Posted on July 5, 2014 by Father Joe
The Second Scurrilous Mystery
The real scandal was on the part of the crowd. While there was no charity to allow the paralytic to be carried into the house, they are moved by fear to allow the healed man to walk out. Jesus was moved by the faith of the men who lowered the poor man from the roof. What Jesus does is in response to their intercession for their friend. Instead of an outright physical healing, Jesus says to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” This angers the scribes and they condemn Jesus for blaspheming. After all, only God can forgive sins. It may be that the man’s soul was more afflicted than his body. Illustrating he had the authority to absolve from sin, he ordered the paralytic to get up and walk. The crowd is astounded and gives glory to God. And yet, do they perceive the full truth that in Jesus God had come to save his people?
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Posted on July 4, 2014 by Father Joe
The First Scurrilous Mystery
Jesus goes to great length emphasizing that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood if we would have his life within us. His listeners murmur and quarrel about it. How can he say this? A good number abandon him, complaining that this teaching is too hard. Jesus then turns to his apostles and asks, are you going to leave me too? Peter responds, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Like us, Peter is saying the he does not understand it either; but if Jesus says it, he accepts it. Jesus was preparing them for the sacrament of the Eucharist that he would institute at his Last Supper. Some believers insist that Jesus only meant a figurative or symbolic presence. They refuse to accept a literal interpretation. However, the Jews understood the use of representational language. They abandoned Jesus precisely because Jesus was graphic and insisted on a REAL presence. Similarly, at the Last Supper, our Lord takes the bread and says it is his body. He takes the cup of wine and says this is the chalice of his blood. A new covenant is made. Covenants cannot be established with fake blood. There has to be a real sacrifice. Here too the emphasis is upon a substantial change. This caused great scandal among the Jews who were forbidden to taste blood. This is still a point of contention between Catholics and many Protestant believers. We continue to take Jesus for his word.
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Posted on July 3, 2014 by Father Joe
The Fifth Scandalous Mystery
Jesus has been invited into a Pharisee’s home. But immediately we are told a sinner woman came to Jesus weeping and next bathed his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed and anointed them. Simon the Pharisee is secretly scandalized. He thinks to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Our Lord knows what is going through his mind and tells him a quick parable about two debtors, one owing more than the other. He asks, if are both forgiven “Which of them would love him more?” Simon answers it is probably the one with the larger debt. Jesus agrees and connects the parable and question to the woman. By comparison with Simon, she has demonstrated the greater love. He shocks everyone by saying that her sins are forgiven. Only God can forgive sins. There is a certain recrimination against Simon when Jesus says, “But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” He is challenging Simon to reflect upon his own spiritual state. Notice that this sinner woman had no trouble entering Simon’s house. How is that? I suspect it was because the servants recognized her and that she was regularly a visitor, not so much as a guest but for Simon’s secret pleasure. There is a story here that has been left unsaid.
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Posted on July 2, 2014 by Father Joe
The Fourth Scandalous Mystery
There is a popular expression, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” While we might think that we can hide the truth about ourselves, and our sins, the truth is that we are largely transparent and God sees everything. Before charging others we should all admit that we are guilty and vulnerable. The scribes and Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. The Mosaic Law required stoning to death, crushing and suffocating the person. Will Jesus insist upon the law or excuse sin? Jesus writes upon the ground. It has been speculated that Jesus was listing the secret sins of her accusers. He says let the one without sin cast the first stone. One by one they walk away. Finally, he is alone with her. Note that her accomplice in sin is nowhere to be found. Our Lord is aware of the double-standard and the hypocrisy of her accusers. As the innocent all holy one, he could rightfully condemn her. But instead he shows her mercy and tells her to go and “from now on do not sin anymore.” He did not say that what she did was right. Along with her absolution comes the admonishment to repent.
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Posted on July 1, 2014 by Father Joe
The Third Scandalous Mystery
Centurions were honored soldiers of the empire. They were known for their loyalty and command authority. One could almost imagine the crowd cringing backward at his approach. He was both feared and hated among the Jews. And yet, here was one sympathetic to their religion. He had won the respect of those who knew him and he supported their faith community. The stories have spread about a wonder worker and healer. When his servant becomes ill he does not hesitate to seek out Jesus. Our Lord offers to go to his house. But the soldier knows that this will make for further complications. Those who want Jesus out of the day will exploit every scandal and eyes were watching. The centurion demonstrates a genuine faith that does not have to see in order to believe. Humbly he says that he is not worthy for the Lord to enter under his roof. It is enough that Jesus should utter a saving word. Jesus was so amazed that he praises the faith of this Gentile over that of all his own people. It is evidenced here that the Jesus was not simply the Jewish Messiah but the Savior of the world. The centurion is sent on his way with the assurance that his intercessory prayer was granted. Who is to say what ripples resulted from this? There has been much speculation about what became of this centurion. While it would come after centuries of persecution, he and his faith would prefigure the conversion of the Roman Empire. Do we have his kind of faith?
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