Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 3, 2013:
Jeremiah 1: 4-5-6, 17-19
Psalm 71: 1-6, 15-17
1 Corinthians 12: 31- 13: 13
Luke 4: 21-30

The psalmist implores God:

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians muses about having faith strong enough to

move mountains.

And Jesus narrowly escapes being hurled down the hill of his own hometown by his fellow Jews!

So, what do these varied images of geological formations have to tell us about anything? And how is it that we read again and again of rocks and stones in our Scripture?

• The house built on a solid foundation (Mt 7:21, Lk 6:46)
• The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5)
• The seed on rocky ground.. ( Lk 8: 6)
• Let the one without sin cast the first stone... (Jn 8: 7)
• The stone across the tomb (Mk 15: 46)

The stone, the rock, the mountain can be a weapon, place of danger or symbol of being 'set in stone' (hard-hearted', immovable).  They can also speak to us of protection, surety, a new vantage point, a safe refuge.

In the Gospel, Jesus used the firm foundation of the prophet Isaiah to define his 'mission statement', and his neighbors in the synagogue were just as firm in their expectations for him to stay in place (the carpenter's son becomes a carpenter- what's wrong with him?!).  That's a challenge many of us face as well-- the pressure to fulfill the expectations of others, whether or not that means being true to ourselves. And yet God's Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the gifts that provide refuge and strength to carry out our mission - the mission of all baptized in Christ: to love and serve as Jesus did.

The topic for the Catechumenate session this Sunday is the Sacrament of Confirmation.