Monday in Lent 4

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1Corinthians 10:31-11:1)

This is somewhat related to my earlier comments about freaking the weak. I think we can call bullshit on Saint Paul here since we know that he did, in fact, not try to please everyone. That is the problem with sweeping generalizations, the plague of adolescent essays. When one makes an overly broad statement it only takes one exception to render it false. So lets give the apostle some benefit of the doubt and assume he is using hyperbole and we don't need to take him literally.

Frankly, I don't see how one could be true to the Gospel and NOT give offense to both Jews and Greeks (and their successors) both then and now. I think St Paul meant for us to try to meet people where they are, not pretend you're better than they are or know more than they do, respect them, and communicate in their terms. How's that for a paraphrase? It's pretty radical if you stick with the plain text but I think it is true to his intent. Because if one does not do that, then any Good News you had to share will probably not be heard, understood, or received.

The paraphrase seems, to me, to not only be good manners but good strategy for communicating the Gospel, as well as good theology in that it recognizes the image of God in the persons you meet and the Light that enlightens every human who comes into the world. We really cannot do that and at the same time manipulate people, much less obviously demean them.

I especially like this: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. "

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir,* even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus* ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’ (Mark 7:24-37)

Perhaps the greater "ephphatha" event was this desperate foreign woman (sent by God?) telling Jesus to "be opened."


She is one of the great saints of the Bible.

O Lord our God, in your holy Sacraments you have given us a foretaste of the good things of your kingdom: Direct us, we pray, in the way that leads to eternal life, that we may come to appear before you in that place of light where you dwell for ever with your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
--the BB