Sunday Reading Reflections;

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

This passage is addressed to socially marginalised Jews in Alexandria in Egypt just a few decades before the birth of Jesus. Life, not death, is God's doing, and the life they have is lasting, for they are made 'in the image of God's 'eternity.' The Greek notion of immortality is extended to the Hebrew notion of righteousness or justice. If their righteousness is of God, it too will last.

2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Paul's praise of the Corinthian community is a little ironic. He has had to remind them that their knowledge and eloquence are God's free gift and no reason for boasting. The generosity of God is the basis of his appeal for generosity towards the suffering community in Jerusalem.

Mark 5:21-43

In Mark's gospel, we often encounter a story within a story.

In Mark 5:21-43, the frame consists of the two-part story of the desperately ill 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official. Jairus falls at the feet of Jesus in an attitude of reverence and pleads with him to come and lay hands on her. Jesus is clearly known as a healer, one who can 'save' life. The passage closes with the young woman's seeming death and restoration to life.

In between, we have the story of an older woman, also seriously ill, possibly with a gynaecological problem: she has been haemorrhaging for 12 years.

The stories are linked in many ways, first by the repetition of the number 12 - a symbolic number in a Jewish context. Both the young Jewish woman and the older Jewish woman are in need of the saving power of God mediated through Jesus the healer. Jairus' daughter does not speak for herself. Like all young women of that culture, ill or not, she is dependent on the voice of her father. The older woman comes tentatively 'from behind'. She speaks, but only to herself, as she touches Jesus' cloak and experiences healing in her body. She is finally shamed into telling all. Like Jairus, she falls at the feet of Jesus.

Both women, young and old, are 'daughters' of Israel. Both are restored to health, one on account of her parents' faith, the other on account of her own faith.

Jesus the healer has embraced and responded to the pain of a woman alone on the one hand and of a family (mother, father, and daughter) on the other.

by Sr. Veronica Lawson RSM (East Ballarat)

Sunday Reading Reflections:

June 21, 2009
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 4: 35-41

Jesus said to his disciples: Let us cross to the other side.
The heady days of the Easter Season have come to an end and the
gospel passage we reflect on today invites us to “cross to the other side.” The
Reign of God, though found in the ordinariness of “this side” is only fulfilled in
the extraordinariness of “the other side.”

Though the Reign of God is found in resigned acceptance of the cross
on “this side”, our welcoming embrace of the cross leads us to the splendor
of “the other side” which is resurrection.

The Reign of God is certainly found within the crowds of needy people
clamoring for our help on “this side;” and the riches of the Reign of God wash
over us when we go to “the other side,” taking time for solitude.
Our careful planning and execution of our ministry on “this side,”
reveals the Reign of God; letting go of our control of plans and projects and
depending on Providence, however, moves us to “the other side” where new
energy for the Reign of God is boundless.

Wrestling unafraid with the doubts that plague everyone on a spiritual
journey strengthens one to continue her faith in the Great Mystery on “this
side.” Choosing to go to “the other side” in contemplation plunges us into that
Great Mystery which claims us as its own.

We can live safely on “this side” trusting that salvation will be ours in
eternity. We can cross to the “other side” now and reflect to the world that
salvation is at hand.


Questions for Reflection:

• What experience of “the other side” have you had lately? What was “the
other side” all about?

• Are you afraid of “the other side”? Why? Why not?

--Reflection and questions by Sr. Diane Langford, CDP

Sunday Reading Reflections:

June 14th, 2009
by Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality


PREPRAYING

I have been listening lately to people who say they would like to grow closer to God. Hmm, I find myself wondering what that means. How does one know or feel not close to God? How would one feel if they were fifty or seventy Godmeters closer? I suspect we would always want more and so in fact, feel distant. Come to think of it, we will not ever be close until some heavenly experience of inclusion.

We can prepare for this liturgy by our experiences of longing. That seems to be as close as we get on earth. Our longing for deeper communication, for soulfulness, for being understood are very good preparations for the presence of God in the liturgical community, in the liturgy of the Word and in the reception of God’s desire to be as close to us as our very bodies.

REFLECTION

There is a theme of supplanting, literally in our First Reading for this liturgy. The verses we hear come at the end of the chapter and at the end of a long symbolic poem.

An eagle is pictured doing some planting of its own. Trees and vines are established by the eagle’s snatching them up by the roots and flying them non-stop to a foreign land. The eagle is Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon who has conquered Jerusalem. After all this historical recounting of just how these vines and trees grew, the prophet speaks on behalf of God and tells these verses which form our First Reading.

God will replant new trees which will grow tall and green. The theme is, instead of a foreign eagle, “I the Lord have spoken and I will do it.” The “it” is the planting of Jerusalem back where it belongs. It will become a cedar of nobility and God’s kingdom will be fruitful. The arrogance of Jerusalem was humbled by its being transplanted and now the power of God will take Israel back to the loving relationship with God and re-transplant Jerusalem as a fruitful vine. God alone will give the increase as a sign of love and dominion.

Our Gospel has two parables taken from a chapter containing several of these literary devices. There continues the theme in both of planting and growing. The chapter opens with the parable of the sower going out to spread some seeds which fall on various types of growing surfaces.

This first parable of today’s readings has also a man scattering seeds. Parables are deliberately available to a variety of interpretations which make them both easy to remember and easy to provoke discussions.

Try this one out. The person scattering is God and the seeds are the teachings of Jesus and the land is those who have ears to hear. The growing without tending or cultivating is the heart of interesting pondering. Could it be that God, through Jesus does not force anybody to allow the seeds, (teachings) to be taken in personally... If so, does this mean that God doesn’t care, doesn’t assist with Grace to help the growing?

We are so like high school first-year English students studying poetry. “Why didn’t Emily Dickenson just come right out and say her insight with clarity!” We want, “Just the facts man.” Jesus does explain the use He makes of parables, they are employed to challenge those who cannot believe how God has come right out and said it in the person of Jesus.

We return to the second parable to read about a tiny mustard seed which is sown into the earth and grows to be the biggest of the shrubs. This is what the “kingdom of God” is like. Well how does that work? What’s the clear answer?

God is the sower, Jesus could be the seed, or maybe His teachings. Maybe the little seed represents the faith of the early church, or the apostles, or maybe just their little group. Perhaps Jesus is saying that their faith will grow, or the Church will grow or the “kingdom of God” will be that great growing thing in which all creation will find room and rest. So is that what Jesus meant? For those who had faith in Him, His disciples, they didn’t need parables, except they did not know that until He told them. Those who refuse the person of Jesus needed parables to find their reasons for believing.

Many concerned parents come to me worried about their teenaged sons and daughters who have announced that they no longer believe! Parables would not help much there, nor do clear statements of Theology, nor anger and feelings of failure and guilt. Jesus just kept living His life and asked the apostles and followers to do the same. Faith is not a mathematical conclusion, nor a resolution of the tensions caused by really good questions.

God keeps sowing, we are the soil, (Human comes from the Latin word for earth). Things grow slowly, but it is amazing how all creation wants to believe, but wants also to know and figure things out for themselves. Jesus put His followers in the question-tensioning from the get-go. Why should we be different! We do not like nor enjoy always the poetry of God and the parables God spins up for us. Faith is like deep love, we really don’t fall into it, rather, it sneaks up on us almost without our reasoning to it and so we actually fall out of doubt and questioning as lovers fall out of fear.

Sunday Reading Reflections:

June 7th, 2009
by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity




PREPRAYING:

We can prepare for this sacred celebration of the Holy Trinity by being prepared to be told who we are and what we are to do. We do not like being told exactly what to do usually, but we need our “usually” to be interrupted. Every good relationship needs good imagination to grow deeper. We need some of that to hold on to such a mystery as Three “Persons” in One mysterious God.

One good way to prepare is to allow various mysteries into our lives these days. There are so many: child-birth, the mystery abiding in spouses or family members. We might find ourselves stumbling over the reality of being loved, or suffering illness. We are so made as to want, demand, strongly, “Why!” We can always pray with the various experiences we have of the mystery of our simple selves. Try it! See if you can come up with easy answers.

REFLECTION:

In the fourth chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, from which the verses are taken for our First Reading of this liturgy, Moses gives two long speeches. Our reading is taken from the first. There is much of an historical presentation in both speeches before the laying down of the law. Fruitful land and fruitful families are the promised results of Israel’s keeping the laws which will be the heart of Israel’s response to God.

The living God has been active in their collective past and in a way, Moses is telling the people, “And don’t forget that either!”

This mysterious God relies on Israel’s scale of values to display divine care. Coming out of Egypt, from slavery, they had no land of their own and no future for their survival. Land and family productivity was the number one value, and so we hear Moses telling his people that the God Who saved them from has also saved them for a future of displays or revelations. Their pasts are leading to their futures and their futures will allow them to know their God more intimately. There is a “trinity of time” then, the unknown God has come a bit out of hiding and becomes the God of Israel’s present. The God of the future reveals the ways that the people will stay of God. The old saying holds true for his listeners, “Keep the rules and the rules will keep you.”

Today’s Gospel presents Jesus in the last verses of Matthew’s account of the life, death and resurrection of the Lord. Like Moses, Jesus gave His first instruction on a mountain of Beatitudes and here at the end Jesus is giving an instruction about their futures. Jesus announces that all power has been entrusted to Him and He is sharing that with His disciples. They are to use this power to make new disciples and including them into the circle of power through baptism. Jesus commits Himself to His being with them all and for ever. They are to announce that all they do will be in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

This power is not for domination, control, manipulation nor confinement. It is the power which Jesus used throughout His public life. It was and is the power and authority of relationship and responsibility. The commandments of Moses were to keep the Israelites separated and uncontaminated by associations with other traditions, cults and nations. Jesus gives this new way of extending the relationships within the Trinity to the “Trinification” of the world. The power of the intensity of love within the Trinity is to now be trans-national; all nations are to be touched.

The disciples are given the power to relate with the responsibility of caring. Jesus has not laid down the laws in an “or else” spirit. Jesus has announced in His days, that all of creation is of the love of God. So again there is a “Trinity of Time” in which creation has a past, has been clarified as to its identity by the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus and it has a destiny to become the kingdom of powerful relations. The disciples are the beginning actors in baptizing the world from its false perceptions and identities. They are to extend the creative Spirit of love in reidentifying all of creation, including us, as belonging to that kingdom. We, as with the Israelites, are to be saved from and saved for the power of love. The power of Jesus is the interior of the Trinity and all of creation is enfolded into such a love.

After all that, I have tried not to cop-out by admitting the truth more simply that the Trinity is a mystery and let’s leave it so. Love is the power and we are given the responsibility of receiving it and being caring for the coming of the kingdom within our own little lives. It is a blessing of this holy Trinity that we appear to be more than we appear to be to ourselves. This is the power of the Resurrection.

“Blessed be God the Father and His only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit: for He has shown that He loves us.” Entrance Antiphon for this liturgy