Sunday Homily for October 28, 2018, 30th Ordinary Time, B cycle
You ready to read, Buddy?
Readings:
Jeremiah 31, 7-9, The Lord has delivered his people.
Psalm 126, The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy
Hebrews 5, 1-6, Every high priest is taken from among the people.
Mark 10, 46-52, Bartimaeus, the blind man.
While Emma lights the candles, Buddy reads the Blessing of The Candles, a first time ever for Buddy.
Jeremiah observations:
Who: one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much.
Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message. Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.
When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 555 before Christ (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).
Remember, too, that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.
Our Belief.
Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed? Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 555.
Why? The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians. They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry. Three special laws were established: 1. male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.
The Healing Touch
The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law. They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days. Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest. So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians. It worked, even down to today.
Subject of the work: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.
Today's subject: Beautiful message of peace and consolation. It is coming.
Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia
The Healing Touch for Emma.
Homily:
