July 21, 2017

July 21

July 21, 2017:  Friday, 15th week, Ordinary Time

See a dozen connections with today?
Legend below
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Read
    Passover Lamb
    (animate)
  • Ex 11:10—12:14  Pharaoh remained obstinate despite the wonders Moses performed before him; he wouldn't let the Israelites leave.  Lord to Moses:  “Tell the community:  on the 10th of the month, every household must procure a lamb.  Keep it till the 14th, then slaughter it, apply its blood to your doorposts, eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread, loins girt, sandals, and staff, like those in flight.  It's the Lord's Passover.  I'll strike every firstborn and execute judgment on the gods of Egypt, but when I see the blood, I'll pass over you.  All your generations will celebrate this day....”
  • Ps 116:12-13, 15, 16bc-18  "I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord."  Precious in the Lord's eyes is the death of his faithful.  I am your servant; you've loosed my bonds.
  • Mt 12:1-8  Pharisees seeing Jesus' disciples picking and eating grain on the sabbath / Jesus:  “Your disciples are doing what's unlawful on the sabbath.” / “When David was hungry, he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering reserved for priests; something greater is here.  If you understood 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you wouldn't have condemned these men.  The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
Reflect
  • Creighton:  Itinerant rabbi Jesus and his disciples got hungry and ate the grain; the Pharisees reproached him for doing it on the sabbath.  Jesus didn't put norms above people; he accepted them but made allowances.  Norms are for people.
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Passover":  Through the Passover, the Lord freed the Israelites from slavery; the Lord chose to use a family meal accompanied by prayer.  Passover became "a memorial feast,... a perpetual institution."  Before Jesus was crucified, he said, "I've greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer," then commanded, "Do this in memory of me," connecting Passover with the cross, making the Eucharist the ultimate Passover.  Paul went further, calling Jesus our Passover.  How great is your desire to celebrate the Passover and invite others to it?
  • Passionist:  Ritual adds pomp to repetitive movements that could otherwise be boring, whether parade or religious ceremony.  The 1st reading is about the powerful Passover meal ritual at the center of Holy Thursday and the Eucharist.  Recall how the blood of Christ leads to life and salvation.  Ritual can give us access to an important part of our lives, but it may need to be adjusted as in today's gospel.
    The first Passover feast/ Beuckelaer
  • DailyScripture.net:  "Mercy, not sacrifice":  The Sabbath was set apart to praise God, his work, and his saving actions, to remember and celebrate the goodness of God and his work.  It was intended to bring everyday work to a halt and to provide needed rest and refreshment.  The Pharisees scolded the apostles not for plucking and eating corn but for doing it on the Sabbath.  Jesus argues that human need trumps ritual.  While ritual sacrifice is important to God, mercy and kindness in response to human need are more so.  How do I honor God in my treatment of others?
Lord, make us walk in your way:  where there's love and wisdom, there's no fear or ignorance; where there's patience and humility, there's no anger or annoyance; where there's poverty and joy, there's no greed or avarice; where there's peace and contemplation, there's no restlessness; where there's the fear of God, no enemy can enter; where there's mercy and prudence, there's no excess or harshness.... (Francis of Assisi)

Pope Francis Amoris Laetitia capsule:  Violence and manipulation
Sex often becomes depersonalized, unhealthy, and selfish, poisoned by the “use and discard” mentality.  Warped understanding of sexuality has led to domination, arrogance, abuse, perversion, and violence, and human dignity and the call to love take a back seat to “finding yourself.” 
Even within marriage, sex can become a source of suffering and manipulation.   Sex must take place in a truly human manner; it's no act of love when imposed.  Sex must involve communication, including agreement when postponing relations.  

Each spouse has inalienable dignity.  When reciprocal belonging is threatened, the communion of the relationship changes, the rightful distance between the two can be effaced, their dignity negated, and sex can become escapist and not beautiful.
The unity of a married couple is reciprocal self-donation and mutual submission and subjection, freely chosen mutual belonging marked by fidelity, respect, and care.  Sexuality must serve the conjugal friendship, aiding each other's fulfillment.
Authentic love needs to be able to receive the other, accept one’s needs, and welcome physical expression.  Aspiring to be pure spirit, rejecting the flesh. leads to loss of dignity of both spirit and body.  We must receive love as well as give it, never forgetting our fragile equilibrium:  we can resist growth and be selfish. (IV:153-57)
Dress legend
  • 'Lamb' tie bar:  Passover instructions:  "Procure a lamb..."  (1st reading)
  • 'Food' tie:  Passover meal (1st reading, but don't compare the food on the tie with the instructions)
  • 'Blood drop' pin:  Apply blood to the doorposts... (1st reading)
  • Sandals (not shown):  Eat it with sandals on your feet... (1st reading)
  • 'Airplane' tie pin:  ...like those who are in 'flight.' (1st reading)
  • 'Fire' pin:  Burn the leftovers (1st reading)
  • 'Eyeball' pin:  Precious in the Lord's eyes is the death of his faithful (psalm)
  • 'Phone' tie bar:  I'll 'call' on the Lord. (psalm)
  • 'Grain' pin:  Eat the roasted lamb with unleavened bread (1st reading); Jesus' disciples picked and ate grain (gospel)
  • Green shirt:  Ordinary Time season
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