biblical reflection – Page 5

1st Sunday, Lent 2018

Genesis 9:8-18; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15

Hidden Messiah #2

Wind-whipped, burnt sand, drying, cutting,
distant pool shimmers, glimmering;
image of man or Shepherd-King?
Wind-whipped, burnt sand, drying, cutting,
Which the mirage, of which to sing?
Cling to human or Shepherd-King?
Wind-whipped, burnt sand, drying, cutting,
distant pool shimmers, glimmering.

Law of Motion

Flood Warning!
Desert- Danger!

Outside forces acting upon a people at rest
who will remain at rest,
unless otherwise acted upon.

Flood! Desert!

Too much water, too little water, respectively:
too little sun, too much sun, respectively.

Warning! Lent!

I may reconsider and discern and evaluate
The Too-Muchs,
The Too-Littles.

Danger! Lent!

An outside force acting upon a people at rest
who will remain at rest,
unless otherwise acted upon.

Desert- Danger!
Flood Warning!

Journal Questions:

What images come to mind when I think of the desert? What might be the biggest threat to survival?
In reference to my faith, what does the term, desert experience mean? What experience might I now identify as a desert experience. When have I been caught in a flood, as it were?
What are the mirages in my life or in society?
Lent is a call to discern and evaluate our lives. Reviewing my current life with a wide lens, what might I characterize as too little and what as too much?

Ash Wednesday, 2018

Joel 2:12-18; 2 Col 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Hidden Messiah #1

Rend your hearts, let spirit be stirred.
Let the Lord break open your soul.
Like the sealed scroll of Sacred Word,
Rend your hearts, let spirit be stirred.
Light will shine on hearts once interred:
Hidden Messiah, here below–
Rend your hearts, let spirit be stirred.
Let the Lord break open your soul.

Word Study

Rend so ye may render

Rend your hearts, not your garments…

to rend:
to split, cleave,
to rip up, tear open
to break into, break through, break up

Rend so ye may render!

to render:
to give up or back
to give in return for
to furnish, provide, supply

and return to the LORD, your God.

Journal Questions:

Both poems play with the words rend and render.
1. What experiences have I had which I characterize as a rending?
2. What experiences seem to have been a rendering?
3. How have these experiences effected my relationship with God?
4. How will I respond this year to the invitation to rend my heart?
What influence does scripture have on my heart, soul and mind?

3rd Sunday, OT 2018

Jonah, Chapters 1-3; Mark 1: 14-20

In the Hebrew Bible section before us, Jonah urges the Ninevites, “Repent, return to the Lord.” The prophet’s back-story, however, is important. Jonah hopped on a boat to Tarshish because he was running away from the Lord: although scholars debate exact its location, they agreed Tarshish is in the opposite direction of Nineveh and far away. Yet, Jonah claims Lord God as his god, and admits he is Hebrew. He is not denying or betraying God, just running away from what he’s being asked to do.

Caught in a dangerous storm and realizing Jonah brought it on by turning tail on his Lord God, the sailors chuck him overboard. Because Jonah may well have drown, the sea creature who swallows him up has done him a great favor. I imagine visiting the belly of a sea monster. It is very disorienting: I don’t know if it is day or night, how much time has passed, and if I am even alive. (And I am so hungry!) In all seriousness, the sensation of disorientation stays with me.

Once our prophet reaches Nineveh, the people repent with fasting and sack clothe. Jonah goes to extraordinary lengths to run away, assuming peril and death, but the people respond with generous enthusiasm. (The Lord pointed out to me… I often predict gloom and doom and am pleasantly surprised too.)

Simon and Andrew, James and John do not run away, but run towards. Jesus says, “Follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” Fishing— hauling in the catch, cleaning and selling, mending nets is hard physical labor, requiring patience and attention. I imagine Peter’s enthusiasm over a catch of fish: the sense of triumph and satisfaction at a great catch. While the Post-resurrection Peter often seems solemn and serious, I wonder if he did not exhibit the same enthusiasm in catching men, in building the Early Church.

To orient or reorient requires one to stop and look around, to seek and decide on an object, path or goal for reference. In the case of the fishers, their orientation shifted from fishing for fish to fishing for men. They followed Jesus spontaneously and without question or struggle, no discernment needed. Although Jonah fought the Lord, the whale reoriented him towards Lord God. Deepening our relationship with the Lord must involve this process of periodic reorientation.

Journal Questions:

When have I needed to stop, look around and be reoriented? What do I learn about myself and God in reflecting on these past experiences?
Do I need reorienting at this point in time?

2nd Sunday, OT, 2018

1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19
John 1:35-42

We often use the words vocation, or calling to indicate life-style, career, and hobbies. Like Samuel, we may be called to service of the Lord as priest or vowed religious. The word may refer also to our raison d’être, the meaning of our life, our identity; Peter was called to be The Rock. Finally, we may be referring to a unique and marked talent or insight; the prophets were called to convey specific messages.

Programs such as Called and Gifted by the Catherine of Siena Institute, and other spiritual gift inventories are designed to help people discover their God-given gifts and His call to use them. While we are right to reflect on these and the concerns of our hearts, we need to guard against turning the Lord into a high school guidance counselor.

Neither Samuel or Simon Peter are called to do anything specific as of these moments before us: no mission or ministry has yet been suggested. Before any other communique, the Lord makes His presence known. While He used words to grab Samuel’s attention, His physical appearance itself told Peter, “Here I am.” When the Lord calls us by name, He is announcing the presence of all present. “Here we all are— together.”

I am visual, so creating a scene in my mind’s eye when I contemplate is helpful to me. Regardless of the setting, Jesus is typically present and waiting for me. When I asked Him about these readings…about calls, vocations and invitations… I forgot to listen to His answer. I was just so happy to be hanging out with Him. I was in peace; it was not a feeling but a state of being. I realized later, that was His response.

We may worry, “Have I understood accurately what He is calling me to do, who He is calling me to be?” We make what is simple overly complicated. For each and every one of us, like Samuel and Peter, He calls us to notice His presence, to be with Him, and to allow ourselves to be at peace. The rest is secondary fluff.

Journal Questions:

What efforts have I made to discern my calling?
Am I living my call or still searching for clarification from the Lord?
When do I experience peace? Is it a feeling or state of being?
How might I describe my perceptions of time I spend with the Lord to someone else?

Epiphany

Psalm 72
Matthew 2:1-12

I was surprised at the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition of Epiphany. The first point is a reference to today’s holy day and the second points to, “A manifestation of the divine.” The third listing reads,

a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something,
an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking,
an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure: a revealing scene or moment.

Various commentaries highlight different aspects of the Magi, but all tend to debunk the notion of three highly-respected and wise kings. Taken together, it seems once upon a time, Magi were respected king-priests, but over time their reputation dipped (11) for various reasons. At the time of Jesus’ birth they were known as astrologers and dream interpreters: as such, they would have noticed a change in the night sky.

Barclay clearly explains, given knowledge of the culture and belief systems of the day throughout the land, the star’s significance would be obvious to the Magi (8). Writings found from the time period make it clear the general expectation in the region was that Israel would be imminently restored through a new Davidic king. Such a king would establish peace and justice throughout the world. They travelled a long time from far away, probably in some danger to behold this king.

While the Magi were given an understanding of the significance of the appearance of a new star, it was ignited by their professional knowledge. Epiphanies may seem spontaneous and unexpected, however, such ah-ah moments spring from what we know already through perseverance and fortitude.

Secular parlance also uses the word freely and we do indeed have moments of sudden clarity in which we interpret everyday events and circumstances in a new way. Some would say these understandings come from our ‘wise minds.’ Nine times out of ten, if I’ve quieted the jumble in my head, reaching a perception fancy and profound enough to call wisdom, it’s not mine. I have no ‘wise mind,’ but the same mind all the time. If I follow the Light which is the Lord, if I pay attention to His presence before and around me, however, I may come to a new insight.

In other words, if the third Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition takes place, the second has already occurred. Did I miss it?

Journal Questions:

What am I an expert of? How does its attending knowledge help me seek and understand the presence of the Lord here and now?
How would I evaluate my own wisdom? To what or whom do I attribute it to?