Faith

Blood on the dance floor – Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist – Mk 6:17-29

At first the news that trickled out of Herod Antipas’ imposing fortress, Machaerus, was met with disbelief.  His disciples refused to believe that Herod Antipas had beheaded a man whom he considered ‘righteous and holy’; but then again Herod was a people pleaser and a spineless ruler.

John’s body now had to be prepared for burial according to Jewish customs but getting his body was not going to be an easy walk in the park; literally!  Machaerus was a fortified hilltop palace on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. It was special to Herod Antipas for His father; Herod the great had built this palace in 30 BC over the ruins of the earlier Hasmonean fortress.

It was designed to be a defence outpost; its smoke signals of warning could be seen all the way to Jerusalem. It was Herod the great who extensively renovated this defence centre into a lavish palace now inherited by his son, Antipas.

Herod the great chose the peristyle courtyard to be his pièce de résistance. Set within beautiful ionic columns with capitals draped in volutes, this courtyard which saw many great banquets also became the court where treachery and cunningness played out.  It was here that Herod Antipas watched his step daughter, Princess Salome, dance the deadly dance that cost him the life of a man he feared yet protected.

But that day, in 32 AD, saw the blood of an innocent man drip off the platter on which his head was carried. It was a prized but bloody trophy that Herodias had longed to have and now that blood matched the tiles of the roof of the courtyard. It seemed like the colour of blood was everywhere except on the soul of Herodias; for that had long been blackened by sin.

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Ritualism without reality – Tuesday, 21st week in ordinary time –  Mt 23:23-26

The Gospel of today deals with the fourth and fifth woe that Jesus pronounced against the scribes and Pharisees. (To read the previous ones please see http://www.pottypadre.com/knock-out/) Jesus is not addressing the scribes and Pharisees directly but He is actually speaking to the crowds and to His disciples (23:1). It is as though He wants to unmask the religious establishment, exposing them for who they really are.

During the 400 years before Jesus’ arrival, the prophetic void in Israel was filled by the thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees. These ‘separated ones’ (the meaning of Pharisee) arose from a deep spiritual desire to be faithful to the Lord and not be corrupted by the syncretism of the time. By the time of Jesus there were about six thousand Pharisees who by profession were middle class businessmen. But what began with devotion ended up in deviation for somewhere over the four hundred years, the Pharisees lost the plot and used their religious beliefs to promote themselves and for material gain.  

One can look at the seven woes of Jesus as a fantastic piece of satire on religious establishments and hopefully unlike the Pharisees I do hope we have the grace to acknowledge the same when faced with the  ‘woes’ of the Catholic Church today.

For example, in today’s Gospel Jesus pokes fun against ritualism without reality.  The book of Leviticus 27:30 and Deuteronomy 14:22-23 command that “tithes from the land, whether seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree” is given to the Lord. In short it prescribed tithes of oil, grain, and wine; herbs were not included. For all the scrupulosity of the Pharisees, to the point of observing the most trivial aspect of the Law by giving the Lord the smallest herbs, the Pharisees conveniently evaded the greater calling to show fairness, compassion, and faithfulness to others. So Jesus pokes fun at them with an interesting statement; “they strain gnats but swallow camels.”

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Please find above the Gospel pocast

Please find above the reflection for today in podcast format

Knock out – Monday, 21st week in ordinary time – Mt 23:13-22

Chapter 23 can well be compared to round twelve in a boxing match. The Pharisees and scribes have been sparring with Jesus in chapter nine and now the gloves are off.  It seems like a fight to the finish. Jesus, in verse 1-12 has already delivered a jab; and with it He has picked a few good scoring points, but then He launched into a combination of punches; seven of them to be precise.

The Bible records these series of straight punches as the seven ‘woes’ against the Pharisees and scribes.  The Greek word for woe is ‘ouai’. It is hard to translate this word for it communicates not only wrath, but also sorrow. Jesus is not just throwing a star tantrum here; this is ‘righteous anger’ tinged with sorrow. This anger, followed by sorrow, is clearly seen when Jesus brings to a close chapter 23 with his lament over Jerusalem.

It is not Israel, His ‘lost sheep’, that is denounced by Jesus but the focus is on the Scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus calls ‘hypocrites’; hupokrites in Greek. A ‘Hupokrite’ in its original context meant one ‘who answers’ to a statement in a dialogue.  In its more popular context it came to mean one who ‘acts a part’’. In the truest sense of the word, a hypocrite is an actor but not  a genuine one who immerses himself into a role; rather he is one who ‘pretends’ and merely puts on an act. In calling the Pharisees and Scribe hypocrites, Jesus uncovered their masks, thus baring their true thoughts and feelings.

 The Gospel text of today covers the first three woes. Consider them to be three good powerful straight punches thrown in a classic “one-two” combination. Before the Pharisees or scribes knew what hit them, He will deliver the ‘knock out’ in verse 29; the last of the woes. But for now the first three punches hit the Pharisees and Scribes where it hurt them the most. They did not see them coming so they could not even ‘slip’ or ‘sway’ and so guard themselves.  

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A Tumultuous Tuesday in Jerusalem – Saturday, 20th week in ordinary time – Mt 23:1-12

Please find the Gospel reading in the podcast above

Please find the reflection in the podcast above

 This was certainly a tumultuous Tuesday in Holy week. Chapter 23 is the hinge to the sixth and final discourse found in the Gospel of Matthew also known as  the Eschatological discourse( pertaining to the end time), found in chapters 24-26. But for now we are in this ‘hinge chapter’; the setting is temple of Jerusalem and the audience are the crowds and His disciples. 

The Gospel of Matthew now presents a sustained condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees, not for what they teach but for how they conduct themselves.  The first part of the condemnation spanning twelve verses is a condemnation of a duplicitous leadership which lacks humility and craves for titular recognition.

A quick glance through chapter 23 will certainly make you think that Jesus had some serious anger issues with the Pharisees and scribes. It is only when we read the text in its context that we understand the mind of Matthew in presenting this chapter as a collection of the teachings of Jesus against the Pharisees.

Jesus did’nt come to destroy the law or the prophets He came to fulfil it, but even more than that He came to liberate the people from the tyrannical interpretations of the law that the Pharisee had imposed on them. Matthew, writing to a predominantly Jewish congregation does not principally intend to defame the Pharisees, although it may seem like it. When Pharisaic teaching took root, it wanted to unite the people and bring them back into the fold; unfortunately while their intention was the best their execution and imposition of it was the worst.

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The cynical Apostle -Feast of St Bartholomew, Apostle  – John 1: 45-51 (to be read from verse 35 for  a better understanding)

Please find the Gospel reading  in the audio clip above

Please find the Gospel reflection above

Jesus begins His ministry with borrowed disciples; they were not His, for they were first the disciples of John the Baptist. It is John the Baptist who hails Jesus as the Lamb of God, prompting the two initially unnamed disciples to follow Jesus. They must have been stalking Jesus long enough for Him to turn and ask them what they wanted. What were they looking for?

That’s the first take away from this Gospel; simply following Jesus makes little sense if we haven’t figured out what we want. What are we looking for?  Jesus was most certainly looking for disciples, not followers. The answer we give to His question makes all the difference.  

The answer of the two unnamed disciples was not some plea to be lodged for the night; they wanted a permanent home with Jesus. “Where do you live” was not a matter of asking for His address (which incidentally He had none). They wanted to be with Him, always. They wanted to be disciples, not followers. Which brings us to the second point; discipleship is not some ‘one night fleeting romance’, it calls for tough love.

The third take away from the Gospel is interesting. We often assume that a call, whatever state of life that call may be to, is followed by a process of discernment. Let’s not close ourselves to what happens in this Gospel . Much before the call, we find the disciples in a process of discernment, which includes a discussion between Jesus and the two unnamed disciples. Here there is a ‘discernment process’, after which Jesus calls the disciples, “come and see”. The discernment may also precede the call.

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