Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Intro

made into 12 apostles

over principalities,

princes over his kingdom

spread word

perform Mass

passed, as Book of Acts, today

But why heirarchy?

why fathers over Church?

why rely on imperfect, even wicked like Judas, for communion with God?

Alt

alternatives:

figure out on own

no one can

ancient philosophers got close but fell short

few and far btwn

poor particularly do not have time and capacity to study well

appear to us all perfectly and spell it out

too certain so not much room for love/heroism

if the message isn’t intellectual certain, requires love to hold to it

loving something without absolute certainty is an act of faith

one of the 3 highest virtues

faith, one of the highest human goods, would not be possible if intellectually certain

leave some document

Christ comes and writes the Scriptures Himself

normal sola problems

text written at any time require application and interpretation

left to our own to figure out and all become our own individual churches

who guards it, how can we trust a lifeless tradition?

faith placed in:

unapointed (since not assuming apostles) humans transmitting it

Even if one of those were true would that be fulfilling?

What we are

how God made us,a Trinity of persons

not cells floating alone in the void

so find great fulfilment in community

very way we are made reflects made for community

embodied souls, but social animals

find fulfilment in a community

even private work ..approval, seen or help others

After most important: God, what do good people find most important:

patriotism?

helping those in need?

Fathers, fatherhood?

community most imp secularly, why different spiritually?

where are our fathers in faith?

where is our aiding the spiritual impoverish

where is our spiritual patriotism for the heavenly nation like in the OT that called more for the salvation of Jerusalem than the individual self?

It is the Church

God made an actually visible spiritual nation, not just a bunch of bachelor individuals who sometimes agree

healing not just body and soul, but also communal

forces us to find individual salvation thru community

the second commandment is just some tacked on commandment

wont find salvation except by seeing self as patriot of the New Jerusalem

Don’t live w/o head

just like no human body survives without a head, this Spiritual community of the New Jerusalem cannot survive w/o hierarchy

Peter over 12 12 over 72 72 over the masses

parts do not live seperated from head

just because head gets corrupt, it would be foolish to cut self off from head

parts seperated from head return to the earth, become part of the world

divide and divide and divide like a decapitated body part breaks doiwn into its atoms over time

thus David (recognizing body), Israel from Juda, Judas, Peter, bad popes and bishops sense

but if doing as well as God, 1 in 12

its as if God deliberately allows bad leaders to point out the office and not the person is what matters most

Not top being master over slaves, but top slaves of masses

a priest is judged on how he shepherds

and good shepherd lays down life for sheep, slave to all

priest, bishops, and popes dont get salvation alone

even Paul, individual an miraculously called had to rely on and be confirmed by this structure

need others for:

bapt

ordin

can’t even forgive our own sins on our own

Conclusion

why MAKE 12,

to MAKE a real nation of believers, quite visible even if it has some invisible parts

In God’s image MADE, Trinity of persons, we are made, and we are saved through him with him and in him

thus we are saved through community and in community find some of our greatest fulfillment

Notes

Me:

10:2 shifts from disciple to apostle (sent)

As he sent me so I send you

why have the human sent? Why not just individually appear to all

12 appears a ton in OT and NT

Commentators:

Erasmu:

felt pity in bowels

not content with radiating joy truth, needs to suffer w/

Not “troubled and helpless” but “mangled and cast away” [Me: cast out yes, but mangled doesnt seem to have a basis]

Jesus assumes this figure himself

“cast out or send” same Greek word from 9:38 on

12 very ordinary men

“first one” modifies Peter, not ‘order’, and since we know Peter wasnt the first one called, what does this mean obviously?

given free so give free

be givers not holders [me: flowing water]

Give Give Give!