Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 2024

Title

Feelings and Real Success

Outline

Feelings Just Are

That is right, feelings are interpreted hormonal reactions that are neither right nor wrong until we fail to deal with them properly. The failure may be a failure to interpret them rightly, a failure to speak back to a false interpretation or simply taking ourselves too seriously.

Elijah, after the high drama of the confrontation with the 400+ prophets of Ba’al, the seeming victory as he slaughtered them, and running before Ahab’s chariot in the pouring rain back to Jezreel, realizes as Jezebel messages him that she will kill him that the hoped-for revival has not come, that Ahab is firmly on the throne and Jezebel is in control. So he flees south through Judah, leaves his servant, and goes into the desert. He is exhausted, depressed, believes himself to be a failure, and wants to die. He just does not want Jezebel to kill him and exult in her triumph.

God lets him get his needed rest, feeds him to replenish his energy and mental stability, and sends him to Sinai where God will reinterpret his situation, correcting his false beliefs and giving him a new mission. All of this happens without any criticism of Elijah by God. His feelings just were, were understandable, but God knew his interpretations needed to be dealt with.

The Jews are disappointed with Jesus

The feeding of the 5000 got their hopes up, they had followed him across the lake, and now he does not give the bread they want but says, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

They knew he had come the way every baby comes, for they knew his father and mother.

Jesus says, “I know you are upset and disappointed, but let me give you a new perspective on your feelings.”

First, you are letting you limited minds teach you rather than the Father. So just say you do not understand because you do not understand.

Second, listen to my Father, let him reinterpret your situation - then you would come to me. I am the one in a position to give you a correct perspective.

Third, your physical life is mortal, but “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” The bread of eternal life, not mortal life. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” While he will explain this further next week, notice how he has reframed the situation away from physical bread and to make him central.

And that is what we need to do too - to reframe situations so that people see they are reacting to the wrong perspective and need to accept Jesus’ perspective.

So let us follow Paul’s teaching

We have a new perspective, so listen to it, do not fight against it: “do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Instead, deal with your feelings rather than going with you old habitual response or old interpretations. “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.” We lear with Evagrius of Pontus to speak back to them, with Jesus on the cross to acknowledge them and choose a God-appropriate response: “be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Forgiveness is handing the situation over to Jesus and letting him bring justice his way.

And his way is not our way, for we are to “be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.” Becoming a sacrificial offering was and is his way of bringing about justice.

Let me give a concrete example: let us say that at the Olympic opening when daVinci was turned into a bacchanal with a contemporary sexual twist those many in the Church had not reacted with outrage but had reacted by recognizing how long France has been anti-Catholic and so how little they were informed from above and thus wept for the lostness of the perpetrators and damage to those watching. And perhaps responded with a prayer meeting and fasting, calling on God to reveal to people his perspective, especially who Jesus is, if we had publicly loved, that is, sought the good of those who mocked, and were willing to welcome the change to join our shaming to the shaming of Christ. Would this not have been more a feeding on Jesus, more a being imitators of God, than calling for justice?