1.20.26 - Galilee | Prison Conclusion

Opening Prayer

Eucharistia:  Thank you, Lord, I am grateful for your saving presence in my life.      

Kenosis:  Lord, I will try to empty myself as you did, to be present to others.                       

Metanoia: Today, every moment, Lord, I will turn my mind, my heart, and my world towards You. 

Maranatha: Come, Lord Jesus, enter, and make your home with me.                  

And as Jesus taught us to pray… together

Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily Bread;

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Major holy days:   Conversion of St. Paul – Jan 25

Ash Wednesday – the beginning of Lent, Feb 18 

St. Joseph – March 19

The Annunciation – March 25

Mass or Confession anywhere, anytime:  www.masstimes.org

TODAY:  

• Reflection:  Taylor and Santi’s honeymoon

• Reading for The 3rd Sun in Ord Time (1/25), Jesus Begins Teaching in Galilee, Matthew 4:12-17

• Member Topic:  Prison Ministry conclusion

Quote of the Week:   

Modern people don’t see God because they don’t look low enough. – Carl Jung

Meaning?  

Christianity is a religion of humility and self-giving. Everything Christ did was grounded in humility. 

The 3rd Sun in Ordinary Time, Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus Begins to His Public Ministry 

Context: 

In today’s brief Gospel reading, after Jesus’ shocking Nazareth visit, he heads to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee to set up shop, so to speak. This will become his Galilean headquarters during his preaching for the next 3 years. 

We will seek to answer the following 6 questions:

1. Why did Jesus withdraw to Galilee?

2. What do the names Zebulun and Naphtali mean?

3. What would his proclamation of the “Kingdom of Heaven” have meant to Jesus’ Jewish audience?

4. What does it mean to repent? 

5. Why does Jesus choose 12 Apostles?

6. What parable of Jesus’ can we compare this to?

Matthew 4:12-17

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has arisen.” (ref. Is 8:23)

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Exegesis (Investigation/Interpretation/Explanation)

Why did Jesus withdraw to Galilee?

One reason could be because of the danger of remaining in Judah where John was arrested, since it was too soon to end his ministry (he was just beginning!). But there’s a more biblical reason answered in the next question. 

Jesus passes through the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, which are quoted in Isaiah. What do these names mean?

They are quoted in Isaiah because they were part of the ten lost tribes of Israel. In an earlier class, we talked about the history of Israel. After King David and King Solomon, the kingdom split into two in 922 BC, the northern kingdom, which had 10 tribes, and southern kingdom, which had 2 tribes. The northern kingdom was then conquered in 722 BC and most were taken into exile never to be seen again. These are the famous Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. However, God promised that he would come and gather his lost flock together once again. The first two tribes reportedly taken into exile were Zebulun and Naphtali. After Jesus leaves his hometown, where does he go to preach first? Through ancient Zebulun and then Naphtali, from which he will call his first four apostles. 

Therefore, the reason Jesus goes to Galilee to begin his ministry is precisely for this reason.      

What would Jesus’ proclamation that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” have meant to his Jewish audience?

Before we think about “Heaven” we need to think about “kingdom.” Jesus coming and saying the kingdom was at hand would have meant the great kingdom of David. That’s what they were waiting for. So the excitement over this announcement would have been unthinkable. The “Heaven” part would then suggest that this was the end of the old age, as the Messiah was about to bring in the new age. The new age was heaven on earth, in a sense, where all the nations would bow before Israel and the one, true God. 

What does repent mean?

The Greek term, which is used often in Biblical parlance, is “metanoia.” It means to change one’s inner disposition; a fundamental change in how one views the world and oneself. In the theological sense, it means to remove self-centeredness and self-glorification and put Christ at our center instead, making Jesus our reference point instead of our ego.  

The longer version of this reading next has Jesus calling the Twelve Apostles. What was the significance about Jesus calling 12 Apostles?  Taylor quiz.

He was re-creating the twelve tribes of Israel, the beginning of the New Israel. The Church. 

God comes to earth in Jesus to welcome back a sinful, wayward humanity. What parable of Jesus’ can we compare this to?

We could name several, but Prodigal Son mostly comes to mind. 

Prodigal Son Gospel Story

The father offers the son his inheritance early God gives humanity his spiritual nature, a portion of inheritance  

The son takes the inheritance and runs off Man takes his gifts and goes his own way (the Fall of Man)

The son goes off to live a selfish life Man goes off to live a selfish life

The father runs to the son when he repents Jesus comes to gather up all humans who repent/turns back to God

The father gives his forgiven son a banquet Jesus forgives us and invites us to the eternal banquet (Heaven). 

The main fact is, Jesus came here to take us to the banquet. That’s his sole purpose. 

Repentance/Metanoia – freedom from our self-addictions.

Prison Ministry Conclusion: Moses attends a final court session with his wife (seeking divorce) and her parents. 

“I was in prison, and you visited me.” – Matthew 25:36

What is “prison ministry”?

Prison ministry is one of the “works of mercy” that Christ asks us to do in Mt. 25:35-45, such as serving the poor, the disadvantaged, the sick, or the elderly. Such service, we soon discover, changes us as much as it helps others. No doubt Jesus knew this. 

What we do at the jail.

We come under an umbrella in the county called Prison Ministry, which coordinates religious involvement at the jail. It takes a couple of months to get cleared to become a volunteer, including some coursework and quizzes. 

There are mainly two types of volunteering: Weekly Services and Mentoring. 

Weekly Services. Weekly services last about two hours on a Saturday, usually only one Saturday per month. It’s a classroom setting with a group of inmates who sign up to attend. Activities range from Scripture readings followed by open discussions about the readings; there can be singing, music, and praying. Volunteers have some flexibility to add creative elements, as well, such as watch a move or making religious art. Once or twice a month, a priest is able to come and assist, which includes giving Communion and hearing confessions. 

Mentoring 

Mentoring is one-on-one meetings – usually weekly – with inmates who have requested a mentor. The goal is to help them prepare for returning to the world to hopefully make different decisions – and most of all to keep God involved in their lives. Mentoring is not usually a volunteer’s first choice, but might be after a couple of years in weekly service getting comfortable with the environment. 

Opportunities. If anyone is interested in volunteering, let me know, and I will connect you to the right office. I suggest starting with the Weekly Service where you are paired up with an experienced volunteer. Some volunteers have been doing this for over 10 years. If you get comfortable being around inmates and have the desire to do more after a few years, you can always switch to mentoring with some training. 

Mentoring Story… 

Two months ago when I first described this previous prisoner of mine – first name Moses – we discussed that he was in jail for a year for violating a restraining order 3 times not to contact his wife. I never finished the story, and it’s hard to tell it in pieces, so I’m sorry if you have heard some of this before. 

As usual, I ask my mentees if they want to avoid coming back to jail again. They inevitably answer, “Of course,” but I ask it anyway because it is the foundation of all our subsequent discussions about changing the status quo and new life habits. 

When I asked Moses why he kept violating the court order, he said it was because he loved his wife so much. He explained that she didn’t fully realize that all he wanted was what was best for both of them. He was willing to do whatever it took to fix their problems, but she didn’t really give him the time to explain. She was now seeking a divorce.

The following dialogue took place over several months and is summarized here for the sake of tonight’s class. I next asked Moses how did he know he loved her so much.  

Moses – Because I have never had such feelings like this for anyone before. She is all I can think of. 

R – Got it. I can see how strong your feelings are – feelings like yours can be very strong! If you don’t mind, let me ask you another question about love: do you think love is just feelings, or do you think there is more to it? 

Moses – Yeah, well, I’m not sure. I suppose there’s more to it. 

R – Okay, well, in your words, tell me what you think love is, and we’ll go from there.   

Moses – Hmm… not sure. Good feelings, for sure. Caring?   

R – Caring for sure. Nowadays, people get mixed up about what love is, and they forget about the caring part. Similar to what you said, they assume it’s just feelings. But let me ask you, when you’re both having a bad day and the feelings are not there, does that mean the love is gone? 

Moses – good question. It shouldn’t be.  

R – No, it shouldn’t. Love isn’t worth very much if it just comes and goes whenever your feelings and emotions change. 

Now, I’ll give you a couple of facts that might surprise you, but here are two things that love is not:  Love is not sex and love is not our feelings. 

Moses – I don’t understand. Why do they say, “making love”?  And how come it’s not our feelings? Isn’t “feeling in love” everything? 

R – Let’s take both of them. 

1. Making love goes back to older times when people only did it when they were married and the purpose of it was to create babies, families. Families are supposed to be created in love and children’s first experience of love growing up. Over time, we separated sex from families completely, and therefore “making love” was left standing alone. Of course, the movies glorified it as “making love,” but it was a lie. Sex no more makes love than watching porn. 

2. Feelings… feelings accompany love, but they are not love itself. Feelings are more about attraction than love. Sure, physical and emotional attraction helps get relationships started, but remember, feelings and emotions come and go. Real love is deeper than that. And if that’s the case, you might want to figure this out before you leave jail and go visiting your wife again. There’s no point in wasting your time violating another court order if you find out that maybe you don’t really love her as much as you thought you did. 

Moses – What are you asking me?

R – I’m asking you to think about love. Talk to your fellow cellmates, you never know what you’ll hear. Next week, I want you to give me your latest and greatest thoughts on what you think love is. 

The following week… 

R – So, do you have any new thoughts on what we discussed?

Moses – I do. How’s this: Love is putting the other person first.

R – Wow, that’s good. How’d you arrive at that?

Moses – I asked the guys around my cell block and when one guy said that I knew it was the right answer.

R – Well, congratulations for recognizing it. That’s good, and knowing this is the first step.

Moses – What do you mean “first step”?

R – Knowing to put the other person first is good, but knowing something is not nearly as hard as doing it. Even the devil knows what is right, but the difference is he ain’t ever going to do it. So, the real task is this: are you really willing to put the other person first – and yourself second – all the time? Because if not, then maybe you aren’t ready for love.   

Moses – Why did you say it means putting myself second all the time? How is that love?

R – Moses, if you put her first all the time, then doesn’t that automatically put you second? 

Moses – that doesn’t sound very satisfying. 

R – Okay, well then how about we reverse the question: Would you like it if your wife put you first all the time?

Moses – Yeah, man, I’d love it. (…pause…)  Oh… I see… so the goal would be what… we both do this?

R – Yep, that’s the key to a great marriage – when each of you are willing to continually practice putting the other first. I said, “continually practice” because none of us are perfect, and we’re going to make mistakes. But, if we are willing to keep trying, then like anything we practice, we will get better and better over time. This is what “self-giving” means, which is the real definition of love is. Actually, it’s the beginning of love.

Moses – There you go again. What do you mean that’s just the beginning of love?

R – Because love is a life-long process, a journey, and we never reach the end till we are in Heaven. It’s like a ladder that stretches up into the heavens but we can’t see the end of it. It’s filled with lots of trial and error – in fact, each rung on the ladder is some mistake you both learned from and forgave; that part of climbing the ladder, together.  

But I’ve failed to mention one important thing. Do you know what it is? 

Moses – God? 

R – I’m impressed, Moses! All ladders come from God to begin with, so if you don’t actively keep God in your relationship, you will slide backwards. God helps us with wisdom in the good times and bad. He adds grace to all your efforts when you aren’t looking.  

Moses – Ok, this makes sense. How come nobody ever told me this?

R –This is actually ancient wisdom, Moses, nothing new. However, in our “modern times” that we live in, we seem to have put immediate gratification first, which is the opposite of love. We have to do a better job, wouldn’t you say?

Moses – the world is shit, that’s what I say. 

R – That’s why Christ came here. He opened the gates of Heaven to us, but we just gotta be willing to walk in his path. The love we’re talking about is the love He came to talk about. Keep doing this and you will find yourself in Heaven. 

Moses – keep talking. 

R – Let’s return to our original discussion. How do you think this view of love affects your thinking about your wife?

Moses – Well, I think I know for sure now that I love my wife because I want her to be first and I want her to be happy. The reason I want to see her again is to explain how much I love her – I want us to be happy together; I want to have a family together!

R – Ok, Moses, take a deep breath… Here’s the problem. Are you aware of how many times you said “I” in your last string of statements?

Moses – … no

R – I can hardly count them. You said repeatedly, I this, I that, I know, I want, I want…  Your desire for her happiness is strong – I get it; but all these strong feelings are about what YOU want to see happen. I didn’t hear you say one thing about what she wanted.   

Moses – No shit. Yes… that’s true.  

R – Moses, many people haven’t learned this, so you are not alone, and I know this is a lot to take in. Here’s something to think about it: we all have this big world or universe going on in our heads, right? All our life’s activities, our work, our relationships, our likes and dislikes, our worries, and so on – and who do you think is at the center of this big, amazing universe in our minds?

Moses – Hmm… we are. I am.  

R – Yes! But here’s the thing – everyone else around us has their own big universes going on in their minds, too! So, you see, your wife has this big ‘ol universe going on in her mind, just like yours. Let me ask you: do you happen to know what’s going on in your wife’s universe?

Moses – No…. I don’t think I understand anything that’s going on in her head.

R – Well, now we’re getting somewhere. Recognizing that is a big step to going forward. The good news is that God gave us a spiritual mind such that we can step outside our minds and see that our big universes are actually “little universes” – it’s our egos that make them seem big. Only then we can begin to really see what other people are seeing and feeling. So, true love, Moses, begins when you try to enter your wife’s universe to see what things look like from her perspective. Only then can you begin to put the other person first.

Moses – I’m not feeling good about this. I’ve got some thinking to do.

R – Well, I have one more tough-love point to make if you think you are ready. But if you’ve had enough for today, we can put it off until next time. 

Moses – Are you kidding? You can’t say that and leave me hanging, man. 

R – Okay, here goes: Look, I don’t know your wife, but from everything I learned so far, it sounds like she doesn’t have the same feelings as you. She got the court to give her a protective order against you, then she reported you three times and got you arrested, right?

Moses – Yeah.

R – Okay, then it’s probably safe to say she doesn’t share your crazy love feelings. Now, based on our discussions, you said you really, truly loved her. If that’s true, wouldn’t that mean you should put her first?  

Moses – You mean her request to leave her alone?     

R – Yeah.  And doesn’t it also mean that if you refuse to leave her alone, then you don’t really love her since you are not willing to put her first?

Moses – I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t!

R – Moses, the only thing that fits that statement is your insistence on seeing her against her will. But think about this: Not only are you giving her what she’s legally entitled to, but aren’t these feelings you have about her enslaving you? It’s been totally controlling you, right into jail. Might this not be a chance to break free and give yourself a chance to breathe on your own?  

Moses – Yeah, I guess that’s a good way of putting it. I have a lot of thinking to do. I’m sad, man. Do you have any suggestions before I get depression?

R – Moses, you’ve been doing a good job praying, so you need to continue. Share your feelings with God. We always talk to ourselves in our heads, which only gets us into trouble. Talk to Him instead. He won’t leave you by yourself. 

I know you read the Bible, so you might read Psalms 22 and 23. We all go through Psalm 22 – even Jesus did on the cross. But by Psalm 23, we can see that there’s always light on the other side of our troubles, as long as we walk with God.

The following week, Moses is unavailable. The guard says he’s in court. 

The following week... 

R – Moses, I didn’t know you had court last week. What was that about?

Moses – The divorce. They scheduled a hearing – I didn’t know it was happening, either. The divorce is happening and they wanted to let me know and see if I had anything to say about the things we own. You know… who gets what.  

R – You’re kidding. How did it go? Was your wife there?

Moses – Yes, she was there. So were her parents. After they were done doing all the talking, they asked me if I had anything to say. I was kinda numb. They said I didn’t have to say anything. But suddenly I felt inspired to speak, so I told everyone in the court that I recognized that I was the problem in the relationship and that I let my feelings get the better of me. I didn’t put my wife first, and I should have. I looked at my wife and her parents and said, “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” Then I said she could have everything we owned, she deserved it. Then I wished her a blessed life. That’s it. 

R – Moses, that’s incredible. 

Moses – You think so? I’m not so sure. I have nothing now. 

R – Moses, that’s nonsense. Your wife was divorcing you and you could have let that whole encounter be filled with hatred or resentments, but you didn’t let it. In one sense, you gave your wife her life back with no hatred, but with forgiveness and love. What do you think God will think of all that? I’d say he’d be proud of you. Furthermore, you also have your own life back, and you get to start over with a clean slate. You can’t tell me that’s “nothing!”

Moses – Okay, that sounds good. Can we start talking about what’s next in my life? 

Closing Prayer: 

        “Give Us a Heart” by Mother Teresa

Lord, give us a heart as beautiful, pure, and spotless as yours.

A heart like yours, so full of love and humility.

May we be able to receive Jesus as the Bread of Life,

to love Him as you loved Him,

and to serve Him under the mistreated face of the poor.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed are thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.