Proving a Point - November 1
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; PM Psalm 64, 65; Neh. 6:1-19; Rev. 10:1-11; Matt. 13:36-43
I can’t believe I am going to admit this story, but it’s the story that came flooding back when reading today’s Gospel. When I was in fifth grade, I had a mechanical pencil, one of those black Bic pens, with the colored pocket clip and white eraser. Someone in my class said something about pencil lead causing lead poisoning. Adamant that this was ridiculous, I clicked the pencil several times and took a big bite of the long tube of mechanical pencil offering. I couldn’t stomach other people being so wrong, and I was so sure that this was just a little graphite used to record mathematical equations and diagram sentences. And someone had to set these uninformed fifth-graders straight. Yes, I was probably more than a little annoying and this likely explains much more about me than the aptitude of my classroom.
I was rightly ridiculed for some time for just how far I would push limits and the need to be right, something that I have been working on for my whole life. Maybe this is why my ears perk up when I read the disciples asking Jesus to teach them the meaning of a parable. In this small request, there is an implication that they have already heard the parable, they do not understand it, and this is after intimately traveling with Jesus. I’m pretty sure that this isn’t one of my favorite parables that we hear this morning (you will hear much more comforting Scripture tonight at the Feast of All Saints), but it is a reminder that I have much more to learn.
When I think over the past 19 months, of all that I have learned (spanning from Public Health metrics to Livestreaming technology capabilities), what is really apparent is how much I don’t know. Maybe the gift of the disciples’ questions, is the reminder we get to question too.
Today’s parable stands in stark contrast to the vision of the Company of Heaven that have gone before us, that we draw upon in the Eucharistic vision as gathered at the feast. But when you read the two together, it leaves a lot of room for uncertainty. I have to think that’s a good thing.
Not all of our questions can be resolved with an easy answer. I’ll try to remember that. And don’t worry, I’ve given up pencil lead for more than just Lent.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: What is the farthest you have gone to prove a point? How would you handle that same challenge today?
Daily Challenge: Read this fun article about opinions that our staff read last week.