Imitate God and consider political persuasion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have connection on the surface to joy and mystery about our family ties and in attending to the nuances of Divine passion and human politics we find deep food for contemplation.

"Joy, prayer and gratitude are three ways that help us live authentically." - Pope Francis pic.twitter.com/YkOe7xUYo0

— Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ (@FrTimSJ) January 13, 2018

King David, dancing ecstatically and wearing an apron like garment is an image of joy as the Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem in the Second Book of Samuel.

* [6:14] Girt with a linen ephod: the ephod was some sort of priestly vestment (probably like an apron); cf. Ex 28:4; Jgs 17:5; 1 Sm 2:18, 28; 14:3; 22:18; 23:6. The cultic procession that accompanies the ark to the holy mountain, Zion, is led by King David, dancing ecstatically and wearing a priestly vestment

Jesus is interrupted by visitors in the Gospel of Mark and speaks to us of the nature of family.

* [3:20–35] Within the narrative of the coming of Jesus’ relatives (Mk 3:20–21) is inserted the account of the unbelieving scribes from Jerusalem who attributed Jesus’ power over demons to Beelzebul (Mk 3:22–30); see note on Mk 5:21–43. There were those even among the relatives of Jesus who disbelieved and regarded Jesus as out of his mind (Mk 3:21). Against this background, Jesus is informed of the arrival of his mother and brothers [and sisters] (Mk 3:32). He responds by showing that not family ties but doing God’s will (Mk 3:35) is decisive in the kingdom; cf. note on Mt 12:46–50.

 Jeanne Schuler, a philosopher, links the action of David to a note that Nietzsche once swore he’d believe only in a god that knows how to dance.

The wooden box, the sign of the covenant, accompanied the Israelites on their journey.  When the ark was carried into Jerusalem, the celebration spilt out into the streets.  David led the dancing.  The beloved dwelt among them.  They were home.  Each household shared the bread and the meat of the sacrifice. We remember David for dancing before the Lord.  Conquest, lust, and heartbreak did not define him.  His joy ran deeper.  In trusting God, he was freed.  Here lies David’s greatness.  From his line the Messiah would come.  Like the tent in which the ark was placed, the future king would take humble form.

An article by Prof. Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, identifies Nietzsche as the Strangest Antisemite of Them All and presents a caution for how political processes may distort the ideas and ideals of people for self serving objectives.

Today, Western leftist professors, intellectuals, and journalists have simply turned this process on its head: same attack but for the exact opposite reasons. Now they attack the Jews-not necessarily all Jews but those who do not accept the doffing of their identity as a people or strong religious belief–and their main contemporary product, Israel as symbols of all the things they supposedly part of their campaign against Western civilization, traditional viewpoints, nationalism, and capitalism.

Austin Cline comments that in the Gospel from Mark today the boundaries of “family” are expanded beyond blood relatives, spouses, and even disciples to include those who hunger for a relationship with God and are willing to do God’s will. The “family values” concept in Western Christianity has been a strong political rallying cry.

On the other hand, such passages make the whole “family values” argument of modern evangelical Christians difficult to uphold. Christianity is no longer a “new religious movement.” Christianity is no longer a radical belief system that takes people away from parents and siblings; it has stopped being a challenge to the system and now is “the system.” Jesus’ message simply doesn’t make as much sense in the context of a powerful, dominant, and pervasively Christianized society.

Paul J. Bucknell is inspired by Mark to suggest that, in a sense, we all are related to each other. Jesus was not lowering His care for His family but helping them all to understand how big His family really was.

Friar Jude Winkler comments on David’s objective to make Jerusalem the religious capital. Pilgrimage to Jerusalem would cause his prestige to grow. The people are often confused in the Gospel of Mark. Only at Cross do they realize they are called to give of self to serve others.

Father Tim ponders Finding God in Domestic Chaos. The humour used by Jesus in His teaching suggests we might explore the concept of the Family of Jesus in a subtle and nuanced way.

The point here is not to place Jesus in the Comedy Hall of Fame. Rather it is to encourage us to see and hear the message of our Lord with fresh eyes and ears, to discover a new aspect of his divine brilliance and to meet him with renewed joy and laughter in our hearts. May we continue to take our ministry seriously but not ourselves.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares work of Theologian and New Testament scholar Marcus Borg (1942-2015) insights on how Jesus pursued the imitatio dei (imitation of God) as his life’s purpose.

Our passion—our dedicated devotion, our consuming interest, our concentrated commitment—is a major indicator of our character, indeed, flows out of our character. So it is in Jesus’s teaching about God. God’s character and passion, what God is like and God’s will for the world, go hand in hand.
God’s passion is justice. . . . As the social form of compassion, justice is about politics [the word “politics” comes from the Greek polis for “city”]. . . . Politics is about the shape and shaping, the structure and structuring, of the city and, by extension, of human communities more generally, ranging from the family to society as a whole. . . . Justice is the political form of compassion, the social form of love, a compassionate justice grounded in God as compassionate. . .

The believer lives in a political world where people bend almost any idea or concept to suit the passion they wish to pursue. Spiritual critical contemplation is necessary to avoid confusion about what Jesus would do. We seek to adopt the "imitatio dei" lifestyle realizing that we will always be somewhat confused, in this life, about the mind of God.

References

(n.d.). 2 Samuel, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/6

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/3

(2010, December 12). The Strangest Antisemite of Them All: The Bizarre Case of Friedrich .... Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.rubincenter.org/2010/12/strangest-antisemite-of-them-all-friedrich-nietzsche/

(2017, December 21). Jesus' Family Values (Mark 3:31-35) – An Analysis - ThoughtCo. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/jesus-family-values-mark-331-35-248681

(n.d.). The Family of Jesus - Mark 3.31-35: Walking with Jesus. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Abiding/Abiding20.html

(2013, May 30). The Often Overlooked Humor of Jesus | Clergy Family Confidential. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://frtim.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/the-often-overlooked-humor-of-jesus/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/