Not getting it

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present some truths which we have difficulty accepting. The Letter of James warns that our understanding of temptation is flawed. God does not tempt us. The tendency we have to seek self satisfaction and positioning of our action to bring our desires to ourselves come from within. Friar Jude Winkler associates this with the concept of "original sin". This tendency to sin is also part of the effect of our ancestors on our lives today. The battle is understood by Jungian psychology as battle with the ego which draws us into attitudes where I am the proper centre of my existence. Richard Rohr, in Falling Upward, discusses the necessary ego of the "first half of life" being left behind as we journey to wisdom and intimacy with the Divine in the "second half of life" after dismissing the loyal soldier which has gotten us this far. The psalmist understands the need to praise God for the discipline and correction which keeps us from slipping into the control of our ego driven passions. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus warns the disciples that the instruction and guidance of the Pharisees about the Law and the nature of God is flawed. He cites the distribution of the bread of Life to the Jewish followers and the 12 baskets remaining as a sign to the twelve tribes of Israel of the will of God to satisfy their hunger for Truth through Love and compassion. The "Jewish perfect number" of 7 baskets remaining from the distribution to the pagans proclaims the inclusion of both Jew and Gentle, the whole of humanity, in the saving Messianic Plan of God. The death to self and movement to inclusion are related and both are components of living deeper intimacy with God.

Living appropriately in the Mystery

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary appear to offer concise clear rules for life. When we look closer the concise contents are full of contradiction. The message of James to the Christian community is, according to Friar Jude Winkler, a prologue to the topics to be included in his longer letter. The faith that James asks the reader to embrace is the faith which is tested with trial. Is this approach to faith development likely to bring great numbers into the infant Christian communities? Perhaps encouraging those with a weaker attachment would swell the numbers? James underlines the zest which he desires to see among the Christians. It is borrowed from the Jewish dialogue with God, like Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof, which addresses God with the certainty of faith and knowledge of our position of surrender before God in combination with the experience of the delight of God in us. In the Gospel of Mark, the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. Would he not win them over and win us over today with a sign? Why not help our weak attachment with the proof we seek? This might just fill the churches again. The attributes of faith and attachment praised by the psalmist, humility and steadfast love, are experienced in the Way of faith which is grounded in trial. The seer who is seeing with the eyes of God must learn to look with the eyes of God.

Think about what is seen

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are tied, at one level, to understanding the effect on the outcast of a miraculous healing and return to the community as is presented in the passage from the Gospel of Mark. The psalmist praises God for the joy of forgiveness which was often tied to healing. The transgression of the Law which was thought to have caused the disease must have been forgiven when the person was healed.  The light of the letter of Paul to the Corinthians asks disciples of Christ to be aware of the witness they give to others, both intentionally and unintentionally. Modern western society is very aware of individual "rights". Paul asks us to consider how our actions are seen by others. We can argue for a right to eat what we want when we want, drink what we want, when we want and wear what we want, when we want but our focus should be on the possibility of being seen as scandalous by others. The attitude of trying to bring no offense trumps the "right to do this". Friar Jude Winkler advises that we approach the Gospel of Mark by being aware of the construction of the work. Mark has placed the episodes from the life of Jesus in a sequence. The healing of the leper in the passage today causes the priests to be witness to the authority of Jesus which they are intent to criticize in the passage following the reading today. Even when our eyes and ears are witness, we refuse or are unable see the deeper meaning of significance our observations. Our caution to avoid the scandalous misinterpretation of our behaviour by others is wise.

The pagan influence

The text today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary from the First Book of Kings tells of the attempt of Jeroboam to change the practice of his people in the northern kingdom from traveling to Jerusalem to worship by creating temples at Bethel and Dan. According to Friar Jude Winkler the worship and traditions celebrated at Bethel and Dan were at least originally intended to be Jewish, for Jewish people. Confusion between icons intended to focus our attention toward God and idols which we treat as God is not a past problem in our salvation history, but it reasserts itself as we struggle with pious practice, reputation and wealth issues in our Churches. Are we focusing on God or the trappings of religion which bring us comfort. The Gospel of Mark restores our understanding that Jesus is moved by and is compassionate for our needs to be cared for materially and spiritually. The feeding of the pagan people who had been thirsting for a relationship with the Divine left the crowd with seven (the perfect number) baskets of left overs. Jesus proclaims that the abundant love of God is enough for everyone. This love is focused universally today as the World Day of Prayer for the sick. Let us pray!

Why do it that way

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider how the plan of God is not likely to be in perfect accord with our understanding of how things should be. The passage in the First Book of Kings is the direction of the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam to take rule of the ten tribes in the north who would become Israel and leaving the two southern tribes to become Judah.  Friar Jude Winkler explains the historic consequence of this division and the eventual deportation of all the tribes of Israel from this land. The chosen people are left to pursue their own destiny seemingly, like the psalmist laments, not listening to the voice of the Lord. The Gospel of Mark continues the description of the action of Jesus healing people in the pagan regions across the Jordan river from the land in which the Jewish people lived. The Messiah is directing those who are touched by His mercy and healing to keep the "Messianic secret" and not have His miraculous work cause Him to be misunderstood as a mystical healer. The path that He will lay out for His followers to Jerusalem and beyond will not be the in accord with the understanding of many about the way the Man-God should live and die.

In the family

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer some consideration of the role of being in the family in the development of our relationship with the Divine. The text from the First Book of Kings looks at the family of Solomon. Friar Jude Winkler provides the background that Solomon had many wives and some of them worshipped gods and were not monotheistic. The worship of the One True God was required of Israel in Covenant with God. When Solomon yielded to the pressure of those foreign wives in his family to worship to the pagan gods, the Lord advises him of his offense and the consequence to his descendants in loosing authority over the northern tribes of Israel. The notion of goodness within family as being part of the relationship of members of that family with God is in this passage. The consequence of the transgression of Solomon appears to be mitigated by the "reserve of goodness" with the the family of David. Friar Jude relates this to the Roman Catholic understanding of the 'communion of saints'. The Gospel of Mark tells of Jesus visit to the pagan region around Tyre. He is approached by a Syrophoenician woman seeking healing for her daughter. The contrast here is between the legalistic observances of those Pharisees "in the family" and the faith of the one outside the family who catches the attention and compassion of Jesus. The faith actions of those who do not follow the same path to the Divine as we, are often deep reminders to those in our traditional family to revisit our faith and faithfulness. We also see the greater family of humanity to which we all belong and who are all invited to the same intimacy with God that we pursue.  

Follow your heart

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present an opportunity to review the role of the "follow your heart" strategy in spiritual growth. The passage from the first Book of Kings tells of the wonder and amazement the Queen of Sheba, probably present day southern Saudi Arabia according to Friar Jude Winkler, who has travelled from the south in pursuit of understanding of the fabled wisdom of Solomon. The pursuit of her heart for Wisdom  is rewarded by the experience she sees of the love of the Lord for Israel in the happiness of the people around Solomon. As Winkler points out, Jesus often refers to the ability of the outsider or pagan to see and be enriched by the grace of God working in the "people of the Covenant". This highlights how our tendency to be wary of the outsider should be replaced by the action of hospitality and welcome to the visitor and newcomer who can restore to our heart what we may have neglected to nurture. Jesus continues to teach about the source of unrighteousness as the dialogue with the Pharisees about dietary laws and legalism in our relationship with the Divine may be hiding the real source of defilement from view. Our heart is able to take us to experiences which enlarge our viewpoint and see God in others. It can also take us to our attempts to satisfy our ego and act as independent, self centered beings who plan and execute action of self satisfaction, self aggrandizement and oppression of others for our desires. Following the heart is a strategy which requires the Life of our Spirit in resonance with the Spirit of God to direct the passions of the heart toward the Divine and the people in whom God delights.