18/02/2022

The Lords words that we read in the gospels everyday were first remembered and then written. There are very few words that are accepted as having come directly from Jesus' lips. There is a very short list of them that are accepted by all New Testament scholars. 

I can't remember any of those "true sayings" of Jesus but I do remember that the Gospels did not take on their accepted and unchangeable form until some 300 years after the Resurrection. Three hundred years is a long time and it is because of knowing this that the various copies of the scrolls and books were studied and consolidated to produce the New Testament we read today.

The key words, for me, of today's Gospel are "I tell you solemnly that there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God coming to power". The people who copied  these words must have been tempted to drop them as they were not proven in any real sense. Our scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit and have to have "Truth" but what exactly this particular "Truth" means is not clear to me.The commentators I have just googled and skimmed through suggest that here Christ is referencing his Transfiguration which will happen within the week. Why not the Resurrection which is a couple of years away?

St James is quite clear that our life with God is not just a mental exercise but a complete commitment that is not just the avoidance of sin but a commitment to be  proved by deeds.

Dear Lord let me be guided by you as remembered by those who walked with you. Father Son and Holy Spirit let that love flow through Mary and all the saints to us all who, although like Herod perplexed wish to open our very beings to the Faith that is your  gift to us and your Church.