So let's talk about today's readings 2/18/09

[cheeto1]

usccb.org/nab/readings/021809.shtml

“My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people”

These words in the psalm are repeated twice, with the second
time including “in the courts of the house of the Lord”.

What are the vows the psalmist will pay? What vows are we
to pay “in the courts of the house of the Lord” and “in the presence of all His people”?

In the gospel, they begged Jesus to touch the man, so He did,
but he was not healed. First, He led him by the hand outside
the village. Did the people follow and see all that happened next?
If they didn’t follow, why not? And why does Jesus “try twice”
to heal the man, when so many times the Bible will say, “all
who touched Him were healed”. Is this how Jesus heals a man
without faith? First, He let him see a little, then when that gave
him faith, He healed him the rest of the way?

So what struck you about today’s readings?:bible1:

 

[Strategery]

Consider the pattern of readings in the last few days from Mark 8. Christ multiplied loaves to feed four thousand. He leaves that location. At the next stop, the Pharisees argue with Christ, and ask him for a sign from heaven, which Christ declines to give. Then Christ & the disciples got back in their boat, where Christ tries to teach the disciples about the Pharisees, and they completely miss the point. Christ’s words in verse 21 (yesterday’s daily) were “Do you not yet understand?”

Think about that sequence and then consider the reading. They get off the boat, and he heals a blind man. Note the nature of the healing – the first time the blind man opens his eyes, he sees “people looking like trees and walking.” Christ has placed hands on him, but he can’t fully see – just like the disciples couldn’t fully understand Christ’s nature. Christ had to lay hands on Him again for him to see everything clearly. He has to do that with us too.

This helps illustrate why Christ didn’t want to be proclaimed as the Messiah at this point in his ministry. He had so many people yet to reach, and so much teaching yet to do. The disciples had witnessed several miracles, but still could only see part of the picture. There was a lot of worked left before his identity as Messiah could be proclaimed.

Aside - “people looking like trees and walking.” I wonder if that’s how Tolkein came up with the Ents in Lord of the Rings?

 

[cheeto1]

Christ has placed hands on him, but he can’t fully see – just like the disciples couldn’t fully understand Christ’s nature. Christ had to lay hands on Him again for him to see everything clearly.

I like it, it’s a good explanation. Do you think that after this miracle, they understood the loaves and the fishes?