Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Take up your Cross (Day 39)
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
http://www.usccb.org/nab/030206.shtml
Reflection:
The initial lines from the reading from Deuteronomy feel like the OT covenant formula. If you follow the Lord faithfully you will have life and all that God hopes for you. If you don't you will be cursed and have a short miserable life. This is an excellent example of the relationship of Israel with the "God of Justice" in the Old Testament.
This sentiment is clearly echoed in the Psalm (appropriately it is Psalm 1). Again you hear the covenant formula; blessed is the one who follows the Lord and cursed the one who does not.
Contrast the OT relationship with God to the New Covenant announced by Christ in the Gospel from Luke. He is the sacrifice that seals the covenant in absolute obedience to God the Father. "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
On day 39 of Lent, we are given a reminder of our goal for the season. It is given bluntly and without ambiguity. We must, as our savior says; "deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
What is denying one's self? It is rejecting the animal instinct in ourselves that directs us to do only those things that feel good. It is that feeling we all have that drives us to ignore the good, wellbeing or safety of others and do only what we feel is right for us. If we can do that, if we can put others first as Christ did when he "picked up his cross", then we are on the right track.
If we do not, if we do, as secular society seems to think is right, what is good for us, then we may have achieved secular success, but at what cost? "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?"
This Lenten path is a tough one. Pax
If you wish to comment and are not registered on Myspace, you can email me at miles_jj@excite.com and I will post your response as a comment. Thanks.
Scripture from Dt 30:15-20
Jerome Biblical Commentary
15 "Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.
16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
17 If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
18 I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
(C) Liturgical Address to the Exilic Community (30:1-20). The cultic character of this sermon is clearly marked: by "today" (vv. 2,8, 11, 15-16, 18-19); by God experienced as near through his proclaimed Word (11ff); and by the strongly emphasized call to conversion. Probably 29:16-30:20 dates from the Exile (cf. 4:27-31 and the covenant sermon in Lv 26), and it may have been influenced by the promise of a "new covenant" in Jer 31:31 ff. The relevance of a Mosaic covenant in Moab for those who hoped for an eventual reoccupation of the promised land would be obvious. 15. See comment on 11:26, a parallel. The liturgy of covenant renewal confronts the community with the necessity of committing itself to a binding decision. The "life" in question is further specified as fullness of life in the promised land.
19 I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live,
20 by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
19. I call heaven and earth today to witness: See comment on 4:26. This passage leads to the covenant witnessing in ch. 31.
Scripture from Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Jerome Biblical Commentary
1 1 2 Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
1 [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each "way" brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death.
2 [1] Those: literally, "the man." That word is used here and in many of the Psalms as typical, and therefore is translated "they." The way: a common biblical term for manner of living or moral conduct (Psalm 32:8; 101:2, 6; Proverb 2:20; 1 Kings 8:36).
Ps I. A post-exilic wisdom Ps, which has been prefixed to the collection as an introduction; in one of the variant readings to Acts 13 :33, Ps 2 is called the first Ps. Structure: 1-3, the just man; 4-5, the godless; 6, the two ways. 1. A congratulatory formula, "Happy. . . " is typical of the wisdom style; here, the characteristics of the just man are defined negatively: keeping away from bad companions.
2 3 Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night.
3 [2] The law of the LORD: either the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, or, more probably, divine teaching or instruction.
2. Positively, he is constantly and joyfully occupied with study and observance of the Torah, the expression of the divine will.
3 They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.
3. Positively, his well-being can be compared to a fruitful tree (Jer 17:7-8; Ps 92:13-15), a common comparison in the ancient Orient (Amen-em-ope, ANET 422); the bracketed line in 3e is a gloss formed on the pattern of Jos 1:8.
4 4 But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind.
4 [4] The wicked: those who by their actions distance themselves from God's life-giving presence.
4-5. In sharp contrast are the wicked-"chaff;" the lighter, useless parts of wheat that are blown free as the wheat is sifted on a breezy mound. What "judgment" is meant? Either one at the end time, or more probably an effective judgment in this world (cf. E. Arbez, CBQ 7 [1945] 398-404). In this world, the judgment would be the exclusion of the sinner from the company and fate of the just.
6 The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
6. The biblical sense of "way" as manner of life is apparent (cf. F. Ntscher, Gotteswege und Menschenwege in der Bibel und in Qumran [Bonn, 1958]); the just will prosper whereas the wicked will be punished. One should avoid an excessively legalistic interpretation of Ps 1; the ideal held out is one of joyful loyalty and dedication.
Scripture from Lk 9:22-25
Jerome Biblical Commentary
22 He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
(C) CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP (9:23-27)
See Mk 8:34-9:1; Mt 16:24-28. Luke not only has removed Peter's contradiction from the text but he now proceeds to apply the message of the Cross to all Christians. In fact, Jesus' approaching death overshadows all his words from now on.
23 Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily 11 and follow me.
11 [23] Daily: this is a Lucan addition to a saying of Jesus, removing the saying from a context that envisioned the imminent suffering and death of the disciple of Jesus (as does the saying in Mark 8:34-35) to one that focuses on the demands of daily Christian existence.
23. all: In Lk's Gospel, the reference would be to those who were fed at the multiplication of loaves (9: I2-I7) , thereby linking the sacrifice of the cross with the Eucharistic symbolism of the miraculous feeding. come after me: The phrase fits into the many biblical references to the "way": Is 40:3; Acts9:2; EDB2566-67; ThWNTS,475-88. take up his cross: Not only was crucifixion a common enough Roman execution, but the Jewish king, Alexander Janneus (I03-76 BC), is said to have ordered the crucifixion of 800 Pharisees. This reference to the cross, therefore, need not be a later Church addition to the Gospel message. daily: By adding this word to Mk's version, Lk changes the focus of discussion from the unique, eschatological moment of death to the day-by-day struggle of following Jesus (1 Cor I5:31; Gal 2:20). Even in Mk the "cross" had a symbolical meaning, but doubly so in Lk, which reapplies Jesus' words to the new situation of a Church that must patiently wait for a remote parousia. In any case, "the last risk is to be taken" by the follower of Jesus (V. Taylor, St. Mark, 38I).
24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
24. "Few sayings of Jesus are so well attested as this" (Taylor, ibid., 382), for it occurs not only in Mk but also in Q (Lk I7:33; Mt ro:39). for my sake: Lk omits "and for the gospel" (Mk 8:35), concentrating attention much more personally upon Jesus.
25 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?
25. destroys or injures himself: Lk strengthens the Marean statement by adding "destroys."
26 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
26. Compared to Mk and Mt, Lk emphasizes the glory of Jesus as Son of Man by adding that Jesus comes in "his own" glory as well as in that "of the Father and of the holy angels."
Take up your Cross (Day 39)
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
http://www.usccb.org/nab/030206.shtml
Reflection:
The initial lines from the reading from Deuteronomy feel like the OT covenant formula. If you follow the Lord faithfully you will have life and all that God hopes for you. If you don't you will be cursed and have a short miserable life. This is an excellent example of the relationship of Israel with the "God of Justice" in the Old Testament.
This sentiment is clearly echoed in the Psalm (appropriately it is Psalm 1). Again you hear the covenant formula; blessed is the one who follows the Lord and cursed the one who does not.
Contrast the OT relationship with God to the New Covenant announced by Christ in the Gospel from Luke. He is the sacrifice that seals the covenant in absolute obedience to God the Father. "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
On day 39 of Lent, we are given a reminder of our goal for the season. It is given bluntly and without ambiguity. We must, as our savior says; "deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
What is denying one's self? It is rejecting the animal instinct in ourselves that directs us to do only those things that feel good. It is that feeling we all have that drives us to ignore the good, wellbeing or safety of others and do only what we feel is right for us. If we can do that, if we can put others first as Christ did when he "picked up his cross", then we are on the right track.
If we do not, if we do, as secular society seems to think is right, what is good for us, then we may have achieved secular success, but at what cost? "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?"
This Lenten path is a tough one. Pax
If you wish to comment and are not registered on Myspace, you can email me at miles_jj@excite.com and I will post your response as a comment. Thanks.
Scripture from Dt 30:15-20
Jerome Biblical Commentary
15 "Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.
16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
17 If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
18 I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
(C) Liturgical Address to the Exilic Community (30:1-20). The cultic character of this sermon is clearly marked: by "today" (vv. 2,8, 11, 15-16, 18-19); by God experienced as near through his proclaimed Word (11ff); and by the strongly emphasized call to conversion. Probably 29:16-30:20 dates from the Exile (cf. 4:27-31 and the covenant sermon in Lv 26), and it may have been influenced by the promise of a "new covenant" in Jer 31:31 ff. The relevance of a Mosaic covenant in Moab for those who hoped for an eventual reoccupation of the promised land would be obvious. 15. See comment on 11:26, a parallel. The liturgy of covenant renewal confronts the community with the necessity of committing itself to a binding decision. The "life" in question is further specified as fullness of life in the promised land.
19 I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live,
20 by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
19. I call heaven and earth today to witness: See comment on 4:26. This passage leads to the covenant witnessing in ch. 31.
Scripture from Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Jerome Biblical Commentary
1 1 2 Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
1 [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each "way" brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death.
2 [1] Those: literally, "the man." That word is used here and in many of the Psalms as typical, and therefore is translated "they." The way: a common biblical term for manner of living or moral conduct (Psalm 32:8; 101:2, 6; Proverb 2:20; 1 Kings 8:36).
Ps I. A post-exilic wisdom Ps, which has been prefixed to the collection as an introduction; in one of the variant readings to Acts 13 :33, Ps 2 is called the first Ps. Structure: 1-3, the just man; 4-5, the godless; 6, the two ways. 1. A congratulatory formula, "Happy. . . " is typical of the wisdom style; here, the characteristics of the just man are defined negatively: keeping away from bad companions.
2 3 Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night.
3 [2] The law of the LORD: either the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, or, more probably, divine teaching or instruction.
2. Positively, he is constantly and joyfully occupied with study and observance of the Torah, the expression of the divine will.
3 They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.
3. Positively, his well-being can be compared to a fruitful tree (Jer 17:7-8; Ps 92:13-15), a common comparison in the ancient Orient (Amen-em-ope, ANET 422); the bracketed line in 3e is a gloss formed on the pattern of Jos 1:8.
4 4 But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind.
4 [4] The wicked: those who by their actions distance themselves from God's life-giving presence.
4-5. In sharp contrast are the wicked-"chaff;" the lighter, useless parts of wheat that are blown free as the wheat is sifted on a breezy mound. What "judgment" is meant? Either one at the end time, or more probably an effective judgment in this world (cf. E. Arbez, CBQ 7 [1945] 398-404). In this world, the judgment would be the exclusion of the sinner from the company and fate of the just.
6 The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
6. The biblical sense of "way" as manner of life is apparent (cf. F. Ntscher, Gotteswege und Menschenwege in der Bibel und in Qumran [Bonn, 1958]); the just will prosper whereas the wicked will be punished. One should avoid an excessively legalistic interpretation of Ps 1; the ideal held out is one of joyful loyalty and dedication.
Scripture from Lk 9:22-25
Jerome Biblical Commentary
22 He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
(C) CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP (9:23-27)
See Mk 8:34-9:1; Mt 16:24-28. Luke not only has removed Peter's contradiction from the text but he now proceeds to apply the message of the Cross to all Christians. In fact, Jesus' approaching death overshadows all his words from now on.
23 Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily 11 and follow me.
11 [23] Daily: this is a Lucan addition to a saying of Jesus, removing the saying from a context that envisioned the imminent suffering and death of the disciple of Jesus (as does the saying in Mark 8:34-35) to one that focuses on the demands of daily Christian existence.
23. all: In Lk's Gospel, the reference would be to those who were fed at the multiplication of loaves (9: I2-I7) , thereby linking the sacrifice of the cross with the Eucharistic symbolism of the miraculous feeding. come after me: The phrase fits into the many biblical references to the "way": Is 40:3; Acts9:2; EDB2566-67; ThWNTS,475-88. take up his cross: Not only was crucifixion a common enough Roman execution, but the Jewish king, Alexander Janneus (I03-76 BC), is said to have ordered the crucifixion of 800 Pharisees. This reference to the cross, therefore, need not be a later Church addition to the Gospel message. daily: By adding this word to Mk's version, Lk changes the focus of discussion from the unique, eschatological moment of death to the day-by-day struggle of following Jesus (1 Cor I5:31; Gal 2:20). Even in Mk the "cross" had a symbolical meaning, but doubly so in Lk, which reapplies Jesus' words to the new situation of a Church that must patiently wait for a remote parousia. In any case, "the last risk is to be taken" by the follower of Jesus (V. Taylor, St. Mark, 38I).
24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
24. "Few sayings of Jesus are so well attested as this" (Taylor, ibid., 382), for it occurs not only in Mk but also in Q (Lk I7:33; Mt ro:39). for my sake: Lk omits "and for the gospel" (Mk 8:35), concentrating attention much more personally upon Jesus.
25 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?
25. destroys or injures himself: Lk strengthens the Marean statement by adding "destroys."
26 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
26. Compared to Mk and Mt, Lk emphasizes the glory of Jesus as Son of Man by adding that Jesus comes in "his own" glory as well as in that "of the Father and of the holy angels."
posted by Deacon Jim | 12:32 PM
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