A Sudden Ending to Encourage Action

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents the ending to the Gospel of Mark. The ending is very short. The Gospel of Mark is also the shortest of the four accounts. Some commentators point out that the Gospel was likely written to be read aloud to early assemblies of followers of Jesus. The text today from the Book of Acts underlines how action speaks so much stronger than words. The religious authorities see ordinary simple men who have acted in the name of Jesus to present a powerful sign of the nature of Jesus and His mission. The effect on Peter and John of their openness to be witnesses is a new strength and conviction in the intimacy with the Divine that they have experienced. The psalmist proclaims the marvellous strength and help of the Lord which has “become my salvation”. Those who witness to the power of acting on the intimate relationship offered by God are strengthened and supported by that action. The urgency is reflected in the final words of St Francis “Let us begin again, for until now we have done nothing. May each of us do our share to spread the Gospel, the true Catholic faith!”.

Rejected by the Builders

(Psalm 118:22)” The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” This is the proclamation of the psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. In the passage from the Books of Acts, Peter uses this text from Psalm 118 as he proclaims the power of the healing done in the name of Jesus to the scribes and leaders of the community who had crucified Him. The episode from John’s Gospel begins a wonderful healing encounter of the Apostles with Jesus in Galilee after the Resurrection when they had returned to fishing. Was this an abandonment of the mission? Was it obedience to the Easter message that He would meet them in Galilee? Perhaps it was the very human need to return to the times and places of stability and familiarity that directed the “fishers of people” back to the occupation of fishers to recalibrate and restore. The place and activity was perfect for a dramatic reconciliation and restoration of the passion, particularly in Peter, that grew out of the loving intimacy between him and Jesus, which certainly must have been in some state of suspension in Peter’s mind. Who calls hard working fishermen ‘children’? What fishermen take direction from the shore on how to work their trade? These are two indications that the Father and Teacher was trying to make contact. When we, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, make the connection the indwelling Spirit of Peter pushes aside all the obstacles, of doubt, rejection and confusion and restarts the passion that moves the very human Peter in the only direction possible. He plunges back into the great relationship, seemingly, where it began, yet so much had occurred. He trusts the mystery to the relationship and as the great catch of fish is hauled ashore, prepares to share a meal with his intimate friend who had died on the cross. The “chief cornerstone” of the life of Peter is restored.

Witness to a Promise Fulfilled

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary emphasize the message of Luke in Acts and in his Gospel that Jesus is the long awaited fulfillment of the Promise made by God to the people of Israel that He would raise up a Messiah for them. The misunderstanding of the power and mission of the Messiah by the people might be a cause of concern for them. Peter reassures as does Jesus that “peace be with them”. The mission expressed by Isaiah (Isaiah 61) and lived by Jesus becomes the commission of His followers. The Good News is to be brought by example to all tribes.

How He is Seen

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us an understanding of how the Covenant is being kept between God and His people as the psalmist proclaims “He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac”( Psalm 105:8) The episode from Acts where Peter heals the crippled man outside the Beautiful gate of the Temple is the life of Jesus being present in the action of Peter. Witnesses to Peter’s healing and ministry are observing Christ continuing to be Divine Presence with His people. The Gospel of Luke relates the episode when disciples of Jesus are travelling home to Emmaus, after the events of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. They experience a resonance of their indwelling Spirit with the “stranger”. This in itself is unusual in cultures, like our own, where the “stranger” is often treated with suspicion, although we all have likely experienced how our Spirit is strangely attracted to others whom we do not know. The travellers are inspired by the relationship with the stranger and they invite him to stay with them. In Jesus ministry, He often invited people to come and see. He invited Himself to their homes to bring Presence to their lives. The disciples in Emmaus are doing Jesus work through their hospitality. They are on the right track to continuation and deepening of their relationship with Jesus, after His Resurrection. How will their relationship with Him retain the physical contact so essential to people? They will continue to find His Presence in the “breaking of the bread”.

Hope and Love Encountered.

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary reveal two encounters with the Risen Christ. The zeal and courage of the Apostles, as they leave the Upper Room and move motivated by the Spirit to spread the Good News, brings the attention of many who reconsider their previous encounter with Jesus and conclude that Jesus is the Lord and Messiah. They seek to be united with the Body of the Risen Jesus through communion with the thousands called by the Spirit to “conversion” through Peter’s witness. The psalmist echoes the phrase “Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.” (Psalms 33: 22) The Gospel of John relates the experience of Mary Magdalene who is seeking to resolve the emptiness in her heart over the apparent disappearance of the Beloved from her life. The Love motivating her reveals that “Rabbouni!” continues to live in her life. Her experience of the Risen Christ is chosen to be the foundation of the news that Jesus will be with His disciples in Galilee. Intimate love will be the witness that brings this Truth to the Apostles. We are motivated to change through many influences. Love and hope are mighty movers!

The Strength for the Mission

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. The passage from the first Letter of Peter offers advice to those embarking on the mission presented by Jesus to His disciples in the account of His Ascension into heaven from Mark’s Gospel. Mark lived with Peter in Rome and wrote his Gospel after Peter’s execution. Peter offers advice on the value of a disposition of humility and a deep trust that even though difficulties and temptation will be experienced by those who live the mission of Jesus. The relationship with the Divine will “restore, support, strengthen, and establish you”. The psalmist recognizes the source of the strength and glory of Israel is the Covenant that exists between God and the people. The fruits of this intimate relationship will be seen by all the people who come in contact with Israel. Mark presents Jesus commission to His disciples as He ascends bodily away from them. As His Body in the world, Christians are to proclaim the Good News that Jesus is the Son of God by being the “gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1)”. The strength to be Christ in the world will come through the intimate relationship with Him through the indwelling Spirit. The fruit of this mission will be in compassion, forgiveness, peace, healing and joy.

The Light reveals the Life

On Good Friday, the text of the Passion according to St. John told us of Pilate’s struggle to determine the Truth. In the Gospel of John, Jesus presents Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Mass during the day on Easter shed light on the Truth. Peter, in the Book of Acts, recounts his experience of Jesus and how Peter had come to see that Jesus was the Anointed One of God who did the Father’s work of healing and forgiving in Judea and Jerusalem. Peter saw that he was put to death by the religious authorities and that He rose from the dead to be seen and minister to His followers. The praises of the psalmist declare that God maintains the life of the faithful. The rejection of the faithful is redeemed as the “(Psalm 118:22) The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone”. Paul appeals to those who have experience the Truth of Jesus to live with minds set on the things of heaven and to avoid being enslaved by the things of the earth. Christ is living within and this Truth should be seen in the lives of believers. The revelation of our intimate relationship with the Living God frequently comes through experience of great love and/or great suffering. This is written in the works of Fr. Richard Rohr. The Gospel of John tells of Mary Magdalene who goes and is witness to the empty tomb. She lived as one who knows Jesus as the embodiment of intimate love and forgiveness and the One who “gave up His Spirit” on the cross. In the Light of the New Day she is reassured through seeing that the ‘Rabbouni’ lives and will be present to her, the disciples and humanity . The experience of a loving relationship with the Living Christ is for people necessarily one of the senses. We hear the Good News. We taste and see the goodness of the Lord. We proclaim today and everyday “Jesus lives!”

Celebrate the Relationship!

The texts for the Celebration of the Vigil Mass for Easter in the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer a rich review of the history of the relationship between the Divine and humanity from creation to the present. The Easter Vigil is the time when the people seeking communion with the Roman Catholic Church are welcomed and receive the Sacraments of Initiation. The Scripture proclaimed presents


• Creation

• Faith of Abraham

• Exodus from Egypt

• Return from Exile in Babylon

• The Nature of Wisdom

• Conversion of the heart

• Baptized into Christ

• The Resurrection

This journey through the Sacred Texts establishes the consistent message of the desire of the Divine to be in intimate relationship with humanity. The nature of the Divine is both immanent and transcendent. The Immanence is the Divine dwelling within humanity. Our indwelling Spirit resonates with the Spirit which moved on the water in Genesis, which is the source of the Wisdom described by Baruch. It is the connection with the Resurrected Jesus through which Paul proclaims we are alive to God through Jesus Christ. Transcendence is that Divine essence which activates the faith of Abraham to trust that the will of God will be accomplished even though the sacrifice of Isaac and the patriarch of many nations seem to be mutually exclusive. It is the mighty hand and strong arm with which the Israelites were freed from Egypt. The death into which we are baptized with Jesus is physical and as we continue our spiritual journey there are many deaths as our hearts of stone are transformed to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36). These deaths are opportunities for resurrections of our spirit to greater intimacy with the Divine through the Life of Jesus Christ. He Lives!

It is finished?

Today the Christian Church gathers for the Celebration of the Lord's Passion. The word celebration may seem to be unusual. The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary present the Passion according to John. The opening of this account places Jesus in a garden which was very familiar to His followers. John tells us that Jesus knows what is about to transpire. The Evangelist John sets up a few episodes in the presentation of the Passion. We attend to the events which are detailed, the people involved and the dialogue between them. John does not waste words. The nature of Jesus as Son and King is established through the chapters of questioning by the authorities. Jesus of Nazareth has taught openly and correctly. Jesus is king of a kingdom not of this world. He is born to be truth. Those who listen are aware of His Truth. The political dilemma of Pilate is our continuing battle. “What is the truth?” Pilate sees the rejection of the “King of the Jews” in favour of a notorious criminal. The claim of Jesus Divinity as “Son of God” draws the demand for death from the crowd. The mystery of Jesus strikes Pilate with fear. In the battle between faith and fear, Pilate cannot comprehend Jesus seeming misunderstanding of Pilate’s control over life and death. Pilate declares that the Jewish authorities are seeking the death of the “King of the Jews”. The rejection of this declaration comes as tribute to Caesar. The oppressed give tribute to the oppressor in response to the message of Truth. Hearing the Truth and being changed by it is difficult. The return to captivity is so often seen as easier. Pilate acts to see that the proclamation of Jesus and the astounding submission of the people to the Roman occupation is written as a script above the cross; ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.’ John takes us to the scene at the foot of the cross as the dialogue confirms the continuation of the relationship between the beloved disciple and Jesus mother. As a practical matter, Mary, without Joseph and Jesus, needed a male provider in the society of the day. As continuing truth, the disciples are intimately related to Mary as Mother who continues to exemplify the “yes” with which “the Word becomes flesh”. The human life of Jesus is finished. The intimate relationship with the Divine through Jesus and the indwelling Spirit is celebrated today as the Truth which is heard by the listener.

Assemble for the Meal

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring us to the start of Triduum 2011, the feast of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Book of Exodus recalls the meal prior to the deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The author declares “It is the passover of the Lord” (Exodus 12:11). Deliverance from slavery continues to be the Good News of the Assembly of Christians to experience an intimate relationship with Jesus through the resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Presence of Christ. Prior to the assembly for the Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Supper, this evening, many Christians gather as Diocesan Church with the Bishop as the priests rededicate themselves to their vocation and the oils used in the liturgies are blessed and distributed. The Chrism Mass can be both Catholic and catholic. The liturgical “bells and smells” are presented to those gathered who include many coming into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church at Easter Vigil, the Triduum conclusion. The assembly in the Cathedral Church is also ‘catholic’ presenting a holy assembly that is old, young, well dressed, poorly clothed, male, female, reverent, distracted, from many ethnic backgrounds, organized and dishevelled. The visible tensions within such an assembly and the gathering itself draw us to the praise of the psalmist in the texts for today. “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people” (Psalm 22:17). Paul reminds the Corinthians and Christians today of the action of Jesus, on the evening which began His passion, to give us a continuous gift of His Presence to be for us means to become what we are, “the Body of Christ”. The Gospel of John puts the action of those who live in Christ as people who wash feet and bring the Body “in contact” with us who are in need of cleansing and deliverance from slavery as destructive in our lives as was escaped in the Passover from Egypt.

Know How to Love Him

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary in the days before the Triduum bring the question of the “Jesus Christ Superstar” production to mind. “I don’t know how to love Him” is a challenge that we encounter in the relationship we are invited to share with the Divine. The ‘suffering servant” of the Book of the prophet Isaiah proclaims that the gift of his relationship with God has been an ear that hears and listens to guidance from Providence. As a result the servant knows the help of God as he becomes a witness in obedience to the will of God. The community who “know” how to relate to God treat the servant shamefully. The psalmist understands becoming a stranger to his family and friends as the ‘zeal for thy house consumed me”. What kind of energy is fuelled by zeal? We may understand zeal as a response to an overwhelming drive within ourselves. When the drive is to “know how to love Him”, our intentions may be well directed but our actions may be more impulsive, rushed, rash and ‘human’ as we attempt to contain the uncontainable. The Beloved understands. Our boasts and bravado and our busy behaviour are human response. We learn and are taught as we listen and live the silent and awe filled wonder of the relationship. Two personalities of these days, Judas and Peter, struggle to love Him. Perhaps Judas loved the “idea” of the Messiah more than the person of Jesus. Maybe he “loved” in a way which would see the great movement survive its founder, who seemed bent on self destruction. Peter loved the man, Jesus, and struggled to understand why he could not protect his friend, with his life, when the Master seemed to be hearing a different drum. Three friends, powerful zeal, imperfect humanity, great love are the elements of one part of the journey to Jerusalem where we “Don’t Know How to Love Him”.

More than we expect

Who am I? This question may be found hidden in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. The suffering servant of the Book of the prophet Isaiah understands his role as one who is on a mission to his people who have forgotten their Covenant with the Lord to be His people as He is their God. The servant labours to attempt to fulfill his work with his people. Out of the sense of failure in this task God calls him to witness as faithful servant to all people. In the struggle and the complete reliance on his relationship with the Divine is the very message that he is to live for all tribes. How often we seek to be sure that we are meeting the minimum. What do I need to be saved? In the education context, “What do I need to pass?” The relationship with Transcendent God is not limited. It does not reach “enough”. The psalmist praises that wonderful relationship which both begs deliverance and celebrates the intensity of living continuously in the hope and trust born of witness to the marvellous daily deeds of the Lord. John’s Gospel relates the dialogue of Jesus with His disciples to attempt to convey the imminent call of the Father to be recipient of necessary betrayal and to advise His closest companions that the trust and hope from His intimacy with the Father will bring them back together, later, when they are invited to follow Him in witness to intimacy with the Divine through the indwelling Spirit as their mission becomes to Baptize all nations.

Response to Goodness

The behaviour of the people featured in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is difficult to understand. The prophet Isaiah presents the suffering servant who is responding to his intimate relationship with the Divine by presenting the Covenant between God and the people in the form of one who moves faithfully in an unpretentious manner teaching about the delight in which God relates to His people. This apparently non threatening response draws the ire of members of his community who attempt to discredit and ridicule him. The psalmist draws confidence in the ever Present to accompany him in the mission to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. The goodness of the Lord is presented to our eyes by the many gestures and actions of people who show respect, delight, hospitality, faithfulness, devotion, passion and more as they live aware of a dignity in others which is not tied to station or profession but to an understanding that in a marvellous mysterious way we are tied together in a Body and in a relationship with the Divine which as the Gospel of John shows today is sometimes difficult to understand or place in the boundaries of everyday experience. There are breakthroughs of light and action which point to Transcendence. We respond, as Mary, on our knees with senses overwhelmed. We respond as Judas, in fear and confusion desperately resisting and denying the movement in our Spirit toward the unknown where the trust of the psalmist is required. The truth of the relationship with the Goodness is that it is life as Lazarus shows. It is Life from the Divine which we understand is not under our control and it that absence of control we struggle in anger and aggression.

To the New Jerusalem through the Cup

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are the first Scripture proclaimed in Holy Week. One approach to this week is suggested by Fr Larry Gillick SJ. His daily reflection mentions memories and choices. The Passion from the Gospel of St Matthew may be familiar but we have the experience that the words will speak new truth to us as we struggle to open our ears, be awake and avoid the sleepiness of Jesus friends as recounted by Matthew. The gathering together of the memories of our response to the Passion might include the “hosanna” portion of “Jesus Christ Superstar” if you are of “a certain age”. The journey we have taken through Lent reacquaints us with the mystery of the Journey to Jerusalem. The innocent, who has done no harm, who, as Paul proclaims to the Philippians, is the Divine choosing to be human and obedient to death on the cross. The obedience to the will of God is the motivation of the suffering servant from the Book of Isaiah, who praises God for the open ear to know and take on the path of humiliation and shame with a set and quiet jaw. Where does the strength to see oneself being depleted through choices to be faithful to the Covenant come from? The psalmist cries out to convince us of the intimate Presence with the afflicted and suffering. The choice to be in communion or the fear of losing communion with the Divine is behind the prayer, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Mt 26:39). We know the “what” of the great events of Jesus mission, acclamation as Messiah, Last Supper, passion, death and Resurrection. We pray that the “Why” of the events of Holy Week will inspire us to choose to “accept the Cup of Jesus” which is to live a closer intimacy with the Divine through the resonance of the indwelling Spirit.

The good of the nation

The Gospel of John in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today contains the prophesy of Caiaphas, high priest, that Jesus was about to die for the nation, ⁵²and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. The gathering of the people of Israel is the prophesy of Ezekiel as he presents the inspiration he has received from God. Jeremiah praises the care of the Lord for Israel which is like a shepherd for his flock. His prophesy sees the care of the Lord evidenced in a land rich in food and where the young sing and dance. The journey of the people of God to the “promised land” continues. The unification of a tribe or a chosen race in a particular geography remains as elusive as ever. The union of humanity in resonance with the Divine where there are no Greeks, no Jews, no Gentiles and no tribes is yet to come. The good of the nation is necessarily realized in the good of the nations.

In distress

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present situations of distress experienced as Jeremiah and Jesus pursue the will of the Father. Jeremiah speaks confidently that his persecutors will be overcome as the Lord is with him as a ‘dread warrior’. The prophet suggests that he would like to witness the vengeance of the Lord upon his enemies. Our truth is that we often delight too much in seeing the tables turned on those who trouble us. The psalmist proclaims his great confidence in the attention of God to his needs when he is in distress. The Gospel from John recounts the increasing tension between Jesus and the religious authorities. Jesus relationship as “Son of God” is difficult for the authorities to comprehend. The thought is blasphemy to them. The evidence of the works of Jesus is not able to convince them. The tension builds to the desire of the authorities to stone Jesus. Providence provides an exit from the confrontation.

Tense for All Time

"Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."(John 8:58). This declaration of Jesus in John’s Gospel from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is increasing the case for the religious authorities to condemn Him as one possessed by a demon, a blasphemer and not the prophet or Messiah which is the hope of the crowds. It is a statement of Jesus nature. Being in past and present simultaneously is “outside the time”. It is timeless and infinite. It is the fullness of our experience of an indwelling Spirit which can move from memories to desires and sometimes leave us confused as to our time. Our glimpses of being timeless are grounded by a breath and a heartbeat which are now. Ironically, our passport to the timeless is only through the now. Our Spirit in the words of the psalmist desires to “Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!” The Covenant as Abram experiences, recounted in Genesis, continues. The infinite becomes finite and humanity becomes what it is, the Body of Christ, in the timeless transcendence of the Eucharistic sacrament. I am is so we are.

Sons of Abraham

"If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did” (John 8:39) is from the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. The evangelist presents a dialogue between the religious authorities and Jesus. There is disagreement over the nature of being sons of Abraham. The aspect of the faith of Abraham in which he responds to the call of God to action which requires trust beyond what his senses or traditional knowledge could comprehend is distant from these questioners. The “sons of Abraham” to whom Jesus speaks seem to be holding fast to safe human patterns of living. The degree to which we are bound by our direction and to which we follow our own “inner voice” in actions which protect our security, our comfort and our habits is the degree of our enslavement to sin. We deny the Presence like the opponents of Jesus in today’s Gospel. The life giving approach comes from the model of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego in the Book of Daniel. These ‘sons of Abraham’ maintained their intimacy with the Divine even though this choice threatened their very physical existence. The canticle from the Book of Daniel provides a sample of the spontaneous praise which is resonant in the being of those ‘sons of Abraham’ through the intimacy of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine.

Freedom from Death

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today proclaims that “the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die” (Psalm 102). Death marks a transition as John discusses in Jesus observations that “I go away, and you will seek me and die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” (John 8:21). The Gospel today refers to the Son of Man being lifted up in accord with the will of the Father. This reference to the Will of the Father reminds the people of the episode recounted in the Book of Numbers when God responded to the petition of Moses to remedy the deaths of defiant people. Jesus dialogue in John’s Gospel presents the remedy to dying in a broken relationship with the Divine as trust that Jesus is the incarnate Word and that He and the Father are one. The salvation of the people in the desert with Moses continues in the Life-giving relationship experienced through the indwelling Spirit in the Life of Christ. This relationship goes beyond the transition time after which we cannot be seen.

Forgiveness Trumps

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer insight into the devious heart which overwhelms our actions when our self serving passions arise. Susanna, in the episode from the Book of Daniel, is apparently trapped by the evil elder judges into conviction for a crime she did not commit. The practice of Daniel to focus on methodical examination of detail in the stories of the liars is an effective method to uncover deceit. The lies in our stories are uncovered by the patient inquiry. Persecution by enemies is not excluded for believers. The verses of the 23^rd Psalm are most comforting when walking in the ‘valley of the Shadow of Death’. The trust of the believer is that the intimate banquet with the Divine in face of our persecutors is always possible. The invitation is presented to those who persecute to join us in our communion with the Divine. John relates the attempt of the religious authorities to trap Jesus in a charge of disobedience to the Law of Moses. The triumph of ‘group think’ when people assemble in a mob to “seek justice” is often the tragic consequence of the type of gathering which occurs in the Gospel. Jesus shows the seeking of the calm and inspiration of His relationship with the Father. The review of the situation in the ‘eyes of Love’ offers the challenge to the gathered ‘righteous’ to cast the first stone if they were without sin. The dialogue of Jesus with the woman indicates that she too was ‘not without sin’. The relationship with God brought to this situation places forgiveness first. This is so difficult and so needed.

Lazarus Lives

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the fifth Sunday of Lent are rich in food for reflection. Fr Larry Gillick SJ suggests five themes for the Gospel today. They are death and resurrection, personal love of Jesus, Jesus’ calling us out of our personal tombs, The Light and The Life, and the role of “signs” or “works”. The short passage from the book of Ezekiel follows the “dry bones” episode (Ezekiel 37:1-14) where the prophet acts “in front of God” to minister the breath of Life from God putting flesh and life on lifeless bones. Paul exhorts the Romans to live in the indwelling Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead. The psalmist proclaims the intention to wait hopefully for the Lord. Living the intimate relationship with the Divine will bring steadfast love and redemption from our iniquities or our ‘personal tombs’. The details of Lazarus return from the dead in the Gospel of John offer the opportunity to reflect on the specific actions of Jesus and other persons included by the evangelist. The story is long and full of detail. The style of John is to make every word drip with meaning. The imagination will bring life to these words of life.

Dealing with Difference

The cry of Jeremiah in the text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is a reaction to being challenged and threatened by the authorities by whom his prophetic message of change is rejected. The reaction of the people to Jesus action and words as presented in John’s Gospel is that some listen and consider the possibility that He is the promised Messiah. The understanding of the authorities is that Jesus practices and advocates changes in the way the people of Israel relate to God. The response is to dismiss the dialogue by reference to a “fact” which forces selection of an option and a conclusion. This technique is a familiar one. We tend to resort to the “shut down” when we are not open to hear. The danger of “dual thinking”, where we confine the possibilities to one of two options is raised by Franciscan author Richard Rohr as an obstacle to relating with the world and the Divine.

Acting on What we Hear

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring to mind the actions of bullying which seems to be more present today in our society. The response we have to encountering a different approach to life than our own, too often is to attempt to find fault with the alternative we witness. The Book of Wisdom details the plotting of people against the virtuous man who by his very actions appears to cause anger and guilt to rise in those who are unable to appreciate his choice of virtue. When a companion will not “go along with the crowd”, particularly when the crowd is slipping into less desirable action, we quickly push the ‘goody’ to the margins. The psalmist reminds us that the intimate relationship with the Divine offered by God is the source of salvation for those crushed in spirit. The righteous person understands the protection and deliverance of Providence. The Gospel of John relates the return of Jesus to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. Some of the people recognize Him as the one who speaks and acts in a manner which has angered the religious authorities. They are confused about His identity as the Christ, the anointed. The guidance of the authorities would seem to discourage seeing Him as One from God. He is protected in this visit from capture by the authorities. The will of the Father which He lives is providing His security.

Surface involvement

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today relate a history of the inability of humanity to go deeply into spiritual experience as contemplate what the indwelling Spirit senses of Divine Presence. The Book of Exodus recounts the fickle and “stiff-necked” people like ourselves who return to our idols even in the face of evidence, experience and witness of Providence which in Exodus is exercised in the actions of Moses. The psalmist praises Moses stepping into the breach and in dialogue with the Divine obtaining the insight that God would remain true to the Covenant and would call the people back to intimacy. John relates Jesus presentation of the witnesses or truth which is revealed about His Divinity. The ‘stiff-necked” continue to inhibit the response of the indwelling Spirit to the Presence.

Intimacy is the Model

The prophet Isaiah relates the tender care that the people returning from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem are experiencing from God in this text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. ( Isaiah 49:15) "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” The psalmist proclaims the compassion and intimacy of the Lord to those who call on Him. In the Gospel of John the author explains the great difficulty of the religious authorities with Jesus. The claim of Jesus that he and the Father were one was beyond belief. The text continues to expound on the relationship between Father and Son which is one of the Presence of the will of the Father in the actions of the Son. The tenderness of Isaiah 49 and the closeness of the Divine to those who are bowed down, in the words of the psalmist, is physical and human. The delight of the Divine in Creation is expressed in flesh. This is truly much more than mere human awareness can easily accommodate. The indwelling Spirit, the love of Father and Son, is the language with which mere humanity is in intimate community with the Divine.

Water of Life

The image from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel in the Roman Catholic Lectionary is of a great flow of water from the Temple bringing abundant life to the arid Arabah region. This phenomenon is experienced seasonally as the flood waters of rivers overwhelm the banks and awaken our awe at the power of Nature. As the waters recede we witness life growing on the once flooded river plains. This miracle is so tied to our daily living. It is the concern of our prayer. We are nonchalant about the usual natural cycles. We take notice and attend to our relationship with the Divine when the extraordinary or uncontrolled Nature touches our lives. The psalmist recognizes that God is “a very present help in trouble”. The Gospel of John relates another episode when Jesus demonstrates that the ‘present help’ of the Divine is not bound by human regulation. The fear of loss of control puts legalistic policies at a greater importance to some religious authorities than being present witnesses to the extraordinary intimacy of the Divine with Creation.

The Light Brings Joy

The Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent, in the Roman Catholic Lectionary, follows Laetare Sunday which marks the halfway point of Lent. Traditionally, some indications of joy are included in the liturgy on Sunday to mark a pause in the penitential observances of Lent. We call out for a pause in our lives. The need to see the light at the end of the tunnel may be expressed in our impatience for better times, better attention to our relationships or more spring weather. Isaiah reassures the people that the Lord continues to delight in them and that a New Jerusalem will be created for them as they begin the long journey from exile in Babylon. The psalmist praises the Lord for the invitation to drop the sackcloth and put on the vestments of joy. The rejoicing marks the understanding of the continued support of Providence in our life. The Gospel of John tells of Jesus return to the regions of Galilee near Cana and Capernaum. The residents have heard of the healing of the man born blind and Jesus is met with another request for healing which may be yet another demand for a sign from the cynical and critical. The encounter with Jesus by the royal official seeking healing for his son is truly the plea of one seeking to believe out of the love of father for son. The Love of Father for Son and all those who are given to the Son breaks the oppression of sickness and death with the joy of life and faith.

Choosing to be Witness to Seeing Better

The texts for the Fourth Sunday of Lent in the Roman Catholic Lectionary deal with themes of light and dark, seeing and not seeing, and belief and unbelief. God calls the Prophet Samuel to anoint the King to replace Saul. He reviews the sons of Jesse and the men who by human observation were candidates are passed over. Through Divine revelation Samuel anoints David who is the youngest, smallest and least manly of the sons. The vision of God is of the heart and the human tendency is to only see the surface and to rush to judgement based on imperfect vision. The psalmist proclaims the 23rd psalm and presents the image of the Divine Shepherd who “prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies; anoints my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long” and lets the Covenant between God and His people be seen. Paul through the Letter to the Ephesians exhorts us to live as children of the Light we know in our intimate relationship with the Divine through Jesus and the resonance of our indwelling Spirit. We have access to knowledge of what is pleasing to God. Our vision of situations and people can be illuminated by our Spiritual intimacy with God. We have to be awake as Samuel was awake to the will of God. The episode from the Gospel of John is described today by Fr Larry Gillick; “There are several delightful symbols in this little play. “Work” and “light” go together. Jesus as light has come into the darkness of the world to do His thing, which is to present the Father Who sent Him and to do some deeds which will attract attention and a personal response.” (Gillick SJ, 2011) The belief of the Man born blind in the action of the One who made a clay paste for his eyes and sent him to the pool to wash it off cannot be shaken. The authorities are caught in the dilemma between “healing on the Sabbath- a violation of the Law” and the understanding that healing comes from God. The suggestion that Jesus is a “prophet’, at least with some of the vision and power of God, is an unacceptable possibility. The resolution of the man with new vision to maintain his account of his encounter with the Divine, results in his expulsion from the Temple. Holding to the experiences of Light and the faithful response in the face of criticism, ridicule and abandonment by friends and family is difficult. The choice is to recall and repeat for all the experience of “new vision” which is a consequence of the intimacy of our indwelling Spirit with the Divine.

Gillick SJ, L. (2011, April). Daily Reflection. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Creighton University's Online Ministries : http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040311.html

Truly Looking Inside

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to us imagination to be in the dialogues we hear. Hosea is consoling the people with the promise that their relationship with God is not severed by their actions. He presents an agenda for the near future when hope will be realized and they will return to their knowledge of the Divine in their lives. Hosea expresses the fickleness of the people in words of God which also reveal steadfast desire to maintain the relationship with the people. Psalm 51 is the prayer of repentance which is rich in understanding of transgression and the passion to be reunited through the mercy and compassion of God. The phrases resonate with the indwelling Spirit as sincere longing and delightful expectation of reunion. The Pharisee and the Tax-Collector from Luke’s Gospel are presenting themselves in prayer before God. We are offered through our imagination the certainty of righteousness of the Pharisee who knows he is doing the right things and the examination of self of the tax collector who understands that his righteousness is only possible through the mercy and compassion of the Divine. The revelation of self through our relationship with the Divine is the path we are called to follow. The picture of our weakness is showing where we will encounter the joy of redemption and restoration.

The loss of focus

The phrase “jealous God” comes to mind when reflecting on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The prophet Hosea compares the return of the people of Israel to faith and trust in God to the blooming of rich and exotic plants with aroma and beauty providing evidence of great life. The senses are filled with the experience of the Divine. This assurance causes the prophet to wonder how and why we put the work of our hands and our ambitions and lusts ahead of our experience of Eden in the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Divine. The psalmist presents a dialogue with God where the questions of why we would choose other than our relationship with Providence where we can find our true direction and destiny. The evidence of our past is that we refuse the finest wheat and sweetest nourishment in favour of our crumbling and discontent. Mark relates, in the text from the Gospel, the dialogue between Jesus and a scribe wherein the commandment to choose God above all is restated and the scribe is positioned as one near the Kingdom of Heaven for his understanding of this directive to life.