Feb 3,4,and 5th meditations. Lectionary 326,327, 328
48L2-3.3-4.09.10-11. Mark 6:7-13.
In some ways we can find similar themes in the Ep.to the Hebrews, St.
Luke's Gospel, and the Book of Revelation! Sacred locations or places are
very important in the Bible both for the Old Testament and for the New
Testament. Often the themes are shared by both testaments neither of which
are old or new for us as listeners. The theme we have been hearing about
is that of the Temple and the holy city of Jerusalem. These two sacred
places are featured in the above writings of the New Testament, and, of
course in the prayer book of the Bible, the Psalms. They both are goals
or symbols for our faith journey toward God's Kingdom.
The Psalm for today gives us the feelings and thoughts we should have when
thinking and praying about the Temple and the holy city of Jerusalem. Our
author of Hebrews has meditated on the Psalms and even given us a
commentary on some of them, especially, the messianic psalm 110. He
remembers and recalls for us many of the Old Testament rites and duties
connected with the Levites and the priests of the Temple. He uses then to
make comparisons with Jesus our Highpriest and Messiah. In fact, many of
the followers of Hebrews were converted priests who sought to follow Jesus
as Jews. This is a quite different movement than the Jews for Jesus of
today. They tend to be individuals whereas here there is a commitment to
the Christian community and churches that the apostles were founding and
left behind for us. If we read Hebrews in the light of what we know from
the Old Testament we have the best key for interpreting this essay
correctly. The inspired text of the Old Testament inspires the writers of
the New who knew only one bible, that of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old
Testament or First Testament).
Our own journey of faith as disciples of Jesus is seen in the commissioning
of the Twelve. Though we cannot do exactly as they did in our day, we are
able to do things they never dreamed of because of our availability of so
much research, technology, and knowledge that has exploded in all of the
fields that are studied including the Bible! Today our hands and voices
and legs are those of the apostles who followed Jesus in his time here on
earth. We build on what they have succeeding in handing down to us. Today
we need to visit the prisons, feed the hungry, give drink to the
thirsty.Finally, we all need a good dose of Jesus first message: "Turn
again to God; the Kingdom of God is near." Amen.
Scripture: Feb.4. Lectionary # 327. Hebrews 13:1-8. Psalm 27:1.3.5.8-9.
Mark 6:14-29:
One of the most profound and tantalizing verses in the New Testament comes
from today's reading: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever." (Heb.13:8). This divinely inspired thought encourages us day by
day to continue our pilgrimage of faith by following Jesus our pioneer. We
are his disciples and we walk, run, and at times stumble in our following
the Lord Jesus Christ. We too can look at the past and see how far we have
come along the road that he has traveled. That was the beginning of our
journey that started with our baptismal commitment. The present is the
actual living out and walking with the Lord now, one step at a time, one
day at a time in the sacred and sacramental moments of the present. For
the days to come and the years ahead of us we have hope for always being on
the way and journey with Jesus no matter what we undergo. Jesus invites us
to keep on coming to him while he leads us closer and closer to the goal of
our life as humans lived out fully in union with him. Jesus is at the right
hand of God as our highpriest and our sole mediator between God and
ourselves. All times and events belong to him in our faith journey and he
always has and will belong to God and is God, the Word who came and dwelt
among us showing us the way to God the Father. He is the beginning and the
end; the Alpha and the Omega, the Alef and the Tau.
Psalm 27 helps us to pray and to invoke Jesus as our light and our
salvation. We are not to be afraid as he often has told us and tells us
again and again.
Mark gives us the graphic description of the beheading of John the Baptist
who witnessed to the person of Jesus as Messiah and who suffered martyrdom
because of jealousy, adultery, lust and human respect. Herod Antipas made
the bad decision to live up to a stupid and foolish promise that involved
all the above sins as its backdrop. The lamp that John the Baptist was is
extinguished and now Jesus is our LIght. We take some moments to mourn the
demise of this last great prophet and martyr who shed his blood for the
Christ. Amen.
Scripture: Feb. 5, Lectionary # 328: Hebrews 13:15-17.20-21. Psalm 23. Mark
6:30-34:
Not only do the Gospels present Jesus as the Good Shepherd so,too, does the
Epistle to the Hebrews. It is one of the earliest images of Jesus that
will appear on the walls of the catacombs in Rome. Today's selection
describes Jesus as a great Shepherd who protects his sheep even to the
shedding of his blood in the eternal covenant. Psalm twenty-three spells
out very clearly and beautifully what a good shepherd does for his sheep.
He will always be there for them; he is ever faithful to his responsibility
to protect them; they, in turn, listen only to his voice.
Even in the description of Mark today we have an inkling that Jesus sees
himself as the shepherd of his people. Mark describes the inner feelings of
Jesus about the sad plight of the crowds of people who follow him. They
were "like sheep without a shepherd." He would be and is their shepherd and
ours. He himself will even taken on the quality of a sheep being led to
slaughter as we learn from John's Gospel. At the very hour that the lambs
were being led in their silence to slaughter for the Passover sacrifice he
was to lay down his life for his sheep.
In our liturgy we retain this image of Jesus just before Communion:
"Behold! the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." A metaphor
is now a theological insight into who Jesus is for us. Jesus is also the
victorious lamb of God who conquers death, sin, and the devil. Even the
difficult passage of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac,
who becomes a type for the sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God. Both
mysteries baffle us and cause us to wonder, to doubt, and yet to believe.
"Lord Jesus, son of Abraham, son of David, Son of God, have mercy on us."
Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 3:44 PM
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