(Click Here for Readings)
Gospel of Mark 8:7-33
Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply,“John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others one of the prophets.”And he asked them,“But who do you say that I am?”Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
You are the Christ Interesting we've spent weeks reading from the Gospel of Mark about the disciples' lack of understanding. Finally one of them gets it. Peter acknowledges that Jesus is the Christ. This is a very important revelation. As "Christ" Jesus is distinct from John the Baptist, Elijah and all of the prophets of the old covenant. Jesus is someone new and fresh. A man both human and divine. His uniqueness will forever change the course of salvation history. Later Peter rebukes Jesus for predicting his own death. Peter and the disciples would love for their Master to be with them forever. Why should Jesus talk about rejection, suffering and dying? Why not think positive? In this case, Peter "gets it" temporarily but then falls right back to a lack of understanding. Jesus responds to Peter: "Get behind me Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Obviously the disciples have difficulty thinking as God does. Most of us would probably experience the same difficulty. How God thinks is often foreign to the way humans think.
How Humans Think In the last 20 years, especially with the spread of social media, humans "thoughts" are globally accessible. The technological "Me Generation" has promoted individualism to a new plateau. Everybody seems to have an unsolicited opinion.
The way a human thinks isn't always rational. Thoughts can become highly emotional. These emotions turn into prejudices and bias that don't always sync with how God thinks. We naturally desire luxury, wealth, sophistication, comfort and appreciation. We praise successful, philanthropic people. But, then we look our heads down on the "losers" of the world: the perpetually unemployed, the poverty stricken, illegal immigrants, the disabled, the mentally handicapped, and others who come across as weird.
Rich vs. Poor Just the other day I received a copy of our bi-weekly diocese newspaper. On the front page cover was a tribute to one of the wealthiest couples in our diocese. They give millions to Catholic education and other philanthropic efforts. Yes, they deserve recognition and acknowledgement. However, I thought to myself: Why doesn't the paper feature a front page article on a homeless person, the student or an immigrant that this wealthy couple helped? Why is the media quick to acknowledge the rich before the poor? The popular wealthy is portrayed as somehow better and more newsworthy than the unpopular poor. I frown that our diocesian newspaper usually includes photographs of the same priests and the same benefactors over and over. Humans think in terms of favoritism. People gravitate toward people they generally like and know well. However, Our Lord steps outside of favoritism boundaries showing how much he loved and respected everyone regardless of money or popularity. In fact, he gave extra graces toward those that nobody else cared for......That's how God thinks!
If Jesus was the editor of our diocese newspaper, I bet he'd publish on the front page a story involving a leper. He wouldn't be embarrassed to put a grotesque picture of a deformed human instead of a beautiful picture of a benefactor dressed in black tie. Shocking as it is, Jesus thought of the lowest of the low as beautiful!
Why don't we take a few minutes out of our day to think as God thinks. Are we being caring and compassionate? Are we honoring those different from us? Are we showing humility toward others? Do we see the beauty in the ugly? Are we willing to honor and praise those who may not be the wealthiest or most popular? Are we willing to love everyone without pre-conceived judgment and bias? Think as God thinks!
-J.
How Humans Think In the last 20 years, especially with the spread of social media, humans "thoughts" are globally accessible. The technological "Me Generation" has promoted individualism to a new plateau. Everybody seems to have an unsolicited opinion.
The way a human thinks isn't always rational. Thoughts can become highly emotional. These emotions turn into prejudices and bias that don't always sync with how God thinks. We naturally desire luxury, wealth, sophistication, comfort and appreciation. We praise successful, philanthropic people. But, then we look our heads down on the "losers" of the world: the perpetually unemployed, the poverty stricken, illegal immigrants, the disabled, the mentally handicapped, and others who come across as weird.
Rich vs. Poor Just the other day I received a copy of our bi-weekly diocese newspaper. On the front page cover was a tribute to one of the wealthiest couples in our diocese. They give millions to Catholic education and other philanthropic efforts. Yes, they deserve recognition and acknowledgement. However, I thought to myself: Why doesn't the paper feature a front page article on a homeless person, the student or an immigrant that this wealthy couple helped? Why is the media quick to acknowledge the rich before the poor? The popular wealthy is portrayed as somehow better and more newsworthy than the unpopular poor. I frown that our diocesian newspaper usually includes photographs of the same priests and the same benefactors over and over. Humans think in terms of favoritism. People gravitate toward people they generally like and know well. However, Our Lord steps outside of favoritism boundaries showing how much he loved and respected everyone regardless of money or popularity. In fact, he gave extra graces toward those that nobody else cared for......That's how God thinks!
If Jesus was the editor of our diocese newspaper, I bet he'd publish on the front page a story involving a leper. He wouldn't be embarrassed to put a grotesque picture of a deformed human instead of a beautiful picture of a benefactor dressed in black tie. Shocking as it is, Jesus thought of the lowest of the low as beautiful!
Why don't we take a few minutes out of our day to think as God thinks. Are we being caring and compassionate? Are we honoring those different from us? Are we showing humility toward others? Do we see the beauty in the ugly? Are we willing to honor and praise those who may not be the wealthiest or most popular? Are we willing to love everyone without pre-conceived judgment and bias? Think as God thinks!
-J.
No comments:
Post a Comment