Embedded Files
Mark 7:1-23 The scribes and Pharisees had expanded Jewish dietary and purification norms so much that the purposes behind these customs and laws had become lost. Christ taught that the purity of our heart matters far more than the purity of our hands or the vessels with which we eat. (CCC 574, 581)
Ch 7:8-13 Christ’s teachings on the observance of the Law and the Commandments lead to the heart of the Law: love of God and love of neighbor. (CCC 581, 2196, 2218, 2247)
Ch 7:8 In these verses, Christ was referring to those traditions that were man-made. Paul firmly taught that we should hold fast to the Tradition that has been handed down to us from Christ and the Apostles (cf. 1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thes 2:15; 3:6). (CCC 80, 83, 95, 97)
Ch 7:19 Thus he declared all foods clean: This teaching of Christ was explicitly confirmed in a vision received by Peter in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 10:1-16). Sin and evil do not originate in created goods but from the human heart. Human passions must be governed by the use of reason inspired by the natural law. The removal of the dietary prohibitions is also a sign of the new People of God liberated from legalisms to be replaced by the new law of grace and charity. (CCC 582)
Ch 7:24-30 Here we see another example of surprising faith among the Gentiles: A woman begged Christ to exorcise a demon from her daughter, a gift of healing that represents “the crumbs” that belonged to the people of Israel. The woman showed humility and perseverance in not allowing his initial rebuke to deter her. Only after humble and persevering insistence did the Lord grant her request. This woman’s faith under apparent adversity serves as a model for everyone. (CCC 2616)
Ch 7:31-37 Put his fingers...touched his tongue: Christ often used physical signs and gestures to accompany his healing: a touch, the laying on of hands, water, washing, mud, or his own spittle. These signs laid the foundation for the institution of the Seven Sacraments, the outward signs by which Christ, through his healing “touch” offered by his designated ministers, gives us his sanctifying and healing grace. In healing the deaf man with the speech impediment, Christ effectively opened his ears to hear God’s Word and enabled his tongue to speak his praises. The Church retains this ephphatha, Aramaic for “be opened,” in the Rite of Baptism, expressing that the newly baptized become open to the Word of God in his or her life.
He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak: An explicit connection is made here to the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 35:5, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” (CCC 1151, 1504)
Ch 8:1-10 The second miracle of the loaves gives another reference to the new People of God.
Have come a long way: While the first miracle was performed for Jews, it appears that many in the crowd here were Gentiles. Whereas the earlier miracle saw twelve baskets of scraps collected, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, this miracle resulted in seven baskets collected, representing the seven Gentile nations that neighbored Israel. As was indicated to the Syro-Phoenician woman in the previous chapter, the Gospel is first preached to the Jews, then to the Gentiles, but ultimately all are invited to worship and partake in the Eucharist of the one Church of Christ. The Church encourages all Catholics who are properly prepared and not aware of having committed mortal sin to receive Communion frequently. While non-Catholics are invited to participate in Catholic worship, they cannot receive Holy Communion as they are not in full communion with the Church. (CCC 1355)
Ch 8:6 In the breaking of the bread, Christ used Eucharistic language, thus prefiguring the Sacrament of the Eucharist that he would institute at his Last Supper. (CCC 1355)
Ch 8:11-21 Christ would not perform miracles on demand for those who refused to believe. In fact, he warned of the leaven of the Pharisees, which was a hardness of heart caused by pride and disbelief. The Apostles did not understand the metaphor of the leaven of the Pharisees or the meaning of the multiplication of loaves. This understanding would be granted to them after the Last Supper and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. (CCC 854)
Ch 8:18-26 Having eyes...do you not hear?: This rhetorical question takes on special significance in light of the curing of the deaf and speech impaired man (cf. Mk 7:31-37) and the following passage on the curing of the blind man (cf. Mk 8:22-26). The curing of the blind man is an allegory for our journey of faith. Christ cures us of our spiritual blindness until we see him in all the circumstances and events of our daily life (cf. Mk 7:33). (CCC 1151, 1504)
Ch 8:27-30 Who do men say that I am?: This is the fundamental question for all people. If Christ is the Son of God, then his teachings reveal the truth of God and his Death and Resurrection offer redemption. Here, the question of his identity was resolved with Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ.” It is important to note that Peter was not merely voicing another opinion but making a profession of faith that was divinely inspired.
Ch 8:31 Christ knew that his redemptive mission would involve his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. (CCC 474)
Ch 8:33 In trying to convince Christ to avoid the Cross, Peter was UNINTENTIONALLY acting in the same manner as Satan when he had tempted Christ in the wilderness (cf. Mt 4:1-11). The Devil had tempted Christ to shun sacrifice, which was necessary to make reparation for sin and to break the bondage that the evil one had on the world. (CCC 1851)
Ch 8:34-35 Take up his cross: Christ is our model, even unto his Death on the Cross. To be a true disciple of Christ means to be willing to endure all kinds of rejection, persecution, and even death for his sake.
For whoever...will save it: Christ asks his followers to lay down their lives in the hope of achieving a holiness that reflects his own joy and peace. (CCC 459, 1615, 2157, 2166, 2544)
Psalm 23 This is one of the best-known and most-loved of the psalms. In sharp contrast to Psalm 22’s lament over a seemingly distant God, this psalm portrays God as one who knew the psalmist intimately and was with him on every step of his journey, in every moment of his life. The Lord is a shepherd who looks after all our needs. He is also a most gracious host who exalts us over our detractors, anoints us, and lavishes on us an abundance of goodness and mercy. To live forever with the Lord is our singular goal. This psalm is prayed at Mass on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Year C, and on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year A.
Shepherd: This frequent image of a caring and dutiful overseer is symbolic usually of a king or of God. The shepherd of the sheep is among the metaphors Christ applied to himself, most famously in his self-description as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, and he is the same shepherd who goes out to find the one sheep that has strayed from the flock (cf. Jn 10:11-16). Throughout this psalm, the psalmist described the profound happiness and joy that exists for those who seek righteousness fervently.
You anoint my head with oil: Anointing is symbolic of abundance, joy, cleansing, health, beauty, healing, and strength. Anointing with the Holy Oils is used in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick. In the first three of these Sacraments, the anointing signifies the infusion of the grace of the Holy Spirit together with the imprint of a seal or indelible mark on the soul; for this reason, these Sacraments may be received ONLY ONCE. In the Anointing of the Sick, the Oil of the Sick is a sign of spiritual healing and preparation for entering eternal life. (CCC 1293, 1303-1305)
(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)
For 157 days, you have opened your heart and opened your mind to God’s Word.
That is not a small thing
Man oh Man 😉
Have you been counting how many times that Mark has used the word IMMEDIATELY?
It’s not just Jesus who moves IMMEDIATELY
It’s the woman who moves IMMEDIATELY
It’s these people who ask things IMMEDIATELY
So the urgency and quickness of all the characters in the Gospel of Mark is because they realize that the Kingdom of God is ON EARTH RIGHT NOW
JESUS IS WITH THEM
Mark Ch 7 shows this teaching of Jesus where he talks about how the Pharisees are watching him and that they notice the disciples do not wash their hands after coming back from the market or before they eat
This is not a matter of sanitation or cleanliness
This is a matter of RITUAL PURITY
Remember back in the Old Testament, that if you were to serve at the Altar, you would wash your hands in a certain way to have RITUAL PURITY
If that’s a good thing for the Worship of God in the Temple at the altar, then shouldn’t we all do this?
If it was good for the priests, those serving in the Temple of God, to purify themselves before they undertake these tasks, then it would be great for us to do
So it’s not necessarily a bad thought
Since the preacher was commanded to do this BEFORE WORSHIP, then let’s all do this BEFORE WE EAT
It’s a sign
Even EATING is a form of worship
So it’s not a BAD IDEA
BUT…
IT HAS BEEN DISTORTED
They did these things on the OUTSIDE so they don’t have to do the work on the INSIDE
We have transformed our behavior on the OUTSIDE but our hearts INTERIORLY has not been converted
THAT IS THE DISTINCTION that Jesus continually makes
You are doing these things on the OUTSIDE without having your INSIDE being conformed to what those things on the outside WERE MEANT TO DO
Now, there were some things that were bad
Jesus points out, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die’; but you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother, What you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God)”
So the idea is that it is our responsibility to take care of our aged parents to the degree that we are able
That is so clear through The Bible
It is our responsibility to take care of those who are vulnerable, particularly those to whom we are related, and particularly those who took care of us when we were younger
We are CONNECTED
We have to TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER
BUT BACK IN THE DAY…
People would take whatever money they would have spent to take care of their parents, they would dedicate it to God
So instead of taking care of their mom and dad in their old age, there would be an endowment made in the parents’ names at the Temple so now, they don’t have to care for their parents
They thought that by doing that, they were now EXEMPT from taking care of their aging parents
Jesus says they do many bad things like this
There were a lot of things where God is VERY CLEAR in what He was calling them to do
But instead, they do a “version of that”
And by doing the “version of that” was actually a way to AVOID doing the thing God asked them to do
That is what ALL OF US continue to struggle with
Whether it is a CHURCH TRADITION
Whether it is a CHURCH DISCIPLINE
Whether it is something we INTERIORLY END UP DOING
We know the right thing to do is maybe not necessarily provide for their care
It might actually be that they need a NURSING STAFF, maybe that is the necessity
OR…
Maybe you could drive to visit your mom and dad
Maybe you could call your parents and spend time with them on the phone
BUT...maybe you’d rather do something else that SEEMS good
So we do that with our SPIRITUAL LIVES
We do that when it comes to TAKING CARE OF FAMILY AND EACH OTHER
We always have the ABILITY to substitute something we are NOT actually called to do INSTEAD of doing the thing we are CALLED TO DO
So Jesus called this out and is indicting all of us when we are tempted to AVOID doing what God called us to do by doing something we THINK IS GOOD
And now for the Syrophoenician woman
She was a Greek woman from Tyre, not a Jew
She is from the same region as Jesus, she just belongs to a different religion
It’s not a matter of her being a woman or a foreigner
It is a matter of her NOT BEING JEWISH
So it SEEMS AT FIRST that Jesus is not necessarily kind to her
WHY?
She refers to the demon from her daughter
Jesus says to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
So wait, did Jesus just call this woman a dog?
In some ways yes, but also no
HUH?
In our translation, it says dogs and dogs can be a really big insult
But dogs can also be a DESCRIPTOR
Jesus doesn’t say YOU ARE A DOG
Jesus says that it isn’t right to take the CHILDREN’S bread and throw it to the DOGS
In this case, the Greek word for dogs is PUPPIES or BELOVED PETS
Jesus is saying that when it comes to who gets fed in the household, we have pets AND WE LOVE THEM
We have children AND WE LOVE THEM MORE
So who gets the food first?
Well, if it’s between the CHILDREN and the PETS, the CHILDREN get fed FIRST
So Jesus is not INSULTING this woman as much as he is DESCRIBING what he is about to do
WHY?
JESUS CAME TO SAVE THE JEWS FIRST
SHE WASN’T JEWISH
This HAS to be the case
Jesus isn’t here to save the Jews EXCLUSIVELY
That is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR from the way Jesus SPEAKS and ACTS
Jesus regularly goes outside to those who are outside the community of the Jews
BUT…
Jesus also emphasizes SO SO CLEARLY in John Ch 4 that Salvation for all the world is FROM THE JEWS
Salvation FOR THE WHOLE WORLD is going to come from the FULFILLMENT
OF EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN READING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
So Jesus is basically telling this woman, First for the Jews and then, you
What’s so good is that even though Jesus seems like he is saying NO, she PERSISTS IN HUMILITY
She agrees that she is not the children of the household
But she knows that Jesus comes from God
She knows something about God because of the Jewish people
She knows that God has a love for ALL OF THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM
Even the dogs under the table that eat the children’s crumbs
This is the contest between HUMILITY and ENTITLEMENT
She doesn’t come to Jesus with any sense of entitlement
She doesn’t say she DESERVES to be fed
She doesn’t say her child DESERVES to be healed
She simply says, “I know you can. Please will you?”
Jesus says, “I came for the Jews first.”
She says, “Yes, I know. But I trust you have enough left over. I trust that in your goodness, you will let that abundance overflow. Give us some of that overflow.”
It is SO SO POWERFUL
Her HUMILITY moves US
We have to realize that MOST OF US listening to the Bible in a Year ARE NOT JEWISH by BIRTH
We are not Jews by our HISTORY
We are not Jews by our PEDIGREE
WE ARE GENTILES
WE ARE HER!!
That is how we approach God too
We don’t approach God with the idea of “I deserve this.”
We don’t approach God with the idea of “You owe this to me.”
We approach God with NO SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT
WE DO NOT DESERVE GOD’S GRACE
We are all simply just recipients of God’s free gift THAT HE DID NOT HAVE TO GIVE TO US
That is why the story of the Syrophoenician woman is US
We don’t deserve God’s Grace, but we PERSIST
God’s heart is that He WANTS ALL GOOD THINGS
God’s heart is that He WANTS TO HEAL
God’s heart is that He WANTS TO FEED
God’s heart is that He WANTS TO MAKE US HIS OWN
That is EXACTLY what Jesus does
Jesus cures a deaf man
Jesus cures a blind man
Both times, Jesus TOUCHES these individuals in order to HEAL them
This is the POWER OF THE SACRAMENTS
In the first couple of centuries of the Church Tertullian said, “The flesh is the hinge of salvation.”
Grace, God’s very life, is imparted to us through the material world
The material world on its own is good as it is
BUT…
God actually COMMUNICATES his Spirit, his Grace through the material world
This is the EXACT REASON for the Incarnation
God Himself becomes ONE OF US
God becomes INCARNATED
God becomes FLESH
WHY?
God could have just DECLARED us all saved
God could have just SAID the word
God could have just BREATHED the word
God could have just THOUGHT the thought and we would be saved
BUT…
God BROUGHT us salvation through HIS BODY
God BROUGHT us salvation through his LIFE, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION
We RECEIVE salvation THROUGH OUR BODIES
In Baptism, water is poured ON OUR BODIES and it DOES SOMETHING through the SACRAMENTS
We are fed the ACTUAL BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS through BREAD AND WINE through the SACRAMENTS
So when Jesus cures the deaf man and blind man, he TOUCHES THEM
He uses SPIT and his FINGERS
REAL SPIRITUAL GRACE IS GIVEN TO US THROUGH ACTUAL MATERIAL THINGS
NOW REMEMBER
Material things ON THEIR OWN ARE NOT POWERFUL
It is GOD’S GRACE WORKING THROUGH THEM
THAT IS SO SO POWERFUL
Now, on to the next one...
The feeding of the 4,000 is NOT a repeat of the feeding of the 5,000
There are a couple of things SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
The main different thing to note is that LAST TIME Jesus asked, “What do we have to eat?”
In this case, Jesus asks his disciples, “How many loaves have you?”
So Jesus is asking them to give THEIR OWN FOOD
“What do you have? Give that now.”
Before it was, “What can you find?”
They found the young boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish
There is this INVITATION TO OFFER YOUR OWN FOOD
Before, we talked about GIVING GOD WHAT WE HAVE
GOD TAKES IT
GOD BLESSES IT
GOD GIVES IT BACK TO US
WE DISTRIBUTE IT TO USE FOR HIS GLORY
But in this case, it is EVEN MORE PERSONAL
WE USE OUR OWN FOOD
Jesus reminds them of this
The Disciples, and ourselves, forget SO QUICKLY
In Mark 8:17-21 Jesus says, “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?...And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?...Do you not yet understand?”
That is the plight FOR ALL OF US
God can do ALL THESE THINGS in our lives
God can REVEAL HIMSELF in so many powerful ways
And we just go onto the next thing and FORGET
So many people are taking down NOTES for Bible in a Year and are writing these things down so they do not forget (guilty as charged 😁)
We will talk about this next thing more in Matthew’s Gospel
Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi and asks, “Who do men say that I am?”
They answer John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets
Jesus then asks, “Who do YOU say that I am?”
Peter answers, “You are the Christ.”
Then Jesus teaches them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and after three days RISE AGAIN
Jesus said this PLAINLY
Then when Peter tried to rebuke Jesus, Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan!”
Satan is the accuser
Satan is the obstacle
Satan is the stumbling block
Peter is not thinking as GOD does but as HUMAN BEINGS DO
So yes, Peter is an OBSTACLE in this way by rebuking Jesus
Imagine rebuking your rabbi who is GOD HIMSELF
Think again, Peter 😉
Peter is saying, “God forbid that this happens to you.”
We will talk about it more in Matthew Ch 16
Jesus is making it VERY CLEAR
“Yes, that is who I am. I am the Messiah. I am the Christ. And the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
And then Jesus goes on VERY CLEARLY, “If you would come after me then you have to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.”
This is SO SO IMPORTANT
ESPECIALLY FOR OUR DAY AND AGE
The whole point of Bible in a Year is to get a BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
The Biblical Worldview is that the disciples of Jesus are going to suffer for the sake of Jesus
We are NOT going to fit into the world
Mark 8:38 says, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed…”
Think or how many times our culture and our world think our Christian beliefs are BACKWARDS or OUTDATED or NONSENSE
So how many times as CHRISTIANS in this world are we tempted to GO MORE WITH THE WORLD than we are with JESUS??
This is SO CRITICAL FOR US
We don’t live in a CHRISTIAN WORLD
We live in a POST-CHRISTIAN WORLD
When people lived in a Christian world, when most of the west was Christianized and people around us believed and looked at the world in a similar way, it wasn’t necessarily difficult or a risk to say you were Christian
More people believed what Jesus taught and what the Bible teaches
But in a world that has LEFT THOSE THINGS BEHIND, we have families that no longer talk to each other because some members of the family believe what the WORLD teaches and other members of the family believe what GOD teaches
Jesus is saying, “I’m going to suffer greatly. I’m going to suffer from people that should have recognized me first. I am going to suffer. I am going to be overwhelmed by death. I am going to be crucified. If you are going to follow me, you also will follow that path.”
This is the INVITATION and CONDITIONS for DISCIPLESHIP
We can’t belong to Jesus WITHOUT THAT
No amount of trying to CHANGE WHAT JESUS SAID is EVER going to help
No amount of trying to CHANGE WHAT THE CHURCH HAS ALWAYS TAUGHT is EVER going to help
What’s going to help is GRACE
What’s going to help is COURAGE
What’s going to help is that BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW that we are all PRAYING FOR and listening to these Words of God for
Hopefully not only will our worldview be shaped by a BIBLICAL LENS
But also our hearts will be SHARPENED
Our hearts will be STRENGTHENED
Our hearts will be MORE COURAGEOUS
So that we can BOLDLY and LOVINGLY proclaim Christ to a world that has FORGOTTEN WHO HE IS
PRAY FOR EACH OTHER
PRAY FOR FR. MIKE
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise and we thank you. We thank you so much for being our Divine Shepherd, our Good Shepherd. Thank you so much for being the one who guides us, especially as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Lord God, that is what this world is. That is what life is. It is known as the ‘veil of tears’. It is known as the ‘valley of the shadow of death’. And yet we can say, like David, ‘I fear no evil.’ Why? Because you are with me. Because you are with us. Your rod and your staff that comfort us. Lord God, you can only be our Good Shepherd, REALLY, if we are your sheep, if we allow you to direct us, if we allow you to guide us, if we allow you to protect us. But when we go wandering away from you, then not only are we left alone, not only are we vulnerable, not only are we in the valley of the shadow of death with no protection, we know that even then (we know that even then) you come in search of us. David didn’t know this. The ancient patriarchs, the prophets, they didn’t know this as clearly as we know this because, Lord God, through your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed that you are the one who seeks out the lost sheep. You are the one who, when we do wander, you go in pursuit of us, desperately seeking us. Because you have declared that for whatever reason (whatever reason) you love us. And you pursue us even when we wander far from you. So, Lord God, pursue us. Now if we have wandered, pursue us, like the Good Shepherd that you are. And lead us back so that we may dwell in the House of the Lord forever all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
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