You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  

 

 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

- Matthew 16:1-12 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that after healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman, Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

  Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  My study Bible explains that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  It tells us that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these men are hypocrites who have not recognized the signs already being performed by Jesus because their hearts were hardened.  Thus they ignore the works happening all around them.  

 

 "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Adulterous generation is an echo of the prophets, who used this term to indicate the faithlessness of the people in response to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, my study Bible tells us, for a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  See also Matthew 4:5-7.  The sign of the prophet Jonah is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matthew 12:40), which will be the ultimate sign that He is the Christ.  

 

  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study Bible explains that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  It notes that the reason the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith; they would not fully realize Christ's teachings until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.  Jesus here refers to the two separate feedings in the wilderness; found at this reading, and in yesterday's reading (see above).

 

Today's reading shows the disciples in a rather iconic place of incomprehension.  They don't understand what Jesus is talking about when He tells them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  We, the readers, are supposed to understand this, which is quite interesting, because St. Matthew has just reported Christ's interaction with the Pharisees and Sadducees, in which He called them hypocrites.  But the apostles can't understand what He is talking about, and they come to the conclusion (after they reasoned among themselves) that "it is because we have taken no bread."  This answer seems to strike Christ in a way that we haven't quite seen Him react before.  He reminds them of the feedings of thousands of people in the wilderness, which happened not just once but twice, going over the explicit details of each multiplication of bread from a few loaves to thousands.  And He asks, "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Finally, they begin to understand.  Throughout the Bible, leaven functions as an image of adulteration, and almost always in a negative way.  St. Paul writes, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9), speaking about a bad influence within the community, a doctrine that is not true.  Interestingly, in one of His parables of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus uses the image of leaven in a positive way, speaking of the influence of the kingdom which is transformational in its action (Matthew 13:33).  But, in this case, He is clearly indicating, as my study Bible said, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, made manifest through their legalism.  Jesus also says to the disciples, ""O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?"  Importantly, my study Bible explains that this "little faith" is linked to their lack of understanding, and that a fuller grasp of Christ's teachings would only come after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps there is a lesson there for us, in that so often we seek by pure reasoning to understanding moral teachings, or to approach Christ's teachings as purely philosophical or intellectual, subject to reduction to ethics.  But this is not the case for us either, inasmuch as it was not the case for the disciples.  For unless we also cultivate, secure, and honor the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and our need to guard our spiritual lives and hearts, so regarding of how we reason, we won't really fully understand Christ either.  For faith is not simply an intellectual process, or assumption of values or beliefs.  Faith is an active participation in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection, in the spiritual life of the kingdom of heaven which Christ preaches.  All of the practices of the Church with her sacraments and traditions (and the Bible is included in the Tradition of the Church) are meant simply to guard our lives within the power of the Holy Spirit, for there is established the Church in the first place.  For without the Holy Spirit, there is no Church, and no people of God.  Let us bear in mind that the disciples -- recorded for all of history here in St. Matthew's Gospel -- show us that even those hand-picked by Christ can fail to understand and miss the mark.  Jesus says to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  Let us remember that it is the Holy Spirit which gives us discernment and understanding, and the grace of faith.  Let us take heed to keep ourselves on the path of the inner life of the heart Christ teaches us to keep and to know as the way in which we truly expand our faith. 

 

 

 

Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  

 

 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

- Matthew 15:29-39 

 

Yesterday we read that, after a dispute with the Pharisees who came from Jerusalem, Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.   My study Bible comments that Christ's healing of the multitudes here shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman of yesterday's reading (see above).  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ healed that woman "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."  

 

 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.  This is a second, separate feeding of a multitude that Christ has done in the wilderness, and it should not be confused with the first in this reading.  They should not be confused with one another as they are two distinct miracles, which Christ will refer to as such later (Matthew 16:8-10).  My study Bible asks us to look at the variance in the number of loaves, for it is significant.  In the first instance, there were five loaves, which symbolize the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah or Pentateuch), while here there are seven.  Seven is a number symbolic of completeness; here it indicates spiritual perfection.  So, in the first miraculous feeding in the wilderness, Christ reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law.  But here He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  It's also important to note that these crowds had been with Him for three days; this is the same number of days Jesus would rest in the tomb.  My study Bible adds that participation in Christ's perfection can only come through being united to His death (see Romans 6:3-5). 

 

We might well ask the question, why two feedings in the wilderness?  Why would it be important for Christ to make one miraculous feeding of five thousand by multiplication of loaves and fishes, and then another, feeding four thousand men (and more women and children)?  My study Bible gives us an explanation in the symbolism of the numbers.  The first was symbolic of Christ as fulfillment of the Law, and the long-awaited Messiah in this sense.  In so doing, He is also the Lord who gave the Law.  The second offers us the dawning of the new covenant, spiritual perfection in Christ.  The three days, as my study Bible said, preview the three days that Christ will spend in the tomb, and through which He will defeat death on all of our behalf.  We enter into and participate in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection through Holy Baptism, and this leads us into Christ's life for us, through faith and grace.  The number four thousand is highly symbolic of the whole world; four is already consonant with the four corners of the earth, the four directions, and the four corners of the Cross, which is for the whole world.  Multiply that by one thousand and it teaches us the infinite resourcefulness of Christ to reach every person, and for all the future (and indeed, even to those who had died before His coming into the world).  So the two miraculous multiplications of food not only preview for us the Eucharist, but they teach us of the progression of spiritual history, the fulfillment of the Old, and the offering of the New for all, for the whole world.  Significantly, the first crowd of five thousand was among a predominantly Jewish region; here He is in a region of mixed Gentiles and Jews.  Coming right after our reading in which the Canaanite woman received a healing for her daughter, this is also significant in that it indicates the gospel going to the world, including the Gentiles.  Let us remember who feeds us the bread from heaven, for He is the bread of heaven and fills us with good things for the life of the world.

 

 

 

 

I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel

 

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

- Matthew 15:21-28 

 

On Saturday we read that the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  My study Bible explains that today's story of ministry to a Gentile women from the region of Tyre and Sidon is an illustration of the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel.   The same story of this encounter is found in Mark 7:24-30, but there are two major differences.  In St. Matthew's version here, he records Christ's words which concern the lost sheep of the house of Israel, while St. Mark does not.  Also, St. Matthew records this woman using the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah, and St. Mark does not.  It says that Christ went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees (see Saturday's reading, above).  This is confirmed in St. Mark's version, where it's noted that Christ "wanted no one to know" He was there, and here where He says that He was only sent to the house of Israel.  

 

 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  My study Bible comments that this woman shows immeasurable love, in that she so identifies with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries "Have mercy on me," as she sees her daughter's well-being as her own and her daughter's sufferings as her own. 

 

But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."   But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."   Christ refuses to answer, my study Bible notes, not only because she is a Gentile and His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews, but also to reveal her profound faith and love.  Several patristic accounts see this disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter -- as if they're saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."   My study Bible says that Jesus' response indicates that this interpretation is correct, as Jesus once more refuses to heal the daughter. 

 

 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.  My study Bible comments that having evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, Jesus now reveals her humility.  She accepts her place after the Jews ("the lost sheep of the house of Israel"), who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  His hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples and for her own sake.  Moreover, her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as little dogs (puppies), but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

 

In a modern Western context, we might be offended and surprised at Christ's reluctance to help this woman.  But if that is true, it is because we are viewing it through a lens that is not appropriate to its place and time, nor even the aims of Christ.  Just as when we study a subject in school, advances in understanding come to those who are prepared to accept them, and who have a foundation through which to properly understand them.  So it is with Christ who has come "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" for a reason and purpose.  The "house of Israel" is the one which has been prepared spiritually for the coming of Christ.  Indeed, if we look at the whole of the Holy Bible, we understand the New Testament to be the fulfillment of the Old.  Without that preparation of spiritual history under the old covenant, Christ could not be properly understood nor received with understanding.  Although of course, the gifts of Christ we understand come to all cultures and all peoples, indeed, expanding whatever is true and good and beautiful to be found in that culture.  But that does not erase the preparation and bedrock of Jewish spiritual history, the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures, the patriarchs from Abraham who was justified by faith, and all that we know from this history.  In the case of this individual woman, we observe her growth in the story.  That is, because of the difficulties which Christ gives to her, she grows into an understanding of Christ and acceptance of His mission.  She shows her humility (the most essential qualification and foundation for Christian virtues), she shows her patience and persistence, she shows her great love.  Most of all, she shows how much she really desires and values what Christ has to offer.  If we look at all of the parables of the kingdom of heaven which Christ has told in Matthew 13, we see the great emphasis on the cherished and priceless quality of Christ's gifts to us.  In our reading from Friday, it was observed that when the disciples were running into troubles and fears as they struggled to cross the sea, Jesus did not give them immediate relief nor lessen the conditions of difficulty -- but rather He added to them just before He announced His presence (walking on the water, they imagined He was a ghost!).  According to St. John Chrysostom, in this way Christ prepares His disciples to meet challenges, and even through difficulties to bear them with courage rather than seeking immediate relief.  This is perhaps one of the most perplexing ways to understand Christ from a certain modern perspective, but if we look at His life, if we look at the lives of the disciples, apostles, and saints, we find quite the opposite:  that this, indeed, is preparation for greater things for human beings, for the growth that we are capable of reaching and expressing.  So it is with this woman, for Christ -- through His challenges given to her -- in fact draws her out, bringing her virtues to the fullness of the encounter and granting her cherished grace.  Let us bear with patience and courage our own challenges, and understand that God's love works not to make things simple or easy, but to give us growth and courage, to expand beyond our old limits and into the greater potential we have in God's sight.  For this is God's always surprising love at work in us, and so often we may not understand it until we know it and grow through it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  

 

He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  

 

"Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "

 

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

- Matthew 15:1-20 

 

 Yesterday we read that, after feeding the multitudes in the wilderness, immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

  Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  My study Bible explains that the tradition of the elders refers to the interpretations of the Law by Jewish teachers.  In today's reading, Jesus refutes their views that ritual purity depends on outward actions.  Instead, it is the state of the heart (see verse 8) that determines a person's purity.  

 

 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."   According to my study Bible, Christ shows here that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by the religious traditions of human beings.  It says that devotion to God includes both obedience to God's commandments, and service to others.  These two things cannot be separated.  In Jesus' example here, it can be clearly seen that the tradition cited by Jesus is, in fact and in outcome, contradictory to the commandment of God.  See also James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:7-21.  

 

 "Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, / And honor Me with their lips, / But their heart is far from Me. / And in vain they worship Me, / Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13.

 

 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.   For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  The Pharisees are scrupulous in their observance of their tradition.  For fear of consuming something unclean, they observe these practices.  But they are blind to the greater purposes of God as intended in the Law in the first place.  Thus, Jesus calls them blind leaders of the blind.  As hypocrites, their intentions are unfortunately not always pure; they care too much for their places, which Jesus will elaborate on in Matthew 23.  

 

Jesus' teaching, as my study Bible says, emphasizes the purity of the heart (Matthew 5:8).  What do we nurture in our hearts?  What do we turn away from?  These are the questions we ask ourselves in obedience to the teachings of Christ.  For Jesus points to the heart as the center of a person, where is stored our desires, compulsions, even thoughts.  He says, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  Elsewhere Jesus teaches, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).  Out of these teachings proceed the practice of "guarding the heart."  That is, to be aware of what is going on inside of our own hearts, and not entertaining the things which Christ says are not good for us.  All kinds of thoughts and desires will pass through the heart, but  our job is to be aware of what we entertain and nurture within the heart, and what we discard and turn away from -- and towards Him.  This is part of the purpose of fasting, to teach us this kind of discipline, that it is possible to turn away from thoughts and compulsions that do us no good, and are not a part of what it means to love God.  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5) is, according to Jesus, the first and greatest commandment of all (see Matthew 22:36-38).  The Pharisees, in their legalism, seem to have lost all sight of this guiding principle for all the rest of what we do to honor God and to live our lives is a good and fruitful and spiritual healthful way.  Let us note that these men, the Pharisees in today's reading, have come from Jerusalem.  No doubt they come to scrutinize Jesus and His ministry, and they begin with their questions and criticisms.  But Jesus is ready to stand up for what He is here to do and to teach and to live, for all of us.  Note how He seeks to protect His disciples when they are criticized for not practicing ceremonial washing.  Let us take note how Jesus teaches us to be, in defiance of those with authority in the Pharisees, and follow our Lord's teaching and all the practices of the Church designed to help us to guard the important place of the heart, that our good treasure may be there in a good and pure heart.

 

 

 

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

- Matthew 14:22-36 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that Herod now feared that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

 

  Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   My study Bible points out that only God has dominion over nature.  Therefore, this miracle confirms the divinity of Christ.  It notes that this is the second time Christ permits the disciples to be caught in a storm (see also this reading).  The first time He was with them; here He had left them alone.  In this way, Jesus strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  Thus He reminds the fearful disciples that He has absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that St. Peter's faith allows him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that St. Peter does not  ask to walk on water per se, but rather to come to Jesus.  That is, his desire is not to perform miracles but to be with Christ.  St. Peter can participate in this divine miracle so long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  As soon as he's distracted he begin to sink.  

 

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  According to my study Bible, the Greek term for doubt here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  In other words a kind of vacillating between one position and another.  The cause of St. Peter's sinking, it says, was not the storm but the doubt; therefore Christ doesn't rebuke the storm, but He rebukes St. Peter.  

 

Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  This is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  Knowing that only God can be worshiped, my study Bible says, they confess Christ's divinity by worshiping Him.  The boat, as in the previous reading in which the disciples encountered a storm, is symbolic of the Church.  

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life; contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).   

 

St. John Chrysostom has an interesting take on the story in today's reading.  He notes that the text first tells us that when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they cried out for fear, thinking they saw a ghost.  They were already struggling with the storm, the wind being contrary and the waves shaking the boat.  Christ's appearance, bringing another fear, works in a particular way.  He comments that Jesus "does not hesitate to bring on worse things, even more alarming than those before.  They were troubled here not only by the storm but also by the distance from the land. Note that he did not too easily remove the darkness. He did not come quickly to their rescue. He was training them, as I said, by the continuance of these fears and instructing them to be ready to endure."  Additionally, Jesus did not come to them until the fourth watch of the night (three o'clock in the morning).  According to St. Chrysostom, in this way also "He was instructing them not too hastily to seek for deliverance from their pressing dangers but to bear all challenges courageously.   In any case, just when they looked to be delivered, their fear was again heightened" [by what they presumed was a ghost].  It seems that this mirrors patterns that I, for one, have observed in my life.  Something stressful, frightful, and difficult comes along out of the blue, and as a surprise; cope with the first hurdle and it's not over.  Then there is a second one, another challenge, calling you toward greater courage and greater faith at the same time.  Often there will be yet another to meet in succession.  In fact, in this way, one finds greater and greater strength through reliance upon Christ, upon faith and prayer.  In this case in today's reading, there is first of all the stormy wind, there is the darkness, and then there is the ghost-like appearance of Christ.  All of these compound and add to the fears of the disciples.  But it is Christ who in the end is there, even with them on the water, and Christ to whom St. Peter is drawn -- and when his faith wavers, he begins to sink.  It seems to be an astute assessment by St. Chrysostom of this situation, and one that echoes and measures the challenges we will go through in life, be they frightening, threatening, or all of the above.  But St. Chrysostom has the right idea when he comments that Jesus teaches us to bear all challenges courageously.  Indeed, we look to the examples of the saints who did the same, and in particular, to Christ Himself.  Our faith teaches us strength, and a way to uphold life even in the worst and most exigent of circumstances.  But Christ gives us this strength, and grace works through prayer to help us to find the strength we didn't think we could have.  In the Book of Nehemiah we read, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).  Most indeed, today's full reading, and the assurance of the apostles at Jesus' word, could be summed up in that phrase.  Let us remember this in times when we grieve, when we fear, when we face challenges we're not sure we know how to cope and to deal with.  For He is with us always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes

 

 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

 

- Matthew 14:13-21 

 

Yesterday we read that at that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  

 

 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  When Jesus heard it refers to the fact that Jesus has heard that Herod has taken note of Jesus and His ministry with its healings and exorcisms, and that Herod fears Jesus is John the Baptist returned from the dead (see yesterday's reading above).  He goes to a deserted place to avoid the power and paranoid scrutiny of Herod.

 

 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.  My study Bible has several comments upon this passage.  First, it's noted that this miracle is reported by all four evangelists; it shows Jesus feeding a great multitude of His people as He fed the Israelites in the desert (see Exodus 16).  According to patristic sources, this feeding is an image of the Eucharist; this idea is made clear in John 6.   Further along in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 15:32-39), there is another feeding miracle in which Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fish.  While some modern scholars wish to say these are the same story, my study Bible comments that the witness of the gospel is clear that they are two distinct accounts.  Indeed, Christ explicitly refers to both of them as separate incidents (Matthew 16:8-10).  That He is moved with compassion is used frequently with Jesus (Matthew 20:34; Mark 1:41, 6:34; Luke 7:13), which shows that (in contrast to Herod, by way of note), the Lord's power is extended to those who suffer.  There is yet another spiritual interpretation according to patristic writers, that teaches that the five loaves indicate the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are broken open in Christ and thereby feed the universe.  The two fish are representative of the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  It's also noted that the apostles gather the leftovers, which shows that the teachings which the faithful are unable to grasp are nonetheless held in the consciousness of the Church.  Additionally, we note that Jesus, upon taking the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven and blessed the loaves.  My study Bible comments that He shows us that we should never eat without first giving thanks to God.  The terminology used in today's passage points to the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26), and it leads to a eucharistic interpretation of the miracle.  Just as the disciples distribute the bread to the multitudes, so also Christ feeds the Eucharist to His flock through the hands of His bishops and presbyters.  

 

Today's reading invites us to consider Christ's compassion. Overall, we know that Jesus has come into the world as Incarnate Son in order to be with us (Matthew 1:23).  Note how that verse in St. Matthew's first chapter makes it clear that Christ's Incarnation is in fulfillment of Scripture, something devoutly awaited.  In St. John's Gospel Jesus declares to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17).  So it is out of love, and compassion (for God to be with us) that Jesus has been sent into the world, to be one of us.  In today's reading, the hospitality of the Lord is on full display for all of these who have followed Him into the wilderness, a deserted place.  He doesn't know these people, but they know Him (or at any rate, they have heard about Him).  They are the crowds, the multitudes, who follow Him even as He seeks to escape the eye of Herod, who now fears Him, for Herod thinks He is St. John the Baptist risen from the dead (see yesterday's reading, above).  In today's reading, we note that we are told that He first healed their sick.  But as it continued into the evening, and they had nothing to eat, the disciples reminded Him they should send the people away.  But Jesus doesn't want to do that; He wants them to remain.  Moreover, He wants His disciples to feed them.  He says, "You give them something to eat."  Too often when we consider the Eucharist, we are unaware in a modern context that sacrifice was always a part of a communal meal.  In this case, the Lord Himself wishes a communal meal, but He is the One who will feed the people, and through His disciples.  He sends them to find food, and whatever they can bring to Him, He will make of it a proper meal.  This should be a proper metaphor for all kinds of solutions to problems in our lives.  It is part and parcel of faith to do so, and to wait upon the Lord, to trust and make the best of what we're given, guided by prayer.  Note that Jesus begins with the meager fare, and blesses it.  It's in the breaking of the bread that the miraculous happens, a multiplication of what is.  These people who have desperately followed Him are elsewhere said to be "like sheep without a shepherd" (Mark 6:34).  And, of course, Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18).  But what we observe of Christ, who came into the world as one of us, to be with us, is that His hand is always extended.  These people follow Him, and He simply is not able to be alone.  But they are welcome, and He finds occasion to institute what will become the Eucharist, to share Himself as completely as possible, even with the multitudes.  In all of this we're given the nature of our God, and the expansiveness of God's compassion for us.  Clearly it is extended to all, but realized through faith.  It is said that in the monasteries, and from the times of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, hospitality was the most highly regarded priority.  Even prayers were interrupted to open the door to a knock.  Jesus shows Himself as fulfillment even from Abraham, who "entertained strangers unawares" (Hebrews 13:2; Genesis 18); of course, one of those "strangers" was the Lord.  Christ's hospitality extends to all of us all the time; let us be aware of our response and reception of it.

 

 

 

 

 

This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  

 

- Matthew 14:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that, it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Herod the tetrarch is the son of Herod the Great, the builder and refurbisher of the splendid Second Temple, and also the heartless murderer of infants (Matthew 2:16-18).  Herod the tetrarch is also known to us as Herod Antipas.  He is the ruler of Galilee.  Popularly called a king, he rules for Rome.  The account of the beheading of John the Baptist that follows is meant to be understood in the past tense.  It's given to us so that we understand why Herod fears that John has returned from the dead, after hearing about Jesus' ministry and the marvels that accompanied it ("therefore these powers are at work in him").

 

 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  Although the Herodian dynasty ruled for Rome, they nominally practiced Judaism as they ruled Jewish people.  Thus, under Jewish law, Herod had practiced what was unlawful by marrying his brother's wife, while his brother Philip was still living.  This is what John the Baptist protests as a prophet.  

 

 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  My study Bible comments that the beheading of St. John the Baptist is remembered in the Church on August 29 with a day of fasting. As part of God's plan of salvation, it notes, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, for John was the forerunner of Christ there as well as on earth.  At Matins on that day it is sung, "Your tongue which constantly speaks of God has preceded Christ into death, and is sent to preach Him to those in Hades."

 

 My study Bible is right to emphasize this type of "handing off" of ministry from St. John the Baptist to Christ.  We see it in the baptism of Jesus by St. John, in which the Trinity is manifest, and Christ's identity is made plain.  We see it in St. John's prophesy regarding the Baptism to come of Christ, in his testimony that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and in his introduction of his disciples to Jesus (Sts. Andrew, Peter, and John the author of the Gospel, who is unnamed).  See John 1:19-42. In John's death, as my study Bible says, we see something similar, and St. John the Baptist plays the role of Forerunner to Christ even in death.  It mirrors the overall handing off and continuation of the salvation plan of God from Old Testament to New.  As St. John the Baptist is the last and greatest of the Old Testament-style prophets, so he points and directs all to Jesus Christ, as Lamb of God.  We also see an image of the old in this depiction of the court of Herod.  This echoes the scandal of the Gentiles of old, a pre-Christian picture of the Gentile world of power and its values.  It is a scandal in that the passions on display in this story of Herod's court are meant to be cautionary tales of disordered desires and their outcomes.  Here a daughter is not only allowed to put herself on display before the powerful men of Herod's court and region, but she's schooled by her mother to request the bloody head of a great prophet, widely considered by the public to be a holy man, served on a platter at a birthday party.  Herod is no better, as he rashly swears a grandiose oath to the girl, and is too weak in front of the "great men" at his birthday party to refuse such a hideous act against a just holy man.  John the Baptist is a figure for all of us of righteousness and courage, and dedication to God above all things.  He is the opposite of Herod, who seems to understand nothing but power and a servility to things that corrupt and destroy honor.  This Gentile court is a scandal to the Jews of that time, and so we get a picture of Galilee as a region of both Gentiles and Jews; the power of holiness contrasted with the worldly power on display.  Elsewhere, my study Bible comments on the inner terror of Herod, who fears St. John the Baptist even in death.  In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' rejection in His hometown of Nazareth in Galilee.  But even in this rejection, the Baptist is related to Jesus through his martyrdom.  We live in a world today in which the slogan "speak truth to power" is often heard as a declaration of righteousness.  But one must say that one could find no better nor truer courageous manifestation of this saying than in the life and death of St. John the Baptist, and again, of course, Jesus.  Let us play our own part in the lineage of our faith, the best of our abilities, and in sincere imitation of those who have shown us the way before us.