{"id":537,"date":"2012-07-16T10:18:11","date_gmt":"2012-07-16T14:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=537"},"modified":"2012-07-16T10:25:54","modified_gmt":"2012-07-16T14:25:54","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementsc-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=537","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">  \u00a0 var _gaq = _gaq || []; \u00a0 _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']); \u00a0 _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);  \u00a0 (function() { \u00a0 \u00a0 var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true; \u00a0 \u00a0 ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js'; \u00a0 \u00a0 var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); \u00a0 })();  <\/script>  <\/heat>Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Mk: 6:30 \u2013 34. The Return of the Twelve &amp; Introduction to the Feeding of the Five Thousand<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Our Questions<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">I&#8217;ve tweaked the first question to ask not only who are the characters in this passage but what is the role that each plays in the passage. This will prepare better our response to our third question, what is the plot, theme, or purpose of this passage. But we shouldn&#8217;t forget our middle question, what is the time of the passage? Reading the <strong>Background<\/strong>\u00a0[See immediately below] will allow us to situate the passage in the flow of Mark&#8217;s Gospel; it will help also to glance ahead to the next passage to provide an even fuller sense of the when of the story. Keep in mind that Mark is the earliest of the Gospels. If we read the Introduction to the Gospel, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/scripture.cfm?bk=Mark&amp;ch=\">http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/scripture.cfm?bk=Mark&amp;ch=<\/a> in a single page we can begin to appreciate the larger picture of Mark. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Yet the real \u201cwhen\u201d of this question is our own \u201cwhen.\u201d I have yet to get anyone to address this \u201cwhen.\u201d It is the &#8220;when&#8221; of our life in its utter concreteness. But this concreteness is not limited to right here and right now, rather our &#8220;when&#8221; is the period of time we are in right here and right now. That period can extend backward for days, month, and even years with \u00a0anticipation of an unknown future. It is the concreteness of our life that is felt, lived, struggled with, rejoiced over, saddened by, forgiven or not. It is the chapter of our biography that we are in right here, right now. How we understand this period today probably will not be how we understand in some future that will place this period in a different context but right now it is what it is.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Background:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Let us begin with placing our passage into the larger context of Mark&#8217;s Gospel. We ought to be aware first that between the readings for last Sunday and next Sunday, the church doesn&#8217;t follow Mark&#8217;s account verse by verse. If we skim over the headings of Mk: 6:7 \u2013 34, we can detect first that the church skips a couple of passages; Mk. 6:14 \u2013 29 that contains two passages; 6:14 -16, <strong>Herod&#8217;s Opinion of Jesus<\/strong>, and 6:17 \u2013 29, <strong>The Death of John the Baptist<\/strong>. In addition, the church adds the first verse of the next passage, that is the <strong>Feeding of the Five Thousand<\/strong>. See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/6\">http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/6<\/a> .<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Notice as well a subtle change in language. In Mk. 6: 7 \u2013 13 those sent out are named \u201cThe Twelve\u201d and whole books have been written about \u201cThe Twelve.\u201d Whereas in this Sunday&#8217;s account, Mk. 6: 30 &#8211; 34, \u201cThe Twelve\u201d have become &#8220;the apostles&#8221;. Two generic terms that don&#8217;t exactly mean the same and no individual names, like Peter, James, John, etc. are mentioned in these two passages. This is a good example of how we conflate the scriptures which hides the interesting details. \u00a0So we tend to think that &#8220;the Twelve&#8221; and &#8220;the apostles&#8221; are all the same, but they aren&#8217;t. \u00a0FYI.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Our Reading<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">With that in mind, let us quiet ourselves, remember our questions, pay attention to what happens to us as we read our passage<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The apostles gathered together with Jesus<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">and reported all they had done and taught.<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">He said to them,<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&#8220;Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">People were coming and going in great numbers,<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">and they had no opportunity even to eat.<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">They hastened there on foot from all the towns<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">and arrived at the place before them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">his heart was moved with pity for them,<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">for they were like sheep without a shepherd;<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">and he began to teach them many things.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Your responses, questions, and \/ or comments are welcomed. You can add them by clicking on the comment link at the end of this post.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mk: 6:30 \u2013 34. The Return of the Twelve &amp; Introduction to the Feeding of the Five Thousand Our Questions I&#8217;ve tweaked the first question to ask not only who are the characters in this passage but what is the &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=537\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[20,7,19],"class_list":["post-537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scripture","tag-marks-gospel-study","tag-modern-scripture-scholarship","tag-scripture-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=537"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":544,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537\/revisions\/544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}