September 26, 2021

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

• Numbers 11:25-29
• James 5:1-6
• Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! (Numbers 11:29)

Reflection written by: Janet Ann McDermott, MTS

I introduced my thoughts for today with a quote from the Old Testament Book “Numbers” where the writer is recounting the reaction of Moses to those who questioned the prophetic credentials of some elders who had missed the initial prophetic blessing: “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets!  Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all.”

What, then, are prophets?  Who are they? What is their role? 

…a prophet was a spokesman for God; he spoke in God’s name and by his authority ( Exodus 7:1 ). He is the mouth by which God speaks to men ( Jeremiah 1:9 ; Isaiah 51:16 ), and hence what the prophet says is not of man but of God ( 2 Peter 1:20 2 Peter 1:21) The great task assigned to the prophets whom God raised up among the people was “to correct moral and religious abuses, to proclaim the great moral and religious truths which are connected with the character of God, and which lie at the foundation of his government.  (These are bits and pieces of quotes I gleaned from browsing the internet.)

  Whom should we welcome?   
and
Who doesn’t belong?

In our society and in our Church, these are difficult times for many of us believers.  We are told conflicting things by “authorities”, delivered to us as “truth”.  To add to the problem of identifying such truths is that sometimes those who speak with authority tell us things we would rather not hear. We have been told that the prophets – even Jesus – were not very popular with God’s people. The stories of Moses and Jeremiah are good examples.  So, where does that leave us as we discern our listening?

We learn a lot about a people by observing their actions and, if we are wise, we take note of the outcomes of their endeavors.  Do their works produce mercy and forgiveness, an imitation of the goodness and mercy of God?  Where do we get our knowledge of God?  We can look at God’s works. God uses creation to reveal the divinity being shared with us. (The Book of Psalms is full of praise for God’s handiwork.)  How does one discern that God is at work?  How do we interpret God’s message, God’s call?  How do we know that what we have been told is authentic, something to believe? Does God’s truth get delivered by means of simple statements (like the answers in the Baltimore Catechism)?  Are certain people or groups sent to us as authorities?  Are we assured that listening to a spokesperson or recognized group or from among God’s people, we can accept as God’s truth what is delivered by them?  Are there times and/or circumstances when I am given a prophetic voice?

Mark’s gospel for this weekend is rich with familiar texts.  The scene is when the apostles were objecting to the (successful) healing performed by someone not of their company.  Here Mark quotes Jesus’ response, Jesus, over and over again, points out that it is by their works that a person’s integrity should be judged: “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mk 45) And, Jesus, warmed up to the subject it would seem, condemns those who lead others astray, tells the apostles that it would be a better thing to lose a hand if that hand leads the person to commit grave sin.

Sorry, I don’t have the answer to all this.  I propose that many answers come from within our hearts.  Answers come to us when our hearts are open to God through our own way of life, a life of prayer and good works.  When my own confusion gets aroused, I remind myself that God is the Creator of all that is, and that God is leading us forward. God declared all of creation “good”.

I believe that there is much wisdom to be found in a prayer offered by Cardinal Deardon, later quoted by Pope Francis:

We are prophets of a future not our own:

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of
saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an
opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master
builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
(this prayer was first presented by Cardinal Dearden in 1979, is often attributed to Oscar Romero,
later quoted by Pope Francis in 2015)

Thoughts for Further Reflection:

• How do I discern the authenticity of others?  Instinct?  Well-worn parameters?  Guidance, perhaps from others?
• Are there times where I become anxious about not having the needed answers?  Where do I go for help?  Does that work? Or is there perhaps some other way I

September 12, 2021

Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

• Isaiah 50:5-9a
• Psalm 116
• James 2:14-18
• Mark 8:27-35

Reflection written by: Theresa Shepherd-Lukasik

These passages have so much to unpack. They speak to us of the nature of Jesus. They also speak to the nature of our relationship to Jesus, the nature of faith, and our response to that faith.

Let’s begin with Jesus in the gospel. Imagine that you have traveled by foot with Jesus and have had a long day. You have come to a spot to rest, eat, talk and reflect on the day and the past several weeks. Jesus has healed people, spoke into a storm and it ceased, he preaches, but in a way that it restores people into relationship with God. As you are sitting and talking, Jesus asks, “Who do people say that I am?” they replied, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” What would you say to Jesus? Who is Jesus for various people in our world? As some time goes by, Jesus then turns to you and asks, “But who do you say that I am?” What does your heart say in response? Who is Jesus for you?

For Peter, Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one of God. Many generations faithfully waited for this moment, and it had arrived. God was faithful to God’s people, even in the depths of the suffering. At the heart of Christianity is this person, Jesus, in whom we place our hope, faith, love, thanksgiving, and our service. Jesus reveals to us the heart of God and invites us into his work of salvation.

Let’s look at the passage from Isaiah. It is one about the suffering servant. For Christians, we have interpreted this suffering servant as being prophetic about Jesus, the suffering servant, the one who bears our sins, and is like a lamb lead to slaughter. In the Gospel of Mark, is the suffering servant. After Peter proclaims him to be the Christ, Jesus begins to explain that he must suffer ridicule, be killed, and rise again. Furthermore, we must also do they same. (Which of course, Mark’s community was literally suffering persecution and dying for the faith.) But throughout the Gospels, Jesus invites us into his work, like at the last supper where he takes on the role of a servant and tells us to do likewise.

While I personally believe the suffering servant passages are about Jesus, they also need to read it from the perspective of when it was written. The Jewish people were the suffering servant. The people of Israel, as a community suffered, and they saw their suffering as something that was efficacious. They were corporately, the suffering servant, through which reconciliation and salvation would be brought to the world. God is faithful to God’s covenant with his people, but the fulfilment and faithfulness to these covenants is actualized in Jesus. But just as the people who went before us in faith are incorporated into this paschal mystery, so too is our sufferings, works, joys, and sacrifices incorporated into the great sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The Body of Christ, the church, the people of God, our united with Christ, and in essence, as people ridiculed and mocked him, so will we be, but “blessed are those who suffering for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”

As the Jewish people remained faithful to God, we too must have faith even when it seems that God is not near. The letter of St. James tells us “Faith without works is dead.” We can’t just say we believe in Jesus to be saved. Yes, ultimately it is through faith and grace that we are saved, but salvific faith costs us more than, “I believe”. It requires a response, if we believe in Jesus our lives will be intimately united with him. We will become like Christ. We will become like Christ in our marriage and in how we treat our children. We will become like Christ in the way we serve the poor. St. James tells us our faith must be put into action or it is worthless. Jesus in the gospel invites us to be incorporated into his great work, and become willing to be the suffering servant with him. If that is too much for one person individually, that makes sense, because it is the whole body of Christ that becomes this servant in unity with Jesus.

Questions for reflection:

• This Sunday’s entrance antiphon is, “Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you, that your prophets be found true. Hear the prayers of your servant, and of your people Israel.” How many thing do we wait on to be made right? Be faithful in prayer and work toward the kingdom of God.
• What work is God inviting you to help with?