The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to the danger of restricting our experience of relationship to our own echo chamber and allowing fear to limit our actions in support of those in need.
The reading from the Book of Tobit describes his Virtuous Life.
* [2:1] Feast of Weeks: also called by its Greek name, Pentecost, was celebrated fifty days after the Passover. Cf. Lv 23:15–21; Dt 16:9–12.
* [2:2] Almsgiving and charity to the poor are important virtues taught by the book (4:7–11, 16–17; 12:8–9; 14:10–11). A sincere worshiper of God: lit., “who is mindful of God with the whole heart.” (Tobit, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 112 praises the blessings of the Righteous.
* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112, n.d.)
The Gospel of Mark is the Parable of the Wicked Tenants
* [12:1–12] The vineyard denotes Israel (Is 5:1–7). The tenant farmers are the religious leaders of Israel. God is the owner of the vineyard. His servants are his messengers, the prophets. The beloved son is Jesus (Mk 1:11; 9:7; Mt 3:17; 17:5; Lk 3:22; 9:35). The punishment of the tenants refers to the religious leaders, and the transfer of the vineyard to others refers to the people of the new Israel. (Mark, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
Ed Morse (2017) comments that sometimes we simply respect the wrong things.
Lord, teach us to guard our hearts against the hardness that comes from pursuing our sinful inclinations that alienate us from you. Help us build habits of loving and serving you in all things, and to transmit those habits to the next generation. Let us honor you by passing along the charity and mercy that we have received toward others, that we may be moved by love and respect for you, not by the fear of man. Thanks be to God. (Morse, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Christ's wounds bring healing and life,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"The vineyard prefigures us, because the people of God, founded on the root of the eternal Vine, appear above the earth, bordering the lowly ground. They now grow ripe with budding flowers. They now are clothed with dense greenery and take on a gentle yoke [see Matthew 11:30] when they worship with mature branches as if with the twigs of the vine. The Father Almighty truly is the Vinedresser, and Christ is the Vine. We, not vine sprouts, are pruned by the sickle of the eternal cultivator if we do not bear fruit in Christ. [see John 15:1-2] The people of Christ then is correctly named a vineyard, either because the sign of the cross is woven on its forehead [see Ezekiel 9:4,6] or its fruit is gathered in the last season of the year. It may also be called a vineyard because there is equal measurement in the church of God for rich and poor, humble and powerful, servants and masters. There is no difference in the church, as in all the rows of the vineyard.[see Colossians 3:25] As the vine clings to trees, so the body is joined to the soul and the soul to the body. When the vine clings, it is raised up. When it is pruned, it is not diminished, but it increases. The people of God is stripped when it is bound, uplifted when it is humbled, crowned when it is cut back. The tender shoot cut from an old tree is grafted onto the progeny of another root. When the scars of the old shoot are cut away, the people of God likewise grow into the wood of the cross. It is as if they are cherished in the arms of a pious parent. The Holy Spirit comes as if cast down into the deep ditches of the earth and poured into this prison of the body. With the flow of saving water, the Holy Spirit washes away whatever is filthy and raises the posture of our members to heavenly discipline. (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 9.30.21) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 12:1-12 shares the message of hope that this parable holds for Jesus’ listeners and for all of us.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone (Mark 12:10). Clearly no evil is so great, no amount of rejection so violent, that it will convince God to give up on us. In fact, he took the worst evil—the death of his Son—and used it for the greatest good, our salvation. Now, no matter what we have done, God is willing to wash away every sin in the river of his mercy.
What a message of hope! This is truly “wonderful in our eyes” (Mark 12:11)!
“Jesus, I marvel at your saving love!” (Meditation on Mark 12:1-12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the exceptional deeds of charity of Tobit, an exile in Nineveh. The description of the murder and disposal of the body of the son in the parable in Mark’s Gospel points to Jesus' death. Friar Jude is reminded that Jesus knew he was going to die before the event and he accepted that fate.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how the Trinity teaches us that God is like a circle dance, moving in love and inviting us to participate. The Trinity is the central and foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. But, as Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner (1904–1984) observed, what is supposed to be the heart of God’s nature has, until recently, had few practical or pastoral implications in most people’s lives. [2] This is rather unbelievable when considered. The foundation, shape, core, and energy for everything was allowed to become an arbitrary side issue! This alone tells me we are still in very “early Christianity.”
Trinity is the very nature of God, and this God is a centrifugal force, flowing outward and then centripetally drawing all things back into the dance (read 1 Corinthians 15:20–28 in this light). If this God creates “in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), then there must be a “family resemblance” between everything else and the nature of the heart of God.
Scientists discover this reality as they look through microscopes and telescopes. They are finding that energy is actually in the space between atomic particles and between the planets and the stars—in the relationships more than the particles! This seems to mean that reality is relational at its core. When we really understand Trinity, however slightly, it’s like we live in a different universe—and a very good and inviting one! (Rohr, 2023)
We may protect the privilege of our position even to the extent that it separates us from truth, goodness and beauty in loving relationships.
References
Mark, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12?
Meditation on Mark 12:1-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/05/700113/
Morse, E. (2023, June 5). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060523.html
Psalms, PSALM 112. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Richard Rohr's Seven Themes of Alternative Orthodoxy — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://cac.org/about/richard-rohrs-seven-themes-of-alternative-orthodoxy/
Rohr, R. (2023, June 5). Considering the Trinity — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/considering-the-trinity-2023-06-05/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun5
Tobit, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/2
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