Word to the Wise
Friday, February 3, 2017 - Friday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 13:1-8 and Mark 6:14-29]Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [Hebrews]
The past couple of weeks the first scripture for daily reflection has been from the Letter to the Hebrews. I've been concentrating on the Gospel of Mark because I find the dramatic development of Jesus' ministry in Mark's portrait to be interesting. However, the Letter to the Hebrews has its own fascination and message. Although at one time it was considered to be Pauline in origin, few scripture scholars would agree now. It's style and theology are very different. It seems to have been written for a community that eagerly believed in Jesus and are now in danger of losing that first fervor. In addition, there is a concentration on the relationship of Jesus to the temple of Jerusalem and how he represents a new covenant, a new priesthood, a new sacrifice that replaces the old.
Today we are nearing the end of that letter and the author is giving an extended pep-talk which began yesterday with recalling all the great heroes of the Old Testament and the sacrifices they made for the sake of faith, even though they lacked knowledge of Jesus Christ. There are some lines in today's passage that could easily touch us: "Let brotherly love continue....Do not neglect hospitality...Be mindful of prisoners,as if sharing their imprisonment....Let marriage be honored among all....Let your life be free from love of money." The line that caught my attention today is quoted above, about "leaders who spoke the word of God to you."
It can be an interesting exercise to consider who the people are in our life that have most influenced our faith. Were they persons we knew or writers whose books touched us or persons we didn't know but witnessed their example. In short, who are our heroes in faith. They might even still be living, as more than one married couple I know who have been very influential to me. They may have been our parents - truly so in my case. An English Dominican author, Bede Jarrett, O.P., wrote a book about St. Dominic that persuaded me to join the Dominicans, even though I knew very few of them or much about how Dominican life worked! A Dominican professor of philosophy literally saved my vocation in a time of great confusion by serving as my spiritual director and challenging me at every turn. A young married couple I know (along with their children) have given me great examples of love and compassion. Who are the people of faith in our lives whose example inspires us? AMEN
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