Ordinary Time

Jan 06 2025

Scripture Study for

The author of Sirach admonishes the student to be content with things that are within the realm of possibility. Since this is a discourse on humility, it implies that one might attempt the impossible in order to promote one’s reputation in the eyes of others. Still, the only way we discover whether or not we are attempting the impossible is to try. Failure to achieve our goals will help us to recognize our limitations. It is precisely in situations of ambiguity such as this that we both exercise our wisdom and gain more.

The second reading contains a comparison between ancient Israel’s experience of God on Mount Sinai and the experience of God on the transformed Mount Zion at the end of time. The fire and thunder of the first experience discouraged access to the divine; not so the second experience. Furthermore, the efficacy of the blood of the innocent Christ is compared to the blood of the innocent Abel and not to that of the Passover sacrifice. Hence, the second experience is not so much a repudiation of the first covenant as it is a description of the final fulfillment accomplished by means of the second.

Jesus tells a parable that addresses proper seating at banquets. This was a very important issue, for one’s place at table was indicative of the degree of honor with which the host regarded the guest. The story shows the folly in presuming importance at a public banquet, and it challenges the arrogance of those who think that they are more important than they really are. Jesus turns priorities upside down, criticizing the practice of inviting only those able to reciprocate in kind.

His disciples should give to those who are in need, the very people who can not advance one’s sense of honor, but who might in fact undermine one’s reputation. At this Sabbath dinner, Jesus first redefines what honorable behavior is, and then he redefines who are honored guests.

Jan 06 2025

Discipline, Not Entitlement

The first image is found in Hebrews. No talk of being father’s “little darling” or mother’s “favorite pet” here. We get a comparison of God as a father who disciplines his child, even “scourges” every son he acknowledges. Now that certainly is a tough image to take, especially in a culture so attuned to the horrors of child abuse. But the time of the Letter to the Hebrews was a different culture, subscribing to the old adage “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” What is important is the notion of discipline. So let’s set the scourge aside and take up the issue of discipline—the discipline necessary to run a race, to “strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees, (to) make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.” Healing what is weak is the goal of this discipline.

The second image is Jesus as the gatekeeper who is telling us that the gate into the kingdom is a narrow one, so strive (there’s that note of discipline, again) to enter it. Jesus isn’t into numbers and doesn’t answer the question asked. He simply urges us to be strong enough to get through the gate. And any claims of “You knew me years ago, Jesus” or “You knew my mother and grandmother” won’t matter. Furthermore, prepare to be surprised when you see at who is getting through the gate into the kingdom.

The bottom line today: Strive, discipline yourself—feeling entitled won’t get you in.

Consider/Discuss

Is discipline necessary in your life? What kind?
What is the key to getting through the “narrow gate”?

Responding to the Word

Lord, teach us what we need to know to run the race, to gain entry through the narrow gate, to reach your kingdom. May we realize that you have called us to work with you to bring about the kingdom in our world. Give us the dedication to persevere in this goal.

Jan 06 2025

Scripture Study for

Isaiah announces that even foreign people are called together by God, and will become a sign to other foreigners of the glory that they themselves have seen. This vision is quite surprising, for Israel was not a nation that engaged in much missionary activity. Both the universal nature and the cultic character of the vision become clear. People stream to Jerusalem from all four directions. They all come to worship on God’s holy mountain. What is most amazing is that from these foreign people God will call forth priests and Levites. Both ethnic privilege and cultic regulations are set aside.

The author of Hebrews softens the view that suffering is discipline from God by appealing to the relationship of parent to child. If it is out of love and concern that parents discipline their children, then suffering can be seen as rigorous training from God that can strengthen us. According to the wisdom tradition, an individual must choose one of two paths, the way of the wise or the way of the foolish. The path referred to here is the way of the wise athlete, and the advice given admonishes the runner to make sure that the path is straight so that there will be no mishap.

Jesus is questioned about the number of people saved. He gives no direct answer but turns the focus from curiosity about the salvation of others to concern about one’s own future. His words illustrate the surprising reversals that the reign of God will bring forth. Salvation is not promised exclusively to one group rather than another. It will be surprising to see who is saved and who is not. Insiders will be kept outside and outsiders will be brought in; Jews will be barred from the messianic banquet while Gentiles will feast at it; outcasts will be welcome, but religious elites will not. While this is true only of some members of each group, the reversals are startling.

Jan 06 2025

Focus, Focus, Focus

Losing focus can be dangerous to your health. A man recalled in an interview how he had taken his eyes off the road for only three seconds to check his cell phone, when he smashed into the car in front of him. An expert on the addictive nature of digital technology suggested that when driving, cell phone owners should throw it out of reach in the back seat of the car. Cell phones are a danger to our focus on the road.

Jesus shifts how we usually focus on him today—not as preaching or teaching or healing or shepherding, but as casting fire on the earth; not as peacemaker but as divider. This might not make us too happy. Who wants an incendiary Jesus torching the land, or Jesus the homebreaker causing trouble in our family relationships? But Luke’s focus on Jesus cannot be tossed aside

Like Jeremiah, Jesus had to tell people what they didn’t want to hear: that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, that it wasn’t enough to think God would protect the citizens simply because they laid claim to the temple, the law, or the Sabbath. Laying claims didn’t matter if you didn’t live them. Laying claim to Jesus means living as a disciple of Jesus, keeping your eyes on Jesus as our “leader and perfecter of faith.” Faith ties, not blood ties, are what matter. Jesus came to bring into being a new family through his saving death and resurrection. That’s the faith focus.

Consider/Discuss

Have you ever had an experience of losing focus when navigating, or being called to, the digital world (cell phone, Internet, texting)?
What is Jesus calling our attention to, when he says he has come to set the earth on fire, or to bring division, not peace?

Responding to the Word

Jesus, you came to enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we might see you as our leader, hear you as the very Word of God, and follow you along the way you have led. Do not let us grow weary and lose heart, but set our spirits afire with your life-giving Spirit.

Jan 06 2025

Scripture Study for

The reading from Jeremiah is a drama of national crisis, prophetic involvement, and political power plays. Jerusalem is under siege and seems to be losing the battle. The prophet’s message has demoralized the soldiers. Such behavior is considered an act of treason punishable by death. Placed in a cistern, Jeremiah is saved by a foreigner. The unrest in the kingdom is almost tangible. Not only do the people have to contend with a nation that is mightier than they are, but there is no stability in their own government and they are divided over the matter of prophetic proclamation. Jeremiah appears to be the center of contention.

The author of Hebrews argues that just as athletic games were often held in large amphitheaters, which could accommodate throngs of spectators, so Christians are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Just as athletes are spurred on by the cheers of the people in the stands, so Christians are encouraged by those who have preceded them. Success in athletics requires that one have a goal that is kept uppermost in one’s mind. Jesus should be the goal continually held before the eyes of the Christian. Like athletes on the field, the Christians are urged to strain further and further.

Jesus says that he has come to cast fire on the earth and to cause division at the very heart of human society. While Jesus himself is a man of peace, the message that he proclaims is clearly divisive. Many of the claims he makes cut to the core of our dominant social and religious customs and understanding. He makes demands on people that challenge them to the very heart of their being. He insists that commitment to him and his message must take precedence over any political and even kinship loyalties. This is the cause of the division described in the passage. The animosity that Jesus generates is the cause of his own rejection and ultimate suffering and death.