Return to Their Master

February 11, 2012

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

"The kingdom will return to David's house. If now this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, the hearts of this people will return to their master…" 1 Kings 12:26-27

His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?" Still he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" Mark 8:4-5

Piety

Father, take from me everything that leads me to stay in my comfort zone. Give to me Jesus all that leads me to your path. Holy Spirit, set me free to grow stronger in faith through my commitment to piety, study and action in my Fourth Day journey. Amen.

Study

Jeroboam was the ruler of the northern part of the divided tribes of Israel after Solomon. To perpetuate the division (and assure his rule would last), he encouraged the Israelites to worship the false gods (the calves) that he constructed. This was done so the people would not have to travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the Tempe but could do so right where they were. He was afraid that if the people went to the Temple in Jerusalem, that their "hearts would return to their master" instead of keeping him in power.

Tension and division reigned in this situation. First, he divided the people's interest from what the Lord wanted. He played to their comfort zone by making it seem easier for them to just offer sacrifices where they were. No need to travel from his land down to the city. Stay right here. The story sets up a constant war between the northern tribes and the southern tribes. The actual war over the boundaries of the lands also symbolizes the moral war over the boundaries of their loyalties and faith.

As we turn to the Good News, we see more tension on an inner and interpersonal level not on a political or church hierarchy level. First, the people are giving up their comfort zone where they have their basic needs met in order to follow Jesus and listen to his message. Jesus in turn takes his disciples out of their comfort zone and asks them to take care of the need to feed these people.

This morality play parallels the feeding of the body with the feeding of the soul. The resolution of this tension lies not in the formal church (those who sell sacrifice), not in the government(those who sell obligation and enslavement), and not in the economic forces (those who sell food). The resolution lies within each person to believe that the food for their body and soul will be provided by Jesus. Those who believed were fed and strengthened.

Action

Growth requires tension. When you want to make your muscles stronger, you go to the gym and lift weights that are heavy enough to stress your muscles. They tissue breaks down and grows back stronger. Then when you return, you can lift even heavier weights.

Growing in our faith journey may also be about weight lifting on some of these spiritual questions, and as Ignatius called them, spiritual exercises. If we stay in our comfort zone where we don't have to work too hard, then we will not grow stronger in our spiritual journey. Lent is just over a week away and will call on us to grow by breaking us out of our regular lives to make special steps to grown through almsgiving and sacrifice.

Mark's Gospel is all about tension on the spiritual journey. Life is as well…some of it meaningless (like that between the Super Bowl contenders or the teams eyeing a slot in March Madness).

The real meaningful tensions are those that give us the chance to choose growth and change within our families, our workplaces and our communities.

What tension is there in your life? What steps can you take today to grow from that experience? How many loaves do you have? How many are you willing to share?