Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Solemnity of All Saints

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

Social analysts seem to agree that this is a post-Christian age.  Fewer people, percentagewise at least, attend religious services.  Many Catholics have abandoned Church teaching such as the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  Although there is a vague sense of an afterlife, most people do not accept the Church as the means to attain it.  In this atmosphere we can look to the saints for testimony in favor of practicing our Catholic faith.

The saints include men and women from the full range of nations and careers.  Some were geniuses like Augustine of Hippo who knew carnal desire as much as anyone yet accepted the grace of conversion.  Others were farmers like Blessed Franz Jägerstätter who defied the Nazi regime out of duty to God who spoke to him through his conscience. Many, of course, were women like Catherine of Siena who commanded an army of followers in a zealous apostolic life. 

We must be wary of a herd mentality which impels us to act like the popular majority.  Saints provide reasons to calm our doubts and models to live our lives.  They also pray for us upon request that we might find happiness beginning now and never ending.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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

The sixty-two-year-old worker talked of retirement.  He was suffering from two arthritic knees that needed replacement.  He also had a pinched nerve in his shoulder.  It was obviously painful for the man to do a full day’s work.  Many people have difficulty growing old.  Even trusting Christians like St. Paul begin to wonder when they see their bodies failing.

Paul writes of all creation “groaning in labor pains.”  It waits patiently for the redemption promised by the resurrection of Jesus.  Humans, made in the image of God, have the most to hope for.  They will assume glorified bodies like their Redeemer’s that will not age or experience pain.

Two thousand years is a long time to have waited for redemption.  But who is to say that it will not take another two thousand or perhaps two million years?  In the meantime we, given the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit, keep the faith.  We love our neighbor and care for the poor.  Most of all, we thank God for our blessings and pray for our needs.  It is a good life that will be glorified when Christ returns.

Monday, October 30, 2023

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:12-17; Luke 13:10-17)

James Doty teaches brain surgery at Stanford.  He also gives lectures and writes books on human interaction.  Dr. Doty says that people would be happier and more helpful if they stopped judging others and showed compassion.  Compassion, he stresses, is the recognition of the suffering of another with a desire to alleviate that suffering.  No doubt, Doty could use Jesus in today’s gospel as an exemplar of compassion.

Jesus knows that some disapprove of healing on the sabbath, but he is so moved by the woman’s long suffering that he acts to help her.  He can show compassion despite the inevitable criticism because he does not need others’ approval.  Probably Mary and Joseph encouraged Jesus to help others. But more decisive was his confidence in his heavenly Father’s love and support.

Jesus’ mission is to bestow that love on the world.  He will preach it to all who care to listen.  He will help those in distress often without their asking assistance.  Finally, he will give his life to free us from guilt so that we may have compassion for others.   

Sunday, November 5, 2023

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Malachi 1:4-2:2.8-10; I Thessalonians 2:7-9.13; Matthew 23:1-12)

This gospel has some phrases that surprise us. Is it true that Jesus does not want us to call anyone “father,” not even our male parent? Could it be that we have to invent other titles for our teachers? Because they are commands from the Lord, we must investigate them seriously.

We know that in other contexts Jesus speaks with exaggerated language. He does not want to deceive us but to emphasize the importance of our attention to the matter at hand. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus tells his disciples that they have to hate their father, mother, children, etc. Experts assure us that he had no intention for us to hate our loved ones, but rather to always put him first. In this Gospel of Matthew Jesus commands, “'If then your hand or your foot causes you sin, cut it off and throw it away.'” He surely didn’t want us to hurt ourselves. He only desired that we do not sin. As an effective preacher that he was, Jesus used stinging language.

However, the Protestant reformers evidently thought otherwise. Martin Luther considered it all right to call a man “father” as long as it does not interfere with the glory of God. Due to the practice of calling his ministers “reverends” or “pastors”, it can be assumed that he meant that priests should not be called “fathers”. There are some Protestants and sometimes Catholics too who still refuse to call Catholic priests “fathers.” They are not necessarily being disrespectful. Perhaps they love the Lord so much that they take every word of him literally. However, a literal understanding is not always the best possible interpretation of Scripture.

Because the practice goes against the evangelical mandate, Catholic theologians have reflected deeply on the issue. They note how Paul in one of his letters calls himself “father” (I Cor 4:14-15) of the community he converted. Furthermore, Paul throughout his letters refers to his spiritual children. The ancient Church became accustomed to calling bishops “father.” St. Benedict designated the title not only to leaders of his communities (abbot is a form of father) but also to confessors. The reason he gave was that they are guardians of souls. For the same reason the Dominican and Franciscan friars were named “fathers” and in time all priests.

In the gospel Jesus gives a strong criticism of the Pharisees and scribes who exalt their importance in the eyes of the people. According to Jesus they wear pretentious clothing, occupy prominent positions in public, and show satisfaction when others greet them as “teachers.” Jesus' purpose is more than denouncing Jewish leadership. Above all, he wants to warn his disciples not to act like this in the Church he is founding.

Pope Francis with the synod on synodality laid the foundation for the Church to conform more to this purpose of Jesus. He sat the laity with the hierarchs at round tables to emphasize the need to seriously listen to each other's motives and perspectives. He allowed everyone to vote to reveal the group's true thinking on the issues. He is not going to remove the governance of the Church from the bishops. But he is going to facilitate a better-informed governance.

It is evident that the tendency to dominate others lies deep in the human heart. Jesus came to eradicate it. We need His grace to love one another as brothers and sisters.  This grace is at work when we engage with others in the Church – pastors as well as laypersons -- in conversations that are honest and respectful.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, October 29, 2023

(Exodus 22:20-26; I Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40)

The gospel today is about love. Everyone thinks they know about love, but not everyone agrees on what love is. Once a homeless man received lunch from a volunteer working in a soup kitchen. The homeless man said to the volunteer, “Miss Bea, I love you.” She responded, “I love you too, Jimmy.” Then the man said, “Miss Bea, if you love me, will you sleep with me?” The woman replied: “It's not that kind of love.”

There are several types of love. The great exponent of the faith of the last century, C.S. Lewis, describes four. Reflecting on these can help us better understand the two commandments of today’s gospel. Three of these types are natural. That is, they arise in us like the appetite to eat or the desire to know. The fourth type is supernatural. In other words, it comes from God although it is up to us to accept it and share it with others.

The first type of love is affection whereby we wish well for the people who help us. Out of affection, a girl loves her mother who provides her with the resources to live, from breastfeeding to advice in attending parties. Mothers also need the affection of their children to feel fulfilled as women. We need to be needed, as the saying goes. Affection extends beyond our families. Lewis says that ninety percent of our love relationships are of this type. However, we take care with affection because it can turn into overindulgence that suffocates rather than supports development.

Lewis lists friendship as the second type of love. He has in mind complete sharing so that two men or two women identify with each other. Church fathers St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzus had such a relationship. Gregory wrote: “When we recognized our friendship, we became everything for each other: we shared the same accommodation, the same table, the same desires, the same goal.” In the Gospel according to Saint John at the Last Supper Jesus calls his disciples “friends” because they have shared his life to the fullest. Although this type of friendship is a great gift, it can be corrupted. For example, when the two do not share with anyone other than each other, it becomes selfish.

Eros, romantic love, comprise the third type of love. Lovers experience delight not only in the presence but also the thought of the other. By its nature, eros will lead the couple to give life in marriage. But it can also lead to a decrease in goodness, as when lovers abandon virtue in the pursuit of erotic pleasure.

Lewis calls the fourth type of love “agape,” a Greek word meaning self-sacrificing love. It is the love of God given to humans out of pure goodness. By nature we have to love the teachers who formed us as people of character. But God does not have to love us; He did not even have to create us. Despite millennia of human ingratitude, God not only created us but sent His Son to save us from sin and death. In response to Him we love everyone with a love that does not seek reciprocity in affection, nor exclusivity in friendship, nor pleasure in eros.

With agape we can love the invisible God. This is more difficult than one suspects.  We cannot see God, and many people like to think of themselves as authors of true love.  We love God by helping the hungry, the naked, the sick, and foreigners with whom Christ identified. We also love God by obeying His commandments even when it demands sacrifice. Finally, we love God by praying to Him daily and attentively.

As followers of Christ, we do not love only those who meet our needs. We love everyone in imitation of God who has filled us with his love. This love, agape, gives us more than satisfaction that is prone to fade. It gives us the joy of knowing Jesus as our friend and his Father as our host for eternity.

Friday, October 27, 2023

Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

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

In Gethsemane Jesus’ disciples sleep while he is praying.  He asked them to pray with him, but their bodies gave way to the natural tendency to doze off at night.  Jesus makes an excuse for their failure. “The spirit is willing,” he says, “but the flesh is week.”  St. Paul says something similar in today’s first reading.

Paul tries to explain why it seems that he never does the good that is in his heart.  In its place he does the evil for which his flesh yearns.  Paul does not specify any sin; perhaps, from what he says of himself in other letters, it may be ones of anger or pride.  People today may relate to what Paul is saying in dealing with lust or lying.  They do not want to look at pornography but somehow their fingers cannot resist clicking its button.  They may have resolved to always tell the truth, but they seem to enjoy deceiving others.

The passage suggests to us that Christ can lead us from these traps.  He will ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to strengthen our resolve against evil desires.  We find Jesus in the sacraments and should not tire of going there for assistance.

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Dorothy Day lived a radical life.  In her twenties she supported socialism as a remedy to poverty while having various love affairs.  After having a child with a live-in lover, she felt a need for God.  She became a strict, observant Catholic with a heartful love of the poor.  She saw Christ in them and treated them accordingly.  Day’s live illustrates the teaching of St. Paul in today’s first reading.

Paul addresses himself to the former pagans of the church community in Rome.  He reminds them of the licentious living they left behind to follow Christ.  He assures them that the reversal in their lifestyle will be more than release from shame.  “The wages of sin is death,” he famously writes, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

In many places people have returned to heathenism.  Children at tender ages are following Internet porn.  It is plague more widespread and in ways crueler than poverty.  As Dorothy Day did, we should speak up for disciplined lives given to the Lord, not carnal desire.  We must convey to all the joy of knowing Christ and the hope of eternal life as our destiny.

Wedneday, October 25, 2023

Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 6:12-18; Luke 12:39-48)

Especially in Luke’s gospel, Jesus enjoys teaching in parables.  Today’s passage contains two rather surprising ones.  The first compares Jesus, the Son of Man, to a crook who comes in the middle of the night!  The house breaking is a metaphor for Jesus’ return at the end of time.  Christians must be prepared to let him take them away to Paradise.

Jesus’ second parable obliquely answers Peter’s question about for whom the first parable was intended.  He says that although it was intended for all, it has a particularly urgent message for his closest disciples comprising leadership in the Church.  If they faithfully attend to the Eucharist, the “food allowance” that extends to all Church duties, they will be surprised to have the Lord himself serve them in heaven.  But if they neglect their responsibilities as Church leaders, they will be severely punished.

Preparation for the Lord goes beyond daily prayers.  We must keep his commandments and imitate his virtue.  Doing thus, we can live in joyful expectation of meeting the Lord face to face.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

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

The will to violence and destruction is one of the dismal legacies left by humanity’s original partakers.  The carnage is now being played out in Israel and Palestine.  Ironically, this is the land where lived Christ, whom St. Paul claims has ended enmity between peoples. How can it be so?

Of course, neither Israel nor Palestine, for the most part, are followers of Christ.  But the cruel war continues between Russia and the Ukraine, two nations with Christian majorities.  Nevertheless, Christ has left the gospel of peace and sent the Holy Spirit to overcome the legacy of war.  Unfortunately, humankind continues to ignore Christ’s heritage to its peril. 

Another part of the heritage of Christ is prayer to the Father that His Kingdom come.  As much as ever, we should ask for this to become a universal reality in our time.  We should also practice humility, understanding, and compassion so that His Kingdom is established in our very midst.

Monday, October 23, 2023

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 4:20-25; Luke 12:13-21)

On graduation day college graduates are declared fit to face the world.  They have completed a course of studies and have successfully passed tests to prove their competence.  Faith as St. Paul describes it in today’s first reading puts the believer in a similar position.

One does not have to do much more than to believe in Christ to receive the Holy Spirit.  Along with Baptism the believer is ready to live in the world as a saint.  However, it should not be thought that faith alone brings salvation.  Love, manifested in deeds of service, is necessary if one is to enter eternal life.  One should not undervalue faith as it makes humans friends of Jesus.  But only with loving care will that relationship last for eternity.

Of course, this reflection on faith and love takes us to the controversy that divided Europe in the sixteenth century.  Since then theologians on both sides have worked out a fuller, richer sense of faith like the one attempted here.  Catholics must recognize the transcendent value of faith while Protestants must concede the necessity of love, the greatest of the virtues.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

TWENTY-NINTH ORDINARY SUNDAY

(Isaiah 45:1.4-6; Thessalonians 1:1-5; Matthew 22:15-21)

Because it has to do with government and, therefore, politics, the gospel today has attracted a lot of attention. Also interesting but little noticed is the situation in which Jesus finds himself. A few days ago he entered Jerusalem to give his life for the salvation of the world. After driving the merchants out of the Temple, the Jewish elders came questioning his authority. Instead of giving them a direct answer, Jesus asked them if John the Baptist was God’s prophet. It was a trick question. If the elders answered “yes,” Jesus would ask them why they did not follow him. And if they answered “no”, they would have lost the trust of the people.

In the gospel today the Pharisees and Herodians approach Jesus with all the sincerity of the wolf greeting Little Red Riding Hood. They have a trick question like the one Jesus used with the Jewish elders. If Jesus answers that one must pay the tax to Caesar, he will lose the favor of the people. And if he answers “no,” the authorities will come looking for him.

Jesus does not fall into the Pharisees’ trap. Rather, he has perceived their wicked intentions from the false compliment with which they greeted him. He does not answer the question but outwits his adversaries by asking them for the coin to pay the tax. The fact that they have the coin on hand indicates their participation in Caesar's monetary system. They show that they should pay the tax because they take advantage of the system. They don't really want to learn from Jesus. As Jesus says, they are “hypocrites.”

Jesus leaves us a proverb without any explanation. We are to give “to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.” But what is our duty to Caesar? And what is our duty to God? “Caesar” means the government, and it is not difficult to enumerate our duties to government. We are to obey its laws, vote for its officials, pay its taxes, and defend the country when it calls us. But our duty to God is more complicated.

Some think that our debt to God is limited to attending Sunday mass and contributing to charity from time to time. However, because God created us, saved us from the snares of the devil, and sustains us, we owe him much more. In fact, we owe God our entire lives. We fulfill this duty by living each day, indeed each moment of each day like Christ.

Let me use a story as an example of what I mean.  Maybe the chaos that accompanied getting on buses in Honduras hasn't changed much in thirty years. In the nineteen nineties there was a priest there who used to say that he acted like a Christian all the time except when he got on the bus. He was joking, of course, but don't all of us propose such limits on our loyalty to Christ?

There is a document from the second century that describes the ways of Christians. It claims that Christians do not live like other people, albeit they live among them. It goes on to say that Christians are to the world what the soul is to the body. In other words, they act as the conscience of the world always showing the good, just, and correct way to conduct our lives. This is what Jesus means when he commands us to “render to God the things that are God's.”

We resist giving ourselves completely to God. It seems too much to demand from us. But we should not consider it as a payment on our part. Rather it is just fulfilling our role as members of God’s family.  It is just living as children of God.

Friday, October 20, 2023

Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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

The French philosopher Albert Camus made a hero out of the rogue mythological king Sisyphus.  In Camus’ story Sisyphus temporarily redeems humanity by putting Death itself in chains.  As a punishment for his deception, the gods assign Sisyphus the task of pushing a boulder up a mountain.  It is an arduous task, but the worst part is that when Sisyphus near the summit, the gods arrange that the boulder falls to the bottom.  Then Sisyphus must repeat the travail. 

Sisyphus’ fate is not unlike the dilemma of humans without Christ.  Try as they might, humans on their own could never be justified before God.  The Law pointed them in the right direction, but proved to be more than any person on his or her own could fulfill.  St. Paul tells us today that justification comes by faith as it did in the case of Abraham.  In the coming days we will hear Paul proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection as the definitive content of faith.  To be justified, Paul will say, we must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.

The news of justification through faith is too grand for a grim realist like Albert Camus to bear.  Camus thought that the best humans could do is to achieve integrity and, perhaps, an esprit de corps in carrying on the daily struggle of life until death.  But we Christians dare to hope for more because of the testimony of those like Paul.  He encountered the risen Jesus who changed his life and sent him to proclaim the message of eternal life.

 

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Memorial of Saints John de Brébuef and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

(Romans 3:21-30; Luke 17:47-54)

Organizations sometimes have elite groups which require the passing of a quality test for membership.  Boy Scouts have the Order of the Arrow.  Professional sports have their Halls of Fame.  The Army has its Rangers.  In the Letter to the Romans St. Paul rejects the idea of passing a quality test to join the ranks of the justified.  He recognizes that the test – observance of the Mosaic law -- was not producing holy people despite its rigor.  He finds justification in a simpler condition – faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus was the only one who has ever lived the law completely and become perfectly righteous.  Being the son of God, he was able to do so.  All others – both jews and gentiles -- can come to righteousness by Joining themselves to him in faith.  He provides the Holy Spirit so that they may live saintly lives.

It is not that living righteously doesn’t require effort.  It is that the Spirit of love is with us to work for the good of others.  We have the saints as models.  Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Joques, and companion martyrs gave their lives to bring salvation to native Americans by the grace of the Spirit.

Wednesday, November 18, 2023

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

(II Timothy 4:10-17b; Luke 10:1-9)

Of the four evangelists Matthew and Luke emphasize missionary activity most.  Jesus’ last words in Matthew’s gospel send his disciples to the ends of the earth.  Luke appends the Acts of the Apostles to his gospel.  Acts, of course, gives account of the apostles’ initial missionary activities.  Today’s passage also reflects the missionary dimension of Luke’s gospel.

Jesus sends seventy-two disciples to the towns which he intends to visit.  The number reflects Genesis’ report that seventy-two descendants of Adam formed the nations of the world.  Jesus’ disciples have no time to pack or to greet others on the road because the end is near.  Jesus is coming to call good people into his Father’s Kingdom.  For this reason they will tell the people to prepare themselves to meet him.

After almost two thousand years he still hasn’t arrived.  Or has he?  Jesus comes to us daily in Scripture, the Eucharist, our prayers, and other people, especially the poor.  It is also true that we await his coming definitively at the end of time when we hope to experience the glory of the Kingdom.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

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

Like St. Paul in today’s first reading San Ignatius of Antioch could say, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” Ignatius died a martyr for the sake of Jesus Christ.  He is famous for having written letters to Christian communities on his way to martyrdom in Rome.  Each gives insight into Catholic life in the early part of the second century.

The paganism, which Paul critiques in the passage, stands in stark contrast to the Gospel.  It has not left the world scene.  Today it might be found around the abortion centers where the human effects of lust are exterminated.  God created the human person with dignity that comes from the ability to know what is good and to opt for it.  Disgracefully, many have chosen to ignore what is evident to their eyes because it interferes with their desires.

Hopefully, the world will come to its senses as science ever more clearly shows that a human life begins at conception.  Then men and women will need both courage and love to put into practice the logical conclusion.  Repulsion for abortion will reduce the tenacious hold of paganism on humanity.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 1:1-7; Luke 1129-32)

The first words of Paul’s Letter to the Romans jump out at the reader.  He calls himself “a slave of Jesus Christ.”  Many think of a slave as a servant who is forced to work and is randomly abused.  But Paul has another sense of the word in mind here.  He sees himself as acting implicitly according to the will of Jesus Christ.  His condition is not oppressive because he knows that Christ is the Son of God who loves him thoroughly.

As Christ’s slave, Paul cannot but respond to his call to bring others to the obedience of faith.  The Holy Spirit moves him beyond lockstep fulfilment out of orders to an authentic love for his listeners.  Paul hopes that they will join him in pursuit of eternal joy as members of God’s family.

For some of us being a Christian may seem oppressive.  We may think that Christian morals deprive us of fun and limits our opportunities for advancement.  Such a perspective, however, is more myopic than Mr. Magoo. Christianity is a free option from which one may withdraw.  More to the point, Christian faith has allowed the Holy Spirit to work within us.  The Spirit makes us more loving, holier, and in every true way more desirable persons.

Sunday, 15 de octubre de 2023

TWENTY-EIGHTH ORDINARY SUNDAY, October 15, 2023

(Isaiah 25:6-10; Philippians 4:12-14,19-20; Matthew 22:1-14)

In recent Sundays we have seen Jesus arguing with the elders and high priests of Jerusalem. He had entered the city to deliver himself up for our salvation. When he taught in the Temple area the Jewish leaders questioned his authority. But Jesus, more astute than all, turned the tables on them with three parables. We heard the first, “the two sons,” two weeks ago and the second, “the murderous vineyard workers,” last Sunday. Today we are presented with the third, “the royal wedding banquet”.

Like the other two parables, “the royal wedding banquet” demonstrates the Jews' failure to obey God's will. Therefore, it points out, the Lord will take his kingdom out of his hands to give it to the Greeks. In the last half of the first century the Greeks accepted the gospel in large numbers while few Jews recognized Christ. The banquet itself is a symbol of heaven at the end of time as seen in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. The Greeks are those who come from the “crossroads” to attend the banquet. But, like any random group, they are both “bad and good…” The good belong there. They dress in appropriate clothing. But the bad guy, who doesn't wear a party dress, shouldn't have been admitted.

The removal of this man has upset many over the centuries. They ask, “How can the poor man be thrown out of the banquet for not having the proper dress?” It seemed to them that there was a lack of mercy on the part of the host. However, the issue is not the lack of resources to buy proper clothing. It is to refuse to wear available clothing. One can imagine that party dresses were available at the entrance to the banquet just as in the great basilicas of Rome today light cloaks are offered to ladies entering with bare shoulders. In any case, the important thing is not how the guest could get party clothing but what the clothing means.

In his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul advises his readers: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (13:14). He evidently means that they should act like Jesus by showing charity to everyone. The Letter to the Colossians is more detailed. It says: “… put on then, as God’s chosen ones,… heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility gentleness, and patience…” (3:14). The festive dress signifies works of mercy that serve as vehicles to enter heaven. Later in this Gospel according to Saint Matthew Jesus will say that when he comes to judge the living and the dead, he will call to the Kingdom of his Father those who gave food and drink to the hungry and the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and visited the sick man and the prisoner (25,35-40).

In the search for pleasures and comfort, many today are unaware of the needs of others. Unfortunately, some who go to church are included in this number. They would rather ignore the exhortations of Jesus that they hear Sunday after Sunday than make a regular effort for those in need. Somehow we have to wake them up to the call of Jesus.

In a city where violent crime has exploded in recent years, a retired couple has definitely put on Christ. The couple volunteers in a program that helps public school children read. It is one part of what must be a coordinated effort to solve a huge social problem. Couples need to show concern for their children by maintaining faithful and mutually supportive marriages. Employers have to pay salaries that value work well done. And governments have to foster prosperity for all while maintaining order.

The responsibility for a just society does not depend only on the government or some good people. Jesus involves us all in the company. We Catholics must be the first to enlist in the effort. We have chosen him as Lord. Through works of charity we anticipate the salvation that he won for us.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Joel 1:13-15.2:1-2; Luke 11:15-26)

Traditionally it has been said that a penitent must have “firm purpose of amendment” to have his or her sins forgiven.  This phrase means more than a vague intention not to commit the sin confessed again.  It requires a commitment to develop virtue which makes the sin itself undesirable. Jesus has purpose of amendment in mind in the last verses of today’s gospel.

Jesus has just performed an exorcism.  Some of those present suggest that Jesus can perform such acts because he has a personal relationship with Beelzebub, the prince of demons.  Jesus refutes that claim and goes on to speak, albeit obliquely, of the need to replace the expelled spirit with the Holy Spirit.  This is to have firm purpose of amendment If this does not happen, the evil spirit is likely to come back reenergized.

We develop virtue by not associating with the people or things that caused us to sin in the first place.  It is also important to pray for God’s assistance.  Finally, we must practice ways that oppose the wrong that we did.  If our sin is gossip, for example, we might practice saying positive things about others.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

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

Malachi is the Bible’s last prophetic book.  The word means “my messenger,” and it is presumed not to be anyone’s name.  Probably the author wanted to keep his identity unknown because of the stinging criticism he makes of Jewish society.  The first part of today’s reading demonstrates the author’s witness of the people’s arrogance.  He accuses the people of testifying that it is useless to serve God and that the proud, not the holy or just, are blessed.

But Malachi does not portray the people as completely hopeless.  Some still fear the Lord and trust that He will come to their aid.  The last section of the reading foresees “the day of the Lord” when the just will be vindicated.  It anticipates the wicked being burned like brush in a wildfire while the just will bask in the Lord’s victory.

Although not evident to all, the day of the Lord has arrived.  Jesus’ death and resurrection serve to mark a new era of righteousness and glory.  In their wake we have new criteria, the Gospel, to judge good and evil.  We also have the saints who, boosted by the Lord’s grace, have demonstrated the new righteousness.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

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

The readings today demonstrate two ways of praying.  Jonah prays to God in a dialogical manner.  He expresses his feelings to the Lord with whom he has a long-standing relationship. His prayer is reminiscent of the prayer of the preacher in the underrated motion picture The Apostle.  The preacher, who could be cruel and blood-thirsty, nevertheless enjoyed a vibrant relationship with the Lord.

A second, formal way of praying is demonstrated in today’s gospel.  Asked by his disciples to teach them to pray, Jesus responds with a skeletal -bones version of the “Our Father.” The prayer contains the necessary elements of praise, petition, and hope.  When one cannot think of what to tell the Lord, the “Our Father” is the perfect fallback.

Whether formal or informal, our prayer should be frequent.  Although evidence of God surrounds us, He is still imperceptible to our senses.  We need to remind ourselves continually of His fundamental role in our lives.  He deserves praise and thanks as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.  We need His ongoing assistance so that we might follow His ways as true daughters and sons.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

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

Most likely St. Luke intended that today’s gospel be read in tandem with yesterday’s.  He often pairs stories of a woman and a man.  After Mary delivers her canticle praising God, Zachariah pronounces his.  After Simeon recognizes Jesus as the Christ child, Ana makes a similar declaration.  Later in the gospel Jesus tells the parable of the woman searching for her lost drachma after relating the one of the shepherd and lost sheep.  Evidently Luke wants his readers to know that Christ calls women as well as men to follow him.

Yesterday’s parable and today’s report of Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary bear another sign of inclusiveness.  Both break through the boundaries of custom and, indeed, of established order.  Samaritans were to be distrusted, yet the one in the parable saves the Jewish man’s life.  Women were to serve in the home, yet Mary takes her seat as Jesus’ primary disciple.  Jesus breaks the rules of propriety although not of the moral law.  He is saying the God loves all and wants all to know and love Him.

Customs and order enable us to function well, especially when there is a lot to do.  But we should not be so tied to their rules that we lose sight of other values which can have precedence.  Certainly we want to include women as well as men in the story of salvation.  Likewise we want to teach women as well as men about God and His love for all.

Monday, October 9, 2023

 Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary time

 (Jonah 1:1-2:2.11; Luke 10:25-37)

 It can be said that the Bible is ambivalent about religious pluralism.  Last week the Old Testament readings at mass chastised Israel for cavorting with foreigners.   Today the reading features God’s calling Jonah to preach repentance in Nineveh, Israel’s fiercest enemies.  Likewise, today’s gospel exalts a grace-filled, non-Jewish Samaritan.

 Jonah has evidently developed a bias against Assyria.  He quite deliberately boards a ship heading away from the country.  Likely depressed by his sin, Jonah sleeps through a violent storm.  When awaken, he is asked by the pagan sailors to pray to God for deliverance.  These same barbarians question the morality of Jonah’s recommendation that they throw him overboard.

 There are good people everywhere.  It can even be said that most people are good.  We should not make rash statements condemning the people of Russia, Afghanistan, or North Korea.  It is also true that evil lurks over us so that good people may commit egregious offenses.  Ours is to repent of sin both personal and social.  At the same time we pray that the faults of other individuals and nations be forgiven and corrected.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

TWENTY-SEVENTH ORDINARY SUNDAY

(Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21:33-43)

The first reading and the gospel in Sunday mass are almost always related. Today the relationship is readily seen. The prophet Isaiah describes the nation of Israel as a vineyard that despite God's great efforts yields bitter grapes. In the gospel parable Jesus speaks of the vineyard as the Kingdom of God and the workers in it as the Jewish leaders. He shows how the leaders fail to give God his due and will eventually kill Jesus for denouncing their infidelity. As a result, in both cases God punishes the wicked severely.

I want to suggest another way to interpret the readings. Instead of thinking of the vineyard as the nation of Israel or the Kingdom of God, let us think of it as our individual lives. God has given each of us a life to do the best we can with it. Unfortunately we sometimes fail to produce much that is good.

Perhaps some of us have trouble imagining his or her life as belonging to God. They think their life is the only thing they have for sure. But it is God who lends us our life and takes it from us according to His will. Thus we are dependent on God for our life and also responsible to him for what we do with it. For this reason in both readings the people must produce good grapes for the owner of the vineyard.

Because God lends us our life, we should take good care of it. We have to attend to the needs of the soul and body. We know the body's needs, although we may not always meet them. Eating and drinking wisely, exercising regularly and resting for more or less seven hours daily are not secrets among the elite but general knowledge.

Likewise, the soul needs nutrition. We should associate with people who strive to stay close to the Lord and seek counsel from those who are truly wise. Equally important is that we do not ingest anything toxic to the soul such as erotic films and ideologies that emphasize our rights and forget about our responsibilities to others.

The fruit of our efforts to care for our soul and body is found in good works. We take care of our families and cultivate satisfying friendships. We practice citizenship not only by adhering to the law but also by cooperating in community projects. No matter that it costs us, we do acts of charity.

A Polish family that did a great work of charity has recently been beatified. The family of nine, parents and seven children, was martyred during World War II for sheltering eight Jews in their home. They were farmers committed to loving God and neighbor. When they were reported to the Nazi authorities, German officers came to their farm. They shot first the Jews, then the parents of the family, Josef and Wiktoria Ulma, and finally the six oldest children. In her martyrdom Wictoria Ulma gave birth to her seventh child. The Vatican proclaimed this baby a martyr as well. It reasoned that the baby received a baptism of blood by giving testimony to God with its life.

It is difficult to think of ourselves as martyrs. Thank God it is not likely that executioners will come to take our lives. However, we might ask, if it were a crime to do good deeds in our society, would there be enough evidence to convict us? If we cannot answer “yes,” our vineyard is not yielding good fruit.

Friday, October 6, 2023

Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Baruch 1:15-22; Luke 10:13-16)

The last verse of today’s gospel sounds strange.  When Jesus states, “’Who listens to you, listens to me…’”, can he be talking to the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum who all rejected him?  Of course not.  That would be like making Judas Iscariot a credible apostle.

In naming Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum Jesus is speaking rhetorically to the towns that failed to heed his call to repentance.  Reference to these places is part of his address sending seventy-two disciples to preach the gospel.  The first part of the discourse comprised yesterday’s gospel.  Today’s section completes it.

Nevertheless, we should hear the discourse as both the disciples being sent and as the towns being denounced.  Jesus wants us to tell the world about the Father’s love that has come primarily through him.  He also wants to save us from thinking that we don’t need him.  Without Jesus God’s love would seem fleeting and wanting.  We need Jesus to show us that God’s love is everlasting and efficacious.

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Nehemiah 8:1-4a.5-6.7b-12; Luke 10:1-12)

A few years ago the United States was enthralled by a freshly told story of Abraham Lincoln.  Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln astounded the nation by the portrayal of the sixteenth president’s righteousness and integrity, his political acumen and his patriotism.  The movie no doubt invoked many tears as it showed the depth of sacrifice made by the country’s greatest statesman.  A very similar dynamic is at work in the first reading today.

The scribe-priest Ezra stands up before the people to read Israel’s Law.  He is not reciting a code of rules but the history of the people’s salvation.  He reads of Abraham and Jacob, of Moses and Pharaoh.  But most of all, Ezra tells of God’s care for Israel.  He recounts how God gave Abraham and Sarah a child when the couple had lost hope of descendants.  And how He rescued the Israelites from servitude in Egypt and formed them into a community worthy of His name.  No wonder that the people want to cry!

Christians can claim the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus as their own, but we have an even greater love story to contemplate.  We speak of Jesus, God’s own son, who took on human form so that we might know God’s definitive will and be strengthened to do it.  We too weep at the boldness of God’s compassion on us and can never give Him enough thanks.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

(Nehemiah 2:1-8; Lucas 9:57-62)

Every Christian is called to be a “second Christ.” Perhaps no one has fit that character description more than St. Francis of Assisi.  As Christ left heaven to sojourn with humans, Francis gave up a life of comfort in his father’s house.  As Christ preached reconciliation and love throughout Israel, Francis preached Christ in Europe and into Asia.  As Christ had “nowhere to lay his head,” Francis embraced evangelical poverty with joy.

Like Christ as well, Francis’ openness to God was not always appreciated.  Some of his Franciscan brothers tried to mitigate his insistence on poverty.  But he did not compromise.  He knew that riches like power tend to corrupt the soul.  He also recognized that shared poverty buoyed by a hearty trust in God was itself a way to preach the gospel.

Francis is so lovable because he was so loving.  As we sometimes feel misunderstood and rejected, we should remember Francis and make every effort to love others. With diving grace to assist us, we will soon rise from feeling in the dumps.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Zechariah 8:20-23; Luke 9:51-56)

The desire of James and John to set fire to the Samaritan town that has refused to welcome Jesus typifies a common misunderstanding.  The brothers think that their main adversary is a physical power when in truth it is spiritual.  Jesus heads toward Jerusalem to meet the devil head on.

Peoples often oppose one another.  Russia and the Ukraine present a recent rivalry that has recurred countless times through the ages.  But still more oppressive than foreign armies are personal demons that cause one to want more than his or her due.  To overcome these challengers, Christians cling to Jesus who was victorious after all in Jerusalem.

We hold to the Lord by meditating on his word and by embracing him in the sacraments.  These encounters prepare us for the wonder of living with him in eternity.

Monday, October 2, 2023

Memorial of the Guardian Angels

(Zechariah 8:1-8; Matthew 18:1-5.10)

Children in Catholic schools used to be told to make room on their benches for their guardian angels.  Since angels are pure spirits, they do not occupy space.  But the admonition conscientized the children to the presence of angels that Jesus notes in today’s gospel.

Angels are pure spirits.  Acknowledging their presence confirms one’s belief that a realm beyond the physical world exists.  Christian belief extends much beyond that.  It believes that the spiritual has sway over the physical.  The gospel further testifies that angels take their cue from a benevolent God who dearly cares for human beings.

The church does not dwell long on angels.  Friday’s Feast of the Archangels and today’s memorial of Guardian Angels are the only two such celebrations in the liturgical.  Yet the Church does well to hold angels up as testimony of God’s inestimable love for us.