Like a Child

Gospel MK 10:13-16

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

I like this reading.  Yesterday's reading was harsh for me and I'm still unsettled by it.  I'm inspired by today's reading to be more child-like in accepting the Kingdom of God.  For me that means unwavering trust and dependence.  When I think of my two boys when they were really small, before school-age, they were completely dependent on Mom and Dad.  They ate what we fed them, went where we went, and went to bed and got up on a schedule that we laid out for them (for the most part).  They never decided to trust us, it was somehow hard-wired into the relationship.  The never decided to depend on us, it's just how it was.  And so it is with our trust and dependence on God.  The path to holiness very much involves rediscovering the implicit trust and dependence that I have in God.  Why wouldn't the created, trust the Creator?

Adultery

Gospel MK 10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,
he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him and asked,
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?”
They replied,
“Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her.”
But Jesus told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.”

This one is troubling for me.  I am divorced from my first wife (and happily remarried x 17 years).  How do I reconcile my divorce of long ago with today's reading?  If I'm reading this correctly (and it seems pretty clear to me), I committed the sin of adultery.  While I've gone to Catholic confession a number of times (I'm certainly not a regular), I've never confessed to being an adulterer.  Maybe I should.  I think I will.  The season of Lent starts on March 5 and as a part of my lenten practice, I will go to confession.  Admittedly, I've gone to confession without having much to say - even so, I left feeling God's mercy and grace.  There are some other sins from long ago that I will confess as well.  Yesterday's reading talked about how we are purified by the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes that fire burns in a confessional.   

Salted with fire?

Gospel MK 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed 
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled 
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

“Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

This reading makes me think of powerful addictions that can ruin our lives and make us miserable (even worse than having a great millstone around our neck or drowning at sea!): drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, lying.  The list goes on.  Jesus knows we are creatures of habit.  And if there something that causes me to be less than my best, Jesus is clear that He wants it out of my life.  It's not easy.  That's why believers are "salted with fire."  I had to look this one up because I didn't understand the analogy.  In other words, we are purified by the fire of the Holy Spirit.  That makes me feel better.  On my own, I'm not strong enough to let go of my addictions.  But by the power of the Holy Spirit, I can.

In Jesus Name

Gospel MK 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

A short gospel reading today.  But a very empowering one.  When we act in the name of Jesus, it's all good (even when it might not seem that way).  So what does acting in the name of Jesus mean?  On the surface, it means doing what he did in much the same way.  We can see very clearly in the gospels that Jesus cared about meeting our deepest needs.  He fed the hungry.  He cast out demons.  He helped the lame to walk and the blind to see.  He attracted the disciples by meeting their deepest needs:  he satisfied their spiritual hunger, he gave them authority over the church, he taught them how to love God and others.  But the day-to-day decisions that we face are often murky.  The answer to "What would Jesus do?" isn't always obvious.  What then?  In Jesus name, I can confidently take the next step and then another one and another one.  Yes, missteps will be made along the way but I can trust Jesus to eventually lead me to His will.

A servant of God

Gospel MK 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men 
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” 
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?” 
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest. 
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first, 
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, 
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

The Good News of the Gospel is in many cases a radical departure from conventional wisdom.  Today's reading is no exception:  "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."  Admittedly, this is a tough one for me.  I want to be first.  I want to be recognized and honored.  I want to be validated.  I - I - I.  But Jesus is calling me to be a servant.  What will happen if I let go of the "I" language and start putting God and others first?  Servants are also obedient - and this one's a tough one for me because I want to be in charge, I want to be in control, or I want to please others first instead of honoring God.  More I's.  When I let go of these attachments, it's a little easier for me to see God's will and to do it.

Help my unbelief

Gospel MK 9:14-29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him. 
He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
Someone from the crowd answered him,
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”
He said to them in reply,
“O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” 
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around 
and foam at the mouth. 
Then he questioned his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?” 
He replied, “Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!”
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

I like the father's request - really it's a prayer (a simple yet powerful prayer) as he offers it up directly to the Son of God: "I do believe, help my unbelief."  As faithful as we try to be, we always will have an imperfect faith.  Sometimes there's a hint of doubt, sometimes the doubt is so big we can drive a truck through it.  Asking God to help our unbelief is a powerful prayer - it gives God the opportunity to close the door on doubt and plug up all the gaps in our faith.  In this way, our faith goes from imperfect to perfect.  I am at my best when I remind myself of my utter dependence on God.

Love your enemy

Gospel MT 5:38-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles. 
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Here Jesus goes on to explain in great detail what it really means to love our neighbor as ourselves.  He goes so far as to say that we should love our enemies!  And offer no resistance when we are assaulted or violated.  Tough to do, but he's so right.  When we feel wronged by someone, it's human nature to push back, defend ourselves, even go on the offensive by striking back somehow.  But Jesus calls us to do exactly the opposite.  He wants us to stand down.  He knows that if we don't give another something to "push against" we can avoid conflict or at the very least avoid making a bad situation worse.  He wants us to trust that God will right any wrongs by causing the sun to rise or the rain to fall on the just and unjust.

The reading makes me think of the martial art of Aikido [fromhttp://www.mit.edu/]
The foundation of the self-defense aspect of aikido is the act of redirecting the attacker's energy, rendering it harmless or even beneficial.

Turn the negative situation into a positive one, a curse into a blessing.

For every attacking energy, there is a way to redirect it.

God opens a path for us, even if the outcome isn't what we expected or wanted.

When presented with an attack, say "Thank you," with a genuine smile as you neutralize the attack. This gives the aikidoka a real "boost" in effectiveness.

When presented with what looks like a problem or a negative situation, keep a positive attitude and say "Thank you" to both God and the cause of the problem. (Thankfulness is also said to be a trait of spiritually advanced people.)

Put yourself in your opponent's place, sometimes by physically moving closer to him so that you can better lead him.

Seek first to understand. Love your enemy. And know your enemy. If you do this, you can see how to help him (with God's help), and you can often bring him spiritual peace before he can slide further down into anger or hate.

Jesus empowers

Gospel MT 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply, 
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

It's been said that the Pope can trace his power all the way back to Peter who was the rock that Jesus built his Church on.  He gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.  He gives Peter (and the apostles) the authority to punish or release from punishment - or in a broader sense, to followers of Jesus become better disciples.  Makes me think of the big cardboard keys that a mayor will give an important person when he/she gets the keys to the city.  Like Peter, we, too have the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.  God must think that I am important enough and trustworthy enough to have them.  It's both an honor and a responsibility.

How to save a life

Gospel MK 8:34-9:1

Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

He also said to them,
“Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”

Jesus doesn't pull any punches here.  He wants us to go all-in with our commitment to Him: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. "  Just like any relationship, I'm either in or out.  It's our choice isn't it?  We can choose to come after Jesus - or not.  Jesus doesn't force his way into a relationship with us - he leaves it up to us.  Jesus understanding that we get in our own way, calls us to deny ourselves - to let go of the needy, self-serving ego that can derail our best efforts.  To let go of attachments, to let go of desire.  He knows it will not be easy - when we follow Jesus, it means carrying our own cross, just as Jesus did.  I am losing an old life for a new life.  And when I embrace the life-saving message of the gospel I will know that Jesus is doing most of the heavy-lifting.

Thinking as God does

Gospel MK 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Knowing that Jesus was the Son of God and hearing that he was going to "suffer greatly" at the hands of of Herod must have been terribly troubling to the disciples.  It's human nature for us to want things to be the way we want them to be.  Jesus being harmed in any way was not a part of the plan, was it?  It was hard for the disciples to comprehend - they probably rallied around Jesus and vowed to protect him by any means possible.  But Jesus wouldn't have it - he was committed to God's will even if it meant horrible suffering.  And that's what God asks of me too - an unwavering commitment to His will.   It's my path to holiness.  

Clarity

Gospel MK 8:22-26

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked,
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

In contrast to yesterday's reading, the gospel today is about seeing clearly.  Who knows what afflicted this blind man - it sounds like he had cataracts.  Like the blind man, my vision is distorted - not by cataracts but by desire.  Jesus restored the sight of the blind man just as he restores mine.  When my vision is rooted in God's loving presence, then can I seen things as they really are.

Take a step way back

Gospel MK 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.” 
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

In today's reading, Jesus and the disciples are clearly not on the same page.  The disciples are worried about their next meal - despite having seen Jesus multiply the loaves and fishes.  It's a reflection of human nature isn't it?  We tend to see what's right in front of us.  And when we look around we find a lot to worry about.  But the disciples are missing the bigger picture - the Pharisees and Herod don't take kindly to Jesus and are out to get him.  The threat is so troubling that there is nothing more he would like than for the disciples to understand the gravity of His circumstances: "Are your hearts hardened?  Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?"  His plea rings true even today.  In the movie Gravity, there were breathtaking views of earth from space - from that perspective, there are no countries, cities, or people - it's as if the planet is one big ball of energy - spinning, swirling, and changing in its own timeless way.  When I look at my "problems" from this perspective, it's almost as if they are mere specks of dust!  I am at my best when I don't get side-tracked by the small day-to-day worries.  I am at my best when I take a step back and see God's plan in all of its perfection.

Send me a sign?

Gospel MK 8:11-13

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.

OK, this gospel reading makes me think of an old joke:

There was a very religious man named Jim, who lived near a river. One 

day, the river rose over the banks and flooded the town, and Jim was 
forced to climb onto his porch roof. While sitting there, a man in a 
boat came along and told Jim to get in the boat with him. 
Jim said, "No, that's okay. God will take care of me." 
So, the man in the boat drove off. 
The water rose higher, so Jim climbed onto his roof. At that time, 
another boat came along, and the person in that one told Jim to get 
in. 
Jim replied, "No, that's okay. God will take care of me." 
The person in the boat then left. 
The water rose even more, and Jim climbed onto his chimney. A 
helicopter came along and lowered a ladder for him. The woman in the 
helicopter told Jim to climb up the ladder and get in. 
Jim said, "That's okay." 
The woman said, "Are you sure?" 
Jim replied, "Yeah, I'm sure God will take care of me." 
Finally, the water rose too high and Jim drowned. Jim got to heaven 
and was face-to-face with God. 
Jim said to God, "You told me that you would take care of me! What 
happened?" 
God replied, "Well, I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What else did you want?"

It's a funny story but there is some truth to it.  Every time in every circumstance, God gives us everything we need to move forward, but we get in our own way and a stepping stone becomes a stumbling block.  Guilt, shame, arrogance, laziness, doubt, not seeing things for as they are, needing to be right.  The list of self-sabotaging behavior goes on and on. But it doesn't need to be that way.  I am at my best when I let God lead.  I say it in the Our Father every day - "Thy will be done."  God's signs are all around me but it takes an awareness rooted in God's presence that allows me to see the signs.

Yes or No?

Gospel MT 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’
will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, 
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful - 
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”

Or MT 5:20-22A, 27-28, 33-34A, 37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees, 
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment.

“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”

Here Jesus goes beyond the letter of the law.  Yes, we shall not kill - but even being angry with another separates us from God.  Yes, we shall not commit adultery - but even looking at a woman with lust separates us from God.  Yes we shall not lie - but sometimes we say "Yes" when we mean "No" or we say "No" when we mean "Yes."  This too separates us from God.  I like what Jodi  Picoult says about Yes and No: “In the space between yes and no, there is a lifetime. It’s the difference between the path you walk and one you leave behind; it’s the gap between who you thought you could be and who you really are; it’s the legroom for the lies you will tell yourself in the future.”  I am at my best when I choose wisely between "Yes" and "No."

More than enough

Gospel MK 8:1-10

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will collapse on the way,
and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread
to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.

He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Jesus performs another amazing miracle.  The deeper meaning here?  I think there are two.  Jesus once again satisfies our deepest needs and desires.  Here Jesus multiplies the bread and fish to feed thousands so they don't leave hungry.  He also satisfies our deeper spiritual hunger, so that we don't leave this world spiritually hungry.  This is also very much a story of abundance.  Jesus takes what we have, however inadequate it might seem, and makes it enough - really more than enough (there were more than 7 baskets of leftovers!).  How's that for a partnership?  I am at my best when I am aware of my dependence on God to multiply everything I have (time, talent, treasure) and use it for God's greater glory.

Be opened

Gospel MK 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis. 
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd. 
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly. 
He ordered them not to tell anyone. 
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it. 
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well. 
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

In today's gospel, Jesus heals the deaf mute.  Here is a man who was not able to hear and not able to speak.  It's not a stretch to say that he was disconnected to the world and others around him.  Perhaps he figured out how to communicate with others, but it likely wasn't easy and how much was lost in translation?  This is not unlike the spiritual disconnection that is a part of the human condition.  We long for God's presence in our lives, we long for God to give our lives meaning.  And just as Jesus healed the deaf mute, he also heals my emptiness, reconnecting my soul with the Divine.  I am at my best when I become aware of those times when I turn away from God.  Sometimes Jesus himself will command "Be opened!" and my heart does just that as it is filled with God's presence.

The consequences of disobedience and faith

Gospel MK 7:24-30

Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.

In today's first reading (not shown) we hear of Solomon "turning away from God" by having (hundreds) of pagan wives and  honoring the pagan gods of his wives.  He clearly disobeyed God's covenant.  And like a child who doesn't heed his mom's warning to look both ways when crossing the street, there are consequences.  But in Solomon's case, it was is son who paid the price for his disobedience - he inherited only one kingdom instead of the many that Solomon had.  Constrast Solomon's behavior (and vast wealth) with the great faith of the woman shown in today's gospel reading.  She would have been happy with Jesus' leftovers.  And Jesus rewards her faith by driving a demon out of her daughter.  In both readings, I am reminded of the profound effect, profound responsibility, that I have for the next generation.  I must not forget that my actions today do have an affect on future generations.

The battles within the self

Gospel MK 7:14-23

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.” 

When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

"All of the significant battles are waged within the self."  Sheldon Kopp said this and he was right.  And it sounds a lot like what Jesus is saying in today's gospel.  To place the message of this gospel in context, I think Jesus is referring to the extensive Jewish dietary laws which I had to look up.  Jews are required by the Torah to eat kosher foods - cow and goat meat are kosher, camel and rabbit meat, no.  Meat and dairy should not be eaten together but separately.  And the list goes on.  The laws go well beyond food hygiene and are really a call to holiness.  Knowing what is kosher and not kosher goes hand in hand with knowing what is chaste and unchaste, deceitful and true, arrogant and humble.  And that's what Jesus is talking about here, yes there are food rules in the Jewish culture but he wants us to go deeper.  He wants me to understand the battles that are waged within the self so that I can choose holiness.