Friday, December 1, 2023

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 7:2-14; Luke 21:29-33)

The liturgical years ends on a high note.  Today’s first reading shows God’s victory over evil and the reign of “the son of man” over the earth.  The four defeated beasts are the superpowers of different stages in the last millennium before Christ.  They all emerged from the sea, a symbol of evil.

The two-winged lion represents Babylon with its two ferocious kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.  The bear symbolizes the Median empire, a rival of Babylon.  The leopard signifies the Persian empire which rapidly became a regional powerhouse.  The terrifying beast at the end is the wicked Seleucid dynasty that attempted to snuff out Jewish religious practice.

Jews and Christians have suffered many persecutions over the centuries.  They still exist as confessing peoples.  Their enemies, on the contrary, are but bitter memories, for the most part at least.  We should thank God for deliverance from oppressors.  We also need to ask His help in combatting current threats to religious freedom.

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Feast of Saint Andrew, apostle

(Romans 10: 9-18; Matthew 4:18-22)

During the middle of the last century a missionary preacher used to give “fire and brimstone” talks to high school boys.  He impressed upon his listeners that they would burn in hell if they did not repent of their sexual sins.  For years he had great success.  Boys would line up outside the confession box.  But toward the end of the twentieth century the missionary’s sermons lost their appeal.  He had to change his content.  Perhaps he started to speak about the love of God.

These days, however, talking of God’s love is not necessarily the way to make converts either.  Certainly, it is a more honest approach than emphasizing God’s wrath.  Whatever is said today must be backed up with social media if one wants to reach thousands.  Preaching has changed, perhaps many times, since Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans.

In today’s section from the Letter to the Romans we hear how apostles like St. Andrew preached salvation through Jesus Christ.  He likely did it often without compensation.  Receiving money for his efforts would have drawn suspicion to his motives and violated the Lord’s instructions.  Like Paul himself, Andrew preached out of obedience and in order to save his soul.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 5:1-6.13-14.16-17.23-28; Luke 21:12-19)

In today’s gospel Jesus warns his followers that some of them will be put to death before he comes again.  Short of that, they will be betrayed and persecuted.  Yet, he says, they are not to lose courage or give up.  He promises to assist them in their trials.

Jesus’ prediction has proved true until the present day.  Christians in different parts of the world are being harassed, injured, robbed, and even killed. Numbers are disputed.  Some say as many as 100,000 a year.  In any case persecutions are distressingly many.

As most of us live in areas without systematic persecution, we tend to think that Christians everywhere live in peace.  After all, Christ taught us to love, not to hate our neighbors.  However, whether it be from others’ religious zealotry or in reaction to our failure to follow Christ, Christians are suffering violence today.  Our response must not be to prepare ourselves for battle.  Rather, as much as possible, we are to give testimony to Jesus’ own long-suffering, peace, and love.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 2:31-45; Luke 21:5-11)

Scholars claim that Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is not entirely accurate.  Although there has been disagreement in the past about which empires the different parts of the statue’s body represent, today experts are convinced that the golden head is the empire of the Assyrian-Babylonians; the silver upper body, that of the Medes; the bronze lower body, the Persian Empire; and the iron and tile feet, Alexander’s Greek domain.  The historical mistake in Daniel’s interpretation is that the Persians, not the Medes, conquered Babylon.

Most likely the writer of the Book of the Prophet Daniel was using the popular Jewish understanding of events when he wrote in the second century before Christ.  Obviously, this writer was not the prophet who lived in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, four centuries earlier.  Rather he was an interpreter of history seeing the great empires leading up to the recreation of Israel’s monarchy.  This was “the stone hewn from the mountain...which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.”

Christians have taken Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as realized in Jesus.  He inaugurated another kind of kingdom that, we believe, will be eternal.  It is a kingdom unlike all others because it does not claim rule over land nor does it tax people’s pocketbooks.  Rather, it moves us interiorly to love God above all and our neighbors as ourselves. 

 

Monday, November 27, 2023

Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 1:1-6.8-20; Luke 21:1-4)

The Book of the Prophet Daniel is an anomaly.  It was not written during the time of the kingdom or during the century following the restoration of Jerusalem.  Rather it comes from the second century before Christ after Alexander the Great conquered Palestine and left for one of his generals its rule.  Also, it is not so much a book of prophecies as it is a narrative about a young man named Daniel with the gift of prophecy.

The Greeks tried to force the Jews to change their religious practices.  The writer of Daniel described his main character as a young man who refused to compromise his religious tradition. Daniel and his companions would not eat from the pagan’s table.  Their diet, which sounds healthy by today’s standards, included only vegetables, no meat, and water, no wine.   Their resistance showed the people of Israel four hundred years later that fulfilling the Lord’s commands brings health to both body and soul.  In this way they encouraged rejection of the Greek overlords.

We must do the same.  In many ways our society has largely given itself back to paganism.  Young couples commonly choosing to live together exemplifies this trend.  We must be careful not to show approval of this kind of behavior.  We should further practice modesty in our dress and choice of entertainment. 

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

(Ezekiel 34:11-12.15-17; I Corinthians 15:20-26.28; Matthew 25:31-46)

The prophet Ezekiel draws our attention for several reasons. He uses exotic images like the dry bones that form a new people. Also, Ezekiel's prophecies are almost always narratives of his personal relations with God. Furthermore, Ezekiel speaks of the new Temple in Jerusalem as the focus of the encounter with God. Finally, Ezekiel reveals that God will not judge nations but individuals according to their deeds. This last thing is the message of the first reading today.

Ezekiel speaks of the personal care that God provides for his sheep. He says that God will seek out the lost and bind up the wounded. More to the point of the gospel, he emphasizes that God will judge his sheep, one by one. He will not reward or punish the whole nation for the sum of their deeds.  Rather, as a judge in court judges one for one’s personal crimes, God will judge each man and woman according to his and her own acts.

In the gospel Jesus indicates that at the end of time this prophecy of Ezekiel will be fulfilled. He himself will come as the shepherd-king. As king, one of his duties will be to act as the final arbiter in the affairs of his subjects. Therefore, he will judge everyone in his kingdom which now includes the entire world. He will use our good works as individuals as the criterion of his judgment. If you have continually fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, if you have welcomed strangers and clothed the naked, and if you have visited the sick and the imprisoned, you will be rewarded with a place in the Kingdom. But if you have ignored those in these and other precarious situations, you will be thrown into hell.

In his coming Jesus will not only fulfill the prophecy of Ezekiel but also the parables that we have heard the last two Sundays. We remember how only the young women who kept their lamps lit signifying their good works participated in the Lord's wedding. Also last Sunday Jesus spoke about the servants who used their talents for the good of the Kingdom as entering into the joy of the Lord.

We should be relieved that Jesus is not going to judge everyone globally because our generation would likely be judged among the most depraved. An example of the depravity that exists today is our profanation of the Incarnation of the Lord. During the Christmas season, many do not share the peace and joy of having the Savior of the world in our midst. Rather they make it a time of greed and overindulgence. “Black Friday” fully indicates the corruption. On this day people mostly think about new acquisitions for their own homes. May we rather show good to all with our mind’s eye fixed on the baby born in the stable and adored by the shepherds.

With this passage about the final judgment we finish our reading of the Gospel according to Matthew on Sundays. We have learned how Jesus is the Son of God, who has come to save all men and women from sin. We have also seen how he founded his Church to be a righteous and egalitarian community with Peter as its principal mainstay and the apostles and their successors as its leaders. Finally we have heard his command for us to go throughout the world as the light of his truth and his love.

Friday, November 24, 2023

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, martyrs

 (I Maccabees 4:36-37.52-59; Luke 19:45-48)

Today Vietnamese Catholics celebrate their heroes.  St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companion martyrs gave up their lives rather than their Catholic faith.  These “ultimate sacrifices” have made it possible for their descendants to look forward to eternal life.  The celebration is like that described in the mass’s first reading.

The passage tells of how the Jews burnt offerings and sang hymns of praise for eight days.  They were celebrating the rededication of the Temple that had been desecrated by their pagan rulers.  Many valiant Jews died in the hostilities that liberated the land from foreign hands.  In his day Jesus too celebrated the feast, which is commonly known as Hanukkah.

More important is Jesus’ great sensibility for the Temple.  As the meeting place of God and humanity, he chases the money changers from its confines.  Later his followers will note how Jesus replaces the Temple with his own body.  His flesh becomes the principal place of encounter between God and human beings.  Nevertheless, because we Christians still need places to pray, we construct churches.  But our churches do not replace Jesus; they glorify him.

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Thanksgiving Day

(Sirach 50:22-24; I Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19)

It is not hard to give thanks when you enjoy your work and your family is healthy.  With these blessings we joyfully say, “Thank you, Lord” today.  But it is remarkable that many people who bear considerable burdens likewise are thankful.  They may be confined to a bed with multiple sclerosis or perhaps responsible for the continuous care of a dying parent.  Yet they too happily give thanks today.

Where does such a thankful spirit come from?  The easy answer is “God.” Yes, gratitude is a gift from above.  But God most always works through secondary causes.  Living with thankful people, most likely one’s parents, passes the spirit forward as if it were a healthy gene.  Living with Christ should produce this effect as well.  The night before he was crucified, he gave thanks to the Father as he handed the bread and wine to his disciples proclaiming them his Body and Blood. 

Almost everyone will eat turkey today.  It is a great feast day in which this whole magnificent country takes part. Let us take nourishment with the gifts that Christ offers us as well.  Even if our Communion is spiritual, let us recognize that it is he who enters into us bringing a gracious, thankful spirit.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Memorial of Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr

(II Maccabees 7:1.20-31; Luke 19:11-28)

St. Cecilia enjoys great notoriety, but little understanding. Being the patron of music, liturgists sing her praises.  However, it is not certain when she died or even lived.  Because she is known as a virgin-martyr, we can find traces of her in today’s first reading.

Like the son in the account from II Maccabees, she gave up her life rather than her faith.  Like the mother, she exemplified what the Scripture call innocently “manly courage.” In other words, she did not waver in her trust in the Lord. 

Virginity is more ridiculed than admired in today’s secularized culture.  Where intentional virgins were once esteemed for dedicating themselves to the Lord, now they are suspected of abnormality.  Virginity, however, when sustained for love of the Lord is a kind of martyrdom.  The virgin disciple gives testimony that the Lord is the foremost good in life.  Having an all-embracing, spiritual relationship with him is valued more than pleasure, intimate physical support, and one’s own children. 

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(II Maccabees 6:18-31; Luke 19:1-10)

Today’s first reading tells of a man who suffers brash cruelty.  Eleazar is threatened with death and then executed for not eating pork.  He leaves a legacy of humility, courage, and integrity.  He puts God first, not his physical well-being.  And he overcomes the fear of violent death as he offers himself as a testimony to the faith of his ancestors.  Not only Jews and the young should take notice. The elderly especially have much to learn from Eleazar’s example.

Old people must brace themselves for suffering.  They experience pain and limitation in their declining years.  Their forgetfulness causes frustration and embarrassment.  They feel loneliness from the death of friends and a growing alienation from the world.  Like Eleazar, they can respond to these trials with faith that God will ultimately save them.

Many of us, already old, should prepare ourselves for suffering.  We need to pray that our suffering will be tolerable and that we remain faithful to his call us to take up our cross after him.  The rest of us along with prayer should offer our support and consolation to the elderly as their tribulations set in.

Monday, November 19, 2023

Monday of the Thirty-third Week of Ordinary Time

(I Maccabees 1:10-15.41-43.54-57.62-63; Luke 18:35-43)

Many contemporary Christians suffer a blindness akin to the beggar’s in today’s gospel.  They long to know for sure that Jesus has risen from the dead and will come to judge them at the end of time.  In other words, they want to see the Lord.

In the passage Jesus hears the blind man’s plea and seeks his caller out.  Then he asks what he might do for him.  The beggar requests that he might see and is immediately satisfied.  Of course, he loses no time in following the Lord.

If we want to see, we should follow the blind man’s example.  The Lord is waiting to hear our request.  We should ask, humbly but firmly, for insights into the realities of faith.  When we receive them, we should leave doubts behind to follow the Lord. 

Sunday, November 19, 2023

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20,30-31; Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30)

The movie “Barbie” gained a lot of attention along with a lot of money this summer. Surprisingly, the protagonist Barbie was not a stereotypical young woman. She didn't just enjoy parties and seek passes from guys. She developed from a doll in a fantasy world to a woman in a world of both heartbreak and joy. Something similar takes place in the first reading of the mass today.

The passage from the Book of Proverbs describes a worthy wife. She is not trivialized by being portrayed as a shallow person of good looks and secret charms. She is industrious, not playful; reliable, not capricious; worthy, not vain. All in all, she is a person that all of us would like to know.  For this reason the passage is matched with the gospel in which Jesus speaks of a significant feature of his discipleship.

Jesus employs a parable to indicate the need for a disciple to use his talents for the good of the Kingdom of God. The talents in the parable are intended to mean more than coins. They are also personal capabilities. We do not all have the same abilities, nor the same number of different abilities. Some disciples are very talented like the servant who was given five talents. Others do not have many talents like the servants who receive only one or two coins. In each case the disciple has to put his talents to good use in activities such as caring for the sick and comforting the distressed. He must not let his talents lie idle through laziness or fear of losing them.

Two servants invest their talents wisely and realize considerable gains. For their efforts they are well rewarded by their master with access to eternal life. But the one who hid his talent for fear of losing it is punished for his lack of initiative. He is cast into darkness, a symbol of damnation. Jesus is telling us in clear terms that we are to exert efforts for the good of others. We cannot think of ourselves as his true disciples if we spend our lives unwilling to invest time and talent in the Lord’s service.

The second reading gives us another way in which people waste their talent. Saint Paul urges us not to spend all our free time as if we were sleeping. That is, we are not to spend our time outside of work just watching TV, lying in the hammock, working out at the gym, or shopping. Although these activities can be beneficial to a point, our lives have another, greater purpose. As beings made in the image of God, it is our responsibility to create a better world.

From the Sermon on the Mount until this last discourse in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus has demanded a lot from his disciples. We must seek peace between enemies and share our bread with those in need, always be willing to forgive and never cause scandal. But he also assures us that we can go to him for understanding and relief. As Lord of heaven and earth, he can provide us not only temporary rest but eternal peace.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

(Wisdom 13:1-9; Luke 17:26-37)

The first reading and the gospel are not intentionally coordinated in Ordinary Time.  However, today they make an interesting combo.  The first reading speaks of the beginning of God’s creation while the gospel refers to the fulfilment of salvation history.  Believers accept both accounts with faith.

It is possible to deduce the existence of God from creation as Wisdom claims.  However, to say that God is benevolent because creation is so full of wonder requires faith in divine revelation.  People who experience trauma from earthquakes or, indeed, from human inhumanity will have difficulty accepting a good God.

The coming of the Son of man, that is Jesus Christ, puzzles people today as much as those of gospel times.  Jesus’ contemporaries ask when and where it will take place.  We are just as interested in how it will happen.  Some today, finding the whole idea fantastical, have given up hope for it taking place at all.  However, we keep the faith knowing that both individuals and society are stronger with the expectation of judgment and reward in the end.

Thursday, October 16, 2023

Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(Wisdom 7:22b-8:1; Luke 17:20-25)

It is often said that the biblical Kingdom of God is better rendered Reign of God.  The reason given is that the concept indicates a dynamism more than a territory.  Something similar may be said about heaven.  Although people may point to the sky when they say the word, heaven is more a condition of love than a physical locale.  In today’s gospel, Jesus stretches the idea of Kingdom of God even more.

Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is neither a place nor a thing.  He adds that it is “among” them.  He may be referring to a relationship with himself.  The Kingdom of God is friendship with Jesus himself.  He provides all the security and support, the joy and the affection that makes life worth living.  Since he will rise from the dead, the Kingdom of God will likewise never know a sunset.

Jesus extends his hand to form a relationship with us daily.  He is present to us physically in the Eucharist where we actually take him into ourselves.  The experience does not diminish him, but it does expand us.  Having his love and support, we can become as gracious and happy as he.  We become bearers of the Kingdom to others.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

(Optional) Memorial of Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(Wisdom 6:1-11; Luke 17:11-19)

Ironically St. Albert the Great’s name has been obscured by that of St. Thomas Aquinas whom Albert taught and defended.  Albert, like Thomas, had an expansive mind which mastered all the trends in philosophy and theology of his time.  More than his disciple, he understood physical nature through experimentation. 

Not only was Albert a genius, he was also a trusted leader.  He was elected provincial in his religious order (the Dominicans) and then made a bishop.  He resigned both positions, however, in order to teach, research, and write.  He proved to be generous as well when he left his work to defend his student Thomas against the charge of heresy.

St. Albert is the patron of scientists.  He serves as a model of those who hold that faith and science do not and cannot conflict.  Indeed, they serve each other.  Faith assures scientists that there is a transcendent meaning in their ceaseless search for truth.  Science reminds the faithful that God’s Providence is far more magnificent than even the Bible conveys.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(Wisdom 2:23-3:9; Luke 17:7-10)

Twenty years ago defenders of the faith were answering the criticisms of the so-called “New Atheists.”  They had to dispel charges that religion is superstition and that if there were a God, he could not be good with all the evil found in the world.  The defense had a huge base from which to respond.  There may have been a new generation of atheists, but their critiques have been proposed and answered from nearly the origin of humanity.

The Book of Wisdom proposes answers to the atheists of twenty-two hundred years ago.  Today’s reading responds to the unbeliever’s charge that death ends a life.  It proclaims that for those who believe death is only the end of bodily existence.  Their spirits live on to become part of the dynamic of good with which God moves the world. 

We can acquaint ourselves with the arguments proposed by the new atheists without being overpowered by them.  We should read faith’s defenders like C.S. Lewis or Bishop Robert Barron who counter the criticisms with powerful arguments.  Even more importantly, we need to contemplate Jesus in the gospels.  There he is so wondrously presented by the evangelists that our fears and doubts are quieted.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin

(Wisdom 1:1-7; Luke 17:1-6)

Mark Twain turned around a proverb by saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time.”  However, true that is, today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom assures us that you cannot fool God.  He knows the heart of every person and judges who is worthy of wisdom.

Wisdom is apparently in short supply today.  Our society revels in facts.  Google can produce a million of them in less than a second.  But facts are a far cry from wisdom.  Different sources make this point.  “Where is the knowledge among all these facts?  Where is the wisdom among all this knowledge?”  Wisdom reflects on knowledge to reveal what is truly life-giving, what is truly worth knowing.

Jesus, of course, is the exemplar of wisdom.  Today’s gospel provides a good example.  He tells us that when we are offended, our first response should not be to forgive but to correct.  Of course, we should try to do so in a friendly way.  Then, if our offender seeks forgiveness, we should readily forgive the person.  We are wise never to hold a grudge and always to forgive those who recognize their faults.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Wisdom 6:12-16; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13)

The liturgical year does not correspond perfectly with the calendar year. Now we are approaching the end of the liturgical year 2023. In just three Sundays on the first Sunday of Advent we will begin the new church year. There are different indications that we are near the end. The second reading deals with death while in the gospel parable Jesus speaks of the end of times.

The parable is taken from the second part of Jesus' final discourse in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem where he is going to be betrayed and crucified. For now he goes back to the nearby Mount of Olives where he is met sitting ready to teach. His disciples approach him asking about the end of time. Jesus responds first with a description of the desolation the world will experience. But he tells them that the day of desolation is not known. For this reason, he says, the disciples must watch. Then in the second part he explains with three parables what it means to “watch.”

Watching is much more than keeping your eyes open. In fact, all the ten virgins in the parable go to sleep. Watching is rather preparing yourself with good works. It is helping others so that when the Lord arrives, you can show him meritorious achievements. The wise virgins have brought a lot of oil which represents abundant charity. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ first discourse in of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus called the disciples themselves “the light of the world.” He said that they had to shine “their light before men so that they may see their good works and glorify God the Father…” The wise virgins prove themselves to be fulfillers of this command by the substantial supply of oil they carry.

Of course, good works include the small sacrifices we make to please our loved ones. In one movie a girl reaches out to open the door lock for her boyfriend after he seats her in her car. It's a nice gesture. More characteristic of good works, however, is service to those in need. Jesus himself instructs us what this service looks like in his famous declaration at the end of the discourse. He says that those elected by God feed the hungry and visit the sick.

Nowadays few say that it is necessary to go to church. In contrast, almost everyone agrees that it is important to help others. However, not many do it, at least systematically. In times past, organizations such as the Legion of Mary and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul served many poor and sick people. The members of such organizations developed a spirituality of service so that they could be more accomplished in their works and more devoted to the Lord. In the parable there are five virgins who have done good deeds, a number that implies such cooperation with a wide effect.

People today do not participate in organizations of this type. Rather, they group themselves according to personal interests through their phones. With the Internet they exchange ideas more than personal experiences. The effect is loneliness on both sides. Relatively few receive Christian charity while Christians are left alone at home pecking at their phones. Christ expects more from his disciples.

The Lord is coming soon, spiritually if not physically. If we want to recognize him, we will have to put down our phones for a while to study the faces of those in need. He will appear much like the hungry and the sick.

Friday, November 10, 2023

Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

(Romans 15:14-21; Luke 16:1-8)

In today’s reading from the Letter to the Romans St. Paul has gracious words for his readers.  He says that they are full of goodness and knowledge and capable of self-criticism.  Such qualities are the makings of a church destined to be the leader of all Christian churches in the world.  Certainly today’s patron, Pope St. Leo the Great, saw the Church of Rome in this way.

St. Leo lived in the fifth century when Church governance was still fluid.  As Bishop of Rome, he was the Patriarch of the West with substantial influence over western churches.  But there were still four patriarchies in the East who claimed territorial jurisdiction of their own.  The most important of these was Constantinople, called “the new Rome.”  Although Leo could not convince Eastern churches to look to him as the final word, he did achieve their respect.  Meanwhile he maintained recognition of Rome’s supreme authority in the West.

St. Leo is called the Great not because he saw himself as particularly magnificent but because he fulfilled his office as leader of the Church with unfailing excellence.  In this achievement he presents us with a model.  We too should forget any pretensions that we are better than others but strive to live as perfectly as possible.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

(Ezekiel47:1-2.8-9.12; I Corinthians 3:9c-11.16-17; John 2:13-22)

Some wonder whether the Old Testament is necessary for Catholics.  They may quote St. Paul who says that the Law does not apply to those baptized in Christ.  However, the Church has insisted that the Old Testament is part of God’s revelation and must be revered.

There are three types of laws in the Old Testament: ritual, liturgical, and moral.  The ritual laws, forbidding the consumption of pork and shellfish and prescribing ablutions, Jesus himself abrogated.  He said that it is not what goes into a person that defiles him or her but what comes out.  The moral law of the Old Testament, highlighted by the Ten Commandments, has remained operative.  And the liturgical laws have been assumed in the customs and traditions of the Church.  We see this accommodation in today’s readings.

The Jerusalem temple is the principal focus of Old Testament liturgy.  The Book of Leviticus especially lays out many norms for the rites carried out there.  Now these practices are being followed in Catholic churches like that of St. John Lateran, the pope’s cathedral, in Rome.  Catholic rituals using vestments, oil, and incense imitate what the Jewish law stipulates.  When we come to church, we should realize that we are placing ourselves among three millennia of God’s people.  We, like our Jewish and Christian predecessors, have been called by God to worship Him in very specific ways.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 13:8-10; Luke 14:25-33)

Social commentator Mary Eberstadt recently published an essay on antisemitism.  She wrote that Catholics who hate Jews can say all the novenas they wish, but they still risk damnation.  In today’s readings Jesus and his apostle Paul make a similar point.

Great crowds are following Jesus.  Why not?  He is an arresting preacher and a miraculous healer.  Jesus, however, is not interested in a large following.  He wants personal conversion, away from sin and to his way of charity.  Out of this concern he challenges the multitude.  They must love him more than their own family members, indeed, more than their own selves.  Paul gives the gist of this preference when he writes, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Challenging stuff, this demand to love.  We cannot meet it always thinking of how others may have hurt us.  We must ask ourselves frequently and honestly how we affect others.  Then we must resolve to love others almost as much as we love God, our Creator and Savior.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 12:5-16ab; Luke 14:15-24)

In “Revelation” Flannery O’Connor presents a proud woman who shows contempt on others. Mrs. Turpin is especially disdainful of the poor and racial minorities.  She believes that she and people like her will enter heaven but is at least doubtful of the rest of humanity.  Then a girl, not coincidently named “Mary Grace,” calls Mrs. Turpin an “old wart hog” from hell.  The name knocks the woman from her high horse.  While washing her pigs, Mrs. Turpin has a vision of the people she has disdained entering heaven while she is left on earth.  The story recalls today’s gospel parable.

Jesus tells his own short story about people who refuse the offer of participating in the heavenly banquet.  They have excuses, for sure, and not necessarily limp ones.  They have to make money or to spend time with the family.  The point is, however, that the Kingdom must be one’s top priority.  Even the poor are not granted entrance into the Kingdom because they are poor.  Rather they will experience the fullness of life because they have placed God first.

We may find ourselves looking down on the poor as lazy or unprincipled.  We better take care of such an attitude.  It may mean that we have given lower priority to the Kingdom than to worldly success.  In place of disdain, we might try to help or at least to pray for those in need.  As indicated often in the gospels, this kind of concern is a true Kingdom value.

Monday, November 6, 2023

Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 11:29-36; Luke 14:12-14)

Anti-Semitism has marred western civilization since the time of Christ.  The polemic against the Pharisees and, to an extent, all Jews in the gospels is understandable.  Jews had ejected Christians from synagogues where they prayed together.  Although some Church Fathers wanted to protect Jews, others quite vehemently condemned them.  The influential Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 mandated that Jews wear marks of identification which could not help but increase hateful discrimination.  The Jewish list of grievances extends for volumes.

St. Paul certainly had a different perspective. He never forsook his Jewish heritage although, of course, he swore complete allegiance to Christ.  In today’s passage from the Letter to the Romans Paul affirms that God’s election of Israel as His “Chosen People” cannot be undone.  As unlikely as it may seem, he foresees the time when they too will become part of Christ’s fold. 

With society becoming increasingly fractionated, we must be ready to stand in solidarity with unjustly persecuted minorities.  We should not allow prejudicial remarks against Blacks, Jews, and other traditionally slandered peoples go uncontested.  Jesus was a Jew, but more importantly he suffered and died on behalf of all.  If we really love him, we will defend the dignity of all human beings.

 

Friday, November 3, 2023

(Optional) Memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, religious

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

It was not a sabbath question, but it was one of a similar propriety when healing.  One day Brother Martin de Porres found an old beggar in the street.  Because his body was full of sores, Martin carried the man into his own bed at the priory where he lived.  Martin then nursed him back to health.  Not everyone judged Martin’s service an act of mercy.  One fellow friar complained that it was disgusting.  Martin replied to the criticism, “Compassion, my dear brother, is preferable to cleanliness…I can easily clean sheets with a little soap, but no torrent of tears could wash off my soul the stain that would have been made there by any unkindness to the unfortunate.”

In today’s gospel Jesus dismisses the criticism of the Pharisees with a similar admonition.  No one would be so inhumane as to not pull a son or even an ox out of a cistern on the sabbath.  Jesus would probably say that by all means, one should follow the law.  However, one is not to be so rigid as to refuse exceptions where common sense applies.

Admittedly, sometimes we have difficulty determining when common sense should be applied.  We are told never to lie, but if lives are at stake, is it permitted?  We pray for discernment and also fortitude to do what is right despite the burden the right thing entails.

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

(Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 6:3-9; John 6:37-40)

The custom of remembering the dead has a long history.  Early Christians assumed the traditions of pagan ancestors.  In the Middle Ages local churches observed different days to pray for the dead.  It is thought that the designation of November 2 to pray for the dead originated with St. Odilo, an abbot of the famous Benedictine monastery of Cluny.  He ordained that all monasteries founded from Cluny offer special prayers for the dead on the day after All Saints Day.

In today’s gospel Jesus hints at the appropriateness of praying for the dead.  He says that no one who believes in him will be rejected.  The need for prayer comes from the honest recognition that most people don’t follow Jesus perfectly.  The living pray to God that their beloved dead will be perfected soon so that they can join Christ in glory.

Hoping that people will pray for us when we die, we pray for our beloved dead.  We are aware of our imperfections but also of God’s mercy.  We believe that just by carrying out this act of mercy, we are coming closer to God.