Tongue Tied
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/021806.shtml
Reflection:
Once again for Saturday the readings are not quite in line with each other. First we have a terrific reading from St. James focusing on the dangers of the "tongue". This is supported very nicely by the Psalm (PS 12). The Gospel that would have been ideal we heard several days ago on Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Mk 7:14-23) where Jesus was saying "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile."
Today's Gospel, however, is the story of the Transfiguration. This gospel in itself has so many different lines for reflection; it is another bold statement of the true identity of Jesus; it could be used to talk about transformation or conversion within ourselves, it could point to the link between the old and the new. I will include the Jerome Biblical Commentary on this one below. But my reflection will be focused on St. James and the Psalm.
St. James, in this case, speaks to my heart. How often have I been guilty of hurting someone without even realizing it by a slip of the tongue? How often have I been a party to some gross injustice by keeping silent when I should have spoken out? The Apostle has it just right. He reminds us that we must do two things.
First, we must infuse ourselves with Christ's attitude. It is only if we can put on the mind of Christ that we can hope to avoid most of the errors of commission or omission our tongue can lead us to. It is by putting on the mind of Christ that we can avoid the temptation to say bad things about our brothers and sisters whom we are called to love.
James points out that it is through our tongue that the greatest damage can be done. We know this is true based on what has happened to us in our lives. How often have those whom we love hurt us the most deeply? How often have we lashed back with words so cutting that they have driven a loved one to tears? The chasm this can leave in relationships can be insurmountable and last for a lifetime.
The second principle St. James lays before us today is to be very careful who is placed in positions of leadership. They, especially, must guard what they say. The smallest slip of the tongue may not only hurt someone but send whole groups of people in the wrong direction. This message is to anyone who teaches. Gosh, when you think about parents being the first and best teachers of their children, that covers most of us.
So today we must pledge once more to put on the mind of Christ. We must guard our tongues so they don't do what we would never do intentionally. It is through prayer and meditation that this can best be accomplished and that brings us closer to all we desire.
Pax
Jerome Biblical Commentary
Mark
Edmund J. Mally, S.J.
55 (iv) Complements (9 :2-29). Three complementary episodes follow.
(A) The Transfiguration (9:2-9). It is impossible to reconstruct the 'Original event, yet this story is based on some factual occurrence in which for a fleeting moment the disciples recognized the truth of the revelation at Caesarea Philippi: although Jesus' messiahship involved suffering, he was. truly the glorious Son of Man. The account of this experience, however, draws upon motifs from the Sinai theophany (Ex 24:15-18; 34:29-30; 40:34-38)-the overshadowing cloud, the mountain, the awesome majesty, Moses' presence, the tent-; also from the apocalyptic appearances of the Son of Man (Dn 7, 8, 10; Enoch 14, 60, 71; cf. 2 Esdras 10:25-33; Ez 1-2)-the vision, Elijah's presence, the fear, the brilliant clothing, the command to secrecy, the conversation. ,-The transfiguration is one of the central Messianic pericopes and shows similarities with Jesus' baptism (the heavenly voice), and with the Gethsemane story (the three disciples, the mountain, the cry "Abba, Father" corresponding to the heavenly voice, "This is my beloved Son," the prominence of Peter, the incomprehension of the disciples).
2. six days later: Although this detail may be symbolic (cf. Ex 24:16), it serves to link the transfiguration with the events of Caesarea Philippi (8 :27-9:1) and to corroborate in a dramatic way the Messianic revelation and instruction given there. a very high mountain: An allusion to the Moses motif (Ex 24:12-18; 31:18) showing Jesus to be the new Moses radiant in God's presence on the new Sinai. transfigured: Metamorphosis the profound change in the appearance of the just in the world to come-was an apocalyptic theme (2 Baruch 51:3-10; Dn 12:3; cf. 1 Cor 15:40-44; 2 Cor 3:18).
3. his clothes became dazzling, intensely white: White clothing is a frequent apocalyptic image of otherworldly glory (Enoch 46:1; 71:10; Dn7:9; Mt28:3; MkI6:S;
Jn 20:12; Acts 1:10) and of the eschatological glory of the saints (Ap 3:4,5,18; 4:4; 6:u; 7:9,12). 4. Elijah with Moses: Jesus' interlocutors are usually taken as standing for the Prophets and the Law. Both are connected with Sinai (Horeb)-cf. Ex 19:33-34; 1 Kgs
10:9-13-and by their presence on the new Sinai they witness to the fulfillment of the OT in Jesus. 5. good to be here: Their joy is explained by what follows. three tents: Or "booths," such as were used at the joyous Feast of Tabernacles. Peter feels that the end time has come when "I will again make you dwell in tents"
(Hos 12 :9), and wishes to eternalize this experience of God's eschatological presence. 6. did not know what to say: As in Gethsemane (14:40) Peter is lost for words at the
mystery of Christ. Mark comments on the naivete of Peter's statement, for, as it turns out (9 :7), Jesus has no need of earthly tents: he is heavenly wisdom embodied (cf. Sir 24:48; Wis 9:7-8) and his glory is that which filled the Tabernacle of the wilderness (Ex 40:35). a cloud: An OT image of God's presence (Ex 16:10; 19:9; 24 :15-16; 32 :9) associates the transfiguration with earlier theophanies (Ex 40: 34-45; 1 Kgs 8 :10-12) and anticipates the eschatological appearance of God's glory (2 Mc 2 :7-8). 7. overshadowed them: An OT image to describe God's dwelling among his people (Ex 40:35). The fact that the disciples too are overshadowed by the cloud shows that, far from being mere spectators, they are deeply involved in the mystery of Christ's glorification as representatives of the new people of God. my beloved Son: As at Jesus' baptism (I :11) the heavenly voice alludes
to Is 42:1 and designates Jesus as the prophet-Servant of Yahweh. This time, however, the words are addressed to the three disciples, and within the context of the first prediction of the passion they constitute the divine approbation of Jesus' role as the suffering Messiah-Servant. listen to him: Jesus is now the prophet like Moses whose teaching must be heeded under penalty of extermination from God's people (cf. Dt 18: I 5). 8. saw no one but Jesus: Elijah and Moses vanish, ceding their place to Jesus alone. 9. as they were coming down: The descent from the mountain and the command to secrecy are elements of the OT theophany-pattern (Ex 32 :15; 34:29; Dn 12:4,9) and form the conclusion of this pericope. until the Son of Man should rise: Unlike the other injunctions to Messianic secrecy in Mk, this one explicitly foresees the end of it at Christ's resurrection. 10. they kept the matter to themselves: A continuation of the apocalyptic theme of secrecy (Dn 7:28; 2 Esdras 14:8; T. Levi 6:2). (Caird, G. B., "The Transfiguration," ExpT 67 [1955-56] 291-94. Feuillet, A., "Les perspectives propres a chaque Evangeliste dans les recits de la transfiguration," Bib 39 [1958] 281'-301. Kenny, A., "The Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden," CBQ 19 [1957] 444-52. Leon-Dnfour, X., Etudes d'Evangile [Paris, 1965] 83-122. Muller, H. P., "Die Verklarung Jesu," ZNW 51 [1960] 56-65. Sabbe, M., "La redaction du recit de la transfiguration;" La venue du Messie [RechBib 6; Bruges, 1962] 65-100.)
56 (B) Elijah's coming (9 :10-13). 11. first Elijah must come: That is, before the resurrection from the dead. Elijah's presence at the transfiguration and Jesus' mention of the resurrection of the dead lead the disciples to wonder whether they would see Elijah's coming. 12. Elijah .does come first and restores everything: Jesus alludes to Mal 3:2-3; 4:5-6; cf. Sir 48:1-3. Elijah was expected to precede the Day of Yahweh and the general resurrection. As the fiery reformer he would "turn the hearts of fathers
to their sons, and the hearts of .sons to their fathers.", how is it written?: Jesus voices an objection based on the supposition that he himself is Elijah (see comment on 1:2): If I am to perform the fiery purification of Israel expected of Elijah, then how can it be that, as Son of Man, I must suffer and die? That supposition is much like the Baptist's own "question 'to Jesus (Mt 11:3), only now it is all the more acute after Jesus' prediction of his passion. Jesus corrects the mistaken supposition in 'his next statement. 13. Elijah has come: Namely, in the. person of John the Baptist. Fittingly enough (since he prepared for the Day of the Lord, i.e., Christ's death and resurrection), "people treated him as they pleased." John's violent death is seen by Jesus as a fitting prelude to his own (see 1:14; 6 :17-29).
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/021806.shtml
Reflection:
Once again for Saturday the readings are not quite in line with each other. First we have a terrific reading from St. James focusing on the dangers of the "tongue". This is supported very nicely by the Psalm (PS 12). The Gospel that would have been ideal we heard several days ago on Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Mk 7:14-23) where Jesus was saying "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile."
Today's Gospel, however, is the story of the Transfiguration. This gospel in itself has so many different lines for reflection; it is another bold statement of the true identity of Jesus; it could be used to talk about transformation or conversion within ourselves, it could point to the link between the old and the new. I will include the Jerome Biblical Commentary on this one below. But my reflection will be focused on St. James and the Psalm.
St. James, in this case, speaks to my heart. How often have I been guilty of hurting someone without even realizing it by a slip of the tongue? How often have I been a party to some gross injustice by keeping silent when I should have spoken out? The Apostle has it just right. He reminds us that we must do two things.
First, we must infuse ourselves with Christ's attitude. It is only if we can put on the mind of Christ that we can hope to avoid most of the errors of commission or omission our tongue can lead us to. It is by putting on the mind of Christ that we can avoid the temptation to say bad things about our brothers and sisters whom we are called to love.
James points out that it is through our tongue that the greatest damage can be done. We know this is true based on what has happened to us in our lives. How often have those whom we love hurt us the most deeply? How often have we lashed back with words so cutting that they have driven a loved one to tears? The chasm this can leave in relationships can be insurmountable and last for a lifetime.
The second principle St. James lays before us today is to be very careful who is placed in positions of leadership. They, especially, must guard what they say. The smallest slip of the tongue may not only hurt someone but send whole groups of people in the wrong direction. This message is to anyone who teaches. Gosh, when you think about parents being the first and best teachers of their children, that covers most of us.
So today we must pledge once more to put on the mind of Christ. We must guard our tongues so they don't do what we would never do intentionally. It is through prayer and meditation that this can best be accomplished and that brings us closer to all we desire.
Pax
Jerome Biblical Commentary
Mark
Edmund J. Mally, S.J.
55 (iv) Complements (9 :2-29). Three complementary episodes follow.
(A) The Transfiguration (9:2-9). It is impossible to reconstruct the 'Original event, yet this story is based on some factual occurrence in which for a fleeting moment the disciples recognized the truth of the revelation at Caesarea Philippi: although Jesus' messiahship involved suffering, he was. truly the glorious Son of Man. The account of this experience, however, draws upon motifs from the Sinai theophany (Ex 24:15-18; 34:29-30; 40:34-38)-the overshadowing cloud, the mountain, the awesome majesty, Moses' presence, the tent-; also from the apocalyptic appearances of the Son of Man (Dn 7, 8, 10; Enoch 14, 60, 71; cf. 2 Esdras 10:25-33; Ez 1-2)-the vision, Elijah's presence, the fear, the brilliant clothing, the command to secrecy, the conversation. ,-The transfiguration is one of the central Messianic pericopes and shows similarities with Jesus' baptism (the heavenly voice), and with the Gethsemane story (the three disciples, the mountain, the cry "Abba, Father" corresponding to the heavenly voice, "This is my beloved Son," the prominence of Peter, the incomprehension of the disciples).
2. six days later: Although this detail may be symbolic (cf. Ex 24:16), it serves to link the transfiguration with the events of Caesarea Philippi (8 :27-9:1) and to corroborate in a dramatic way the Messianic revelation and instruction given there. a very high mountain: An allusion to the Moses motif (Ex 24:12-18; 31:18) showing Jesus to be the new Moses radiant in God's presence on the new Sinai. transfigured: Metamorphosis the profound change in the appearance of the just in the world to come-was an apocalyptic theme (2 Baruch 51:3-10; Dn 12:3; cf. 1 Cor 15:40-44; 2 Cor 3:18).
3. his clothes became dazzling, intensely white: White clothing is a frequent apocalyptic image of otherworldly glory (Enoch 46:1; 71:10; Dn7:9; Mt28:3; MkI6:S;
Jn 20:12; Acts 1:10) and of the eschatological glory of the saints (Ap 3:4,5,18; 4:4; 6:u; 7:9,12). 4. Elijah with Moses: Jesus' interlocutors are usually taken as standing for the Prophets and the Law. Both are connected with Sinai (Horeb)-cf. Ex 19:33-34; 1 Kgs
10:9-13-and by their presence on the new Sinai they witness to the fulfillment of the OT in Jesus. 5. good to be here: Their joy is explained by what follows. three tents: Or "booths," such as were used at the joyous Feast of Tabernacles. Peter feels that the end time has come when "I will again make you dwell in tents"
(Hos 12 :9), and wishes to eternalize this experience of God's eschatological presence. 6. did not know what to say: As in Gethsemane (14:40) Peter is lost for words at the
mystery of Christ. Mark comments on the naivete of Peter's statement, for, as it turns out (9 :7), Jesus has no need of earthly tents: he is heavenly wisdom embodied (cf. Sir 24:48; Wis 9:7-8) and his glory is that which filled the Tabernacle of the wilderness (Ex 40:35). a cloud: An OT image of God's presence (Ex 16:10; 19:9; 24 :15-16; 32 :9) associates the transfiguration with earlier theophanies (Ex 40: 34-45; 1 Kgs 8 :10-12) and anticipates the eschatological appearance of God's glory (2 Mc 2 :7-8). 7. overshadowed them: An OT image to describe God's dwelling among his people (Ex 40:35). The fact that the disciples too are overshadowed by the cloud shows that, far from being mere spectators, they are deeply involved in the mystery of Christ's glorification as representatives of the new people of God. my beloved Son: As at Jesus' baptism (I :11) the heavenly voice alludes
to Is 42:1 and designates Jesus as the prophet-Servant of Yahweh. This time, however, the words are addressed to the three disciples, and within the context of the first prediction of the passion they constitute the divine approbation of Jesus' role as the suffering Messiah-Servant. listen to him: Jesus is now the prophet like Moses whose teaching must be heeded under penalty of extermination from God's people (cf. Dt 18: I 5). 8. saw no one but Jesus: Elijah and Moses vanish, ceding their place to Jesus alone. 9. as they were coming down: The descent from the mountain and the command to secrecy are elements of the OT theophany-pattern (Ex 32 :15; 34:29; Dn 12:4,9) and form the conclusion of this pericope. until the Son of Man should rise: Unlike the other injunctions to Messianic secrecy in Mk, this one explicitly foresees the end of it at Christ's resurrection. 10. they kept the matter to themselves: A continuation of the apocalyptic theme of secrecy (Dn 7:28; 2 Esdras 14:8; T. Levi 6:2). (Caird, G. B., "The Transfiguration," ExpT 67 [1955-56] 291-94. Feuillet, A., "Les perspectives propres a chaque Evangeliste dans les recits de la transfiguration," Bib 39 [1958] 281'-301. Kenny, A., "The Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden," CBQ 19 [1957] 444-52. Leon-Dnfour, X., Etudes d'Evangile [Paris, 1965] 83-122. Muller, H. P., "Die Verklarung Jesu," ZNW 51 [1960] 56-65. Sabbe, M., "La redaction du recit de la transfiguration;" La venue du Messie [RechBib 6; Bruges, 1962] 65-100.)
56 (B) Elijah's coming (9 :10-13). 11. first Elijah must come: That is, before the resurrection from the dead. Elijah's presence at the transfiguration and Jesus' mention of the resurrection of the dead lead the disciples to wonder whether they would see Elijah's coming. 12. Elijah .does come first and restores everything: Jesus alludes to Mal 3:2-3; 4:5-6; cf. Sir 48:1-3. Elijah was expected to precede the Day of Yahweh and the general resurrection. As the fiery reformer he would "turn the hearts of fathers
to their sons, and the hearts of .sons to their fathers.", how is it written?: Jesus voices an objection based on the supposition that he himself is Elijah (see comment on 1:2): If I am to perform the fiery purification of Israel expected of Elijah, then how can it be that, as Son of Man, I must suffer and die? That supposition is much like the Baptist's own "question 'to Jesus (Mt 11:3), only now it is all the more acute after Jesus' prediction of his passion. Jesus corrects the mistaken supposition in 'his next statement. 13. Elijah has come: Namely, in the. person of John the Baptist. Fittingly enough (since he prepared for the Day of the Lord, i.e., Christ's death and resurrection), "people treated him as they pleased." John's violent death is seen by Jesus as a fitting prelude to his own (see 1:14; 6 :17-29).
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