The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to include discipline in self sacrifice in our journey as disciples of Jesus.
 |
| Prophet at home |
The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews invites us to welcome discipline and correction as gifts to develop our faith.
* [12:1–13] Christian life is to be inspired not only by the Old Testament men and women of faith (Heb 12:1) but above all by Jesus. As the architect of Christian faith, he had himself to endure the cross before receiving the glory of his triumph (Heb 12:2). Reflection on his sufferings should give his followers courage to continue the struggle, if necessary even to the shedding of blood (Heb 12:3–4). Christians should regard their own sufferings as the affectionate correction of the Lord, who loves them as a father loves his children.1
The Gospel from Mark presents rejection at Nazareth where His hometown people were perhaps too close to His life to believe in Him.
* [6:4] A prophet is not without honor except…in his own house: a saying that finds parallels in other literatures, especially Jewish and Greek, but without reference to a prophet. Comparing himself to previous Hebrew prophets whom the people rejected, Jesus intimates his own eventual rejection by the nation especially in view of the dishonor his own relatives had shown him (Mk 3:21) and now his townspeople as well.2
Don Driscoll, S.J., writing for this day in 1999, offers one question: "Where is our Nazareth?"
Where or with whom is it most difficult to freely use our God-given gifts to bring hope and healing to others? It's not always easy, but we have the example of Jesus in the Gospels. And we have his promise of the Holy Spirit to make it all possible. Let us rise with the Lord today in resurrecting His people to new life. In so-doing we will create more peace and hope in our own hearts and also bring those same gifts with His healing touch to our homes and places of work, to our Nazareths.3
Don Schwager quotes “Distinguishing God's power and our faith,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"And perhaps, as in the case of metallic substances there exists in some a natural attraction toward some other thing, as in the magnet for iron, and in naphtha for fire, so there is an attraction in such faith toward the divine power according to what Jesus said: 'If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, 'Move to another place,' and it shall be moved' (Matthew 17:20). Matthew and Mark wished to present the all-surpassing value of that divine power as a power that works even in those who do not believe. But they did not deny that grace works even more powerfully among those who have faith. So it seems to me that they accurately said not that the Lord did not do any mighty works because of their unbelief, but that he did not do many there (Mark 6:5). Mark does not flatly say that he could do no mighty work there at all, and stop at that point, but added, 'except that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them' (Mark 6:5). Thus the power in him overcame even their unbelief." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.19)4
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15 uses the metaphor of lifting weights to discuss discipline.
Lifting weights is hard work, and so is battling sin. But you’re not doing it alone. God knows how you are made. He knows the things that weaken you and the things that strengthen you. So think of Jesus as your coach. He is standing right beside you. Let him show you what to lift up and what to put down. He is always ready to help you with his love and grace.5
Friar Jude Winkler considers that we likely have not suffered for our faith to the point of shedding blood. The episode of rejection of Jesus at Nazareth shows that even His family did not get it yet. Friar Jude reminds that we often are quick to see the flaws in the other and miss the goodness.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Franciscan School, led by such teachers as Duns Scotus, refused to see the Incarnation and its finale on the cross as a mere reaction to human failure. God was much more than a problem solver. Instead, Franciscans claimed that the cross was a freely chosen revelation of Love on God’s part.
Christianity can do so much better, and doing so will not diminish Jesus in the least. In fact, it will allow Jesus to take on a universal and humanly appealing dimension. The cross cannot be an arbitrary and bloody sacrifice triggered by a sin that was once committed by one man and one woman under a tree between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Frankly, that idea reduces any notion of a universal or truly “catholic” revelation to one planet, at the edge of one solar system, in a universe comprised of billions of galaxies with trillions of solar systems. A religion based on required sacrifices is just not glorious or hopeful enough or even befitting the marvelous creation. To those who cling to Anselm’s understanding, I would say, as J. B. Phillips wrote many years ago, “Your God is too small.” [3]6
Our path in life will bring us to times of rejection and our discipline in the solid ground of our relationship with Jesus enables us to see saints in our critics through the eyes of people called to be saints.
References
1
|
(n.d.). great a cloud of witnesses - usccb. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/hebrews12.htm
|
2
| |
3
|
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 6, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
|
4
|
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
|
5
| |
6
|
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: February 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/02/
|
7
|
(n.d.). Your God is Too Small by J.B. Phillips - Goodreads. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34486.Your_God_is_Too_Small
|
No comments:
Post a Comment