Solemnity

Jan 27 2025

Scripture Study for

As Israel enters into a covenant relationship with the God who has delivered them from bondage in Egypt, Moses calls upon the people to affirm that they will be faithful to their God, which means— among other things—to be loyal and obedient, observing all of the covenant expectations (especially the Ten Commandments). In the ancient Near East, and so also in ancient Israel, solemn covenants were sealed by sacrifice and blood from the sacrificed animal was sprinkled on both parties. Here, the people are sprinkled with blood along with the altar itself, which represents God. This blood, which binds the two parties into a relationship of mutual loyalty, is thus the “blood of the covenant.”

The central theme of the Letter to the Hebrews is the priesthood of Christ. Formerly, the high priest, as representative of the people, would enter the tabernacle to offer sacrifice to God. This earthly tabernacle was considered an analog to the divine, heavenly dwelling. Some of the sacrifices were instituted to cleanse Israel of the effects of sin through the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrificed animals, an act that had to be repeated regularly. Christ, the eternal High Priest, has rendered all of this obsolete by entering into the actual heavenly sanctuary, offering himself in sacrifice, and cleansing away sin with his own blood. Because he is the Son of God, this action surpasses all others in quality and effect.

In Mark, the Last Supper is held on the evening ushering in the feast of Passover, when the lambs were slaughtered. The blood of the Passover lamb in Exodus protected the Israelites from death, and the lamb itself was eaten. Here, Jesus offers his own body to be shared by the disciples and his own blood as “my blood of the covenant,” a reference to the blood of the sacrificial animal of the covenant at Sinai. Thus he draws on two traditions of sacrifice, both closely related to the Exodus, to articulate the meaning of his own imminent death, which both saves from death and seals a new covenant between God and humanity.

Jan 27 2025

Our Yes! to God.

I am remembering a Sunday morning at Mass, as we stood to sing before the reading of the Gospel. In the pew behind me, a little blond boy sang “Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!” in his four-year-old voice at the top of his lungs. Exuberantly! Loudly! Innocently, with joy in his heart.

Do you think that the angels and saints in heaven sing like that little guy? Exuberantly, loudly, innocently, with joy in their hearts? Can you hear them? “Alleluia!” to the Holy of Holies. “Alleluia!” to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “Alleluia!” to the One-in-Three.

What about us adults? On Trinity Sunday, we use metaphors of clovers and candles to wrap our minds around the concept of One in-Three. We strain to understand God. We un-grand the grandeur of the “Great I Am” so that we “get it.” But we don’t “get it.” It is as though we try to capture the radiance of the sun and cup it in our hands.

Concepts are important. At the same time, the Intimate One glows and whispers within us, “I am more than ideas. Go deeper. Dwell in me.” The Big God of the Universe bursts into our grown-up rationalizations and shouts, “I am more. Go bigger. Dwell in me.” The grandeur of the living God permeates all that is.

Those loud and innocent “Alleluias!” can be ours as well. We are not to live a listless Christian life that limps along only on ideas. We can recapture the exuberance of faith, that innocence of being four years old and loving God! The Father-Son-and-Holy-Spirit is real. The power of the Trinity is real. The God of the Universe is with us, always faithful, never departing: “I am with you always.” That is Good News! Sing Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Consider/Discuss

The Holy Trinity, one God, is Mystery beyond Mystery. In biblical parlance, God is the Father under whose wings we take refuge; God is the Son who has redeemed us from the muck; God is the Spirit who surrounds us and warms us and upholds us and empowers us. How have each of the members of the Holy Trinity made an impact on your life?
If we say yes to the power of the Trinity, what kind of power does God want to give us? Are we looking for the “lord-it-over-others” power that squashes others and pushes its way around? Does power mean this world’s muscling that hurts those who are small? With others of good faith, we shout no to that. How can we more fully give God a roaring Yes! to the Trinitarian power that raises up the lowly, sets captives free, and loosens the bonds of the oppressed?

Living and Praying with the Word

Jesus, you said that “all power on heaven and earth” has been given to you. I am small. I need your power. Help me to give a mighty Yes! to the strength of the Holy Spirit. Well up within me to love when I do not feel like loving. Strengthen me to give when I do not feel like giving. Empower me to make a difference in this world, a difference that matters to you. Holy Trinity, One God, flood me with the very fullness of you.

Jan 27 2025

Scripture Study for

Deuteronomy is one long speech by Moses to Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, the point of which is: Be faithful to God, who has been faithful to you. The great temptation Israel will face is to worship other gods, which Moses addresses by reminding Israel that the God whom they encountered in “the midst of the fire” at Sinai has treated them exceptionally well in rescuing them from Egypt. Two things flow from this. First, God’s mighty acts have demonstrated that there is no other god than the all-powerful God of Israel. Second, that God is consistently faithful and can be counted on. Israel must reciprocate by being faithful to the God who has done so much for them.

In his letter to the Roman Christians, Paul has been outlining the fundamental difference between their lives before and after baptism. Before, they were subject to the law of sin and death, and they lived entirely “in the flesh,” that is, in mindset and behavior at odds with God. But in baptism they received the Holy Spirit, who delivered them from the realm of sin, death, and the flesh, and made them children of God through “adoption.” Thus it is the Spirit that allows them to address God as “Father,” and this same Spirit unites them to Christ as “co-heirs.” This means, however, that they must be willing to share the sufferings of Christ so that they may also enjoy his glory.

When Jesus appears to the Eleven in Galilee, they immediately worship him, but the text notes that they “doubted,” which suggests an incomplete comprehension of the reality and meaning of the Resurrection. Having been given “all power,” or authority, Christ is now the ruler in the reign of God, the scope of which he begins to extend by sending his apostles to make more “disciples of all the nations.” Although there is no developed trinitarian theology in Matthew, the “formula” for baptism reflects an identity among the Father, Son, and Spirit—as seen in the fact that Jesus tells the disciples to baptize in “the name” of all three, rather than in three names.

Jan 27 2025

Headed Home

We are not told which two angels they were. But the assignment came from above: “Go and bring my Son home. Forever.” They talked it over. “Go and bring him home . . . ” What does that mean? They had seen him become flesh. They had rejoiced when they sang to the shepherds. They had marveled at the star. They had celebrated when the Word became flesh. It was amazing.

Now they are confused. “Bring him home.” This Jesus of Nazareth, so limited, so broken from human pain—this one is coming home? And bringing his human flesh with him—what does that look like? “Will he rot?”

“No . . . His resurrected body seems to be able to walk through walls, yet he can eat fish.”

“We have not seen this before.”

The ways of the Almighty could be confusing, but the angels had spent eons watching this story of stories unfold in surprising ways and through unexpected people. But this? The Word who had become flesh was not going to un-become flesh? This was new. But the order had come: “Go, bring him home . . . ”

They listened to Jesus give his last instructions. They shook their heads. First off, humans can’t drive out demons or drink poison or heal the sick. Most of all, these uneducated men from Galilee cannot spread this Good News and have anybody actually listen to them— humans kill prophets. Wow, Holy Spirit, you are going to have to bring some power!

And then . . . Jesus just went. And his followers stood there, stunned, looking up. And so the two angels gave the message: “He will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Then the angel messengers quickly disappeared, curious to see how this was going to work.

Consider/Discuss

Sometimes the ascension of Jesus can remind us of those whom we have loved who have gone away. Lots of people leave us. Yet God draws us into something new and inconceivable, untracked territory—Jesus becomes nearer to us now that he is gone. How can this be?
How do hope and promise emerge through suffering? Who would we like to see when we go “home” forever?

Living and Praying with the Word

Dear God, you know that we are creatures of time and space. We live in a place. We measure our life by days and years. We cannot imagine what life is like after death, when we will no longer be limited by time and space. Yet this measureless reality is our hope and our happiness, for we will be with you in your boundless love forever. We praise you for that promise!

Jan 27 2025

Scripture Study for

Luke’s account of the period between the Resurrection and the Ascension is marked by a strong sense of continuity with Jesus’ work and words while on earth. Even during this interim period, Jesus continues to proclaim the kingdom as he reminds his disciples of the promise of the Spirit. The disciples’ question about the kingdom is quickly set aside by Jesus as the business of the Father, not the disciples. Their mission is instead to be his witnesses, empowered by the Spirit. As Jesus’ witnesses, they have a twofold mission: to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ and to continue his work of teaching and healing, the twin focuses of the rest of the book of Acts.

The beginning and end of the reading from Ephesians emphasize the unity of the church, which is grounded in the “unity of the spirit” and the “unity of faith,” which is to say that the every member of the church, no matter how they differ in gifts or ministry or temperament, has been brought together by the one God and they all share the same faith (belief and trust) in Christ. The central section is related to the topic of Christ’s formation of the church. Very likely, “the lower regions of the earth” refers here simply to the earth (ancient cosmology considered the “atmosphere” part of the earth). Christ could only ascend far above the heavens if he had descended to earth. The dynamic of descent and ascent establishes Christ’s identity as universal savior.

Mark’s account of the Ascension contains uniquely the reference to the ability of those who believe in Jesus to speak new languages and even to be immune from deadly snake bites and poisons. It is impossible to know if those who first articulated this tradition understood this claim literally, but the powers given to the disciples point toward the apostolic mission, which continues the work of Jesus even beyond Israel. Just as Jesus encountered opposition to his healing work and the proclamation of the kingdom, the disciples can expect the same when doing anything “in my name.” The protection from snakes and poisons is perhaps a hyperbolic expression of the protective power of Christ that will accompany them as they continue his work.