Wednesday, July 16, 2025

 Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 3:1-6.9-12; Matthew 11:25-27)

God has been described as both terrifying and fascinating.  This is why the burning bush in today’s first reading makes such an excellent symbol.   Moses is attracted to the raging fire that doesn’t consume its fuel.  Yet he must heed the voice from within the bush.  No one should doubt that Moses takes off his sandals at the Lord’s command.

But Moses hesitates to accept God’s command to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.  He likely figures that If he fails, he will have to pay heavily.  Moses does not know God yet.  He was raised in Pharaoh's house.  Moreover, even the Hebrew people have largely forgotten the Lord of their ancestors.  They do not realize yet that God’s essential quality is merciful love which shows both patience and counsel so that people can learn His ways.

But we should not equate merciful love with blind indulgence.  God knows our hearts.  He will forgive our failings when we sincerely repent.  But he will not be fooled into forgiving when we take Him for granted or when we refuse to forgive others.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(Exodus 2:1-15a; Matthew 11:20-24)

St. Bonaventure was one of the great saints of the Middle Ages.  His writings are still read and valued.  He also was an excellent administrator.  In the middle of his career at the University of Paris, he was elected General Minister of the Franciscan Order.  Bonaventure structured the large group with effective legislation and a coherent spirituality based on St. Francis’ legacy.

Today’s first reading presents another man who will become an effective leader and theologian.  It portrays Moses as a diamond in the rough.  Moses feels a righteous anger when the Egyptian strikes the Hebrew worker.   But his quick resort to violence is imprudent.  God will instruct him over years in exile so that he may lead God’s chosen people to freedom.

Neither Moses nor St. Bonaventure could have performed as well as they did without
God’s assistance.  We also need to rely on the Lord by praying often and carefully discerning His will.

Monday, July 14, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin

(Exodus 1:8-14.22; Matthew 10:34-11:1)

Today North Americans are celebrating Kateri Tekakwitha, its first Native American saint.  Her story exemplifies Jesus’ saying in today’s gospel that he has come to make “one's enemies (will be) those of his household”. 

Kateri was an orphan staying with her uncle when she met Jesuit missionaries.  She began practicing their teachings, but her uncle and others in her tribe opposed her being baptized.  Nevertheless, she persisted in following Catholic customs which caused conflicts in her tribe’s longhouse.  Kateri was baptized at nineteen years old in 1676.  She lived five more years as a dedicated Christian virgin.

No one should regard Jesus as a hostile revolutionary for saying that he came “to bring not peace but the sword.” His teachings cause unrest because they conflict with our selfish desires.  His mission has always been to bring the peace of God’s Kingdom to a world too much consumed by desire and hatred.

Sunday, July 13, 2025

 

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37)

The well-known parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us of other stories about loving one's neighbor. One such story was written by the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Entitled "Two Old Men," the action begins in Russia at an unspecified time.

Ephraim and Elisha are two elderly friends. Ephraim is well respected in his hometown for his upright life. He has a large family and plenty of money, although he continually worries that it isn't enough. Elisha is neither rich nor poor. He drinks vodka occasionally and takes snuff, but he is known as a friendly man who likes to sing. One day, the two agree to undertake the long pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to which they had committed themselves in their youth.

After walking for several weeks, Elisha struggles to keep up with Ephraim. When he becomes thirsty, Elisha tells his companion to keep going while he asks for water at a peasant's house. He promises to catch up with Ephraim later. At the house, Elisha finds poverty such as he has never seen in their lives. Each member of a family of five is on the verge of starvation. Elisha shares the provisions he carries in his backpack with the family. He then goes to the nearby village to buy more. In fact, he stays with the family for several weeks, providing for their needs until he no longer has enough money for the boat fare from Constantinople to Jaffa. So he decides to abandon the project and return to his own land.

Ephraim reaches the Holy Land and visits all the important biblical sites. While attending the sacred liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher, he sees something he knows is impossible. From the back of the sanctuary where he stands because of the crowd, Ephraim sees his friend Elisha at the front near the altar. He looks for him after the Eucharist, but with so many men leaving the sanctuary at once, he can't find him. When Ephraim returns to his homeland, he goes to visit his friend. He tells Elisha that his feet reached the Holy Land, but he wasn't certain if his soul arrived as well.

Both stories—Jesus's parable and Tolstoy's short story—teach us several lessons. One is the relative importance of being faithful to our responsibilities. The priest and the Levite in Jesus' parable overlook the half-dead man because touching a corpse would have rendered them unclean and prohibited them from performing their priestly duties. Ephraim, also a diligent man, could have returned to investigate what happened to his companion, but he decided to go ahead with his project. In itself, it is good to be faithful to our responsibilities. However, sometimes God wants us to go beyond fulfilling ordinary duties to make sacrifices for the good of those in need.

Certainly, out of justice, the Samaritan has to do something to save the man's life. Binding his wounds and taking him to a shelter seem only humane in the situation. But he treats him like a brother, taking him to an inn and paying for all his needs. Elisha shows this kind of concern, which we call "love" or "charity," for the starving family. Just as Elisha stands near the altar in his companion's vision, we will be closer to Christ for having offered this kind of love.

Finally, both stories teach that our neighbor is not just the one who lives next door or even in our country. No, we are all neighbors to one another. As global warming is making clear, actions in one part of the world can affect lives in other parts. Jesus commands the lawyer to do to others what the Samaritan does for the man assaulted by robbers. We should hear him saying to us too: “Go and do likewise.”

Friday, July 11, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

(Genesis 46:1-7.28-30; Matthew 10:16-23)

Today’s gospel has two time settings.  The first is obviously during Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus sends his apostles before him to create anticipation among the people.  The second is after Jesus’ death when the apostles are to proclaim him as Savior of the nations.

Jesus orders his preachers not to take anything with them on the journey.  He is giving them a lesson in trust.  The apostles will soon realize that any success they have is not a product of their own striving but a gift from God.  Jesus further warns his preachers that they can expect treachery on the journey but that should not deter them.  In fact, it should encourage them because it guarantees their salvation.

We should see ourselves as part of this great mission of Jesus.  We can support missionaries with money, but it is ever more necessary that we give testimony to Jesus ourselves.  One example: a man brought his family home after the Eucharist on Holy Thursday.  He didn’t take off his coat but told his son that he was going back to church to spend some time with his friend Jesus.  We should not be surprised to learn that the man’s son is a priest today.