Sunday reflections

A flock of geese flying in formation is a beautiful sight. Scientists who have researched why they fly in a V-formation have discovered some fascinating details.

This week’s reading from the Book of Wisdom illustrates the kind of thinking that was common in the ancient world: If God is with someone then, assured of God’s protection, they will prosper. If, on the other hand, they are suffering and not prospering, then it must be that God is not on their side.

With the reading from the Gospel of Mark (Chapter 8), we come to a turning point in Jesus’ public ministry, before the journey back to Jerusalem where he will be crucified.

It’s difficult not to make distinctions. Invariably, we favour some people over others. For example: we choose our friends, we choose a person to be our husband or wife, we choose ‘sides’ in disputes, we choose to avoid some people, and we choose to forgive some people and condemn others.

Having observed that Jesus’ disciples were not complying with the religious purification laws of the time which required one to wash one’s hands thoroughly before eating, the Pharisees challenged Jesus once again.

It must have been tough being a disciple of Jesus, an eloquent public speaker, who could sway large crowds with his rhetoric. He healed the sick, cast out demons, stilled a storm at sea, walked on water and raised the dead. Jesus appeared to bear all the hallmarks of the expected Messiah.

In the book of Exodus, God appeared to Moses asking him to free the Israelites who were enslaved by the Egyptians. Unsure of his ability to achieve this outcome, Moses asks God what he is to say to the Israelites.

Get yourself a life coach says an online ad and you can ‘turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.’ At some point in our lives, it may serve a purpose but contrast it with a local parish which decided to have a weekly meal for anyone who wished to come along.

Complaining about life’s woes is a fairly common human experience. We find it in today’s Exodus account of the Israelites wandering in the desert. Although they had been freed from slavery, they now find themselves in search of food and bitterly complaining of their situation to Moses and Aaron. Yet, we also know how the story ends: the Lord sends them heavenly bread, but only after they have been tested to learn the lesson that God does not abandon the chosen people.

St Jerome said: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” On the back cover of my Bible, this famous line is printed beneath an image of the fourth-century hermit-saint in his study. Scriptures in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin are open on desks behind him. He seems to be taking a break from his translation project to pull the thorn out of the lion’s paw.