Monday
of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Kings 17:5-8.13-15a.18; Matthew 7:1-5)
This week the first reading of the daily mass narrates
the fall of Israel. Today, it recounts the
fall of the northern kingdom, called Israel or Samaria, to the Assyrian
army. Toward the end of the week it will
tell of a similar fate for the southern kingdom of Judah. In both cases the Scriptures fault Israel’s own
infidelity to God as the reason for its downfall.
It is not that Israel and Judah necessarily became weak
with overindulgence that caused their downfall.
Nor is it the case that they fell because their enemies were stronger
than they. No, their undoing was that
God “put them out of his sight.” Because
of their infidelity, God did not care for them as he did for their ancestors
emerging from Egypt.
It is sometimes said that the Church more than any nation
on earth will continue to exist. This is
true because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Still the Church cannot take the Spirit’s
presence for granted. We must pray for
its guidance and follow its promptings if we are to live in its glory.
Memorial of Saint
John Fisher, bishop and martyr, and Saint Thomas More, martyr
(I Peter 4:12-19; Matthew 10:34-39)
Today’s gospel reminds us of the necessity to love Jesus
more than family. It spurs us to follow
his directives rather than our parents’ when the two sets diverge. The gospel implies as well that we are to
love Jesus more than our country. It may
hurt to think of having to choose between God and country, but at times in our
lives there may be reason to do so.
Thomas More was forced to choose God as He is interpreted in the Church
over his king. His stand costed him his
life.
We wonder if there are laws that we should not obey for
love of God. In some areas doctors are
being subject to legal censure if they do not participate in physician-assisted
suicide. Some may have to resign from
their practice rather than submit to a law demanding that they do so. For a long time legislators similarly have faced
a moral dilemma akin to disobeying an unjust law. They have had to choose between voting in
favor of abortion-friendly bills and losing popular support.
One element of Thomas More’s story should give us
consolation. He did not seek
martyrdom. He refused to say anything
about the defining question of his day – the Act of Supremacy declaring the
English monarch as head of the Church in England. For people of lesser stature and perhaps with
a more tolerant king, his life would have been spared. In any case, we pray in the Our Father, “deliver
us from evil” that we will be spared such ruinous choices. But let us also pray that when we cannot avoid
making a costly decision, we will like Tomas More do so in favor of the Lord.
