Service, Honour and betrayal

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today contain images to arouse our attention to spiritual transformation.

Reflection on the Journey

The Suffering Servant in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is a picture of the attitude and mission of those in service of the will of God.

* [42:1–4] Servant: three other passages have been popularly called “servant of the Lord” poems: 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12. Whether the servant is an individual or a collectivity is not clear (e.g., contrast 49:3 with 49:5). More important is the description of the mission of the servant. In the early Church and throughout Christian tradition, these poems have been applied to Christ; cf. Mt 12:18–21.

In the Gospel from John, impulsive gestures of love and respect towards Jesus create prophecy for death and a decision for betrayal.

* [12:1–8] This is probably the same scene of anointing found in Mk 14:3–9 (see note there) and Mt 26:6–13. The anointing by a penitent woman in Lk 7:36–38 is different. Details from these various episodes have become interchanged.

Colleen Chiacchere asks how to continue to model faith and love like Mary does in the passage from the Gospel of John. What does this anointing have to do with our current situation?

The second question that surfaced for me, is… How might I be covering up disordered motives using an altruistic facade? What am I distracted by and where do I need to redirect my focus to Jesus, even if Jesus is sharing some startling or sobering news in my own life, that could be difficult for me to accept?

Don Schwager explores why was Judas critical of Mary's lovely deed.

A person will view others according to what is inside their heart, mind, and soul - the inner core of their being. Judas was an embittered man and had a warped sense of what was precious and valuable, especially to God. Jesus had put Judas in charge of their common purse, very likely because he was gifted in financial matters. The greatest temptation we can face will often come in the area of our greatest strength or gifting. Judas used money entrusted to him for wrong and hurtful purposes. He allowed greed and personal gain to corrupt his heart and to warp his view of things. He was critical towards Mary because he imputed unworthy motives.

Friar Jude Winkler provides background on the Covenant described by Isaiah for all people. This universalism to those in darkness is based on humility and meekness not violence and power. The anointing of Jesus at Bethany underlines the need of Christians to address the person in the situations in front of us.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites the work of Walter Brueggemann who identifies different stages in the three major parts of the Hebrew Scriptures: the Torah, the Prophets, and the Wisdom literature. Father Richard ties these stages to our growth from order through disorder to reorder as we journey with Christ.

The Prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures then introduce the necessary suffering, “stumbling stones,” and failures that initiate you into the second half of life. Prophetic thinking is the capacity for healthy self-criticism, the ability to recognize your own dark side, as the prophets did for Israel. Without facing their own failures, suffering, and shadow, most people never move beyond narcissism and group thinking. Healthy self-criticism helps you realize you are not that good, and your group is not the only chosen people. It begins to break down either/or, dualistic thinking as you realize all things are both good and bad. This makes idolatry of anything and war against anybody much less likely.

The texts today show examples of the journey from order to reorder. We have to go through a period of disruption and disordering. The “Suffering Servant” is our model for this transformation.

References


(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 42 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Isaiah/42:1

(n.d.). John, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/12

(n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/ 

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/