• Login
    View Item 
    •   CDR Home
    • Mission and Ministry
    • Daily Reflections Archive
    • View Item
    •   CDR Home
    • Mission and Ministry
    • Daily Reflections Archive
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Reflection for Friday, June 1, 2018: 8th Week of Ordinary Time.

    View/Open
    060118.html (7.280Kb)
    Author
    Carney, Jay
    Date
    2018-06-01
    Office/Affiliation
    Theology

    Reading 1
    1 Peter 4:7-13

    Psalm
    Psalms 96:10, 11-12, 13

    Gospel
    Mark 11:11-26

    Lectionary Number
    351. Year II, Ordinary Time.

    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Browse: Previous Reflection * Next Reflection

    Reflection:

    To see the original html page, click the file link on the left.

    What does it mean to follow Jesus? This question of discipleship first animated my desire to study theology, and it continues to animate my research and teaching. I would argue that it also animates today's readings.

    So what do we learn about Christian discipleship in today's Scriptures? For Peter, "the end of all things is at hand." These are dangerous words! Yet the expectation of Christ's Parousia does not lead to apocalyptic craziness here in the early 2nd century. If anything, it seems to focus the mind, heart, and soul on core traits of Christian discipleship: we are called to be sober-minded, hospitable, joyful, and above all intense in our self-giving love for one another. This is a good blueprint for any day of my life, whether Jesus returns tomorrow or two millennia from now.

    Mark's gospel was written for disciples, and Mark's Jesus so often embodies the gospel in action (and if necessary uses words). Yet today's "action hero Jesus" is not the laughing Jesus of so many church basements, or the triumphant Risen Christ of so many church sanctuaries. This is the hungry Jesus who can't be satiated. This is the angry Jesus who attacked the political economy of the Temple, likely sealing his ultimate fate on the Cross. This is the restless Jesus who reminds us of the "cost of discipleship," to echo Dietrich Bonhoeffer's famous words. We need this Jesus to push us out of our comfort zones, especially those of us who are not suffering for our faith like the disciples in 1 Peter or today's saint, Justin Martyr.   

    And yet it's easy to lose sight of the final takeaways in today's gospel. We are not called to be action heroes but to be faithful followers. We are not called to do it ourselves but to trust in God. And we are not called to cast out but to forgive. May God help us to use this June to take one step forward on our path of discipleship.    
    Link
    Go to the Daily Reflection web site

    Persistant link to this record
    http://hdl.handle.net/10504/118261
    Context
    View the Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer (Archived Version)

    Browse
    Previous Reflection * Next Reflection

    Collections
    • Daily Reflections Archive

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Theme by 
    @mire NV
     

     

    Browse

    All of the CDRCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Theme by 
    @mire NV