The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our contemplation of our attitude towards the need for change in our society and our Church highlighted by the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States.
Time for change
The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims the sacrifice of Jesus is to purify our conscience from dead works.
* [9:11–14] Christ, the high priest of the spiritual blessings foreshadowed in the Old Testament sanctuary, has actually entered the true sanctuary of heaven that is not of human making (Heb 9:11). His place there is permanent, and his offering is his own blood that won eternal redemption (Heb 9:12). If the sacrifice of animals could bestow legal purification (Heb 9:13), how much more effective is the blood of the sinless, divine Christ who spontaneously offered himself to purge the human race of sin and render it fit for the service of God (Heb 9:14).1
Psalm 47 praises God’s rule over the Nations.
* [Psalm 47] A hymn calling on the nations to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel’s God (Ps 47:2–5) who is enthroned as king over Israel and the nations (Ps 47:6–9).2
In the Gospel of Mark, observers conclude about Jesus that ‘He has gone out of his mind.’
* [3:20–35] Within the narrative of the coming of Jesus’ relatives (Mk 3:20–21) is inserted the account of the unbelieving scribes from Jerusalem who attributed Jesus’ power over demons to Beelzebul (Mk 3:22–30); see note on Mk 5:21–43. There were those even among the relatives of Jesus who disbelieved and regarded Jesus as out of his mind (Mk 3:21). Against this background, Jesus is informed of the arrival of his mother and brothers [and sisters] (Mk 3:32). He responds by showing that not family ties but doing God’s will (Mk 3:35) is decisive in the kingdom; cf. note on Mt 12:46–50.3
Steve Scholer comments that if we truly believe that God is present in us and that we are his Church on earth, how we live our lives and how we take care of his church speaks volumes about our relationship with him.
Today, as we do our Daily Examen, think not only about God’s presence in our lives, but our presence in his church, and how grateful we are to know that God is with us, step by step. Think about how we can make his church even stronger with the choices we make throughout the day, choices that serve God and choices that strengthen, rather than tear down, God’s most beautiful church – us.4
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' worried kinfolk,” by Jerome (347-420 AD).
"In the Gospel we read that even his kinsfolk desired to bind him as one of weak mind (Mark 3:21). His opponents also reviled him saying, 'You are a Samaritan and have a devil' (John 8:48)." (excerpt from LETTER 108, TO EUSTOCHIUM)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14 comments that we may try to ease our conscience by doing as many good deeds as we can to try to balance out the bad ones. So we work hard—really hard. But try as we may, our efforts only obscure the central issue: we have broken something that only God can fix.
The writer of Hebrews understood that it’s not only about what we do; it’s about what Jesus has already done! By shedding his blood, Jesus has already won our forgiveness. Even more, he has already cleansed our consciences of that nagging sense of guilt that says, “I must be better. I must try harder.” We don’t have to convince him to forgive us or to welcome us back. Our good deeds are meant to be a response of gratitude for what Jesus has done, not an attempt to muster up enough goodness to please God.6
Friar Jude Winkler discusses how the author of Hebrews presents Jesus fulfilling and surpassing the role of the High Priest in the Hebrew Holy of Holies. Jesus offers His Own Blood to cleanse us. Friar Jude notes how Luke portrays Mary as the perfect disciple at Pentecost, even as she struggled to believe what she might not have understood.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that CAC faculty member Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes calls the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, whose life we honor this week, “a great contemplative, one who used the spiritual essence of nonviolence as a tool for liberating the social order and the spiritual authority of a denigrated people.” [1] They share a prayer of gratitude and petition—that we might continue God’s work of liberation for all.
Because our needs are so great today, and your care so constant, we know that you are rebuilding the network of compassion around new visionaries who you have assembled for this hour. Surprise us with the discovery of how much power we have to make a difference in our day: —A difference in the way citizens meet, greet, respect, and protect the rights of each other. —A difference in the breadth of our vision of what is possible in humanization, reconciliation, and equalization of results in our great city. —A difference in the way government, business, and labor can work together, for justice and social enrichment. —A difference in our response to the needy, and a difference in our appreciation for those who give of themselves for the surviving and thriving of our beautiful people.7
The change of leadership in the United States challenges us to examine how the intransigence in our Church and society to work to control the pandemic, address the climate catastrophe, reconcile systemic racism, and eliminate inequality may be replaced with unity in Christ to liberate and heal our people.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment