Memorial of Saint Monica

Lectionary: 425

This is evidence of the just judgment of God,

so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God

for which you are suffering.

I hope my readers will bear with me if I sometimes take issue with the editors of our lectionary. The excised passage that we did not hear in today's first reading would complement today's gospel and Jesus' indictment of the Pharisees:

For it is surely just on God’s part to repay with afflictions those who are afflicting you, and to grant rest along with us to you who are undergoing afflictions, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, in blazing fire, inflicting punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he comes to be glorified among his holy ones and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, for our testimony to you was believed.

As I read the signs of the times, I see plagues in the United States as severe as anything the Egyptians suffered during the Exodus. We don't know what kind of afflictions Saint Paul is referring to in 2 Thessalonians; it might have been drought, famine or disease. But we should recognize as punishment the ten plagues of suicide, gun violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, abortion, divorce, bankruptcy, racism, polarization of wealth, polarization of opinion, Trump. That our churches are locked day and night increases our pain as we cannot flee to the tabernacle for consolation.

If we see these afflictions as punishment we might recognize the truth of Saint Paul's statement: This is evidence of the just judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering. 

The Letter to the Hebrews assures us discipline is a proof of God's love:

My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord

or lose heart when reproved by him;

for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;

he scourges every son he acknowledges.

Americans often think of the United States as an especially blessed nation. We enjoy an "American exception." But we forget that God's favor is proven first by his discipline; and, second, by our willingness to be disciplined. The plagues are horrible; they may break us. They should drive us to prayer as dogs drive sheep into their shepherd's corral. As Pope Francis has written:

154. Prayer of supplication is an expression of a heart that trusts in God and realizes that of itself it can do nothing. The life of God’s faithful people is marked by constant supplication born of faith-filled love and great confidence. Let us not downplay prayer of petition, which so often calms our hearts and helps us persevere in hope. Prayer of intercession has particular value, for it is an act of trust in God and, at the same time, an expression of love for our neighbor. There are those who think, based on a one-sided spirituality, that prayer should be unalloyed contemplation of God, free of all distraction, as if the names and faces of others were somehow an intrusion to be avoided.

Yet in reality, our prayer will be all the more pleasing to God and more effective for our growth in holiness if, through intercession, we attempt to practice the twofold commandment that Jesus left us. Intercessory prayer is an expression of our fraternal concern for others, since we are able to embrace their lives, their deepest troubles and their loftiest dreams. Of those who commit themselves generously to intercessory prayer we can apply the words of Scripture: “This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people” (2 Mac 15:14).