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Greetings, SBT Readers:
"Surfing the net" is apparently an outdated term, but that's what I was doing when I came across an article that challenges Jesus' sanity. Now, holy folly and Christology happened to be the subject of my dissertation, but I was careful to distinguish between human folly and Divine folly, pointing out that Jesus' seemingly foolish teachings and actions in reality exemplified Divine Wisdom. In contrast, the Wikipedia article presents various psychological assessments of Jesus, ranging from the possibility that he suffered from religious paranoia to claiming he was a suicidal megalomaniac. Now the same article does present opposing viewpoints, but I am mystified by the challenges to Jesus' mental health. How, I wonder, can anyone read the gospel narratives and conclude that the same Jesus who opened the eyes of the blind and brought glad tidings to the poor be certifiably mad? How can they conclude that he had psychotic disorders and delusions of grandeur?
Whatever psychological assessment tools were used in the various diagnoses, it would seem that they extracted words and actions from their context and had no way of assessing Love. Instead of entering the mystery of God's Word and letting it touch their hearts, the various scholars cited in the article dissected the gospels to fashion a Jesus that matched their ideology. And so I conclude, once again, "that the wisdom of the world has little to do with God's wisdom and that the foolishness of humankind is less than holy."
Many Blessings!
Elizabeth
SUNDAY REFLECTION
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When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, driving out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before daybreak, he left and went to a secluded place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and upon finding him exclaimed, "Everyone is looking for you!"
He replied, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may also preach there. That's why I have come."
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
Mk 1:29-39
In biblical times, illness was viewed as the outcome of sin which, in turn, could lead to demonic possession. In the case of the man born blind, for example (Jn 9:1-41), the religious leaders dismiss the man's testimony after he is healed: "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" (Jn 9:34). Before that, the disciples want to know whether it was his sin or his parents' sin that caused
his blindness; Jesus is quick to respond, "Neither he nor his parents sinned" (Jn 9:3), but the very question reflects the mindset of that time. Not only did people suffer from such afflictions as fever (as in the case of Simon's mother-in-law), leprosy, paralysis and loss of sight and hearing, but they also had to carry the stigma of believing they were accursed by God while their neighbors shunned them for the same reason.
Today, we have a very different view of illness, but while we no longer see it as "punishment" for our sins, yet a holistic approach to health does help us understand body-mind-spirit connections. Now, there are illnesses which occur randomly and mysteriously (like Covid-19, for example), or which are caused by environmental factors such as pollution, or which stem from our genetic heritage. At the same time, however, a life "out of balance" can weaken our immune systems and make us more prone to illness. Habitual stress, poor eating habits, too much sitting, insufficient exercise, lack of sleep, loneliness, addictions, neglect of the inner life, and lack of purpose are all doorways to impaired health -- and the "demons" that enter include migraines, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, chronic fatigue, depression, and a host of minor and major ailments that, if neglected, become exacerbated over time.
While in centuries past, Christianity neglected the body, even adopting Plato's idea that the body imprisons the soul, Jesus' spirituality was influenced by his Jewish roots. For him, all life was sacred and his various healing miracles did not merely focus on fixing broken body parts, but on restoring people to fulness of life: those who were no longer blind could leave behind their begging cups and find employment; those who no longer bore the scars of leprosy could now be reinstated in their families and communities; those who were once bent double could now behold the stars once more... Each person that he healed received the gift of a new beginning as well as a deeper understanding of God's inexhaustible grace; each person became a sign that God desires each of us to be "whole," to whatever extent that is possible in the context of our own lives. I should add here that "wholeness" does not imply physical perfection, but the ability to be fully alive, even if our bodies are limited by age, disabilities and chronic conditions. It means to remember that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), tabernacles of the Christ...
But what about all those demons that Jesus drove out of town? In today's Gospel, Mark mentions demons three times, distinguishing between illness and demonic possession. Earlier, I used the term "demons" figuratively to describe health issues; however, the fact that the Church employs exorcists indicates that there are still real demons roaming around, even if we aren't aware of their presence. The best protection against the power of evil is to maintain our spiritual health through 1) prayer and receiving the sacraments; and 2) refusing to harbor fear, anger, hatred, envy, violence, the desire for revenge, and any other negative attitudes and behaviors that will eat away at our peace of mind ...
Sin can be deadly, but grace is the antidote...
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
* In our first reading, Job is literally under spiritual attack; how does this affect his mindset?
* What change or changes would give YOU more work-life balance, or a healthier lifestyle?
* To what extent is all healing based on healing the broken-hearted? (Ps 147)
* What healing do YOU seek in this season of your life?
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