Faith is not a storm cellar to which men and women can flee for refuge from the storms of life. It is, instead, an inner force that gives them the strength to face those storms and their consequences with serenity of spirit.
- Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
(Faith as "inner force." How do you experience this at this time in life?)
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Heb 6:10-20; Psalm 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10c
Mk 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
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Reflection on the Scriptures
In the Gospel…Mark 2: 23-28 the disciples are travel weary and hungry. They pull and eat the grains from the wheat field as they walk with Jesus. The Pharisees are quick to condemn and point out the violation of this conduct on the Sabbath day. Jesus intervenes and delivers a strong message. In Jesus actions he shows that love at this time involves taking care of the disciples' physical needs while
protecting them from harm. The Pharisees are blinded to the human condition of the disciples and their weariness and hunger. Their blindness pushes them forward to uphold a rule without considering the context of the situation. The physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of the disciples are not at the forefront; the rules, laws and traditions are at the forefront.
What is Jesus’ message? Have I acted similarly? Do I recognize the veil on my own eyes? Do I recognize the times I have not listened or understood? Jesus’ message is to seek understanding, to not judge, to not reach premature conclusions based on assumptions or predetermined rules. To care and demonstrate love for each other.
- by Cindy Costanzo
The Son of God Became Human
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One, Section Two, Chapter Two
Article 3: He Was Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, and Born of the Virgin Mary
Paragraph 1: The Son of God Became Man
II. THE INCARNATION
462 The Letter to the Hebrews refers to the same mystery:
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Lo, I have come to do your will, O God."84
463 Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God."85 Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she sings "the mystery of our religion": "He was manifested in the flesh."86
(Footnote references in the Catechism.)
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