| First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: | Hebrews 1:1-6 Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 Mark 1:14-20 |
Mark 14:18 And as they were at table eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me."
A couple of things are interesting about this verse. First, the passover meal that is to become our Eucharist, of Communion meal is held in a private residence, not the Temple. Second, the one who betrays Jesus is eating with him. I think that the Lords Supper is one of the most divisive elements of our faith. Yet, it is supposed to be the most unifying. We do two things. We try to make it too formal sometimes or we don't give it enough meaning. And we tend to allow anybody to participate or we exclude those who may be "betrayers".
I think the model here is what we should think about. Yes it was private. Not everybody was included. And, yes someone who was a known betrayer was allowed to participate. If you think about it, how could someone who was not one of them be a betrayer anyway. Only when we come close to Jesus can we even be a betrayer. If we are far from him we can not do much harm. In that case we probably shouldn't even be at the meal.
Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to better understand your will regarding the covenant meal that you have provide for us to become united with you through your sacrificial act.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment