This Week's Gospel Discusses The Concept Of Hardcore

Being a priest I can imagine is hard work. Out of everything they do the one part of their job I think I can get into is composing a sermon . Which is what I end up doing in blog anyway except source material is seldom the Gospels. Though it's happened once or twice. 

Well it's not to well known among my family or most of my friends that I attend a sort of bible study. It's called the School of the Word where we take the Bible dig deeper and appreciate its intricacies even more. This is headed by a religious organization called Verbum Dei.

The last time I attended it was worthwhile as usual. Father Gerson is always well prepared and links several passages together to further stress the theme for that day. What is always enjoyable is wrapping it up with input from the group how the readings spoke to them. 

Last week, I had something to say regarding this week's Gospel but we were running short on time and my thoughts on the matter left my IPad. I just came from church where I encountered the reading again (albeit in Spanish) and it occurred to me to refine my thoughts somewhat and if I could not share it at that moment with our group then share it in cyberspace. Besides my blog my rules. No restrictions on time and I can meander anywhere in my depraved thinking.


John 6:60 - On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" is the first line. The title of the Gospel in my Bible 360 is Many disciples desert Jesus. 

To follow the path of Jesus is supposed to be hard. Hate to break it to some of you but the last three years of Jesus life was no picnic. This Gospel story struck me because it's very much like life. Anyone who ever tried out for a team will be familiar with cut down day. The day that the pretenders are separated from the contenders. Life is a weeding out process.

The day of this particular Gospel for me seemed like Jesus' cut down day. Where he picked the final 12 he would go to war with so to speak. The ones who would ultimately establish the Church in his absence. It is truly a daunting task and it's not for just anyone. Jesus was just left with the "hardcore".

There is a thing called the 80/20 rule . Which simply means 80% of a business' revenue comes from 20% of its clients. The 20% are the hardcore.

A slightly older blog I recently wrote was about the Philippines lack of success in the Olympics. To medal in any Olympic event an athlete must compete in a series of events leading up to the Olympics to the point that person is one of the top 3 in the world at whatever event. That takes discipline , attitude and consistency . Along the way there will be a weeding out process. There will be talented people who will fall by the wayside only because some less talented people overcame that gap because of desire and discipline. This process is repeated over and over around the world and converges every four years in the Olympics and only three competitors will get to the podium and one of them will hear the national anthem of their country play at the end of the event.  In other words one has to be hard core to get a medal.

My previous blog entry  spoke not so much about the hardcore but the soft core opportunists. The bandwagon that gets filled up quite rapidly by people whose main value is to be with the in crowd. In a previous blog I spoke about Christ being hailed then condemned by bandwagon mentality all in the space of five days. Bandwagon jumping is for people whose values are so weak and undefined that they just want to be seen with the crowd instead of being seen for what they stand for regardless of crowd size.

Hard core can be defined as not casual or devoted. That is what it's going to take to excel at anything, even as a follower of Christ.   I never paid much attention to this Gospel before much less break it down. Guess I had to be hard core before it spoke to me. 

Ed

My Reflection on the Easter Season and Bandwagon Jumping

I hope you all reflected with the time you have been given this Easter season. One of the topics I consistently explore in my blog is how internal values affect external actions. The lack of internal values leads to mob mentality. As Kenobi puts it " The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. "





A manifestation of mob mentality is bandwagon jumping. making choices more to fit in with people around you than to align your actions with your personal beliefs. Of course if your beliefs are not really convictions then you will easily be swayed into mob mentality. Anthony Robbins said that you make every decision to get closer to pleasure to avoid pain. If you voluntarily experience pain it's with the belief that you are avoiding a greater pain.


When your values do not have roots, then you allow yourself to morally drift with the crowd. Hence the mob mentality. Hence the bandwagon jumping. Sometimes not wishing to conform to those who easily conform is seen as being stubborn.

 

Ever since I was a young lad and I started paying attention to the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ it always struck me the contrast between the people's behavior hailing Jesus on Palm Sunday and then come Good Friday they were calling for his head. The video I have provided below.  Please note in the third scene where Pilate gives the people a chance to vote who among Barabas or Jesus will be set free, the intimidation tactics used to manipulate the outcome of a vote does not seemed to have changed in two thousand  years. Once again proving the relevance of the Bible today.  And on a slightly less humble note, I saw the actor that plays Pilate on the plane, twenty years after this movie was made. 



In previous blogs I have quoted Tom Cochrane and Red Rider to explain mob mentality: ”People do some strange things
When they're all together
They wouldn't even dream of
By themselves” .

Just  like there is strength in numbers. Mob mentality also proves there is weakness in numbers.



I have no problem admitting you that I am a very flawed human being. One thing about watching and reading the story of Christ this Lenten season once again reinforced to me that the Church as we know it was built on flawed human beings. I told you last month that last year I was introduced to the School of the Word. Where we study scripture and apply it to our thinking, experience and our lives. One thing I will not forget Fr.Gerson say was that the Bible is not naive.

The Bible accounts for human flaws. Otherwise it would be impossible to have redemption stories. It's all there. Whether it's Moses or David or others. Trials and difficulties abound in the Bible. And wouldn't you know it , we all go through trials and difficulties.
 

 
Peter was all vim and vigor about Jesus when times were good. He denied Christ when the going got tough even when he was warned that he would . Peter himself jumped on the bandwagon when it was convenient. But Peter ultimately rebounded for his moment of weakness to be the Rock he was predicted to be. The Apostles scattered like roaches when you turn on the light at the time of Jesus' arrest. But they overcame that weakness and sustained the courage to build the Church. People of weak or no faith will be quick to point out the current weaknesses of humans in the Church and ignore any good they have done. If you will dwell on the bad, try to see the good.

 
All through out the story of Jesus. There are elements that want to subvert what Jesus stood for and his message and his following for their own purpose. What hit me while watching Jesus of Nazareth is that the story happens with the backdrop of the land being occupied by the Roman Empire. As in any occupation that requires military means to perpetuate it, there are always dynamics in play in everyday life. This affects the Gospel. If Jesus did not stick to his guns, the fundamentals of his teachings then they would have been subverted. For the record his teachings were love, faith, obedience , humility, caring for one another. It's all there in the book. Remember that when people of today speak in his name or claim to be his followers and want to subvert you . What values do you see in their actions? 


Warning the following are examples that hit me as mob mentality. Sorry if you disagree but read my explanations before you violently react to me. It would not be mob mentality if only  very few bought into it. I had to pick examples that were conspicuous. If the example bothers you I will listen to a well said rebuttal. My previous observations of people jumping on bandwagons:

Noynoy Aquino. His meteoric rise to the highest elected office in the land is proof of bandwagon jumping and mob mentality. He has no internal values that lead to concrete deeds. Like I said a while back pre election, he is wallpaper. He is just there.

You could not convince me in a million years that the people who jumped on the Noynoy bandwagon valued integrity, leadership and action. Noynoy was not any of those things yet he won the election. They valued ephemeral family ties and counterfeit patriotism. People jumping on the Noynoy bandwagon for me was the ultimate mob mentality. Supporters glossed over leadership and tangible evidence of crisis management. Look at Noynoy's campaign. All he did was anchor himself to the past. His parents' past. Not even his own. The color yellow, the 'L" sign, his dead mother's picture over his shoulder. Things he had nothing to do with.  And our nation rewarded him for that. Electing as your ultimate leader one who does not fit the traditional framework of  a leader is not exactly the Filipino's shining hour .

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1114/You_Mean_We_Have_To_Elect_A_Leader_


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1118/Noynoy_By_The_Book_Again

Efren Penaflorida - pinoys jump on his bandwagon not because they value what he does but they value the attention he gets. So they pretend they value his mission of education.

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1017/Hypocrisy_of_the_Recognition_and_Admiration_of_Efren_Penaflorida

Azkals   - nation pins their hopes on people who are not even from this nation to represent this nation. http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1263/ESPNs_Scott_Van_Pelt_Describes_Azkals_Bandwagon_Kind_Of

Pinoy Drug Mules- yeah, true leadership is jumping on the bandwagon of countrymen who go to other countries and break their rules. Instead of using it as a teachable moment for being accountable.

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1231/PNoy_Proposed_Prayer_Vigil_Preposterous_Presumes_Privilege_is_Pseudo_Patriotic_and_Prostitutes_Piety_

Using Death as an excuse to jump on the bandwagon

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/913/Riding_the_Momentum_of_Death

Crab Mentality- question bandwagon jumping and you get accused of being a crab

http://edrlopez.blogspot.com/2011/07/injecting-dose-of-reality-is-not-crab.html

This Easter Sunday I hope you took the time over the break to reinforce your values through thinking and prayer so that you are not easily shoved into a convenient bandwagon. The deeper your values are the less room there will be for you in the bandwagon.

Ed

The Acid Trip Gospel

In the interest of full disclosure I have never experimented with anything stronger than hard alcohol or caffeine. Unless you count David Lynch and David Cronenberg movies. But I remember specifically going to mass either 1977 or 1978 and hearing this Gospel and quite possibly experiencing my first acid trip like experience. Even for my preteen mind the imagery was amazing. Plus the fact the disciples just took for granted that Moses and Elijah just showed up with all the mundanes the way we would ask if they want cream or Splenda with their coffee. When this Gospel was read today I thought this would make for a good out from left field type entry. Below I quote the actual reading plus some other people's comments on the same Gospel.


Ed









http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%209.28-36&version=TNIV (actual Gospel)



http://www.gospel.com/blog/index.php/category/transfiguration/ (interpretation)

http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~young/sermon3.html (interpretation)

http://seattle.wa.us.mennonite.net/sermons/2003/mar203sermon.htm

Actual Gospel

Luke 9:28-36 (Today's New International Version) The Transfiguration 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, [a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Tags: gospel, mass, bible, transfiguration, jesus christ