Mark 1:21-28 - 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (February 1, 2015)

Gospel:

Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.  In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Gospel Trivia:

This passage marks the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.  He has just called his first disciples (the gospel last Sunday), and now begins to preach.  Mark introduces this phase by establishing the authority of Jesus:

- First, the crowd is astonished by his preaching.  A synagogue service usually consists of prayers, a reading from the Hebrew bible (or what we now refer to as the Old Testament), and a commentary.  These are usually performed by the learned members of the community or by visitors known to be Scripture experts.  Jesus was likely invited to read and preach because his reputation preceded him.

(This also implies that Jesus was well educated and knew how to read and write -- skills that were possessed by less than 5% of the Jews at that time).

- Jesus had the power to heal and over "unclean spirits."  Illnesses, especially mental illness, were generally attributed to the influence of or possession by demonic spirits (used interchangeably with "unclean spirits" by Mark).  Note also how Mark contrasts the violence and convulsion of the unclean spirits with the gentle authority of Jesus.

This battle between the spirit of Jesus and the unclean spirit continues in the life of the disciple up to today.

Jesus' authority is therefore well established by Mark as he begin his ministry.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 18-19.

- Wilfred Harrington, OP, Mark (Delaware: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1979), pp. 15-18. 

Mark 1:14-20 - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 25, 2015)

Gospel:

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.  Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.

Gospel Trivia:

The significance of this passage lies in understanding a little Greek:

- The Greek word translated to "come after me" or, in some translation, "come follow me" is the term used for converting a disciple to a certain thinking or lifestyle.  Thus, this call is not just to follow Jesus towards a destination, but to follow his teachings and way of life as a disciple would follow a rabbi.

- The Greek phrase translated to "I will make you" implies a slow and protracted process -- a real training program.

- "Fishers of men" is not just a play of words but traces its origin to the Old Testament, where God is the fisher of men.  It is God who gathers humanity back to him.  Jesus teaches that this can be done through repentance, conversion, love and forgiveness.

This is Mark's message: a disciple's response is immediate and total and the role of the disciple is to "gather up" humanity to Jesus.  Secondly, he/she who is chosen goes through "long-term training," suggesting that the disciples adopts the teachings as a way of life.

Reference:

*Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 15-16.

Mark 10:13-16 - Feast of the Sto. Nino (January 18, 2015)

For a background on this painting by Joey Velasco, click here:

Gospel:

People were bringing their little children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them: “Let the children come to me. Do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept

the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 

Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

Gospel Trivia:

I consider this passage as one of my personal favorites, not for its reference to the feast of Sto. Nino, but because of its powerful message if we accurately understand how "children" were perceived during biblical times.

"Children" - Children played a mixed role in Jewish as well as Greek-Roman tradition. (Biblical times were a mix of Jewish culture with influence from Greek and Roman.)  Among the Jews, children were regarded as a divine gift, a source of great joy, and sign of God's blessings.  But children were also considered as "ignorant, capricious and in need of strict discipline." (Take note: ignorant, not innocent.)

The Greek-Roman culture looked at children as loved by parents and considered indispensable by the state for economic, cultural and military purposes.  At the same time they were also viewed as "fundamentally deficient, not yet human in the full sense, and mentally deficient who spoke nonsense."*

Why then would Jesus use children as an analogy to communicate greatness in the kingdom?  To show that it is precisely the helplessness of humble children (not their innocence or "cuteness" which are often the misinterpretations of this passage) that is the prerequisite in experiencing the Kingdom of God.  Adults often lean on their own skills and capability.  But a helpless child, totally dependent on others, will always see God's power, plan and providence in all things.

It is for this reason that I chose Joey Velasco's painting of "Hapag ng Pag-asa" (Table of Hope), which depicts Jesus's last supper with streetchildren, as a more appropriate image for the Feast of Sto. Nino.

Mark's message of "whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it" means that we acknowledge it as completely underserved and without merits.  God reaching out to us by becoming human like one of us is God's initiative done out of love.  The Pharisees thought otherwise; they believed that the kingdom can be earned through their pious works and obedience of the laws.  Not so, says Jesus.

During this visit of Pope Francis, it would be worthwhile to reflect on His Holiness' emphasis on the role of the poor in understanding the message of Jesus.  We receive the Kingdom of God like the poor -- as God's grace -- and the rich should dispel any notion that donations or good works could ever merit it.

References:

* Judith M. Gundry-Volf, "The Least and the Greatest: Children in the New Testament", in The Child in Christian Thought, ed. Bunge (Michigan/Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), 34-36.

**Raymond E. Brown et al (eds), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990), 191-192.

*Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 77-79.

Mark 1:7-11 - The Baptism of Jesus (January 11, 2015)

Gospel:

This is what John proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Gospel Trivia:

When Jesus was baptized, did the heavens actually open? Did a dove appear, and was a voice heard from the heavens?  Most likely not.

Mark was using a literary device to convey the significance of Jesus and the mission he was about to carry out.  This is NOT to say that Jesus' baptism did not happen.  That is an uncontroverted historical fact, if only due to it being recorded and accepted by early Christians.   That John would baptize Jesus would have been embarrassing if not incomprehensible because, in baptism, the superior baptizes the inferior.

The opening of the heavens, together with the vision of the Spirit and voice from heavens are standard features of apocalyptic literature:

- the opening of heavens, or "the heavens being torn open", symbolizes the connection and communication between God and humanity;

- the Spirit descending like a dove is reminiscent of the Spirit hovering over primeval chaos in Genesis; note that the accurate translation is the "spirit descends like a dove descends", i.e. slowly descending and hovering;

- the voice which says, "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased," connotes Psalm 2:7 ("You are my son, today I have begotten you") and Isaiah 42:1 ("My chosen one, in whom my soul delights").

Through this gospel passage, Mark conveys that Jesus is the beloved and specially anointed one of God and that his mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God has the seal of God's approval and blessing.


Reference:


*Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 8-9.

Matthew 2:1-12 - The Epiphany of the Lord (January 4, 2015)

Gospel:

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.”

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Gospel Trivia:

The visit of the magi (the bible does not say whether there were two, or three or more) appears only in Matthew's gospel.  It is not mentioned in Luke's gospel, which has an elaborate account of Jesus' birth.  (The gospels of Mark and John do not have any account of the birth of Jesus).  Matthew, on the other hand, does not include any mention of the "shepherds," "angels" and "manger"; in Matthew, the magi visited Jesus in a "house."

This means that the visit of the magi has a special meaning in the message that Matthew wishes to proclaim in his gospel.

"The Greek term majos has various meanings: Persian priests, magicians, religious propagandists.  Here it could refer to Babylonian astrologers who may have had some contact with Jewish messianic traditions; nothing indicates that they were kings.  By the 3rd century, the magi were progressively imagined as kings.  Since they had three presents, they were seen to be 3 in number (5th century).  By the 8th century, popular devotion gave them names: Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar."*

But whoever they are, and regardless of their number, the significant thing is that the magi were non-Jews, or pagans.  Here lies the message: it is the pagans who were searching for the Savior.  On the contrary, "all of Jerusalem" together with Herod were "greatly troubled."  This included the "chief priests" and "scribes" who were the educated and knew their bible.  

Matthew's message is a proclamation that God became human to redeem EVERYONE.  No exclusivity, no intolerance, but acceptance that all peoples are made in the image and likeness of God.  

Pope Francis mirrors the message in a recent homily: 

"The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”**

"Epiphany" refers to a "moment of great revelation" as well as "the Christian feast when Jesus is manifested to Gentiles, as represented by the Magi."  This is a great revelation, indeed.

Other trivia:

- The star of Bethlehem is likely a literary creation of Matthew.  There is no known record of such a star.  It should also not be confused with the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (which took place in 7 BC).***

-------------

*Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), 120-121.

**http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/pope_at_mass:_culture_of_encounter_is_the_foundation_of_peace/en1-694445 
of the Vatican Radio website   


*** Guillemette, 122.