Accepting crosses

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring the question of authority and the hierarchy of beings to mind. Scholars like Friar Jude Winkler and Scott Shauf work with the translation of the text and the prevailing writing style at the time of the author to provide details to illuminate the question of the understanding of the hierarchy of Jesus, humans and angels. The humanity of Jesus is presented strongly in this passage as the will of God to accomplish complete identification of the One with authority over Creation with the Creature to whom the psalm and Genesis tradition give dominion over the earth. The acceptance of the will of the Father by Jesus to endure suffering and death is the exultation of the Way. Friar Jude comments on our relationship with evil action and temptation as he discusses the exhibition of teaching with authority in the synagogue at Capernaum as related in the Gospel of Mark. The fear of the demon that Jesus has come to destroy him prompts us to consider the relationship we have with our demons of power, prestige, pride and pleasure. We fear throwing them out as we anticipate accepting some suffering of self denial as a result. Our call to be brought low in response to the will of the Father, modelling Jesus, will also draw us to share in the exultation of our Brother.