Who Speaks for God?

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120919.cfm
Genesis 9-15, 20
Ephesians 1:3-6
Luke 1:26-38

We’ve had many discussions about the themes and motivations for our reflections. There are five of us now. We’re like The Five Fox News panel for old guys. Hmm. Maybe The Five is that, too. Not the best analogy.

According to scripture five is the number for grace. It’s also the number for human beings. For our appendages, that is — two arms, two legs, and a head. We also have five senses. Most interesting about five, though? There are five petals per row in a rose.

Yes, that’s sweet. Just like us.

Over the last four reflections by Steve, Tim, the other Steve, and Lou a similar thing has happened each time. One after the other, the fellas cited their surprise at the inspiration for their reflections. It’s hard to explain divine insight, much yet convince anyone the insight is divinely inspired. Yet, they, and I too, are convinced that during our time spent in the scriptures, and in prayer, super-coincidences take place. Signs appear. Connections pop up. It’s not an hallucination. There’s real water we’re seeing on the horizon of the desert. Unique insights get delivered to us, and we consider them treasures … gifts. We’re being breathed upon and prompted by the Holy Spirit.

The insights come to us like taking hikes through a variety of climates. Breathed upon by God means initially heading down bunny trails of study and curiosity. Often, we go all over the place — drenched, over-heated, bored, and even frightened. And, our results aren’t always clean, concise, and orderly. The insight we receive, though, cannot be mistaken for random rocks and slippery slopes.

The evidence for God being with us isn’t revealed by how terrific we are as writers and orators. That’s seldom the case. The proof begins by how fortunate and grateful we are for being asked to do this, because we acknowledge the rewards — a gift of wisdom, or teaching, or even a prophecy. We usually don’t realize the full form of the gift until we read back what we wrote; or, when we hear from each other upon the delivery of our reflections.

We were all subscripted to do this. Deacon Andy McKee first recruited Steve Hall to help out 9 or 10 years ago. Steve recruited me six years ago. In the last two years we both recruited Steve Leininger. Steve Hall then recruited Lou. I next recruited Tim. We don’t quite smell like the petals of a rose, yet, but we are certainly graced. We know what’s happening to us.

How does this grace play out? I’ve been asked that many times by quite a few of you. “Where do you get these ideas?”

Here’s what happened from God for today’s reflection. Upon reading the scriptures, I noted some small thing in each one. There were three readings today. Little verses that just stood out. Counting the Psalms, there’s always three readings, actually. Anyway, in the first reading, Moses writes in Genesis that God asked Eve, upon her eating from the fruit, “Why did you do such a thing?” Moses says a few verses later that same woman is identified by God as the, “mother of all the living.” Out of several verses, I jotted those down.

Then, in the second reading from Ephesians, Paul says that the Father chose us, as blessed in Christ, “before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.” I wrote that down.

Finally, in the Gospel according to Luke we hear the proclamation to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

I didn’t make any judgments. Just wrote them down.

Next, I wondered, how do these connect together? What matrix of ways ahead of me will I choose to go? Without much of a hitch, looking at all three, I thought of the same question. Who was the person speaking in each of the scriptures? The variation of the speaker seemed all over the place.

In the first reading, the speaker is God himself. We can’t fully imagine how God appeared to Adam and Eve. They were in Paradise. We do know that God walked and talked with them. The fullness of God as Father, Son and Spirit existed then. There is no development of the Trinity in theology — The Trinity exists before time. Moses wrote down the ancient story known by the Hebrews that traced back to the beginning of time, and God — all three persons in one — spoke to Adam and Eve.

The second reading from Ephesians presents the inspired words of Paul, an apostle of the Church. He is the recognized author of Ephesians. Scripture, as divinely inspired, means that Paul wrote to the Ephesians as Christian followers, and consequently us too. His writing speaks on behalf of the newly formed Christian Church. Paul consciously considers that he speaks with the “mind of the Church.” His words are generated from his conversations with Jesus, and prompted by the needs of the Church in front of him. This is Church, Church, Church.

The third reading is Mary’s telling of her meeting with Gabriel, an archangel, as written by Luke. Gabriel is the most quoted angel in scripture. He speaks to Mary in words that the whole world can recognize. Mary surely dictated that conversation, probably to John who knew Luke, if not Mary talking directly to Luke; but the words belong to Gabriel. Gabriel speaks from God’s directive to Mary.

This was my leading, my prompting in studying these scriptures. The point of my reflections seemed unmistakable. We hear three different perspectives of divine oratory: God himself brought to us by Moses, speaking to the first sentient, and eventually sinful, humans of creation; Paul an apostle of the Church preaching what Jesus taught him; and an Archangel present throughout the full range of scripture’s proclamations and announcements, speaks to Mary who then carries the Christ child.

Moses, the most prolific prophet, codifies the ancient creation story of God’s communication to Adam and Eve. Luke, the most prolific scriptural journalist, reports on Mary’s hearing from Gabriel, an Archangel. Paul, the most prolific apostle, writes a letter to the church in his own words. All of these people are filled with the Holy Spirit. Different times, different people, writing with promptings and words provided by the same God.

How did that come to me? How did I recognize or discover that perspective? How did I settle on the speakers in these scriptures? This didn’t come to me from my theological studies, or from my liturgical experiences, or from doctrine. Not directly, though surely all three have played a role in that discovery.

I believe the notion of who was doing the speaking in these scriptures, noting who reported these verses, came from God’s design of the rose. Four fellas recently had remarkable insights in their reflections. They reported on what they heard as a prompting from God. I, the fifth petal, also believe God speaks to me as I read, and ponder, and write. I know I should trust him.

Trust comes from accumulated experiences where I have accepted a prompting in both my curiosity and my visual and auditory (and all the other senses, actually) reading of the scripture. I trust that the promptings in scripture are from God.

Sometimes I am led to follow a different path, like concentrating upon the evil snake’s manipulation in Genesis to the first Man and Woman of creation, and trying to match that to the Angel Gabriel’s free offering to Mary to be the virgin Mother of God himself. That’s a good discussion. Or, I could have traveled with a collection of historical references around Adam and Eve as the first of creation, then our “adoption” through Jesus, and finally Jesus’ incarnation itself. That’s a terrific interplay of being heirs, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

The notion of the five of us delivering our reflections on these pages as similar (in even a small way) to the different speakers in scripture helps provide a holy answer regarding the inspiration and motivation for all of our reflections. We are five men speaking for God. Now that’s a heck-of-a topic.

Do I, or any of us, have any authority to do so? Can I honestly say out loud, I am speaking for God? Well — and it’s no random coincidence — there are two verses by Paul, today, that helps build the confidence in that authority. As soon as I asked that question, these verses stood out:

In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory ...
(Ephesians 1:11-12)

Oh my.

I got the shivers when I read that. We’re not the “first” who hoped in Christ, as the next line goes, but we’re in a subsequent listing over thousands of years, certainly. Upon each revelatory growth in my faith I experience an urge to note it, to capture the insight. I hope over and over for more from God. Am I supposed to be quiet about it?

But, as I have learned over the unfortunate hubris — an embarrassing attitude I’ve adopted when I’m afraid — of offering up so many reflections, I am just a witness. After the many poorly delivered reflections (which may also be this one), I must rely upon the support of the men and women — innumerable saints — whose writings on these same scriptures exists in many volumes for my edification and corrections.

I don’t stop with the saints. I have the Catechism of the Church to check out Archangels, Apostles, and the existence of the Trinity. Plus, the Encyclopedia of the Catholic Church is there to help settle some confusions in my head, specifically on the “proximate norm of faith.” (Bunny trail number four. Just ignore that one.)

Not that all the research is necessary, but diligence and trust helps in working with the Holy Spirit as my teacher as well as my comforter. I also ask my friends and mentors things to help me in my consternation to be truthful and an in-tune organ pipe for God. Lately, my dear wife has offered to also assist. She was reticent at first, and is now eager. Thank you, Lord.

So, we as men … all five of us are men, so far. I’ve asked two women to join our reflection ranks, as well as two priests, by the way. All no thank you’s, so far, though they’ve urged us to continue … So, we men reflect, and therefore evangelize, “of accomplishing all things according to the intention of God’s will.” This becomes much like apologetics, which is an important step in referencing what we write back with submission to the “mind of the Church.” In other words, if something is amiss, please God let us know through the holiness of the Church.

Our initial outright fear (which still partially exists) relies first upon a necessary hubris, a courage of forced sorts. That arrogance and presumption of our role eventually turns into a subsequent humility. These are important steps in listening to God. We are not the message, though, just the witnesses. It’s our obedience to trust in God who prompts us, urges us, and awakens us to sparkles of truth that meet the intentions of his will. The Church in its present authority is our obvious guide on this quest to reflect. We are not alone. Thank God.

We do this thing, this difficult baring-of-our-souls thing, so that we might, “exist for the praise of his glory.” It’s no longer merely hubris conquering fear that gets us to do this. It is humility turned to love. Love for the men whom we speak to, and the men and women who read what we write. To say out loud that I write in order to exist for the praise of God’s glory is a most incredible thing to say. This is not pride. This is love for God.

The men who play guitars and lead us in song do that. The men who gather, chop, and deliver wood do the same thing. This love is what each of us are doing all the day long, and through the night in our dreams, if God so speaks to us in visions. Oh that it would be all the day long, eh?

These speakers of divine scripture followed the lead of the Father who first called out to the creation who sinned, and now calls out to us, “Where are you?” We all hopefully step out in our verbal nakedness, from our hiding places. It is no small thing that Eve was called the mother of all the living, and that Mary is called Blessed, the Mother of God. The confusion of those words belies the sanctity and holiness that forces them to be said out loud.

The apostles talk to us in the scriptures, as do the prophets of Israel. Even the angels speak to us. That’s how God has chosen to communicate. Do not forget, however, that he speaks directly to us, too. And more often.

This point, God speaking to us, does not awaken easily. We hear from the prophets, apostles, angels, and our brothers and sisters that he does speak. Directly, gently most often, but with a bluntness that cannot be mistaken.

Then, we too must speak, and tell you what he has told us.