Monday, November 1, 2021

 

THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS

(Revelation 7: 2-4.9-14; I John 3: 1-3; Matthew 5: 1-12)

We can understand the Solemnity of All Saints in different ways.  Some will see it as a catch-all.  There have been approximately ten thousand people recognized by the Church as saints.  Only a couple hundred of these are celebrated during the liturgical year.  All Saints Day provides an opportunity to remember the rest of them in a general way.

Others understand today’s feast as a way to think of the saintly persons that they have known who will never have a cause for sainthood.  They think of their grandparents who prayed everyday, thought well of everyone, and never failed to help another person in need.  It seems more appropriate to remember this kind of person on All Saints Day than on All Souls Day.

Finally, we can think of All Saints Day to celebrate the great diversity of saints of the Church.  There are saints from every continent, race, socio-economic status, and most every nation.  The Church has completed the mandate of Christ at the end of Matthew’s gospel to “make disciples of all nations.”  Today we celebrate those Asians and Africans, Irish and Ethiopians, doctors and streetsweepers who have given testimony to the same Christ by their exemplary virtue.

Friday, October 29, 2021

 Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 9:1-5; Luke 14:1-6)

St. Paul implies in today’s first reading that unbaptized Jews are not saved from sin and death.  Why else would he wish that he could be “accursed and cut off from Christ”?  His anxiety over the fate of Jews, however, seems to have been in vain if the teaching of Vatican II is to be believed.  The Council stated, “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.”

But Paul might still grieve over the reality that the Jews do not know Christ.  Salvation may be the pinnacle of the benefits, but knowledge of Christ helps in other ways.  Knowing Christ enables one to take comfort in the mercy he provides.  Today’s gospel gives a good example.  Jesus did not deny the man with dropsy or swelling.  Knowing Christ also brings moral guidance.  People have to stretch themselves, and therefore be strengthened, as they strive to love their enemies.  Knowing Christ should also bring one into the Church with its fellowship of love and truth.

It would be a betrayal of Christ if we, who profess faith in him, snub our neighbors who lack that faith.  Knowing him compels us to call others to him.  Whether we do so by a literal invitation or by a demonstration of his goodness, we want to share our knowledge and love of Christ. 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

 Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, apostles

(Ephesians 2:19-22; Luke 6:12-16)

Coming over the Mississippi River on I-40, the first sight one sees in Memphis is St. Jude Hospital.  This research institution provides hope for children with rare diseases.  They have come from all over the world for almost sixty years for cures.  It was named “St. Jude,” the patron of hopeless causes, because the children could not be helped medically in their cities of origin.

St. Jude was an apostle of Jesus.  This is about all that can be said about him with certainty. Because he is so obscure, his name appears last in the list of apostles except for Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.  It is said that Jude preached in Mesopotamia and Persia.  Like the other apostles except John, he is also said to have died a martyr.  He is usually pictured with a medallion bearing the image of Christ. 

Hopefully, we too bear an image of Christ.  Although the image may not be on a medal, that is of secondary importance.  We want to bear the image of Christ in our words and actions.  We want to help others, choose wisely our friends, and tell the truth always.  Like Christ also, we should be chaste in our thoughts and actions.  If this sounds impossible, let us ask St. Jude to pray for us.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

 Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:26-30; Luke 13:22-30)

If asked what they would like to have, the young are likely to respond with something material like a sports car or a new telephone.  These are the things they might also pray for if told that God would grant all their desires.  For this reason, St. Paul tells the Romans in the first reading, “…we do not know how to pray as we ought.”

Paul goes on to say that the Spirit takes over one’s prayer.  The Spirit will not pray for luxuries but for essentials.  The Spirit will pray that the person be equipped with the virtues so that she may “strive to enter through the narrow gate” as Jesus says in the gospel.  That is, the Spirit’s prayer asks for the grace to treat all people well and to please God in everything.

Fortunately, as we mature, we lose some of the desire for material things.  Sometimes, however, we seek what is worse – to get even with someone who offends us or to receive the prestige given to others.  Older people need the Spirit as well or their growth in holiness will be stunted.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

 Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:18-25; Luke 13:18-21)

Back in the 1960s there were a number of folk songs that expressed the futility of creation.  Peter, Paul and Mary sang of the “Great Mandala” which keeps rotating through cycles of war and peace.  The Kingston Trio popularized “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” which asks when will humanity learn to end war.  In today first reading St. Paul tells Christians not to give up hope for lasting peace.  He expresses this peace as the redemption of our bodies from death.

Paul begins by noting how the world suffers.  Not just humans, he says, but all creation.  Yet Christians have the Holy Spirit which allows them to prefigure the new creation.  The palpable kindness, love, and joy that are found in Christian communities assure that full redemption is on the way.  Meanwhile, Christians carry on in hope that the day of redemption will come soon.  Alternatively, hope assures Christians that if the waiting continues, they will survive the trials.

Paul probably expected the coming of Christ and full redemption long before the two thousand years it has taken so far.  But this time – the “meantime” – has proven to be more than tolerable, even enjoyable for many of us.  It is the Spirit moving us to help one another that allows us to rejoice in the midst of suffering.

Monday, October 25, 2021

 Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Romans 8:12-17; Luke 13:10-17)

 It’s a sin against the first commandment to put one’s trust in another god, but does this mean that I cannot keep a tiger tooth for good luck?  It’s a sin against the second commandment to take the Lord’s name in vain, but does this mean that I sin by saying “Oh God” when I see something awesome?  It’s a sin not to honor one’s father and mother, but what am I to do when they tell me that they do not want to hear from me again?  These questionable situations are similar to what Jesus faces in today’s gospel.

 Apparently nothing in the Mosaic Law forbids healing on the Sabbath.  However, certain Pharisees at the time of Jesus interpreted such an act as violating Sabbath observance.   Following such an interpretation, the leader of the synagogue chastises the crowd for seeking cures from Jesus.  Knowing that the leader’s criticism is an unsubstantiated interpretation, Jesus corrects him.  He sees the Father’s activity among His people as essentially liberating.  He knows that God’s hand freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and constantly liberates the people from ignorance with the Law.  So Jesus is only imitating his Father by freeing the woman from a particularly gruesome malady.

It would be unfair to say that Jesus is rationalizing his action.  Again, the Law does not expressly forbid Sabbath healing.  However, he is appealing to the people’s sense of justice and prudence in interpreting the Law.  Always, he indicates, we have to use our intelligence aided by the virtues to determine what the Lawgiver expects with any given statute.

Sunday, October 31, 2021

 

THE THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Deuteronomy 6: 2-6; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 12: 28-34)

My friends love me. Thank God! They want me to have a long life. They give me different foods to extend my years. One friend has given me several bottles of agave which, she says, has many life-giving properties. Another has given me a bottle of apple cider vinegar. She says that one ladle daily resists most diseases. I am grateful to these people for their care and don't doubt the efficacy of their remedies. But I prefer to trust the advice of Moses in the first reading to be sure of many years.

Moses says that the people of Israel can prolong their lives if they fear the Lord by keeping his commands. Above all, they must recognize that there is only one God, who is “the Lord.” They must not worship any other god, be it a planet, an artisan object, an emperor, or an ideology such as the primacy of money. These things are only creatures of secondary importance.

Then Moses proclaims the supreme commandment. People are to love God with all of their being. This command may leave us with questions: How can love be mandated? Isn't love a passion that we feel or not feel? And how can one love an entity that seems as remote as God in heaven? The answers to these concerns require meditation.

The second reading gives us the key to the last question. He calls Jesus the Son of God who possesses the same divine nature. Jesus shares our human nature as well. Therefore, we know him as a brother like us in everything except sin. Therefore, we should not consider God as residing beyond the clouds but closer to us than even our neighbors. The Israelites had a sense of God's presence in the temple. However, this presence was completely spiritual. They did not claim, as we do, that they have touched him with their hands.

By referring to the first reading, Jesus in the gospel instructs us how to love him. We have to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. This is a large order. Somehow we have to find ways to fulfill what he says. The heart is the seat of the emotions, among which is desiring or longing. We long for Jesus Christ when we think of what a wonderful person he is. He dared to touch lepers in order to heal them. He could, as a famous song says, walk on water and calm the stormy sea. He knew everything about the Samaritan woman without ever having met her. Who wouldn't yearn to know him?

The soul serves as the source of animation for the human person. Loving Jesus with all our soul means that we live for him. We will accomplish this task when we make it both the model and the purpose of our life. This is what San Martín de Porres did. This Black saint from the Americas had great devotion to Christ crucified. Testimonies of his life include stories of him prostrating before the crucified with outstretched arms in the shape of a cross. More to the point, Martin like Jesús always showed mercy to the poor, the sick, and the hungry.

The mind makes it possible for us to think. Loving Jesus with all our mind requires that we study to know him better. Mainly, this is a “lectio divina”, the meditation on the gospel. It also encompasses the vast literature on the Bible and the Church. With many great people, the more we know of them, the less we appreciate them. Revelations of the private lives of John Kennedy and Martin Luther King, for example, have tainted their character. But not so with Jesus. The more we know him, the more we will love him.

We love Jesus with all our strength when we sacrifice ourselves for his sake. This does not mean so much that we waste our energy on pilgrimages, although they are good exercises. As everyone knows, Jesus identifies himself in the Gospel with "the least of his brothers." That is why we love Jesus when we care for those in need. In Dallas there is a couple from Mexico who have developed a jail ministry. Every week they visit the incarcerated sharing the love of Christ.

A famous poem says: “How do I love you? Let me count the ways ”. So the poet describes her love for her husband as high and deep, pure and passionate. Although her words are very beautiful, they only say that Jesus prescribes for our love for God. May we love him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength!

Sunday, , October 24, 2021

 THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

(Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52)

Not long ago a song with a religious theme gained a lot of attention. "All God’s Creatures " tells of the choir of animals praising the creator. It goes: “All God’s creatures have a place in the choir; some sing low and some sing higher.” The choir signifies the Church that encompasses men and women from different walks of life. For the past three Sundays we have heard in the gospel Jesus calling different types of people to himself.

Two weeks ago Jesus recommended that the rich man leave his money to the poor and follow him. Last Sunday Jesus allowed the two arrogant brothers, called at the beginning of the gospel, to remain in his company despite their scandalous request. Today Jesus calls the daring blind beggar Bartimaeus to his presence. These men represent the range of people who inhabit the world. Implicitly or explicitly, everyone is called to follow the Lord.

Jesus always calls the person with love. The gospel makes it clear that Jesus looked at the rich man with love when he called him. To the brothers Jesus showed his love by calmly explaining the ways of his kingdom. Now Jesus shows mercy to the beggar when he hears him yelling his name. He has love for us as well. He knows our troubles and our obligations. He wants to help us overcome these challenges.

As good as Jesus is, we cannot fail to fall in love with him. He becomes the goal of our life. This is what happens to Bartimaeus. After receiving sight, he can do nothing but follow the Lord. The story reminds us of a movie about the seven monks who were martyred in Algeria thirty years ago. One of the monks was a doctor who had a dispensary for the townspeople in the monastery. One day a Muslim girl asked him what it is like to fall in love. The monk replied: “It is an attraction, a desire, a revival of the spirits, an intensification of life itself.” The girl then asked him if he had ever fallen in love. The monk replied that yes, a number of times. She continued questioning: "Why did you never get married?" The man explained that he found a greater love that led him to the monastery.  Of course, the love that he found was Jesus.

However, it is not necessary that love for Jesus lead us to a monastery. It can lead to a marriage with Christ as its center, or to a single life dedicated to the good of others. Our love for Christ has different forms, but each one is characterized by sacrifice and obedience to his commands.

Falling in love with Jesus changes our perspective. We rearrange our values. Instead of having wealth or importance as the goal of our life, we put Jesus first. We act like Bartimaeus. Upon healing from blindness, he does not return home to share the wonder he experienced with his family. Much less does he stop to collect the coins that he has been given. He immediately follows Jesus to Jerusalem.

Is it possible for us to fall in love with Jesus? Didn't he live two thousand years ago? How can we even know him today? No, Jesus is alive and dwells among us. We hear him at least weekly through the gospel that tells us about his love. We see him in the poor who live with both humility and integrity. Above all, we find him in the Bread of the Altar that strengthens us to overcome life’s challenges.

Friday, October 22, 2021

 Friday of the twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 7:18-25a; Luke 12:54-59)

In today’s first reading St. Paul writes as if he just heard the confessions of hundreds of contemporary men.  He might as well have in mind Internet porn as any compulsive sin of his day.  Too many men today are tormented by the temptation to look at lascivious pictures.  At the same time they feel both attracted and repulsed by the images.

The resolution of this dilemma, as Paul suggests, is “Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Not only was he a man who knew temptations like all humans so that men today might emulate his sinlessness.  More importantly, he won for us the grace to overcome selfish desires.  His grace keeps many people walking without stumbling.  And if they fall, he is there to pick them up – a million times if necessary.  He will stay with them, in Penance and especially in the Eucharist, so that they overcome their weakness.

We need Jesus to live upright lives.  We find him in the sacraments, in Scripture, in one another, and in prayer.  We should recognize him as Lord -- not one to trifle with – and follow the counsel he conveys in our conscience.

Thursday, October 21, 2021

 Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 6:19-23; Luke 12:49-53)

Old people sometimes find the wherewithal to face death peacefully.  Like Socrates, they can be satisfied with having lived a long life with friendship and wisdom.  They do not need to look forward to eternal life.  But, as today’s first reading attests, God may grant it to them anyway.

St. Paul remarks that God freely gives eternal life to those whom Christ has freed from sin.  They do not deserve heaven as if it were a reward for good behavior.  Like other animals humans were destined for death and annihilation.  But by their rebirth in the risen Christ God recognizes their fitness for salvation from death.  Those who reject the grace of Christ, on the other hand, deserve death.  As Paul eloquently sums up the situation, “…the wages of sin is death…”

God owes us nothing.  He gave us life with all its possibilities for happiness.  When we failed to appreciate this gift, He even sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem us.  How can we not love such a gracious Lord?

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

 Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Romans 6:12-18; Luke 12:39-48)

 St. Augustine once told his priests, “With you I am a Christian, for you I am a bishop. The second fills me with terror, the first, with great consolation.” The fear flowed from the responsibility he had to guide his diocese.  He knew that God would judge him harshly if he failed to discharge his duties or if he used the episcopacy for his own gain.  Certainly Augustine took note of the gospel passage we read today.

 In the passage Jesus warns his apostles that they are susceptible to a stricter judgment than others.  Because he has taught them himself, they have no reason to claim ignorance if they abuse their authority.  The bishops today are the successors of those apostles with the same responsibility of guiding the Church.  Priests do not share the fullness of the apostolic mandate, but they are likewise well-tutored in the gospels and share in episcopal authority.  Both bishops and priests can expect stiff punishment if they fail to give judicious pastoral care.

 Sometimes in hearing the Eucharistic Prayer we may wonder why the clergy are given special mention.  Some priests, you may have noticed, change the wording to include all ministers or all people.  This is a forgivable sin.  But surely it is charity that moves us to pray especially for bishops, priests, and deacons.  If they fail to fulfill their pastoral responsibilities, many will be jeopardized.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

 Memorial of Saint Jean de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions, priests and martyrs

(Romans 5:12.15b,17-19.20b-21; Luke 12:35-38)

What is life about? For some it is a pursuit of pleasure, power, or prestige.  Its objective is to gather as many chips as possible of the pursuit chosen before one’s game is over.  Christians see life differently.

As Paul indicates in today’s first reading, Jesus gave life an eternal dimension.  He overcame the power of evil that made death humankind’s destiny.  The grace that he introduced enables followers to reconceive their goal.  It is no longer personal gratification but the glory of God.  This is not obsequiousness or servility to an almighty overseer.  It is loving service to a gracious Father by caring for His children.

Today we honor the French Jesuits known as “the North American Martyrs.”  They gave their lives working among the native tribes of upstate New York and lower Quebec.  The Jesuits wanted to exhibit the Father’s love by spreading Christian faith.  They helped the natives recognize their true goal in eternal life with God.

Monday, October 18, 2021

 Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

 (II Timothy 4:10-17b; Luke 10:1-9)

 St. Luke was not one of Jesus’ original disciples.  He did not know Jesus as Peter and James did.  He might have been a companion of Paul as today’s first reading suggests.  But he received his information about the Lord from others.  He says as much in the prologue to his gospel:  “I too have decided, after investigating everything thoroughly to write it down in an orderly sequence…”

As the other evangelists, Luke imbues his record of Jesus with his own theology and his own emphases.  Some of this perspective may be found in the gospel today.  Luke more than the other evangelists pictures Christ as poor and favoring the poor.  In today’s swath Jesus sends his disciples out without even sandals on their feet.  But from the very beginning Luke’s gospel is good news.  The preachers are to say to all, whether they listen or not, “The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.”

We can be as grateful for Luke’s gospel as for all the others.  As Matthew gives us a firm theology of Church and Mark portrays Jesus in a very human way and John shows beyond doubt that Jesus is divine, Luke communicates to us Jesus as a man of peace, born of a mother who rejoiced at his coming, and wrapped in the Spirit of prayer.  Whether he was a physician or an artist, we cannot say for sure.  But as an evangelist, he was wonderful.

Sunday, October 17, 2021

 THE TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 53: 10-11; Hebrews 4: 14-16; Mark 10: 35-45)

Recent news reports about the Church have been distressing. In Rome a cardinal is on trial for embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars. More devastating is the report from France where hundreds of thousands of clerical abuse cases are being investigated. Evidently, like the sons of Zebedee in the gospel today, some current Church leaders are dismissive of the teachings of Jesus.

In the passage, Jesus warns the Zebedee brothers of the precariousness of thinking of themselves as great. James and John have asked him to grant them the highest positions in his kingdom. They hadn't listened to him before when he spoke of the need to humble oneself like a child. The human urge for recognition is so strong that it moves a disciple of Jesus to betray one of his basic principle. It is not unheard of that a politician seeks public office or a young man pursues the priesthood just to consider himself accomplished. But once the person takes office, she or he does not know what to do and does not care much about its responsibilities.

We feel that our lives are missing something valuable if other people do not recognize us as important. In a sense we are like those addressed in the Letter to the Hebrews in today’s second reading. The “Hebrews” are likely first century Jewish Christians who are thinking of leaving the faith. Because they have had to suffer a little without witnessing the return of the Lord, they want to leave the faith. The writer has to remind them that Jesus knows both their anxieties and their suffering. More to the point, the goal of waiting for Jesus is to share his glory for having participated in his sacrifice.

The first reading tells of the "Suffering Servant." This character is found in four passages of the second part of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The name of this saint is never revealed, but the Jews have long associated him with the people of Israel who have suffered so much through history. However, we Christians have interpreted him differently. We find in his sufferings the profile of Jesus Christ. Like the Servant, Jesus gave his life to ease our sorrows. He wearied himself so that we see the light of divine wisdom. He was counted as a criminal so that we would be set free from sin. We have to conform our lives to his ways, not those of the greats of the world.

Still at times we feel anxious in closely following Christ. We find it difficult to internalize the hope that Jesus will come with glory for his followers. Seeing other people boasting about his accomplishments, we wonder if serving like Jesus is worth the effort. We would like the attention that people give to the boasters. In these moments we should look at the patience that Jesus has first with James and John, then with all the twelve. He does not criticize them, much less curse them for not understanding his words. Like a brother he lovingly explains to them the will of the Father. He is also our brother. He loves us and speaks to us in our consciences of his support. How could we leave such an excellent person?

The company commander is said to be one of the army’s most fulfilling wartime positions. He serves with the troops in the middle of the fighting, but he must think strategically as well. In addition, he has responsibility for hundreds of soldiers. In a memoir of the Korean War a lieutenant writes with the admiration of his company commander. He says the leader would go out on daily patrols if his superiors allowed it. Nonetheless, he was so attentive to everything that it seemed like he never slept. He was fair, not too severe with the lazy, not too friendly with the diligent. In a sense, Jesus can be seen as this type of man: decisive, caring, effective. With Jesus we are not concerned about importance. With Jesus our only concern is to stay close to him.

Friday, October 15, 2021

 

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

(Romans 4:1-8; Luke 12:1-7)

St. Teresa of Jesus is not to be confused with St. Therese of the Child Jesus.  The former lived in sixteenth century Spain; the latter in nineteenth century France.   Both were Carmelite nuns, and both have been named “Doctors of the Church.”  Teresa of Jesus, however, lived a long life in which she accomplished the reform of her order and the writing of many books.  Therese of the Child Jesus spent all of a short adult life at the Carmel in her hometown where she wrote her insightful and inspiring autobiography.

St. Teresa of Jesus (or of Avila as she is often called) developed a doctrine of prayer worthy of attention.  She used the metaphor of drawing water for irrigation in her discourse.  The first water comes with much labor as if one were drawing bucket from a well and carrying it into the field. It is the attempt to speak to God and meditate on one’s own.  This prayer often leads in aridity and fatigue.  The second water is a gift from God who allows the pray-er, after concentrating her faculties, an experience of communication.  It is as if God were granting the one praying a mechanical device to carry the water.  The third water is a significant deepening of the “prayer of quiet.”  But the fourth water is qualitatively richer.  As rain seems like a gift from heaven, in the fourth water the soul is completely passive.  Nevertheless, it experiences the joy of full union with the Lord.

In today’s gospel Jesus indicates the need to connect with God.  God is to be feared, Jesus indicates, if we deliberately flout His will.  Nevertheless, God loves us and will take care of us if we allow Him.  It behooves us, then, to develop a close relationship with God through prayer.

Thursday, October 13, 2021

 

Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 3:21-30; Luke 11:47-54)

Say You’re One of Us is a book of short stories written by a Nigerian Jesuit.  The title is the advice given to a minority child on how to survive religious and ethnic persecution.  Is St. Paul saying that something similar in today’s first reading?  Is salvation achieved by just saying that we believe in Jesus Christ?

It is not. Faith is more than an intellectual assent to religious truths.  After all, Christians believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.   Faith in him must include a commitment to his ways as well as his teaching.  In another letter Paul is clearer on this point.  He writes to the Galatians that circumcision counts for nothing, “but only faith working through love.”  By “circumcision” Paul means a work of the law which, for him, is unimportant.  The love he has in mind is not a vague feeling of care but deeds that help others.

Jesus Christ showed his Father’s care by dying on the cross.  More than anything else that deed expressed the totality of love.  God loves us more than we love ourselves. Believing in Him includes a commitment to reflect this love to others.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

 Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Romans 2:1-11; Luke 11:42-46)

 No doubt the media highlights clerical sexual abuse because priests regularly preach the virtue of chastity.  Statistics show that they as a group are not more inclined to abuse than other males.  But most men do not tell others to abstain from sexual activity outside marriage.  In today’s first reading Paul points out a similar two-facedness.

 Paul has just finished excoriating non-Jews for their sexual licentiousness.  His condemnation included an often cited denunciation of homosexual activity.  Now he turns his critical eyes on Jews who think that they are better than pagans although in fact they are guilty of the same sins.  Shortly he will offer the solution to the iron band of evil that entraps all peoples – faith in Christ.

 We live in a society of many fewer sexual inhibitions than found in previous generations.  Masturbation and fornication are considered normal, not corrupt, activities.  Hankering after the pleasure from these pursuits, youth will not be able to form permanent, caring relationships.  Jesus, who modeled implicitly the chastity he preached, still serves as our best guide to sexual integrity.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

 Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 1:16-25; Luke 11:37-41)

Conscience has been called “the voice of God.”  Even when it is not formed by moral teaching, one’s conscience tells the person what is good and bad.  Everyone knows that seducing another person’s spouse is wrong and stopping to help a person in distress is good.  It is not far-fetched to conclude that God forms all people to make these determinations.  For this reason St. Paul indicates in today’s first reading that God makes his will known to humans through what He has made.

Jesus’ criticism of Pharisees in the gospel follows from what Paul writes.  He recognizes that Pharisees often pretend that they keep God’s law with pious practices that the Law does not even specify. Meanwhile they judge others harshly for not following those unnecessary practices.  Or, worse, they may extort others who think that they are good.  These sins are similar to hustlers on the street who approach tourists with friendly greetings and offers of assistance, only to lead them astray.  Both Pharisees in the gospel and hustlers on the street know that what they are doing is wrong because their conscience tells them so. 

As the voice of God, conscience deserves our full attention.  Sometimes giving it is difficult because our consciences are not well-formed.  Let us pray, study, and meditate so that we may accurately discern what God is saying to us through our consciences.

Monday, October 11, 2021

 (Optional) Memorial of Saint John XXIII, pope

(Romans 1:1-7; Luke 11:29-32)

 In today’s first reading from the beginning of the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes of an “obedience of faith.”  The expression sounds like oxymoron -- two words of opposing ideas put together to stimulate thought.  A student might ask, “What does faith have to do with obedience?”  Faith, after all, is trust.  Obedience concerns following another’s command. 

Paul will say later in the letter that a person is justified by faith.  But his idea of faith or trust goes beyond intellectual assent to religious truth.  Faith includes a commitment to Jesus’ way of love.  It is not following another’s command but following in the other’s path of life.  For Christians faith is coming to know Jesus by loving others as he loved.

Today the Church celebrates Pope St. John XXIII.  It is not the anniversary of his death but of the opening Second Vatican Council.  Pope John convoked the council as a way to share the truth of Christ with, as he put it, the “human family.”  Then as now, sixty years later, people were separated by ideologies and false teachings.  John wanted the whole world to follow the way of Christ’s love.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

 TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Wisdom 7: 7-11; Hebrews 4: 12-13; Mark 10: 17-30)

Some of us remember the television quiz show, "The Sixty-Four Thousand Dollar Question." The host would ask the contestant questions whose correct answers were worth different, increasing amounts of money. Of course, the questions got harder and harder until the last, sixty-four thousand dollar question. In the Gospel today, the rich man asks Jesus a question whose correct answer is worth much more than sixty-four thousand.

The man says to Jesus: "Good Teacher, what must I do to attain eternal life?" He is an accomplished man. He has not only accumulated a lot of money but has also followed the Law of God. However, he knows that something is missing in his life. We too will have this disturbing sense that something is missing. Sometimes we feel empty after having followed all the rules. We tell the truth. We work assiduously. We take care of our parents. We give to the poor. However, we wonder if all these acts are really worth the effort. We don't feel like we're going to get the promised reward. We imagine that we are like dogs in the circus just jumping through hoops.

Jesus responds to the man in a surprising way. He asks why he calls him "good." Didn't he know that only God is good? Jesus is not implying that he is God. At this time in his life, Jesus looks at the Father with such awe that he cannot identify himself with him. However, the man's question and Jesus' answer makes us wonder: What do we have to do to make ourselves if not good than at least better men or women?

Now we recognize the need to repent not just once but many times. Each time we repent, we will see ourselves closer to the Father. When we leave the fascination with immodest behavior, we will become more like God. When we stop talking about our achievements to listen to others, we will draw closer to God. Then something almost impossible to describe happens to us. We discover that we have fallen in love with God. We feel deep within us the desire for His goodness, His truth, His beauty. Nothing less than God can satisfy us. This is the beginning of eternal life.

To help us reach our destiny, God has given us his word, the Scriptures. As the second reading says, it is more penetrating than a two-edged sword. One edge accuses us of sin - pride, lies, laziness. The other edge assures us of the love of God that surpasses all understanding, all rationality. Meditating on the word of God every day, we come to the conclusion that it is true. God loves me despite my lack of virtue.

"Kiss me, kiss me often " are the words of a particularly romantic song in Spanish. They make us think of two young lovers. At first thought we do not imagine that one of the lovers can be God. Then we realize how lovable, how truthful, how beautiful God is. We are falling in love with him. We feel that we do not lack anything. Everything will turn out fine. We want to be more and more like Him. We have reached the beginning of eternal life.

Friday, October 8, 2021

 Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

 (Joel 1:13-15.2:1-2; Luke 11:15-26)

A local parish had its first “Christ Renews His Church” retreat.  The men responded well.  Most of those who signed up attended.  Just as wonderful, most who came on Friday night stayed until Sunday.  But, of course, the end of the retreat was not the end of the “Christ Renews His Church” process.  Before people went home, a follow-up meeting was scheduled.  At that reunion the men would share how they felt when they returned to the regular ways of the world.  Such follow-up meetings are typical of the popular movements that invigorate the Church today.  Jesus hints at their necessity in today’s gospel.

Jesus has just driven out a demon.  The people wonder where he got such power.  He tries to convince them that it comes from God because the devil would not work against himself.  Then Jesus teaches the people that once cleaned of their impurities they must stay close to the Lord.  He would say that thinking one can remain in virtue without prayer and penitence is tantamount to playing a trick on oneself.  As he puts it, the devil can return with evil spirits more pernicious than what possessed the person before.

We do not use the terminology of spirits, evils, and demons today.  But this does not mean that they do not exist.  More sophisticated, we typically call the moral problems we face “psychological pathology,” “deviant behaviors,” or the like.  In any case, if we can rid ourselves of moral deviances, we are wise to stay close to Jesus in prayer and virtue.  If not, we are likely to experience even greater moral difficulties than before.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

 Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

(Malachi 3:13-20b; Luke 11:5-13)

The old lady was not Catholic, but she enjoyed praying the rosary.  She had prayed it as a girl when she attended a “convent school.”  She seemed to find the prayers a request for access to the Lord that would be surely granted.  In today’s gospel Jesus assures similar efficacy for all prayers made with persistence.

Jesus helps his disciples appreciate the need of prayer by comparing God to humans.  He says that God answers prayer to stop being badgered.  He adds that God is like a father who would not want anything evil to happy for his child.  As ridiculous it is to think of God as being badgered and as customary it is to think of God as father, God’s benevolence goes beyond these analogies.  God wants us to be like Himself – trusting and merciful.

God trusts us with freedom to choose what is true and good.  He wants us also to be kind to others – ready to forgive their sins and help them improve.  When we pray, whether it be the rosary or suppliant intercessions, we draw closer to God, our goal in life.

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

 Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Jonah 4:1-11; Luke 11:1-4)

It is said that the indigenous of mid-Guatemala were so fierce that their territory was called the “land of war.”  Then Dominican priest Bartolomé de Las Casas proposed a plan to convert the hostile natives.  Without any guns at all he and other Dominicans would trach native traders the gospel.  In turn the traders brought the good news into rural areas.  Soon the people were evangelized and pacified.  Since then, there land has been renamed. It is called “Verapaz” or “true peace.” Today’s first reading intimates a similar story.

Jonah has carried a prejudice against the Ninevites.  They conquered and oppressed his ancestors who were brought into exile in Nineveh.   Now they have repented of their sins and are being shown God’s mercy.  Jonah would have them annihilated not exonerated.  For this reason, he broods over what his preaching at God’s insistence has wrought.

We might not want to forgive those who have harmed us either.  Even though they apologize and extend a hand, we might want to see them suffer.  The Book of Jonah tells us that this is not the attitude God expects from us.  Quite the contrary, we should thank God for converting the hearts of people.  We should also rejoice with the people for coming to know God’s mercy.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

 Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 10:38-42)

Seven years ago ISIS blew up what they thought was the tomb of the prophet Jonah.  However, Jonah was not buried on that site because he never existed, at least as the biblical book pictures him.  Jonah is a story inspired by God to teach Jews and the rest of humanity about God’s mercy.  It extends to all creation, not just to Israel.

The Book of Jonah was written after the Jewish exile in Babylon, probably in the fifth century B.C. Jews suffered greatly during the exile, but God had delivered them. God seemed on their side, but they questioned how God relates to other nations?  The Book of Jonah shows that God extends the same mercy if the people there repent of their iniquity.  God is bigger than Jewish nationalists at the time wanted to admit.

It is a mistake to think that God does not love and cannot forgive those who have not been baptized.  Vatican II made clear that His love reaches out to all.  Christ is absolutely necessary for salvation, but access to him may be made secretly, even unknowingly.  What is necessary is the person’s exhibiting the love Christ shared with us on the cross.

Monday, October 4, 2021

 

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

(Jonah 1:1-2:1-2.11; Luke 10:25-37)

 Not long after his conversion St. Francis was riding on his horse. He came across an odor so foul that his horse reared back.  Francis looked for the source of the odor and saw a leper in the middle of the road.  He had always been repelled by lepers, but now he dismounted and went to the leper. The leper held out his hands, and Francis kissed them.  It was the sign of reverence people in the Middle Ages given to a bishop.  Francis saw something priestly in this leper.  Indeed, he saw him as another Christ.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells the familiar story of the good Samaritan.  Tradition as long identified this Samaritan with Christ who saved humanity from death.  Jesus would have identified the man beaten and left half-dead with himself.  What the Samaritan did for that poor man, he did for the Lord.

It sounds impossible, but we are to imitate Francis of Assisi just as he became “another Christ.”  Like Francis, we should have a special sensitivity to for the poor and suffering.  Like Francis, we should have a special love for Christ.

Sunday, October 3, 2021

 TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, October 3, 2021

(Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 2:8-11; Mark 10:2-12)

The world deplores what has happened in Afghanistan. People everywhere lament the fact that the Taliban have taken back the reins of government. For twenty years girls have attended schools. Now they are restricted to learning in private. For twenty years women have been able to hold positions in society. Now they have to confine themselves to their homes. Jesus too is saddened by this new reality.

In the gospel, Jesus advocates for the good of women. The Pharisees want to trip him up with the question about divorce. It seems that for them it is not a problem that the man can divorce his wife. The prospect that the woman will be left without resources does not seem to be their concern. The only question seems to be theoretical: what is the reason for the divorce? They are asking Jesus if one can get divorced for incidental things like a man becoming infatuated with a younger woman. Or does it have to be a serious offense like adultery on the part of the woman? Jesus' response forbidding divorce saves the woman from both poverty and the shame of being abandoned by her husband.

By prohibiting divorce Jesus also rescues the institution of marriage. If one could get in and out of marriage as easily as buying and selling a donkey, marriage will soon be considered insignificant. People would not want to fully commit themselves one another. They would be creating reservations in their mind specifying the indications to let go of the relationship. Unfortunately, we are seeing the downfall of marriage in our day for this reason. For a hundred years there have been no great stigmas attached to divorce in many places. The result has been not only many divorces but also less desire to marry, fewer children to continue the culture, and, worst of all, many children without parents at home to guide them.

We need stable marriages for many reasons. It is the best environment to raise children. If young ones are to become adults responsible to family, community, and God, the strength, the tenderness, and the wisdom of both mother and father are by and large indispensable. Marriage also matures the two people. Newlyweds learn early that other people grow up differently so that each has to adjust to the other to avoid serious problems. Finally, marriage provides unconditional support to overcome the great challenges of life: among others, the loss of a job, the death of loved ones, and serious illness. In this sense, a good marriage provides a person with a sense of God's love.

However, we do not mean to say that marriage is absolutely necessary for successful living. A man recently died who was the head of one of the largest corporations in the world. When he retired, he dedicated himself to helping children in schools and hospitals. He said that one reason for his success was that he remained single. Nor do we mean that the married person has to stay with an abusive spouse. If the person is being beaten or is forced to commit sin, he or she must separate. And those people who are in a second marriage, what should they do? First, they have to fulfill their responsibilities to all their children and, perhaps, the first wife or husband. Then, the validity of the first marriage can be examined. Not infrequently the events surrounding the marriage rendered the matrimony null from the beginning.

It is a measure of the love of Jesus and the importance of marriage that he bothers to answer the question of the Pharisees. He realizes they desire to see him stumble, but he knows that his disciples need the correct orientation toward marriage. Human life would not be possible without good marriage. Yes, people can be born outside of marriage, but they would whither soon if there were not others nearby who know the love of married parents.