Scripture Sundays- Third Sunday of Lent

Today's scripture readings ,  which place a particular emphasis the true identity of Jesus as the Messiah and fulfillment of the Law, are filled with mystical connections that demonstrate the Church's role in the world. In them, the continuity between the people of the Old Covenant and the people of the New is highlighted and proclaimed.

In the first reading, Ex 20:1-17, the law is given to the people of God  through Moses. It essentially ennumerates what is known as the ten commandments, a series of laws which form the basis for the 613 commandments which make up the Jewish religion. The commandments include warnings against idolatry, using the Lord's name in vain, keeping holy the Sabbath Day, honoring our parents, and rejecting murder, adultery, theft, lying, and coveting. Catholics often use these commandments as a short-form examination of conscience before going to confession, asking themselves if they have committed any of these sins.
The rest of the 613 commmandments of the Jewish religion can fit into the categories represented by these ten. They are, in fact, representative of the whole of the law, thus breaking them is considered a mortal sin.

The responsorial psalm, taken from Psalm 19:8-11, begins with John 6:68. "Lord, you have the words of everlasting life."
This is to remind us that we, as the people of God, are called to obey the Word of God, these very commandments, without which we will not attain heaven. The psalm tells us that the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. Indeed, keeping those commandments perfectly would ensure righteousness. But as the story of the Israelites goes.... who could keep the Law perfectly?

That's where the second reading comes in. 1 Cor 1:22-25 says that Jews demand signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we (Christians) proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to many, but to those who are called, the wisdom of God.

The death of the Christ (which is Greek for Messiah or annointed one) is in fact a stumbling block. So much so that the muslims have removed his death on the cross from their scriptures, claiming instead that he never really died! Throughout his entire ministry, passion, and resurrection, Jesus indeed fulfilled the Law and prophecies revolving around the coming of the messiah, but each time he did so it was in a completely unexpected way, confounding both Jews and Greeks but calling all of them -- and us-- to believe and follow.

Which brings us to the Gospel for today: John 2:13-25, a passage usually referred to as the Destruction of the Temple. It is tempting to read and take this passage at face value: the money changers rightfully angered Jesus, who reminds them of the righteousness of God and the role of the temple as a house of prayer, furiously driving them out.
The scripture tells us, though, that the Jews, looking for a sign (as in the second reading), demand to know what sign he can give them for doing these things. He tells them: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." His response is not only perplexing but almost insulting to them... after all, the temple is the place where God is worshipped. But he does not elaborate or clarify verbally that He means the temple of His body. So what is happening here?
In fact, He is mystically destroying the temple before His passion--  and tells us that He will be resurrected, both literally and figuratively erasing the NEED for the temple, which served the people of the old covenant but would no longer be needed in the new. The law, the prophets, the sacrifices... all are in Him, now, Jesus, the Messiah. He is the Law. He is the prophets. He is the Temple.
As he symbolically destroys the physical temple, he is raising up HIMSELF before those who would hear and understand. The person of Christ is our "house of worship."

What a powerful message for those of us who daily see in our frustration our own money changers and market people destroying the house of God. This passage often comes to mind for those of us who see corruption, greed, and carnal events within our parishes and become very angry.
But we need not concern ourselves with driving them out with whips and harsh rebukes--- Jesus has already done so and they are not in our Temple. Our Temple is Jesus, the person of Jesus, Messiah.
Because He has done so, they are not worshipping with us... only fooling themselves. Those who worship "in God's house" are those who come in adoration of the Messiah.

Jesus went up to the temple as the privileged place of encounter with God. For him, the Temple was the dwelling of His Father, a house of prayer, and he was angered that its outer court had become a place of commerce. He drove merchants out of it because of jealous love for His Father: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." His disciples remembered that it was written: "Zeal for your house shall consume me." After His Resurrection, His disciples retained their reverence for the Temple."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 584)

Scripture Sundays- Second Sunday of Lent

Mural at the Church of the Transfiguration, Mt Tabor

Today's Gospel, both in the extraordinary and ordinary form, revolves around the Transfiguration-- the moment when Jesus, The living Word of God, is revealed in all His glory on the mountain, accompanied by two of God's greatest men of faith, Elijah and Moses.

His disciples, who witness the transfiguration, ask to build tabernacles ("tents") for each of them and to remain on the mountain, but God's booming voice speaks to them, directing them to focus on Jesus:

 "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him." 

And instead of staying,  Jesus leads them down again, into the valley and onto the Passion.

It is a moment of comfort for them, as they have just learned about the necessary passion of Our Lord and are concerned about the future. But it is also a moment of confusion-- what does the Resurrection mean?

This passage from Divine Intimacy about the Transfiguration perfectly describes the relevance of the scene.

Father Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen, OCD, writes:

"Glory is the fruit of grace: the grace possessed by Jesus in an infinite degree is reflected in an infinite glory transfiguring Him entirely. Something similar happens to us: grace will transform us "from glory to glory.""(2 Cor 3, 18) until one day it will bring us to the Beatific Vision of God in heaven. But while grace transfigures, sin, on the other hand, darkens and disfigures whoever becomes its victim. Today's Gospel brings out the close connection between the Transfiguration and the Passion of Jesus."

There is no glory without suffering. The scene makes this very clear. But the key to this passage involves the clue we are given at the very end. Peter who-- in ecstasy before this glorious vision-- begins by saying: "Lord, it is good for us to be here," asks to build three tents for them to stay. God does not allow him to stay. Instead, he removes Elijah and Moses and stands Jesus alone in front of Peter, saying: "Listen to Him."

It is only in Listening to Jesus, communing with Jesus, spending time with Jesus, and literally following Jesus that we will be given that vision again. In other words, a spiritual consolation is not for us to cling to, request, or desire. Although it is nothing short of glorious and we should enjoy it, it is built for our encouragement, not our enjoyment. It is built for our strengthening.

As mothers and wives we experience moments of glory--- successes and beautiful, "perfect" days. But if you're anything like me, those days are few and far between. The average experience of the wife and mother includes the days you forget to wash your husband's work uniform, the day your two year old learns the word "no," the day you accidentally wash the rocks and pens in your sons' pockets and break the washing machine, the day your in-laws make comments about their concerns about homeschooling, and the day your husband has a rough day at work and comes home in a bad mood. 

This is the stuff of ordinary life, and this is the suffering by which we are sanctified. It is good and well to ask for those "perfect" days.... but we do not get there alone. Even more, importantly, many of us can work our way to the top of the mountain and realize that there is nothing there but a view! If we do not go up the mountain when Jesus leads and come down from the mountain when Jesus leads, we have missed the point. Our character is not formed in our own transfiguration moments, but in them our hope is born and cultivated. Our character is formed when we turn from sin and embrace the Cross, patiently offering up our suffering and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus who will teach us what He wants in it.

Carmelite Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St Edith Stein) said: "Hail to the Cross, Our only Hope."

In this season of lent, embrace each difficult moment of life and pray:

"Dear Jesus, am I listening to You as You taught me in the transfiguration? Teach me to embrace the cross and my own journey through the valley so that when You give me a vision of Your Glory I not only receive encouragement from it, but I recognize in it that it comes only from following You on the difficult path of Your Passion!"

Without death there is no life-- without the cross, no resurrection. When tough times come, may we all respond in faith: "Lord, it is good for us to be here," exactly as Peter said on the mountain.


TODAY'S READINGS:

Reading 1 Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing-
all this because you obeyed my command."


Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Reading 2 Rom 8:31b-34
Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died-or, rather, was raised-
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.


Gospel Mk 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.

Scripture Sundays-- The Barbie Bible (on note taking and Bible psychosis)

alekdrake said...
Your highlighting looks...extensive. You should write a post about that. Pretty pleez? I'm at a total loss when it comes to actually working in my bible like that.

I love answering questions like that because my inner Bible G33k gets stirred up. She isn't the first to ask me that, due to my Bible OCD (read: purchasing endless "almost perfect"Bibles and filling them up with "perfect" notes until I have the "PERFECT" Bible to carry around) I have been asked that question any number of times.
So for those of you are interested in achieving nerdiness of biblical proportions, here is a post that explains my notetaking method, which is insanely (really, INSANELY) extensive and complex.

To start with, you need a little background information. I am partial to the Revised Standard Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible. The reasons are too numerous to list here, but suffice to say that it is the one I find the most clear, concise, and accurate. As far as study bibles go, the best notes I have ever seen are the notes in the Spirit Filled Life Bible by Jack Hayford. As a protestant, it was my go-to Bible for more than 13 years, and I still think it is hands down the most Spirit-Led, fruitful, and interesting place to go for scholarly (but sensible and faithful-- yes, even though it isn't Catholic. The Holy Spirit is awesome like that!) notes. As a Catholic, there are like, four places where I take issue with the doctrinal position of the note-writers. Everything else is just.... perfect. And I wish with all my heart that I had a Bible that spoke to me (encouraged me?) the same way that my Spirit Filled Life Bible has all these years that contained ALL of the Bible (ie the Deuterocanonical books) with the same kinds of notes for those of us who are firmly planted in Catholic Orthodoxy but have experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and desire to grow in that special grace. I may have to put one together one day because, as a daily bible reader,  it truly is driving me nuts... so nuts, in fact, that this is what I'm forced to do in order to make my Catholic Bible even remotely similar to the awesomeness level of the SFL Bible-- but more awesome, because-- you know... We're Catholic.


The purpose of my notes and additions. 
Why don't I leave my bible alone? Well, first of all, because I want to make sure I understand it. I spend a significant portion of each day immersed in Scripture, I teach it to my kids, and I talk about it with my husband and family and friends. It's a huge chunk of my life, and since I order my life around it, I would say it IS my life. So if I am making notes and additions, it's only so as to help myself learn and remember those things which I have learned/heard/felt while immersed in scripture so as to be able to apply it and pass it on.

What are the additions?
In my bible you will find: (1) an apologetics cheat sheet. --- this is a feature inside the CSS Bible so I won't be needing that anymore, yay! The sheet contains a list of the most commonly raised objections to Catholic doctrine and their scriptural support locations with corresponding passages from the catechism. (2) a counseling cheat sheet-- this is also a feature inside the CSS Bible that I won't be needing to carry anymore, yay! :D This is a series of sheets that have an alphabetical listing of subjects and their corresponding locations in scripture that are common when in need of counsel or when counseling others... things like family, marriage, abortion, birth control, anger, suffering, death, financial problems, loneliness, etc. (3) a praise and worship starter sheet, which is a listing of biblical, liturgical, and other expressions of praise and worship for when I lead a prayer meeting or a praise and worship event. (4) a listing of common prayers (Scriptural and not) I use daily-- prayers for the pope, for priests and pastors, for vocations, for families, for exorcism/deliverance, for health and healing, for nations and governments, etc. (5) a series of faith-building pictures to meditate on. There are just a few of these, mostly related to the events at Fatima, the life of Christ, St Josemaria, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and a couple other saints I connect with. (6) An examination of conscience and a brief "how to" for the confessional. (7) my "war room" cheat sheet, which is a series of suggestions and reminders for when the Spiritual Battle gets heavy. (8) My coding guide (more on that later) and (9) a character qualities chart which gives you a different virtue to meditate on each day and (10) a brief guide to praying the Liturgy of the Hours from the Bible (extraordinary form) with two prayers I say before I recite the office: St Patrick's Lorica in the morning and the Evening prayer for the family. Sounds like a lot, but I just find slots for all of it, glue or tape them down, and carry a couple of extra sheets in plastic folded up in there and it does the trick without adding too much bulk..

How do I take notes?
I take notes in the margins, either making lists of things I have noticed/seen, or marking additional information relevant to the passage I have learned or heard in a homily/sermon. I also mark dates if a particular passage speaks something particular to me for a huge life lesson etc. with a keyword to remind me of what it is. I make notes of things I have looked up in a Bible commentary or dictionary about a particular verse. Most commonly, I make a note of any Strong's numbers that seem important so I can have the greek or Hebrew right there with a clearer picture of the meaning of the text. I mark any passages that speak to a particularly relevant-for-me text from the Catechism with it's corresponding number in the CCC. I mark notes about how the Church Fathers might have interpreted a specific verse or chapter. And I mark notes that directly relate either to the Ascent of Mount Carmel and St John of the Cross' spirituality, or St Josemaria Escriva's spirituality. I write very small and in sharp sharp sharp ballpoint pens. Below, you will find a sample section of my notes.

What do I do with my notes?
I compile them into notes for Bible studies I teach or am writing, or I pull a few of them to work with and unpack in my prayer journal, where I write out my daily devotions. (I journal in a notebook about what God is saying to me through scripture each morning.) Mostly, I just use them in a Bible Study setting, when someone makes a comment or brings up a particular passage, I have all this additional information about it right at my fingertips and it's really helpful.

How do I mark the text?
I mark the text with symbols which represent keywords or themes in what I'm reading. I have a specific marking for geographical locations, personal names, people groups, dates and lifespans, and keywords. I use them consistently, so that I can make connections between passages and also more easily pull out the text's meaning. I have been doing it this way since I gave my life to Christ and began reading my Bible, even though I recently discovered this method has a name: it is called the Inductive Bible Study Method. Catholics should know that the inductive Bible Study Method is great.... but only great if you compare your discoveries and findings against the TEACHING AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH, without which your "discoveries" may very well lead you into making up your own doctrines and whatnot. My coding is separated into Key THEMES and Key WORDS. Below, you will find my personal coding sheet and also a series of downloadable PDFs of someone from Precept Ministries Canada's personal bible keyword markings, should they be of help to you.

Precept Ministries Canada's Sample Bible Keyword Markings:

SIXTH: What am I highlighting? How do I highlight?
OK, onto the highlighting. :D I like to pray scripture. But before I became very familiar with scripture, I had a hard time finding the right passages to pray. So I started marking in highlighting pen the passages relating to the different types of prayers  I was praying. Below, you will find the coding guide I use for my highlighter colors.

SCRIPTURES TO PRAY ABOUT FAMILY LIFE
SCRIPTURES TO PRAY ABOUT NATIONAL LIFE
SCRIPTURES TO PRAY ABOUT FAITH
SCRIPTURES TO PRAY ABOUT HEALING
SCRIPTURES TO PRAY ABOUT DELIVERANCE AND WARFARE
SCRIPTURES TO PRAY ABOUT PROVISION AND PROSPERITY
Then I just mark them as I come across them. When you read the Bible everyday, you find that you cover a lot of ground. And I can assure you, you never run out of things to notice/mark/be amazed at. The Bible is incredible. The end result?

What's left?
Buying a new bible, and starting over again, with a modified and perfected method. Seriously. For me, this never gets old. :) Hope this post was helpful to you. One more piece of very good advice: Try to remember what St John of the Cross said about the sacramentals we use (and I think this applies to The Bible.)

"St. John of the Cross points out that sacred objects (sacramentals such as statues, religious articles, spiritual rehcs, crucifixes, rosaries, holy water), and so forth, can play an important role in the spiritual life. However, some people in their prayer life become so attached to these sacred objects that they begin to lose the spiritual benefits they bring. He explains it thus. In the early stages of the spiritual life - he identifies the stages as beginners, advanced, and proficients - God does lead people to him through such sacred objects. However, as they advance in their prayer life from meditative prayer to meditative-contemplative, and finally into pure contemplative prayer, he emphasizes very strongly that they, upon seeing any of these sacred objects, should immediately raise their hearts (souls) to the hidden, incomprehensible God in Heaven Who resides within our own very souls. For He is closer to us than we are to ourselves, but still remains always a hidden God for Whom we should continually search for in our soul. A God Whom we must constantly search out through our prayer life, and through the carrying of our crosses in imitation of Jesus Christ our Saviour. He points out very clearly that when persons sincerely strive for spiritual development and a greater love for God, for holiness, they should avoid the habits of preferring this crucifix to that one because of the quality of wood or metal; or to accumulate rosaries of various types, preferring one to the other because of its colour, metal, size, form and so forth. They begin to accumulate all kinds of statues one after another. In contrast St.John of the Cross affirms that one of the most devout persons he knew had made for himself a rosary of fish bones. Another carried all of his life a simple crucifix made of a palm fastened with a pin.
In following these practices of a habitual attachment to sacred objects considered by them to be more valuable they cease to derive as much spiritual benefit from these sacred objects, than if they had fewer of them. He recommends that they should instead discipline themselves to prayerfully raise their hearts from these sacred objects to the hidden, incomprehensible God. For he cautions, that as such persons excessively attach themselves to sacred objects they are in actuality detaching themselves from a more true, pure love of the hidden God in their hearts and in heaven. He emphasizes, however, lest there be a misinterpretation of what he is advising, that sacred objects are always an aid to raising one's heart closer to God; providing that at a certain stage in one's prayer life, upon seeing these sacred objects, they immediately make a very determined effort to raise their hearts to the ineffable, incomprehensible God."

(From The Book: "SPIRITUAL DIRECTION & SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS")