2nd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - Interacting with Pharisees (part two)

 
As I mentioned yesterday, chapter two and the beginning of chapter 3 of St. Mark’s Gospel contain a series of five vignettes in which Jesus performs a miracle or reveals something about his identity, and the pharisees, scribes, and onlookers react with disapproval, suspicion, and contention. 

Today’s healing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath is the last of these five vignettes, and following this Sabbath miracle, the pharisees begin to conspire with the Herodians to kill Jesus. 

What was their problem with Jesus’ miracle? They claimed he was once again violating the sabbath. But, Scripture is very clear that even on the sabbath when manual labor is forbidden, it is still lawful, in fact, laudatory, to help people. It’s even commanded. Deuteronomy says, “You shall not see your countryman’s donkey or his ox fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly help him to raise them up”. Mercy outweighs rigid adherence to the Law.

Because of their hardness of heart, the pharisees intellects had become darkened, their wills perverted. And, in reaction to Jesus’ good act, the Pharisees conspire to perform an evil act on the Sabbath, murdering Jesus. And so fierce is their wrath that they join forces with political opportunities whom they would normally avoid at all costs: the Herodians. 

The Pharisees are a prime example that the darkening of the intellect and the perverting of the will stem from self-righteousness and sin. We literally cannot think straight when sin has taken root in our hearts. The prideful will justify morally reprehensible acts, they will seek to silence truth, deface beauty, and punish goodness. Their twisted minds will often latch onto one apparent good, like the avoidance of work on the sabbath, 

 to the exclusion of greater goods, avoiding murder and worshipping the son of God. To those who have become accustomed to darkness, light become obnoxious to them, even painful and hateful. Those who surround themselves with worldly errors and indulge the deceits of sin grow further and further from God.

But just has God sent his son into the midst of the Pharisees, like God sent the youth David into battle with the Philistine giant, God sends us to perform mighty deeds, and hidden acts of charity, to speak powerful words of truth and whispers of compassion. Because as long as the modern pharisees and philistines  draw breath they can be reached, their souls are not beyond hope. We are sent to rescue the lost sheep, those who desire salvation and eternal life with God, even those who don’t recognize that yet—to bring the light of Christ into the darkest of places, the darkest of souls.

So may we be faithful in our God given task, in living out the Christian faith, and spreading the Gospel in this day and age, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her, care for her, and give her strength and courage in her mission.

For the peoples of the world, that the Lord may preserve harmony among us.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may grant them relief and move Christians to come to the aid of the suffering.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for all monastics and hermits, and that all Christians may seek the perfection for which they were made.

For our beloved dead, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

5th Week of Lent 2019 - Monday - Power Struggle

The Daily Scripture readings for the first half of Lent helped us to focus on our Lenten penances: the prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and repentance needed to help us prepare well for easter. Now in the second half of Lent, our scriptures focus on Jesus and the types of opposition he faced, and how we are to imitate Him in the Christian life.

In the first reading, innocent Susanna is unjustly condemned. Susanna, like Christ, is totally innocent, yet she is brought up on trumped up charges by those in positions of power. Susanna, like Jesus on the Cross, cries out to God, making an act of trust, she surrenders herself into the hands of God, much like Christ who says, “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.” 

In the Gospel, the Pharisees claim that Jesus lacks anyone to verify his divine identity. Yet, these same pharisees will conspire at Jesus’ trial, they will bring in false testimony in order to condemn Him to death.

There is a power struggle in both of these readings. Lustful men wish to use their earthly power to have their way with Susanna. The Pharisees lust for power will lead them to seek to silence the Eternal Word. Jesus exposes that the Pharisees’ lust for power is greater than their love for God. And so they engage in dark conspiracy to put Jesus to death.

Even when dark powers conspire against us, when we walk in the dark valley, as we recalled in the Psalm, our faith reminds us that God is with us. The vindication of Susanna, through the prophet Daniel, hints at Jesus’ own vindication at Easter. Though the dark powers conspire against him, even though it seems even to his disciples that darkness has won, light shall overcome.

In the Christian life, we will face dark opposition from the world, from the devil, and even from our own sinful inclinations, the disordered affections of our flesh. The powers of darkness conspire against us for the ruin of our souls, to silence us from speaking the truth, to discourage us from the work of God. But the light of Christ will overcome when we are faithful, when like Susanna we trust and call out to God, like the Psalmist who trusts that God is at his side in the darkest of hours.

May our Lenten penances continue to toughen us up for the battle, may the help us to be ever more attentive to God’s presence in our lives, that our lives may shine with the light of the victorious Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For an increase in faith for the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That the Church might be delivered and protected from all spirits of error, heresy, schism, and unbelief and for faithful bishops, priests, and lay faithful who experience persecution because of their commitment to the Gospel.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.