Rock and Reservation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to “go the distance” in our actions that contribute to making Christ present in our environment.

Going the Distance

The Reading from the Book of Numbers describes the Need for Water at Kadesh and the Sin of Moses and Aaron.

* [20:1] The wilderness of Zin: a barren region with a few good oases, southwest of the Dead Sea. See note on 13:21. The first month: we would expect the mention also of the day and of the year (after the exodus) when this took place; cf. similar dates in 1:1; 10:11; 33:38; Dt 1:3. Here the full date is left unspecified. According to one chronology, the Israelites arrived in Kadesh in the third year after the exodus (cf. Dt 1:46). But the itinerary in chap. 33 would suggest the fortieth year, the year in which Aaron died (33:38).

* [20:11] Twice: perhaps because he did not have sufficient faith to work the wonder with the first blow. Cf. v. 12.

* [20:12–13] What lay behind Moses and Aaron’s lack of confidence is not made explicit in the text. Holiness: an allusion to the name of the place, Kadesh, which means “holy, sanctified, sacred.” Meribah means “contention.” Cf. Ex 17:7. (Numbers, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 95 is a call to praise and worship God.

* [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.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents Peter’s Confession About Jesus and the First Prediction of the Passion.

* [16:13–20] The Marcan confession of Jesus as Messiah, made by Peter as spokesman for the other disciples (Mk 8:27–29; cf. also Lk 9:18–20), is modified significantly here. The confession is of Jesus both as Messiah and as Son of the living God (Mt 16:16). Jesus’ response, drawn principally from material peculiar to Matthew, attributes the confession to a divine revelation granted to Peter alone (Mt 16:17) and makes him the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Mt 16:18) and the disciple whose authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven, i.e., by God (Mt 16:19).

* [16:21–23] This first prediction of the passion follows Mk 8:31–33 in the main and serves as a corrective to an understanding of Jesus’ messiahship as solely one of glory and triumph. By his addition of from that time on (Mt 16:21) Matthew has emphasized that Jesus’ revelation of his coming suffering and death marks a new phase of the gospel. Neither this nor the two later passion predictions (Mt 17:22–23; 20:17–19) can be taken as sayings that, as they stand, go back to Jesus himself. However, it is probable that he foresaw that his mission would entail suffering and perhaps death, but was confident that he would ultimately be vindicated by God (see Mt 26:29). (Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly reflects on the words in Psalm 95.

The Psalmist says one way to demonstrate that we hear the Lord’s voice is to joyfully sing psalms as we bow down in worship to the Lord, acclaiming the Rock of our salvation. Jesus says he will build his church on our faith in this Rock of our salvation, where evil shall not prevail. This is where listening is important. We have heard of the works of the Lord since ancient times written in the Scriptures.There is enough there for us to understand how God works. It should give us great confidence in clear directions for our lives. Still, we often refuse to accept God’s truths as we hear the Word of God and to align our lives with them. We so easily speculate that they might not pertain to our times or to us. But if we are waiting for specific instructions, we are hardening our hearts. I pray today that we are all challenged to take the words of Psalm 95 very personally. (Dilly, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Only by hope,” by Basil the Great, 329-379 A.D.

"'Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you' (Psalm 114:7). The brave contestant applies to himself the consoling words, very much like to Paul, when he says: 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice.' These things the prophet also says to himself: Since you have fulfilled sufficiently the course of this life, turn then to your rest, 'for the Lord has been bountiful to you.' For, eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in him." (excerpt from HOMILIES 22) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today. In the Book of Numbers the people now complain that they don’t have water. Maribah, a place of rebellion, and Moses acts to keep him from the Holy Land. Did he strike the wrong place?, or strike twice? It is not clear. Near Caesarea Philippi and a pool Jesus asks “Who do people say I am?” In Matthew, the “Son of God” is added to account from Mark. In Matthew, there is an interlude before Peter is told “get behind me”. Before Jesus responds, he will call Peter “the Rock”. The church is mentioned here and the gates of the underworld, as they are near a pagan worship site. The demonic forces will not defeat the Church. Friar Jude comments that he keys to the Kingdom and the rabbinic authority of binding and loosing, how to follow the Law, is given to Peter, who is made a “super rabbi” for the Church.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces religious historian Diana Butler Bass who explores what it meant for Jesus to be called “teacher” or “rabbi”.

As a teacher, Jesus is not contradicting Moses or demeaning other Jewish teachers. He is offering his interpretation of the law, teachings that surprised his followers with their originality and insight. To understand Jesus as a teacher in this sense—even if one does consider him divine—is to remember that teachers, even those with great authority, teach within a long line of communal interpretation, something that Jesus himself would have known. Jesus does not replace. Jesus reimagines and expands, inviting an alternative and often innovative reading of Jewish tradition….  

As a rabbi, Jesus was remarkable, challenging, and inventive. His teachings remain compelling, influencing people throughout the ages and well beyond Christianity; and those teachings stand on their own as beautiful without needing to diminish others…. If Christians really followed the one they claimed as Teacher, the world would be a more just and loving place. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the strength of the Spirit to be fully committed to the mission of our Baptismal Anointing as priest, prophet, and leader in our environment.

References

Dilly, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved August 7, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-7-2025 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?13 

Numbers, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/20?1 

Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/95?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 7, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-teacher-and-sage/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Are the Christ - the Son of the Living God. Daily Scripture Net. Retrieved Aug 7, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=aug7 

Yeast of Destruction

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to identify and prepare for the flood of chaos that is a leaven spreading destruction in the lives of our communities.

Yeast of Chaos

The reading from the Book of Genesis describes The Great Flood.

* [6:5–8:22] The story of the great flood is commonly regarded as a composite narrative based on separate sources woven together. To the Yahwist source, with some later editorial additions, are usually assigned 6:5–8; 7:1–5, 7–10, 12, 16b, 17b, 22–23; 8:2b–3a, 6–12, 13b, 20–22. The other sections are usually attributed to the Priestly writer. There are differences between the two sources: the Priestly source has two pairs of every animal, whereas the Yahwist source has seven pairs of clean animals and two pairs of unclean; the floodwater in the Priestly source is the waters under and over the earth that burst forth, whereas in the Yahwist source the floodwater is the rain lasting forty days and nights. In spite of many obvious discrepancies in these two sources, one should read the story as a coherent narrative. The biblical story ultimately draws upon an ancient Mesopotamian tradition of a great flood, preserved in the Sumerian flood story, the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic, and (embedded in a longer creation story) the Atrahasis Epic. (Genesis, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 29 praises The Voice of God in a Great Storm.

* [Psalm 29] The hymn invites the members of the heavenly court to acknowledge God’s supremacy by ascribing glory and might to God alone (Ps 29:1–2a, 9b). Divine glory and might are dramatically visible in the storm (Ps 29:3–9a). The storm apparently comes from the Mediterranean onto the coast of Syria-Palestine and then moves inland. In Ps 29:10 the divine beings acclaim God’s eternal kingship. The Psalm concludes with a prayer that God will impart the power just displayed to the Israelite king and through the king to Israel. (Psalms, PSALM 29 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus condemns the Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.

* [8:15] The leaven of the Pharisees…of Herod: the corruptive action of leaven (1 Cor 5:6–8; Gal 5:9) was an apt symbol of the evil dispositions both of the Pharisees (Mk 8:11–13; 7:5–13) and of Herod (Mk 6:14–29) toward Jesus. The disciples of Jesus are warned against sharing such rebellious attitudes toward Jesus; cf. Mk 8:17, 21. (Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley reflects on reading Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl spent time not only in Auschwitz but also three other labor camps. 

The Serenity Prayer speaks of having the wisdom to know the difference to have courage to change or serenity to accept things.  Frankl asserted that Wisdom of knowing the difference was critical to survival - when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. Building on his teachings and insights, it was said

Spiritual warfare is a must to victory. A life of prayer defeats the enemy of your soul and gives you direct connection to the One who created you, God, and it builds your relationship with Jesus Christ.   

My recent challenges in pursuing “serenity” pale in regards to what Viktor and so many others have endured. Once again, writing this reflection is a gift to me and puts so much in perspective. As you all know, music is what speaks most clearly to me, I couldn’t help but think of lines from the song, How Can I Keep From Singing?

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing (Shirley, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Heed the truth of the Gospel,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD)

"The apostles are ordered to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They are warned not to be involved in the disputes of the Jews. The works of the law are now to be viewed in the light of faith. They are forewarned that they, into whose time and age the truth had appeared incarnate, should judge nothing except which lies within the position of hope in likeness of the truth that is revealed. They are warned against allowing the doctrine of the Pharisees, who are unaware of Christ, to corrupt the effectiveness of the truth of the gospel." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 16.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 8:14-21 comments that Jesus wants to give us a new way to perceive the world and his work in it. Are we looking just with our physical eyes, or are we learning to see more deeply? How do we look beyond the immediate and obvious and try to appreciate how the Holy Spirit—whom we cannot see—is at work?

Ponder these questions. Thank God for the moments when you did look closely, and ask him to help you become even more attentive. Let Jesus, the Master Artist, open your eyes further so that you can behold the beauty of his work.

“Come, Holy Spirit, and open my eyes today!” (Meditation on Mark 8:14-21, 2025)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Felicia Murrell who shares her experience of growing up with a strong sense of our story that was limited by the power of other stories.

How do we move toward each other in love, the truth of our authentic power? Perhaps, we welcome change instead of resisting it. To expand my worldview beyond the paradigm of Southern, Christian, rural or working poor to a larger cosmic frame that is inclusive, universal, affirming, and accepting, I needed to see the parts and the whole in all their majestic splendor and their messy complexity.  

Transcendence is not a denial or detachment from my story or our story. It is an arduous commitment to truth-telling; to fully seeing; to empathetic listening that requires the work of living and be-ing in the world; of deep, intimate knowing; of moving beyond our theories and maps into relationship building. (Rohr, n.d.)

We consider the rabbinic saying that connects the nature of punishment to the sin as we pray about the impact of social and political chaos on our mission.

References

Genesis, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/6?5 

Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/8?14 

Meditation on Mark 8:14-21. (2025, February 18). The Word Among Us. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/18/1205841/ 

Psalms, PSALM 29 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/29?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Impact of Our Story on Others. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-impact-of-our-story-on-others/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb18 

Shirley, N. (2025, February 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/021825.html