nutshell. That is Cursillo in a nutshell. That is Christianity in a nutshell.
Action
Make a list of the individuals and communities who have had a relationship with Jesus during Ordinary Time this year.
Communities include Bethlehem, Egypt, Galilee, the town where he had the swine thrown into the sea; and the hillside where he fed the five thousand. What other communities are on your list?
Individual relationships include Mary and by extension her relationship with her cousin Elizabeth, Zechariah, and the baby John; Joseph; the Nativity visitors; the Centurion and others. Who else is on your list?
The list goes on with the individuals and the communities that touch Jesus in his ministry and those who were touched by Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus does not involve “going to church” or “fulfilling our Easter duty” or a “Holy Day of Obligation.” In fact, do you know how many times the actual word “church” appears in the New Testament?
Only twice. Once in today’s Good News. The only other time the word “church” is used is when Jesus commissions Peter. You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church. (Matthew 16:18)
Jesus’ church (Greek ekklēsia) means the community that he will gather. It is all about a community of individuals. It is not at all about buildings, capital campaigns, or parking lots. Construction is just a metaphor. Like a building, our first Christian community featured Peter as its solid foundation. That function of Peter consists in his being a personal and community witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Now, it falls to us to cultivate that personal and community witness.
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