Personal Notes Corpus Christi, 168B 2009 Raymond J. Jirran

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1 Readings First Reading: Exodus 24:3-8 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, (13) Second Reading Hebrews 9:11-15 Alleluia John 6:51 Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, Commentary These Eucharistic readings are about the sacrifices associated with becoming a disciple of Jesus. Jesus discipleship is a vocation associated with Baptism. Every Christian, therefore, is a disciple and, as such expected to make some sacrifices and, sometimes, be sacrificed. The question posed for this Sunday is not about entering the priesthood or religious life or, even the married state. The question is not about whether to take on vows or not. The question is about what to do during the discernment process when one is trying to follow the will of God, when doubt abounds. Consequences associated with thinking are the sacrifice associated with the attempt at discernment. My definition of thinking includes is a willingness to rearrange what may be politically correct, whether in the family or outside the family; whether in the Church o outside the Church; whether confined to the present time or outside the present; in either the past or future. Were I to modify thinking, with any particular type of thinking, that would limit my meaning. At the risk of being misunderstood, therefore, I leave thinking as thinking, unmodified. Society readily praises or recognizes problem-solvers as thinkers. This presentation goes beyond problem-solving into the realm of art. Not everyone, but I do, accepts the four transcendentals as requirements for art: being and the true, the good, and the beautiful. 1 Artists can be and often are upsetting as they present their works. Accepting the tension associated with upsetting others when one thinks, is the sacrifice I am highlighting in these comments. While the readings in Exodus relate that the people happily accepted the revelations of Moses, we know that happy acceptance did not last. Moses exemplifies accepting the tension associated with thinking. The cup of salvation in Psalm 116 means willingness to drink from the chalice of suffering. Hebrews 9:14 is more blunt, writing about the need to cleanse our consciences from dead works. What Hebrews labels dead, the Faithful of the time regarded as religious lifegiving. Labeling Jewish sacrifices dead only happens because of thinking. Jesus also illustrates how he expects the Faithful to think outside of what may be usually expected. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to follow the weird man carrying a jar of water. The man was weird because women, not men, were supposed to carry water. A lot of thinking was involved, in order to find the upper room for the Last Supper Page 1 of 7

2 Before leaving, a word is in order for those in religious life, dealing with these comments. What makes the evangelical counsels holy is not enslaving oneself to another, as used to happen in ancient times. For example, in ancient times, when one became overwhelmed with debt, one could sell oneself into slavery in order to pay off the debt. For the religious, obedience and all it entails is a matter of that single mindedness required to achieve a good end, with good means. No religious superior ever asks a subject to commit a sin unless, perhaps, to cover up the scandals of the bishops. A final word is in order for the religious. If one attends carefully to little things, like keeping the rules, like silly rules of silence, when it comes time to attend to the big things, the big things will take care of themselves. While the ultimate big thing is salvation in heaven above, more of what I have in mind here is difficult decision-making, when the decision that has to be made does not appear to be in the best interest of the one making the decision. ================================================================== Annotated Bibliography Material above the double line draws from material below the double line. Those uninterested in scholarly and tangential details should stop reading here. If they do, however, they may miss some interesting scholarly prayer-provoking information. Exodus 24:3-8 Exod 24:1-18 Gerhard Langer, review of Christoph Dohmen, Exodus Dohmen treats Exodus 24:1-18 with special care. Dohmen has a special focus on Exod 24:7, we will heed and do, as the Lectionary puts it. Anyone stressing obedience in their spiritual life may find Dohmen interesting. Exod 24:1-8 Matthew J. Lynch, "Zion's Warrior and the Nations: Isaiah 59:15b 63:6 in Isaiah's Zion Traditions" 3 Lynch argues, Following Yhwh s defeat of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Israel journeyed to Sinai where it secured its covenant with Yhwh (Exod 24:1-8 [used here]). In that way, Zion becomes Yhwh s victory mountain. 2 the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 68, No. 3 (July 2006) 509, the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 70, No. 2 (April 2008) 255. Page 2 of 7

3 Exod 24:3-8 Dale Patrick, review of William K. Gilders, Blood Ritual in the Hebrew Bible: Meaning and Power 4 Patrick reports that Gilders observes, In non-priestly pentateuchal sources, several texts involve ritual use of blood, but none involves priests. In Exod 24:3-8, for example, Moses handles blood, but young men sacrifice animals. Throwing blood on the altar and sprinkling the people ratifies the bond between Yhwh and the people. The experience with God can be (and sometimes is and has been) violent and bloody. Exod 24:4 Jeremy Corley, A Numerical Structure in Sirach 44:1 50:24 5 Arguing for number patterns in the First Testament, Corley writes, as a sample, It is clear that numbers were culturally significant for the ancient Israelites, as they were for other ancient Near Eastern peoples. Thus, Israelite tradition speaks of twelve tribes (Exod 24:4 [used here]), ten commandments (Deut 4:13), and seven days in the week (Exod 23:12). Exod 24:8 Charles H. Talbert, review of Hans Jorg Sellner, Das Heil Gottes: Studien zur Soteriologie des lukanischen Doppelwerks 6 Talbert reports that Sellner explains, Jesus death is a covenant sacrifice like that in Exod 24:8 [used here] that seals the new covenant. 4 the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 68, No. 3 (July 2006) the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 69, No. 1 (January 2007) the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 70, No. 3 (July 2008) 623. Page 3 of 7

4 Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, (13) Codex Sinaiticus 7 The continuing point of the exercise reaching into the original manuscripts is to accept that there are many original manuscripts from which the Church chose Sacred Scripture. Development of the words of Sacred Scripture is an historical reality. These Notes try to include this reality as an act of humility against the self-righteousness required to lead a Christian life and the unacceptable non-academic dictates which cause interior conflicts within Christianity and the Catholic Church. Psalm 116 is difficult to pick through in the Codex. Psalm 116 begins with Psalm 114 in the Codex and after 9 verses, continues as Psalm 115 with verse 1 the same as verse 10. Verse 17 is much shorter in the Codex than in the Lectionary. Hebrews 9:11-15 Heb 9:12-14 Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism, 2nd ed., Erroll F. Rhodes, tr. 8 The Codex Vaticanus manuscript breaks off at Hebrews 9:14, about cleansing our consciences from dead works. A Fourth Century papyrus manuscript is in the University Library in Cambridge. Heb 9:14-15 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults 9 The Bishops write that Jesus did not abolish the Law of Sinai but redeemed the transgressions against it (cf. Heb 9:15). This is useful to remember in the context of the sexual cover-over up scandal of the hierarchy. The Bishops also cite the part about cleansing our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. 7 pe=standard&inputcontrol=420&lid=en&manuscript=true&phd=true&side=r&transcriptio n=true&transcriptiontype=page&transcriptiontype=verse&translation=true&zoomslider =0# Psalm 116 in the Lectionary is Psalm in the Codex Sinaiticus Grand Rapids, Michigan, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989, Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006, 80, 221. Page 4 of 7

5 Heb 9:12 Patricia A. Sullivan, "The Nonvowed Form of the Lay State in the Life of the Church" 10 Sullivan inspired the argument presented above the double line for dealing with the time of discernment as its own vocation. Sullivan notes that Hans Urs von Balthasar said that, a unique contribution to the building up of the church by the layperson not called to the life of the evangelical counsels is the embrace of the lasting autonomy of retaining his right to choose under the law of the `once for all of Christ (Heb 7:27; 9:12 [used here] and elsewhere) by which he was sealed at baptism. Heb 9:15 Jerome H. Neyrey, S.J., "`I Am the Door' (John 10:7, 9): Jesus the Broker in the Fourth Gospel" 11 Neyrey continues to argue for Jesus as mediator. Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree is the mediator of a better covenant (Heb 8:6; see 9:15 [used here]) 12:24). Heb 9:15 Todd D. Still, "Christos as Pistos: The Faith(fulness) of Jesus in the Epistle to the Hebrews" 12 Still argues that Hebrews understands Christ to be the mediator of a new and better covenant. John 6:51 Mark 14:12-16, Codex Sinaiticus 13 Since there do not seem to be any major difficulties with any of the Greek New Testament, I feel free to compare the eclectic Greek with the Codex. The first verse at which I am looking is 12. The first difference is that the Codex printed version lacks 10 Theological Studies, Vol. 68, No. 2 (June 2007) the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 69, No. 2 (April 2007) the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 69, No. 4 (October 2007) 750, e=r&verse=26&zoomslider= Page 5 of 7

6 punctuation, aspiration marks, and capitalization. The photograph of the manuscript also lacks that addition. Verses lack additional critical apparatus in the eclectic Greek. Nonetheless, there are differences between the Codex and the eclectic Greek. Sometimes, but not always, the final letter nu [ n ] is omitted. Other elisions in the Codex also occur. At least, I am able to follow enough to make that much of a comparison Verse 16 has some apparatus in the eclectic Greek. The eclectic Greek adds three words. There is reference to the Codex in the apparatus. Since a broken vertical line in the apparatus separates the various alternate readings from each other within a single instance of variation, the Codex must be one of more alternate readings. There is also present the upper half of a broken vertical line. I have not located what that symbol means. My hope is that by continually pecking at the Greek and the apparatus, greater understanding will come over time. There is also the outside hope that someone who knows the material better than I do will help. Mark 14:12-25 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults 14 The Bishops cite five places in the New Testament with an account of the institution of the Eucharist. Mark 14:12-25 is one of those instances. The Sunday Lectionary uses Mark and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 on Sunday; but uses the other two (Matthew and Luke), along with Corinthians, during Holy Week. Mark 14:16-25 Alicia Batten, review of Jean Delorme, Parole et récit évangéliques: Études sur l évangile de Marc 15 Delorme excels at semiotic analysis. Semiotic analysis is about interpreting signs as a means to understanding the text. Batten writes, Semiotics, he [Delorme] thinks, offers a way of deconstructing what we do when we read, not to find the best or most accurate reading but to enable readers to be more aware of how they find meaning in texts. Delorme gives special attention to Mark 14:16-25, some of which the readings for this Sunday use. 14 Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006, the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 69, No. 4 (October 2007) 820. Page 6 of 7

7 Mark 14:12 Paul Lawrence, The IVP Atlas of Bible History 16 This map shows the area where Jesus held the Last Supper. Mark 14:21-21 Luis Sánchez-Navarro, review of R. E. Ederle, Discipulos y Apóstoles de Jesús: La relación entre lost discipulos y los Doce según Marcos 17 This study is about the relationship between the disciples and the Twelve. Ederle suggests that the difference is one of intensity, rather than substance. For more on sources see the Appendix file. Personal Notes are on the web site at 16 Downers Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press, 2006) the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 71, No. 1 (January 2009) 164. Page 7 of 7