You will find below homilettes for all weekdays since January 7. If you have a comment or suggestion about these works, please write me at cmeleop@yahoo.com. Many New Year blessings, cm
Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
(Mark 1:21-28)
Every once in a while we see criticism of humanism from Christian groups. According to these people humanism is the archenemy of faith because it seeks to replace the primacy of God with that of humans. But certainly this criticism is short-sighted. There are great saints like Thomas More who were humanists. Even Pope John Paul II was considered a Christian humanist. Condemning humanism as anti-Christian would be like condemning radio with the same label. Just as there are quality radio programs – some that even promoting the gospel – so also are most forms of humanism beneficial.
Humanism endeavors to promote all men and women, not just the rich or the educated, but poor and simple people as well. It says that the value of any individual human should not be ignored. It is true that some humanists get carried away with these ideas. Secular humanists, for example, would say that God does not exist. Indeed, they make humans gods of themselves with the authority to make all laws as they see fit. But this is an aberration.
In the gospel Jesus shows how God Himself may be called a humanist. When a man who is possessed by a devil comes before him, he takes pity. Right away, he casts out the devil so the man may have his life back. The fact that he does this on the Sabbath doubly indicates God’s love for every human being. The Pharisees consider Saturday so holy that all regular activity must stop to give praise to God. For a healer, as Jesus certainly is, this would mean to stop healing. Jesus’ driving away the demon from the possessed man on the Sabbath indicates that God is honored more by restoring humans to their full senses than by compliance with a narrow interpretation of the Law.
Homilette for January 14, 2008
Monday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
(Mark 1:14-20)
In a recent book evaluating the great Catholics theologians of the twentieth century, the author reserves the highest praise for the Canadian Jesuit Bernard Lonergan. Fr. Lonergan’s Method in Theology not only contains keen theological insights; it also answers modern philosophy’s challenges to the theological enterprise. For Lonergan the concept of conversion that Jesus has in mind when he calls for repentance in the gospel today is as basic to writing theology as it is to living the Christian life.
We might hear the call to repentance as meant for other people. After all, we are already in church when the gospel passage is read. But, as Bernard Lonergan would say, conversion or repentance is a life-long process that every person must strive for in order to experience the Kingdom of God. All of us continually have to examine the principles by which we live, ask ourselves where we fail to measure up to the standards that God has set, ask forgiveness for any harm that living by the old principles has caused, and then amend our lives to incorporate the gospel. As extended as this list is, true conversion is even more challenging because it means going against established routine. But, of course, the happiness of the Kingdom provides the necessary incentive and the Spirit of Jesus, the extraordinary means to take up the quest.
To achieve full repentance religious have formed the habit of frequent participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They seriously look at their lives once a month or even once a week. They note where they have strayed from the gospel values that they have learned. And they confess these sins with the firm resolve not to fall again. This practice is not the reserve for those who have vowed themselves to a religious community. It is the model for all Christians who take their faith seriously.
(Mark 1:14-20)
In a recent book evaluating the great Catholics theologians of the twentieth century, the author reserves the highest praise for the Canadian Jesuit Bernard Lonergan. Fr. Lonergan’s Method in Theology not only contains keen theological insights; it also answers modern philosophy’s challenges to the theological enterprise. For Lonergan the concept of conversion that Jesus has in mind when he calls for repentance in the gospel today is as basic to writing theology as it is to living the Christian life.
We might hear the call to repentance as meant for other people. After all, we are already in church when the gospel passage is read. But, as Bernard Lonergan would say, conversion or repentance is a life-long process that every person must strive for in order to experience the Kingdom of God. All of us continually have to examine the principles by which we live, ask ourselves where we fail to measure up to the standards that God has set, ask forgiveness for any harm that living by the old principles has caused, and then amend our lives to incorporate the gospel. As extended as this list is, true conversion is even more challenging because it means going against established routine. But, of course, the happiness of the Kingdom provides the necessary incentive and the Spirit of Jesus, the extraordinary means to take up the quest.
To achieve full repentance religious have formed the habit of frequent participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They seriously look at their lives once a month or even once a week. They note where they have strayed from the gospel values that they have learned. And they confess these sins with the firm resolve not to fall again. This practice is not the reserve for those who have vowed themselves to a religious community. It is the model for all Christians who take their faith seriously.
Homilette for January 11, 2008
Friday after Epiphany
(I John 5:5-13)
In one of his books Stephen Jay Gould, the Harvard evolutionist, opines that humans may not be as superior as we think. He acknowledges that the human brain has unequaled mental powers, but offers as a comparable marvel the ability of certain bacteria to withstand temperatures of several thousands degrees. And so the academic debate rages: are we merely first cousins to other living things, with no kind of life having an essential priority? Or are humans innately superior to all other kinds of earthly creatures?
Christians should have no doubt about the answer. We believe not only that we have been created in the image of God, the creator, but also God has deigned to take on our flesh in Jesus Christ. This second truth has especially vaulted us far beyond all other plants and animals. Now humanness is no longer associated with fallibility but more appropriately with decency, respect, and love. This is the import of Christmas, the feast that still commands our attention, two weeks after its celebration.
Although humans are capable of the heights of heaven, we often act more like starving dogs fighting over food. Sin has so tarnished our image of ourselves that some of us do not recognize our potential for goodness. As the reading from the First Letter of John states we must turn to Christ as the witness of the glory which is within our reach.
(I John 5:5-13)
In one of his books Stephen Jay Gould, the Harvard evolutionist, opines that humans may not be as superior as we think. He acknowledges that the human brain has unequaled mental powers, but offers as a comparable marvel the ability of certain bacteria to withstand temperatures of several thousands degrees. And so the academic debate rages: are we merely first cousins to other living things, with no kind of life having an essential priority? Or are humans innately superior to all other kinds of earthly creatures?
Christians should have no doubt about the answer. We believe not only that we have been created in the image of God, the creator, but also God has deigned to take on our flesh in Jesus Christ. This second truth has especially vaulted us far beyond all other plants and animals. Now humanness is no longer associated with fallibility but more appropriately with decency, respect, and love. This is the import of Christmas, the feast that still commands our attention, two weeks after its celebration.
Although humans are capable of the heights of heaven, we often act more like starving dogs fighting over food. Sin has so tarnished our image of ourselves that some of us do not recognize our potential for goodness. As the reading from the First Letter of John states we must turn to Christ as the witness of the glory which is within our reach.
Homilette for January 10, 2008
Thursday after Epiphany
(I John 4:19-5:4)
In a movie adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables, a prisoner writes a love letter to his wife. He is a largely unlettered man without grandiose ideas so he only repeats “I love you” over and over again. The first letter of John, from which we read today, may sound almost as simplistic. However, its meaning is as profound as its lesson is worth repeating.
The author of the letter knows from bitter experience how the world can corrupt a person. For this reason he underlines the need to keep God’s commandments. But, he says, this is not a difficult task because the essence of the commandments is love which brings its own delight. “Not necessarily true,” we might object from our own experience trying to please difficult persons. But John finds as the object of love the virtuous brothers and sisters of the faith community. In caring for these good people, he concludes, the person fulfills the natural desire to return God’s love shown in the gift of Christ.
As defrocked Christmas trees dot empty lots, Christmas becomes a flickering memory. Our resolve to live each day with the love we felt on Christmas may have become similarly vague. John’s persistent reminders that God has given us Christ keep us from forgetting about the desirability of loving.
(I John 4:19-5:4)
In a movie adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables, a prisoner writes a love letter to his wife. He is a largely unlettered man without grandiose ideas so he only repeats “I love you” over and over again. The first letter of John, from which we read today, may sound almost as simplistic. However, its meaning is as profound as its lesson is worth repeating.
The author of the letter knows from bitter experience how the world can corrupt a person. For this reason he underlines the need to keep God’s commandments. But, he says, this is not a difficult task because the essence of the commandments is love which brings its own delight. “Not necessarily true,” we might object from our own experience trying to please difficult persons. But John finds as the object of love the virtuous brothers and sisters of the faith community. In caring for these good people, he concludes, the person fulfills the natural desire to return God’s love shown in the gift of Christ.
As defrocked Christmas trees dot empty lots, Christmas becomes a flickering memory. Our resolve to live each day with the love we felt on Christmas may have become similarly vague. John’s persistent reminders that God has given us Christ keep us from forgetting about the desirability of loving.
Homilette for January 9, 2008
Wednesday after Epiphany
(I John 4:11-18)
If we were asked to describe the true meaning of Christmas, how would we reply? Would we speak of a societal surge in buying to strengthen the economy? Economic activity is certainly characteristic of the nation’s celebration of Christmas but hardly explains its meaning. Would we offer the experience of family togetherness about the decorated fur tree? Surely many people celebrate Christmas “at home” with loved ones who have cared for them all their lives. But there is a deeper, more comprehensive meaning that we would want to relate.
We hardly could find a better description of the meaning of Christmas that the familiar verse from the Gospel of John: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son...” At Christmas we rejoice in our certainty of God’s love and marvel at its enormity. God’s love moves us to come out of ourselves – to share what we have with others, not just our families but with friends and needy people around the world.
The reading from the First Letter of John explains some of the dynamic of divine love. God shares his Spirit of love with us. This Spirit drives out the fear that distances us both from God and from one another. We no longer resent God as a judge who might condemn us; rather, we love Him as a Father who will bestow on us eternal life. Likewise with other people: we know that they cannot really harm us because we have the promise of eternal life. We wish to care for them out of imitation of our benevolent Father.
(I John 4:11-18)
If we were asked to describe the true meaning of Christmas, how would we reply? Would we speak of a societal surge in buying to strengthen the economy? Economic activity is certainly characteristic of the nation’s celebration of Christmas but hardly explains its meaning. Would we offer the experience of family togetherness about the decorated fur tree? Surely many people celebrate Christmas “at home” with loved ones who have cared for them all their lives. But there is a deeper, more comprehensive meaning that we would want to relate.
We hardly could find a better description of the meaning of Christmas that the familiar verse from the Gospel of John: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son...” At Christmas we rejoice in our certainty of God’s love and marvel at its enormity. God’s love moves us to come out of ourselves – to share what we have with others, not just our families but with friends and needy people around the world.
The reading from the First Letter of John explains some of the dynamic of divine love. God shares his Spirit of love with us. This Spirit drives out the fear that distances us both from God and from one another. We no longer resent God as a judge who might condemn us; rather, we love Him as a Father who will bestow on us eternal life. Likewise with other people: we know that they cannot really harm us because we have the promise of eternal life. We wish to care for them out of imitation of our benevolent Father.
Homilette for January 8, 2008
Tuesday after Epiphany
(Psalm 72:1-2; 3-4; 7-8)
Recently the Vatican Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement on evangelization. The congregation serves as a watchdog against errors that creep up in the Church. The recent statement typically had a tone of correction. But the faithful, even the theologians whom the Congregation had in mind, should take the document as an aid to understanding our faith.
The statement reaffirms the need to go out and “make disciples of all nations.” We cannot be content with missionary activity, whether at home or abroad, that only seeks to assist human development. Missionaries, which all Christians in a sense become by virtue of Baptism, must strive to convince people by words and deeds that Jesus is Lord and invite them to worship him. Evangelization does not mean proselytizing in its current sense of imposing one’s religion on people of other faith traditions by criticizing those traditions and alluring them with material rewards.
The responsorial psalm today indicates why evangelization is such a critical need. We believe that Jesus is both the king and the king’s son. When the whole world comes to worship him, peace will reign among nations and justice will spring up among all people. All this will occur because Jesus’ law is the Holy Spirit which transforms human hearts.
(Psalm 72:1-2; 3-4; 7-8)
Recently the Vatican Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement on evangelization. The congregation serves as a watchdog against errors that creep up in the Church. The recent statement typically had a tone of correction. But the faithful, even the theologians whom the Congregation had in mind, should take the document as an aid to understanding our faith.
The statement reaffirms the need to go out and “make disciples of all nations.” We cannot be content with missionary activity, whether at home or abroad, that only seeks to assist human development. Missionaries, which all Christians in a sense become by virtue of Baptism, must strive to convince people by words and deeds that Jesus is Lord and invite them to worship him. Evangelization does not mean proselytizing in its current sense of imposing one’s religion on people of other faith traditions by criticizing those traditions and alluring them with material rewards.
The responsorial psalm today indicates why evangelization is such a critical need. We believe that Jesus is both the king and the king’s son. When the whole world comes to worship him, peace will reign among nations and justice will spring up among all people. All this will occur because Jesus’ law is the Holy Spirit which transforms human hearts.
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