Father Denny Dempsey

Feast of All Souls November 2, 2008

Gospel, John 6:37-40 This teaching takes place in Capernaum where Jesus had returned following the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and his walk across the stormy waters of the Sea of Galilee. It is part of a discourse on Jesus being the bread of life sent down from heaven, a theologizing of the sharing of bread the day before. The same Jesus who has been sent down from heaven will return and raise up with him those whom the Father has given him. Along with some other texts in John’s gospel, this passage is often interpreted to read that simply believing in Jesus is sufficient for eternal life. What about living the faith? What about loving one’s neighbor? What about taking up one’s cross and following Jesus? Are these merely unnecessary icing on the cake or are they required as part of a total faith response? Differences between Jewish and Greek understandings of what was meant by faith resulted in significant misunderstanding during the apostolic era. Greek mystery religions taught that the secret to blessings from the gods lies in knowing secret truths or phrases. Faith from their perspective was a matter of intellectual assent independent from any mandatory moral code. Jewish thought was holistic. Faith could not merely be a matter of intellectual belief but a “yes” response to God with one’s whole being. As for the question of God’s will being that none of those who are joined to Christ be lost, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God’s “will be done”. It is a challenge to ourselves who voice those words to help that will be done as it is within our power to live contrary to God’s will.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time A October 26, 2008

Gospel, Matthew 22:34-40  The Marcan parallel (12:28-34) to this passage is an exchange between Jesus and a scribe who is impressed with the way Jesus had handled the previous challenges and with his answer in this conversation. When Matthew was writing his gospel, he had a copy of Mark’s gospel in front of him. Since he copied around 65% of Mark’s gospel word for word, it is appropriate to ask why he presented this exchange in a more adversarial context. One of the key issues for the early church was their relationship with the Jewish religion. The understanding that the church was not merely a group or sect within the Jewish family but something new and distinct did not come overnight but, rather, in a process that covered several decades. Important steps in that process included the revelation to Peter that non-Jews could be members of the church (Acts10-11), the decision at the Council of Jerusalem to not require non-Jewish converts to Christ to observe the Mosaic law (Acts 15), and the the Jewish Council at Jamnia around the year 100 A.D. which declared a clear and final separation and distinction between the Jewish and Christian communities. Through nearly the end of the first century, Christians of Jewish descent continued to pray in synagogues. Matthew wrote to Christians of Jewish background somewhat later in this process than Mark. As a result he was probably more intent on emphasizing the differences between Jesus and the Jewish authorities rather than their similarities. Nevertheless, we are called to love even our adversaries as an expression of God’s love for all people.

Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Gospel, Matthew 22:15-21  The Herodians were not a religious faction such as the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were people who supported Herod or perhaps Jews employed in Herod’s government. As such they would be in favor of paying taxes to the government. If Jesus said the tax should not be paid, they would have grounds to have him arrested. The Pharisees, on the other hand, stood for opposition to the Roman control of their land. In that, they were respected by the common people who were very much opposed to paying the tax, one aspect of their being dominated by a foreign power. If Jesus said the tax should be paid, they would use his statement to turn the people against him (a tactic commonly used by candidates during this election year). When Jesus asks to see a coin, the Pharisees hand him the Roman coin used to pay the tax. Aha! They themselves carry the Roman coins in their purses. This coin bore the image of Caesar and, as such, was considered an idolatrous object not acceptable for contributions at the Temple (money changers at the table exchanged coins with such images for others that bore no such images). They realized that they themselves had made concessions and compromises to get by in the Roman-dominated society. Jesus had entrapped them rather than the other way around.

Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Gospel, Matthew 22:1-14  Christians understood that those initially invited to the feast were the Jews, God’s chosen people. Jesus is the Son of God in whose honor the feast was prepared. The messengers sent to invite them to the feast were the prophets whom God sent to call people to turn to God. Responses to the prophetic message ranged from ignoring them to actually killing some of them. Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, his followers engaged in missionary efforts to evangelize and invite people of every race and nation to know Christ and be baptized in the Christian faith. Christians were not to presume that they were “in” for all eternity by the mere fact of being becoming part of the Christian community any more than their Jewish predecessors were given eternal life merely for being Jewish. They still had to wear a “wedding garment”. In Colossians 3:12-14 Paul wrote that we should “put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…and over all these put on love”. Peter, likewise, says “clothe yourselves with humility in your dealing with one another (1 Peter 5:5). As soldiers against evil, Paul wrote that we should “put on the armor of God…with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace…hold faith as a shield…take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit(Eph. 6:13-17).” In Galatians 3:27 Paul writes, “All who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” and in Romans 13:14 he succinctly states, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ”. That is the wedding garment we must put on each day if we want to remain for the eternal banquet after receiving the invitation.