Sunday 17thOctober 2021 (’00): 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time :
1. IS 53:10-11 (But what’s the context of this scrap?)
- Read 52:13 – 53:12! Ironic&opaque Lament for-a-SlaveOfYahweh!
- Is this dark excerpt made too bright by casually importing ‘Jesus’ into it?
- What a struggle it is to explore one’s experience of Yahweh’s impossible intimacy!
- Is a Slave-of-Yahweh ever without-suffering? Or ever actually-vindicated?
- Currently, my best word on the Origin&Nature&Purpose of my-own-suffering?
- ‘TakingTheirFaultsOnHimself!’ Read that most influential LEV 16!
2. THE PSALM : 32:4-5, 18-20, 22 (what?)
- Read 32(33): 1-22 Mythical hymn, imaging ‘Yahweh’ as all-powerful-king! This relatively bland excerpt! But is something dangerous lurking in it?
- All of these banal ‘wishful-thinkings,’ will they prevent me from realising the extent to which ‘spiritualisation of Yahweh’ is impeding ‘practical justice?’
- So, what if ‘Yahweh’ will only rescue-from-death & keep-alive in-famine to the extent that His ‘Slaves’ bite-the-bullet & do-it-themselves!
- What are the implications-for-mission of this way of ‘realisingYahweh?’
3. AA10:34, 37-43
- Read 10: 1-48, like a hawk! Another influential archetype! & Why?
- In 35 words, how do I (whatever about Cornelius&Co!) understand the term ‘God?’
- If I were raised as a follower of Dionysus or TheDagda, how do I hear all this?
- What’s going on for & in me, when I recite The/Apostles/Creed in liturgy or prayer?
- What?‘BeliefInJesus’=’MySinsForgiven’=’InHisName/Power?’ How does this ‘equation’ push-against lackadaisical/hesitancies about ‘Rites 1&2&3?’
- Why does LK picture Peter going-about as if he was full-of-ginseng?
4. JN3: 16-18
- Read 3:1-21! Again like a hawk! What are these two men actually controverting?
- ‘BornAgainFromAbove!’ : but are all myCommunity’s ritual- of- initiation being planned&performed&followed-through most-excellently? Or what?
- Who in the local church of Armagh is urgently monitoring ‘TheBaptisms?’
- ‘Cos after all, what is more ‘mission territory’ than this local church?
- World!: Pope John 23’s real anxiety, that ‘aggiornamento’ wouldn’t occur! Bla!-bla!
- What are 5EssentialWays of ‘LovingTheWorld?’
- But is ‘TheWorld’ still being condemned in favour of ‘Heaven?’
5. The presence&action of the BlessedOne, is it like this?
He told us above this mornin’, it’s mission Sunday…’
‘What?’ …an’ t’ pray f’r th’ conversion a’ China!’
‘Our teacher has us collectin’ f’r th’ black babies!’ ‘Yeah, he told us they’re OK now, they have th’ faith! It’s China we should be…’ ‘Remember th’ oul’ Canon! Aw he was before ‘is time! “Food in bellies, that’s God’s love f’r th’ world! Otherwise th’ craythurs is still in Egypt, no matter if ya baptised them ev’ry hour!” ‘Tha’ was one spunky man married ‘is socialism an’ ‘is religion!’ ‘God, isn’t it him they should be canonisin’, an’ not them…’ ‘A’ll say it f’r ya, them plaster statchas!’ ‘How’d he manage it I often as’ meself! A Christian socialist missionary, an’ him a canon too!’ ‘Ha, can y’ imagine it these days!’
‘Aw houl’ y’r whisht, man! They don’t make them like that any more!’ ‘An’ more’s the pity! But they’re y’are…!’
6. Riddle Mission? Struggle-with-AllSuffering?
Actualise-Yahweh-wherever-I-am? Embrace-the invitation-to-love-TheWorld?
Refections and comments can be emailed to adbi@chokmah.ie