Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Following the Solemnity of Pentecost and the obligatory memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, our cycle of readings returns to regular programming, picking up where we left off in the Gospel of Saint Mark, chapter 12.
Opponents of Jesus begin a conversation with flattery, as they hope to catch him making a heretical remark. Of course, the Lord sees through their ruse and challenges them, “Why are you testing me?”
And the bitter words of Psalm 95:
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,as on the day of Massah in the desert.There your ancestors tested me;they tried me though they had seen my works.Forty years I loathed that generation;I said: “This people’s heart goes astray;they do not know my ways.”Therefore I swore in my anger:“They shall never enter my rest.”Recently, as a chaplain I heard a patient remark, “When I die, I will have some questions for the Lord.” I suppose we all have our complaints; they accompany our worries. The Lord addressed them when he said, “Look at the lilies of the field!” and “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.”
He certainly had his complaints and worries as he made his final pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But he set them aside as he walked; nor could he be bothered with the flattery, insinuations, and plotting of his enemies. He dismissed them first with an unanswerable question, “Why are you testing me?” And then, “Have faith in God and faith in me.
A few days later, my disgruntled patient felt better and forgot his complaints. Just as we soon forget our worries when they’re displaced by other worries, we forget the tests we would put God through as we experience consolation and healing. Perhaps the day will come when we’ll learn to ignore worries and complaints as our hearts abide, like sheep among wolves, hidden in the Bosom of Prayer.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.