The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek the deeper connection with the Divine in which faith reassures us of the commitment of God to fullness in our lives.
The reading from the First Book of Samuel describes how Israel’s Request for a King is granted.
* [8:1–22] From this chapter on, the editors of 1 Samuel provide two and sometimes three perspectives on the same event: e.g., the selection of Saul as king is recounted in chap. 8; 10:17–24; chap. 12.
* [8:15] Officials: lit., eunuchs. These high-ranking administrators were not necessarily emasculated.
* [8:22] To your own city: Samuel will later reassemble the people at Mizpah (10:17) to acclaim Saul as their king. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 89 praises God’s Covenant with David.
* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). The Psalm narrates how God became king of the divine beings (Ps 89:6–9) and how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings (Ps 89:20–38). Since the defeat of the king calls into question God’s promise, the community ardently prays God to be faithful to the original promise to David (Ps 89:39–52). (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus Heals a Paralytic.
* [2:1–2] He was at home: to the crowds that gathered in and outside the house Jesus preached the word, i.e., the gospel concerning the nearness of the kingdom and the necessity of repentance and faith (Mk 1:14).
* [2:5] It was the faith of the paralytic and those who carried him that moved Jesus to heal the sick man. Accounts of other miracles of Jesus reveal more and more his emphasis on faith as the requisite for exercising his healing powers (Mk 5:34; 9:23–24; 10:52).
* [2:6] Scribes: trained in oral interpretation of the written law; in Mark’s gospel, adversaries of Jesus, with one exception (Mk 12:28, 34).
* [2:7] He is blaspheming: an accusation made here and repeated during the trial of Jesus (Mk 14:60–64).
* [2:10] But that you may know that the Son of Man…on earth: although Mk 2:8–9 are addressed to the scribes, the sudden interruption of thought and structure in Mk 2:10 seems not addressed to them nor to the paralytic. Moreover, the early public use of the designation “Son of Man” to unbelieving scribes is most unlikely. The most probable explanation is that Mark’s insertion of Mk 2:10 is a commentary addressed to Christians for whom he recalls this miracle and who already accept in faith that Jesus is Messiah and Son of God. (Mark, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Hopp asks “Can we really change?” Can we maintain our focus upon the only true God who loves us so profoundly that He would give us His only Son to save us and bring us into an eternity with God Himself?
On our own, the answer is sadly “No”. But God gives us His holy Word filled with powerful miracles to help us to never forget who God really is - all powerful, yet loving - who continues to provide endless encouragements and blessings. So yes, we can indeed change our propensity to backslide into the world’s ways – but that path is only found through prayer and daily commitment to focusing on the truths found in His Holy Word.
Dear Heavenly Father, in this world, evil is so prevalent. Help us to keep our hearts and minds forever focused upon you and you alone - to thankfully notice and rejoice over all the blessings that you shower upon us. Thank you so much for understanding our weaknesses and providing us with all that we need to be reminded daily of your never-ending love,
In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen (Hopp, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Reverse your relation with sickness,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD).
"Take up your bed. Carry the very mat that once carried you. Change places, so that what was the proof of your sickness may now give testimony to your soundness. Your bed of pain becomes the sign of healing, its very weight the measure of the strength that has been restored to you." (excerpt from HOMILY 50.6)
[Peter Chrysologus was a renowned preacher and bishop of Ravena in the 5th century] (Schwager, 2017)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 2:1-12 comments on the grace we have access to through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But there may be times when we lose sight of that grace. Confession can seem like a relatively mundane event. Maybe even a bit routine. We go into the confessional, admit our sins, and say the Act of Contrition. We might start to wonder if anything is really happening.
You may not feel any different when you leave the confessional. But each time, like the man healed from paralysis, you can receive the miracle of freedom from sin and its effects. So take to heart Jesus’ words to you: “Child, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5)!
“Lord, thank you for your great mercy! Help me to never take it for granted.” (Meditation on Mark 2:1-12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the demands of the people to Samuel to abandon rule by charismatically selected judges in favour of choosing a king like other nations. Only God can forgive sins is a key proclamation about Jesus as he heals the paralytic in body and relationship to God. Friar Jude reminds us of the example in Mark of responding to the healing work of God with awe and wonder.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, uses images of a lever and a place to stand to explain why social transformation needs both action and contemplation.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t have a fixed place to stand, a fulcrum of critical distance, and thus we cannot find our levers, or true “delivery systems,” as Bill Plotkin calls them [1], by which to move our world. We do not have the steadiness of spiritual practice to keep our sight keen and alive. Those who have plenty of opportunities for spiritual practice—for example, those in monasteries—often don’t have an access point beyond religion itself from which to speak or to serve much of our world. We need a delivery system in the world to provide the capacity for building bridges and connecting the dots of life.
Some degree of inner experience is necessary for true spiritual authority, but we need some form of outer validation, too. We need to be taken seriously as competent and committed individuals and not just “inner” people. Could this perhaps be what Jesus means by being both “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16)? God offers us quiet, contemplative eyes; God also calls us to prophetic and critical involvement in the pain and sufferings of our world—both at the same time. This is so obvious in the life and ministry of Jesus that I wonder why it has not been taught as an essential part of Christianity. (Rohr, 2024)
We may be distracted by the illusion of worldly power as the path to achieving our fullness of life, even as the Spirit stirs our awe and wonder through participation in Jesus' Way.
References
Hopp, L. (2024, January 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/011224.html
Mark, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2?1
Meditation on Mark 2:1-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/01/12/873688/
1 Samuel, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/8?4
1 Samuel, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/8?4
Rohr, R. (2024, January 12). A Lever and a Place to Stand — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-lever-and-a-place-to-stand/
Schwager, D. (2017, November 9). We Never Saw Anything like This! Daily Scripture net. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jan12
No comments:
Post a Comment