Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons" (Mk 3:20-23).
A reflection from Father Tudgay for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
This Sunday, the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is, in reality our first “ordinary” Sunday we’ve had since February. Having completed the Easter Season and culminating this season with the two magnificent capstone solemnities of The Most Holy Trinity and The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, this Sunday brings us back to the start, back to basics, if you will.
Our First and Second readings capture an enormous breadth in salvation history. The story of Adam and Eve, in the account of The Fall in the third chapter of Genesis is the story that is familiar to us all. From there, the nakedness that Adam and Eve experienced was their realization of disobedience to God’s will for them. Thus, shame enters the world, crippling the human psyche throughout its history. Upon first glance, it appears that Adam and Eve’s actions and God’s response to it, resulted in a bit of a death sentence for the human species. How could those created in God’s image and likeness so suddenly become the object of his wrath? This is where the reality of Mercy appears. The end of the First Reading shows where and how the disunity in the order of creation works its way in through Original Sin. The result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience? Chaos! And while you and I might look at bad choices from a fatalistic viewpoint, our Second Reading draws us beyond that biased default into something much more profound.
Saint Paul’s letter draws on the parable that Jesus uses in the Gospel passage this weekend. Christ’s reference to disunity is in reference to the fallout of Original Sin in the context of his mission of redemption. He plays a direct game of chicken with Satan…and, of course, Jesus wins! How? The merits of his death and resurrection are given to the Baptized through the grace offered through the sacramental life of the Church. Whereas the fracturing of creation entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, the cross of Jesus Christ and the fruits of his sacrifice is the singular reality that unifies everything in the very person of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ sacrifice fulfills the Father’s desire for all of creation to be unified in his life, and it is this mission that is continued through the Catholic Church!
Opmerkingen