Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, This week we are invited to think and pray about the institution of marriage. The First Reading from the Book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, is from the second narrative about creation. In the first creation account from Gn 1:1-2:4, God creates man, male and female, in the image of God on the sixth day. In contrast in the second creation story, from which this week’s passage comes, the creation from man and woman occurs sequentially. After creating man from earth, God acknowledges that man needs a suitable partner, and the living creatures of the earth and sky are formed. After none turn out to be a suitable partner, God forms woman from man. In this highly allegoric chronicle the concept of suitable partnership is mentioned twice. The emphasis on companionship and mutuality makes it clear that man and woman are made for each other. Any subordination read into the sequentiality of the creation is a mistake. Often when priests preach about marriage, one may be reminded of the story about a middle aged woman who after one of such sermons said: “I wish I knew as little about marriage as he does”. Chuckles aside, we all know a lot about marriage, from experience and from observation. Each one of us exists because a man and a woman loved each other and brought us into the world. If we are among the lucky ones, they stuck together and took care of us. This may be a good proof point that marriage is very important. Yet, let’s face it, a great many people are not so sure anymore about the sanctity or even validity of marriage. Men and women keep falling in love and start living together, but, in increasing numbers, they feel no need to get married. Fifty years ago, that may have made the news, but not today. At some level it is understandable. Weddings are not only expensive, but risky. They not always turn out the way we hoped. Marriage has become quite unpopular in many quarters because it involves making promises. “For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do us part” sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it? For many that is too risky. So they just live together and leave themselves a way out if things don’t go the way they hoped. On the surface is seems more prudent than making promises they might not be able to keep. To such people the teachings in this week’s Gospel sound too idealistic. Many consider it rigid and unrealistic to insist that two people make binding promises to stay together through good and bad times, after the glow has faded. Lovers should be free, instead of being tied down, is their mantra. But freedom comes with a price, which the children (some of us later in life?) are paying. We have become a nation of single-parent families, with damaging impact to many of their children (higher school drop out rates, etc.) Such families are part of a national tragedy. This week’s teachings from Genesis and Mark have unequivocal messages. They are not easy. They call for courage and sacrifice. The sacrament of matrimony is one of the seven visible symbols that point to and embody a spiritual reality. In the case of marriage it points to the spiritual reality of Jesus’ love for the church. The promise of each spouse to care for the other one implies a giving up of self. It is not anymore ‘me’ the most important entity in the universe, but the spouse. With this in mind, and considering Jesus sacrifice on the cross, it puts things into perspective when it comes to love for the spouse. The generous help of God’s grace to meet the challenges of a faithful life together can go a long way. And the benefits of a blessed life together in companionship are gigantic. From experience I can say, paraphrasing the passage from the Book of Genesis, that “it is not good for man to be alone”…, it is great to be with a suitable partner, the spouse! The last passage of this week’s Gospel from Mark shows us one more, of the several scenes in the New Testament where the apostles are ‘not getting it’. In the best of the intent they shove away children, thinking that they have nothing to do with the ‘adult talk’ they are just having with the great teacher. Jesus ‘became indignant’ and a bit frustrated that his disciples had not realized that children and matrimony are two sides of the same coin. We could call it the coin of Gods creation at work. The moments between the beginning (the Alpha) and the ending (the Omega) of the world, is the procreation of the human race: Marriage and raising children! We know very little about the ‘book ends’ (beginning and end) but we are very present to the creation at work here and now. The final guidance for spiritual positioning of accepting the Kingdom of God like a child as entry-ticket is also unmistakable. The complete text of today’s Readings can be found at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/10/twenty-seventh-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, Our First Reading this week from the fourth book of Hebrew Bible (aka Christian Old Testament), the Pentateuch (aka Torah), is an account of the journey from Sinai to Moab (before crossing the Jordan River to the Promised Land). It is called Book of Numbers because Moses counts more than 600 Thousand Israelites fit to bear arms (military service). One of the themes of this week’s readings is about partisan religion. Eldad and Medad were not in the tent when the Spirit of God came upon the seventy elders. Eldad and Medad weren’t there, but they still received the Spirit and began to prophesize. “Stop them,” Joshua told Moses, “Why?” asked Moses. “Would that God’s Spirit come upon all the people.” In this week’s Gospel according to Mark it is the only time the Apostle John speaks on his own. He calls Jesus’ attention to someone who is casting out demons in his name and how the disciples had tried to stop him. John more or less wants Jesus to stop this man because the disciples couldn’t manage it by themselves. But John forgets that Jesus’ first concern is for as many people as possible to hear the words of salvation and to experience the liberation this brings. John was really surprised when Jesus welcomes this anonymous exorcist and tells the disciples not to stop him. Anyone who is not against us is for us. Last Sunday I was in Zurich, Switzerland, looking for a catholic church to attend Mass. The reception of the hotel told me that a few blocks away the Christian Catholic Church had service at 9:30 on Sunday morning. The service had a few nuances that were different from what I was used to, but I thought it must be geographic dissimilarities. During the Liturgy of the word, however, I realized that the Readings (about which I had written my reflections the evening before) were not the ones of the Roman cycle. I learned that the Christian Catholic Church separated from Rome in 1870 after Vatican I, because of some dogmatic differences. I was reminded that all religions have a tendency

to claim exclusive control of the avenues of salvation. But God is surely free to work outside of our familiar religious structures. This doesn't mean that such structures are unnecessary or unimportant. It does mean that we should work in genuine humility to make our own religious structures as open as possible to the saving power of God. It is profoundly reassuring that right after that experience in Zurich I get to read Numbers and Mark telling us that anyone who is not against God is for God. The second theme of today is about ending up in hell for taking unfair advantage of others. The Letter of James is quite explicit in modern day advantage taking, like withholding wages, storing excessively for the last days, etc. In Mark’s Gospel it is quite interesting to note that on the one hand the Lord seems very open and tolerant and yet right after stating “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ” …. “will surely not lose his reward”, Jesus seems very severe and harsh. Christ takes this very seriously: He does not want his disciples to be obstacles to anyone’s faith. The task of a disciple is to bring people into the Kingdom and not cause them to be lost. It is a scandal to take advantage of vulnerable people who can so easily be exploited when they should be protected and assisted. This is where real sinfulness lies and the punishment is swift and severe. Gehenna was the place where Jerusalem's trash was deposited. It was usually smoldering and was infested by all sorts of pests and parasites. It was certainly not where one would hope to end up. Let us stay away from partisan religion and let us help those who are in need, are two clear messages of today’s Readings, whose complete text can be found at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/09/twenty-sixth-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, One theme that weaves through all three Readings this week is envy, one of the most hateful sins. The Old Testament Reading from the Book of Wisdom tells how people bring down a “just man” because he makes them feel inadequate (“is obnoxious to us”) by comparison. In the Second Reading from the Letter of James, envy (“Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist”) is identified as the source of conflicts and wars. And in Mark’s Gospel we see the disciples maneuvering for tops spot (“discussing among themselves”, “who was the greatest”). Envy is a desire for superiority that leads to satisfaction at the others downfall. Envy creates feeling of sadness at the others superiority. We all have experiences of envy, sometimes in ridiculous ways that torment us. The cure is repentance, often by recognizing our dependence, like Jesus teaches his disciples in this week’s Gospel, becoming like a little child, depending from God and from others. Dante in The Divine Comedy tells about a woman, Sapia, so filled with envy that she rejoiced at the downfall of her hometown, bringing bad fortune to those she envied. Sapia ends up in purgatory and the cure she undergoes involves her eyes being sealed and having her arm on the person ahead of her to find the way. Understanding deep in our souls our dependence on each other is one way to cure this ugly sin. Jesus’ teaching in this week’s gospel makes it crystal clear, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” We do remember Him doing so at the last supper when as the

undisputed leader of the group he washes each one of his disciple feet, even Peter who initially doesn’t get it. Am I getting it? Am I growing into a state inoculated against the hateful sin of envy?, by actively seeking to serve others and passively becoming like a child in recognizing my utter dependence on God and on others. The final encouragement the Jesus give his disciples, and us, is that by receiving a child in Jesus’ name we are receiving him and the One who sent him. Last Sunday I met with a friend in Shanghai who I hadn’t seen in over eight years. He and his wife are on assignment in China with their three teenage children. They are fostering a baby that was found in a garbage ground at only weeks of age. It needed surgery because of some external head tumor. The baby is now 9 months old, after successful surgery is growing healthy and is being offered for adoption. While reflecting on the last sentence of this week’s gospel I was encouraged by this real personal encounter with someone doing what Jesus taught us. Admiration, a total opposite to envy, is what I felt. The complete text of the readings at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/09/twenty-fifth-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, In this week’s Gospel according to Mark, Jesus is wandering on the fringes of Palestine, in the land to the north. In this story he is avoiding the hostility of his adversaries and instructing his followers who are travelling with him, free from the crowds during his teachings in Galilee. The miracle is relatively simple and straightforward. He took the deaf man with a speech impediment aside from the multitude and in a personal encounter with the Messiah privately said “Be opened” and his ears opened, his tongue was released and he went on to speak plainly. The miracle story is not only the recording of an actual incident in Jesus’ life, but also aimed at those members of the community (maybe even us today) having difficulties in hearing Jesus. So much noise in our lives, and not only in the sense of sound. There is noise in the sense of disturbance, like static on the phone line. In addition to all the audio noises, like TV, radio, the kids, the neighbors, cars, etc. there is also noise in turmoil in our lives created by our continual worrying about tomorrow and maybe the hanging on to the battle stories of the past. As Jesus called the man away from the crowd, so he is calling us away from the noises of our life to his quiet. A little quiet in our homes, a few minutes before the morning gets going, or after the kids are in bed… just a little time to get away from the noise. Jesus touched the man’s ear and he said “Be opened”. Like in the baptismal ritual the celebrant touches the mouth and ear of the newly baptized repeating the blessing from the Gospel, “Be opened”. When we hear the still, small voice Elijah heard in the cave, whispering that God loves us. Or we may hear Mary’s voice at the wedding feast of Cana reas-

suring the wine stewards and us, “Do whatever he tells you”. Mark’s repeated theme is that Jesus did indeed do signs and wonders, but refused demands for spectacular signs, because he was not merely a wonder worker, but a prophet, a prophet who opens the hearts of all, as the First Reading from Isaiah suggests. Jesus makes real Isaiah’s prophecy from 800 years before, saying “to those (us?) whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God”, “he comes to save you” when “the ears of the deaf” will “be cleared” and “the tongue of the mute will sing”. Jesus makes this prophecy a reality for those that walked the earth with him and for us two thousand years later. The Second Reading from the Letter of James is a first century invitation to avoid discrimination. To stay away from becoming judges of others and making distinction among rich and poor. God has indeed chosen “those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith”. Mother Teresa of Calcutta a very prominent example of the twentieth century, being present to the poorest in their weakest hour. The complete text of the readings at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/08/twenty-third-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary time

Dear All, Reflecting on this week’s Gospel according to Mark, I am reminded of the story about a thief who late one night hounded a priest: “Your money or your life!” When he saw the priest’s collar he told him to put his wallet away. The relieved priest lit a cigarette and offered one to his would-be mugger. “Not thanks, Father. I have given up cigarettes for Lent”, he proudly responded. At the times of Jesus it must have been common for people missing on the sins from within, while being utmost pristine in following ritual and purity laws… missing the forest because of the trees. Looks like the problem had been observed some 800 hundred years before, in Jesus’ quoting Isaiah’s reference to lip service from people, worshiping in vain. Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees that they are hypocrites when they are more concerned about the ritual law than the reason for the law. The problem has not gotten much visible improvement to this day. Some famous quotes from the last 50 years, like “The sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.", “Psychology advises us to resist our feelings of guilt. Sociology instructs us to lay all blame on society and think of ourselves as victims”, remind us of the danger of thinking God takes our sins lightly because we take them lightly. Jesus recaps for us that “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly” “come from within and they defile”, dishonor and violate. Examination of conscience is not a bizarre design by old nuns for children, but an ancient practice that comes from the pagan world, passed on to the Jews and borrowed by Christianity. It also exists in other traditions and believes. I am personally impressed by a powerful examination of conscience worked up by the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi: a list of seven deadly sins. They are: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, commerce without

morality, science without humility, worship without sacrifice, knowledge without character, and politics without principle. In the First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses give his people clear instructions to follow the Lord’s commandments once they enter the promised land. To the point that he announces that it will raise the standing of the people in the world they were living, because of such high standards. The Israelites are happy because the Law allows them to follow their God. The ancient Hebrews always felt that the Law was a blessing, a personal guide from the Almighty. As we begin to read the Letter of James, after seven weeks of Second Readings from the Letter to the Ephesians, he too reminds us that God is the source of every good gift. We will read from James for the next five Sundays and learn from one of the five “catholic” epistles. Catholic not as Roman Catholic, but as universal in scope, intended to impact not just one particular local community, as with the Pauline letters (Ephesians, Romans, Corinthians, etc.), but addressed to Christians living outside of Palestine (“to the twelve tribes in dispersion” says the first verse of James’ letter). The Father’s gifts go as far as enabling our re-creation, for the salvation that is offered to those who are born again of the truth of God’s word. The intimacy of God’s word is emphasized in the stunning image of the word planted deep within us that will grow and transform us… with clear recommendation about doing as opposed to only hearing the word. The complete text of the readings at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/08/twenty-second-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, We are coming to the end of the five weeks reading from John’s Gospel with the last three Sundays on the discourse about the bread of life, the Eucharist. The followers at the time of Jesus were utterly confused. “This saying is hard, who can accept it?” is also something that to this day is quite widespread. Many, who had followed Jesus since the feeding of the five thousand on five loaves of bread and two fish, now give up on him and leave. It comes down to pure faith to stay with him, like Peter sums it up for all his followers at the time, and us today, “You have the word of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”. Today we have the benefit of hindsight of what the Apostles learned at the last Supper, when Jesus took bread and wine and gave it to them to eat and drink as his body and blood. Before that, for many his discourse about his body and blood sounded more like an invitation to anthropophagy, which scared many of them. It remains a mystery, but we know it represent spiritual nourishment and involves the highest level of intimacy with Christ. The First Reading from the book of Joshua presents another challenge about faith to the Israelites. They had finally gotten to the Promised Land, after forty years of desert wandering. Moses had died a few steps before arrival and Joshua had take over from him the leadership of the people. He challenges them to decide between the one and true God or other deities, like the gods of the Amorites, inhabitants of the land they had just entered. In todays time the gods of ‘Amorites’ are many, like money, excess in accumulating stuff, consumerism, etc.

Where am I on this? With Joshua, who professes for himself and his household to be with the God, who freed his ancestors from slavery? The First Reading concludes with a profession of faith of the people of Israel, “Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God”. The Second Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians is one of three places in the New Testament where household codes are documented. Codes were quite common in Greco-Roman Literature of the first century. This passage has been basis for many chauvinistic views about the relationship of husband and wife. Yet one can only fall into that pitfall by ignoring two key phrases. The first is right at the beginning, “Be subordinate to one another”, with emphasis on one another. This means reciprocal and not unidirectional. The second is when Paul compares the subordination of wives to husbands with the subordination of the church to Christ, with specific attention to Christ. For example at the Last Supper when Peter had to subordinate to Christ accepting the washing of his feet by the Lord. Christ is a very unique leader, in the sense that he serves the ones he leads. If we read this passage with those two ideas in mind, we come much closer to what remains a great mystery, like it is described in the concluding sentence. The complete text of the readings at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/08/twenty-first-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, This week’s readings invite to two banquets. The first comes from the Wisdom tradition of ancient Israel in the First Reading from Proverbs. The proverbs are attributed to Solomon (son of David, reigned 971-931 BCE) author of ‘three thousand proverbs’. It is rooted in a classic form of Egyptian wisdom literature. Wisdom, personified as a woman, spreads out a sumptuous banquet inviting “whoever is simple…. who lacks understanding”. To me this means, ‘don’t overcomplicate it’, ‘the less you know the more you are welcomed’ to this meal of dressed meat and mixed wine, which are insight and understanding. ‘Lady Wisdom’ seeks those who are not wise so she can offer the riches of wisdom that she possesses. The second banquet is an invitation from Jesus to the bread which is clearly Eucharistic. Chapter 6 of the Gospel according to John, from which we read during these five weeks, is about sustenance. It is about eating. It is about nourishment. The Eucharist is not about eating like we normally eat. Normally, when we eat, we assimilate the food. Our body breaks down the food, takes the nutrients it needs, and feeds our cell system. In a sense, the food becomes part of us. Eating is about what we do with the food. We assimilate the food. But that is not what happens when we receive the Eucharist. When we receive the Eucharist, we don’t assimilate the food, the Food sort of assimilates us. Jesus transforms us. Instead of the food taking on our life, we take on the life of the Lord. We read in this week’s

Gospel: “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” To us this means to follow Jesus with the reward of eternity (=”life forever” in a spiritual sense). The wisdom theme is also found in the Second Reading, where the Ephesians and we are warned against foolish living. The admonition is startling: “because the days are evil”. Some of the evils we are warned about in this letter are still with us like drunkenness and corruption, dishonesty (=”debauchery”). Other forms of evil, like arrogance that presumes that our point of view is the only legitimate one, may it be in matters of religion or culture or political partisanship; corporate greed; glorification of violence; etc. would get Paul going to say “the days are evil”. Despite the invitation to all to be enriched at the Woman’s Wisdom’s table and to be transformed by the body and blood of Christ, we often procrastinate and choose to stay comfortable in the lives we have fashioned for ourselves and shy away from reform or renewal. Yet we are all kindly invited to … the banquet that leads to life forever. The complete text of the readings at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/08/twentieth-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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