The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to reassess the situations where we have separated ourselves from others and petition the Spirit to guide us to a heart for healing.
The Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews is a warning against unbelief and a reminder of Israel’s Infidelity.
* [3:7–4:13] The author appeals for steadfastness of faith in Jesus, basing his warning on the experience of Israel during the Exodus. In the Old Testament the Exodus had been invoked as a symbol of the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile (Is 42:9; 43:16–21; 51:9–11). In the New Testament the redemption was similarly understood as a new exodus, both in the experience of Jesus himself (Lk 9:31) and in that of his followers (1 Cor 10:1–4). The author cites Ps 95:7–11, a salutary example of hardness of heart, as a warning against the danger of growing weary and giving up the journey. To call God living (Heb 3:12) means that he reveals himself in his works (cf. Jos 3:10; Jer 10:11). The rest (Heb 3:11) into which Israel was to enter was only a foreshadowing of that rest to which Christians are called. They are to remember the example of Israel’s revolt in the desert that cost a whole generation the loss of the promised land (Heb 3:15–19; cf. Nm 14:20–29). In Heb 4:1–11, the symbol of rest is seen in deeper dimension: because the promise to the ancient Hebrews foreshadowed that given to Christians, it is good news; and because the promised land was the place of rest that God provided for his people, it was a share in his own rest, which he enjoyed after he had finished his creative work (Heb 3:3–4; cf. Gn 2:2). The author attempts to read this meaning of God’s rest into Ps 95:7–11 (Heb 3:6–9). The Greek form of the name of Joshua, who led Israel into the promised land, is Jesus (Heb 3:8). The author plays upon the name but stresses the superiority of Jesus, who leads his followers into heavenly rest. Heb 3:12, 13 are meant as a continuation of the warning, for the word of God brings judgment as well as salvation. Some would capitalize the word of God and see it as a personal title of Jesus, comparable to that of Jn 1:1–18. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 95 is a Call to Worship and Obedience.
* [Psalm 95] Twice the Psalm calls the people to praise and worship God (Ps 95:1–2, 6), the king of all creatures (Ps 95:3–5) and shepherd of the flock (Ps 95:7a, 7b). The last strophe warns the people to be more faithful than were their ancestors in the journey to the promised land (Ps 95:7c–11). This invitation to praise God regularly opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. (Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus Cleanses a Leper.
* [1:40] A leper: for the various forms of skin disease, see Lv 13:1–50 and the note on Lv 13:2–4. There are only two instances in the Old Testament in which God is shown to have cured a leper (Nm 12:10–15; 2 Kgs 5:1–14). The law of Moses provided for the ritual purification of a leper. In curing the leper, Jesus assumes that the priests will reinstate the cured man into the religious community. See also note on Lk 5:14. (Mark, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reflection from Angela Maynard Of Creighton University's Online Ministries was not available at publication time.
Don Schwager quotes “Why did Jesus touch the leper,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
And why did [Jesus] touch him, since the law forbade the touching of a leper? He touched him to show that 'all things are clean to the clean' (Titus 1:15). Because the filth that is in one person does not adhere to others, nor does external uncleanness defile the clean of heart. So he touches him in his untouchability, that he might instruct us in humility; that he might teach us that we should despise no one, or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable, because of some wound of their body or some blemish for which they might be called to render an account... So, stretching forth his hand to touch, the leprosy immediately departs. The hand of the Lord is found to have touched not a leper, but a body made clean! Let us consider here, beloved, if there be anyone here that has the taint of leprosy in his soul, or the contamination of guilt in his heart? If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say: 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.' (excerpt from FRAGMENTS ON MATTHEW 2.2-3) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 3:7-14 comments that today’s passage from Hebrews makes an observation about our lives as Christians. We must “hold . . . firm” by pushing against the tides of temptation and discouragement so that we end up where God wants us to be (Hebrews 3:14). So how do we hold firm?
Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today” (Hebrews 3:13). We all need to be encouraged—each day, if necessary—to persevere in our life with the Lord. So be open to receiving the encouragement of your brothers and sisters in Christ. And be ready to encourage them as well. Walk beside someone who is doubting. Be a friend who listens. Remind them of God’s love. Above all, reassure them that it’s worth swimming against the tide in order to arrive at a place of freedom and peace!
“Lord, soften my heart so that I can hear your voice and stay close to you each day!” (Meditation on Hebrews 3:7-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the theme in the Letter to the Hebrews that the Hebrew Testament is a prefiguring of the time of Jesus. The rebellion that prohibited the entry of the ancestors to the Holy Land reappears in the rejection of Jesus. Today is the day to respond to the Lord and enter into his rest. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' desire to maintain the messianic secret so as to avoid treatment as a wonderworker.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Sikh activist Valarie Kaur who tells a brief story of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), founder of the Sikh faith.
Guru Nanak’s followers were called Sikhs, seekers or students…. Sikhs believed that people of all castes, genders, faiths, races, and places were equal…. It was a radical experiment that rebelled against the caste hierarchy and feudal order of the era, a mysticism that inspired revolutionary social change…. The ideal archetype in the Sikh tradition became the sant sipahi: the sage warrior. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate the healing power of our relationship with Jesus and seek the support of the Spirit as we encounter the people on our journey.
References
Hebrews, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/3?7
Mark, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?40
Meditation on Hebrews 3:7-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/01/16/1181104/
Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/95?6
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Guru Nanak: A Sage Warrior. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/guru-nanak-a-sage-warrior/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Lord Jesus Can Make Me Clean. The Lord Jesus Can Make Me Clean. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jan16
No comments:
Post a Comment