Seventeenth Sunday

Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary
July 30, 2006

"And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said." (II Kings 4). "The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs." (Psalm 145). "So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. (John 6: 1-15)

A man brings an offering of barley loaves to the prophet Elisha. He is told to give them to the people instead of to the priests. To his amazement there is enough to feed a large number, with some left over. Jesus has compassion for a large crowd which had followed him and the disciples to a remote place. The crowd was following him hoping for a miracle. They get much more than they could have hoped.

The details are important. Jesus is on a mountain (like Moses on Mt. Sinai) giving a "new" Law. It is "close to the Passover" when the people celebrate their liberation from slavery by eating the sacred meal of unleavened bread. The place is lush with green grass. Food is provided by a boy with some barley loaves and fish which becomes enough for everyone. Jesus "raised his eyes" to see the people he loved. He then gave thanks, blessed and distributed the bread to the people. This is a sacred meal in which God even provides the protein along with the starch. More than the people would have expected.

Twelve baskets of food collected after the meal call to mind the twelve disciples and the tribes of Israel. Even the leftovers from God's generosity is more than enough for his people. There is plenty of divine compassion for everyone, even from small and apparently inadequate beginnings. The people of God are fashioned from the leftovers. How can we not have the same compassion for each other?

Although they probably did not understand it clearly, the people were hungry for more than bread and miracles. My own experience of advancing physical weakness and disintegration is teaching me about which "signs" to pursue. We often spend a great deal of time asking for this or that affliction to be taken away. When they are not removed, we complain bitterly that our prayers were not answered. While we are looking at what has not happened, we may miss what the Spirit is already accomplishing within us. Beyond our physical needs, the Most High has compassion for our spiritual hungers: faith and trust, a forgiving heart, appreciation for the truth and beauty in every human person, peace of mind, respite from emotional and spiritual weariness, a sense of meaning and direction. If we have these gifts, we can manage a great deal of adversity. The permanent miracle is cure of heart, mind and soul. God's abundance is for our spiritual sustenance in the kingdom of heaven. "The hand of the Lord feeds us". It is enough for us.

Sixteenth Sunday

Sixteenth Sunday Ordinary
July 23, 2006

"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them..." (Jeremiah 23:1-6) "For he is our peace, he... broke down the dividing wall of enmity..." (Ephesians 2:13-18) "... his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd..." (Mark 6:30-34)

The prophet Jeremiah speaks for the Most High that the people ("my flock") scattered and displaced from their homeland by their adversaries will be reunited and protected from further harm. St. Paul says that the Christ will bring peace and destroy the wall of animosity. We are the people of peace. The attitude and language of hatred and violence has no place among us. If we may be forced at times to defend ourselves against unjust aggression, we do not have to do it by making the aggressors out to be subhuman demons. This is the very attitude we reject when it is applied to us. Even advice from successful military leaders indicates that underestimating, misunderstanding or disrespecting our adversaries can lead to our own undoing.

Jesus and his disciples are exhausted from the constant pressure of the crowds who want to hear and be touched by them. They have not even had time to eat. He suggests that they take some time off and they go by boat to a deserted place hoping to be able to rest and recharge. People find out where they are and are there waiting for them! In spite of fatigue he has compassion for them and does not send them away. Jesus gives us examples of both selfless generosity and prudent regard for our own limitations. Good pastoral care for each other includes taking care of one's self. If we are exhausted and depleted, we will become useless for others.

Jesus remarks that the crowd is "like sheep without a shepherd". We pray for wise and compassionate pastors and then dare them to try to fix the enmity and divisions which threaten us. We appear to want our pastors to fix others who are opposing our own ideas about what we should be teaching and preaching, what kind of art and music we should have, when to sit, kneel or stand, and which words are correct. These issues are certainly important. We might also do well to keep them in perspective. Entire continents of God's flock are in the agonies of poverty, disease, starvation and violence. They are our people, too.

In a popular TV program dog owners ask for help from an expert about how to fix their pet's behavior problems. He turns the issue back on to the owners, helping them with their own attitude adjustment first. This new approach with their pet will take daily time, attention and patience. We may not be able to directly solve national or global problems, but we certainly can transform our own church, work and school communities, starting with prayers for transformation of our old self with all its aggression and anger.

Sixteenth Sunday

Sixteenth Sunday Ordinary
July 23, 2006

"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them..." (Jeremiah 23:1-6) "For he is our peace, he... broke down the dividing wall of enmity..." (Ephesians 2:13-18) "... his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd..." (Mark 6:30-34)

The prophet Jeremiah speaks for the Most High that the people ("my flock") scattered and displaced from their homeland by their adversaries will be reunited and protected from further harm. St. Paul says that the Christ will bring peace and destroy the wall of animosity. We are the people of peace. The attitude and language of hatred and violence has no place among us. If we may be forced at times to defend ourselves against unjust aggression, we do not have to do it by making the aggressors out to be subhuman demons. This is the very attitude we reject when it is applied to us. Even advice from successful military leaders indicates that underestimating, misunderstanding or disrespecting our adversaries can lead to our own undoing.

Jesus and his disciples are exhausted from the constant pressure of the crowds who want to hear and be touched by them. They have not even had time to eat. He suggests that they take some time off and they go by boat to a deserted place hoping to be able to rest and recharge. People find out where they are and are there waiting for them! In spite of fatigue he has compassion for them and does not send them away. Jesus gives us examples of both selfless generosity and prudent regard for our own limitations. Good pastoral care for each other includes taking care of one's self. If we are exhausted and depleted, we will become useless for others.

Jesus remarks that the crowd is "like sheep without a shepherd". We pray for wise and compassionate pastors and then dare them to try to fix the enmity and divisions which threaten us. We appear to want our pastors to fix others who are opposing our own ideas about what we should be teaching and preaching, what kind of art and music we should have, when to sit, kneel or stand, and which words are correct. These issues are certainly important. We might also do well to keep them in perspective. Entire continents of God's flock are in the agonies of poverty, disease, starvation and violence. They are our people, too.

In a popular TV program dog owners ask for help from an expert about how to fix their pet's behavior problems. He turns the issue back on to the owners, helping them with their own attitude adjustment first. This new approach with their pet will take daily time, attention and patience. We may not be able to directly solve national or global problems, but we certainly can transform our own church, work and school communities, starting with prayers for transformation of our old self with all its aggression and anger.

Fifteenth Sunday

Fifteenth Sunday Ordinary
July 16, 2006

"The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” (Amos 7:12-15). "He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world...." (Ephesians 1: 3-10). "He instructed them to take nothing for the journey..." (Mark 6: 7-13).

The prophet Amos is tossed out of the king's palace by his paid professional prophet, Amaziah, who despises Amos' humble origins (he is a farm worker) as unworthy of the attention of important people. The prophet claims that it is the Most High who has chosen him to speak the truth to the royal court. History has forgotten Amaziah but remembers Amos, the great prophet of Yahweh's love for the people of the covenant. The title "prophet" refers to someone who speaks the truth about how people are responding, or not, to the divine presence in the context of current events. Their reputation for seeing into the future was based on their uncanny ability to discern the direction that current events were taking in relation to God's plan. This ability is a divinely appointed vocation given to a few, often eccentric, and often ignored or despised. Most of us are inclined to assume an informal, self-appointed, prophetic role whenever we make predictions about the future based on our observations of current events. Judging from the certainty of our opinions, it would appear that many of us mistakenly appropriate prophetic powers to ourselves.

In the gospel Jesus sends his apostles out to spread his words and interpret the signs of the times to all who will listen. They go in pairs to support, encourage and correct one another. Just like Amos, their only credentials are God's designation. They are not professionals. No salary, retirement program, advanced degree, certification or license. No authority but divine truth. Their lack of possessions allows them to be faithful only to this truth. They owe nothing to anyone else. They are allowed only their companion, the clothes on their back, a walking stick and their sandals. If they are ignored or rejected, they do not argue or persuade. They just move on to another place, allowing the dust from their sandals (i.e. their walking away) to be their only response. We might want to remember this the next time we are feeling the urge to argue the rightness of our cause too vehemently.

I have been reminded this week by the serious illness of a close friend of the "prophetic" role of those who can only manage to quietly await the final call from God into eternity. Sometimes the most convincing statement about the meaning of life in our times is the silent testimony of suffering. Prophets without words. Like the apostles, we all go with nothing to encumber us on that journey, clothed only with what God provides and accompanied by our close companions.

Fourteenth Sunday

Fourteenth Sunday Ordinary
July 9, 2006

"Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you." (Exodus 2: 2-5). "... for power is made perfect in weakness.” (II Corinthians 12: 7-10). "... they took offense at him... So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people." (Mark 6: 1-6)

Yahweh warns Moses, in fairly direct language, about his people's tendency to resist accepting what he has to offer them. Whether or not they receive his words, they will know that they have heard the truth about themselves and their relationship with the Most High.

Jesus, in a way similar to Moses, turns up in his home town preaching to the synagogue and, again, the locals cannot believe that one of their own could speak with as much divine authority and power. They are unable to allow him to have any influence on their lives and therefore leave him powerless. We are told that the people "took offense" in spite of recognizing how persuasive he was. I can only think that there was more than a little envy contributing to their response. How could anyone who grew up in such humble circumstances, and therefore easily ignored, possibly have anything worthwhile to tell us. Jesus can only register amazement at this and, apart from a few sick people he leaves them alone. The sick are healthy and the healthy are sick.

We locals know just about everything there is to know. How could anyone (family, coworkers, parishioners, students in other cliques) we have known for years possibly have anything to tell us? We do this to "conservatives" or "liberals", as if the opposing group of outsiders has anything to add to what we already know for sure. We limit our local prophets to what is familiar and acceptable. A great way to stay comfortable, ignorant and isolated.

St. Paul mentions his “thorn in my flesh”, probably referring to some unnamed physical affliction, and declaring his willingness to allow this weakness to become the way God will successfully intervene in his life. Sickness is health, health is sickness. As anyone successfully recovering from an addiction (drugs, alcohol, food, smoking, pornography, anger, etc.) will tell us, acceptance of the problem and powerlessness over it are necessary for healing and recovery. "Willpower" by itself usually does not work. It only sets us up to continually cycle through promises to do better, followed by failure and more guilt, shame and withdrawal from those we love most. I could say something similar about my own affliction. Trying really hard just makes me tired, frustrated and cranky. Acknowledging what I cannot do for myself and asking for help (from the Holy Spirit and other people) energizes me to accomplish things I can actually do for myself. Weakness is power, power is weakness.