Reading ahead for next time

For the A students who would like to read forward, here are some things to have in mind as you read through Mark 6:30-56.

1. What does Jesus teach the Twelve about the Eucharist here?
2. We can consider Mark's gospel as if they are Mark's lecture notes from Peter's School of Evangelism. This being the case, how does the miracle of walking on water
   1. help the Twelve carry Jesus' message more effectively, and
   2. help them understand the Eucharist more profoundly?

Dante speaking to St. Peter in heaven:

"The mysteries of Heaven," I replied,
"Here manifested, as my sight perceives,
Are to our mortal eyes on earth denied;

Hence their existence faith alone conceives,
And hope's foundation thus doth represent,
Wherefore the name of substance it receives..."

    Paradiso XXIV

Questions for next time, Aug. 27

The plan for this Thursday morning is dip into Mark's gospel, chapter 6. Here are some questions to consider before we meet:

1. Jesus was amazed by lack of faith in his home town. Has the faith of anyone in the first five chapters of Mark gladdened his heart?
2. Did King Herod, from Red Edom, go down to the Jordan River to see John the Baptizer?
3. Scan Luke 9:1-9 and 10:1-23, as background on the mission of the Twelve. Can you see any good extra information from Dr. Luke's account?
4. The Twelve went out with Jesus' message to many villages. Was it all talk or did they act, too?
5. Is it reasonable to expect that we can also walk like the Twelve, sent out by Jesus?
6. Did Jesus pray with his Twelve in the lonely desert place?

We will discuss these and other questions early Thursday morning. Sharpen up your ears to listen for what the Spirit says to us through this gospel section.

Torah and a flesh-and-blood person

From Ben16's recent book, Jesus of Nazareth, p. 148 and p. 169.

The Decalogue is not, as we have seen, some burden imposed upon man from the outside. It is a revelation of the essence of God himself... and hence it is an exegesis of the truth of our being.

...Jesus, who is himself God's living Torah.

This reminds me of John's gospel, chapter 1, which we read in mid-July.

When are you ready to jump?

We spent time yesterday discussing the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment, and focused on her GO decision, when she cut through the crowd and without permission went to touch the hem of the Lord's clothes.

Deacon Alfonsus Magnus also discussed his decision to make the leap to the permanent diaconate.

Physical contact with the Messiah

We had a long discussion throughout this morning's session about physical contact with Jesus, starting with the record in Mark 5 of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment. Then we applied it to our own lives.

A few comments from this morning

1. It is good to pray with faith like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' clothes.
   Jesus hears the prayer of faith, expressed in words (the leper, Jairus, the Canaanite woman, the good thief) or in silence (the bearers of the paralytic, the woman with a hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and ointment of the sinful woman)... Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: "Your faith has made you well; go in peace."
2. It is helpful to examine your conscience and the state of faith, asking "Where would I be?"
   1. In the synagogue criticizing Jesus?
   2. Touching the hem of his garment?
   3. Back at the rear of the crowd, observing but not getting too close?
   4. Hard-headed and oblivious like the Twelve?
   We talked a long time about our own hard-headed moments, like the Twelve.
3. When Jairus' daughter became so ill, the Lord got Jairus' attention like a 2×4. We discussed some of our own 2×4 experiences from the Lord.
4. Is it possible to get closer to the Lord than just touching the hem of his clothes?
5. Throughout the morning, we referred to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, from Isaiah 11:2ff:
   1. wisdom
   2. understanding
   3. counsel
   4. fortitude
   5. knowledge
   6. piety
   7. fear of the Lord
   Even though the individuals in Mark 5 -- the man loosed of demons, the woman cured of hemorrhage, Jairus -- did not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit yet, they still displayed wisdom and fortitude and fear of the Lord.
   

No doubt, these three individuals also came to see their Savior from their hearts burning with love, the best of all the gifts.

Rembrandt, supper at Emmaus (Luke 24)

Questions for next time, Aug. 20

On August 20, we will study the miracles in Mark 5. Here are some questions to think about:

1. Was the country of the Gerasenes a part of Israel?
2. Jesus gave a specific mission to the man who had been possessed by demons. How does it resemble our mission today?
3. What did the woman say to Jesus before she touched the hem of his garment?
4. Ought we pray like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment?
5. Jairus, whose daughter was ill and died, was a ruler of a synagogue. Was Jesus treated in this synagogue like he had been treated in other synagogues, e.g., Mark 3:1-6?
6. Who was in the room with Jesus when he raised the little girl?
7. He instructs them to give the little girl something to eat. Does this remind you of a similar event in the Gospels?

We will discuss these and other questions early Thursday morning. Be ready to look into the Lord's heart.


Ruin of a synagogue in Galilee.

Blessed Maximilian Kolbe Day

August 14, 1941 was the day St. Maximilian Kolbe was killed in the Konzentrationslager Auschwitz/Oświęcim, having stood up for Francis Gajowniczek's life while the Holy Spirit rumbled the SS commandant Fritsch.


Gajowniczek (left) on October 17, 1971 with two other guys.

Francis Gajowniczek survived the death camp and lived many more years. He lived to see the canonization of our Blessed Maximilian Kolbe, good and faithful servant, martyr in Auschwitz/Oświęcim.

Gajowniczek in later years.

The unknown woman

In Mark 5 is the story of the woman who was healed by silently, clandestinely touching the hem of Jesus' garment. No words, but plenty of faith. Is this a fruitful attitude for us in 2009?

Comments from today's study

Among many comments in this morning's study, here are a few notable ones:

1. Jesus gave the Twelve this batch of parables. How does he intend the apostles to use the parables?

   Jesus intended them for teaching others, using images from everyday life. Ken offered that the parables were good because you can make them your own, meditate on them, and gradually see the wisdom and meaning of the parable as the Lord reveals it to you... a lot like seeds, out of sight but growing slowly, eventually yielding fruit!

2. Does the Church give us lay men a responsibility to be handy with parables, too?

   Our answer: YES!
   
   Even we civilians have a responsibility to spread the message. The Vatican II decree on the apostolate of the laity, part 3, says that all Christians hold "the preeminent responsibility of working to make the divine message of salvation known and accepted by all men throughout the world." Presumably this means we should even use parables if necessary!
   

3. Which parable could you have used recently in your family or in your job?

   Sal mentioned that when dealing with objections or difficulties from other individuals, you have to remember that seeds sometimes fall on rocky ground. His advice: keep an attitude of humility, for this is what defeats the pride of the Enemy.
   
   Len also mentioned that the calming of the seas is very helpful to remember when we are in times of trouble.

4. Was it a parable when Jesus rebuked the winds and calmed the Sea of Galilee?

   No, not a parable as such. However, it was definitely a strong, direct learning experience for the Twelve. Instead of following the logic of Jesus' parables, and instead of observing him work miracles for others, this time they were right smack dab in the middle of it, flesh and blood, no question about it.

Questions for next time, Aug. 13

On August 13, we will dig into the parables in Mark 4: the sower, the lamp, the sleeping sower, the sower of the mustard seed. Here are some questions to think about:

1. Jesus gave the Twelve this batch of parables. How does he intend the apostles to use the parables?
2. Does the Church give us lay men a responsibility to be handy with parables, too?
3. Which parable could you have used recently in your family or in your job?
4. Was it a parable when Jesus rebuked the winds and calmed the Sea of Galilee?
5. Have you ever been in physical danger?

We will discuss these and other questions early Thursday, so be ready for the Holy Ghost to breeze through.

Water for a parable and water for teaching

Len comments upon the water in the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus taught using parables:

1. why it is useful in the parable
2. why it is useful for Jesus as he teaches the parable.

About the Holy Spirit's power

Joe reads a footnote on the subject of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus binds the "strong man" and rescues US.

While studying Mark 3:20-30, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, we discussed the ideas of

1. final impenitence -- shutting the door in God's face -- and
2. the attribution of the Holy Spirit's action to the enemy.

Can these two ideas be self-consistent? Yes. It is good to remember what Pope John Paul II wrote in 1986, concerning the Lord and Giver of Life,

How should this blasphemy be understood? St. Thomas Aquinas replies that it is a question of a sin that is "unforgivable by its very nature, insofar as it excludes the elements through which the forgiveness of sin takes place."

According to such an exegesis, "blasphemy" does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross.

For the first action of the Holy Spirit in an individual is not expelling a demon per se, but it is the grace of repentance, and attributing it to the enemy is one mode of rejecting that grace.

Finally, we make take peace from the lead of Pope John Paul II, who wrote that those who convert are led by the Holy Spirit out of the range of this blasphemy. When we celebrate the sacrament of confession, we can be peaceful. Our Messiah, Jesus, has rescued US.

Questions for next time

On August 6, we will study a bit more in Mark 3 and then dip into the parables of Mark 4. Here are a some questions to think about, including two from last time:

1. Are the miracles of Jesus a sign of contradiction?
2. Jesus binds the strong man. What plunder does Jesus reclaim?
3. When Jesus talks about who his mother and brother and sister are, is this a violation of the fourth commendment?
4. Why is it important that the Twelve understand the parables, even if everybody else remains puzzled?

We will talk these over early Thursday and be ready for the Holy Spirit's wisdom.

The Twelve

Mark records the entire list of the twelve apostles, starting with Simon Peter and including Judas Iscariot. We discussed the main objectives that Jesus gave them:

1. preach the message and
2. exert authority over demons to cast them out.

The Church has many monikers for this group, including a very nice one: The College of the Twelve.

It is also good to compare the Twelve to David's groups of mighty men from 2 Samuel 23:

The Three: Ishbaal son of Hachamoni, Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, and Shammah son of Agee the Hararite

The Thirty, including Uriah the Hittite

It seems that these first three chapters are taken up by a lot of miracles and a lot of apostle-calling. Good.

We discussed the differences between main battle exorcism and minor exorcisms. Following Mark's gospel, the main battle exorcism is the operation of the bishop. The bishop is the ordinary one to operate the exorcism, plus the bishop can designate a priest of his diocese to the official work of exorcist. The main battle exorcism, or solemn exorcism, is a serious business which the bishop does not undertake lightly. The bishop will take care to determine if a person's troubles are from a psychological illness or not. In the case of a psychological infirmity, ordinary medical care is indicated, not solemn exorcism.

Simple exorcism is performed during the celebration of baptism, since the person to be baptized suffers the consequence of original sin. We recall this same thing during the Easter season, in our renewal of our baptismal vows, among which are rejection of the enemy and all his works.

Many adults in the RCIA also remember minor exorcisms in the form of prayers to God with the priest, deacon or catechist.

We will discuss a few more concepts under this topic next time.