Friday, September 1, 2023

Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13)

Occasionally someone clamors, “The Church should get out of the marriage business.”  Marriage does seem like a sordid deal at times.  A person entering marriage may be immature.  The desire to annul an unsuccessful marriage may promote perjury.  However, marriage is hardly a business.  It involves the intimate relation between a man and a woman.  Besides procreation, the relationship should enhance the couples’ appreciation for God.  Both readings today concern the seriousness of this sacrament.

St. Paul urges the Thessalonians to seek marriage partners of virtue.  He wants them to avoid choosing a mate for looks and also to refrain from lewd acts within marriage.  The gospel parable uses marriage as a symbol of the coming of Christ at the end of time.  Because he will take only a righteous Church as his bride, the Church must prepare herself for him with works of mercy.  By implication, then, every couple should prepare themselves carefully for marriage.

Marriage is suffering in many parts of the world.  Young people increasingly do not marry.  Many marriages end in divorce.  We need to promote strong marriages by modeling chaste behavior and by helping young adults discern whom and when to marry.

 Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51)

 We think of the “good thief” as the bandit who was crucified with Christ and asked his help.  But the gospels relate another “good thief” who more authentically deserves the distinction.  He is Jesus who alludes to himself as a thief in today’s passage. 

Jesus’ extravagant use of parables allows the appellation to make a point.  Like a thief in the night Jesus will come to his people at an unexpected time.  They, therefore, must stay prepared for his coming.  This does not mean that they stand around anxiously like those waiting for a delayed bus or even that they polish the candlesticks.  No, being alert or “staying awake” means that that they look for Jesus in the needy.

Who are the needy and how might we help them?  Many live in the parts of town where we seldom find ourselves.  But they are really everywhere.  They are the lonely whom we might engage for a few minutes in conversation.  They are friends deluged with work to whom we might offer a hand for half an hour.  They are the sick, the uneducated, and the aged whom we might spend a few hours a week visiting in hospital, schools, or nursing homes.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

 Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:27-32)

 The “whitewashed tombs” in today’s gospel refers to the Jewish practice of painting tombs white.  Such coloring was to warn the people not to go near those tombs.  The Jewish concern was not respect for the dead, however, but dread of contamination by being in their proximity.

Jesus’ association of the scribes and Pharisees with “whitewashed tombs” constitutes a severe criticism.  He is saying that their apparent virtue only masquerades spiritual rot.  He claims that the scribes and Pharisees are hypocrites of a major order.  Their crimes have been detailed throughout the gospel.  They tie excessive burdens on the poor by a narrow interpretation of the law.  They seek the adulation of the masses but lack righteousness.  They persecute him for curing the sick by saying that he is in league with the devil.

We should remember that not all the scribes and Pharisees were evil.  Indeed, the Pharisaical movement saved the Jewish faith after the destruction of the Temple.  Nevertheless, they badgered Jesus and were especially severe in persecuting his followers later in the first century.  More importantly, however, we must take care that we do not turn hypocritical like the Pharisees in the gospels.  We should strive to be understanding of others’ faults, always ready to help others live virtuous lives.

 

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

 Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

 (I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Mark 6:17-29)

 In the gospel reading today a man makes an oath to do something that turns out to be immoral.  Herod promises his stepdaughter anything that she might ask.  He does not imagine her wanting him to murder.  We must ask, “Is such an oath binding?”

 No, it is not because it involves doing something evil which is always wrong.  Unfortunately, people are sometimes so proud that they think their every word must carried out.  They need humility.  Discovering that they have made a foolish oath, humble people beg God’s forgiveness for their mindlessness.  They never carry out an unconscionable act.

 Today’s celebration of the passion of John the Baptist should be more than a lesson on oath-taking.  John dies like an Old Testament prophet giving witness to the truth.  His manner of death prefigures Jesus’.  A civil system that arrests a man for speaking out against immorality will hardly tolerate one who seeks to inaugurate an even greater righteousness.  A more perfect man than John the Baptist, Jesus will suffer a more brutal death.

Monday, August 28, 2023

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(I Thessalonians 1:1-5.8b-10; Matthew 23:13-22)

With good reason many look upon cohabitation with grave concern.  Today many young couples have little reservation in sharing the same bed.  The result of serial sexual partners will hardly be a satisfactory permanent partnership.  More likely it will lead to continual disappointment. Listening to the life story of Saint Augustine may provide perspective and even some consolation for this development.

Augustine was reared in northern Africa and educated in Carthage.  When he was seventeen, he established a relationship with a woman of that city.  They engendered a son who stayed with Augustine until the boy’s death at sixteen years later.  At one point Augustine abandoned his lover to groom himself for an arranged marriage.  But before he married, Augustine restlessly took on another concubine.  In the end, Augustine never married.  Instead, he became a priest and eventually a bishop renowned for his preaching and theology.

Augustine’s moral theology expressed great reserve over sexual relationships.  He considered sexual relations outside of marriage as always sinful.  Even in a marital relationship, sex was not to be used for satisfying desire but for allowing procreation.  Perhaps Augustine had a harsh outlook on marital sex out of regret for his youthful exploits.  Nevertheless, we can learn from Augustine the need to resist sexual desires outside of marriage.  They often lead to deep personal injury and to tragic separation from the Lord.

 

Sunday, August 27, 2023

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20)

The gospel today confronts us with two basic questions: Who is Jesus? And why belong to the Church? Our answers to these questions should fill us with urgency to live the faith.  If not, we are wasting time going to mass.

Today almost the entire world recognizes Jesus precisely as his disciples respond to his question: "Who do people say is the Son of Man"? Everywhere people see him as a great prophet. Even Muslims recognize this. The great Hindu leader, Mahatma Gandhi, wrote that he had had a bad impression of Jesus because of his bitter experiences with Christians as a young man. He then read the Sermon on the Mount and recognized the greatness of Jesus. However, if Jesus is only a prophet, if his achievements are limited to his words alone, he would not be worth our submission. We could accept his statements that seem on target and reject those that seem outdated.

However, the gospel today claims that Jesus is more than a prophet. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simon, son of John, declares, "’You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'". This means that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who has arrived to recreate the world in justice. He comes to establish right order among men and women whose values have been distorted by Satan and his forces of evil. As the prophet Isaiah says, “'The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to sell wounded hearts, to proclaim liberation to the captives and liberty to the prisoners, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord...'"

To such a savior we owe not only admiration but faithfulness. He enlightens us with his teachings on how to navigate among the pitfalls of pride and lust. Even more significant, he strengthens us spiritually so that we may reach our destination, an intimate relationship with God. Serving this savior is not a burden but a joy because his orders point out the folly of the world around us.

The gospel emphasizes Simon, the son of Jonah, as much as Jesus. Because he correctly answers Jesus' question, he is commissioned as his second. His assignment signifies the replacement of the Pharisees and scribes as the official interpreters of God's word. From now on it is the Church and above all the successors of Simon who will serve as the intermediaries between God and humanity. With the new position, Simon receives a new name, appropriate to his office.  He is “Peter,” meaning rock, the foundation stone of the Church.

We wonder if the authority of the Church continues after so many mistakes made not only by Church officials but by the very successors of St. Peter. As Simon Peter will continue to make mistakes as a human person, we cannot expect perfection from his successors. But in terms of doctrine, the Bishop of Rome has shown remarkable consistency in upholding the teachings of Jesus for nearly two thousand years. There have been lapses in the sanctity of the papacies, but it is also impressive how deviations from the path of goodness have not resulted in the permanent loss of righteousness.

All of us know people who have left the Church. They make us wonder what would happen if we too were to stop going to Mass. We would probably feel loneliness like when we move to another country. We would be losing the closeness of a sensible and caring friend. Jesus is found in the gospels that we can read but he comes to us above all in the sacraments of the Church. There we find him as savior and sustenance, as unifier and healer. Our lives would be lacking without these means of encounter.

Friday, August 25, 2023

Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ruth 1:1.3-6.14b-16.22; Matthew 22:34-30)

RCIA groups usually have a few participants engaged to a Catholic.  These men and women desire to enter the Church, but they might never make the effort if it were not for their fiancé.  For a similar motive Ruth in today’s first reading wants to remain a Jew.

Ruth has a reciprocal relationship of care with her mother-in-law Naomi.  Naomi wants Ruth to return to her native people where she is more likely to find a husband.  Ruth, however, does not want to abandon her Jewish mother-in-law without anyone to help her.  For this reason, she commits herself to both Naomi’s care and her God.  It is not a decision made without costs.  Jewish laws are filled with dietary restrictions which inhibit many candidates to Judaism from full conversion.

Ruth’s love for the Lord may not supersede her love for Naomi at the moment.  However, if she cultivates that love by recognizing God’s hand in everything that is good, she will come to love Him as Jesus dictates in today’s gospel.  She, and we as well by the same means, will love Him with full heart, soul, and mind. 

Thursday, August 24, 2023

 

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, apostle

(Revelation 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51)

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Bartholomew is paired with Philip, the apostle.  Because Nathaniel has that distinction in John’s gospel, he is considered the same as Bartholomew.  In today’s passage from John, Bartholomew/Nathaniel recognizes Jesus as Messiah.

His recognition approximates what Simon calls Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel.  In the famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Simon says Jesus is “the Christ (i.e., Messiah), the Son of the living God.”  Jesus in turns names Simon, “Peter,” which is to say the rock, the foundation of his Church.  Jesus gives a descriptive title to Bartholomew/Nathaniel as well.  He is a true Israelite without duplicity.

We should strive to be likewise.  We say that we are Christians; that is, followers of Jesus.  We should always act like him.  This means praying to God constantly and serving others diligently.  Doing so, we too will experience angels working marvelous deeds. 

 Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Judges 9:6-15; Matthew 19:1-16)

 Fables are stories which dramatize animals or other non-human entities in order to deliver a moral message.  The reading from the Book of Judges today comprises a fable which approximates the one just mentioned.  The issue is the appointment of a king over Israel.  Useful trees like the olive and the fig refuse the honor of kingship so a buckthorn, which is no more than a large shrub, assumes the office.  The buckthorn represents Abimelech, the cutthroat son of Gideon.  He slaughtered seventy half-brothers to secure his throne and afterward burned alive the people of Migdal-shechem.  The reading anticipates the latter atrocity when it mentions fire coming from the buckhorn. 

 The moral offered by the story is that Israel should not seek a king but accept the kingship of God.  Anything less will result in affronting God with accompanying mistreatment of the poor.  This is not to endorse theocracy in which a modern state rules according to the dictates of a religion.  Such an arrangement today often leads to severe injustice not because of God but because of human distortion of God’s law.

 We need civil government to regulate the material goods.  Christians must obey civil rulers although never at the cost of sinning.  We pray for government rulers as St. Paul admonishes.  And we try to shape laws and elect leaders that will protect the rights of all.

 

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

 Memorial of the Queenship of Mary

 (Judges 6:11-24a; Matthew 19:23-30)

 The dialogue between Gideon and the angel sounds something like “Saturday Night Live.”  When the angel assures Gideon that the Lord stands with His people, Gideon retorts cynically.  “If the Lord is with us,” he asks, “then why has all this (humiliation) happened to us?”  The answer to his query should be obvious to Gideon.  Israel’s lack of success in battle against the Midianites is their infidelity to God’s Covenant.  Compromising their integrity as a people, they become easy prey to enemies.

 Gideon may be talking flippantly because he is not sure whether the stranger before him is really the Lord.  He asks for a sign which is given when fire consumes Gideon’s sacrificial offering.  Knowing that he is in the Lord’s presence, Gideon begins to wonder if he will suffer for his impertinence.  However, God assures him not to worry.

 We should not hesitate to open our hearts to God in prayer.  But humility is called for in such awesome company.  God is, after all, our Creator, not our buddy.  He befriends us out of love but does not share our tendencies to complain and gossip.  We should speak with Him as with a revered professor who has deigned to give us his time.  That is, we should be attentive to His correction and appreciative of His encouragement.

Monday, August 21, 2023

 

Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope

(Judges 2:11-19; Matthew 19:16-22)

Today’s gospel gives the impression that one has to become a monk to inherit eternal life.  Indeed, St. Anthony of the desert, the epitome of hermit monks, did precisely what Jesus prescribes here.  But such a reading betrays the tradition of Christian spirituality.

Christians have always held that there are many ways to eternal life.  Not only monks and nuns are on their way to salvation.  A political leader like St. Louis of France became a saint as did the Italian doctor Gianna Beretta Molla.  Sanctity requires that one places God first and foremost and always treats others with love.

The young man of the gospel receives a literal calling from Jesus to sell everything and follow him.  He must respond to it or be lost.  He goes away sad because like the seed among thorns, he is strangled by his wealth.  However, he is not hopeless.  Perhaps in time he will reconsider the call and became a disciple.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 56:6-7; Romans 11:11-15.29-32; Matthew 15:21-28)

The gospel today seems particularly appropriate for our time. It indicates the reason for many people abandoning faith in Jesus. The storyline is short but fascinating. It describes an encounter between a Canaanite (non-Jewish) woman and Jesus. It seems that Jesus insults her. But a careful reading reveals how she takes no offense and even draws closer to Jesus after his comment.

The great defender of the faith C.S. Lewis wrote a striking essay titled "God in the Dock." He says that in ancient times human beings always recognized themselves as guilty of sin. They, therefore, asked God for forgiveness. He goes on to say that in modern times the situation has been reversed. Humans accuse God of the tragedies and natural catastrophes that people suffer. As a result, the Church has to defend God from His accusers.  The first thing many see in today’s gospel is Jesus making a racist remark.

There is undoubtedly a new sensitivity in recent times. Today men and women take as offensive nicknames that a hundred years ago were considered terms of affection or respect.  A man must be careful to whom he calls a younger man, “Sonny.”  In Major League Baseball, the Cleveland team dropped its nickname "Indians" because some indigenous said that it was offensive. To many contemporaries Jesus using the term "little dogs" in reference to the situation of Canaanite's daughter seems like an outrage.

Jesus can be readily defended. He never calls the girl a "dog." He only compares his situation with the person who has food for the family, not for the pets. However, Jesus does not require defense. As the woman acknowledges, he is the “Lord” who would do nothing wrong. It's not that his deeds are good because he does them. Rather it is that he is God, the supreme good, in whom there is no evil.

The Canaanite does not denounce Jesus. She doesn't even see his words as offensive. Rather, she shows us the proper disposition toward God when she prostrates herself before Jesus in adoration. Recognizing him as “Lord,” she then reiterates the urgency that he help his daughter. With these acts she shows the world how to acknowledge Jesus with both gesture and word.

Last Sunday we heard Jesus in the gospel call Peter a man of "little faith." He now tells the Canaanite woman that she has "much faith." In this case we should imitate the woman and not Saint Peter. As the woman asks that Jesus cast out the demons that harass her daughter, we want to ask him to cast out the demons that pollute our time. That is, we want to ask you to remove not only the growing lack of faith but also the self-centeredness that allows people to do whatever they like.

There is a famous novel that begins with the words: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." This can be said of any time and certainly of today. There is always a lack of faith in Jesus making times bad. But Jesus is always close to us turning bad times into good.

Friday, August 18, 2023

Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Joshua 24:1-13; Matthew 19:3-12)

A man is experiencing severe memory loss.  He cannot do many things that most adults take for granted. Driving a car is out, and so is much reading.  But he is not depressed.  He cherishes the things that he can do.  Everyday he walks to look at the ducks in a large pond.  He sits on a bench where, he says, there is always a refreshing breeze.  At the end of the walk he thanks God for giving him these gifts of nature.

In today’s first reading Joshua expresses a similar gratitude to God.  In his discourse to all Israel he recalls the blessings God bestowed on their ancestors.  God made them abundant and rescued them from slavery in Egypt.  He cleared for them a land where they may prosper.  Joshua wants the people to thank God for his manifold kindness.

All of us have received many blessings from God.  But when things become difficult, we tend to forget His goodness and wonder whether He exists.  The wise, like my friend, will notice that God does not abandon them.  He bestows continued, simple blessings worthy of continued thanks.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

 Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Josua 3:7-10a.13-17; Matthew 18:29-19:1)

If love is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching, then forgiveness is at the core of love.  Over and over Jesus tells his disciples to forgive.  In today’s gospel he underscores the need to forgive with a parable.

Forgiveness is central to Christianity because Jesus gained the Father’s forgiveness of human sin.  As God has forgiven the sins of humans, they should in turn forgive the sins of one another.  Forgiveness, it must be added, is no slight matter as if it should be dispensed like paper napkins.  Both debtors in the parable acknowledge their debt and plea for mercy. 

If the sinner does not express contriteness and a willingness to reform, forgiveness is not required.  What should we do then, if the person who offends us remains uncontrite?  Love admonishes us to pray.  We pray that the offender duly repents and also that our assessment of the wrong is on target.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

 Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Matthew 18:15-20)

 Internet applications like Zoom give contemporary people the experience of talking to others face-to-face without actually being in their presence. However marvelous such conversations may be, they are hardly as intimate as being in one another’s presence.  In fact, a current issue in prison reform is assuring that prisoners have direct, not electronic, access to visitors. In the first reading today, Moses is exulted for having known the Lord “face to face.” But what do these words mean and how do they compare with Christian belief that Christ saw the Father?

 Various interpretations of the words are given.  Some say they do not indicate a direct encounter with the Lord because in the Book of Exodus God tells Moses that “’no one shall see me and live’” (33:20).  Of course, there is also the very real question of God, a purely spiritual being, having a material face.  It is best to conclude that Moses enjoyed a spiritual intimacy with God like no one else before the writing of the Book of Deuteronomy. 

 At one point in Deuteronomy Moses himself mentions another prophet who will come after him.  This prophet will have God’s own words in his mouth and bring a definitive revelation of God’s will.  The prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  The Gospel of John quotes him as saying that he has seen the Father: “’Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father’” (6:46).  His seeing of the Father constitutes a knowing that goes beyond Moses’ spiritual intimacy.  It is a divine indwelling whereby “I (that is, he) and the Father are one’” (10:30).  Jesus promises at least an approximation of this indwelling with its accompanying knowledge of God.  He tells his disciples: “’Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God’” (Matthew 5:8).

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

 Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 (Revelation 19a.12:1-6a.10ab; I Corinthians 15:20-27; Luke 1:39-56)

 Fr. Raymond E. Brown was a preeminent biblical scholar of the latter twentieth century.  Protestants scholars recognized his expertise by awarding him a professorship at one of their leading national seminaries.  Different popes named him to the Pontifical Biblical Commission.  One of Fr. Brown’s hallmarks was Christian unity.  He told Protestants that they should not worry about Marian claims made by Catholic popes.  He noted their Scriptural basis if not directly at least implicitly.

 Today’s feast gives evidence of such a basis.  There is no direct statement about Mary in Scripture after her being in the company of the apostles at the Pentecost event.  No report is given of her passing, much less of her assumption into heaven.  But there is indirect testimony.  The first reading refers to her being prepared a place by God.  The second reading speaks of the resurrection of all the dead of whom conceivably Mary takes precedence. The gospel reading indicates why.  Mary is the first to proclaim the Good News of God doing great, new things in the world. 

 Protestant friends may still be wary of claiming much about Mary.  We should be conscious of that but, nevertheless, ready to invite them to our Marian celebrations.  Mary is, after all, a model disciple as well as a preacher of the Gospel.  As his mother, she is also close to Jesus.  Finally, she has a distinctively woman’s sensitivity to others’ needs.  Much like people ask us to pray for their needs, we can solicit Mary’s intercession.  In this way, she may serve as a source of unity and never again of division.

Monday, August 14, 2023

Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, martyr

(Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Matthew 17:22-27)

St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan friar working in Poland until he was arrested by the Gestapo.  Committed to Auschwitz, Kolbe saw an opportunity to show his love for God when another prisoner was being sent to death for a crime that he did not commit.  Because the man had a family, Kolbe offered himself as a substitute.  Pope St. John Paul II considered this act a genuine witness to the faith and canonized Maximillian Kolbe as a martyr.  In today’s first reading Moses exhorts the people to likewise give witness to their love of God.  He does not ask them to die for God but to live for him.

The Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land.  They have every reason to hope that they and their children will have all the resources they will need to live in prosperity.  But Moses, conveying the will of God, wants more than that for them. Because he wants them to fulfill their destiny of modeling God’s justice, he exhorts them to remember God’s graciousness.  He is especially concerned that they treat other peoples fairly by reminding them, “…you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.”

Because immigration has become a reality throughout the world, we should underscore these words of Moses.  Different customs, food, and language make sojourning in a foreign land difficult.  Immigrants need understanding and compassion.  Such treatment shows solidarity not just across social boundaries but across generational ones as well.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(I Kings 19:9.11-13; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33)

Many parishes in cities of Europe and North America have experienced drastic change over the last sixty years. Their majestic churches that once held thousands of people every Sunday are now almost empty. They once had a number of priests who once spent multiple hours each week confessing and visiting the sick. Now the number of priests serving a parish has been reduced in many cases to one. And often he has all that he can do covering Masses in two or three parishes. It can be said that the contemporary church is in a precarious situation like the one anticipated in the gospel today.

To appreciate what this reading teaches, we should understand it as a representative of the Church in the second part of the first century. The boat of the disciples tossed by the waves symbolizes the Church threatened by various challenges in apostolic times. In Israel Christians experienced growing rejection particularly after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. They were ejected from the synagogues where before they had prayed with the Jews who did not believe in Christ.  It is true that the apostles had been successful elsewhere. But it is also true that the ancient Christian communities had to deal new problems.  False doctrines, impatience with the delay of Jesus' return, and persecution sometimes severe put the gospel in danger.

The reading shows Jesus coming to rescue the Church in distress. He mysteriously arrives to calm the disruptive elements of nature and to assure his followers of his support. We see something vaguely similar happening today at events like World Youth Day. In Lisbon the Spirit of Christ boosted the faith of millions, both those who participated in the events and those who followed them through the media. The presence of the pope, Jesus’ vicar, particularly lifted the spirits of the people. Although he is old, Pope Francis has a heart as hopeful as that of the twenty-year-old.

We must think of the story of Peter walking on the water as an image of the faithful following Jesus. All goes well for Peter when he keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus. But once he takes his eyes off him, he finds himself sinking into the deep waters. Today we must maintain hope in the promises Jesus made to us and trust in his support. With him can navigate today's biggest problems. We are not going to lose our way to salvation despite the harassment of governments, the disaffection of members, even the betrayals on the part of the clergy. But once we abandon Jesus as our goal and support, we are already defeated. To stay solidly on the route we must teach his doctrine, practice his charity, and pray to the Father in his name.

Changes characterize history. Now we live amidst technological changes that challenge our souls. Can artificial insemination change our understanding of procreation as a physical union between a man and a woman with God's help? Can artificial intelligence change our view of the human being as the image of God? These developments are not inevitable as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.​ 

Friday, August 11, 2023

Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin

(Deuteronomy 4:32-40; Matthew 16:24-28)

The famous quote in this morning’s newspaper read: “Everyone says that they want to live to old age, but no one wants to say that they are old.”  People not only want to live a long time but also to enjoy the sweet things of life.  However, according to Jesus, they can go about it in the wrong way.

In today’s gospel Jesus states clearly, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.” By “saving his life” he means living for oneself.  Jesus recognizes that a good life requires one to make sacrifices of love for others.  He describes this kind of love with the prism of his own experience.  One must take up his or her cross as he will do shortly. 

Our increasingly secular society may not notice our making sacrifices of love.  Yet we must not deceive ourselves.  We cannot have a good life without them.  Certainly St. Clare recognized this truth as she pledged herself to prayer and poverty along with St. Francis of Assisi.  Living a life of sacrifice for others is a constant struggle.  Fortunately we have saints like Clare to emulate and to pray for us.

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

(II Corinthians 9:6-10; John 12:24-26)

In one of his letters St. Ignatius of Antioch compares a bishop to God the Father and priests to the Holy Spirit.  He reserves a comparison to Christ for deacons.  Like Christ deacons are ordained specifically to preach to the poor and to visit the sick and incarcerated.

Today the Church honors St. Lawrence, one of her most illustrious deacons.  He lived in Rome during the third century and was martyred by being burned alive in the Valerian persecution.  A famous story has him telling his executioners that it was time to turn him over for he was cooked enough on one side!  It has been claimed that his martyrdom led to the conversion of the entire city. 

St. Lawrence makes us proud to be called by Christ.  He tended to the needs of the poor and remained cheerful under severe duress.  Most of all, Lawrence was faithful to the Lord Jesus until the end.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 13:1-2.25-14:1.26a-19a.34-35; Matthew 15:21-28)

Today’s readings contain a definite contrast that has significance for churchgoers.  The Book of Numbers describes the Israelites’ fear as they contemplate an invasion of Canaan, the “Promised Land.”  God's people see themselves as decidedly helpless in comparison to the nations there.  They overlook, however, the presence of the Lord among them. 

In the gospel the Canaanite woman recognizes the Lord’s anointed in her midst.  She expresses faith in Jesus as she begs him to drive away the demon tormenting her daughter.  Even when Jesus tests her mettle, her trust remains undeterred.

As much as God appears to have little patience with the Israelites, Jesus shows compassion on the woman and her daughter.  The readings tell us that it is not enough for us to be identified as God’s people to be afforded His mercy.  Rather we must believe with all our heart that He will help us.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Memorial of Saint Dominic Guzman, priest

(Numbers 12:1-13; Matthew 14: 22-36)

In May American Catholics were amazed to hear of a nun’s dead body discovered uncorrupted four years after its burial.  Immediately they asked if the nun, Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster, was not a saint.  She founded her religious community and was known for her devotion to Mary, the Mother of our Lord.

Hearing of Sr. Wilhelmina, many Dominicans friars and sisters thought of their founder St. Dominic Guzman. When his body was exhumed after being buried twelve years, a sweet fragrance ascended from the casket.  The aroma sealed the case of Dominic’s sanctity.  Dominicans in the first third of the thirteenth century worried that their founder was not being given due recognition.  His contemporary, St. Francis of Assisi, was canonized within two years of his death.  Not as charismatic as “il poverello,” Dominic was nevertheless a very holy man who displayed a critical quality for the renewal of the human heart.

St. Dominic was a man of community.  He did not call attention to himself but worked steadfastly for the good of the whole.  He founded the Order of Preachers to assist the Church in its re-evangelization of southern France where heresy had taken hold.  He also had the foresight to organize a community of nuns to pray for the preaching friars.  Beyond his example of prayer and fraternity, he left the Order with a functional Constitution.  Its flexibility and prudence have allowed the Order to remain undivided for over eight hundred years.

Monday, August 7, 2023

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)

When a commodity becomes plentiful and cheap, people look for more delectable alternatives.  At one time chicken was most families’ favorite dinner.  They reserved it for Sunday dinner after church to crown their day of leisure.  Today, with mass (and often inhumane) poultry farming, chicken has become a relatively inexpensive and somewhat prosaic dinner.  Families often prefer steak or salmon for special occasions.  In the first reading something similar is brewing.

The Israelites have grown tired of the manna which they have eaten every day for years.  They seek out Moses with the absurd complaint that they would have been better off in Egypt.  Moses then goes up to the Lord perplexed about what to do.  He knows that the people should be grateful.  At the same time he realizes that they are still not holy, still not truly the Lord’s.   

Holiness is a matter of being different.  But the difference is not being individualistic.  Rather holiness is going against the grain of human pride to give oneself completely to God.  It is overcoming the tendency to see ourselves as entitled to things.  It is recognizing everything that one has as a blessing from God.   Then it is a way of becoming a blessing to others.

Friday, August 4, 2023

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest

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

Saint John Vianney faced many setbacks in life.  He was erroneously drafted into the French military.  He had trouble with seminary studies.  As a priest, his attempts to reform the village of his assignment were resisted.  But John’s deep faith in the Lord enabled him to persist in charity.  No doubt, he saw in Jesus a model for dealing with difficulty.

In today’s gospel Jesus goes back to Nazareth.  His efforts to convert the people have proved somewhat fruitless.  Now even his townspeople reject him as an overachiever.  But he does not give up.  He rightly locates the problem in the people’s lack of perspective.  They might have believed and experienced the wonder of God if they gave him an objective hearing.  Of course, the rejection does not deter Jesus from carrying out his mission.

We will experience troubles even when we are doing good things.  We might have to modify our ways, but the real challenge is to strengthen our reliance on God.  Far from doing things for us, God will move us toward humility, commitment, and insight.  Along with love, these qualities will enable us to reach life’s goal.

Sunday, August 6, 2023

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD

(Daniel 7:9-10.13-14; II Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9)

We've probably all seen the spectacular photos from the James Webb Telescope. For more than a year the telescope has been transmitting images of stars in the corners of the universe. The brightness, the colors, and the extraordinary shapes create wonders more impressive than the best fireworks displays. The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain can be said to have the same effect. The favored disciples receive a stupendous view as if it came from a faraway galaxy.

The gospel does not lack lively description. It says that Jesus' face “shone like the sun,” and his garments become “white as light.” It creates a captivating sight like the Taj Mahal in India or the “Pietà” of Michelangelo in St. Peter’s Basilica.

With Jesus on the mountaintop appear Moses and Elijah. They represent the Testament culminating in the coming of the Messiah. Moses is associated with both the Exodus from Egyptian slavery and the Law. Elijhah was the greatest and the most persecuted of the ancient prophets. Taken together on either side of Jesus, they indicate how the Messiah will suffer greatly to free the people from the rule of sin.

The scene must change the heart of anyone who looks at it. Peter, James, and John will not return as the same people they were when they arrived on the mountaintop. Not even we listening to the story can remain unaffected. The beauty of the resplendent Jesus and the glimpse of his coming passion uplift and transform us. Like the disciples at Pentecost we are touched by the Holy Spirit. The love of God has affected our hearts. We should be seeing everything in a new way. No longer can we consider others as simply means for our good or as rivals for our bettering. We regard them now as worthy of our attention, respect, and love.

Changed by this sight of Jesus, we look for directions on how to proceed. How are we to care for, respect, and love others? The same gospel gives us a clue when it tells of the cloud casting a shadow over the disciples. From the cloud they (and also we) hear the voice of God the Father saying: "This is my beloved Son...listen to him."

What does Jesus say? In this Gospel of Saint Matthew we have a compendium of his teachings in the "Sermon on the Mount." Perhaps we can summarize the three chapters of the Sermon in a few sentences. Jesus wants us to “put first things first.” He wants us to value God above all with daily prayers and attendance at Sunday Mass. Then he wants us to be faithful to our obligations to family, friends, community, and work. Many people depend on us; we should not leave them in need. Secondary things -- recreation, wealth, the arts -- have importance as well. We don't have to abandon them but let us not give them singular attention.

This Tuesday is the feast of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers that also bears his name. We can see in him the correct ordering that Jesus teaches. His first biographer wrote that Dominic dedicated the nights to the Lord in prayer and the days sharing with his neighbors. Most of us are not saints who can deprive ourselves of sleep most of the night and work without rest all day. However, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can “put first things first.”

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 40:16-21.34-38; Matthew 13:47-53)

Today’s first reading describes Moses’ painstaking construction of the Lord’s tabernacle.  His efforts to fulfil God’s very prescriptions show the necessity of right worship.  Without correct worship the people would lose their connection with God and go astray.  This is what makes “right worship” right.  God does not need it, but people do, or they become lost.

The passage proceeds to show how God directs the people.  When the cloud covers the meeting tent, the people are to sit and pray for wisdom.  When the cloud rises from the tent, they can journey with confidence.  They are in route, of course, to the Promised Land where they will exhibit the Lord’s holiness.

Worship is fundamental to our journey to the Lord.  It need not be boring but should be done according to established traditions.  Done right, it will enlighten and educate us on how to live.  It will also instruct us to recognize, thank and praise God, our Creator and Eternal Home.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Today’s first reading indicates how standing in the presence of God changes people.  Moses comes back from seeing God with his face shining.  God’s holiness has caused Moses to radiate as if he were given an atomic charge.  He cannot look at others without forcing some kind of breakdown.  For this reason Moses must wear a veil.

But when Moses goes back into the presence of God, he takes off the veil.  Standing before God, all his life in unveiled.  No one can keep a secret from God’s judgment.  At such close range to the all-holy, Moses must stand in an especially exemplary way.  If not, he will break down completely.

We will have a meeting with God that requires complete disclosure on Judgment Day.  For now we should clean up our lives for encounters with holy people.  The presence of saints compels embarrassment, a kind of breakdown, as our unworthiness becomes evident.  In confession before a priest, we again show our unworthiness. But there, confessing our guilt and receiving the Lord’s pardon, we are enabled to stand up again.