The Problem of Knowledge

Gospel: Matthew 13: 10-17

Why does Jesus teach in parables?  Today's Gospel portion offers an answer that sounds very Gnostic at first.  Jesus is made to say here that those with the special insight and knowledge, who have access to the mysteries, will know what the parables say.  Those who lack this secret power will be unable to penetrate the mysteries.  As in the explanation of the parable of the sower, this answer appears predetermining in terms of one's status before God now and at judgment.   

However, as we saw earlier, that parable taken by itself is designed to serve as a measuring stick in terms of our progress in the spiritual life.  We may at times see ourselves as shallow and without roots, and so our understanding and growth is limited.  In the same way, we are to see today's passage in a similar way.  Initially our understanding is shallow and surface level, but with perseverance and meditation, our knowledge and insight grows into the depth and meaning of Jesus' teaching.  

So, if we find ourselves struggling to understand things, we should not despair, nor give into fatalistic thinking.  The task before us is to return again and again to the parables, to sit with them, and empty ourselves in order to receive their depth of wisdom.  At first Nicodemus did not understand Jesus, but he returned again and again to the Lord.  He who first came in darkness eventually finds his way to the light at the cross of Jesus.  Let Nicodemus be our inspiration in the spiritual journey.

The Great Apostle

Gospel: John 20: 1-2, 11-18

Today we will celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, a day on which men everywhere will heap praise upon her, recall the ancient title of "Apostle to the Apostles" regarding her, and then proceed to tell us why women cannot exercise ministry in the Church.  Mary Magdalene was chosen to be the first eyewitness to the Resurrection of Jesus, and called to be the first to proclaim the primary and fundamental message of Christianity to the others - Jesus is Risen.  

Consider how throughout the Gospels it is women who are first to receive such calls.  Mary and Elizabeth were the first to announce the coming of Jesus in the world.  The Samaritan woman was the first called to preach Jesus to others in his village.  Peter's mother-in-law was the first to exercise diaconal ministry and model discipleship.  All of this was done to directly challenge the ancient view that women could not be witnesses, could not be teachers.  The Gospels suggest otherwise.

This message was so controversial that not even Paul could accept it, deliberately omitting women as the first to experience and proclaim the risen Jesus.  It is that lack of acceptance that has somehow become Church "tradition" and not the actual message of the Gospel.  Mary Magdalene and the other women of the Gospels continue their mission, inspiring us with their faith and witness.  May we honor them in our lives by following their message, and allowing women of today to serve as they did. 

The Family of God

Gospel: Matthew 12: 46-50

Ancestry and our origin stories continue to fascinate human beings to this very day.  With genetic technology of today we can trace our roots with great accuracy going back centuries.  We want to know if we are related to someone famous, or we want to know what medical conditions exist in our lineage.  Ancestry gives us identity and meaning.  In ancient times it identified one as belonging to divine ancestry or patronage.  And Jesus finds it all unimportant.

The common way of reading the tradition of Israel was this very way of ancestry to show that one belongs to God's people. This rendering saw membership in this genetic game of chance as all important. It was used to treat outsiders horribly.  But Jesus reads the tradition differently.  If our origins in Eden mean anything at all it is that we all belong to one common family - one family of humanity, one family with God as our Father.  .

It is precisely this reading of the tradition that Jesus uses in announcing the kingdom of God.  The kingdom is not the ancient exclusivist kingdom of Israel.  It is a kingdom where all are allowed to belong.  The mission of this kingdom is not domination over others but rather it is a mission of mercy and service to other people.  It is an invitation extended to all to the Lord's table, the table of encounter and transformation.