Often, when I attend Mass, I realize that the Holy Spirit is speaking to me loud and clear through the day’s readings. Whether it is about events in the world or events in my life, there is always something relevant in the day’s readings.1
The last two days, the Holy Spirit has been yelling. Not just at me, but at all of us.
Let’s be clear, this is not some random occurrence. Sunday readings are part of a three-year cycle, in which we are currently in Year C. The Daily Mass readings are in a two-year cycle, in which we are using the odd-numbered year or Year I readings.
This is why you should laugh anytime protestants demand a Catholic go read The Bible…
Yesterday’s First Reading was from the Book of Habukkuk:
How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
The Second Reading yesterday was just as relevant to our times, from the Second Letter of Timothy:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.
The first two readings from yesterday should remind us of some hard truths. That we are working on God’s timeline, nor ours. There are times in our lives (say right now) where there is destruction, violence, discord, and strife. That we are surrounded by rash individuals without integrity (I could name some names, but you already know).
But we retain our faith? Why, because at the end of the day, God Wins. The Triumph of the Cross will always prevail over evil. That is much of what the second reading from the Second Letter of Timothy means to me. “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” You’re not seeing that a lot right now from people in power professing to be religious. But we, as righteous people, have the capability of loving all, serving all, and doing it in the name of the Lord.
Which ties into today’s Gospel Reading from the Gospel of Luke:
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Across the country, we are seeing our neighbors being mistreated. Arrested. Beaten. Shot. Herded like cattle. Their legal status has no impact on how we treat them. People should be arrested if they are breaking the law. But that does not provide an excuse for wanton violence, ICE stormtroopers to be wearing masks, or soldiers sent to the streets to round up people who are of a different skin color than the majority of Americans, regardless of their immigration status, and treat them as less than. Many of these folks are Christians, often Catholics, just like us. And they are our neighbor.
Becuase if this were happening in another country, Americans would be ready to invade to protect them.2 We aren’t even talking about the law at this point. We’re talking about basic human decency.
The Holy Spirit is yelling at us to take heart in the Lord and to believe His Word. Are you ready to listen to Him?
Spoiler: I’m not a theologian. This is what all this means to me. Your Mileage May Vary. Especially if you’re in a Choose Your Own Adventure Protestant Church.
Remember when certain MAGA types argued that we should cut off aid to Ukraine over allegations of mistreatment of Russian Orthodox in Ukraine? (Notwithstanding Russian mistreatment of non-Orthodox in occupied zones, of course. They don’t care about that, because MAGA or something.)