The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the theme of moving on in harmony with the will of God.
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| On our Mission |
The reading from the First Book of Kings describes David’s instructions to Solomon prior to his death.
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. David was king over Israel for forty years: he was king seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Then Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingship was established.1
The First Book of Chronicles proclaims David’s praise to God.
“Blessed are you, LORD,God of Israel our father,from eternity to eternity.2
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus initiates the mission of the Twelve.
* [6:7–13] The preparation for the mission of the Twelve is seen in the call (1) of the first disciples to be fishers of men (Mk 1:16–20), (2) then of the Twelve set apart to be with Jesus and to receive authority to preach and expel demons (Mk 3:13–19). Now they are given the specific mission to exercise that authority in word and power as representatives of Jesus during the time of their formation.3
Vivian Amu is inspired to ask a few questions. What are those things that weigh us down as we journey through life? What are those things that get in our way of doing God’s work? Do we have the courage to go where we are sent, to move on when it is time, to take rejection, to lead and to serve when it is difficult and inconvenient, to do work for the greater glory of God? Dear friends, do we have the courage?
I am still afraid to answer these questions for myself, but one thing I do know is that it seems our options open up when we travel light through life; leaving our baggage – physical or emotional – behind as we respond to the missioning into the world. Yes, brothers and sisters, let’s pick up our walking sticks, put on our sandals, and do ministry together.4
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus gives them power to heal and cast out evil spirits,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The grace bestowed upon the holy apostles is worthy of all admiration. But the bountifulness of the Giver surpasses all praise and admiration. He gives them, as I said, his own glory. They receive authority over the evil spirits. They reduce to nothing the pride of the devil that was so highly exalted and arrogant. They render ineffectual the demon’s wickedness. By the might and efficacy of the Holy Spirit, burning them as if they were on fire, they make the devil come forth with groans and weeping from those whom he had possessed... "He glorified his disciples, therefore, by giving them authority and power over the evil spirits and over sicknesses. Did he honor them without reason and make them famous without any logical cause? How can this be true? It was necessary, most necessary, that they should be able to work miracles, having been publicly appointed ministers of sacred proclamations. By means of their works, they then could convince men that they were the ministers of God and mediators of all beneath the heaven. The apostles then could invite them all to reconciliation and justification by faith and point out the way of salvation and of life that is this justification." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 47)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 comments that human rulers often establish their authority through intrigue and keep it through power plays, God’s way is different. He invites us to come under his rule. He waits for us to choose to accept his sovereignty. So while Jesus truly is Lord of all creation, he becomes the Lord of our hearts only as we allow him to guide our thoughts and actions—as we welcome him on the “throne” of our lives.
Imagine a throne in the center of a big circle, and within that circle are all the many aspects of your life: your family, your job, your possessions, your free time, your hopes and dreams, and your plans for the future. Imagine that in the course of your day, all of these things move closer and further away from that throne. Sometimes, one of them even occupies that place of authority.
Now, where is Jesus in this picture? Is he vying with your possessions for a crack at the throne? Or your job or your favorite hobby? What one thing can you do today to help clear the path so that he can sit on that throne and rule you with his love and tender mercy?6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the contrast between the instructions to Solomon to follow the Law of Moses and his advice about handling rivals and opponents. When we ”shake the dust off”, we need to consider if the people were “ready” for our message. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus chose to involve us in His ministry.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy has given him the intellectual and spiritual freedom to quietly but firmly pay attention to different things. For the most part, Christianity has ignored the fact that Christ existed from all eternity, but Franciscan teaching emphasizes the significance of the universal Christ.
The word Christ means “anointed one.” The divine anointing began with the first incarnation when God decided to show God’s self, almost 13.8 billion years ago. We now call it the Big Bang. Franciscan philosopher John Duns Scotus basically taught that the first idea in the mind of God was Christ. Christ was the Alpha point. Good biblical theology calls creation itself the birth of the Christ, the materialization of God. Whenever matter and spirit coinhere, coincide, you have the Christ Mystery, which is a phrase the Apostle Paul introduces. Paul has a deep intuition of this, which leads to his understanding of the Eucharistic Body of Christ. Paul intuits that this incarnation of Christ is spread throughout creation, human nature, and even the elements of bread and wine. It’s everywhere.
Francis himself was not a theologian, he was not an academic, he was not highly educated. He was just a sincere spiritual genius who intuited these things. When the next generation of Franciscans, including Saint Bonaventure (1221–1274) and John Duns Scotus, came along, they created a philosophy and theology to substantiate Francis’ intuitive vision. They homed in on the first chapters of Colossians, Ephesians, John’s Gospel, Hebrews, and the Letter of 1 John which say the Christ existed from all eternity. The universal Christ is a totally biblical notion.7
The journey to truth, beauty and goodness involves many stages of moving on as we try to attend to the promptings of the Spirit to be the “Good News”.
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