When we hear the daily readings, we're supposed to think about them, and what they say to us. In the take-out Masses, we discuss the readings, and everyone offers what they get from the readings. Now, they emphasise that eveyone is at a different place, so the message that they get will be different. I'm just wondering why mine is always so different from everyone elses.
For instance, last Sunday the Gospel reading was:
Mk 1:40-45 A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroadso that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
And everyone went on about how the leper was spreading the Gospel, yadda.
All I could think was, 'But he disobeyed! He got a direct order from God, and he disobeyed.' How is that a good thing?
And of course my brain is trying to tie all this into the Old Testament, and the Law (which is what I'm reading atm), and everywhere you get, 'forever'. 'This is a statute for you forever'. Not really sure where my brain is trying to go with this, but it keeps popping back up in my head.
The Church has made a big thing of evangelism, to the point that a lot of people hold "saving" people above any other commandment of God so that if Jesus says not to talk about him he must just be using reverse psychology or something. And yes, I have been taught that. You can probably tell I think this is faulty thinking, and ignores that at the time this story takes place there wasn't a Gospel to spread.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to make judgments about the people you were studying with, but my guess would be that the message is different to you because you are doing the work yourself and getting in the Word, instead of sticking with easy answers. This is a good thing, keep it up. And pray for guidance from God so that you will not be led astray but will continue to grow and discover more truth. Enjoy!
Did you bring up your point to the others? It's a good one. I wonder how they explain it away.
ReplyDeleteI did bring it up, and when everyone stopped staring at me like I had two heads...
ReplyDeleteI got the exact explanation that Sanil brought up, and I have little regard for it, to be honest. It makes no sense to me that God would feel the need to *trick* people into doing what He wanted. If Jesus wanted the leper to spread news of his healing, He would have told him so! It comes very close to the concept of God lying, which just...*shudder* It's just wrong on a whole nother level.
I was also told that the leper's spreading of the Gospel over rode, somehow, his disobedience. Which, again, makes no sense. Especially in light of the fact that we just covered morality, and how a good end does not justify a corrupt means.