We are in him and he is in us, but there is something more here

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

A reflection on the daily readings, for Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, by Father Perry.

+ We are only in the fourth chapter of Genesis, and we have a story of — wait for this — a blood brother killing his own brother.

Not a story of simple jealousy and resentment — a murderous jealousy and resentment.

Ah! The power of sin!

But there are things I get and things I don’t get in the story.

The horror of fraternal hatred and murder is astounding.

And, for the first time I realized that the word “brother” is mentioned seven times in this story. Yikes, seven times! Coincidence?

Or is the author of Genesis making a profound statement about the terrible horror of this sin? And Chapter 4 of this story is just beginning.

But why does God choose favorites? Why the younger brother (this will happen several times in the Bible) is specially loved, and both he and his offering are favored by the Lord.

Does this mean that parents do have favorites, and yet at the same time always say: “I love you all the same”?

As awful as this is about to sound, at least God doesn’t pretend that.

And yet (at least in the eyes of this writer at this moment), I will say: “I don’t believe it!” No! I do not and I will not!

I believe that we are supposed to attempt to be like God; at the same time, God is nothing like us.

Well, we are in him and he is in us, but there is something more here.

Is it possible to love everything and everyone the same — that is 100% — all the time? Is one who is love always, always, always loving all?

Then the writer of Genesis picked a scab and opened a wound; and perhaps, just perhaps, it is the perception on their part that God loves unequally.

Perhaps this is a classic case of projection — that is, because we sometimes or even often love unequally, we assume and presume that God does the same.

And the fact that the word brother appears seven times in this story makes the murder of a brother seven times more awful and unacceptable; maybe, somehow, this unexplainable act remains just so unexplainable.

Jealousy and resentment simply cannot go that deep and protrude that horrifically.

Can it?

And yet, in this story it surely does. And does not Psalm 50 refute that as God speaks clearly: “You sit speaking against your brother; against your mother’s son you spread rumors. When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself?”

And Jesus sighed from the depth of his spirit. “Why does this generation seek a sign?”

Don’t they get it? Won’t they get it? Can’t they get it?

I am the sign! I am the “way and the truth and the life.”

The Father comes to them, through me; they can come to the Father through me, and the sign becomes a part of them. They can become a part of the sign.

Ah, power of grace!

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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.