Covenant relationship

The response to the psalm in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is “The Lord is kind and merciful”. This truth is important to plant in our mind as we reflect on the way our attitudes and desires will rob mercy and kindness from the approach we take to others. The Letter of James teaches us to refrain from complaining about our brothers and sisters and to exercise the patience and perseverance of the prophets in our relationships with others. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us to remember our broken state and the broken state of those around us who need our healing and receiving presence. The Gospel from Mark today is both an account of Jesus actions in response to the jabbing attempts of the Pharisees to trap Him in what Ray Stedman describes as a debate between two views of divorce presented by the rabbinical community at the time of Jesus. The practice of Moses to grant a divorce and the expression of the deep relationship presented in Genesis between a man and a woman joined as one as an act of Divine Will are the basis for Jesus response to the verbal attacks. The Law which Stedman and KevinKersten, S.J of Creighton University understand Jesus came to fulfill is to keep a covenant that is sharing a union with God that is the public witness to “be-with” as theologian Ronald Rolheiser writes, cited by Kersten. Stedman comments that Moses approach was to make public that there was hardness of heart in the relationship which meant that the presentation of God Present in the two become one had disappeared. Don Swager prays that the society which has so much need for the kindness and mercy of God will return to seeing in the Covenant Relationship of man, woman and God the deep and unique witness to the practice of being life to others through the Love and Service.

Gruesome scenes when charity lacks

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary use graphic images to alert us to the consequences of pursuit of a life which is focused on our own aggrandizement and satisfaction. The Letter of James proclaims the truth that all material substance eventually degrades to rust or garbage. The rich and powerful who have not treated others with care and respect will not find peace in their possessions. The psalmist hints at the misfortunes in life which show no deference for wealth or privilege. In these times we have our relationships with others and God as support. It is very dark for those facing the challenges by themselves. Jeanne Schuler of CreightonUniversity reflects on the widespread association of our goals and activities with goals of the Corporate World. We have lost our awareness of the need to continue to struggle for just wages and working conditions and employment for all immigrants and home born. She is reminded of the call of Pope Francis to get out of our Churches and into the streets with the bruised and hurting.Friar Jude Winkler comments on the series of sayings from the Gospel of Mark which use Jewish exaggeration to make the point that our attention to the sensual distractions which come to our eyes, hands and feet are dulling our saltiness in the effort to be a joyful presence to others. The decision to care solely for ourselves may put us on the path to rejection of God. In that state of isolation we find that our surroundings will be like the garbage dump below the Temple in Jerusalem known as the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna in Aramaic, where the dump fire and decomposition is continuous. Our choices impact others. We bear ultimate responsibility for these choices. The isolation we choose when we ignore the needs of others will never bring us peace.

God leads and lives for all

The course of our journey in life takes is necessarily an important part of our planning. We are also aware that life happens around us and the events which “happen” shape and change the journey we live.Friar Jude Winkler presents two ideas for our consideration. The Muslim phrase “In sha' Allah”, if God wills, invokes ideas of pre determinism which, in its most severe form argues that every decision we make has been pre determined by God. The other image from Friar Jude is the invitation of Jesus to take up His yoke and be partner with Him in the journey. Our working with Jesus will guide our every move in a straight path which will see our lives moving in harmony with the Will of God. Our human nature is identified by the psalmist as being easily diverted to concerns for our wealth, power and prestige. These are directions in our journey where we have chosen to stop cooperating with Jesus and we no longer plow a straight furrow. Thankfully we often encounter stones and obstacles as we make our own path and we are through the action of the Holy Spirit enabled to see the opportunity to rejoin Jesus in the path where the burden is light as we move again according to the Will of God. The difficulty of Maureen McCann Waldron of Creighton University to give over control and trust Jesus in matters of marriage, career, relationships and outreach to others is experienced by many who journey with Jesus. The Gospel from Mark today reminds us that those who seek the truth and practice the love and forgiveness modeled by Jesus may not be of our sect or denomination or religion. Our tendency may be to be suspicious or to try to react in defense of our prestige, power or privilege rather than to see like Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth century Church father that the goodness of the Godhead is poured out on all. In a practical recognition of this mysterious truth, Abu Daoud writes a blog which works with Christian and Islamic viewpoints to look for the Will of God in action in all people.

Tempted to take charge

The words which describe how we are to take on the example of Jesus are not complicated yet we like the disciples in the Gospel from Mark from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have difficulty translating them into action. The letter of James identifies the tension which exists between God and the elements of the world, in the words of Friar Jude Winkler, which reject God. The path of rejection of God is a direction in which we move to satisfy our own passions and desires. We may even rationalize that power, prestige, privilege and pursuit of personal passions can be agents for good in the world. Our parsing of action into some for me and some for others tends to still place my will and my plan ahead of where God invites us to travel. How do we come to understand better? The passage from the Gospel of Mark describes, according toDon Schwager, how we refuse to hear messages like a bad diagnosis from the doctor, which are contrary to our notions and desires. The disciples desire to be with Jesus in His Kingdom. They were discussing who should hold which places of privilege in that Kingdom when Jesus brings the most needy and lowly person to the centre of the discussion as the one to be served by those who follow Jesus. Our distractions which take us on self serving missions are preventing us from living the transcendent grace of God which brings Presence in serving the least. Like Tami Whitney of Creighton University we need to join the psalmist in trust in the path offered to us by God. In the spirit of PopeFrancis exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel we need to seek the missionary attitude of seeking Christ in the people we are called to serve and concentrate less of the our grandiose plans which are not made in our humility but which tend to our power, passions, privilege and prestige.  

Healing Wisdom

The text from the letter of James in the Roman CatholicLectionary today probes our understanding of the nature of true wisdom. He exhorts us to “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom” (James 3.13). Friar Jude Winkler explores this letter noting James distinguishes the wisdom practiced in the world with wisdom of heaven. Wisdom in the world may be based on attitudes and ambitions which Mike Cherney of Creighton University experienced as praise for having filled his time so that people wondered when he had time to sleep. The Gospel from Mark is a lengthy description of The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit which is also described in Matthew 17:14-21 and Luke 9:38-43. The disciples of Jesus are unable to cast out the demonic force which is believed to have caused the epileptic symptoms described in the boy. Friar Jude suggests that the disciples who have now become somewhat knowledgeable of the mission of Jesus are now beginning to act on their own authority. The correction to their attitude by Jesus seems to contain frustration at how they have missed the point. The works we do as disciples are as servants to the Will of God. Our prayer life is essential to help us form commitment to allowing the Will of God, in the words of the psalmist, to revive the spirit, make simple, bring rejoicing and enlighten the eyes. We pray “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”(Psalm 19:14). In the internal peace and humility which derives from this prayer, our faith is seen by those gathered by God in our presence. The father seeking healing for his son witnesses this faith which is accord with the will of the Father in Jesus and he moves from the “what do I have to lose by approaching this teacher attitude “to a cry for the Man of God to increase his faith. Witness of faith calls forth faith. The wisdom of the faithful which rests in prayer, service and trust in God is too often difficult to find in those who declare their intellectual or experiential knowledge gleaned from the world of power, prestige and pride to be wisdom.

Detail holiness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to approach the otherness of God which we call holiness. Friar Jude Winkler tells us that the passage from the Book of Leviticus is from the holiness codes of that text.  Baruch A. Levine explains the contents of the Book of Leviticus as diverse, but unified by the theme of holiness. The direction of the text is to model the otherness of God in how we treat others. The challenge to ancient Israel and to modern people is to love your neighbour as yourself. The otherness of an idea is often attractive to our intellectual nature. Thinking about and contemplation of a world defined by love of neighbour may bring Utopian warmth to our hopes of the possibility of one world. The experience of Paul in Corinth, the great city of commerce and cosmopolitan influences established by the Romans in Greece was that the predisposition of the Gentile audience there for attraction to philosophical ideas and the competition of philosophers in ability to engage the mind had created factions in the Christian community. The attraction to human leaders is a diversion from journeying to model the holiness of God. The Gospel from Matthew is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is not replacing the Law as He instructs the people. He is filling it out. Friar Jude reminds us that the concept of the eye for an eye was setting a merciful limit to retribution, which in ancient time could include destruction of the family of the offending person. In approaching the holiness of God, Carol Zuegner of CreightonUniversity tells us that God is in the details. This phrase may catch us as being similar to the devil being in the details. The latter phrase is claimed by the Random House Dictionary to have appeared after the original phase 'Le bon Dieu est dans le detail'. We need to move, as Pope Francis exhorts, to the details of a Gospel of Joy which finds the truth that Paul declares to the Corinthians, we are temples of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us. Friar Jude encourages us to see the other with the eyes of Christ and to see the burdens which the world declares as unfair and more than one needs to do as opportunities to show a bit of the boundless charity and graciousness of the One to whom we journey in pursuit of the otherness of holiness.

Smell like the sheep

The texts today from the Roman CatholicLectionary bring together examples of leadership as the Church commemorates the Chair of St Peter. The first letter of Peter describes the way the elders must shepherd the flock of the Church using the example of the Christ, the Chief Shepherd. The way in which Pope Francis has described the role of the shepherd today is cited by Phil Lawler as “shepherds who have the smell of their sheep.” The twenty third psalm is six verses of Sacred Scripture which allows us to imagine the intimate relationship which God wishes to share with His sheep. The Gospel from Matthew returns us to the location of Caesarea Philippi where a few days ago we read in the Gospel of Mark about Peter’s proclamation of his understanding of Jesus identity. In Matthew, the revelation to Peter is proclaimed by Jesus as coming from the Father and in the geographic surroundings of rocks and pagan worship in the area Jesus identifies Peter as the rock upon which He will build a Church. Friar Jude Winkler notes the use of the Greek word for Church at this time and the words in Matthew, written for a Jewish audience, which transfer to Peter the rabbinical responsibility to bind and loose. The ancient description reads “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—   they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4). Rod and staff, loose and bind the Shepherd is wrapped in the smell of the sheep.

Serves to meet Him

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary point out the path through which the faith and hope we experience in the contemplation of a world and life in which Love dominates can be realized. The cynical mind or the partial vision which Peter was described as having in the Gospel yesterday do not comprehend change through service.  Peter is rebuked by Jesus as one who is taken by the temptation that the change desired will come through an exercise of Divine power in the manner of kings and emperors. Friar Jude Winkler compares the sense of justification by God declared in the letter of James with the justification by faith as proclaimed by Paul. He notes that the use of Abraham as the example of both may be confusing for the modern Western mind but Jewish thought of the time would delight in wrestling with the truth which is part of both claims. Our apparent need to have an answer “right” or “wrong” makes it difficult to tease out the deeper and real situation. Mary Longo of Creighton University tells of her discussion with a Protestant friend which led to an understanding that the practice of faith is supported by works. She cites the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium or The Joy of the Gospel as an inspiration to become that missionary Church which is Christ in the lives of the people through action. A phrase attributed to Pope Francis is that the shepherd must smell like the sheep. We need the faith proclaimed by Paul to be reassured that the cross we pick up every day is not the action which returns us to reconciliation with God. Jesus makes that reconciliation through His Cross. Our cross is a communion with the work of Jesus through which He is made known to the entire world. Unlike the rich and powerful who must struggle daily to keep their power and prestige, James tells us that when we deny our self aggrandizement and serve we transcend from those who the Gospel from Mark notes are ashamed of Jesus and His Way to those who act to meet Him in the sheep around us.

Who He is

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionaryremind us of how we hear and act, perhaps unconsciously, in ways to anticipate our own success and recognition that we should be privileged. The letter of James identifies a problem in the community to which he was writing where partiality was shown in seating and attention to the rich. The hope that some of the good fortune and success of the rich may accrue to us through our special attention to them may lie behind this action. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the tone of James rebuke of the rich may seem somewhat Marxist to our ears. The Christian treatment of wealth continues to be a challenge. In his apostolic exhortation EvangeliiGaudium - "The Joy of the Gospel" Pope Francis reminds of our misapplication of wealth through the falsehood of the “gospel of prosperity”. Friar Jude reminds us that gifts from God, like wealth and position, are for the service of others. Mark Latta of Creighton University echoes Pope Francis and presents the answer of Peter to Jesus question from the Gospel of Mark at Caesarea Philippi about who He is as “You are the Messiah”. Friar Jude compares Peter to the blind man in the Gospel of Mark from yesterday who is healed in stages. Peter does not fully understand that Jesus is not the conquering leader to return Israel to the time of the Kingdom of David as he tempts Jesus to abandon His prophesy of rejection and death at the hands of the religious authorities. The action of Love which confronts the power of false gods and privilege through Presence with the poor and seeking to welcome the outcast is the momentous decision which Father Robert Barron declares Jesus puts before us all at Caesarea Philippi. The magnificent video series Catholicism sets this scene of decision in a strong manner for our consideration.

You can see

The text from the Gospel of Mark today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary tells of a unique healing miracle by Jesus of a blind man. This episode is only recorded in Mark and it is a two stage healing which is initiated by friends bringing the blind man to Jesus and Jesus pausing during His encounter with the man to ask "Do you see anything?" (Mark 8:23). The first reading today from the Letter of James extols us to go beyond a faith based in ideas and plans to faith which is love in action. The partial opening of our consciousness of the Presence of God in the world may come from study, preaching, idealism, exegesis and contemplation. This spiritual preparation is eye opening. We may understand from our study that we are called to be Christ in the world. Our faith action may involve accepting the other who is brought to us through our daily experience. We may be the friends who help the other to find some acceptance. We may be the influence that opens the eyes of the other to possibilities of seeing life differently. Like Jesus, we need to check in with those who are travelling with us and assess how they are seeing. What is the state of their spiritual and physical health. We need to continue to offer our hands of presence and support in faith that the healing of others, like our own spiritual growth, is a process, as noted by Michael Kavan of Creighton University, which requires our participation and the witness of the great crowd of members of His Body which surround us. Our faith in the Transcendent Presence to change how we see and understand is strengthened by the practices of concern for the outcast and rejection of dark influence which are enumerated by the psalmist today as characteristic of those who will not be moved from their life in faith which improves the vision of their spiritual eyes.

Leaven and perseverance

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer us some guidelines which we can use to assess our journey as believers. The Letter of James addresses the experience of temptation. He clearly rejects any idea that temptation comes from God and he identifies a path which we often follow when we let the allure and pleasure of the temptation confuse us into imagining outcomes of our misadventure which may be ok and acceptable. The temptation is brought to us through our own desire and like the leaven, which we will consider in the Gospel from Mark, it diffuses our living to love and serve others into including some love and service for ourselves. The possibility that temptation could actually lead to a better situation for us without actually impacting others is born in our imagination. James identifies this as the path to sin where we act to satisfy our need for power, privilege and personal gratification. Marty Kalkowski from Creighton University shares how our desire to “keep it all together” may blind us to the opportunity to see and hear Christ in the encounters with the people in our lives. The disciples in the Gospel account from Mark are questioned by Jesus about their inability to see the temptation in the leaven of the Pharisees which the dailyexegesis blog identifies as blatant legalism and hypocritical actions. Those who parse their spiritual journey into what I will do to follow the rules of God and what I am then left to do for me are stuck in the process leading to sin explained in the letter of James. The leaven of Herod which seeks a powerful leader to compel people to live a righteous life is another temptation to reduce the invitation of an intimate relationship with Jesus in communion with the whole world to an enforcement of morality. The path which Jesus invites the disciples to see and the Word he calls them to hear is in His action to bring love, mercy and compassion to all. The baskets of broken pieces were twelve for the tribes of Israel and seven, the number symbolic of completeness, for the rest of the world. Pray with the psalmist that we are restored to the journey when our feet are slipping. 

Humble eyes see

The action of God in our lives can be unseen. The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer us some food for thought and reflection on this possibility. The first letter of James addresses some of the blocks which may have hidden the role of God from us. Faith is required and built often from the position where we fall on our knees. This opportunity to let God is identified by Marcia Shadle Cusic of CreightonUniversity as finding joy when we encounter difficulties and trials in life. The time frame in which we demand answers from God is often like that of the Pharisees in the Gospel today from Mark. Our blindness to what we have seen, heard and experienced prior to our time of questioning seems to brazen our demand that God act now. The child sometimes runs out of patience with the parent even though the long wait or the travelling to a destination is planned by the parent to lead to joy. The gift of humility opens our eyes to the reality that our life is gift which is not earned by our efforts. Our riches of power, privilege and prestige boil off and we are reduced to faith that the One Who Loves continues to have our joy as the outcome of the journey. Don Schwager quotes the words of Theresa of Avila who thanks God who never changes and gives us patience to see the will of God unfold in our lives. In harmony with the psalmist we faithfully give thanks for the humility that brings us back to living in the knowledge of the Love of God.

Filling the Law full

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today illuminate the difficulty of applying law to the behaviour of people. The Wisdom of Sirach which Friar Jude Winkler notes was written during the time of domination of Palestine by Greek rulers is a presentation of the quality of Jewish wisdom and thought in an environment dominated by Greek influence. The choice of life or death which echoes Deuteronomy and the freedom given to people to follow the guidance of God or to go on a path to death without the Wisdom of God is one which has prompted the question to God and religious leaders of what it is we must do to follow God. The psalmist prays that God teach him the ways of His statutes. The application of the Law seems to be at question here. Teachers often struggle to have their students move under the guidance of the spirit of the rules rather than the letter of the rubric. DrPeter Pett in his commentary on Matthew 5.17-48 describes Jesus as filling the law full and bringing out its deeper meaning. The details of regulations, which Friar Jude reminds us preoccupied the Pharisees who applied the tithe rule to grains of salt and leaves of mint, may give us excuses to forget compassion, mercy and love as we work to draw people to a law of love which Paul reminds the Corinthians that the wise of his age could not see or hear because Jesus who lived the fulfillment of law died on the cross as witness to the Divine Will of Love as the Law fulfilled. Joan Blandin Howard of Creighton University tells of a proceeding at court which is oppressively legal yet concludes with an enormous need to be filled with love, forgiveness and compassion for be anywhere near the justice of God. Our intention and our movement toward the treatment of the other as less than a child of God which we do by relating with them for our benefit, satisfaction or justification is the attitude which Jesus identifies as sinful anger, lust and deceit.  Joy J. Moore asks “What Is the Lord's Justice?” as she writes that Jesus exercises authority over the household laws and customs to call to account male privilege and lust. These sins, she notes, which start in the heart, cut to the most-intimate relationships.  Sirach reminds us: Choose wisely. Act rightly.

We have the perfect amount

The texts today from the Roman CatholicLectionary describe episodes which are specific and which prompt us to reflect on broad principles important to our lives as believers. Friar Jude Winkler explains how the eventual destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians is linked in Jewish belief to the actions of Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom. He built altars in Dan and Bethel where God could be worshipped by the people of his kingdom. This would prevent them from going to Jerusalem and being seduced by the great city into reestablishing loyalty to the dynasty of Solomon. The broad principle of where is God worshipped is our reflection. Friar Jude suggests that there were many hill top locations in the land, at the time of Jeroboam, where people could go to experience closeness to God. We struggle today with the need to attend Church. We can find God at the seashore, in the woods and at the mall. The nature of the gift of Presence in our Eucharistic gathering is proclaimed by Don Schwager as the intimate union with Christ. He describes the feeding of the four thousand in the Gospel of Mark today as a prefiguring of the Eucharistic celebration. The significant symbolic meaning of the location of this nature miracle in pagan territory and use of the number seven in relation to the fish and the left over baskets is explained by Friar Jude as the perfect food (seven is the perfect number) offered to the entire world through the seven remaining baskets. Kyle Lierk of CreightonUniversity is reminded of the deep hospitality of poor people who invited him to come and eat when they had very little. Our food and possessions are for sharing. We have the perfect amount right now to give to others. When we call and invite others to share we present the love and compassion of Jesus that works miracles. 

Hear and see well

Reflection on the many divisions and the attempts at unity is a fruit of contemplation of the texts in the Roman CatholicLectionary today. The passage from the First Book of Kings tells of the prophetic announcement to Jeroboam that he would rule over ten of the tribes of Israel which would be separated from the Kingdom of Solomon. Scholars relate the history of the decline of the Kingdom of Solomon because of his passing from prosperity into decadence. The son of Solomon, Rehoboam, was unable to receive advice from the elders and the people of the north and the Kingdom of Israel was created separate from Judah. Friar Jude Winkler emphasizes the role of our senses as gifts from God in his commentary on how Jesus Cures a Deaf Man from the Gospel of Mark. We are influenced in our decisions and actions by what we take into our consciousness through our senses. The auditory, text and visual media which we allow to be received may be a time wasting exercise keeping us from the service modeled by Jesus as suggested by Steve Scholer ofCreighton University, or the impact may be far more serious as Solomon and eventually Jeroboam demonstrate as the pagan influences and practices corrupt their lives and actions to serve well as leaders. Don Schwager notes that this Gospel is concluded with the proclamation of how Jesus has done all things well. The service which is focused on the other as shown by Jesus taking the man aside and using spittle, which Friar Jude notes was understood to be the mechanism whereby healers would transfer healing, is the direction for us who are easily distracted by our senses to do things our way and for our gratification. The memorial celebrated today of St. Cyril and St. Methodius offers us a journal of lives spend to be attentive to the particular needs of the Moravianpeople while also struggling to fight schism between East and West in the Church. All things well is an ideal that demands we choose both over either of possible alternatives informed by the Spirit through healthy physical and spiritual senses.

Dogged Faith

The texts today in from the Roman CatholicLectionary present two encounters of the Chosen people with those outside known as pagans. The Decline of Solomon who Friar Jude Winkler notes had a thousand wives and concubines is linked to the attention he gives to the pagan worship practice in his harem. Some scholars link this loss of practice of Hebrew Law and tradition to the great confusion which lust and self satisfaction can create in even the wisest of minds. The Jewish Encyclopedia article on Solomon is rich with many episodes gathered from rabbinical sources about the truly grandiose life style of this time in the Kingdom of Israel.  Submission to the demonic influences around his throne initiated the decline of Solomon and the separation of the Kingdom of Israel. In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus travels into pagan territory in Tyre. The Christian community to which Mark is writing is dealing with followers who are not from Jewish descent. The attention which cleverness draws is part of this encounter as Jesus declares the Syrophoenician woman to be an intruder into the Promise meant for the people of the Covenant, the Jews by referring to her as a dog. Father Larry Gillick SJ reminds us that the dog was an unclean animal to the Jews and he does not, as some authors, see a difference between the household pet version and the wild dog. The clever response of the woman brings focus on her value and her faith and Jesus confirms her petition for healing of her daughter is granted. Father Larry relates the dynamic interaction of Jesus and this woman to his and possibly our experience of prayerful attention to the unusual, the clever, distinct events in life as opportunities for use to gather some of the crumbs of goodness falling from the tables of people around us.

Behaviour from the heart

What is the origin of the behaviour which we bring to our daily life? The Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers some starting points based on texts from the Hebrew and New Testaments for consideration of this important question. Friar Jude Winkler tells of the recognition by the Queen of Sheba when she visited Solomon of the way in which God had blessed Solomon with wisdom. Analysis of the details in 1 Kings Chapter 10 reveals great wealth in the control of Solomon. Craig Zimmer of Creighton University warns us not to equate material wealth with being blessed by God. We can quickly make a list of examples where possession of great wealth is not associated with serving the outcast, widow and orphans of today. The deep value of Wisdom from God is what the Queen witnessed and in this example Israel is being the light to the nations which is related to the role of being a Chosen People. Traditionsuggests that a son born to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is the root of the Ethiopian monarchy. Jesus continues to try and teach the Pharisees about the deficiencies of a legalistic system that regulates external behaviour without attempting to convert the heart. Friar Jude notes that the transition from Jewish observances to Christian practice took a long time. The struggle of Peter recorded in Actswith dietary laws resonates in Jesus declaration in Mark about all food being clean. The deeper search in this text shows that the unclean behaviour is rooted in our heart. This passage enumerates a number of key vices. FatherMichael Fallon, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart (MSC), and Friar Jude comment that enumeration and check listing vices can be quite time consuming and fruitless. Our need is to seek the deeper spiritual problems around love and selflessness which produce sinful behaviour. We make a start today in the reflections led by the Scripture passages.

Our way is not the Way

The tension between control and freedom is found in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The passage from the first book of Kings is a continuation of the dedication of the Temple by Solomon. The tension in building a temple for the Hebrew people was experienced by David as the inability of human hands to build something to contain God. Solomon builds the Temple his father could not and in the passage today confesses the truth that God cannot be contained in one place. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that there are privileged places where we are facilitated by the surroundings to be conscious of the Presence around us. Our churches are tents over the events of our intentional gathering to be with God. In a certain sense, the fabric or molecules of their reality ‘soak up’ the compounds of our reality while we are in communion in a transcendent experience of God. Celtic culture understands that the earth contains “thin places”, maybe in Churches, on mountain tops or by the sea where this earthly reality is separated from the Divine Sphere by a thin barrier. Jesus is in conflict with some Pharisees in the Gospel from Mark today. The use of legal boundaries to reign in human behaviour which may be harmful to one and others is control which seems to be proper in society. Friar Jude explains the excessive use of laws by the Pharisees as an attempt to use law prescribed in great detail to prevent people from finding themselves in opposition to God. This legalism can be in tension with action to live the Good News when mercy, forgiveness, charity and contact with the disenfranchised are discouraged or prohibited by law. We may find ourselves seeking to control our contact with the world around us by retreat to cells of Christian comfort in our liturgies, pious practices and well instructed groups and children. Our attempt to control God and make our mission into His Plan is stepping into the mode of the Pharisees which Jesus questions today.

More seats of mercy

The dwelling place of the Lord is a concern of many believers. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents the Dedication of the Temple built by Solomon in the text from the first book of Kings. Friar Jude Winkler tells us that David was not permitted to carry out his desire to build a temple because of the blood he had shed and the arrogance of his actions. The creation of a place wherein people gather to be close to God may trouble those who misunderstand the gesture as one of trying to bound or control God. Those who attempt this framing of God in their image for their purposes are moving away from closer contact with the Divine. We are often too quick to criticize the liturgical actions of others. When we look to actions of people to be disposed to receive God we may find signs such as the ‘mercy seat’ in the Temple. The sign to the people of the desire for “at-one-ment” with God is expressed in the central position of mercy for the forgiveness of sins in the Holy of Hollies. The Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus and the disciples are met at Gennesaret by crowds of people who approach Jesus as a man of holiness who can bring them close to the mercy of God where they seek physical and emotional healing. The tassel of Jesus garment is noted by Friar Jude as a visible reminder to Jews of their Covenant and the least significant part of Jesus garb, contact with was sufficient to initiate intimacy with the Holy One. Our attention to the dwelling place of God through the Spirit in human beings is focused through our gathering in Holy Places to reach out and be touched by God.

Salt of the Earth

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are inspiring us with images of hope and stability. The Gospel from Matthew is an affirmation and a mission to Jesus followers. We are salt of the earth. The understanding we have today of someone so described is that they are steadfast, decent, sensible reliable grounded and even wise. The value of salt in Jesus time was a daily understanding of flavour, preserving and purification. The power of salt and light to reduce the discomfort and fear of darkness and disorganization is similar to the transcendent effect that a person who brings the salt and light of presence and loving action to one in need. Isaiah proclaims the coming of a great light which will shine through the action of the suffering servant. Paul brings Good News of a relationship with God not through sophisticated philosopy attractive to Greek thinkers but through teaching the Way of a Jewish preacher who in death by crucifixion brings love to all people which transcends our struggle with the challenges of keeping ourselves going through our His invitation to be salt and light to others.

Shepherd gathers needy

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary contain images of the central person being in the midst of people. The passage from First Kings describes King Solomon, David’s successor, after acting in a priestly and extravagant manner, encountering God in a vision Who seeks to equip the new young king with the gifts he will require to rule the Kingdom of Israel. Friar Jude Winkler explains some of the complex life of this man who becomes synonymous with Wisdom. Solomon realizes that he is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted (1 Kings 3.8). In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus appears to intend to take his disciples, who have returned to Him from teaching and healing, to a quiet place to recharge their batteries. People attend to the movement of Jesus and the disciples and they congregate around them. Jesus finds Himself in the midst of a great crowd for whom He has compassion because they are like sheep without a shepherd. The desire of Solomon for wisdom is a response which confirms that we are people who search truth. The great nation given to Solomon to rule will seek truth about God, the Covenant and the role of those who seek to know the truth. Jesus began to teach the multitudes who were demonstrating their need for some direction and reassurance. Friar Jude identifies this role of shepherd and comforter as very much part of how believers are invited to participate as the Body of Christ amid the multitudes. Our bodily presence offers an opportunity for those who are wandering or seeking to encounter some patience, kindness, mercy or empathetic consideration of their situation. Our action with others, because they need it, is the response we have known from the Shepherd and it is the truth which our presence with them may convey.

Ideas in conflict

The texts today from the Roman CatholicLectionary offer us some sobering reflection on how we are mislead by our slavery to our ideas and our personal position to act in ways completely foreign to the Way of Life. Yeshua Ben Sira, Jesus son of Sirach, was a scribe living and teaching in Jerusalem a couple of centuries before the birth of Jesus who,Friar Jude Winkler tells us, was writing to show, in part, that Jewish philosophers and heroes were every bit as great and powerful as the Greek persons who were promoted during the dominance of Hellenistic rulers and culture in the region. The elegy today to David is not an historically balanced account of his rule. As Friar Jude notes, it omits any reference to the murderous and adulterous transgressions of King David. The difference of opinion between King Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and John the Baptist, who is portrayed in the Gospel of Mark today as being of interest to Herod as a holy man with challenging ideas, means he is beheaded as a consequence of a series of actions in which a hasty promise is carried out so that Herod may not lose face among his courtiers. The Wisdom, which in our religious tradition has been so treasured, vanishes as we rush to defend concepts, ideas and assumptions which we hold very tightly. A recentmessage of Pope Francis to world youth asks them to focus for this year on the happiness which is ours when we adopt the lifestyle of the Beatitude which exhorts us to be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) and to know the Kingdom of God. The pope links the poverty of spirit to the description of Jesus to the Philippians as the One who emptied himself (Philippians 2:1-11). Pope Francesco invokes the life of his namesake, the Poor Man of Assisi as one who embraced poverty of spirit. In the recent action of the Pope to reach out to Muslim believers he is acting, according to Dr. Akbar Ahmed, a foremost Islamic scholar, in the tradition of St Francis who befriended a Muslim Sultan during the Crusades. It is difficult for us to open our mind. A simple illustration is in the comment from Eileen Wirth of Creighton University about the difficulty Catholic liturgists have with the life and joy in simple congregational singing that we find as a witness to life in Protestant communities. The sobering reality of violence rooted in a clash of ideas is offered a counterbalance of happiness for those who are poor in spirit.

Passing authority

The passing of authority from one leader to another is a process which can bring the best and the worst in human nature to the surface. The passage from the First Book of Kings in the Roman CatholicLectionary today is advice from David to his second oldest son, Solomon, to walk in the way of the Lord and keep his Laws, statutes and observances. This faithfulness to God is the role of the heir of David in the Promise of God that a dynasty would be established in the line of David. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the history of the ascent of Solomon reveals a shrewd political opportunist who initiates a reign of terror as those who may oppose him in power are executed. The Gospel from Mark presents the entirely different and counter cultural way in which the authority of Jesus, which is the authority of God in exorcism, teaching and healing, is transferred to His disciples. Don Schwagerand Diane Jorgensen reflect on the simple dependence of the disciples on Providence and the collaboration of others to sustain them in their mission. The temptation to let power and privilege and personal security, aggrandizement and greed motivate our action and direct the power we have for our gain is muted in the discipline of a simple life in poverty where we are open to the hospitality and opinions of others.  Diane Jorgensen comments that conversation about differences doesn’t need to be offensive. Our job is to invite, but to change minds, hearts and behavior is the work of the Holy One. The time frame of that change and the possibility that we may follow Jesus to give all in the effort is brought to mind by the forgiveness voiced by SaintPaul Miki as he and his Companions are martyred. The memorial of these disciples who exercised the authority of Jesus with the people of Japan is kept today in the Church.

Small change and big difference

We can contemplate in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today how an apparently small move can initiate large response and may create difficult consequences for ourselves and others. In the passage from the Book of Samuel where hear of David’s ill considered decision to do a census of the people who lived in the territory from Dan to Beersheba, the territory mentioned eight times in the Bible as the land of the Hebrew people. When this territory is viewed on a map we realize that most of the Bible's stories occur between Dan in the north and Beersheba in the south (approximately 150 miles) and within a dozen miles or so of a straight line joining the two cities on a map. Sr. Sarah Schwartzberg in her story about Gad the seer reminds us that the people of this land are heirs to promise to Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (Gen. 22:17)?  Should not David simply trust in God to fight his battles for him? Did David lack trust in God? Friar Jude Winkler notes that David chooses the consequence of pestilence, an epidemic disease with a high death rate like plague, because it is delivered by God who is merciful. David proclaims his responsibility as shepherd for the transgression yet the corporate dimension of sin, as noted by Friar Jude, was understood in David’s time to have consequence for all. In contrast today, our attention on individual sin has let the protection of the environment, the unborn, and those in poor health and financial conditions, our corporate sins of omission, not receive the attention which the people of God need to bring. The ministry of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Mark has proclaimed the Presence of God in miracles of nature, healing and exorcism in the communities which are geographically very close to Jesus home. Coming home for Jesus resonates with Rev.Richard Gabuzda of Creighton University in that way where we may have found some distance occurs with friends, family and associates as they seem to misunderstand the development and deepening of our relationship with Jesus.  Friar Jude offers the consolation that it took the disciples and family of Jesus time to see clearly what He was bringing to people. The time of the cross and the resurrection brought some clarity to their confusion.

Attending to the details

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring us to events in which the suffering for and love of parent for child are presented. Friar Jude Winkler tells us that despite the understanding in the army of David that his son Absalom was not to be harmed, David’s general, Joab killed the rebellious son when he found himself entangled in shrubbery on the trail. The deep sorrow and mourning of the father over the death of his son is expressed in the desire of the King that he could replace his son in death. The love of parent for child is beyond life itself. The tragedy of David followed a lack of attention to detail on behalf of his general. We miss much in life and we risk inadvertently bringing disaster into situations when we fail to let time, careful observation and patience save us from rash action based on assumptions which we often generate internally from poor understanding. DonSchwager tells us that Mark frequently uses a literary technique to "sandwich" a point or story which serves as a "filling" between two pieces of "bread". The Markan Sandwich invited us to see some intricate detail in the work of the Evangelist where the text is inspired not only in the informational content but also in the framework in which it is presented. Sandwich #4 in the Gospel breaks down as the story of the issue of blood from the woman who was hemorrhaging for twelve years is inserted between parts the raising of the daughter of Jairus the girl who is twelve years old. Friar Jude reminds us that this is the third miracle in the Gospel and it corresponds to a completion of the three types of miracle understood in ancient time, nature, exorcism and healing. Looking below the surface is a way for us to grow in understanding of the interconnected detail which surrounds us. The desperate migration of people across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to the Italian islands is explored by the BBC series heart and soul from the entry point of Pope Francis declaration that each one arriving is bringing Jesus. As the documentary tells us the decision to love these desperate people with food and support has brought new life to communities which had been hemorrhaging people and vitality for years. We can act so effectively when we pause and try to look with the eyes of Jesus.

Demoniac delivers

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are connected to journeys from the land where the Hebrew people lived to places across the eastern geography of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. In the gospel from Mark, we find Jesus has travelled across the Sea of Galilee to the area where Gentile people of non Semitic origin lived.  Hippos, Gerasa, and Gadara were all counted in the Decapolis, an informal grouping of Greco-Roman cities in eastern Palestine. The teaching at the end of the previous chapter of the Gospel indicated that the confusion and storms which beset the Church gathered symbolically in the boat of Peter are calmed as the direction of Jesus takes them to bring the Good News to all the people of the world. The Presence of Jesus is again detected by the evil spirits who possess a man living among the tombs. Freedom from possession by sin is given by Jesus to this man and it is witnessed by the population who are stuck with awe and fear. An opportunity for change may threaten our comfort with living in a mediocre manner where we are not terribly challenged or threatened. Those in great need, like the demoniac, receive great life from the Love of Jesus. Those who are too content will not see the opportunity to grow in disruption. The Book of Samuel and Psalm 3 deal with the turbulent struggles of David with those in the Kingdom of Israel who have been his rival for power and those who would seek to remove power from him. The life of King David as summarized by a commentary from The Master's Prayer Network is one where He is blessed by many sons and cursed by violent acts within his family including his own episode of adultery and murder in his relationship with Bathsheba. David flees from Absalom, his son, to the land across the Jordan. David's party was received warmly with provisions on the east side of the Jordan, even by an Ammonite, Ammon being one of the nations subject under David's kingdom. The peace and rest found in the Gentile territory is contrasted with the engagement of David with the forces of Absalom during which his son is killed. Our journey is also to find and bring peace and freedom. It may be that our opportunity to live our mission is outside the comfort and complacency which possesses us and holds us back from joining the healed demoniac as a witness to Life in a foreign society of darkness.

Popular piety

The evangelizing power of popular piety is a theme in the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, the Joy of the Gospel. There are great traditions of popular piety associated with the celebration of the Presentationof the Lord today. The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today carry themes of great joy and some fear and trepidation. The Messianic Promise of God is delivered to the people in the words of the Prophet Malachi and this brings hope of the return of the majesty of the Davidic Kingdom and at the same time the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soap remind the people that their lack of observance of the ancient command to put God first may demand they change and be purified. The Letter to the Hebrews deals with the Son of God who comes to fulfill the Promise of the Messiah chooses to be humbled as human who submits to rejection by the people to the point of death to free people from death and to be the perfect sacrifice to expiate sin. Popular piety today traditionally includes processions and blessing of candles (Candlemas). This day, until recent times, marked the end of the Christmas Season. Scholars, like Robert P. Heaneyof Creighton University, find in the structure of the Nativity Narrative in the Gospel of Luke to be framed between two bookends of elderly couples in the Temple astounded by miraculous birth. (Zachariah and Elizabeth; Simeon and Anna). The actions of the Holy Family described in the text from Luke indicate observance of the purification rules in Mosaic Law involving pregnant women forty days after childbirth and the offering of the first born son to God. (Some scholars suggest that Luke, a Gentile, may have been somewhat ignorant of Jewish traditions) Perhaps the beeswax candles with which we will celebrate Church (or home) liturgy in the next year will be blessed today and we will have a sign of the Incarnate present to us and maybe we will be called to deepen our experience with the guidance in the Sacred Texts and in some way the message which is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23 ) will be our lived experience and our popular piety will be in collaboration with the exhortation of Papa Francesco.

Presence becomes personal

The passage today in the Roman CatholicLectionary from the Second Book of Samuel continues our opportunity to reflect on the role of the Presence of God in the life of the early kings of Israel, especially Saul and David and how this Presence is experienced in varying degrees by David. In the episode today, the Prophet Nathan brings awareness to David that God is aware of the sins of adultery and murder which David has committed with Bathsheba and Uriah. The idea that we have secrets from God can strangely seem possible to us when His Presence is taken for granted. Pope Francispreached yesterday on the theme of how  Christian mediocrity leads to loss of sense of sin. Friar Jude Winkler notes how David is brought to seek reconciliation with God through the intervention of Nathan. Who might be acting as prophet to us now as we may be neglecting to act in accord with the will of God? DanielPatrick O'Reilly of Creighton University recalls how his wife brought the Presence of God to his personal situation. When we are moved, or in great moments, overcome by gratitude and thanksgiving, we are sometimes able to see the Nathans of our life who have brought us back to the path of faithfulness. DavidWilkerson suggests that David, when confronted by Nathan, becomes fearful of the loss of the Presence in his life. David witnessed the decline of Saul when God was no longer part of his life. The disciples in the text from the Gospel of Mark are described by Friar Jude as fishermen who are accustomed to speaking harshly when a person on their boat is sleeping as the forces of nature appear to be focused on sinking their craft. They had forgotten in their distress that Jesus was bringing Presence to them in the deep personal way which meant that they would get through their difficulty. We are not guaranteed that the passage through difficulty takes us to the destination we would pick. The nature miracle of calming the waters was both a cause of relief that they had avoiding drowning and at the same time fear for their inattention to Presence with power over life, death, good and evil. Our need is to buck up and move on with the faith in the continuing guidance of His Presence.