Search
-
June 7, 2024Reflection for 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time: June 9, 2024
Genesis 3:9-15: We enter this passage just after Adam and Eve’s first sin and the loss of their original innocence. This could be a time of complete loss of hope, but even God’s initial response gives us hope. How does God respond? Does God move away from and reject man? No! God approaches and calls Adam and Eve. Their guilty response is to now hide; as their loss of innocence has made them afraid of God. Nevertheless, God’s response is that of a loving parent. God presents reasoned consequences for not only the serpent, but later, for Adam and Eve, as well. We can leave this passage with faith and trust, despite fear of the consequences of sin. Rest assured, our God has a plan for man’s redemption!
Psalm 130: “With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.” How comforting that after the account of the fall of man from grace; that we should sing this song of trust in God’s mercy! Right away, in the first verse, the psalmist calls to God, from “out of the depths….” In a time of spiritual darkness, the psalmist models for us, confidence in God’s attentiveness and responsiveness.
In the third verse, we’re reassured of the psalmist’s unwavering faith and trust in the Lord; even after long periods of suffering and affliction. We’re exhorted to “wait for the dawn…” and affliction (deliverance from present afflictions); and to trust in the Lord! As we conclude this song (and our lives), we celebrate anew God’s benevolent kindness, forgiveness and “plenteous redemption.”
2 Cor. 4:13-5:1: Contemplating this passage, reflect anew how the readings of particular Masses harmonize with one another to emphasize a spiritual “focus” or “lesson” in Scripture. After our initial focus on the fall of man after the first sin, we’re spiritually bolstered by St. Paul’s invitation for us to be confident in our future participation in Jesus’ Resurrection; after our united participation with the Lord, in the sufferings to be borne as we live out our faith. There will be persecutions and deprivations to be endured; but we are promised that afterward, we shall also participate in our Lord’s inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom!
Paul adds reassurance that while our “outer selves,” (our bodies) are “wasting away,” our “inner selves,” (our souls) are “being renewed day by day;” (in preparation to be reunited with our glorified bodies in the afterlife). Reflect that God has a plan!
Mark 3:20-35: We’re being “spiritually plunged” into the awareness that we’re still amidst the temporal battle between good and evil, that began with Adam and Eve. The battle has raged all through history, endures to this day and will culminate at the end of time. In today’s Gospel, we witness how relentless Satanic forces were in fighting our dear Lord. Even Jesus’ extended family or “relatives” were confused and deluded into thinking “He is out of His mind;” such that “they set out to seize Him.”
Thankfully, Jesus’ own wise words conclude the passage. We learn that God’s plan is that those who do God’s will shall become His family; along with our Blessed Mother! Do let’s join!
Deacon Matt
