Sunday Scriptures

In early August, I flew to San Diego to attend my nephew’s graduation from the U.S. Marine Corps. It was really special seeing him after 12 weeks of basic training, especially since I was not able to be present when he left home in April. His commencement reminded me of all those who honorably serve our nation to help maintain peace and order for the sake of the common good.

For some families, a yearly tradition is to festoon their tree with ornaments at Christmas. There is something quite delightful about a tree adorned with ornaments. Over my life, I have seen a lot of Christmas trees beautifully decorated. Some have twinkling lights and unique ornaments, and others, well, they could use a little work. What’s essential, of course, is the tree. A good tree is full (no big holes!), not too big or small, good color, etc. The ornaments are the extras — not necessarily essential, but they help make the tree come alive.

In our first reading this weekend of Aug. 14-15, we experience the fantastic imagery found in Revelation 12, where a woman gives birth to her son, while the dragon stands by, waiting to devour the child. The son, however, is “caught up to God and his throne,” and “the woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God” (Rv 12:5b-6a).

St. Augustine, commenting on the Gospel of John’s “Bread of Life” passage in the fourth century, questioned the wisdom of living only for this present life when he wrote, “You seek me for the flesh, not for the spirit. How many seek Jesus for no other purpose than that he may do them good in this present life! ... Scarcely ever is Jesus sought for Jesus’ sake.” From the time of Moses in the desert, to Jesus in Capernaum, to our own day in a time of pandemic, do we live with our sights set on this world, or upon the Lord who has given us himself as the true Bread that has come down from heaven?

“He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. ... When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

In our Catholic faith, we are frequently drawn to thinking about life and death. Our entire faith is centered around the death and resurrection of Jesus. Even in our church buildings, a visual centerpiece is the crucifix. We know all of this through faith.

“This is how it is with the kingdom of God ….” So begins the two parables from the Gospel of Mark on this Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. These parables are addressed to the whole Church and all its members to give us all courage and assurance when our efforts at building up the kingdom of God on this planet seem to produce such meager results.

Too often Christian believers are prone to regard the mystery of the Trinity as a piece of theological trivia, with little practical relevance for their lives. “The God I believe in is three-persons-in-one-essence, or so I am told,” we might hear ourselves saying. “It’s weird, but it’s the way it is, and we may as well just accept it and move on.”