July 15-Worship is the central element of Christian action. It has been downplayed for far too long and skipping it made far too easy.Contrary to current views, One of the things I admire about the Catholic church is its unwavering commitment to worship, indeed daily worship. hold that everything the church does flows from its worship. Otherwise, it is merely another social organization. 2Sam. 6 The ark is the locus of the LORD's presence with the people,. The ark serves as the LORD's throne and place of self-revelation, such that Moses would hear the voice of the LORD from it.The ark, has great power that can also result in death. The death of Uzzah is disconcerting as he is simply trying to stabilize the ark, rattled by the movement of the oxen. Our outrage and confusion, however, pale to the holiness of the LORD and the LORD's throne, the ark of God. worship is an encounter with the holy, the wholly other, the very presence of the divine One.
So great was David's anger and fear that it was three months before he gave the ark another run into Jerusalem. And in the meantime it ought not to go unnoticed that the ark's temporary host, the house of Obed-edom, was blessed by its presence. The LORD's holiness, as in the ark of the LORD, is wholly other, working and affecting the world beyond the bounds of our imagination
Ps.24-Starts with god the Creator but that Creator’s presence is found in worship. No mention of it being hot or cold in the temple is made.
Eph. 1:3-14 lavished with grace.
Mk. 6:14-29-We are reminded that the first forays into the region of Jesus places us in a tough world. John the Baptist called for turning around our perspective toward God, to take a different road. He received not blessing but imprisonment.Black-Corrupt politics torque this birthday party. Everywhere greed and fear whisper: in Herod’s ear, among Galilee’s high and mighty, behind the curtain between mother and daughter, in a dungeon prison. When repentance is preached to this world’s princes, do not expect them to relinquish their power, however conflicted some may be. The righteous die for reasons both valorous and vapid. “[A]s the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time” (Ecclesiastes 9:12 KJV). Herod’s drunken feast is in contrast to the famous feeding of the multifude.At that feast greed and fear have no place. There all are fed to the full, with leftovers beyond comprehension (6:30-44). Hoffman-Herod was "perplexed" by John. He liked to listen to John, but he didn't know what to make of him. .Outlook-Where do we imagine the Kingdom of God is manifested - palaces or prisons? John the Baptist's head ends up on a platter and they live to throw another party. Mark, wants to say emphatically that God's providence and power is in the prison cell, not the palace. God will bring the redemption of the world through the One crucified, dead and buried. God's Word will not be silenced, despite all worldly evidence to the contrary. This tale of manipulation and murder foreshadows the fate that will befall Jesus. Speaking God's word has real life consequences. Engaging in God's work of defeating evil doesn't gain you worldly favor. But rest assured, despite all evidence to the contrary, God's will and Word will not be thwarted. If we want to be reminded of that truth, we may need to leave the palace and go instead to the prisons.
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