The challenging encounters

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the way in which our interactions with others shape our understanding of God and our transformation to our True Self.

The passage from the Second Book of Samuel tells of the humiliation of David by the relative of Saul, Shimei.

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus’ power over evil spirits is demonstrated and results in a fear reaction from the people of the territory of the Gerasenes.

* [5:2–6] The man was an outcast from society, dominated by unclean spirits (Mk 5:8, 13), living among the tombs. The prostration before Jesus (Mk 5:6) indicates Jesus’ power over evil spirits.

Gina’ s blog shows the great intrigues and challenges in the life of David.

I can see God working in all of this…. but WHAT a RED HOT MESS!!!! Living with the consequences of our sin, although we KNOW we are forgiven, is never easy. But like David, we can still have the FAITH to press forward and TRUST that God will use all things for our good (Romans 8:28.)

Father Ronald D. Witherup comments that preaching the miracle stories of the Gospels in a rational age is not easy.

Moreover, as Mark’s Gospel shows, miracles are in and of themselves ambiguous. I am reminded of the wise adage attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas: “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one who has no faith, no explanation is sufficient.” Miracles and faith go hand in hand.

Mark Latta asks questions inspired by the texts. What is God calling us to do? How should we respond to those who are unlovable? How do we view God in our own lives as sinners?

Christ can change anybody. Christ’s love can revolutionize anybody’s life, but His love must first be shared and then received. And so, the obvious lesson for us is to in faith, “become comfortable being uncomfortable” and seek to manifest the love of Christ through us to those who the world says are unworthy.

Don Schwager asserts that Jesus has power to free us from every evil spirit of oppression.

What is more remarkable - the destructive force of this driven and possessed man - or the bended knee at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release? God's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ..Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation (Psalm 91:7,9).

Friar Jude Winkler explains that David had taken place of Saul. The Benjamite Shimei may be speaking in the name of God offering David an invitation to humility and a way of becoming more humble. Jesus sends the man freed from demons back to where he will be a witness. Sometimes the role we play is to live and give witness.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites Fr. Henri Nouwen who points to commentary on Jesus’ Beatitudes by Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999), translator and interpreter of early Hindu texts such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, in which he shares four perennial principles taught by Christian mystic Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) revealing a core of personality which cannot be separated from God.

First, there is a “light in the soul that is uncreated and uncreatable” [2]: unconditioned, universal, deathless; in religious language, a core of personality which cannot be separated from God. Eckhart is precise: this is not what the English language calls the “soul,” but some essence in the soul that lies at the very center of consciousness. As Saint Catherine of Genoa put it, “My me is God: nor do I know my selfhood except in God.” [3] In Indian mysticism this divine core is simply called atman, “the Self.”

Our inner Divine Spark becomes energized in our interaction with others who shape our understanding of our mission and the personality changes that are essential in our transformation.