{"id":846,"date":"2014-01-08T15:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-01-08T19:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=846"},"modified":"2014-01-08T15:00:59","modified_gmt":"2014-01-08T19:00:59","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjavascript-ga-46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=846","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">  var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);  (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();  <\/script>  <\/heat> 1] Conclusion of the Rape of Dinah. 2] Journeys of Jacob:  &#8211; Held on Sunday, December 22, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 12\/22\/13<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Previous Week\u2019s [12\/15\/13] Review \u2013 Did Not Post<\/li>\n<li>Background to today\u2019s Readings<\/li>\n<li>Readings\n<ol>\n<li>Gen. 34: 30 \u2013 31<\/li>\n<li>Gen. 35: 01 &#8211; 29<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Discussion<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Previous Week\u2019s [12\/15\/13\/ Review \u2013 Did Not Post<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The holidays are over for the most part.\u00a0 Both my computer and my car died but they mattered little because family and friends gathered to celebrate God with us, Immanuel, the Incarnation.\u00a0 Nothing can ever be the same.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll try to catch up from a nearly three week lag.\u00a0 On Sunday the 15<sup>th<\/sup> we ended up discussing some very big concepts, history and truth.\u00a0 Of course, whole books, years of study would not be sufficient to get our heads around these types of concepts.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted nonetheless to focus on a few things that matter.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Starting with beliefs I would remind us all that as Catholics what has to be believed is remarkably small.\u00a0 I would suggest starting with the Apostles Creed.<\/li>\n<li>There is a real difference between believing and understanding.\u00a0 We believe a lot of very important things but certainly don\u2019t understand them well.\u00a0 This is a fact not only in matters of religion but in most of our life.<\/li>\n<li>A truism from the medieval period [13<sup>th<\/sup> c.] is that truth is in our minds.\u00a0 This quote from Fr. Bernard Lonergan SJ adds an important point to the truth that is in our minds.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026 truth is contextual.\u00a0 The meaning of statements depends upon the context.\u00a0 But it makes a vast difference whether that context is conceived as a unique and fixed set of necessary and immutable truths or as an ongoing process that develops historically, that contains in living unity knowledge and belief, certainties and probabilities.\u201d Early Works on Theological Method 1, CWL. P. 470 \u2013 471.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>For too long we have placed the beliefs in our mind within a set of &#8220;unique and fixed set of necessary and immutable truths.&#8221; \u00a0We then deduce equally fixed and immutable truths. \u00a0And in the process overlook the fact of development.<\/p>\n<p>The truths we believe are true in a context and the contexts change.\u00a0 Change is inevitable and as such change is ambiguous.\u00a0 Some change is good, some bad.\u00a0 And we don\u2019t all agree on which are the good changes and which are the bad.\u00a0 Certainly the crucifixion of Jesus was viewed as a good for the powers that wanted him out of the way.\u00a0 Certainly it was a devastating bad for his followers.\u00a0 What could this mean, our leader crucified.\u00a0 God our Father responded by converting this concrete bad into an ultimate good, the Resurrection.\u00a0 That is the very truth of our existence, if you believe. Where is that belief, it\u2019s in your mind.\u00a0 It is also true in an ever changing context.<\/p>\n<p><b>Background to today\u2019s Reading: Gen. 34: 30 \u2013 31.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>These last two verses conclude the passage headed as \u201cThe Rape of Dinah.\u201d\u00a0 Here Jacob is confronted by what his sons have done.\u00a0 He was not involved yet sees himself as possibly suffering the consequences of their behavior.\u00a0 The sons\u2019 justify their behavior but their words lacks any apparent basis in fact in the story.<\/p>\n<p><b>Reading: Gen. 34: 30 &#8211; 31 <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/34\">http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/34<\/a>.\u00a0 <b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>It might be helpful to turn to the list of the Pope\u2019s questions, if you would choose to read this passage on your own.\u00a0 Asking one or more of those questions is work, but it is also rewarding.\u00a0 For your review here are his questions:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What does this text say to me?<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0What is it about my life that you want to change by this text?<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0What troubles me about this text?<\/li>\n<li>Why am I not interested in this? Or perhaps:<\/li>\n<li>What do I find pleasant in this text?<\/li>\n<li>What is it about this word that moves me?<\/li>\n<li>What attracts me?<\/li>\n<li>Why does it attract me?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Discussion<\/b><\/p>\n<p>We were able to easily identify the characters, Jacob, Simeon, and Levi.\u00a0 Dinah is mentioned as Simeon\u2019s and Levi\u2019s sister.\u00a0 All the other brothers are not mentioned at all.\u00a0 Most critically God is no mentioned in the whole of this passage.<\/p>\n<p>Tim\u2019s assessment of Jacob was that he was true to form; concerned about himself, not forthright.\u00a0 Ken reacted by observing that we tend to pigeon whole people; project a certain personality on them.\u00a0 He pointed out that Jacob didn\u2019t want nor seek revenge.\u00a0 It was his sons who did so.\u00a0 He thought too that as a leader he would be held accountable for what his sons did.\u00a0 Annette thought as well that as their leader Jacob would be held accountable for what the sons had done. \u00a0Faryl felt that both Tim and Ken had something true to offer in the conversation. \u00a0Jacob has a character that she agrees with Tim&#8217;s description of but also feels that Ken&#8217;s points are true too. \u00a0His character is multi-dimensional.<\/p>\n<p>I wondered what was the significance of the son\u2019s response.\u00a0 It took a while for the group to recognize the words the two brothers used to described what had happened to Dinah. \u00a0She had been treated as a \u201cprostitute.\u201d \u00a0Roseann though that the word \u201cprostitute\u201d really didn\u2019t applied in this case.\u00a0 Without noticing the change in words though neither the question nor the possible answers could come forward.\u00a0 Focusing on the actual words is what Pope Francis meant by his word, the literal.<\/p>\n<p>Roseann suggested too that the use of this term by her brothers might be an expression of their disapproval of the very idea of intermarriage between the two peoples.<\/p>\n<p>I thought that there was a further question that would be worth reflecting on.\u00a0 What do we think God is revealing in this passage?\u00a0 Ken felt that it was a clear example of how violence breeds more violence.\u00a0 Roseann believed as well that it is our human nature to retaliate.\u00a0 Faryl was quick to point that despite the awful behavior, God\u2019s promise is still at work, coming into effect.<\/p>\n<p>I raised a final question, what difference did Jesus make, if after three thousand years we are continuing to do pretty the same thing.\u00a0 Kai made a number of very meaningful observations.\u00a0 He agreed that this story has been repeated in different settings over human history.\u00a0 It seems to be our human nature which is further aggravated by the absence of God.\u00a0 But the most telling thing is how they used their religious symbols as a tool to commit these atrocities.\u00a0 He concluded his remarks by reflecting that Jesus has made us more aware of what is going on.<\/p>\n<p>I tended to agree with Kai but felt that besides the inner awareness that Jesus has brought to us there was as well an \u201cobjective\u201d change in the human world.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 refusal to repay violence with more violence has changed something fundamental in the human world.\u00a0 His approach to evil has reemerged over time in the lives of others and each time we are stirred by that person\u2019s life.\u00a0 The death of Nelson Mandela brought that to light just recently.<\/p>\n<p>Ken thought that we feel some need to defend our honor, our religion.\u00a0 He then mentioned, almost in passing, that there have been a number of posts on the internet and in the newspapers in opposition to Pope Francis.\u00a0 The posts express the feeling that the Pope should be a more forceful leader, defend the honor of the church, make the moral judgments that our church believes is true.\u00a0 Rosemarie thought that these persons didn\u2019t really understand the Pope.<\/p>\n<p>I have the opinion that the authors of these statements understand the Pope very well, they simply don\u2019t agree with him.<\/p>\n<p>We moved on to the next passage.\u00a0 More on that later.<\/p>\n<p>You are invited to respond to these or other questions that might arise within you as you read this passage.\u00a0 Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed.\u00a0 See \u201ccomment\u201d link below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 12\/22\/13 Previous Week\u2019s [12\/15\/13] Review \u2013 Did Not Post Background to today\u2019s Readings Readings Gen. 34: 30 \u2013 31 Gen. 35: 01 &#8211; 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