Inheritance, the handing on of gifts and grace is what we gaze into deeply in today’s First Reading. Elijah has already handed on to Elisha, and now Elisha has handed on to Naaman the saving power of the one true God. When Elijah was ending his mission, he said to his companion, “Request whatever I might do for you, before I am taken from you” (2 Kings 2: 9). Elisha wisely replies, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.” Small wonder that Elisha firmly declined the gifts Naaman offered. He knew he was already blessed. The story ends sadly. Elisha’s servant acts without integrity toward Naaman, and suffering is visited on him.
David was a great king, Solomon less so, and Rehoboam so much less so that I had to look up his name (2 Chronicles 10-12). Is there a longing for dynasties, or is it enough that there be fruitful succession? Is journeying together what matters most? I saw a documentary about the 1970s Buffalo Bills who appeared in and lost four consecutive Super Bowls. This sounds harder to do than to win four. The players recall their “glory days,” yet it is their hard-won wisdom and compassion about what they endured that shows what they came to know, that all is gift.
When you visit Philadelphia – home of the next Super Bowl champions – check this out: the city has had five stock exchange buildings since the first one opened in the 1780s. All five still stand, and all are still in use. They tell the story of the city over time, forming a public inheritance that all share in and learn from.
Henry Ford II told people who complained about a decision he made, “My name is on the building.” When I was a kid my mother worked in a department store, a family business which lasted 128 years. One day as we were going up the escalator she discreetly pointed out to me two well-dressed gentlemen going down – the brothers in charge, whose name was literally on the building. After them? Well, as was said in “The Godfather Part I” (which I prefer to Parts II and III), someone must have made an offer they couldn’t refuse, because the business was sold and the stores and the name disappeared.
The Gospel of Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus. The evangelist names three sets of fourteen ancestors each. Yes, those names are hard to pronounce and yes, it does take a while to read, but to connect with the names and the stories captured in each generation, and remember what they endured, is to live out what the hymn tells us, that “We’ve come this far by faith.” What comes next? Paul tells us: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8: 16-17).
Fr. Robert Wotypka
Last week, we asked...
What parishioners were reflecting on, 28% said the Virgin Mary, 28% said the Universal Church, and 44% the Pax Christi community. Thank you to the 88 folks who took the time to respond!