Today's readings

I alway wonder how the "health and wealth" type of preachers would deal with today's Gospel?

Jesus' refusal to turn stones into bread flies right in the face of the whole "name it, claim it" philosophy. Man does not live on dough ($ or otherwise) but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Then there is the not putting the Lord, your God, to the test. Ironic that Satan quotes scripture here to justify his position. How easy it is to use a verse out of context to justify whatever we desire.

But the last temptation is the most difficult to harmonize with the popular feel good idea of being Christian means being a worldly success. "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”

Worldly success can bear a high price.

It is also tied together nicely today with the juxtaposition of the fall of Adam versus the triumph of Jesus over the Tempter. Adam was in a beautiful garden surrounded by the best of foods. He failed to be obedient even with everything going in his favor. Yet Jesus had fasted for 40 day in a desert, surrounded by heat and barren lands. But when he was tempted, he drew his strength from scripture. Not with a phony proof text to get what he wanted, but with actual context to do the will of the Father.

Feast not

Curious to see it any readers had a potpourri of readings this last Sunday? We had the proper 1st reading and Psalm, then the second reading and Gospel were taken from next week! Probably because Ascension Thursday has become Ascension Sunday in the US.

But that is a big issue for me. Not only do we lose the last Sunday of Easter because people "can't" find the time for Mass on Thursday, but it is ruined for those that choose to go on Thursday. There aren't any Masses for the Ascension on Thursday. I went to a daily Mass last year and it was just a simple daily Mass.

If it is so important of a Holy Day that we move the feast to Sunday so the majority of church going Catholics will participate, why isn't it just gladly proclaimed as a Holy Day of Obligation? Is it not our duty to assist at Mass on Sunday's and Holy Days of obligation? So we are asked to go to a whole 8 holy days throughout the year, unless of course the holy day falls on a Monday or Saturday or is just too inconvenient for people.

The old has passed away

All the readings tied together well today.

On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

That was the end of the wandering. No longer did they have to rely on manna for they had reached the promised land. Considering how this ties to the promised land being a type (as in typos) of heaven and also a type of the era of the Church after Jesus died and rose again.

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

So after the death and resurrection, we were no longer wandering and waiting for the Messiah. And since Jesus said he was the living bread sent from heaven and unlike those who ate the manna and died, those who would eat his flesh and drink his blood would have eternal life. So no longer was their a need for the passover or of sacrificial lambs, as they were only types of the Christ. And not that the anti-type had fulfilled them, they were to pass away. And interestingly it was on Passover that the manna stopped.

And for the Gospel, we have the prodigal son. The imagery of the merciful Father accompanies the two sons who in some ways represent Jesus. Jesus is like the one who never left his father and always did as he was asked. Yet like the disobedient son, he became sin ( For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin. 2 Cor 5:21) and died (as the son's father thought he had.)

So Jesus shows us after the death of the Son, the merciful Father will welcome repentant sinners back to himself. For those who are in Christ, the old image of the Father being so far removed as to be unapproachable has passed away. We now have a Father that sees us as washed in the blood of Christ.

Ready for Lent

As I often mention, I love the liturgy as setup by the Church. The cycle of readings ties the Old Testament, Epistles and the Gospel together, shining light on how the Bible was meant to be read. Another wonder of how the cycle of readings benefits the Church is shown in today Gospel. Take a normal Sermon centered Protestant church and their Bible readings are dependent upon the preferences of the pastor. And consider how many priest today would be willing to tackle the difficult message of Luke 6.

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.... Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

I was particularly challenged by the Gospel and even the first reading from 1 Samuel 26. How often I fall into judging others much more harshly than I could stand to be judged. The Psalm reminds us that the Lord is kind and merciful. How often I need to be reminded that when it comes to judging others, Justice is God's, mercy is ours.