A reflection on the daily readings, for Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, by Father Perry.
+ You have heard the expression: “He [she] couldn’t see the forest for the trees.”
It describes a person who is so involved in an issue and in the itty bitty details that they cannot or no longer see the whole issue. Here is an example: “The congressman became so involved in the wording of his bill that he couldn’t see the forest for the trees; he did not realize that the bill could never pass.”
Both of the readings from God’s word today could be said to be examples of this.
In Hebrews, a majestic cascade of names of Old Testament heroes of faith are laid out before the reader.
These were famous figures who by faith: “conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained promises, closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword, out of weakness became powerful …” — and so much more.
But, even with all of this faith and all of their amazing feats of glory, they did not receive what had been promised; that came now in Christ. That was part of the long succession of faith-filled prophetic utterances and lives that were to lead up to the promise that has come in Christ.
Each of their lives was a kind of “forest for the trees” in itself, but now we look and truly see the whole forest.
And in this case, what a profound and elegant historical and faith-filled glance we receive as we perceive the fullness of prophetic history revealed before the eyes and the ears of our hearts in faith.
+ Similarly, Jesus provides a glance at the same truth being revealed before the eyes and the ears of people in this district of the pagan territory of the Gerasenes.
Getting out of a boat with his disciples, “a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit,” confronted Jesus.
He, the unclean man, recognized who Jesus was.
This was an extraordinary Messianic Moment. This was a determined man with uncontrolled spirits (many of them “legions”) within him.
The man prostrated himself and proclaimed Jesus as “Son of the Most High God.”
This man indeed could see the forest for the trees. He recognized the Lord. He was tasting before his eyes and ears this prophetic and messianic moment in time.
He was both tormented by and freed from his imprisonment and released into swine (of all things, yuck!) and catapulted into the sea where all kinds of creatures swimmingly swarmed.
And, it was too much for the people of this time and this place and in these circumstances to see and hear what was before them and into what eventually (check out the “St. Paul to the Gentiles” times) would save and set them free.
The same promise that finally that long-cascading procession of Old Testament names could finally discover: the Son of the Most High God indeed was fulfilling it all.
That Promise will be the biggest forest for the trees.
And we really can see and hear it all in the Christ.
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
