Catechism Links [1]
CCC 543-546: Announcing the Kingdom of God
CCC 2653-2654, 2660, 2716: The Kingdom grows by hearing the Word
 |
| “Study of a Tree” by Cesare da Sesto, ca. 1500. |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Commentary on Ez 17:22-24
The prophet uses the allegory of the cedar to represent the fruitfulness of those who come to God. He will tear off and plant “a tender shoot” (a vital and growing part of the tree) on a "high and lofty mountain" (high places: in the Hebrew tradition representing places were God visits and dwells). This favored shoot (e.g. a shoot from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1) representing the Messiah) will grow, and all creation, peoples of every nation, will seek the life it gives. Ezekiel envisions the wood of the cross which lifts up the lowly and brings the mighty to justice.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
Commentary on Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
Psalm 92 is a song of thanksgiving. The psalmist sees God’s gifts pouring onto the faithful and in consequence, those who dwell with the Lord will flourish and bear fruit. In their faith there is great strength and endurance in God’s great wholesomeness.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Reading 2: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Commentary on 2 Cor 5:6-10
This selection of the Second Letter to the Corinthians is a message of hope. St. Paul reflects upon the courage needed to live the Christian faith in the face of persecution and secular resistance. With the certain knowledge of the resurrection in union with Christ, the Apostle wistfully reflects on the bliss awaiting the faithful with the resurrected Lord. In doing so, he also refutes prominent Greek Philosophers of the day who proposed the body was a prison for the soul, a premise that could lead to unhealthy attitudes about life in general. He sees the temptation of desiring heavenly bliss while suffering the ills imposed upon the temporal body, the flesh worn in our life on earth, enjoining the faithful to be courageous in the face of such suffering.
This selection of the Second Letter to the Corinthians is a message of hope. St. Paul reflects upon the courage needed to live the Christian faith in the face of persecution and secular resistance. With the certain knowledge of the resurrection in union with Christ, the Apostle wistfully reflects on the bliss awaiting the faithful with the resurrected Lord. In doing so, he also refutes prominent Greek Philosophers of the day who proposed the body was a prison for the soul, a premise that could lead to unhealthy attitudes about life in general. He sees the temptation of desiring heavenly bliss while suffering the ills imposed upon the temporal body, the flesh worn in our life on earth, enjoining the faithful to be courageous in the face of such suffering.
With these verses Paul provides a recapitulation of Romans 6:8: “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” He concludes with the reminder that there will be a final judgment at which time Christ will assign a place for all depending upon their earthly conduct.
CCC: 2 Cor 5:6 769; 2 Cor 5:7 164; 2 Cor 5:8 1005, 1021, 1681
----------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
Commentary on Mk 4:26-34
We are given two parables from the Gospel of St. Mark. The first is unique to Mark’s Gospel, and follows the parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-9. The mystery of the seed is analogous to Jesus’ own ministry which starts as a seed but grows to encompass the world. Another frequent analogy follows: the seed, apparently dying, falling to the earth and buried, then rising to new life - the great Paschal Mystery.
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
Commentary on Mk 4:26-34
We are given two parables from the Gospel of St. Mark. The first is unique to Mark’s Gospel, and follows the parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-9. The mystery of the seed is analogous to Jesus’ own ministry which starts as a seed but grows to encompass the world. Another frequent analogy follows: the seed, apparently dying, falling to the earth and buried, then rising to new life - the great Paschal Mystery.
The second parable, the parable of the Mustard Seed, echoes the vision of the Kingdom of God described in Ezekiel 17:23; Ezekiel 31:6, with the image of the Kingdom of God providing a resting place for all, just as the giant cedars of Lebanon do for the birds.
CCC: Mk 4:33-34 546
----------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Prophet Ezekiel and Jesus, in St. Mark’s Gospel, use the analogy of the growing tree. Ezekiel uses the giant cedars of Lebanon, and St. Mark references the mustard tree. In both instances there is reference to the growth of these trees into places where all creation can find life. The analogy is apt for those of us who find the strength and endurance promised by David in the psalm (“The just one shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow”). But today, there is a growing blight in the world and it threatens the tree.
While the threat or blight attacking the tree that has become the Universal Church takes many forms, the recurring attack that is most insidious is secular humanism. The reason secular humanism is the overarching threat is because it is not overt. Rather it is covert, an often hidden attack that first negatively impacts what, in our analogy, would be the seeds (our children). It comes in the form of softening moral values, and affects even the most powerful. Our former president, Barak Obama, said when referring to his stance on same-sex marriage: “I’ve been evolving on this issue.” His moral core had been eroded and with it his leadership. St. Paul tells us “Yet we are courageous,” courageous as the bark of the tree standing up to infection and parasitic attacks that seek to kill the tree.
Reflection:
The Prophet Ezekiel and Jesus, in St. Mark’s Gospel, use the analogy of the growing tree. Ezekiel uses the giant cedars of Lebanon, and St. Mark references the mustard tree. In both instances there is reference to the growth of these trees into places where all creation can find life. The analogy is apt for those of us who find the strength and endurance promised by David in the psalm (“The just one shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow”). But today, there is a growing blight in the world and it threatens the tree.
While the threat or blight attacking the tree that has become the Universal Church takes many forms, the recurring attack that is most insidious is secular humanism. The reason secular humanism is the overarching threat is because it is not overt. Rather it is covert, an often hidden attack that first negatively impacts what, in our analogy, would be the seeds (our children). It comes in the form of softening moral values, and affects even the most powerful. Our former president, Barak Obama, said when referring to his stance on same-sex marriage: “I’ve been evolving on this issue.” His moral core had been eroded and with it his leadership. St. Paul tells us “Yet we are courageous,” courageous as the bark of the tree standing up to infection and parasitic attacks that seek to kill the tree.
Powerful people have adopted the secular humanist cause, even some who would call the great tree of life their home. They confuse morality with inclusion, and believe that, in order to love as Christ taught us, we must accept a moral position naturally and morally at odds with our core beliefs. This is analogous to allowing the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that bores through the bark of a tree and kills it from the inside. They leave holes in the protective bark, and allow disease to help the destruction of the tree.
We are called to be part of Ezekiel’s great cedars and the Lord’s mustard tree. We are called to a moral standard that will make the secular world very uncomfortable for us, and will without doubt, as it did for our Lord and Savior, turn the tree into a cross which we must all embrace. May we find the courage St. Paul espouses in ourselves and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, stand against the coming challenge to our liberty and our way of life.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Study of a Tree” by Cesare da Sesto, ca. 1500.
No comments:
Post a Comment