Place, Practice and Pharisee

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present some contradictions and cautions to consider on our journey. Solomon prays to dedicate the Temple in Jerusalem and declares the paradox that the God of Israel, the God of mighty hand and outstretched arm cannot be confined to dwell on earth. The Temple, synagogue, Church and Mosque are places for people to be drawn closer in intimate union with the infinite and eternal God. As Solomon proclaims and Friar Jude Winkler confirms, the Temple will be a place of prayer where the sense of the eyes of God on us is experienced. The buildings in which we worship are icons of the history of the believers who have over time literally left parts of themselves from celebrations of birth, marriage and death to daily and weekly moments of deep thanksgiving in spiritual resonance with God. Jesus sheds light on the danger of shifting our focus from the encounter with the Divine to manipulation of the tradition or the Law to satisfy the requirements of religious observance. Who is being served when our tradition is placed before our invitation to join Jesus as the living Law and the visible Temple of compassion, love and mercy. When our legal observance is more evident than our inclusion of others and our desire to serve we may be in our example "teaching human precepts as doctrines" (Mark7:7)

Community and the change we may criticize

The actions of the people in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have relevance as people decide about how they will live faith in God in daily life. The decision that it is "Jesus and me" that counts can be compared to the apparent successful decision of Solomon to build a Temple in Jerusalem. which according to Friar Jude Winkler was built by Lebanese specialists who constructed it in the fashion of pagan temples in Lebanon. The sign of the Presence in the "cloud by day" is witnessed in theTemple. The Celtic Church has long celebrated "Thin Places" on the earth where the domain associated with God and the "earth" are closer together. The experience in these places, even for non-believers, may cause us to reconsider the omnipresent God. These places, worshipping people and liturgy are means which sharpen our focus like a lens, or in modern terminology, "tune our receiver" to be more open to the Presence. Certainly then being "present with the beloved" is the most important attitude and practice of the disciple. It certainly is a deeply intimate and essential experience to spend time with those we love. The Gospel of Mark points us to even deeper intimacy and that involves acting and doing with and as the beloved. Family comes to visit and we enjoy and drink up the joy of being present with them. When the group move to act to help and serve one another, we live with the beloved as continuing, sometimes challenging interaction. The meditation and stillness is properly ended as we follow the Beloved into active love. The worship and assembly are life giving and they need to be warm up for the life giving we give as we include others in our family through service.

Being all things in sickness and health

The bookends for the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today take us to the state of sickness of body or heart which afflicts most people at some time. The lament of Job that life is short and consists of hard service without rest is an experience which we understand. The words are perhaps surprising in the mouth of a Biblical "Hero" who we are told is loved by God. The passage from the Gospel of Mark is ,according to Friar Jude Winkler, an account of Jesus first day in Capernaum, Peter's home town, as told to Mark.
Jesus heals many who are sick and casts out demons. The healing actions of God are mystery to us. The question of "who is healed?" is always near. Winkler proposes that God always chooses the most loving option. Between the situations needing healing in the text today we find praise and thanksgiving for the healing action of God in gathering up the outcasts of Israel and binding their wounds. The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians expresses the joy and thanksgiving of Paul to God for the privilege of being able to proclaim the Good News. The enormity of the message and the shortness of time sensed by Paul have formed his strategy that he, like Jesus model, would be all things to all people to bring them in intimate contact with God who offers a journey of love to us which as witnessed by the life of Jesus his disciples and the "Heroes of the Kingdom" may include the days of sickness in body and Spirit as a means to be more of all things to all people
in the hope of bringing joy and restoration recognition of Divine intimacy to all lives.

Wisdom Work and Welfare

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer wisdom for those who work in service of others. The request of the young Solomon for wisdom as he undertakes his reign as King of Israel makes us aware that we have limited ability within our own resources. Our intentions to do a good job will be influenced, perhaps mostly when we are tired and overworked by our own needs and desires. The grand plan we may have for the situations in which we work so often includes a bit for us. Some for you and some for me is a perfectly acceptable bargain for those satisfied with human standards. The relationship with God that Solomon seeks is the means to apply the Wisdom which moves us beyond the limitations of our own selfish tendencies to seek the Truth and act in the Way which is most in accord with the Will of God.  The psalmist praises God who directs the young with decrees which are as valuable as all riches. The decrees and the dialogue of the Spirit of God with our indwelling Spirit is facilitated by retreat to quiet places for rest and meditation. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is leading apostles to a time of repose when they encounter the crowds in which Jesus sees their need for attention and a shepherd to guide them. The compassion which He exhibits to minister to them while deferring the Good Plan for quiet communion with God is enabled and driven by the energy of Life from the intimate relationship with Love and Wisdom which transcends our limitations.

Reputation Royalty and Ruin

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present truths from the way reputation impacts the lives of people. The Book of Sirach, written in Greek according to Friar Jude Winkler as a proclamation of the heroes of Israel, details the great feats of King David. The reputation of David serves to underline the intimate relationship between a leader of the people and God. The victories against enemies and building of a strong nation was intertwined with deep devotion to restoration of praise and worship of God. The serious transgressions of David brought deadly  consequences to his life as he also experienced forgiveness and reconciliation of intimacy with God. The episode from the Gospel of Mark where King Herod to maintain his reputation orders the execution of John the Baptist, the prophet who had angered his wife, Herodias, by denouncing their union as unlawful. This act is done in the heat of the moment without reflection even on the sense in his own being that John was truly a holy man, serving God. The consequence to the life of Herod is shown in the beginning of the passage where he hears of Jesus reputation and fears it is John the Baptist, raised up after he has killed at Herod's command.  Reputation is the story about our lives that can be example to others of the intimacy we share with the Divine  to which they are invited or it can be the sign of our continued enslavement to the ego, self aggrandizement and blindness to Truth.  

Attention to Attitudes

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the Presentation of the Lord.
The participation of Mary and Joseph in this ritual, according to Friar Jude Winkler, is to respect two spiritual traditions. After giving birth, the mother performed a rite of purification to be restored to the worshipping community. Winkler comments that Roman Catholic practice included some of this attitude until Vatican II. The second tradition involves "buying back" the first born, specially protected by Providence since the Exodus by offering sacrifice in the Temple. The tendency of the modern mind sometimes is to sweep away ancient attitudes without searching for the Truth within the ritual which is worthy of celebration, even today. The expectation of the Jews for a Messiah who would bring the Day of the Lord and restore the righteous of the people in their relationship with God is revealed in the texts from the Prophet Malachi. Mary is aware of the special, Messianic nature of her child. Winkler suggests that she is stressed in mind between the Jewish attitude to the Messiah and the indication of Divinity as Jesus nature. It is a comfort perhaps to her Spirit to participate in the ancient rituals which reassure us that even though the path may not be clear and the reflection of the author of Hebrews that the Divine delight is to be brother and sister with humanity in life and death through Jesus is not an attitude possible for Mary at that time, the Presence is within us, as Mary experienced in a unique way,  which is the salvation, not only of Israel as Simeon and Anna proclaim in Luke's Gospel, but for all people at all time. What a powerful promise the power of which is wrapped in traditional practices to enable our unwrapping of the wonder and awe of the Divine plan at a pace which mere humans can tolerate.

Weak and unworthy?

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are full of contrast and cognitive dissonance. King David, in the second Book of Samuel, is continuing to suffer as one who puts his will before the direction shown him by God. Our logical analysis of this situation causes us to question the reasoning of David. He has already known great life and glory from cooperation with the Will of God and yet we do get insight into our own powerful battles with ego that constantly exert our will over the direction we understand through our relationship with the Divine. The Gospel of Mark shows the response of the collective when the fears of loss of control to a calling, to wisdom, astonishment, awe and intimacy threatens the same old same old. The Prophet who sees and invites is sent away. The steadfastness, mercy and forgiveness of God proclaimed today by the psalmist is the note of hope that the grace of faith will fan the flame of Life and defeat the demon of our need to be in control.