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God's Wonderful Love
Wednesday October 11, 2006
And when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,
with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw that they were not on the right road
in line with the truth of the Gospel,
I said to Cephas in front of all,
"If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
Galatians 2:11-14
Reflection:
It seems Paul had to correct Peter at the beginning of the early years of the church. It wouldn't have been a good thing to continue in the way of hypocrisy. And this is not one of those times when we should imitate. Or follow the saying do as I say not as I do. Paul in his revelation, needed to step in and fix a broken part of the body.
We read of how Peter ate with a certain group of people, only to act when others were around that he shouldn't have. How truly wrong that is. I've seen this happen even in our day, when an influencial person ate with a lower class, only to act as if they shouldn't have. True hypocrisy. Something Jesus teaches us is wrong to do. He teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
It is a shame that this happened in the early years of the church. It is sad that the one who was entrusted the keys to the kingdom could do such a thing. But this is how God teaches and mends our errors too. We are shown that through others we are corrected of our faults. We are taught to follow the right way, just as Paul corrected Peter of his error. No one is perfect, we sin, we cause errors in others too. It is through God's will and guiding spirit that we follow the way of the Lord. We all know this ourselves, yet when we too do as they speak of today and commit hypocrisy because we fear being caught slumming so to speak, then shame on us big time.
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Tuesday October 10, 2006
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
Luke 10:38-42
Reflection:
In that moment of time Mary chose the very best, to be seated at the feet of our Lord. Because of this it irked her sister Martha, who was overburdened with serving.
I can't help but be reminded of times when I too thought I was overburdened, and did the same as Martha. Only thing about this, it was complaining or whining about stupid stuff. I have often caught myself during the years whenever complaints would form to squelch them, because I was reminded of this lesson from the Word of God.
It just seemed to me that preferring listening to what Jesus had to say was far more important and beneficial for my well being, rather than complain to him that I wasn't getting what I thought I needed at the time. We do complain to Jesus so very much, without thought. Why, why, why seems to be the biggest question we pose to him. Why not send us help, we need it Lord. Why did you have to take this one and not that one. Why, why, why. We are like Martha too.
But when we read the first reading about Paul's conversion, we will understand when our hearts are brought back to God's how very much God delights in us when we listen just as Mary has done in the Gospel passage, she has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her.
When we take the time to sit at Jesus feet and listen to him we too then will have chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from us. We have this when we sit with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. When we sit at his feet and listen.
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Monday October 9, 2006
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?" He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Luke 10:25-37
Reflection:
There is something truly beautiful about the parable in today's Gospel. Jesus uses three different types of people as an example, not necessarily as truth, but to give us an idea of what he is talking about as loving our neighbor.
Take us for example, how do we react when we see an accident, or someone who just got beaten up and left for dead. What do we do? Do we stop and offer them help, take care of their wounds! We pretty much have all stopped being a "good samaritan" when people started becoming sue happy.
For us we lost the love of neighbor out of fear of being sued, just for doing an act of kindness. We have come a very long way indeed. Even stopping to offer comfort is out of the question. Or to help change a tire. There are not too many who will do an act of kindness or be a good samaritan out of love of neighbor.
Even though the scholar in today's reading tested Jesus, he answered him correctly. But in his seeking further clarification we have what we are all about. Do we see ourselves in the Gospels, and live it. Are we one of the examples that Jesus uses to point out that no matter what our faith is; if we do not have love of neighbor we really do not have love, as we think we do.
And none of us can escape what we truly avoid, and that is we try so very hard not to love. When we should love with all of our being, how truly happy we all would be.
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Sunday October 8, 2006
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man.When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man’ this one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. Genesis 2:21-24
Reflection:
How old is the Old Testament? What technology did they have other than death to know of the missing rib in men and where they would find it. God went to great lengths to find a suitable companion for man. But nowhere does it say that he made another man to be that companion. Or for that matter did he make woman to be a companion to woman. But he made a woman from the rib of a man to be one with the man, just as we are one with God.
No matter how far along we have come since this dawning of birth as part of God's creation, there will always be those who will argue that this is not so. We have the oldest text that tell us the beginning that has been preserved over time. And people want to refute it. But God is very much a huge part of everything, he gave animals to Adam to be named by him. Since we forget that in God's eyes a thousand years are but a day to him, but a lifetime for us. The world is old but young in God's eyes, we are the beginning, middle and end.
We have in in the last century maimed so much of what God has created to suit ourselves and our foolishness. And to think we are supposed to be smart.
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Friday October 6, 2006
Jesus said to them,
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.'
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Luke 10:13-16
Reflection:
Job was being admonished by the Lord and so are we by Jesus. But he says something quite powerful in todays reading. "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." And do we really do this with each other. Not just with those who we go to and listen in church proclaim the Gospel. But really listen to one another when they are speaking. I know some it is very hard to hear them, because the pitch of their voice is either very low or very soft, or they have a heavy accent that makes it hard to understand. No matter what, it takes a trained ear to listen. When we follow the word of God we do exactly that, train our ears to listen to one another.
Then Jesus goes one better about rejecting each other. How many times have we purposely avoided people time and time again. Or not acknowledge them when speaking to another as if they are not there, until they turn around and leave. How often we reject Jesus, when we let our lives become so busy that we can not stop and acknowledge him for a minute even in our thoughts. But we will use his name to swear when nothing is going our way. Not quite the same thing, but a rejection of his Holy name all the same.
I remember when I was young and extremely shy, I was not very good with communicating. Today I was reminded how in my imperfections I unknowingly rejected others because of my fear. Yet I would smile at them. Today, I still smile, but I try to say hello too. I will look directly at them. And many a time I was so absorbed in our Lord I failed to make note of others, how rude then I was to not acknowledge them when in sight I saw but did not say.
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