July 31, 2009
By Melanie Rigney
Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
“These, therefore, are the festivals of the Lord on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly, and offer as an oblation to the Lord burnt offerings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day.” (Leviticus 23:37)
Sing with joy to God our help. Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the lyre. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast. (Psalms 81:2-4)
(Jesus said to those at his native place who were astonished at his teaching,) “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith. (Matthew 13:57-58)
Piety
Lord, help me to find you in the people and festivals that are part of my life on earth. Let me celebrate you in all forms.
Study
There’s a lot of power in quiet contemplation, in solitary meditation, in one-on-one conversation with God.
And then there’s the power of sharing Him in the type of highly regulated, detailed events outlined in today’s first reading: Passover. The Day of Atonement. The Feast of Booths. Each includes sacred assemblies and offerings. In the same way, Catholics have special rituals for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the like.
There’s an indefinable profundity in sharing even the most solemn of assemblies with others. Community makes the hard moments easier to bear, and the joyful moments even more transcendent. We look to each other for growth and comfort. In today’s Gospel reading, we are reminded that even Jesus knew how critical that support in community is; when his hometown folks question how this carpenter’s son they’ve known forever can teach them much, Jesus can’t do the things he’s done elsewhere.
Finding God in the solo spots is beautiful. But it’s also critical to our faith journey that we find Him in community on feasts, solemn or not, ritualized or not. Seek places where you can sing with joy with others.
Action
Resolve to get acquainted with some folks in God’s family whom you don’t already know. Some great opportunities are coming up: mananita at the Women’s Weekend on Sunday, August 9, at Camp Happyland in Chancellorsville; the Women’s Weekend Closing that afternoon at St. Francis of Assisi in Triangle; and the Diocese of Arlington’s first Catholic Heritage Festival August 22 in Centreville (where Cursillo will have a table).
