Scripture Reflections Seeking Understanding

Have you ever suffered from professional jealousy? Or a moment when you’ve picked something up to read at work and thought, ‘Well that’s not good enough!’ mostly because it wasn’t done the way you would do it?  I have to confess that I have, and more times than I would like to count.  In this Sunday’s Gospel, and the first reading from the Book of Numbers, that’s exactly what’s happening.  In the midst of the exodus, and the long, trying journey through the wilderness, God gives a sign to the people that they have not been abandoned - that God has a plan for them. Yet when one of those who did not answer God’s call is gifted with the same Spirit as those who did, Joshua calls on Moses to put a stop to it.  Then, in the midst of Jesus public ministry, John and the other disciples try to stop the man who is not one of the chosen from doing what they see as their calling. Both Jesus and Moses respond in the same way. Why should they stop someone who is doing good in God...

Among the books of the Old Testament, the Book of Wisdom is not universally recognised as a part of the Canon of Scripture. It's not part of the Hebrew tradition, rather it is written in Greek, comes much later than the books of the prophets, and borrows from the authority and the reputation of Solomon. For these reasons it was removed from the bible by the protestant reformers of the 16th century. Yet in the Catholic tradition it not only remains in the bible but is used in the liturgy as a text that informs and is affirmed by the Gospel.  This week the book of Wisdom presents us with the image of the righteous man whose adherence to his beliefs so offends the enemies of God that they plan to torture and kill him, hoping that in doing so his faith may be proved false.  We don't get to hear the result of their campaign, but the next chapter does present us with the consoling message that the souls of the righteous are in the hands of God. To the eyes of the foolish their passi...

In this Sunday's Gospel we hear one of those stories that always makes me feel for Peter. As it starts, Jesus asks the disciples 'Who do you say I am?'  And it is Peter that answers, 'You are the Christ.'  In Matthew's account of this moment, Peter is affirmed for this answer - not because he has figured it out for himself, but because of his openness to the Spirit which has revealed it to him. We are told that this openness to the Spirit will be the defining character of the Church's understanding of God's will going forward. Yet, here in Mark's much abbreviated account Peter and the others are simply told to keep Jesus' true identity to themselves.  We heard this last week too. Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about the miracle he had performed, but the more He insisted, the more widely they spread the news. Everyone, it seems, knows better than Jesus and they are not listening to Him. But He doesn't seem to do anything about it. Until...

As a school leader it was a common experience that whenever a student had committed an offence against the community people would be very forthright in telling me how I must deal with them. Parents would write angry emails wanting to know what action had been taken against the offender that had hurt their child. Teachers would insist that students that continued to disrespect them must be suspended at the very least, if not excluded from the school entirely. Sometimes they would straight out refuse to receive a student back into their classroom, while others would refuse to take them on.  And to be fair, there were occasions on which this was the result - when repeated behaviours left me unable to ensure the safety of a teacher or other students. But usually I would do my best to engage the parents and teachers in a conversation about who we were as a community of faith and learning. One that is founded upon the unconditional love and mercy of God for all. That imposes appropriate...