Comments for Keeping Faith Today

Comment on This Earth Day, Think BLUE! | Ryan’s Well Foundation Blog by book keeping adelaide

book keeping adelaide — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:59:35 +0000

You have provided an incredible resource.

Comment on Mary Magdalene—Apostle to the Apostles by Sara Geneva Noreau Kerr

Sara Geneva Noreau Kerr — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:09:18 +0000

Thank you for your insight.

Comment on Mary Magdalene—Apostle to the Apostles by Maxine Rasmusson

Maxine Rasmusson — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:58:27 +0000

If you look into the gospels NOT chosen by the canon you see that Mary Magdalene played a very prominent role as disciple, even learning from Jesus after his resurrection. And teaching the other disciples.

Comment on Easter Community: an excerpt from Sunday By Sunday by Maxine Rasmusson

Maxine Rasmusson — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:52:34 +0000

There were a minimum of three women, correct? Possibly more? And at least two were named, maybe three. I see this as a statement of their status as disciples. We need to speak of these women as full disciples.

Comment on 50 Years as a Sister of St. Joseph, by Joan Mitchell by GoodGroundPress

GoodGroundPress — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:20:47 +0000

Thank you all for your kind words!

Comment on 50 Years as a Sister of St. Joseph, by Joan Mitchell by Jeanne LaBore

Jeanne LaBore — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:52:57 +0000

Congratulations sister Joan. I still carry the gifts you shared with your students so many years ago. I thank you often.

Comment on 50 Years as a Sister of St. Joseph, by Joan Mitchell by Maxine Moe Rasmusson

Maxine Moe Rasmusson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:18:47 +0000

Congratulations! What a difference 50 years can make! As I read your writing I realize, once again, where the Catholic faith has women in plain view. Both with nuns and a focus on Mary of Nazareth. We Lutherans have neither. Of course we both have, pretty much, the same bible where (in the New Testament) women have been written out of the story. May God, in all Her greatness, bless you in the years ahead as you share with the world the value and goodness of Women of God.
Maxine Moe

Comment on 50 Years as a Sister of St. Joseph, by Joan Mitchell by Joanne Wieland

Joanne Wieland — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:50:15 +0000

Thanks for the wonderful remembering of our developing and progressing into the future as part of the universe story. It was awe inspiring. Joanne

Comment on 50 Years as a Sister of St. Joseph, by Joan Mitchell by Barbara

Barbara — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:07:25 +0000

Congratulations on 50 golden years, Sister, and thank you for sharing your reflection with us all.

Comment on Gospel Reflection for March 24, Palm/Passion Sunday by GoodGroundPress

GoodGroundPress — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:13:28 +0000

The gospels are full of metaphors drawn from the Old Testament that attempting to express what Jesus’ death and resurrection mean for us. In Mark 10.45, Jesus says that “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the ransom or rescue metaphor. Often the scriptures use the blood of the Passover lamb as a comparison with Jesus. In Mark 14.23, Jesus raises the cup and says it is “blood of the covenant which will be shed for many.” Here the metaphor is the ancient way people made an oath, they sprinkled blood on both parties to signify that the parties made the agreement on their lives. May my blood be spilled if I fail to keep this covenant. The stone rejected by the builder has become the cornerstone.

These comparisons all have scriptural roots. I like the covenant one best. Jesus does stand by his teaching and his message of love of God, neighbor, oneself, enemies unto death. He gives his wholehearted all. He goes to the cross if he has to, so willingly as you say. He certainly reveals the power of love over violence. I agree love encourages love. That’s the message. He gives his life as his ministry plays out but he doesn’t come as a disignated victim.

St. Anselm in the 1400s got atonement/victim theology going–that someone had to pay the price for our sins the way one would have to satisfy a feudal lord. This makes God an abusive father who sends his son to die for our sins. This is an inadequate theological metaphor but one many embrace.

There are many metaphors and many theologies that reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection for us. Jesus died for our sins has gotten to be a short formula for the meaning of his death and resurrection and for the acceptance of Christian faith. It’s far from the only way to talk about it.

When did Jesus’ death mean our salvation? By hindsight in the light of the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the heart of Christian faith. Luke especially stresses that all that happened to Jesus happened according to the scriptures. Luke looks especially at the suffering servant songs from the prophet Second Isaiah, who wrote them about the whole people of Israel in exile, for example Isaiah 53. On the other hand In John’s gospel, 10.10, as you mention in your comment, Jesus says that he come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

What is salvation? I like to think wholeness, all we can become in an evolutionary sense. In eras that have emphasized sin and people have suffered oppression, plague, persecution, they experience the need for rescue and can identify with Jesus’ suffering. That is not our current experience in the USA. We are blessed. John 10.10 speaks more to us. I have heard people testify about identifying with the suffering Jesus in their journeys out of depression or abuse. They needed salvation and rescue.

A good question like yours is an invitation to study more. I like Elizabeth Johnson’s Consider Jesus or Quest for the Living God. John Shelby Spong is another author helpful to many people.

Joan Mitchell, CSJ