Friday, November 6, 2026

 

Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 16:1-8)

On a tour of the restored Pompeii the guide stopped in front of a house to point out an adornment.  It was a statue of a man which, when the gate of the yard opened, exposed the representation of a giant phallus.  Unfortunately, the stimulus for such crudeness did not die out with antiquity.  St. Paul’s warning in the first reading today is as valid now as two thousand years ago.

Paul urges his readers not to copy the ways of the pagan majority.  He sees the obsession with fine dining and the ubiquitous references to sex in Greek society as anti-Christ.  Disciples of Jesus, he would say, do not belong to such a realm.  According to Paul, their homeland is the kingdom of God which is still to come in fullness.  For now, he would advise that they only comply with the law like mindful immigrants.  In no way, he would say, should they accustom themselves to the mores of the time. 

Today, in part because of the success of Christianity to humanize the world, we find many positive elements in secular society.  We can actively participate in most social affairs without undue worry of contamination.  Indeed, the Second Vatican Council promoted such engagement.  It called on lay men and women to prepare the world for the coming of God’s kingdom in its fullness.

Thursday, November 5, 2026

 

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Philippians 3:3-8a; Luke 15:1-10)

Today’s first reading is meant to shock its listeners. St. Paul calls the Christian community “the circumcision.”  He means that collectively Christians give witness to being the new “Chosen People” of God as circumcision marked the people of the Mosaic Covenant, Paul   sees this coming about when Christians manifest the Holy Spirit in daily life.  Their joy, peace, and love show the world that they belong to God.

A look at the context of Paul’s saying aids understanding.  Paul has just exhorted the Philippians to “beware of the dogs” preaching the necessity of circumcision.  These preachers were probably Jewish-Christians who insisted on the physical sign that marks Jewish men from non-Jewish neighbors. 

There are Christians who insist on physical signs.  They promote scapulars, medals, even rosaries.  It is not wrong to use these signs.  As Paul mentions possible gains from his being raised a Jew, so we might attribute blessings from use of what are termed “sacramentals.” However, spiritual signs of the Spirit’s presence give truer testimony and merit greater reward.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

 

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

(Philippians 2:12-18; Luke 14:25-33)

A popular song many years ago said that romantic love must be intense, inclusive, and forever. It was entitled “All the Way” and sounds much like the demand Jesus is making of the crowds following him in today’s gospel.  They must love him “all the way” – more than family, indeed more than their very lives.

Jesus uses highly rhetorical speech in his address.  He does not mean that disciples have to hate their families nor that they must renounce all possessions.  But they must realize that putting themselves in his service is a costly venture.  Following him, the human correlative of the “Kingdom of God,” means relativizing everything to him.  In other words, he must be their first priority at all times.

Today we celebrate a churchman who always put Jesus first.  St. Charles Borromeo lived in the highly troubled sixteenth century.  He spent his inheritance feeding the poor during a famine and caring for the sick during the plague.  He also championed Church reform and resisted Protestant influence in Catholic territories.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

 

(Optional) Memorial of Saint Martin de Porres (religious)

(Philippians 2:5-11; Luke  14:15-24)

As St. Paul exhorts the Philippian community to think of one another as better than themselves, he offers Jesus as a model.  Although he was the incarnate God, Jesus did not lord over anyone.  Rather, he twice humbled himself.  First, he became human to identify with sin-laden men and women.  Then, he gave himself to an excruciating death to pay back the debt of sin of all. 

St. Martin imitated Christ’s humility.  Because he thought of himself as inferior to others, Martin several times refused to profess as a religious.  He did severe penance, including repeated flagellation every night, as penance for sin.  As a result, the people of Lima and the surrounding area considered him a saint at the time of his death.

In the age of Instagram, humility has been largely abandoned.  We want to see ourselves as good as most people and better than many.  We see Christ as the one to adore, more than to imitate.  Martin has become a symbol of racial equality, more than a model of service.  Now is the time to realign these priorities.  Humility is primary because it retraces the route of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of our unsurpassable patron, Martin de Porres.

Monday, November 2, 2026

 

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

(Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40)

Friends were talking. “How could God allow someone into heaven,” one asked, “if after having committed sin all his life, he repents on his death bed?” Another friend said that this question was addressed by the prophet Ezekiel twenty-five hundred years ago.  God has created humans in His image and expects them to live be justly.  He is not only good to create but also merciful to His creation.  If humans swerve from righteousness, He is willing to receive them back into His favor. 

God’s mercy is explicated in today’s reading from Romans.  God forgives even grievous sins because of the blood sacrificed by Jesus Christ.  No matter the gravity, no matter the number, Christ’s sacrifice more than makes up for sins. Furthermore, the Church has specified the mechanism of forgiveness.  In the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance sinners renounce their sins and accept Christ as their Lord.

At this point we might want to join the conversation: what if sinners never are baptized or never confess their sins to a priest?  Can they be numbered among the “Faithful Departed” commemorated today?  Here God’s mercy reaches even lower than expected.  The Church teaches that if sinners repent in their hearts out of love for God, even mortal sins are forgiven.  This kind of repentance, called “perfect contrition, comes almost naturally.  When we consider God’s goodness in creation and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, how can we not be sorry for having offended His authority?