August 24-30
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
"A ROCK FOR ROCKY TIMES"
Outside of many churches these days, I see a large black granite or sandstone rock with the Ten Commandments on one side and the Beatitudes on the other side. Being a person who likes to memorize a few things, I have wondered how many people have committed these words to memory. I wonder what just the image of a rock can signify?
When I go biking in Memorial Park in Appleton, there is the image of a young woman cast in metal -"Ironwoman" I call her. I was wondering what it is that truly makes us "Ironwomen" or "Ironmen"?
As I reflected on the Gospel for this Sunday, I was caught by the words, "Peter, the rock". The image of a rock suggests stability, strength, and permanence.
Jesus addresses Simon by a nickname, "Peter", meaning "Rocky" and promises to build his church on this "rock". The church built on Peter is to be a place of stability, strength, and permanence. However, Peter wasn't exactly an image of stability with having "little faith", being called "Satan" by Jesus, and denying Jesus three times.
What would transform "Rocky" into "Rock" was his personal relationship with the Spirit of the risen Jesus. Peter became a courageous preacher, an exemplar of the forgiven sinner, a martyr with "great faith" and the rock on which the church will stand.
If God can transform the impulsive, wavering Simon into Peter, the rock of stability, then surely God can transform us into strong and steadfast images of the crucified and risen Jesus.
Sister Annette Koss
August 17-23
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today's Gospel a Canaanite woman pleads with Jesus for the healing of her daughter, Jesus seems rude to her and insults her. But she keeps her cool and impresses Jesus with her calm approach. She does not get upset and does not lose site of her objective. She demonstrates remarkable faith.
Wouldn't all of us act the same way if the issue involved our son or daughter or any close family member? We also would endure an insult if we were asking for healing for our loved one. Would we have the great faith the Canaanite woman had?
Remember, Jesus entered her territory which was considered pagan territory. She didn't seek him out, but when she saw him there she went to him. She was considered an outsider. At first Jesus ignores her. His disciples tell him to get rid of her. But is he biased? Her gender, her culture, and her religious belief made her unsuitable by the standards of Jesus' culture, But the woman persists and Jesus relents because of her great faith.
How great is our faith?
Are we biased towards others because of different cultures or religious beliefs?
Associate Rose Denissen
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