The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to reflect on the experience we have of love that transcends mourning and our understanding of the confusing behavior of our loved ones.
Experience of Transcendent Love
In the reading from the Second Book of Samuel, David mourns for Saul and Jonathan.
They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.1
Psalm 80 is a prayer for Israel’s restoration.
* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19).2
The Gospel of Mark tells of family Intervention in Jesus’ ministry.
* [3:20–35] Within the narrative of the coming of Jesus’ relatives (Mk 3:20–21) is inserted the account of the unbelieving scribes from Jerusalem who attributed Jesus’ power over demons to Beelzebul (Mk 3:22–30); see note on Mk 5:21–43. There were those even among the relatives of Jesus who disbelieved and regarded Jesus as out of his mind (Mk 3:21). Against this background, Jesus is informed of the arrival of his mother and brothers [and sisters] (Mk 3:32). He responds by showing that not family ties but doing God’s will (Mk 3:35) is decisive in the kingdom; cf. note on Mt 12:46–50.3
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that in the days of Jesus, family relations, especially with parents, were sacred. Most things religious, according to the Law, were binding. These relatives show up right before the Jewish keepers of the Law, the Scribes. Jesus, early in His public life, is a Law-breaking threat. The good things early in Mark’s Gospel are mainly personal encounters of healing and inviting. His miracles are individual instances of His entire mission to turn it down-side up and be Himself the Divine Intervener in the lives of those who will let Him touch them. Those who were at a distance, who came to challenge or correct Him, were kept at a safe distance from His healing words and touch.
In my own Jesuit life, I have profited from many interventions by persons who loved me perhaps more than I loved myself. Their intrusions have created a me that is definitely God’s work. I needed incarnations of that Love to bring me to this life of mission and ministries. That took faith and courage and some fear of course that I might think they were out of their minds. Be assured, it was not always received with gratitude, joy and immediate change. I make a quite solemn declaration here. The good things which I do, which are many, are absolutely the result of God’s goodness lived out through those who took me by the shoulders, or kicked me in the butt, or hugged me into the humiliating and humbling acceptance of the good they saw and I was afraid to accept.4
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' worried kinfolk,” by Jerome (347-420 AD).
"In the Gospel we read that even his kinsfolk desired to bind him as one of weak mind (Mark 3:21). His opponents also reviled him saying, 'You are a Samaritan and have a devil' (John 8:48)." (excerpt from LETTER 108, TO EUSTOCHIUM)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 3:20-21 notes that today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 US Supreme Court decision that paved the way for legalized abortion. It’s a sad day, and many of us might feel a little like Jesus in today’s Gospel: misunderstood or even ridiculed for our commitment to pro-life causes.
The road to full recognition of the rights of the unborn is long, and we may feel as if we are just beginning. The hope for a culture of healing and mercy for those affected by abortions may appear dim. But Jesus faced an even longer road and dimmer hopes on his way to the cross. He didn’t let his detractors keep him from that road, and he never rejected them. Instead, he pressed on, filled with love for all people and trust in his heavenly Father. We can do the same. “Jesus, hasten the day when all unborn children are protected in law and welcomed in love!”6
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the mortal failure of Saul in battle compared to David’s success. David mourns Jonathan who he loved deeply and Saul, who was anointed by God. Friar Jude reminds us of the cognitive dissonance experienced by those seeking a Messiah who encounter Jesus as the Suffering Servant.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that Francis of Assisi called animals “Sister” and “Brother” and viewed humans as one part of a wider family of creation. Franciscan writers Ilia Delio, Keith Douglass Warner, and Pamela Wood recommend adapting a historic Christian practice of “examination of conscience” to focus on how we have harmed or helped our relationships with the Earth.
The Spirit calls us to trust our relationship with God as we live in experiences of love that are beyond the rational boundaries set by our culture.
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