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"How many there must be who have smothered the first sparks of contemplation by piling wood on the fire before it was well lit."
- Thomas Merton [20th C], Seeds of Contemplation - "Meditation tends to contemplation, as means to an end. So when the end is attained, the means are laid aside; people rest at the end of a journey; thus, when the state of contemplation has been attained, meditation must cease."
- St. John of the Cross [16th C], Spiritual Maxims, 242 (Be alert for times to simply rest in God's presence. Put aside your prayer book, bible, and any other inducement to mental activity when these times come.) |
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Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; Ps 110:1,
2, 3, 4 Mk 3:1-6 Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather
than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him
to death. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” — Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:17
Like almost all peoples throughout
history, the Jewish people believed that sacrifice was one of the essential elements for dealing with sin and setting humanity free (see Lv 4:13-14). The person who offers sacrifices to God on behalf of the people is called a priest. Thus, priests are an essential part of God’s plan of salvation. Consequently, because Jesus is the Savior of the world, He must be a priest. For the Jews, all priests descended from the tribe of Levi. Yet Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. How can Jesus be a
priest?
In the book of Genesis, we hear about the priest Melchizedek (Gn 14:18-20). He was a priest before there were the tribes of Israel. He was a mysterious figure “without father, mother or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life” (Heb 7:3). The psalmist prophesied that Melchizedek’s priesthood would continue (Ps 110:4). The writer of the book of Hebrews proclaimed that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the altar of the
cross. He is truly the Savior of the world, and we who are baptized into Him share in His priesthood (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1546;1 Pt 2:9; Rv 5:10). Through our Baptism “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19), we are priests in the order of Melchizedek. Alleluia! Prayer: Father, may I live my baptismal priesthood to the full. I offer You my body as a living sacrifice (Rm 12:1). Promise: “Then
He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ The man did so and his hand was perfectly restored.” —Mk 3:5 Presentation Ministries
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What is Christian Love? by Philip St. Romain (all rights reserved) Adapted from Freedom from Codependency: A Christian Response - What is Love? The word love is used in many
contexts. We speak of loving ice cream, being in love with another person, needing to feel loved, and so forth. Many languages use different words to describe different types of love. In English, however, we use the same word, love, to describe different experiences. This undoubtedly contributes to some confusion. For example, it is common to find people projecting the love their parents had for them onto God —as though God were some kind of Super-Parent. What
we believe about God is important, for these beliefs color our views of self, others, relationships, the world, and the meaning of life. In reflecting on the meaning of Christian love, we must say from the outset that Scripture equates the nature of God with love. As Scripture puts it, God is love, and love is as mysterious and beyond definition as God. The statements about love discussed in the previous sections are distortions precisely because they try to limit love
to certain actions, and this cannot be done. Paperback book, PDF eBook, Kindle, ePub
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