Febv 21 and 22. Lectionary 341,342

Scripture: Lectionary 341: Sirach 1:1-10. Psalm 93:1.1-2.5. Mark 9:14-39:

Mark is at his very best as a narrator who writes with dynamic descriptions
when it comes to some of the miracles of Jesus. Today we see this gift of
the first Gospel writer as he describes in detail an exorcism of Jesus and
the effect it has on the possessed boy. The details seem similar to a case
of epilepsy, but the healing is undoubtedly miraculous no matter what sort
of a "demon" possessed this youth. The details are similar to those of a
J.D.Salinger! Mark is a good journalist who brings the news to us with
verve and passion.

The point of view Mark always wants his reader to have is that of God's way
of looking at events and, of course, Jesus' way of doing this in his words
and actions. We need to be attentive readers to this tiny Gospel and
become believing reader respondents if we wish to capture the message that
is timely for us. Jesus can expel evil no matter what its manifestation
may be and he will eventually conquer the greatest of evil--death by his
rising from the dead on the third day after his execution by the Romans,
the cruel act of crucifixion.

As we follow the event of the expulsion our own faith should be
strengthened by what we learn and come to understand the point of the
story. We are to believe in Jesus and to trust that he can cure us of our
"demons" whatever they may be--fear, anger, control, addiction, jealousy,
lust, etc. Our faith is developed when we assimilate what happens when
Jesus is present and we respond with our faith coming more from the heart
than from the head.

The boy's father gives us our prayer for the day, "I do believe! Help my
lack of trust." The expression lack of trust is the opposite of believing.
Mark uses the same radical int he word behind "faith" and lack of faith. So
trust is able to be translated as "faith" and vice-versa. They mean the
same in the original language used by Mark and the two other synoptic
writers, Matthew and Luke. They too retain this event and have a slightly
different presentation than Mark. It is a way of deepening our
understanding by reading and comparing all three accounts of this miracle.
(see Mt. 17:14-20 and Luke 9:37-43a).

Our pericope (selected reading) thus has what is known as "multiple
attestation", that is, all three synoptics have the same event and narrate
it for their respective audiences. We thus gain a deeper knowledge of Mark
and what he is trying to convey by reading the way they read Mark our
original gospel. Whether we prefer trust in Jesus or faith in Jesus is up
to the reader, but it is best to keep both trust and faith in him alive.
Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary # 342. (2/22/11). Sirach 2:1-11. Psalm
37:3-4.18-19.27-28. 39-40. Mark 9:30-37:

"Compassionate and merciful is the Lord; he forgives sins, he saves in time
of trouble." (Sirach 2:11). If the disciples would have read and
assimilated what Sirach tells us in today's reading they would have had a
better understanding of what Jesus was telling them after they descended
from the mount on which they had experienced the transfiguration of the
Lord. He was telling them that he must suffer and die and then be
resurrected, but they had no clue of what he meant with this statement. In
all of the Gospels there is a mention of this statement three times. John
just uses a different word for expressing the passion, death, and
resurrection of Jesus, that of, "the hour."

In contast to their desire to be great, Jesus was telling them that he was
the Suffering Servant of God as Isaiah had described him so well in his
Suffering Servant hymns. They, however, preferred that they be served
rather than that they serve God's people. Jesus had to work hard to get
this message across which was so different from theirs. Unfortunately,
they missed the purpose of Jesus allowing them to share in and experience
his transfiguration on the mount. They missed the point also about Moses
and Elijah and how Jesus would fulfill both the teacher, Moses, and the
prophet, Elijah.

Sirach's message would have helped them to realize the importance of
listening to the wisdom of Jesus and even showed how to do this. Perhaps,
those people who retired to the desert and are known as the Qumran or Dead
Sea Scroll community, knew Sirach better than they did. They had copied
most of the books of the Bible from the Old Testament and there are some
vestiges of having copied Sirach. But Jesus' disciples probably had little
awareness of such a work which a few generations later the Jews of the
Diaspora would revere; the disciples, however, did not and therefore missed
the point. We, on the other hand, have both Sirach and Mark to help us
understand what it means to believe in Jesus being our Suffering Servant.

At times, we fail to understand our own Scriptures, Tradition, and
devotional prayers as well as the Church's teaching. We, too, rather would
be served than serve. Teach rather than be taught; control rather than
allow others to speak and take the lead. We are sometimes very much like
the disciples before the event of the Resurrection and have missed the
point that when all is said and done we are in reality unworthy servants of
the Lord. Jesus himself says to us, "It is quite the same with you who hear
me. When you have done all that you have been commanded to do, say, "We are
useless servants. We have done no more than our duty." (Luke 17:10). Amen.