Come out of hiding and walk with Jesus By Beth DeCristofaro

Come out of hiding and walk with Jesus By Beth DeCristofaro

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

 

But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” … (they ate) Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked … When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:3-4, 7-8)

 

And people brought to (Jesus) a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. … And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.  (Mark 7:32, 35)

 

Piety

O God, I need your help to see and praise your ongoing creation of the world and the building of your kingdom.  May I be aware and reject hypocrisy, judgement of others, and wrong-headedness, Jesus.  Holy Spirit, fill me so that I seek you, grateful that hiding from you is impossible. Lead me in your ways of love. 

 

Study

Being a Tolkien junkie, years ago, I was reading a fantasy novel about elves, humans and, of course, conflicts and empires.  One of the elven characters made a statement that stuck with me.  The elf said that Man (humans) know evil and know good that this is their gift and their curse.  He said this to contrast between mortal humans and elves he claimed did not have consciences, compassion, or empathy.

 

In this mythic Eden story, Adam and Eve suddenly discover good and evil by being misled by evil.  The tree, made by God thus good in itself, is not for them. They disobeyed, however, to gain something they did not understand.  And they turned the evil quickly onto themselves, hiding their bodies because they had no way to hide the shame of facing God and the guilt of their disobedience, their awareness of choosing evil.  God punished but did not abandon his son and daughter.

 

Jesus restored the relationship between God and humans by healing and driving out demons.  He healed but he also pointed out and strengthened faith in those who sought him.  He stepped patiently into the middle of suffering and weakness of all kinds. He brought people back into wholeness with their own bodies, families, communities, and most importantly, their God. Jesus gives clarity to ambiguities in the human condition.  “Be healed” “Your faith has saved you.”  Choose the good things which God gives.

 

Action

What ambiguities do I encounter daily, the struggles to not choose enticing “trees”?  I ask Jesus to make things clear, to heal my ears, eyes and tongue so that all day I might hear God’s voice, see God’s presence and speak only what will praise God.

 

Illustration:  Christ heals the deaf man, 14th century mosaic, Kariye Camii, Istanbul (Church of the Holy Saviour, Chora)      https://orthochristian.com/92439.html