Community and the change we may criticize

The actions of the people in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have relevance as people decide about how they will live faith in God in daily life. The decision that it is "Jesus and me" that counts can be compared to the apparent successful decision of Solomon to build a Temple in Jerusalem. which according to Friar Jude Winkler was built by Lebanese specialists who constructed it in the fashion of pagan temples in Lebanon. The sign of the Presence in the "cloud by day" is witnessed in theTemple. The Celtic Church has long celebrated "Thin Places" on the earth where the domain associated with God and the "earth" are closer together. The experience in these places, even for non-believers, may cause us to reconsider the omnipresent God. These places, worshipping people and liturgy are means which sharpen our focus like a lens, or in modern terminology, "tune our receiver" to be more open to the Presence. Certainly then being "present with the beloved" is the most important attitude and practice of the disciple. It certainly is a deeply intimate and essential experience to spend time with those we love. The Gospel of Mark points us to even deeper intimacy and that involves acting and doing with and as the beloved. Family comes to visit and we enjoy and drink up the joy of being present with them. When the group move to act to help and serve one another, we live with the beloved as continuing, sometimes challenging interaction. The meditation and stillness is properly ended as we follow the Beloved into active love. The worship and assembly are life giving and they need to be warm up for the life giving we give as we include others in our family through service.