Sunday Gospel Reflection, October 25, 2015: The Lord has done great things for us...

The Lord has done great things for us…  

How much do you rely on the Lord?  

  We usually associate the prophet Jeremiah with dire warnings about the breaking of covenant, and indeed the Book of Jeremiah is full of oracles about exile and the fall of Jerusalem.  Yet in the midst of all this we also find oracles about the eventual restoration of Israel and Judah.  And when that restoration comes, God promises to take care of the most vulnerable first:  I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child.  Those who have suffered most will be led to brooks of water on a level road; God will restore them to life.  It is this restoration -- and the amazement that it caused -- that is celebrated in Psalm 126:  When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with rejoicing.  Their faith has resulted in restoration to prosperity and joy. 

  In Mark's Gospel, the disciples have not exactly demonstrated that they understand God's plan in sending Jesus, the high priest described in Hebrews, to become a sacrifice for the salvation -- the restoration -- of all.  But the blind beggar Bartimaeus does:  sitting humbly in a crowd that Jesus is passing through, Bartimaeus calls upon the Lord to help him:  Son of David, have pity on me!  Throwing away his cloak -- his most significant possession and very likely his home -- is an extraordinary act of faith:  faith that Jesus can work his powers of restoration for him, in him.  When he does, Bartimaeus immediately becomes a follower, a disciple.  But notice that he believes before his vision is restored:  physical sight will make it easier for Bartimaeus to follow the Lord, but spiritual sight has been his all along.  His faith has led the vulnerable Bartimaeus to rely upon and follow the Lord. 

Do you rely on Jesus?  Then follow!

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.

Image source:  Wordle

Sunday Gospel Reflection, October 18, 2015: Can you drink the cup that I drink?

  Can you drink the cup that I drink?  

  Can we enter into the depth of Christ's suffering?  

  We are constantly reminded that Jesus suffered and died for us on the cross.  The prophet Isaiah predicted as much when, in the fourth Suffering Servant oracle, he indicates that the Servant will suffer, carrying the sins of humanity quite simply because it is the will of God that he do so:  The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity... Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many.  We know that the Servant's suffering will end -- he shall see light in fullness of days -- but first, he will suffer.

  Jesus Christ offers himself entirely for us; he is the ultimate scapegoat, the high priest who has been tested in every way, according to the Letter to the Hebrews.  Born a man in order to share in our humanity, he took humanity to the cross because it was God's will.  So, when, in Mark's Gospel, James and John ask, Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left, they truly have no idea what such a gift might entail.  They do not want to envision the coming suffering of Jesus; they just want to cut straight to the chase, and be with him in heaven.  And they certainly don't want to participate in that suffering!  But to drink the cup with Jesus is to be baptized into his death:  Jesus challenges them to a dose of the reality of salvation at work in their lives.  For the love of humanity, we, like Jesus, can suffer precisely because Christ has done so and continues to do so.  The love that Jesus offered on the cross is just as profound and complete now as it was over two thousand years ago, and it is that love that is a model we are called to follow.  For the Lord can deliver us from death, as Psalm 33 states, and the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him.  We are called to be in awe of the sacrifice of Christ, in awe of the love he embodies, in awe of the mercy he represents.  And we, too, are called to drink the cup, to embrace suffering and sacrifice, to love as Jesus loved, to suffer as he suffered.

Are you ready to enter into the depth of Jesus' love today?

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.

Image source:  Wordle

Sunday Gospel Reflection, October 11, 2015: That we might gain wisdom of heart...

   That we might gain wisdom of heart…  

   Is your way of life conducive to relationship with God?   

 The man who kneels before Jesus in Mark's Gospel doesn't seem to be sure.  He has observed all the commandments Jesus puts before him from his youth, but when Jesus challenges him to sell what he has and give to the poor, the man goes away sad, downcast, not sure he can meet the challenge Jesus has placed before him.  Although the man believes there is something he can do to effect salvation, to earn eternal life, in actuality the man has to allow salvation to be effected in him, opening himself to God, to the love of God, by dealing with his personal obstacles and barriers.  It is that love that will bring all good things, and difficulties, too -- but for God, all things are possible.  It is an open heart, first and foremost, that helps us to live a life conducive to relationship with God.

 The Book of Wisdom offers additional advice on the path we should be trying to follow toward right relationship with God.  I prayed, and prudence was given me:  prayer is our first access to God; it is the path to prudence, which helps us to discern, to make sound choices.  For nothing is as precious as the gift of wisdom, but here again, wisdom is an ongoing choice, not a static state of being.  Give us wisdom of heart, the psalmist prays in Psalm 90, a quality that will engender kindness, joy, and gladness.  It is again a request for the ability to discern, to see as God sees, to choose as God would have us choose.  Would that we could see God as clearly as God sees us:  No creature is concealed from him, the Letter to the Hebrews states, and God's Word can penetrate our soul and spirit, our heart and thoughts, our very joints and marrow. 

 What do we see, what can we discern, when we examine our life in depth, as God is able to do?  And how much is God a part of that life?  We are challenged to live a life conducive to relationship, with God and with other.  Do the choices we make support that path?

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.

Image source:  Wordle