Sunday, August 1, 2021

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 16:2-4.12-15; Ephesians 4: 7.20-24; John 6:24-35)

People always seek happiness. Many think that money will bring it to them. So they buy lottery tickets. However, according to the researchers, those who win the lottery do not stay happy for long. Sure, they feel excited for a while, but before long their temperaments change. First, the average person who wins the lottery goes broke within a few years. Another thing is that the lucky winner soon discovers that money cannot satisfy the heart’s deepest desires. They are like the Jews in the gospel today thinking that receiving free bread will make them happy.

Jesus rebukes the people for having sought him out to get more food. It is not that he wants to deny them the necessities of life. Rather, he wants to instruct them that the fulfillment of life's purpose lies not in satisfying the appetites but in believing in him. For this reason, he proclaims at the end of the passage: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger ... "

By giving us himself as food, Jesus shows us the need to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. God, our Father in heaven, gives us life as a gift. To thank him for this great benefit we have to give ourselves to others in genuine love. As soon as we realize this truth, we draw closer to the Father and we feel His great care for us. We have the examples of the saints to help us in this endeavor. Father Gratian Murray was a brother of La Salle who worked for many years in the Philippines. He there he founded an orphanage. When the bishop asked Brother Gratian to receive ordination for lack of priests in his diocese, he could not refuse. Then, Father Gratian became ill with cancer. Medicines came from the United States to cure it. However, Father Gratian refused to take them because they required him not to drink any alcohol for thirty days. He said it was more important for his boys to receive Holy Communion than for him to be cured.

In the first reading the Israelites ask of the soft powder: "'What is this?'" Moses replies, "'This is the bread that the Lord gives you for food.'" Scientists today try to explain the phenomenon of bread. They say that the desert bread is like the resin of the tamarisk tree that has the texture of wax and melts to the ground with the sun. It may be, but we Catholics explain it differently. The bread of the desert is a prototype of the bread that Jesus offered at the Last Supper with his disciples and that is offered to us in every mass. It is his flesh that, like the bread of the desert, gives life, not so much physical life but eternal life.

A few years ago, a book entitled White Bread was released. The author wrote that many scoff at white bread today as non-nutritious, but they are wrong. He added that white bread is fortified with vitamins and has no impurities. It is something like that with the Eucharistic bread. Some non-Catholics think it is of little value. However, we know that its value is infinite. It nourishes us not so much with physical life but with eternal life.

Friday, July 30, 2021

Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)

Establishing shared traditions and a fundamental law turns an assembly of people into a nation. For this purpose, Americans celebrate the Pilgrims’ thanksgiving feast and toast the Constitution as basic to their nationhood. Something similar is presented in today’s first reading.

God tells Moses to initiate the celebration of Passover. This feast memorializes the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Before this event and the subsequent covenant, the children of Israel were disparate groups without even a common understanding of God. After fifty days of journeying in the desert, God presented Israel with His law. This momentous event is celebrated with the harvest Feast of Weeks also described in the reading.

Whether for civic or religious purposes, we must remember that we are not just a composite of individuals. As a church or a nation, our common traditions mold us together to form a people with a specific mission. As Christians, our mission is to tell others about the saving grace of God. This gift is bestowed on all humanity through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

(Exodus 40:16-21.34-38; Luke 10:38-42)

The placement of Jesus’ encounter with Martha and Mary in Luke’s gospel calls forth attention. It follows the parable of the Good Samaritan in which Jesus commands help to the suffering. If the Gospel of John is correct in locating Martha and Mary’s home in Bethany, near Jerusalem, then Luke has deliberately placed the vignette here because Jesus is a long way from Jerusalem. Luke probably wants to qualify in some way Jesus’ appeal to love God and neighbor.

Martha busies herself with serving. She seems to be concerned about the fineries of hospitality. On the other hand, Mary recognizes that the Lord Jesus, God’s greatest prophet, is present. With such a guest one needs to listen and not to bother with details. Like the scholar of the law who questioned Jesus to initiate the parable of the Good Samaritan, Mary knows action follows listening to Jesus’ instructions.

Then why do we primarily celebrate St. Martha today and secondarily St. Mary? We probably do so because, as the gospel says, “…Martha welcomed him,” i.e., Jesus. We too must welcome him. He comes to us in the poor and needy, for sure. But he especially comes to us in the Eucharist where we can take Mary’s pose at his feet. We listen to him and then welcome him “under (our) roof” as we say when we receive Holy Communion.

Wedenday, July 28, 2021

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 34:29-35; Matthew 13:44-46)

One of Michelangelo’s most famous sculptures shows Moses with horns protruding from his head! It was not that Michelangelo thought Moses some kind of devil. Rather he was faithfully depicting the figure described in the Latin Bible that was used at the time. In it the Hebrew word for radiance was incorrectly translated as horn. Hence the great sculptor and holy man Michelangelo shapes horns coming out of Moses’ head.

Moses is radiant, of course, from having seen God face-to-face. God directly imparts His wisdom and love so that Moses cannot help but be changed. He has the flush look of an Olympic athlete who has just won a gold medal. The gospels speak of Jesus as having a similar radiance when he is transformed on the mountaintop. He also has seen God face-to-face.

We hope to have the Beatific Vision in eternal life. We are wise not to speculate much on what this will be like. However, the Book of Revelation tells us that the just will see God’s face. Since it is experienced out of time, the site cannot grow boring. We can rest assured that it will make us happy.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 33:7-11.34:5b-9.28; Matthew: 13-36-43)

The novel All the King’s Men relates the trajectory of a tragic politician’s career. The politician, who closely resembles a former governor of Louisiana, starts out meaning to do good. However, not long after being elected, he becomes corrupted by the dual nemesis of power and sex. Unfortunately, he is not the only character who goes astray. All those who surround him similarly betray their values and right judgment. In the end the novel shows how the world is a miry mess entangling everyone.

With sin so prevalent, Scripture strongly warns of God’s punishment. Today’s readings speak directly to the issue. In the first, God says of Himself that he does not declare the guilty guiltless but punishes even children and grandchildren. The gospel also indicates that God punishes evildoers.

We should not deny the possibility of suffering punishment because of our sins. But Scripture also speaks of God’s mercy as decidedly greater than strict justice can fathom. We have to recognize our faults, ask forgiveness, and look for God’s mercy. Then there is no need to worry about punishment as we enjoy God’s intimate care.

Monday, July 26, 2021

Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Exodus 32:14-24.30.34; Matthew 13:31-35)

Nothing is said of the parents of Mary in the canonical gospels. Apocryphal scriptures relate that Anne and Joachim were barren, prayed that they would have a child, and promised to dedicate the child to the Lord. They go on to say that at the age of three, Mary was duly delivered to the Temple where she was raised. This story resembles that of Elkanah and Hannah, the parents of Samuel. No doubt, Mary like Samuel, as children of devout Jews, were horrified by the idolatry in today’s first reading.

Feeling adrift without Moses, the Israelites pursue another course than faith in the Lord. They choose the mythical power of gold over the already demonstrated providence of God. In one sense the choice seems incredible. How could any people think that an inanimate object has life let alone authority? But gold has a way of mystifying the mind and obscuring common sense. Ponzi schemes have failed time and again. Yet gullible souls continually forfeit money trying to exploit their latest incarnation.

Many of us have to remind ourselves not to make money a god. Money seems so important that we want to get and retain as much of it as possible. We forget that it is only a means to an end, and that end requires other resources much more than money. Although money enables us to live, the fullness of life is to love deeply and committedly. It is to thank God for whatever we have and to use what we have for the good of all.

Sunday, July 25, 2021

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, July 25, 2021

(II Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15)

In December, President Biden received his first dose of the virus vaccine. The photo of the event was published in many newspapers across America. It was a sign that the vaccine is not dangerous but helpful, indeed life-saving. More than scientific reports, the photo has the power to reach human consciousness. In the gospel Jesus performs a sign with similar effect when he feeds the crowd.

Jesus has performed several signs before. He healed the sick, and once changed water into wine. But he has never accomplished anything as impressive as multiplying a few loaves and fish to feed hundreds of people. He does it with leftovers to satisfy dozens of others. Jesus doesn't just want to nourish people. His greater concern is that they take him as the bread of eternal life. Now people recognize him as "the prophet to come." Unfortunately, however, they don't understand the meaning of his words.

In the reading the people come to make Jesus king. They think that he will give them bread without them working. They are wrong in two ways. First, they don't realize how work is an irreplaceable blessing. In this world men and women prove themselves worthy, at least in part, through work. They develop both their brains and their muscles in effort to produce useful goods and services for others. They also work to buy food, clothes, and shelter for their families. If we wanted a life without work, we would have a primitive existence like fish on a coral reef.

Second, people are wrong when they think of natural bread as what is most important. They are unaware that the greatest food Jesus offers is a share in his life. More than healing diseases and more than eating bread, a share in Jesus' life promises consolation and love that lasts forever. This is not to say that his life is always easy. The consolation he offers is not received without suffering. The love he gives is not known without death itself.

In the gospel, everyone eats his fill. So we must also. The bread that Jesus provides us is his own flesh in the form of the Eucharistic host. Taking it in faith, we will be inclined to work not only for the good of our families but also for others. Be it caring for children or mowing lawns, with the bread that is Jesus our brains and muscles will create a better world. Then we will experience some of the comfort and love whose fullness will come to us at the end of time.

Friday, July 23, 2021

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 3:14-17; Matthew 13:18-23)

In a television drama, a detective is asked if he believes in God. He answers that he used to and hints that he lost his faith when his wife was killed in a hit and run accident. The vignette demonstrates what Jesus means in the gospel by saying that some seed falls on rocky ground.

No one’s life is always easy. Everyone suffers setbacks and experiences limits. Yet everyone as well is beckoned to respond in faith to God’s loving initiatives. He gives life and, more significantly, sends men and women to preach of His mercy. Rebelliousness and outrage hinder a positive response. These obstacles comprise the rocky ground of the parable. Still it is not necessary to lose faith. Jesus is urging his listeners to soften the ground of their lives by breaking up clods of anger. Recalling the many good people and wonderful experiences for which we did nothing to merit helps in this endeavor. As countless suffering people have testified, God is more generous than anyone deserves.

We live in an age of disbelief. Statistics may say that a majority still believes in God, but the idea-makers are predominately agnostic and the faith of many is tenuous. Now more than ever perhaps it is our responsibility as believers to testify to our faith. We can tell others how when we pray, good things happen. At the very least, prayer enables us to cope with misfortune without cursing or self-pity.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

(II Corinthians 5: 14-17; John 20:1-2.11-18)

A man writes of his former aversion to jigsaw puzzles. He thought of them as vain pursuits. It seemed to him that too much time was being wasted on the amorphous background. In contrast relatively little time was spent piecing together the central images. Then watching his daughter one day working on a puzzle, he had an inspiration. The jigsaw puzzle, he thought, is like God’s creation of human beings. Everyone has their importance. Just as without the background the central figures would lose perspective, so it is with God’s children. Everyone is a piece of the puzzle that adds to the panorama. For the writer it was a new way of seeing. It is like Mary’s inspiration in today’s gospel and Paul’s revelation in the first reading.

Paul writes of how he sees no one according to the flesh anymore but according to the Spirit. He means that he regards no one as a rival or an enemy any longer. Gifted with the Holy Spirit, Paul can see in others a true image of God to be respected, even loved. Mary Magdalene comes to a similar realization as she discerns Jesus in one who looks like the gardener. Graced with the Spirit, she sees that Jesus has risen from the dead.

Grace enables us to see in a new way. It allows us to recognize a sister or brother in the homeless and even in the arrogant. It bids us to help the stranger and to be patient with critics. Grace is more than heightened consciousness. It actually moves us interiorly to love without worry or regret. It changes our lives as it did for both Paul and the Magdalene.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

If you want to continue receiving homilettes by email, please send me your name and email address. (If you have already done so, there is no need to repeat.) I have been having difficulty adopting another mailing service. However, Google seems to be sending the homilettes out for the time being at least. When it stops, I will send out the homilettes to all whose email addresses if the email service problem is not resolved by then. Thank you for your readership. Cm

Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 16:1-5.9-15; Mathew 13:1-9)

Those old enough to have experienced the gas shortages of the 1970s may remember how people reacted by hoarding the gas that was available. A cartel of oil producers reduced its output so that there was less gas available on the American market. Gas became more expensive, but people did not buy less. It was a sorry sight. People lined up sometimes for hours every day to hoard the gas that was available. In today’s first reading God wants to see a different kind of response to shortage.

Not long after the exodus from Egypt the people’s food supply runs low. Many start to worry that they would starve and complain that they should never have left captivity. God hears their cries and plans to provide food. But He wants to test the people’s trust. He demands that they do not hoard the bread-like manna that He will send. They are to take only enough bread for their daily ration although twice as much is to be allowed on the sixth day of the week so that they would not have to gather food on the Sabbath.

Fear of not having enough can move people to act greedily. Hoarding is not being prudent but selfish. In times of shortages we need to be especially conscious of the common good. Hopefully, government officials will provide prudent guidelines for how we should act. In any case we have to trust that God will provide for us as we consider the welfare of others.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Micah 7:14-15.10; Matthew 12:46-50)

Robert Kennedy was President’s John Kennedy’s closest advisor. He had a Harvard education and considerable experience. But the president confided in him for other reasons as well. They shared the same family and background. Robert couldn’t betray John without betraying himself. More importantly, Robert understood John’s way of thinking and could confidently tell him when he believed that he was mistaken. In today’s gospel Jesus recognizes his disciples as having a similar relationship with him.

When Jesus is informed that his parents wish to speak to him, he surprisingly does not stop his presentation to see them. Rather, he acknowledges that he is establishing a new family precisely with his preaching. Those who heed his words by doing the will of God, his Father, he considers true family. To the extent that his own blood relatives love others, they too become his “brother and sister and mother.”

We should see in Jesus’ statement here an offer to know him intimately. He has come to share with us his intimate thoughts and desires. We won’t have to correct any of his ideas. We only can profit by feeling his love for us and following his wisdom.

Monday, July 19, 2021

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 14:5-18; Matthew 12:38-42)

Perhaps all of us have sought signs of the Lord’s will. We have asked that God reveal to us how we are faring or what we should do in a particular situation. The readings today show that requests for signs are not fitting for faithful people.

In the first reading the children of Israel it between Pharaoh's army and the sea. When Moses tells them that the Lord will act on their behalf, he is reprimanded. God says to him, “’Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to go forward. And you, lift up your staff…’” He means that they should act and not wait for God to do something for them. When Pharisees in today’s gospel ask for a sign from Jesus, he also rebukes the request. He says that there will eventually be a sign, but it will not be given to satisfy their doubt. The people must believe in Jesus’ divine mission.

We cannot allow our faith to be dependent upon God fulfilling our wishes. He has already given us more than we can even desire with the Incarnation and Paschal Mystery of His Son. However, we should not be surprised to experience supernatural help as we act with prudence. Nor should we desist to ask God’s help in our endeavors.

Sunday, July 18, 2021

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY, July 18, 2021

(Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34)

There is a trend among the young that worries Catholic bishops. Young people very often do not want to identify with religion. No matter that they are baptized, they do not want to consider themselves Catholics or members of any community of faith. On surveys asking about their religious preference, they respond “none.” For this reason, these young people are referred to as the “nones”. Nones say that there are no absolute rules to determine right and wrong. Rather, common sense and science will guide them through difficult situations. Sex before marriage seems good to them as also a constant change of jobs simply to make more money.

The nones are not the only ones alarming Church leaders. A small but determined group consists of progressive Catholics completely disillusioned with the hierarchy. They can no longer put up with Church leaders for various reasons: years ago largely overlooking sexual abuse, today refusing to ordain women and to allow priests who have married to celebrate the Eucharist; prohibiting the divorced and remarried from receiving Holy Communion. This rebel group forms its own Eucharistic communities with an unauthorized clergy.

In the words of today's gospel the nones and the rebellious are like "sheep without a shepherd." Unlike the people in the gospel, neither group is looking for a pastor. Nevertheless, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, seeks them out. He is concerned about everyone so he or she doesn't come to ruin. He does not want young people to lose their souls in the pursuit of pleasure and money. Noir does he want the rebellious to remain bitter for not having things according to their way of thinking.

Rather Jesus wants to lead both groups to peace. Today's reading from Ephesians calls Jesus "our peace." He is our peace because he has called all people to a common pasture that gives life. That is the true good of human life which ends in divine life. Hispanics, Europeans, Blacks and Asians thrive together in this pasture. Of course, many choose not to enter Jesus' pasture. Nevertheless, most of humanity admires him and, to a point, emulates him for having given his life for the love of others.

In the gospel Jesus first shows compassion by taking his weary apostles to a quiet place. He shows it again when he sees people walking around like they are lost. He does not delay teaching them. We want to ask him in prayer to help our lost today. He always has more ways to solve problems than you can imagine. We never want to lose faith in his almighty will.

More than this, we should continue with our commitments so that groups alienated from the Church see their fruits. First of all, we must not imitate their mistakes by abandoning the traditions of the Church. Sometimes we find widowed people cohabiting instead of marrying so that they do not lose the income of their dead spouses. Such action defies both divine and state law. Likewise, let us continue with our charitable works. Today it is not necessarily the priests who remind others of Jesus. Missionaries of Charity and the members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul are the ones who enable them to see the Lord at work.

As the Letter to the Ephesians calls Christ "our peace", the prophet Jeremiah in the first reading calls him "’our justice.’" Jesus is the justice that makes us brothers and sisters to one another. He is the justice that takes from disillusioned progressives the bitterness that prevents them from nourishing themselves on the Lord’s true pasture. He is the justice that transforms "nones" into its committed followers. Jesus is our peace and justice.

Friday, July 16, 2021

If you want to continue receiving homilettes by email, please send me your name and email address. (If you have already done so, there is no need to repeat.) I have been having difficulty adopting another mailing service. However, Google seems to be sending them out for the time being at least. If and when it stops, I will send out the homilettes to all who send me their addresses if the email service problem is not worked by then. Thank you for your readership. cm

(Optional) Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Exodus 11:1—12:14; Matthew 12:1-8)

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel invites a reflection on the scapular. It is said, without historical documentation, that Mary gave the scapular to St. Simon Stock, a general of the Carmelite Order. Scapulars were first used by members of ancient religious orders as a piece of clothing, an additional layer to protect one from the cold.

After a while, the scapular on a symbolic value. It was equated with the yoke and even the cross of Christ which one bears with great efficacy. With the founding of the mendicant orders in the thirteenth century, a smaller scapular made of the same cloth and color as the whole habit was given to members of the “third order.” These devotees did not live in community but practiced the spirituality which the scapular represented. By the sixteenth century the scapular became diminutive – no more than two inches squared.

Sometimes claims were made that wearers of the scapular would never go to hell. Such was the cIaim made by Carmelites about their brown scapular. It is said that Our Lady promised that wearers of the scapular until death would be admitted to heaven on the first Saturday after dying. However, the claim presumes that the person wearing the scapular would lead a life in accordance with the ideals of the Order. (To say that the mere wearing a scapular assures eternal life would mock the gospels.) In this sense the scapular is not like the blood of lamb which painted on lintels protected the children of Israel from the scourge of death. That blood prefigured the blood of Christ shed on the cross which does bring salvation to all who accept him and his revelation fully.

Thursday, July 15, 2021

If you want to continue receiving homilettes by email, please send me your name and email address. (If you have already done so, there is no need to repeat.) I have been having difficulty adopting another mailing service. However, Google seems to be sending them out for the time being at least. If and when it stops, I will send out the homilettes to all who send me their addresses if the email service problem is not worked by then. Thank you for your readership. cm

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(Exodus 3:13-20; Matthew 11:28-30)

St. Bonaventure was an accomplished Franciscans and churchmen. His long tenure as General Minister earned him the reputation of second founder of the Order. He also was a master theologian in Paris and a cardinal of the Church. He became a major figure in the Council of Lyon during which he died. His genius produced many volumes, one of which was entitled Journey of the Mind into God. In today’s first reading God comes out of Himself, as it were, to enter the human journey.

God reveals His name to Moses. Names, for sure, are important. They give one standing in society and help one know her/himself. The Book of Exodus may be called the “Book of Names” because it begins by saying “the names of the sons of Israel.” God’s revealing His name to Moses is like giving him a calling card. He will remember God more readily and can more easily seek God’s help.

God has done better than give us His name and promise to help. He sent us His Son. Jesus shares our lot so that we might share his glory. But we cannot do this except by his grace. Because we need this help, we should call upon Jesus’ name always.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

If you want to continue receiving homilettes by email, please send my your name and email address. Of course, if you have already done so, there is no need to repeat. I have been having difficulty adopting another mailing service. However, Google seems to be sending them out for the time being at least. Thank you for your readership.

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin

(Exodus 3:1-6.9-12; Matthew 11:29-27)

Moses sounds like other prophets when, called by God, he tries to evade responsibility. Feeling incapable of carrying out the Lord’s mission, he asks the Lord, “’Who am I that I should go to Pharoah…?’” God gives Moses an identity no doubt unanticipated in his question. Moses is the one whom “’I will be with…’” Assured of God’s presence, how could he not try to carry out the mission?

God also went with St. Kateri Tekakwitha, whom we remember today. She was persecuted by her Iroquois tribe when she became a Christian. From her native village in what is now upper New York state, she walked two hundred miles to a Christian, native community near Montreal. As a demonstration of God’s presence to her, she spent her four remaining years living an exemplary Christian life. Like Moses as well, many marvelous deeds accredited to her.

Let us not doubt that God goes with us as well. We carry him close to our hearts when we pray regularly. There is no need of shame to ask for the gifts we need to serve him well. More patience, more humility, more understanding – whatever we find lacking in ourselves. We just have to pray for these virtues sincerely and wait to receive them.

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

The Book of Exodus might be called “the Book of Moses.” He is the book’s central human figure. Moses is not only a bigger-than-life personality; he is also a charismatic leader. Today’s first reading indicates the sources of his leadership basic qualities.

It might be said that Moses has leadership in his genes. He is the physical son of an unnamed Levite man and woman. Levi was one of two brothers who led the ten others to take revenge on the Shechemites for raping their sister Dinah. But Moses was not foremost a violent man. He was raised by his stepmother, Pharoah’s daughter, who took compassion on the baby whom she found in the river. She knew that he was one of the Hebrew children condemned by her father. Moses possessed, as well, a sense of justice and an inclination to act on it. When he saw the Egyptian overlord abuse the Hebrew worker, he responded carefully and decisively. He was also inclined to find out the truth of a situation. Finding two Hebrews fighting, he investigated by asking questions.

Moses might write on his CV that he came from ordinary but strong stock, that he possessed both compassion and justice, and that he acted after ascertaining the truth. It is no wonder then why God chose and formed him to lead His people. We should see in him a prototype for Christ. Moses was a man worthy of teaching us God’s Law, that is His gracious will for us.

Monday, July 12, 2021

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

The first part of the Book of Exodus tells the story of Israel’s escape from servitude. Today’s first reading sets the stage for this action.

Pharoah is not only a new king but probably also the head of a new dynasty. He knows nothing of Joseph perhaps because he has usurped power from the old dynasty that employed Joseph. More significant than this, however, Pharoah is apparently insecure on his new throne. To rally Egyptians behind him, he finds fault with the Hebrews who are becoming a sizeable minority. His worries build to the point that forcing them to do hard labor, he enslaves the “children of Israel.” When the toil fails to break the Hebrews’ spirit, Pharoah becomes truly despotic. He tells Egyptians to disregard natural law when he commands them to drown every male Hebrew child.

Jews consider Exodus the most important book of the Bible because it tells how the Lord forged them into a holy nation. We Christians should also study it intensely. We will find in it more than a study of despotism and God’s compassion. We will learn about God’s law which still by-and-large applies to our lives.

Sunday, July 11, 2021

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Amos 7: 12-15; Ephesians 1: 3-14; Mark 6: 7-13)

A writer tells how a married couple preached to him. He says that woman was always the life of the party. But when she was diagnosed with throat cancer, she had to change her way of living. Instead of going out to parties, she had to deal with the disease. But, he says, she never lost her peace. The author continues that cancer was her cross, and peace came because she knew that by bearing it, she would end up in heaven. The writer says that her husband never left her bedside. When her friends invited him to go to a baseball game or take a bicycle ride, he always declined. He said, "I am exactly where I want to be." According to the author, the two grew closer to God in love.

Pope Francis, like his predecessors, has asked all of us Christians to preach. He says that we are "missionary disciples" called to pass the good news to others. We should not say to ourselves as Amaziah says to Amos in the first reading: “’Off with you, visionary…’” As Jesus sends his twelve disciples in the gospel, he sends us.

Let us not worry. It is not for everyone to preach from the pulpit. We do not even need to talk when we preach. We can announce God's love with our lives dedicated to virtue. Parents showing affection to one another preach to their children. In a society where sex is increasingly separated from marriage, the virtue of love is proclaimed to them in the context of marriage. A preacher tells of his parents dancing arm in arm in the living room of his house. Their three children were impressed about how the sacrament of marriage encompasses romantic love.

In the reading Jesus imparts some rules that still apply to our attempts to proclaim the gospel. Jesus tells the apostles to take "nothing for the journey." He wants them their dependence on Divine Providence to be another testimony to God's goodness. Today the married couple that accepts a large family as a gift from God preaches the same Divine Providence.

We will want to spread the message of God's love to everyone, including people in difficulty. Families blessed with a child with Down Syndrome display this love. Unfortunately, our society often shows disdain for the disabled. However, these “special children” often become the source of great love in their families. In the gospel, Jesus admonishes the twelve not to go from one house to another in search of comfort. We also should not look for the ideal in other families with characteristics more in line with the norms for our society. No, we want to thank God for our families as different as they may be.

Jesus commands his disciples to cast out demons. They exist in larger numbers than we imagine. They are the lies and mistakes that are prevalent today. One such idea is that the child has a right to choose his own gender. We believe, as science says, that gender is determined by the composition of the chromosomes: in the vast majority of cases either as a male or as a female. Gender dysphoria, when a person with male chromosomes thinks that he is female or vice versa, is a serious psychological malady. We preach the truth when we show compassion and understanding to those who suffer it. However, it would be unethical to treat them as if they were correct about their gender.

The second reading invites us to thank God the Father for all his blessings. We can easily name three ways we are blessed. God has sent Jesus Christ to us as our companion and savior. He has also placed us in a community of holy, though not perfect, people. Finally, He has called us to preach his goodness and love to others.

Friday, July 9, 2021

Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 46:1-7.28-20; Matthew 10:16-23)

Jacob is resolved to see his son, Joseph, in Egypt before he dies. But it is a long journey for an old man. Perhaps he fears that he will die along the way. Or it may be the danger of traveling the lonely roads in a small party. Nevertheless, God tells him not to be afraid. Jacob may not have another danger in mind, but God certainly does. Egypt is the most advanced culture on earth. In moving there, Jacob’s clan might assimilate the culture so that it loses its identity. His descendants may forget the God of his fathers as they hear of the mighty Pharoah and the Egyptian gods of nature. Yet God tells Jacob to go. Pleased with Jacob’s sacrifice, God will bring Jacob people’s back to their land.

We must take care that our children and grandchildren do not lose themselves in contemporary culture. Many aspects of today’s society jar the sensitive soul. Cancel culture is certainly one. Intelligent people are dismissing the rich legacy of the past because the people who forged it were not perfect. The watering down and dissolution of religion is another. Will the Church be visible at all in fifty years?

We likewise need to heed God’s message not to fear. Certainly, as well, we should offer Him sacrifices of praise and good works. As Jesus predicts in today’s gospel there are trials ahead. But like God in his advice to Jacob, Jesus is telling us that he will be with us to overcome them.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 44:18-21.23b-29.45:1-5; Matthew 10:7-15)

FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, was founded in the late 1990s to bolster the faith of Catholic university students. Its “missionaries” personally raise money for their own upkeep by asking friends and relatives for donations. Today the organization has missionaries on 170, mostly secular campuses. They call Catholic students together for Scripture study and discipleship training. In some ways FOCUS follows Jesus’ design in today’s gospel.

However, Jesus does not want his missionaries to teach at this point. They are to proclaim the God’s kingdom by actions even more than words. They heal the sick as best they can and drive out demons of vice and doubt. Their way of life also proclaims God’s goodness. They take no money for provisions but depend on the Providence of God working through the generosity of people. They are not to worry if people ignore their proclamation. Knowing that they tried, they can wipe the dust from their feet of the places that showed no interest.

The Church is calling not only campus missionaries but all Catholics to proclaim the goodness of God. We do this by living our lives as a testimony to Jesus Christ. Like him we want to embrace the poor and the suffering. But for many of us first we have to treat well our children and grandchildren. Like Jesus also we want to continually express our gratitude to the Father. And like him we want to bear any hardship as a sacrifice for the salvation of others. We do not have to know much theology, but we must proclaim the goodness of God.

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Dear Reader, if you receive these homilettes by email, you may find the service stopped in July. As I understand an instruction from Google, its Burnfeeder program will no longer support the service. You can always find the homilettes on the blog site: https://cbmdominicanpreacher.blogspot.com/ . Perhaps if you send me your email address, I could send the homilettes in a mass email. You may send your email address to cmeleop@yahoo.com. I am also pchecking into other options like changing my blogging service. cm

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 41:55-57.42:5-7a.17-24a; Matthew 10:1-7)

Jesus sends his twelve disciples to preach, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” What is this “Kingdom of heaven” if not God’s mercy and love shared among the people? The first reading today gives a foreshadow of its splendor.

Joseph is showing himself to be a shrewd economic minister. He has stored the excess from the crops in the seven years of plenty. Now he rations it out to bring the people through seven years of scarcity. No one will have to starve. Just as noteworthy, Joseph shows compassion on those who treated him so cruelly many years before. If his tears mean anything, they indicate his forgiveness of his brothers who sold him into slavery. The Kingdom of heaven, full of kindness and forgiveness, is glimpsed in this encounter.

It is hard to forgive, but it seems harder for many of us today to recognize that we have done wrong. We often claim our rights while forgetting our responsibilities. We can criticize others while overlooking our own faults. Jesus wants us to wake up to our duplicity and repent of our sins. In the Kingdom, we don’t need to worry about repercussions. There may be some, but in time all will be well. Indeed, in the Kingdom all will be very well.

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 32:23-33; Matthew 9:32-38)

Today’s first reading reports another notable event in the life of Jacob. It takes place at least twenty years after the dream described in yesterday’s reading. In the long interval between the two Jacob has acquired two wives and twelve children. He has become rich by hard work, skill, and cunning, but not through reliance on God. As he returns to his father’s land and an encounter with his brother Esau, whom he swindled, someone attacks him. The two wrestle all night with neither able to thwart the other. Then the assailant, in a hurry to leave, strikes Jacob at his hip. Still Jacob holds on to his adversary. Finally, the assailant gives up. But Jacob, realizing that his opponent is not a man at all but God, will release him only on condition that he bless Jacob. The man obliges. He gives Jacob a new name suggestive of a new stature. He will no longer be called “Jacob,” a name which means heel catcher because he was born holding his twin brother Esau’s heel. From now on, he will be “Israel,” a name meaning that he has prevailed in the struggle with God.

What are we to make of all this? For most of his life to this point Jacob has ignored God. As he is about to encounter his brother Esau, however, God throws Himself on Jacob in an act of saving grace. Jacob is forced to struggle with God, who mercifully does not destroy him. Rather God leaves him limping as a constant reminder of his presence to him. The incident changes Jacob’s life entirely. He is no longer defined by Esau, but by God whom he will come to acknowledge as “Lord.”

Perhaps in our doubts and fears we too struggle with God. We may not like to adhere to one of his commandments. Or perhaps we feel like God has betrayed us when a loved one has died. We may get tired of the struggle and want to give up our faith. That, however, will be a mistake. We only have to submit to God’s will. That will bring us His blessing.

Monday, July 5, 2021

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 28: 10-22a; Matthew 9:18-26)

Since only a week ago last Sunday we heard Mark’s version of today’s gospel, it will be instructive to compare the two. Matthew’s version leaves out much of Mark’s fascinating details. Where Mark strives to tell an interesting story, Matthew emphasizes that faith in Jesus brings about miracles.

In Matthew, the official’s daughter is already dead. The man, however, believes that Jesus can raise her from the dead. Indeed, this is what takes place. Matthew presents the woman with hemorrhages as believing Jesus is like a magician whose simple touch would heal her. The evangelist makes clear, however, that Jesus’ deliberate words, not his mere touch, as in Mark’s story, bring about the healing.

Comparisons among the gospels should be more than interesting to us. They indicate the mysterious grandeur of Christ whose life cannot described in any one person’s words. It cannot be fully explained by any four person’s words or four million persons’ words. He is God, whose splendor is beyond our imaginations. We stand ever grateful to have met him in history and to meet him regularly in the Eucharist. He has come to experience our wonderful human life. More than that, however, he is here to share his infinitely more awesome eternal life with us.

Sunday, July 4, 2021

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY, July 4, 2021

(Ezekiel 2:2-5; II Corinthians 12:7b-10; Mark 6:1-6)

The woman feels rejected. She is president of a parish sodality responsible for various tasks. But it seems to her that she cannot count on anyone for help. Members of the sodality only give her excuses. One says she doesn't have time. Another says she is going on vacation. The woman wonders if she would have to do all the work herself. We see Jesus feeling a similar rejection in today’s gospel.

Jesus has been touching people with his words wherever he has preached. They like his way of explaining the Kingdom of God with parables. When Jesus tells them to repent, they take the demand seriously. But no sooner than he arrives in Nazareth, his hometown, that the welcome goes sour. Although his neighbors hear his words, they do not respond to his teachings. Rather they wonder where he got his bright ideas. They treat him like a fast-talking salesman; that is, fascinating to listen to but untrustworthy of their confidence.

Of course, Jesus is not the first prophet who has experienced the rejection of the people. In the first reading Ezekiel faces a similar predicament. The Israelites are to be defeated because they have neglected the Law. The Lord sends Ezekiel to give them one final chance. They may be saved from the Babylonian army if they submit to God's will. Ezekiel will show with symbols such as a morsel of bread and a demitasse of water that they do not have much time. But people will not listen to him.

We wonder if something similar is not happening in our society. Today we Americans celebrate Independence Day. We thank God for the benefits that freedom brings. We have the rights to participate in the selection of our rulers, to own property, and to speak freely. However, these rights carry responsibilities that we often neglect. In a current phenomenon called the "culture of cancellation", one can see the abuse of freedom of speech. The reputations and well-being of honest people are being ruined by lies and half-truths made on social media. What else is this but an advanced type of gossip that has destroyed people's good names for millennia? It is true that we have the freedom of speech, but this freedom must be linked with the responsibility to say only what we believe to be true.

In the second reading Paul speaks of "a thorn stuck in (his) his flesh." Because he doesn't describe the affliction more, we have to intuit its nature. It can be a doctrinal error like the need to be circumcised to be a Christian. It may be the inability to preach well as Paul himself admits in this Second Letter to the Corinthians. Although he has prayed to the Lord to remove this trial, he only receives the answer that it is better that he keep fighting. The Lord says that in this way his glory will be revealed. Here we see the key to overcoming rejection or cancellation. We must develop our relationship with Christ to accomplish two goals. First, we want Christ to grant us the grace not only to speak but also to live the truth. Second, when we are persecuted for speaking the truth as best we know it, we want Christ to strengthen us.

The national anthem of the United States tells of the American flag on top of a fortress. Despite several cannons being unloaded against the fortress through the night, the flag could be seen at dawn. The fortress remained in American hands! This story can represent our hopes when we feel rejected. By our prayers to the Lord, we hope not to be defeated by criticism. Rather, by the same prayers, we hope to go on saying and living the truth.

Friday, July 2, 2021

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 23:1-4.19.24:1-8.62-67; Matthew 9:9-13)

Catholic moral reasoning often confounds its critics. Where some people that one can do anything that produces a good effect, Catholics are told never to cooperate in evil or to give scandal. The production of Covid vaccines this past year highlighted these issues of cooperation and scandal. Some of the vaccines were tested using products of abortion. Others were made with products of abortion. Although some Catholics sounded the alarm on all these vaccines, the bishops of the United States judged that they might be used if no uncompromised vaccines were available. The gospel today takes up the question of scandal.

The Pharisees seem to be criticizing Jesus for giving scandal. They find his eating with sinners as approving sin. Jesus corrects their mistaken judgment. He has come to convert sinners, not to approve their sinfulness. He is implying that people who judge him as approving of sin are too suspicious, too critical.

We can avoid giving scandal by living just lives. If we take care to avoid sin and help others, many will want to emulate us. We will be raising consciences to a higher level of judgment.

Fr. Carmen Mele, O.P.: Today's Homilette