A Day to Consider Passion

The texts in the Roman Catholic lectionary for Valentine’s Day evoke thoughts about passion. The episode from the Book of Genesis recounts the rivalry between brothers Cain and Abel. This passion is known to many families. The competition of siblings for the attention of parents and the rewards of success is a part of human experience which invites careful meditation on the Genesis account. What is this ancient text teaching about this passion and the consequence of being overcome by the passion. The psalmist identifies that the Divine attitude towards disobedience and contempt for the “Law” is not the attitude of “most people” or of ‘common sense”. Lack of discipline, slander and anger are not behaviours which honour the Divine. The human understanding is not the understanding of God. The passion in this passage is with the words of the Divine as proclaimed by the psalmist. This passion for right relationship is proper practice for believers who seek to be in intimate relationship with the Divine. Mark recounts a lack of passion in the demands of the Pharisees for a sign. It seems to be so easy for Jesus to command nature to yield a sign to this group enslaved by “mob think”. Why not set them silent by a ‘burning bush” or “water springing from a stone”. The transformation which those who see listen and live with Jesus is in the passion for living and giving which is rooted in the intimacy with the Divine through the indwelling Spirit. He sighs deeply in His Spirit.