Sunday 4thJuly 2021 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B (’00)
1.Ezek 2 2-5
- Read 1:1-3:27 InauguralVision&Mindset&InnerExperience&SelfImage of a 6th.centBC maleHebrew ‘Mouth-ofYahweh!’ Familiar? Or…
- Who now experiences ‘Yahweh’ in these terms? Whatever about our pretensions as we ‘quote from Ezekiel’ or ‘listen to the reading’ offered here without context!
- What is actually impressed in myCommunity by the slogan, ‘Yahweh says this!?’
- ’ Son-of-Man!’: This term, meaning ‘human being,’ came to carry a value-added significance, ‘Heaven’sDefinitiveRepresentative!’ (Who, me? Nah, Jesus…)
- Which ‘Human’ represents ‘Yahweh’ in my socio-religious world if not ‘ThePoorDispossessedExploitedGayDetrited!’ (Read Matthew25: 31-46)
2. THE PSALM 122:1-4
* Yahweh imagined as a monarch or judge who perhaps raises up the trampled!
* Why does ‘Yahweh’ (especially if he’s identified with ‘God!’) seem to be so impotent concerning the rampant misery&oppression in our world?
* ‘Servants&Slaves’ Mistresses&Lords!’: Has this aristocratic modelling of TheYahweh&DiscipleRelation also encouraged complacency&passivity in us?
3. 2COR 12 :7-10
* Read 11: 1-12:21 If this is the lot of a ‘real apostle,’ who’d want such ‘reality?’
* Could I be as ‘indiscreet’ as Paul about my ‘religious&spiritual intimacies?’
* What are my most egregious ‘weaknesses’ as adult&christian? Whom are these inflicted-on? Whom are they shared-with-for-grace?
* Do church ministers dissimulate their ‘weakness’ under cloaks of ‘authority’ & ‘reverence?’ Any prospect of ‘outing’ oneself as creatively as Paul does here?
* ‘Thorn!’ What 20ConcreteAspects of my experience actually ‘TestMyFaith?’
4. MK6: 1-6
* Read Matthew 13:54-58, Luke4: 16-30 What gets emphasised&nuanced&transformed?
* In 45 words, what impressed&offended the Nazarenes about Jesus?
* By what ‘criteria’ did they estimate the worth of His ‘Words&Works?’
* What 5 criteria enable me to judge the value of ‘Teachers-in-TheSynagogue?’
* How do I distinguish between ‘Miracle’ & ‘Healing’ & ‘Cure?’
* ‘Faith!’ A disciple’s will to See&Respond To Yahweh’sNeed in every situation?
* In myChurch, what ‘prophets’ are ‘despised?’ Why? & What can I do?
5. The presence&action of the BlessedOne, is it like this?
‘Y’know what, Gertie…’I was just about t’…’ ‘…in my day, they were always gettin’ up an’ speakin’ out about ever’thin!’ dancin’at lent, or th’ unions, or th’ motherin’ child…’ ‘Cissie, my fella’s an awful man! A smell o’ them an’ he’s off full-cock!
“James Connolly was th’ last o’ the profits! Them boys knows nothin’ about th’ rale m’coy! Goin’ round in their nighties!” ‘All I do is…’ ‘Gertie, aren’t y’ lucky the neighbours can’t hear ‘im, he’s such a squeaky! My fella’s worse, ‘cos when it comes on ‘im, he goes outside in th’ street!’ ‘Cissie, when I was small, this preacher from th’ North usedta stand on th’ corner, shoutin’ about our sins! But he never came inta th’ street, he never got th’ OK!’ ‘Gertie, aren’t we unfortunate nowadays! All-that’s dried-up both sides o’ th’ fence! At least we’ve got mouth o’ bones on th’ TV!’ ‘Cissie! At least we’ll get a bit of a laff before we croak for good!’ ‘Ha ha! Croak for good!’
6. Riddle: Which? LieLow, PretendInterest, or BecomeInvolved?
Refections and comments can be emailed to adbi@chokmah.ie