Plans and death of ego

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our tendency to have a better idea and how we need to challenge our assumptions and cooperate with Christ in achieving the will of God.

Commentary on the parable of the Sower: https://t.co/y3HeJClf7k pic.twitter.com/h2NoboncHg

— John Henry Newman (@jhnewman) January 24, 2018

The Oracle of Nathan from the Second Book of Solomon establishes the Davidic line of Hebrew Kings and offers correction to the method thought appropriate by David.

The oracle establishes the Davidic king as standing in relationship to the Lord as a son to a father (v. 14; cf. Ps 2:7; 89:27). The Dynastic Oracle, with cognate texts in the Scriptures, is the basis for Jewish expectations of an anointed king (1 Sm 12:3, 5), son of David (Mt 21:9); cf. Acts 2:30; Heb 1:5.

The Parable of the Sower in the Gospel of Mark declares the intention of God that we should live in the fruit of our offering of our mind, soul and strength to doing the will of God.

* [4:11–12] These verses are to be viewed against their background in Mk 3:6, 22 concerning the unbelief and opposition Jesus encountered in his ministry. It is against this background that the distinction in Jesus’ method becomes clear of presenting the kingdom to the disbelieving crowd in one manner and to the disciples in another. To the former it is presented in parables and the truth remains hidden; for the latter the parable is interpreted and the mystery is partially revealed because of their faith; see notes on Mt 13:11 and Mt 13:13.

Our difficulty in understanding may be connected to our rejection of His invitation. Luis Rodriguez, S.J. is inspired by the text today to advise us that spirituality by comparison just does not make sense.

Thus comparison in the spiritual life is both pointless and deceiving. Pointless, because we do not have a gauge to assess the quality of the seed planted. It is also deceiving, because we do not have a basis for such comparison. When we think that we are yielding “only” thirtyfold or sixtyfold, we may be looking at our optimal yield. When we presume to judge others’ apparent thirtyfold or sixtyfold yield, we simply do not know what their optimal yield is supposed to be.

We are truly incapable of judging the soil and seed of the other. This guiding principle is connected to the success of St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor, in his approach to the 16th Century Swiss Calvinist Protestants...

Corruption had deprived the Roman Catholic church of its credibility during the last centuries of the middle ages. The reformation of the church in Switzerland by Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin and Guillaume Farel came a little later than the reformation in Germany by Martin Luther, but it did have a certain independence and it was more radical.

that is reflected in the Collect Prayer for his memorial today.

O God, who for the salvation of souls willed that the Bishop Saint Francis de Sales become all things to all, graciously grant that, following his example, we may always display the gentleness of your charity in the service of our neighbor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The Catholic Culture website comments that Francis developed a gentle and amiable disposition even as by nature his temperament was choleric and fiery.

How Francis developed a gentle and amiable disposition is a story in itself; he was not born a saint. By nature his temperament was choleric, fiery; little was needed to throw him into a state of violent anger. It took years before he mastered his impatience, his unruly temper. Even after he became bishop, there were slips, as for instance, when someone rang a bell before he had finished preaching. The important point, of course, is that by constant perseverance he did in time attain perfect self-mastery. Wherein lies a lesson.

A commentary by Franciscan Media repeats the power of a gentle spirit.

Francis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart.” As he said himself, it took him 20 years to conquer his quick temper, but no one ever suspected he had such a problem, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual manner of acting. His perennial meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of “Gentleman Saint.”

Friar Jude Winkler provides background on the arrogance and possible unworthiness of David to build a Temple for God. The path, weeds and good soil of the parable are linked to our giving of intellect, possessions, strength and complete life to the Love of God and neighbour.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Mark’s Gospel, written around 65 to 70 AD, focuses on Jesus’ “suffering servanthood.” Christians believe that we are “saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus.” The key is to put both together.

Jesus takes on our suffering, bears it, and moves through it to resurrection. This is “the paschal mystery.” We too can follow this path, actively joining God’s loving solidarity with all suffering since the foundation of the world. Jesus does not ask us to worship him. He asks us to follow him by trusting and allowing this risky but revealing journey. If God is indeed Infinite Love, then humans and all of creation are Infinite Becoming (which is the core meaning of “divinization” or theosis, the process of salvation).

In “falling upward” we surrender ego and, like Francis de Sales, our natural tendencies for argument and arrogance, to join Jesus in the role of suffering servant to witness the fruit of the Spirit calling and transforming lives in daily “resurrections” from our self serving paths of rejection of Love.

References

(n.d.). CHAPTER 7 The Oracle of Nathan. 1 After the king had taken up .... Retrieved January 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/2samuel7.htm

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/4

(n.d.). Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved January 24, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor; Optional .... Retrieved January 24, 2018, from https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?id=24

(n.d.). Saint Francis de Sales – Franciscan Media. Retrieved January 24, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-francis-de-sales/

(n.d.). The Swiss Reformation: Calvin, Zwingli - Switzerland's History. Retrieved January 24, 2018, from http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/reformation-switzerland-calvin.html

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 24, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Imitate God and consider political persuasion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have connection on the surface to joy and mystery about our family ties and in attending to the nuances of Divine passion and human politics we find deep food for contemplation.

"Joy, prayer and gratitude are three ways that help us live authentically." - Pope Francis pic.twitter.com/YkOe7xUYo0

— Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ (@FrTimSJ) January 13, 2018

King David, dancing ecstatically and wearing an apron like garment is an image of joy as the Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem in the Second Book of Samuel.

* [6:14] Girt with a linen ephod: the ephod was some sort of priestly vestment (probably like an apron); cf. Ex 28:4; Jgs 17:5; 1 Sm 2:18, 28; 14:3; 22:18; 23:6. The cultic procession that accompanies the ark to the holy mountain, Zion, is led by King David, dancing ecstatically and wearing a priestly vestment

Jesus is interrupted by visitors in the Gospel of Mark and speaks to us of the nature of family.

* [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.

 Jeanne Schuler, a philosopher, links the action of David to a note that Nietzsche once swore he’d believe only in a god that knows how to dance.

The wooden box, the sign of the covenant, accompanied the Israelites on their journey.  When the ark was carried into Jerusalem, the celebration spilt out into the streets.  David led the dancing.  The beloved dwelt among them.  They were home.  Each household shared the bread and the meat of the sacrifice. We remember David for dancing before the Lord.  Conquest, lust, and heartbreak did not define him.  His joy ran deeper.  In trusting God, he was freed.  Here lies David’s greatness.  From his line the Messiah would come.  Like the tent in which the ark was placed, the future king would take humble form.

An article by Prof. Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, identifies Nietzsche as the Strangest Antisemite of Them All and presents a caution for how political processes may distort the ideas and ideals of people for self serving objectives.

Today, Western leftist professors, intellectuals, and journalists have simply turned this process on its head: same attack but for the exact opposite reasons. Now they attack the Jews-not necessarily all Jews but those who do not accept the doffing of their identity as a people or strong religious belief–and their main contemporary product, Israel as symbols of all the things they supposedly part of their campaign against Western civilization, traditional viewpoints, nationalism, and capitalism.

Austin Cline comments that in the Gospel from Mark today the boundaries of “family” are expanded beyond blood relatives, spouses, and even disciples to include those who hunger for a relationship with God and are willing to do God’s will. The “family values” concept in Western Christianity has been a strong political rallying cry.

On the other hand, such passages make the whole “family values” argument of modern evangelical Christians difficult to uphold. Christianity is no longer a “new religious movement.” Christianity is no longer a radical belief system that takes people away from parents and siblings; it has stopped being a challenge to the system and now is “the system.” Jesus’ message simply doesn’t make as much sense in the context of a powerful, dominant, and pervasively Christianized society.

Paul J. Bucknell is inspired by Mark to suggest that, in a sense, we all are related to each other. Jesus was not lowering His care for His family but helping them all to understand how big His family really was.

Friar Jude Winkler comments on David’s objective to make Jerusalem the religious capital. Pilgrimage to Jerusalem would cause his prestige to grow. The people are often confused in the Gospel of Mark. Only at Cross do they realize they are called to give of self to serve others.

Father Tim ponders Finding God in Domestic Chaos. The humour used by Jesus in His teaching suggests we might explore the concept of the Family of Jesus in a subtle and nuanced way.

The point here is not to place Jesus in the Comedy Hall of Fame. Rather it is to encourage us to see and hear the message of our Lord with fresh eyes and ears, to discover a new aspect of his divine brilliance and to meet him with renewed joy and laughter in our hearts. May we continue to take our ministry seriously but not ourselves.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares work of Theologian and New Testament scholar Marcus Borg (1942-2015) insights on how Jesus pursued the imitatio dei (imitation of God) as his life’s purpose.

Our passion—our dedicated devotion, our consuming interest, our concentrated commitment—is a major indicator of our character, indeed, flows out of our character. So it is in Jesus’s teaching about God. God’s character and passion, what God is like and God’s will for the world, go hand in hand.
God’s passion is justice. . . . As the social form of compassion, justice is about politics [the word “politics” comes from the Greek polis for “city”]. . . . Politics is about the shape and shaping, the structure and structuring, of the city and, by extension, of human communities more generally, ranging from the family to society as a whole. . . . Justice is the political form of compassion, the social form of love, a compassionate justice grounded in God as compassionate. . .

The believer lives in a political world where people bend almost any idea or concept to suit the passion they wish to pursue. Spiritual critical contemplation is necessary to avoid confusion about what Jesus would do. We seek to adopt the "imitatio dei" lifestyle realizing that we will always be somewhat confused, in this life, about the mind of God.

References

(n.d.). 2 Samuel, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/6

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/3

(2010, December 12). The Strangest Antisemite of Them All: The Bizarre Case of Friedrich .... Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.rubincenter.org/2010/12/strangest-antisemite-of-them-all-friedrich-nietzsche/

(2017, December 21). Jesus' Family Values (Mark 3:31-35) – An Analysis - ThoughtCo. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/jesus-family-values-mark-331-35-248681

(n.d.). The Family of Jesus - Mark 3.31-35: Walking with Jesus. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Abiding/Abiding20.html

(2013, May 30). The Often Overlooked Humor of Jesus | Clergy Family Confidential. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://frtim.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/the-often-overlooked-humor-of-jesus/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

The Kingdom stands on self giving Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today gather thoughts on law, evil and contradiction.

“ I come so that you may have life and live it more abundantly.” John 10:10 pic.twitter.com/ujQLacl46X

— Mercedes G. Caesar (@mercedescaesar) January 14, 2018

The Second Book of Samuel tells of David’s consolidation of power as King of Israel and Judah.

* [5:6–12] David’s most important military exploit, the taking of Jerusalem, is here presented before his battles with the Philistines, vv. 17–25, which took place earlier. The sense of vv. 6 and 8 is in doubt. Perhaps the Jebusites boasted that Jerusalem was impregnable, using a metaphorical or proverbial expression that claimed the city was defensible even by people not suited for military action. The saying then received a different sense (v. 8), to the effect that “the blind and the lame” were David’s enemies. Mt 21:14 and Lk 14:13 seem to play off, and transform, this saying.

Jesus is attacked by the religious authorities, in the Gospel from Mark, who fail to see the contradiction in their accusations.

* [3:22] By Beelzebul: see note on Mt 10:25. Two accusations are leveled against Jesus: (1) that he is possessed by an unclean spirit and (2) by the prince of demons he drives out demons. Jesus answers the second charge by a parable (Mk 3:24–27) and responds to the first charge in Mk 3:28–29.

The contradiction between the Pauline sense of the inadequacy of the Law and a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children adds to the vexing conundrum of abortion in our world that troubles Thomas Shanahan, S.J. as he considers Jesus rebuttal of the scribes.

The gospel today is part of a rebuttal of the scribes' condemnation of Jesus: "He is possessed by Beelzebul, and he drives out demons by the prince of demons."  Jesus calls them out for their lack of logic, "How can Satan drive out Satan?  If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."

Mike Lux comments on the contradiction of self interest over charity to others that appears to drive some Christians.

Conservative Christians manage to ignore the literally many hundreds of Biblical quotes about social justice by making Christianity a religion solely focused on one very selfish goal: whether they get into heaven or not. That’s it, that is the entire goal and purpose and meaning of their faith.

The drive to get into heaven should draw attention to the comments of Don Schwager on Jesus speaking of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin.

Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and Pharisees had attributed his miracles to the work of the devil instead of to God. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible. If people repeatedly closes their eyes to God, shuts their ears to his voice, and reject his word, they bring themselves to a point where they can no longer recognize God when he can be seen and heard. They become spiritually blind-sighted and speak of "evil as good and good as evil" (Isaiah 5:20).

Friar Jude Winkler provides some background to the situation in which David established Jerusalem as his city and a explanation of the term “Beelzebul“ declared by the scribes to be the source of Jesus power. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible and Friar Jude suggests that we choose to reject the mercy and forgiveness of God.

The role of our ego and selfishness in rejection of Love and mercy is considered by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM. He comments that free and un-earnable love is a humiliation for an egocentric or narcissistic personality.

We have no control over it. Only a radical experience of grace can move us beyond the self-defeating and tired story line of reward and punishment, in which almost all lose. Only a deeply personal experience of unearned love can move us beyond a worldview of arbitrary requirements to a worldview of abundance and availability. It is indeed the banquet that Jesus says no one wants to come to, and most even resent! (See Luke 14:7-24, Matthew 22:1-10.) God has a hard time giving away God, it seems.

The Wisdom Traditions warn us about being dominated by ego and a self centered lifestyle. This focus on ourselves may be cause of our rejection of God. Pope Francis speaks of a “Culture of Death” in society that is evidenced by an ‘economy of exclusion’ and,’ the ‘throw-away culture’.

“Specifically, this involves challenging all forms of injustice and resisting the ‘economy of exclusion,’ the ‘throw-away culture’ and the ‘culture of death’ which nowadays sadly risk becoming passively accepted,” he continued.

A political state in which all are satisfied by the permissions and prohibitions of a legal system is utopian dream that is contradicted by human history. Transformation of our self serving activities through our relationship in the Spirit with Jesus opens the possibility of our experiencing the freedom of self giving Love that motivates us to choose for the good of the other when we encounter the challenges of choosing life over death in contradiction to the “Culture of Death” theme in society.

References

(n.d.). 2 Samuel, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/5

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/mark/3:22

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(2010, May 15). The Ultimate Contradiction-in-Terms: Right-wing Christianity | HuffPost. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-lux/the-ultimate-contradictio_b_499056.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

(2014, May 9). Pope urges UN leadership to resist 'culture of death' :: Catholic News .... Retrieved January 22, 2018, from https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-urges-un-leadership-to-resist-culture-of-death

Changed community

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the theme of change within communities.

Fig 1 Many links to consider

The passage from the Book of Jonah describes the miraculous transformation of the people of Nineveh in response to Jonah’s acceptance of the mission from God to preach to this community.

* [3:9–10] Scripture frequently presents the Lord as repenting (or, changing his mind) of the evil that he threatens; e.g., Gn 6:6–7; Jer 18:8.

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses how they should respond to the compression of time that Jesus Presence has introduced to their lives.

* [7:29–31] The world…is passing away: Paul advises Christians to go about the ordinary activities of life in a manner different from those who are totally immersed in them and unaware of their transitoriness.

The Gospel from Mark tells of the The Call of the First Disciples to abandon their nets and follow Jesus.

* [1:16–20] These verses narrate the call of the first Disciples. See notes on Mt 4:18–22 and Mt 4:20.

Mariana Miller shares her sense of God’s faithfulness to us.

Today, I would like to invite us to reflect on God’s faithfulness to us in his unconditional love that keeps constantly, but gently inviting us towards Godself, the only requirement: “repent, believe and embrace this good news of my unconditional love for you.

Don Schwager notes the role of common people on an uncommon mission, as preached by Eusebius of Caesarea (260/263-340 AD).

"Reflect on the nature and grandeur of the one Almighty God who could associate himself with the poor of the lowly fisherman's class. To use them to carry out God's mission baffles all rationality. For having conceived the intention, which no one ever before had done, of spreading his own commands and teachings to all nations, and of revealing himself as the teacher of the religion of the one Almighty God to all humanity, he thought good to use the most unsophisticated and common people as ministers of his own design. Maybe God just wanted to work in the most unlikely way. For how could inarticulate folk be made able to teach, even if they were appointed teachers to only one person, much less to a multitude? How should those who were themselves without education instruct the nations?... When he had thus called them as his followers, he breathed into them his divine power, and filled them with strength and courage. As God himself he spoke God’s true word to them in his own way, enabling them to do great wonders, and made them pursuers of rational and thinking souls, by empowering them to come after him, saying: 'Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people' (Mark 1:17, Matthew 4:19). With this empowerment God sent them forth to be workers and teachers of holiness to all the nations, declaring them heralds of his own teaching." (excerpt from PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 3.7)

A reflection from the Theology Of Work Project suggests that we maintain the proper perspective when reading Paul’s advice to the Corinthians. (1 Corinthians 7:29–31).

The proper response to the compression of time is not to cease work­ing but to work differently. The old attitudes toward everyday life and its affairs must be replaced. This brings us back to the paradoxical state­ments in 1 Corinthians 7:29–31. We should buy, yet be as though we have no possessions. We should deal with the world as though not dealing with the world as we know it. That is, we may make use of the things this world has to offer, but we shouldn’t accept the world’s values and principles when they get in the way of God’s kingdom. The things we buy, we should employ for the good of others instead of holding tightly to them. When we bargain in the market, we should seek the good of the person from whom we buy, not just our own interests. In other words, Paul is calling believ­ers to “a radically new understanding of their relationship to the world.

Sean McDonough, a contributor to the TOW Project, places emphasis on creation and new creation as a feature of Christian doctrine since the beginning as he cites Church Father Irenaeus and modern theologians Karl Barth and Thomas Merton.

Francis X. Clooney, S.J. declares that in our time we live in a different world that needs us to take bolder, riskier Christian steps into interreligious learning. We should not expect Barth or Merton to tell us what comes next, in our moment of history.

2008 is a different world; on Wednesday, let us honor the memory of both of them, by taking bolder, riskier Christian steps into interreligious learning, without expecting Barth or Merton to tell us what comes next, in our moment of history.

Time compression is a component of the history shared by Friar Jude Winkler on the mission of Jonah to the hated the Ninevites and their rapid response to the call from God. Jesus calls and the disciples respond immediately. Our call may also be a surprise through unlikely people or events. Friar Jude advises to answer without hesitation.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Jesus was meant to be a game-changer for the human psyche and for religion itself. This is a resonance with minority view Franciscan spirituality as expressed by John Duns Scotus (1266-1308).

For Duns Scotus, the incarnation of God and the redemption of the world could never be a mere mop-up exercise in response to human sinfulness, but had to be the proactive work of God from the very beginning. We were “chosen in Christ before the world was made” (Ephesians 1:4). Our sin could not possibly be the motive for the incarnation—or we were steering the cosmic ship! Only perfect love and divine self-revelation could inspire God to come in human form. God never merely reacts, but supremely and freely acts—out of love. Salvation is much more about at-one-ment from God’s side than any needed atonement from our side. Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity (it did not need changing)! Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God!

Maria Hayes describes a book by Daniel Horan, OFM, on Thomas Merton, his Franciscan influences and development of the theology of John Duns Scotus.

“Much of the book focuses on the profound ways that Francis, St. Bonaventure, John Duns Scotus, St. Angela of Foligno and others from the Franciscan tradition informed and shaped Merton’s personal life and spiritual writings,” Dan said. “Merton’s most famous idea, ‘The True Self,’ is actually a popularization of John Duns Scotus’s principle of individuation, known as haecceitas. I think this book will be fascinating for those who love both the Franciscan tradition and Merton’s work.”

Patterns of our experience set the stage for our openness to the change in community in which we participate as we continue to live in the compressed time of the Kingdom.

Extreme challenges

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to let Love rule in how we deal with the very difficult situations of grief, division, and mental health.

Seek and you will see that you can find an icon with every character from the Holy Bible.🙂

So Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father:..’Let not the king sin against his servantDavid,for he has not sinned against you,&what he has done has been greatly to your advantage. pic.twitter.com/1t09bJoPU7

— Kalina Boulter (@KalinaBoulter) January 18, 2018

The Second Book of Samuel pushes to strain our comfort with response to death of family and intimate friends.

The reaction of kinsfolk to Jesus ministry, in the Gospel of Mark, to the unclean and outsiders suggests our view of mental health may need review.

There were those even among the relatives of Jesus who disbelieved and regarded Jesus as out of his mind (Mk 3:21).

Chas Kestermeier, S.J. literally goes between the lines to reflect on internal division that is in tension with our call to focus on Christ.

In the only case that we have real power over, our own, we truly must decide where our heart is, whether we have an undivided loyalty to Christ and His Kingdom or not.  That does not mean that we have achieved perfect control over our lives, only that we have set ourselves to know, love, and serve Christ, His Father, and His Spirit and that we will do our very best to make all our choices in the light of that decision.  Only then can we claim to speak and work in God's name as we try to bring unity to our own families, our communities, and to the world.

Friar Jude Winkler provides some background to the situation of David when he hears of the death of Saul and the beloved Jonathan.

A claim by The Anointed One “Son of Man” that he is going to suffer and die in resonance with Daniel 7 and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah is difficult to understand, now and certainly then by those in Jesus immediate family.

Don Schwager shares the comments of Jerome, (347-420 AD), on the family perception of Jesus mental state.

"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)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, advises that we can only safely read Scripture, if we are somehow sharing in the divine gaze of love that through prayer helps us develop a “third eye” for the golden thread of inclusivity, mercy, and justice.

A life of prayer helps you develop a third eye that can read between the lines and find the golden thread which is moving toward inclusivity, mercy, and justice. I am sure that is what Paul means when he teaches that we must “know spiritual things in a spiritual way” (1 Corinthians 2:13). A hardened heart, a predisposition to judgment, a fear of God, any need to win or prove yourself right will corrupt and distort the most inspired and inspiring of Scriptures—just as they pollute every human conversation and relationship. Hateful people will find hateful verses to confirm their obsession with death. Loving people will find loving verses to call them into an even greater love of life. And both kinds of verses are in the Bible!

There is no rule book for how we live with grief and division. Prayer helps to open our perception to the gift of Love and our experience of gratitude for living the experience of Love.

References

(n.d.). 2 Samuel, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/2samuel/1:1

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mk/3:1414

(n.d.). Would Jesus Discriminate? - David loved Jonathan more than women. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://wouldjesusdiscriminate.org/biblical_evidence/david_jonathan.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/