So let's talk about today's readings 2/9/10

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cheeto1

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February 9, 2010
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Reading I
1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,
he said, “LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
“Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”

Responsorial Psalm
84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11
R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Gospel

Mk 7:1-13
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”
 
“may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.”
– Solomon’s prayer today sounds so heartfelt. But why was it put with today’s
gospel? Is it lip-service only? He said all these things to God in the presence
of the people, yet he writes later that all is vanity, and he sets up places of
worship to other gods. Nothing is vanity when you are working for God, it is all
a gift. And how is it that the Lord tells him he’ll be the wisest man ever, and he
can’t do the simplest thing? (worship no other gods) Is Solomon really wiser
than we are?

“I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked”
– Because who wants to be near the wicked, no matter how nice their house is?
But where does a person go today to escape the tents of the wicked? The police
would never let them just sleep in front of the church…to be near God…😦

‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”
– This is a very interesting story. I never heard “qorban” in the 10 commandments
or the Old testament. How Did they come up with this idea? The only thing I can
think of is tithing, and is Jesus saying to give your tithe to your parents?

“This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me”
– I’ve been thinking about this one all day, hearing it in my head…

So what struck you about today’s readings? :bible1::twocents:
 
IMHO, I think you missed the point on the last part taken from the Gospel. The fundemental fight between Christ and the Pharisees and Suddeces was that they were legalist. They started out as a lay ministry, if you will, that sought to uphold the traditions and precepts of their ancestors during a time when Jews were moving away from their faith due to prolonged contact with non-Jews. Over time, they began to place the burden of traditions on the regular folk that were meant to be only for the priests. Thus, the origin of such practices as ceremonial washing before meals, avoidance from physical contact with non-jews, women, the diseased, etc. More important, they raised these rituals to absolute requirements for salvation. So, the Gospel is saying that while the Law (which in the bible always means the Law of Moses or the Ten Commandments) says to honor mother and father, they encouraged the people to dedicate the help and support that would have and perhaps should have rightfully gone to their mother and father to the temple instead. They were taking the Law and expanding it’s meaning, based on human traditions, needs and wants in order to aggrandize themselves while the old and the aged languished. The commandment to honor mother and father is not just about respecting them, but had a very practical intent in that the children should provide support to their aging parents. The Priests had undone the true meaning of the Law for their own gain. Paul, in Romans, handles this subject so well. It is true that Christ came not to abolish the Law but to confirm it. He also came to reestablish the true meaning and intent of the Law. As Paul writes, the Law is not there to provide us with a pathway to salvation. On the contrary, it is there to remind us that no matter what we do, we are flawed and can only access true salvation thru faith in God and in the sacrifice of his son Jesus. We need depend on God not on any action or piety that we might aceive. We must also be careful that we do not become so focused on the rules and regulations of our faith and lose sight of the intent that underpins the Law. Love, mercy, charity. Remember, when Christ was questioned by the learned scribe about the which Law was most important, he said we must love God with all our hearts, minds and souls and to treat our neighbor as ourselves. All the other laws depend on these, according to Christ. Is it better that the Temple (think modern day Church) should have plenty while the people go hungry? I think not.
 
Is it better that the Temple (think modern day Church) should have plenty while the people go hungry? I think not.
I think I see what you are saying, it has nothing to do with tithing.
These regulations were meant for the priests, and they had convinced the people
that they were required for salvation. Would that be like the priests today saying
that all must pray the liturgy of the hours for salvation? If so, then I understand what
you have explained.

Your last line really caught my interest, since our church wants to spend seven
million dollars on a new church. The old church is fine, they just want to use it
for a gym for the school. They have to wait till more people are back to work, but
it is frustrating, that if only we had 7 million dollars, we still wouldn’t have enough
to help the poor, because we’d have to use it to build a new church instead.

I’m highly interested in building a new church, just not the building kind.
I’m interested in building the kingdom kind, where everyone is busy doing
“sheep things”.
 
I think I see what you are saying, it has nothing to do with tithing.
These regulations were meant for the priests, and they had convinced the people
that they were required for salvation. Would that be like the priests today saying
that all must pray the liturgy of the hours for salvation? If so, then I understand what
you have explained.

Your last line really caught my interest, since our church wants to spend seven
million dollars on a new church. The old church is fine, they just want to use it
for a gym for the school. They have to wait till more people are back to work, but
it is frustrating, that if only we had 7 million dollars, we still wouldn’t have enough
to help the poor, because we’d have to use it to build a new church instead.

I’m highly interested in building a new church, just not the building kind.
I’m interested in building the kingdom kind, where everyone is busy doing
“sheep things”.
Hi Cheeto

I had been a priest for almost 12 years but got my dispensation last year. anyhow I do believe you mean well when you say you want to build God’s kingdom- not the material aspect but more of the spiritual, the communitarian dimension. You say that the old church is fine so I guess the question would be- is the gym really necessary to serve more parishioners? If the people say the gym is not necessary then perhaps the parish council may use the $7million in other projects which as you say “build the kingdom”. Now if the new church building, however, will be of much more benefit to the parishioners then by all means I think this project should be prioritized.
 
Your last line really caught my interest, since our church wants to spend seven
million dollars on a new church. The old church is fine, they just want to use it
for a gym for the school. They have to wait till more people are back to work, but
it is frustrating, that if only we had 7 million dollars, we still wouldn’t have enough
to help the poor, because we’d have to use it to build a new church instead.

I’m highly interested in building a new church, just not the building kind.
I’m interested in building the kingdom kind, where everyone is busy doing
“sheep things”.
If your existing church could serve as a gym, I suspect it was not built initially to be the permanent church for the parish. If your existing church could serve as a gym, I suspect you are really in need for a proper sanctuary. Do not underestimate how much the “building kind” stuff, in the form of beautiful churchs and religious artwork, is instramental for building the kingdom.
Our parish is in a similiar situation. We are a poor hispanic parish in need of a new church. I can assure you, all of the poor in our parish are supportive of the project. In a very real sense, when it is built, it will be theirs and it will bring a little more dignity to their lives.
 
Thank you tafan and Ferds Guiang for this valuable point of view. It truly deserves
my proper consideration, and I mean to think on these things.

But time may be short, supposing Jesus returns today?
I think we should do like Zacchaeus, to whom the Lord said “today salvation has
come to this house.” He gave half of all he had to the poor. My idea is that if we
would like the Lord to send us the money for the new church, we should spend
half on the poor. What if Jesus came back and saw a new church being built, but
someone homeless walking by, receiving no assistance? I know we can’t help
everybody, but with 7 million dollars, shouldn’t we help Somebody?

Our church has seating for 500. The new church would seat 750.
$28,000 per person. Well, I’ll think about everything you said. Thank you, and
may God bless this day for us all…
 
Could the first person who responded please help this person because he is not getting it at all. Does he not realise how much the Church does for the poor? Your bringing up the building of your Church has nothing to do with what the respondent was teaching.
 
On EWTN, Fr. Wade Menezes had an interesting sermon on the significance of the OT and NT readings.

He mentioned that if the Israelites were to touch the Ark of the Covenant, they would instantly die.

But, in marked contrast, people crowd Jesus and touch him and he touches many people and they are healed.

That was a very good observation, in and of itself. But, it fits in with the whole theme of the essay by the Pontifical Biblical Commission entitled

THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THEIR SACRED SCRIPTURES
IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE
Pontifical Biblical Commission

which is available online at EWTN at
ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCJWSCR.HTM

where they have an analysis of the OT/NT that is organized as follows:
  1. Continuity
  2. Discontinuity
  3. Progression
These sacred texts exhibit the discontinuity - progression, because it is no longer forbidden to approach God ( in the person of Jesus Christ), instead there is a progression to the NT concept of approaching God as our Father and Jesus as our Brother.
 
Could the first person who responded please help this person because he is not getting it at all. Does he not realise how much the Church does for the poor? Your bringing up the building of your Church has nothing to do with what the respondent was teaching.
The poor are on my mind right now. What’s on our mind colors the way we read
the daily readings. I would be happy if you would share what struck you about
today’s readings.
 
On EWTN, Fr. Wade Menezes had an interesting sermon on the significance of the OT and NT readings.

He mentioned that if the Israelites were to touch the Ark of the Covenant, they would instantly die.

But, in marked contrast, people crowd Jesus and touch him and he touches many people and they are healed.
%between%
Are you talking about Old and New Testament readings in general, or today’s
readings? I like what you said here 🙂
 
Are you talking about Old and New Testament readings in general, or today’s
readings? I like what you said here 🙂
He was launching off this day’s readings, but my previous post was indicating a larger context of this discussion in the document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, to which I referred.

He pointed out a specific example of what the PBC was talking about. They said their document could not be exhaustive on the specific topics, as I outlined previously. But, what a blessing that he highlighted an example that the PBC couldn’t get into in their document. It took several years to study the subject and prepare that document. I just completed a first reading of it, a couple weeks ago.

I started a separate thread entitled “important bible study document” right after I finished reading it (as I recall). Haven’t checked that thread in a while.
 
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