Thursday March 24 Lent 3
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Psalm 83
We are under terrible attack. God, act quickly and utterly defeat them. We can say the same: that our world is under attack from forces of greed and exploitation, and we desperately need to be rescued. We can interpret the almost violent images in this psalm, as an expression of our deep determination that nothing will overcome the work of justice, inclusion and dignity for all. If our culture felt that strongly about dignity of all, what a wonderful world we would live in!
Genesis 46.1-7, 28-34 What’s Genesis about?
Jacob (also called Israel), travels to Egypt with all his family and on the way God repeats the promise that he will be the ancestor of a great nation. In Egypt there is greater status in caring for cattle than for sheep, so they are to present themselves as cattle herders.
Mark 6.30-46 What’s Mark about?
Just when there is danger that Jesus may be suspected of being a terrorist like John the Baptist, he feeds 5,000 people and has 12 baskets left over from a tiny amount of original food. It’s a miracle with a meaning. No matter how little food there is, or how little safety, or how little faith, God can take it and make it far more than we can imagine. The 12 baskets show that there is more than enough for all the Israelites who lived in 12 clans.
In spite of King Herod starting to hunt Jesus, God will provide the food of justice for the whole universe through Jesus’ execution and resurrection. It is an anticipation of the feasts of eucharists now and of the great banquet at the end of time. This banquet with five thousand people will shortly be followed by another with even more radical implications.
Are we expecting that God will provide food for all in our day in spite of the greed of the powerful?
This week’s collect:
Father of mercy,
alone we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.
When we are discouraged by our weakness,
strengthen us to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Great quote from Richard Rohr. So true.
Something about food that I’ve heard Dom Crossan say is that the feeding of the 5000 means that when food flows through the hands of Jesus (i.e. our hands as the body of Christ) then justice happens and there is food for all.
re: Psalm 83 and “the work of justice, inclusion and dignity for all”
Here are some additional thoughts by Fr. Richard Rohr….
“Love and justice go together. Justice without love can be brutal. Love without justice can be banal. Love is the heart of justice and justice is the social form of love.”
re: “God providing enough food for all in our day”….
It seems to me there is enough food for all today…. it’s our (mankind’s) job to distribute it.