Restore from incurable wounds

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today may take us in a few directions as we ponder the message contained in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah about how God will restore the Kingdom of Judah and Israel after their exile which seemed to be an incurable wound. Andy Alexander SJ reflects on the what we may categorize as incurable wounds in our relationships with God and others. The Scriptures proclaim that there are things which are impossible for us to achieve on our own but with the help of our relationship with Jesus all obstacles become the material for the rebuilding of our communion. The Psalmist declares that the Lord will build up Zion again. The defeat of the Jesubites by David initiated the establishment of Zion as the hill and site of fortress to protect Jerusalem in the reign of King David. Christian believers find that the role of Mary in relationship to humanity and in relationship to God resonates with Hebrew Testament texts which refer to Zion. The Gospel from Matthew 14, which is commented by Andy Alexander SJ, is not used in the Canadian Liturgical calendar today. The relationship of Peter with Jesus is the strength which Peter needs to overcome the storm. After our personal storms and our sense of incurable wounding, our spirit needs to accept communion with Jesus for that deep restoration. Chapter 15 of Matthew's Gospel today allows us to ponder Jesus comments about the blind leading the blind. Some commentary understands this as a reference to the preference to use the Babylonian Talmud over the actual Scriptures in the time of Jesus. The Christian Tradition is rich in accounts of the lives of believers from the time of Mary to the present day who by example point to living in intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit as guide to the Love of Jesus.