Chapter 9 - Gennesaret

What are We Going to do with All These Rotting Fish?

Overwhelmed by the miracle of the immense catch, Peter is “amazed” and falls to his knees before the Lord.  Peter seems painfully aware of his sinfulness, of the distance between himself and Jesus.  “In the bright sunlight of God’s love, Peter sees his shadow side.  So he utters an utterly human response: ‘Go away from me, for I am a sinful man’” (Page 159).

Father Martin then lists several reasons why we push God away, or, why, at times, there is distance between God and his people. Father Martin specifically addresses the issue of the people who feel marginalized, separate,  from the Church they once called “home”—the people who feel discouraged or scandalized by what their churches do or don’t do.

He reminds us:

It is important to remember that the church did not die and rise from the dead.  Jesus did.  Especially in times of difficulty and scandal, we need to be reminded that our faith is not in an institution but in a person:  Jesus. . . . The church does not save us, Jesus does.  It is Jesus, not the institution, who has called you into relationship with him.  Even though we may feel the church is saying ‘Go away from me’ those words never pass from Jesus’ lips when he meets sinful people. . . . .In belonging to a Church, we sometimes feel unworthy of membership.  We also feel, at times, that the church is unworthy of the one who founded it. (Pages 163 – 164).

In this era of the “New Evangelization” it is important to remember that the people we need to be fishing for may include members of our own families, or the friends and neighbors who used to sit down the pew from us at Mass, but have now fallen away.  They need to be reminded that Jesus is not God’s  “No” but is always God’s “Yes.” 

As we begin a new church year, lets reach out and invite those on the margins to come home.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss:


1.  What do you think led Peter to say, "Go away from me, for I am a sinful man."


2.  Despite Peter's admission of sinfulness, Jesus calls him to be a disciple.  Why do you think Jesus does this?  Why does he call Peter specifically?


3.  Witnessing the catch of so many fish may have enabled Peter to accept Jesus's invitation.  That is, the miracle may have served as proof of his power and authority.  What "fish" in your life help you say yes to God?


Steven Olson

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 8 - Immediately

The Exorcist

St. Mark’s Gospel has long been my favorite of the four gospels.  Because it was the first of the four gospels to be written down, it has the mark (no pun intended) of an original.  Mark is terse, dramatic, action-packed and right to the point.  Unlike John’s Gospel, there is no beautiful prolog.   Unlike Matthew and Luke, we do not hear at all of the birth of the Son of God.  There are no angels, no manger, no magi.  Instead, Mark plunges right into our Lord’s public ministry.

In Mark’s gospel, the repeated use of the Greek word, euthus, “immediately” adds to the picture of Jesus who acts decisively and with power.  The power of the Word.

In the encounter with The Word, demons are put in their place.

Of the many things that come to mind as I read chapter 8, let me mention two:

Then, strangely, the possessed man says, or shouts, something sensible.  “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Here, in the first chapter of Mark, someone speaks the identity of Jesus.  “Have you come to destroy us?”  The demons who inhabit the man intuit something essential about Jesus (page 148).

Bible readers often miss the incredible irony in the four gospels.  Here, in the encounter with the possessed man, the demons, unlike the disciples, are crystal clear about who Jesus is as they confess that he is “the Holy One of God.”  Here at the very beginning of his public ministry, long before the 12 apostles come to terms with who Jesus is, the demons are the ones who are crystal clear as to the Lord’s identity.  Not only do they confess that He is the “holy one of God” but their question—“Have you come to destroy us?”—is also an admission of the Lord’s perceived power over evil. 

Later on, Jesus will have to ask his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  And they will struggle with their answer.  Long before Peter confesses that “You are the Christ” the demons know and are in no way confused about who Jesus is.  The Evil Foe is no dummy…

Jesus’ healing of the man in the synagogue was immediate.  Our own healings, however, usually don’t happen euthus.  And this is a source of sadness for many of us.  We desperately long for something as instantaneous as what Jesus offered to the man.  And I’m not talking simply about physical healings (page 153).

When speaking about others, in casual conversation, we often say, “he has his demons” or “she has her demons.”

And if we dare look within, we have an uneasy sense of the demons who possess us.

For many of us, the struggle with our demons is life-long.  Father Martin speaks about participating in years of personal therapy and spiritual direction in an effort to experience the healing which comes almost instantaneously to the possessed man in the synagog.  In addition to personal therapy and spiritual direction, I would also add that the best weapons to overcome the evil within are the same weapons used to heal the man in the synagog:  the Word of God.  And, as a Catholic, I would add, the graces of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist.  In the Mass we all say, “only say the Word and my soul shall be healed.”  

It was St. Ignatius of Antioch who referred to the Eucharist as "the medicine of immortality."  Word and Sacrament are the best weapons I know against the demons within.

  

Questions for Discussion:


1.  John Meier notes that claiming that Jesus was an exorcist has a much "historical corroboration" as almost any other statement we can make about the historical Jesus.  Given that, how do you see the role of the exorcisms and the confrontation with the demonic in his public ministry?

2.  William Barclay posits two approaches to exorcisms:  either we relegate possession to the realm of primitive thought, or we admit the possibility of the demonic both then and now.  Which approach do you prefer?

3.  Have you ever asked the Lord to free you of your "demons" or things that kept you unfree?



Steven Olson

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 7 - Galilee

And Immediately They Left Their Nets and Followed Him

Remains of a First Century Fishing Boat

Here’s the problem with the Gospels:  We’ve heard the stories so many times that it’s easy to overlook their overriding strangeness.  We’ve lost the ability to be surprised by them.. . . .they become like old coins, their edges smoothed away.  The Call of the First Disciples is one such story.  But if you read it with fresh eyes, it reveals itself as an unsettling tale.  How could four men walk away from everything—their jobs, their families, their entire way of life—to follow a carpenter who says only a few words to them? (Page 131).

Prior to reading this chapter, I tended to picture the fishermen on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as a motley crew of anonymous workers mending their nets.  It is more likely, given the busy and successful fishing industry located there in the first century, that Peter and Andrew, James and John were successful, hard-working local businessmen—successful enough to have had hired servants in their family business.

Like Peter, they were married (or,was Peter a widower at this point?)—people with families, working at a business that was handed on from generation to generation.

It is very likely that they were well-connected locally, successful and financially secure.  All the more surprising, then, that they left everything behind to go and follow Jesus.

In addition, Father Martin reminds us that Jesus was not a loner.  While, at times, he needed time alone and apart to pray the the Father.  He gathers a group of friends around him as he begins his public ministry.  From the start, we see the communal nature of the group which will become the church.  We are reminded that the Christian Church is not about “me and Jesus.”  It is fundamentally communal.  We are all, indeed, family.

And what about “The Call?”  Jesus calls people individually.  The call is personal.

On page 141, Father Martin writes, “Many people think that being called means hearing voices. Or they feel that since they have never had a knocked-me-off-my-feet spiritual experience that they have not been called.. . . .being called can be more subtle, manifesting itself as a strong desire, a fierce attraction, or even an impulse to leave something behind.”

God continually calls and invites us to drop the nets that entangle us in our old ways of doing things, ways that are no longer healthy for us, ways that keep us from being more loving.  It is not enough simply to know what Jesus said by the Sea of Galilee.  We must be ready to hear his voice in our own lives.

Steven Olson




Questions to Ponder:

1.  Why do you think Peter and the other fishermen said yes to Jesus?

2.  Jesus' invitation to the fishermen is open ended.  In other words, when Jesus says he will help them "fish for people," he doesn't say how.  Have you ever experienced an open-ended call?  Also, what "nets" prevent you from responding to God's call?

3.  Jesus says that he will "make" Peter and his friends fishers of people, a phrase that evokes a sense of a new creation.  What do you hope God will "make" of you?

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 6 - Rejection

Rejection is probably the most painful of human emotions.  Even mourning the death of a loved one is strongly influenced by our sense of rejection.  Human beings in spite of our sense of self and individual personalities find ourselves longing for acceptance and respect.  The need to be loved is oundational for everyone, in every culture, time and place. Consequently we often agonize over our self-image and our need to fit in.  We certainly know all too well the life-long negative consequences of bullying and rejection in the development of children.

In this chapter of Jesus a Pilgrimage Fr Martin uses one of the more dramatic scenes in Luke’s Gospel to focus on this problem of rejection and our need for approval from others.  While in Nazareth, Jesus reads from the Prophet Isaiah and proclaims that the ancient prophesies about the Messiah point to himself.  Not only his claim but he himself are roundly rejected by those who knew him best in his home village.  Fr Martin uses this scene to discuss in some depth both Jesus’ likely feelings and Fr Martin’s own struggles with the need to please others and avoid the pain of rejection.  He recounts his long struggle with the fear of rejection in relation to Jesus’ human and divine nature.  

When we fail to claim our identity in God and feel that the value of our self is determined by the acceptance and approval of others we are imprisoned and unable to be fully alive.  We become paralyzed and unable to do what God has planned for us.  Fr. Martin tells us that “Jesus didn’t need to be liked”, and that this was liberating for him. “Jesus’s freedom sprang from an unwillingness to let other people’s opinions determine his actions.” He was able to preach the Kingdom of God in spite of negative comments from the people he encountered.  At the same time Fr. Martin also reminds us that maintaining a strong sense of self and seeking the advice and family and friends and “the wisdom of the community” is a delicate balance that requires prayer and prudence.

I expect that our readers will find some very useful insights on our need for the approval of others and the compromises one makes when we allow others to define our value.  Here again reflecting on the life of Jesus can show us the way to freedom.

Questions to Ponder:



How has our need for approval compromised our witness to the truth of Christian moral principles in our family relations? At work? In school?  

Have you ever felt imprisoned and paralyzed when you needed to take some specific action because of “what the neighbor’s would think”? What negative consequences came your way by your inaction? 

As our culture becomes more hardened and intolerant towards people who try to live their Christian faith in public are you prepared to withstand the inevitable rejection that will come your way? How so?

Deacon Mike McKenna

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!

Chapter 5 - Jordan

God Stood in Line

Father Martin’s description of the contemporary Jordan River is a bit of a shocker:  bright, slimy green, like a can of Mountain Dew.  Polluted.  Not very appealing. 

That said, the chapter is very rich in content and very inspirational.  Like this passage:

Jesus somehow came to realize that baptism was what God the Father had desired for him—to fulfill ‘all righteousness.’  Perhaps this meant publicly aligning himself with John’s Ministry.  Perhaps before he began his own ministry, he wanted, in a sense, to pay tribute to that of his cousin, as a way of underlining his solidarity with the Baptist’s message.  Jesus may also have wanted to perform a public ritual to inaugurate his own ministry.

But there is another possibility, which is that Jesus decided to enter even more deeply into the human condition.  Though sinless, Jesus participates in the ritual that others are performing as well.  He participates in this movement of repentance and conversion not because he needs it, but because it aligns him with those around him, with those anticipating the reign of God with the community of believers.  It’s an act of solidarity, a human act from the son of God, who casts his lot with the people of the time.  The divine one is fully immersing himself. . . .in our humanity. 

At the Baptism, Jesus was taking sides with us.  God stood in line (p. 106).

Like many Christians, I have often pondered why Jesus needed to be baptized.  Father Martin first asserts that Jesus is baptized out of respect for John his cousin and the movement he has inaugurated on the banks of the muddy Jordan to signal the dawn of a new age and the need for repentance. As a missionary strategy, it is wise to pay tribute to the person whose message our Lord will take up and expand as he begins his public ministry.

Beyond that, Father Martin asserts that Jesus chooses baptism to enter more deeply into the human condition.  The image of God standing in line moves me.  If I were going to preach an Advent homily/sermon I would title it, “The God who Stood in Line.”  That says it all.  By accepting baptism, Jesus threw in his lot with us. 

All of our lives are important, even the parts of the past that we have ignored, downplayed, or forgotten.  If we open the door to our past, we will discover God there, accompanying us in both happy and sad moments.

As a convert to Catholicism, I especially appreciated Father Martin’s discussion of “the past.”  When we convert from something, or when we want to leave the past behind and move forward to the future, sometimes, if only in our minds and memories, we close the door to “the past”—whatever the past is.  In this chapter, he helps us to appreciate the Lord’s past, his childhood and adolescence, as being as important to our understanding of him and the Jesus who came to be baptized in the Jordan, propelling him into ministry and ultimately, the cross.  In the spiritual life, it’s important not to forget our past, for if we look back, we see God at work.  

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Questions to Ponder:


1.  Using what scholars call the "criterion of embarrassment," the baptism of Jesus is often said to be one of the most historically attested events in the Gospels.  Why do you think Jesus decided to be baptized?

2.  At the Jordan River, Jesus received a dramatic revelation of his identity.  He also heard himself pronounced as "beloved."  Have you ever  had similar experiences--that is, of understanding who you are called to be and of feeling loved by God?

3.  In the testing in the desert, Jesus was tempted to go against the person he was called to be, his "true self."  Have you ever been tested in this way?



Steven Olson

                      This video shows the Baptism Site of Jesus referred to in the chapter:

Dear Readers,

Here are some ways to participate in our online discussion.

1. Simply get the book and read along.  To enhance your reading, reflections on each chapter together with discussion questions are posted on this blog every Sunday morning.  If you fall behind, all chapters/reflections are archived on the main page.  
2. Actively participate! Read along and then discuss the chapter by leaving comments below.  We encourage this.  
3. If you enjoy the book and our reflections/discussion, please evangelize by telling others about the book and our site. Thanks for stopping by!