Nineveh Now

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tell of Jonah who is sent to call the people of Nineveh back to God. Friar Jude Winkler comments that this may be a parable for the people of Judah exiled to Babylon to open their eyes to the desire of God to be in relationship with all people, even those who have been enemies of the Chosen People. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus refers to two foreign figures from the Hebrew tradition who will be present at the final judgement of the people of Jesus time to point to the great opportunity for growth in wisdom and practice of the love and mercy of God they are missing in the Good News. The proclamation of the psalmist is that he knows of his sin before God and he understands that he is called to teach transgressors the ways of God. The appeal for the restoration of Jerusalem then, as now, is so dependent on the extension of the hand of peace and inclusion to those neighbours who have been thought as enemies. Friar Jude returns to his theme that we need to be very aware that the call of others by God is very difficult and improper for us to attempt to assess. We struggle with the Divine movement to love our enemies and we retreat to the false security of our spiritual tradition, nation, tribe, community and family. We continue to miss the sign of Jonah.

Accomplishing the Purpose

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to the transformative power of God's Word. As Friar Jude Winkler comments, the Word, as understood by the ancient Hebrew people, had the effect of its content. The Passover prayers make the event present to the participants. God's Word, Present in the Eucharist makes the event of Jesus Passover, death and Resurrection present to the us. The psalmist gives praise to God for the Presence experienced when he cries out and is rescued from his afflictions. The Prophet Isaiah declares that God's Word accomplishes its purpose. The Gospel of Matthew presents the prayer of the Christian community in the form which originated in the instructions of Jesus (Luke 11:1-4). This prayer opens our being to receive much direction about the means whereby God accomplishes His Purpose. God is intimate. God is Father. The requests with which this prayer informs us are from a loving parent to a child in which there is much delight. In this relationship, we desire to do the will of the parent in the expectation that this goodness will spread to all with whom we have contact. In our interactions with others we are to be satisfied with just what we need, that which is Providence, to equip us and not temp us toward self satisfaction. The mercy and forgiveness we experience as we move towards accomplishing the Purpose of God needs to be shared to have full effect in our lives and the lives of others. Amen

Fulfilling the Law

The psalmist today, in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, praises the law of the Lord whereby he knows wisdom, joy, enlightenment, truth and a direction in which to live to avoid great transgression. The address of Moses to the Israelite people calling on them to behave like God is a marvelous leap, according to Friar Jude Winkler, for people of the time who understood the "gods" to be capricious and likely to treat humans according to their moods and passions. The behaviour of the people according to the Law is given some examples in the text from Leviticus. Friar Jude comments that it has both vertical, toward God and horizontal, toward people aspects. The Gospel of Matthew, who presents the return of the Son of Man to the world at the end times, reveals the aspects of the judgement of the way in which we have lived according to the will of God. Jesus focuses on the actions of those He calls blessed. They are referred to as sheep who are moved to His right hand. They have acted to be compassionate, selfless, inclusive, patient and respectful to others. Jesus declares they have ministered to Him. To the goats, on His left, He explains that they have rejected Him as they failed to minister to the members of His family. They are dismissed. The surprise of Matthew 25 is that the fulfillment of the Law is relationship and not rules. Another surprise is that many people have lived and continue to live as His sheep in the love and care they give to children, parents, friends and society. Without deep knowledge of the Law, Prophets and Tradition they are welcomed as "blessed of my Father". Praise God!

Many Hidden Riches to Discover

“That we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects” This phrase is taken from the Collect, or opening prayer, of the Mass for the First Sunday in Lent. The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer evidence of these riches and provide some direction for the worthy conduct which we might adopt in the joyful time, according to Father Larry Gillick SJ, of our opening eyes to see and ears to hear the Good News as Jesus is proclaiming in the Gospel of Mark. The flood  episode of Genesis shows water, often a symbol of life, as a means of death in the destruction and chaos it can cause. Friar Jude Winkler refers to the letter of Peter today as an explanation of how the water of Baptism, our immersion in it, is the means where by the Old Self is put to death and the New Creation rises as the indwelling Spirit is resonant with the Spirit of God. Fr Larry looks at the re-creation of the Old World in the flood of Noah. The people had abandoned intimacy with God. The reordering of the waters of chaos and the proclamation of the Covenant of love and mercy, eternally represented by "God's Bow", is one of the riches we pray to understand. As this powerful Spirit is given place in our being, we can approach understanding of Jesus time of temptation in the wilderness, described in more detail by Matthew and Luke, as the preparation for "worthy conduct" which results from addressing the "wild beasts" of chaos in our lives which take us regularly away from pursuing the effects of the riches hidden in Christ. The grace of God is the "angelic assistance" which empowers us to replace selfishness with selflessness, self gratification with gratifying others, exclusion with inclusion, judgement with mercy and fear with Love. 

Respond to the isolation with inclusion

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring us  a plan to respond to isolation and desolation. The exiles who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile were, according to Friar Jude Winkler, desolate and confused about the difficulty they were encountering as they sought to restore their society. The advice of the prophet is to begin to live again according to the practices which are directed toward the will of God. The people are implored to end oppression, to feed the hungry and include the interests and needs of others in their actions. The sabbath, a time to meditate on the direction of our journey toward the Divine and extend our affairs to include needs and concerns of others, needs to be observed. As modern society has been living for decades now without the common time when many take rest and have the opportunity to meditate, we need even more to seek community and time for restoration and refocus on those who need inclusion in our circles of living. Jesus makes it clear in the episode from the Gospel of Luke where he includes the "sinners" who, like Levi, work as agents of the Roman oppressor collecting taxes, in His circle of giving, forgiving, presence and love that we do not do the Will of the Great Physician by avoiding, shunning, ignoring, shielding ourselves from those we see as less in our arrogance as "godly people". Our growth in holiness towards seeing with the eyes of God requires welcoming those who look to us to have the face which invites inclusion to "follow me".

Not famous for fasting

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer an opportunity to consider the practice of fasting. This experience is not given much serious attention in our society. Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the many traditional fasts and the value to our being of a ritual which brings us into contact with sorrow about the consequences of our sin and mourning over the suffering and death of Jesus as the greatest human love action. The Gospel and the Book of Isaiah show two directions of fasting. The actions of ending the oppression of others and living with mercy, forgiveness and charity toward them is the "fasting" from  self serving life which always takes care of "number one". The Book of Isaiah declares the desire of the Divine to see this practice among people. The ritual of self denial gives the body a role in motivating our spiritual change. Fr Jude reminds us of the necessity of our solidarity with the hungry and poor  which we can get a sense of in our body by fasting from food. Our over eating and our abundance of food from all over the globe begs the question of the authenticity of our attempts to "live simply so others can simply live". The denial of self can create an experience in our flesh of our need and dependance on God. We are invited to explore the paradox of fullness through fasting.

 

Choosing life and self denial

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary raise a fundamental paradox amid seemingly common sense advice. The Book of Deuteronomy presents Moses choice to the people of Israel to obey God and live with prosperity or to turn away and face adversity. The sense of turning and changing direction is important here. The Commandments are a scaffolding which support a project to build a life which is attuned to hear the invitation of God and to move in that direction. People, at different times in their lives, experience changes in their sensitivity to the call of the Lord. It is difficult and and may lead to improper condemnation to try to be literal and legal about the Law. The Spirit of God is heard by the heart and the meditation praised by the psalmist, constant, day and night brings direction which is away from the wicked and scoffers to the fruitful path of life in relationship with the Divine. This relationship is the key to insight into the great paradox of the willingness of the Son of Man and those who hear His call and follow Him to be Suffering Servants for others. The great mystery where rejection by some brings fruit of inclusion for others, practice of humility brings glory to All and death to self brings Life.

Community and the penitential time

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary announce the beginning of the penitential time of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday.  Joel writes of the response of the people to the call from God to return to Me.  Joel praises the grace, mercy and love of God which makes reconciliation possible. The contrast between personal sin as recognized by the prayer in Psalm 51 and the call of Joel to assemble the congregation and seek communal reconciliation is part of the commentary of Friar Jude Winkler today. We are aware of our unity and we support each other when we gather as a community with God. The Body of Christ is called to be ambassador for Him in the world as Paul proclaims to the Corinthians. The witness of communal acceptance of the will of God to listen to the invitation to intimacy makes salvation known to all. The movement present at the same time as communal restoration is the salvation of the individual. Paul exerts that now is the acceptable time for this movement. Christian tradition calls us to recognize our sinfulness before God and seek forgiveness at any and all time, as Winkler suggests. The personal practice of this reconciliation is commemorated by non public almsgiving, prayer and fasting. The Gospel of Matthew offers Jesus direction which makes it less likely that we are seeking recognition for our charity and religious practice in our observance of the three fold activity to heighten our personal awareness of the self centered behaviour in our lives which blocks the fullness of Love from being lived and witnessed.  We restart our personal quiet movement to holiness with the community which is the Body of Christ.

Generosity Service and Humility

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today explore the conflict between our own desires and jealousy and Life in communion with God. The letter of James reminds us of the opposite directions of the Will of God and the desire in the world to acquire all we can for ourselves and our self gratification. The battle against these tendencies, or demons, is best fought from the position of humility. The degree to which we realize our position before the Divine and celebrate with thanksgiving the life we know is the measure of our preparedness to accept the direction of the Spirit to move beyond our desires and jealousy and draw near to God as James is inviting us to do. The psalmist is calling on the justice of God to rectify the wrongs he witnesses in society. We can emphasize with that prayer. Our challenge is to seek mercy over justice. This request to God is nurtured in humility. In the text from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus again refers to the Son of Man (see Daniel 7 and the Suffering Servant of Second Isaiah) being killed by human hands and then rising from the dead. The deep mystery of this assertion seems to be ignored by the disciples who are immersed in the discussion of their greatness before God. Jesus redirects their orientation to service. Friar Jude Winkler describes the "welcome" of the child, the least of the community as the "service" of the least. This humility is necessary to be the full servant of Jesus, God and humanity.

Accomplishment and Arrogance

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary illuminate a challenge to people who have acquired specialized knowledge or ability. A letter of James asks the wise and those with understanding if they are giving witness to a good life by applying their wisdom with simplicity, in peace and mercy without hypocrisy or partiality. Friar Jude Winkler indicates that some learned people may use their special knowledge to control, divide and "lord it over" others. The gift of wisdom and ability is to be used in service. The disciples, in the episode from the Gospel of Mark, bring a boy to him who is exhibiting behaviour of one possessed. Jesus perceives that perhaps the inability of His disciples to heal this boy is routed in the absence of faith, or trust in the will of God, in the events so far. Jesus responds to the doubts of the father of the boy by challenging the lack of faith of the man. The response of the father is our proper response. "Help my unbelief!". We live in a society of right and wrong, ready and not prepared, good and evil. We look to have the right amount of faith, charity, mercy and forgiveness. Am I there yet? is often the cry of our times. On the other side we seek credit and results after minimal efforts. The father breaks free from the attempt to determine if he has sufficient faith to pass with the movement toward God seeking mercy and grace. This is our position before the Divine. God loves and is Present to us. In the position of communion with God, we are healed. Our arrogance, which may be rooted in our special knowledge or ability, is an obstacle to being a witness to the Love of God working in us. We listen to Jesus tells us about prayer.

What we see and hear

The episode from the Gospel of Mark in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today concludes with "we have never seen anything like this" (Mark 2:12). Fr Larry Gillick reflects on this passage by considering the statement of the CS Lewis character in The Magician’s Nephew, (one of the Chronicles of Narnia), which is "For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing and also depends on what sort of person you are". The witnesses to the healing of the paralytic saw and heard a different event. Friar Jude Winkler notes that even though we might "see" forgiveness of sins as easier than healing the paralysis, the Scribes and some who consider their sinfulness to be to great or too inconsequential to God for Divine intervention may "hear" different messages than the invitation to rebirth through forgiveness. This invitation to rebirth is extended to the exiles in Babylon as the prophet declares that God is standing in the position where He sees the transgressions of the people and hears their doubts in Babylon, yet chooses to blot out their sins and not remember. The account we give of an accident we witness depends on where we stand and the bias we may have in our mind for "drivers who turn left on this street". We look out at the people of God and , like Jesus, see the faith which is healing their lives and the lives of those with whom they have contact or we see the people who threaten our authority and control with "new" understanding. We may, like Paul, as in the comment from Friar Jude,  deflect our personal upset with a situation by withdrawing to a position that gives us a new perspective and we may choose to send a letter or email rather than invite a face to face confrontation. Where are we standing?

Two very different times

The Texts from Roman Catholic Lectionary today present sharp contrast between two human experiences in our relationship with the Divine. The Letter of James recalls the power for evil which is associated with how we use our tongue. We know the regret of "I wish I had not said that". Friar Jude Winkler reminds us of the effect of a word of praise or a word of condemnation on young people. That "memory trigger" is not far away from most adults too who can be transported back to the time of those terrible words. The Gospel of Mark is the episode where Peter, James and John are transported to the mountain top with Jesus. This very experience, as Friar Jude points out is given today to people on the spiritual journey. Like Peter, James and John we become aware of parts of the puzzle which were hidden to us. The impression we take away from these mountain top experiences is rich. Friar Jude steps through some of the richness presented to the disciples which enlightened them with links to the Law and the Prophets, the Presence in the cloud and many references to the Jewish tradition. The connection of Jesus to their lives and tradition was opened more clearly to them. The effect of making ourselves the authority and speaking our mind from ego and pride is known and referred to by James. The gift of the transcendent experience given by the Spirit reveals our humble understanding and opens us to listen and see the wonders in the people and creation around us. Praise God for marvelous course correction! Amen

The Promised Life

The discussion about faith and works is presented by James in the passage from his second letter from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. The surrender of our fear and concern to God is faith. We trust in His will for our lives. We are invited to live intimately with God through the Holy Spirit. Can it be more than this? What work can I do to earn this? The answers are yes there is more and no it is gift and it is undeserved, unmerited and we cannot work to achieve it. The more is living as Christ. This brings us compassion, patience, mercy and forgiveness. The action and work which follows from our holy gifts is the righteousness which makes our lives a witness to Love. Works are the consequence and fulfillment of faith. The Life in the Way will invite us to abandon the practices which cause us to turn away from the direction prompted by the Spirit. When we serve ourselves we show distance from the Divine to the world. Mark, in the Gospel passage, sees those in his time who are presenting an attitude of being ashamed of Jesus Way through adulterous and sinful actions. We are cautioned about our loss of intimacy with God, the fruit of faith, and our possible return to fear in the dark

An uncommon sense

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary can make us uncomfortable about the allure and apparent goodness of comfort. The second letter of James comments on the deference which is shown in the community gatherings to the wealthy. Friar Jude Winkler points out that today the wealthy donor or patron of the activities of the parish is treated differently from the poor member of our communities. He refers to studies which indicate our vision of the "good" person is too often associated with characteristics of having wealth, being a winner and being white skinned. These attitudes tempt the disciples of Jesus not to strive to see with the eyes of God, Who chooses the poor, outcast, weak and unlikely to be King David or Peter the Rock. Jesus confronts the common sense of Peter that the "Son of Man" will be a great and powerful Messiah, a King or General who will bring them comfort, with allusion to the Suffering Servant leader of the Book of Isaiah who will give everything for the salvation of the nation and the world. The temptation in Peter's mind to move to power and glory is firmly rejected by Jesus. The psalmist declares the point of view from which there is better clarity about those in relationship with the Divine. They are the humble who have been delivered from fear to love. 

On two levels

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reach us in and about two levels.  Friar Jude Winkler points out the two messages in the letter of James. The first identifies gossip as a sordid and wicked practice which needs to be combatted with attention to listening and reluctance to speak. The second level addresses the deeper level of relationship to God which is characterized as being a doer and not just one who talks the talk. The psalmist praises those who walk the walk which involves rejecting behaviour which brings scandal and as James concludes in the end of his passage those who attend to the needs of the poor, excluded and dispossessed. Francis of Assisi encouraged the faithful to preach the Good News and if necessary, use words. The life of the disciple is the level of witness which is not always easy. Friar Jude points to the healing of the blind man in the Gospel of Mark today in two stages as being about the two stage conversion of the apostles. The first stage of love and attraction, which we know, is the relationship with Jesus which makes us feel great and supercharged. It brings us pleasure. As the apostles approached Calvary with Jesus they came to a second level of relationship through struggle and death to self which completes their journey to full restoration of sight. The second half of life, referred to by Richard Rohr, is that level of living in relationship with God where the battles with ego and self service can be won more than lost through the power of the indwelling Spirit in resonance with the Holy Spirit.

Not getting it

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present some truths which we have difficulty accepting. The Letter of James warns that our understanding of temptation is flawed. God does not tempt us. The tendency we have to seek self satisfaction and positioning of our action to bring our desires to ourselves come from within. Friar Jude Winkler associates this with the concept of "original sin". This tendency to sin is also part of the effect of our ancestors on our lives today. The battle is understood by Jungian psychology as battle with the ego which draws us into attitudes where I am the proper centre of my existence. Richard Rohr, in Falling Upward, discusses the necessary ego of the "first half of life" being left behind as we journey to wisdom and intimacy with the Divine in the "second half of life" after dismissing the loyal soldier which has gotten us this far. The psalmist understands the need to praise God for the discipline and correction which keeps us from slipping into the control of our ego driven passions. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus warns the disciples that the instruction and guidance of the Pharisees about the Law and the nature of God is flawed. He cites the distribution of the bread of Life to the Jewish followers and the 12 baskets remaining as a sign to the twelve tribes of Israel of the will of God to satisfy their hunger for Truth through Love and compassion. The "Jewish perfect number" of 7 baskets remaining from the distribution to the pagans proclaims the inclusion of both Jew and Gentle, the whole of humanity, in the saving Messianic Plan of God. The death to self and movement to inclusion are related and both are components of living deeper intimacy with God.

Living appropriately in the Mystery

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary appear to offer concise clear rules for life. When we look closer the concise contents are full of contradiction. The message of James to the Christian community is, according to Friar Jude Winkler, a prologue to the topics to be included in his longer letter. The faith that James asks the reader to embrace is the faith which is tested with trial. Is this approach to faith development likely to bring great numbers into the infant Christian communities? Perhaps encouraging those with a weaker attachment would swell the numbers? James underlines the zest which he desires to see among the Christians. It is borrowed from the Jewish dialogue with God, like Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof, which addresses God with the certainty of faith and knowledge of our position of surrender before God in combination with the experience of the delight of God in us. In the Gospel of Mark, the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. Would he not win them over and win us over today with a sign? Why not help our weak attachment with the proof we seek? This might just fill the churches again. The attributes of faith and attachment praised by the psalmist, humility and steadfast love, are experienced in the Way of faith which is grounded in trial. The seer who is seeing with the eyes of God must learn to look with the eyes of God.

Think about what is seen

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are tied, at one level, to understanding the effect on the outcast of a miraculous healing and return to the community as is presented in the passage from the Gospel of Mark. The psalmist praises God for the joy of forgiveness which was often tied to healing. The transgression of the Law which was thought to have caused the disease must have been forgiven when the person was healed.  The light of the letter of Paul to the Corinthians asks disciples of Christ to be aware of the witness they give to others, both intentionally and unintentionally. Modern western society is very aware of individual "rights". Paul asks us to consider how our actions are seen by others. We can argue for a right to eat what we want when we want, drink what we want, when we want and wear what we want, when we want but our focus should be on the possibility of being seen as scandalous by others. The attitude of trying to bring no offense trumps the "right to do this". Friar Jude Winkler advises that we approach the Gospel of Mark by being aware of the construction of the work. Mark has placed the episodes from the life of Jesus in a sequence. The healing of the leper in the passage today causes the priests to be witness to the authority of Jesus which they are intent to criticize in the passage following the reading today. Even when our eyes and ears are witness, we refuse or are unable see the deeper meaning of significance our observations. Our caution to avoid the scandalous misinterpretation of our behaviour by others is wise.

The pagan influence

The text today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary from the First Book of Kings tells of the attempt of Jeroboam to change the practice of his people in the northern kingdom from traveling to Jerusalem to worship by creating temples at Bethel and Dan. According to Friar Jude Winkler the worship and traditions celebrated at Bethel and Dan were at least originally intended to be Jewish, for Jewish people. Confusion between icons intended to focus our attention toward God and idols which we treat as God is not a past problem in our salvation history, but it reasserts itself as we struggle with pious practice, reputation and wealth issues in our Churches. Are we focusing on God or the trappings of religion which bring us comfort. The Gospel of Mark restores our understanding that Jesus is moved by and is compassionate for our needs to be cared for materially and spiritually. The feeding of the pagan people who had been thirsting for a relationship with the Divine left the crowd with seven (the perfect number) baskets of left overs. Jesus proclaims that the abundant love of God is enough for everyone. This love is focused universally today as the World Day of Prayer for the sick. Let us pray!

Why do it that way

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider how the plan of God is not likely to be in perfect accord with our understanding of how things should be. The passage in the First Book of Kings is the direction of the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam to take rule of the ten tribes in the north who would become Israel and leaving the two southern tribes to become Judah.  Friar Jude Winkler explains the historic consequence of this division and the eventual deportation of all the tribes of Israel from this land. The chosen people are left to pursue their own destiny seemingly, like the psalmist laments, not listening to the voice of the Lord. The Gospel of Mark continues the description of the action of Jesus healing people in the pagan regions across the Jordan river from the land in which the Jewish people lived. The Messiah is directing those who are touched by His mercy and healing to keep the "Messianic secret" and not have His miraculous work cause Him to be misunderstood as a mystical healer. The path that He will lay out for His followers to Jerusalem and beyond will not be the in accord with the understanding of many about the way the Man-God should live and die.

In the family

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer some consideration of the role of being in the family in the development of our relationship with the Divine. The text from the First Book of Kings looks at the family of Solomon. Friar Jude Winkler provides the background that Solomon had many wives and some of them worshipped gods and were not monotheistic. The worship of the One True God was required of Israel in Covenant with God. When Solomon yielded to the pressure of those foreign wives in his family to worship to the pagan gods, the Lord advises him of his offense and the consequence to his descendants in loosing authority over the northern tribes of Israel. The notion of goodness within family as being part of the relationship of members of that family with God is in this passage. The consequence of the transgression of Solomon appears to be mitigated by the "reserve of goodness" with the the family of David. Friar Jude relates this to the Roman Catholic understanding of the 'communion of saints'. The Gospel of Mark tells of Jesus visit to the pagan region around Tyre. He is approached by a Syrophoenician woman seeking healing for her daughter. The contrast here is between the legalistic observances of those Pharisees "in the family" and the faith of the one outside the family who catches the attention and compassion of Jesus. The faith actions of those who do not follow the same path to the Divine as we, are often deep reminders to those in our traditional family to revisit our faith and faithfulness. We also see the greater family of humanity to which we all belong and who are all invited to the same intimacy with God that we pursue.  

Follow your heart

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present an opportunity to review the role of the "follow your heart" strategy in spiritual growth. The passage from the first Book of Kings tells of the wonder and amazement the Queen of Sheba, probably present day southern Saudi Arabia according to Friar Jude Winkler, who has travelled from the south in pursuit of understanding of the fabled wisdom of Solomon. The pursuit of her heart for Wisdom  is rewarded by the experience she sees of the love of the Lord for Israel in the happiness of the people around Solomon. As Winkler points out, Jesus often refers to the ability of the outsider or pagan to see and be enriched by the grace of God working in the "people of the Covenant". This highlights how our tendency to be wary of the outsider should be replaced by the action of hospitality and welcome to the visitor and newcomer who can restore to our heart what we may have neglected to nurture. Jesus continues to teach about the source of unrighteousness as the dialogue with the Pharisees about dietary laws and legalism in our relationship with the Divine may be hiding the real source of defilement from view. Our heart is able to take us to experiences which enlarge our viewpoint and see God in others. It can also take us to our attempts to satisfy our ego and act as independent, self centered beings who plan and execute action of self satisfaction, self aggrandizement and oppression of others for our desires. Following the heart is a strategy which requires the Life of our Spirit in resonance with the Spirit of God to direct the passions of the heart toward the Divine and the people in whom God delights.
   

Place, Practice and Pharisee

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present some contradictions and cautions to consider on our journey. Solomon prays to dedicate the Temple in Jerusalem and declares the paradox that the God of Israel, the God of mighty hand and outstretched arm cannot be confined to dwell on earth. The Temple, synagogue, Church and Mosque are places for people to be drawn closer in intimate union with the infinite and eternal God. As Solomon proclaims and Friar Jude Winkler confirms, the Temple will be a place of prayer where the sense of the eyes of God on us is experienced. The buildings in which we worship are icons of the history of the believers who have over time literally left parts of themselves from celebrations of birth, marriage and death to daily and weekly moments of deep thanksgiving in spiritual resonance with God. Jesus sheds light on the danger of shifting our focus from the encounter with the Divine to manipulation of the tradition or the Law to satisfy the requirements of religious observance. Who is being served when our tradition is placed before our invitation to join Jesus as the living Law and the visible Temple of compassion, love and mercy. When our legal observance is more evident than our inclusion of others and our desire to serve we may be in our example "teaching human precepts as doctrines" (Mark7:7)

Community and the change we may criticize

The actions of the people in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have relevance as people decide about how they will live faith in God in daily life. The decision that it is "Jesus and me" that counts can be compared to the apparent successful decision of Solomon to build a Temple in Jerusalem. which according to Friar Jude Winkler was built by Lebanese specialists who constructed it in the fashion of pagan temples in Lebanon. The sign of the Presence in the "cloud by day" is witnessed in theTemple. The Celtic Church has long celebrated "Thin Places" on the earth where the domain associated with God and the "earth" are closer together. The experience in these places, even for non-believers, may cause us to reconsider the omnipresent God. These places, worshipping people and liturgy are means which sharpen our focus like a lens, or in modern terminology, "tune our receiver" to be more open to the Presence. Certainly then being "present with the beloved" is the most important attitude and practice of the disciple. It certainly is a deeply intimate and essential experience to spend time with those we love. The Gospel of Mark points us to even deeper intimacy and that involves acting and doing with and as the beloved. Family comes to visit and we enjoy and drink up the joy of being present with them. When the group move to act to help and serve one another, we live with the beloved as continuing, sometimes challenging interaction. The meditation and stillness is properly ended as we follow the Beloved into active love. The worship and assembly are life giving and they need to be warm up for the life giving we give as we include others in our family through service.

Being all things in sickness and health

The bookends for the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today take us to the state of sickness of body or heart which afflicts most people at some time. The lament of Job that life is short and consists of hard service without rest is an experience which we understand. The words are perhaps surprising in the mouth of a Biblical "Hero" who we are told is loved by God. The passage from the Gospel of Mark is ,according to Friar Jude Winkler, an account of Jesus first day in Capernaum, Peter's home town, as told to Mark.
Jesus heals many who are sick and casts out demons. The healing actions of God are mystery to us. The question of "who is healed?" is always near. Winkler proposes that God always chooses the most loving option. Between the situations needing healing in the text today we find praise and thanksgiving for the healing action of God in gathering up the outcasts of Israel and binding their wounds. The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians expresses the joy and thanksgiving of Paul to God for the privilege of being able to proclaim the Good News. The enormity of the message and the shortness of time sensed by Paul have formed his strategy that he, like Jesus model, would be all things to all people to bring them in intimate contact with God who offers a journey of love to us which as witnessed by the life of Jesus his disciples and the "Heroes of the Kingdom" may include the days of sickness in body and Spirit as a means to be more of all things to all people
in the hope of bringing joy and restoration recognition of Divine intimacy to all lives.

Wisdom Work and Welfare

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer wisdom for those who work in service of others. The request of the young Solomon for wisdom as he undertakes his reign as King of Israel makes us aware that we have limited ability within our own resources. Our intentions to do a good job will be influenced, perhaps mostly when we are tired and overworked by our own needs and desires. The grand plan we may have for the situations in which we work so often includes a bit for us. Some for you and some for me is a perfectly acceptable bargain for those satisfied with human standards. The relationship with God that Solomon seeks is the means to apply the Wisdom which moves us beyond the limitations of our own selfish tendencies to seek the Truth and act in the Way which is most in accord with the Will of God.  The psalmist praises God who directs the young with decrees which are as valuable as all riches. The decrees and the dialogue of the Spirit of God with our indwelling Spirit is facilitated by retreat to quiet places for rest and meditation. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is leading apostles to a time of repose when they encounter the crowds in which Jesus sees their need for attention and a shepherd to guide them. The compassion which He exhibits to minister to them while deferring the Good Plan for quiet communion with God is enabled and driven by the energy of Life from the intimate relationship with Love and Wisdom which transcends our limitations.

Reputation Royalty and Ruin

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present truths from the way reputation impacts the lives of people. The Book of Sirach, written in Greek according to Friar Jude Winkler as a proclamation of the heroes of Israel, details the great feats of King David. The reputation of David serves to underline the intimate relationship between a leader of the people and God. The victories against enemies and building of a strong nation was intertwined with deep devotion to restoration of praise and worship of God. The serious transgressions of David brought deadly  consequences to his life as he also experienced forgiveness and reconciliation of intimacy with God. The episode from the Gospel of Mark where King Herod to maintain his reputation orders the execution of John the Baptist, the prophet who had angered his wife, Herodias, by denouncing their union as unlawful. This act is done in the heat of the moment without reflection even on the sense in his own being that John was truly a holy man, serving God. The consequence to the life of Herod is shown in the beginning of the passage where he hears of Jesus reputation and fears it is John the Baptist, raised up after he has killed at Herod's command.  Reputation is the story about our lives that can be example to others of the intimacy we share with the Divine  to which they are invited or it can be the sign of our continued enslavement to the ego, self aggrandizement and blindness to Truth.  

Attention to Attitudes

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the Presentation of the Lord.
The participation of Mary and Joseph in this ritual, according to Friar Jude Winkler, is to respect two spiritual traditions. After giving birth, the mother performed a rite of purification to be restored to the worshipping community. Winkler comments that Roman Catholic practice included some of this attitude until Vatican II. The second tradition involves "buying back" the first born, specially protected by Providence since the Exodus by offering sacrifice in the Temple. The tendency of the modern mind sometimes is to sweep away ancient attitudes without searching for the Truth within the ritual which is worthy of celebration, even today. The expectation of the Jews for a Messiah who would bring the Day of the Lord and restore the righteous of the people in their relationship with God is revealed in the texts from the Prophet Malachi. Mary is aware of the special, Messianic nature of her child. Winkler suggests that she is stressed in mind between the Jewish attitude to the Messiah and the indication of Divinity as Jesus nature. It is a comfort perhaps to her Spirit to participate in the ancient rituals which reassure us that even though the path may not be clear and the reflection of the author of Hebrews that the Divine delight is to be brother and sister with humanity in life and death through Jesus is not an attitude possible for Mary at that time, the Presence is within us, as Mary experienced in a unique way,  which is the salvation, not only of Israel as Simeon and Anna proclaim in Luke's Gospel, but for all people at all time. What a powerful promise the power of which is wrapped in traditional practices to enable our unwrapping of the wonder and awe of the Divine plan at a pace which mere humans can tolerate.

Weak and unworthy?

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are full of contrast and cognitive dissonance. King David, in the second Book of Samuel, is continuing to suffer as one who puts his will before the direction shown him by God. Our logical analysis of this situation causes us to question the reasoning of David. He has already known great life and glory from cooperation with the Will of God and yet we do get insight into our own powerful battles with ego that constantly exert our will over the direction we understand through our relationship with the Divine. The Gospel of Mark shows the response of the collective when the fears of loss of control to a calling, to wisdom, astonishment, awe and intimacy threatens the same old same old. The Prophet who sees and invites is sent away. The steadfastness, mercy and forgiveness of God proclaimed today by the psalmist is the note of hope that the grace of faith will fan the flame of Life and defeat the demon of our need to be in control.