Day 37, Mark 10
HAPPY MEMORIAL OF SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL!!!
I am so fired up today because she is one of my favorite saints!
She is a GREAT AMERICAN SAINT -born and raised in the USA- and of our time!
Truly amazing — AND RIGHT HERE IN PHILADELPHIA!
I have spent so much time at the shrine — it truly is a rich and holy get away!
I encourage everyone to go online today and read about her! My favorite story about her is when she went to an audience with the Pope,
being the rich and wealthy person that she was –
- I mean the Drexel family was one of the richest families in America — and she asked the POPE to send more missionaries to America and that they were so needed -
- the POPE told her - to become a missionary herself!!!
And so she does — but I love the way she did it — she received each month an inheritance — an incredible amount of money — and she started the order and build the most beautiful convent =
= simple but elegant -with the finest quality wood and stone and glass — and then she used all her wealth to transform lives -
- focusing on the poor and oppressed peoples — at that time the Black and Indian of our country — She started schools and universities — specifically so that those in minority could get an education…
OH I could write about her forever — but if you go to the shrine you will see that for herself she spent nothing — her pencils are used down to the eraser and she got around on a makeshift wheel chair that she had them make out of a chair and desk –
She is the perfect Saint to be on this day of Mark 10!!!
Because today is all about how to Accept the Kingdom of God!!!
I see three eye- opening points in this chapter:
- How to Accept the Kingdom of God
- Mission Impossible
- Baptized to Die
1- How to Accept the Kingdom of God -
Ok so at first glance – it might look like each of the different parts have nothing to do with the other — oh but they do!
We start off with probably the most painful teaching of our time… Divorce –
Can you imagine that when this was read — oh I don’t know… 50 – 60 years ago that no one would have to walk away or close the book over this?
Today with divorce being so high a percentage of the marriages — it is no wonder that many people have left the church over it — or are confused by this teaching and leave because they think they are ex- communicated –
I think the only thing that I wanted to bring up that is different is that here in Mark’s writing we see a part at the end that really makes it clear — where Jesus says — “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery”
And so we see the relational issues here with breaking the ONE flesh that God joined together — now –
I think this is clear — but I want to talk about something I heard a priest preach on — spiritual adultery —
One of the reasons that Jesus is teaching about this here and then goes into Blessing of the Children is that He is about to talk about how to accept the kingdom of God — and it is going to be with a pure heart –
We have to look at adultery as anything that takes us away from a pure heart where Jesus can dwell — so this spiritual adultery — is when there is a place in your heart that the love of God could be dwelling but you fill it with something else …
be it food, drink, the computer, television, ANYTHING — that may be keeping you from spending time with Jesus! For all of us remember we are in a spousal relationship with the Master!
If you are on the computer for hours a day — and yet have no time to pray?
Or add up how much time you watch TV – if you don’t pray but are watching hours of TV — this is spiritual adultery —
Christ is calling for hearts totally focused on HIM — especially today in these times!
So YOU cannot receive Him fully if you are in love with something else more than Him!
An adulterous relationship is one that seeks to fill your need to make you happy and fulfilled — – it is a self serving – I WANT -”take mentality”and does not think as much about the other person/thing as much as meeting your own needs –
-and in any case it is not Christ who is fulfilling that need for you — most people don’t think that HE CAN!!! But HE CAN!
Just think about this today for yourself — and then move on to see that JESUS talks about the children … but it is this key verse that I want to focus on…
“Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” 15
WOW this is huge and I don’t remember the word ACCEPT in Matthew’s account!
So it is not because kids are so little and cute — but because of the way they accept — don’t kids accept what they are told when they are little –
- I mean they are so trusting you can tell them almost anything — but especially they know and believe truth — they know a fake — but they believe and give you their loyalty and trust — immediately!
So ACCEPT the KINGDOM — it must be accepted — just as a child would accept — whole heartedly and single heartedly — with total trust and abandonment!
2- Mission Impossible -
OK I love this story about the rich man and could spend days here — so I am glad to see it again — Now can you see Jesus is building on his teaching…
We see the rich man here because Jesus wants to show you exactly how to accept the kingdom — not like this man did -
- but like St. Katharine Drexel did — isn’t it awesome that today is her memorial!!!
But the point here is that to give everything up -
- is a “MISSION IMPOSSIBLE” for human beings -
- so if anyone thinks this would be hard… sure you are thinking in your flesh — the way the world thinks — as a human being -
- so if you see someone give everthing up — or lose everything and be happy about it and you are still saying to them — oh I feel so bad for you — or sad — how hard — it is because you are thinking as a human being!
We make it so hard sometimes for people to live the Gospel — you know we immediately fall back into our flesh when God gives us the chance to really live His word — we get scared -
- and when we see someone rejoicing in their sufferings we feel bad for them — and that only pulls them out of the spiritual place that they were in!!
Think about it!
This man was fired up to follow Christ until he heard what it would mean to go all out for JESUS — this frightened him and he realized that he couldn’t jump in –
for us — it might not mean money but all those things that we hold on to — our anger – unforgiveness — self pity — that keep us from accepting the kingdom of God –
when we make that choice to follow our flesh instead of the spirit we are on a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and there is no joy, no peace — we go through motions and wonder where God is!
It’s like being on a diet and not losing any weight! UGH!
Because for Man it is a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE — but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE — meaning with grace –
(I heard this “MISSION IMPOSSIBLE” from my Favorite Polish Priest Father TOM WILK – Pauline Father at the Shrine of Czestochowa — I wonder if they had that TV show in POLAND? I’ll have to ask him – of course I coined the phrase)
What is so needed is spiritual eye sight!!! And again you cannot see if you have blockages === spiritual cataracks perhaps?
3- Baptized to Die –
This leads beautifully into the third point… we need to see!
Now watch what happens after Jesus builds them up — you see Peter says… what we say often — or at least I know I say sometimes…
Hey JESUS WHAT ABOUT US? We’ve given everything for the sake of the Kingdom –
and JESUS says,
“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come“31
Wait a minute!
Did He just say that we are going to receive more houses, brothers, sisters and the rest — wow that sounds great — but hold everything…
did you catch the word PERSECUTIONS in the middle of all those things and ETERNAL LIFE –
This leads right into JESUS predicting the Passion for the THIRD TIME — and HE is really specific here –
I mean don’t you read this and wonder what they were thinking — this is detailed — Son of Man will be HANDED OVER — CONDEMNED TO DEATH – MOCKED AT — SPIT UPON –SCOURGED – DIE – and in THREE DAYS RISE!
It’s all in there — don’t ever wonder if JESUS didn’t know what was about to take place — and knowing full well HE DIES FOR YOU AND ME and these guys who still don’t get it –
- the RICH man who still rather hold on to his possessions -
- I MEAN we have to wake up here — this was all so we could live on in Him and with HIM – no pain no gain — so cross no glory — no suffering no eternal life!
This should make us let go of something today — or deny ourselves in some way!!!
Well at least to pray like never before — get on our knees and thank HIM!
I think this fired up JAMES AND JOHN — as you can see that this time PETER is silent — after the 1st prediciton of the PASSION and being rebuked — I think PETER said …”pass “– you guys can take a turn –
Well I think James and John might have skipped over that word “persecution” in their zeal…they got a little fired up –or ambitious and they asked JESUS if they could have the left and right side up in heaven –
Now if you remember in the Transfiguration Moses was on the right and Elijah on the left — right side has more power or more importance in the kingdoms — this was known –
That is why Jesus is on the right side of the Father —(interesting that there is no Mama asking for them when Mark tells it — remember too that Peter is dictating)
What does Jesus do? — He talks about baptisim!
“Can you drink the cup which I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
and then we see again the words — “WE CAN”
They must have been listening in the last chapter where Jesus says to the man about his son being healed — You can… with faith all things are possible!
Then he tells them that they will drink the cup and they will be baptized –
the seating arrangement for glory is being handled by God the Father — but the key here is that we see this time JESUS talking about the cross as baptism!
SO can you SEE?
With earthly eyes we see baptism– a joyous event – a sprinking of water — a nice candle – a white robe – some sweet smelling chrism/oil – and some prayers about new life — and a nice party!
SPIRITUALLY we should see — DEATH!!! THE CROSS!!!
When you were baptized you died to your old self and were made a new creation in Christ’s body — the problem is that too many people are walking around in the new body but living like they are still in the old body!
People are remembering — making present — their old self — sin wounds the new body and grace is limited — we are walking around SICK in the SPIRIT…
So we go to Confession to restore the new body to it’s shining white self! So CHRIST SHINES and then we ask God for spiritual vision…
Say to JESUS ‘MASTER I WANT TO SEE”
OH COOL just like the blind man Bartimaeus at the end of this chapter!!! He was told to take courage…
and so do we need courage — not to be afraid of what we see — but to ask everyday Lord that I may see!
This healing of the blind was prophesied in Isahiah =
that the MESSIAH would come and the blind will be able to see –
Now this never happened in the Old Testament — so why did they not recognize it — all those Pharisees and Scribes who knew the Torah better than the people — and yet the people had more faith than they did!
Go figure!
There are 35 miracles in the Gospels — the prophesy is in Isaiah 35!
please read the whole thing about the coming Messaiah — but here is verse 5, and6
“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the eares of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stage, then teh tongue of the dumb will sing.:
YOU GUYS !!! JESUS IS THE MESSIAH!!!!
Tell someone today and everyday– and believe today like never before!!!
Share you thoughts and insights — it just might touch someone’s heart today!
May we see and believe LORD JESUS!
