The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the good action that often results from Christian Life.
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| See good in our face |
The Letter to the Hebrews connects our Life and participation in the community to our “priesthood” in Christ.
* [10:19–39] Practical consequences from these reflections on the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ should make it clear that Christians may now have direct and confident access to God through the person of Jesus (Heb 10:19–20), who rules God’s house as high priest (Heb 10:21). They should approach God with sincerity and faith, in the knowledge that through baptism their sins have been remitted (Heb 10:22), reminding themselves of the hope they expressed in Christ at that event (Heb 10:23). They are to encourage one another to Christian love and activity (Heb 10:24), not refusing, no matter what the reason, to participate in the community’s assembly, especially in view of the parousia (Heb 10:25; cf. 1 Thes 4:13–18).1
The Parable of the Lamp in the Gospel from Mark is an exhortation to let our light shine.
* [4:1–34] In parables (Mk 4:2): see note on Mt 13:3. The use of parables is typical of Jesus’ enigmatic method of teaching the crowds (Mk 4:2–9, 12) as compared with the interpretation of the parables he gives to his disciples (Mk 4:10–25, 33–34) to each group according to its capacity to understand (Mk 4:9–11).2
Yves I-Bing Cheng, M.D., M.A. connects the Gospel to events in life that may bury our light.
Don’t be so preoccupied with the material things of this world that they dominate your life (as necessary as those things are). In other words, don’t allow them to get on top of you. Don’t allow them to cover your light. Otherwise you will begin to neglect God and His kingdom, and your light will get dimmer and dimmer.3
Rev. Steve Ryan asserts that Christ is saying the hiddenness of the message is only temporary. What was seen and heard by the inner circle will eventually come to full exposure. Wait, hope and see.
But there’s a nagging related question that doesn’t want to go away.
Do parables harden hearts?
Take the parable of the good Samaritan. The point is that any person, anywhere on the planet, is your neighbor. Period. No exceptions. The parable will enlighten and soften some hearts, but not others.
Parables do not harden people’s hearts.
Hearts do that on their own.4
Don Schwager quotes “Called to shine in the midst of darkness,” by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Why does the Lord call us the light of the world? Why has he compared us to a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14)? Are we not called to shine in the midst of darkness, and stand up high for those most sunk down? If you hide your lamp beneath a bushel (Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:16, 11:33), you will soon notice that you yourself will be in the dark. You will find others bumping into you. So what can you do to illumine the world? Let your faith produce good works. Be a reflection of God's light. The good is not preoccupied with darkness. It rejoices in being seen (John 3:21). It exults over the very pointings which are made at it. Christian modesty not only wishes to be modest, but also it wishes to be beheld as what it actually is." (excerpt from ON THE APPAREL OF WOMEN 2.13)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 10:19-25 comments that we are supposed to get one another excited about the Christian life and all that it entails! That’s how we rouse one another, by our passion and our example, as much as by our words.
The author of Hebrews knew that Christians need one another. You might need a fellow believer to inspire you to do something you may have never even considered. And they might need you. So don’t be afraid to communicate your passion and excitement to someone else. You might just be rousing another brother or sister to follow Jesus more closely 6
Friar Jude Winkler looks at how Jesus invites us beyond the veil into His priesthood. Public witness to our belief in Christ is in our treatment of others. Friar Jude connects our hearts being open to others to our ability to accept the generosity of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that for Francis of Assisi, incarnation was already redemption. For God to become a human being among the poor, born in a stable among the animals, meant that it’s good to be a human being, that flesh is good, and that the world is good—in its most simple and humble forms. The Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas (1906–1995) said the only thing that really converts people is “the face of the other.” He developed this idea at great length and with great persuasion, if you are interested in going deeper. [1]
When we receive and empathize with the face of the “other” (especially the suffering face), it leads to transformation of our whole being. It creates a moral demand on our heart that is far more compelling than the Ten Commandments written on stone or paper. Just giving people commandments doesn’t change the heart. In the end, Christianity is not a moral matter until it is first and foremost a mystical matter. Commandments and laws may steel the will, but they do not soften the heart—or create soul—like one authentic I-Thou encounter will do. Thus, we have produced an awful lot of “mean” Christians, which we must admit is Christianity’s present public image. [2]7
Our life in the world is a sign to others of our relationship to the Creator and source of our being.
References
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(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10
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(n.d.). Mark, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/4
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(n.d.). The parable of the lamp and the measure - Lk 8(16-18). Retrieved January 31, 2019, from http://www.meetingwithchrist.com/E073%20The%20parable%20of%20the%20lamp%20and%20the%20measure%20-%20Lk%208(16-18).htm
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 31, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). 3rd Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved January 31, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/
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(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: January 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved January 31, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/01/
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