Monday, April 1, 2024

Monday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:14.22-33; Matthew 28:8-15)

The proclamations of Peter and Paul in the Acts of the Apostles reflect their witness to the resurrection.  Generally, they show how Jesus’ paschal experience correspond to Scripture and calls forth repentance. 

In today’s first reading from Acts Peter presents his testimony immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  Preached to the Jews, Peter boldly declares them responsible for the death of Jesus whose deeds reflected God’s mercy.  He cites a psalm in which the narrator proclaims God’s goodness and therefore can expect salvation. Tomorrow’s continuation of Peter’s sermon will urge listeners to repent and be cleansed in the name of Jesus.

The offer is made to us as well.  In an extended way our selfishness, pride, and greed has caused the death of the Lord Jesus.  We too need to seek forgiveness by participating fervently in the Eucharist.

Sunday 31, 2024

FIRST SUNDAY OF EASTER, March 31, 2024

(Mark 16:1-7)

As wonderful as we find Christmas, we have to recognize in Easter something more significant. It is the celebration of the fulfillment of God's purpose in becoming human. It is the announcement to the world that Christ has defeated sin and death. The gospel tells us the story of his victory, which offers us both hope and work.

The Gospel of Mark says that the three women who saw Jesus crucified are now coming to embalm him. To avoid violating the sanctity of the Sabbath, he was buried quickly on Friday. Now the women want to give their beloved teacher a proper burial.

The women worry about how they will move the giant stone that closed the tomb. But their thoughts undoubtedly extend further than this issue. No doubt they are remembering what a tremendous person Jesus was. As people today hold “celebrations of life” at funeral homes, these women would be sharing their memories of Jesus. They would be talking to each other about how Jesus liked to eat with all kinds of people. They would tell how he taught with authority, but also used parables to help people understand.

As happy as their memories of Jesus are, the women encounter the bitter reality that he is no longer with them. They think that they will no longer hear his voice or feel his supportive touch. So they say that things will never be the same and they wonder: how can they live without Jesus?

When they arrive at the tomb and see the stone rolled away, they are scared. What happened? They would be suspecting that Jesus' enemies stole his body. When they enter the tomb, they see an angel where Jesus' body was laid.  The angel announces to them that Jesus is resurrected. Now the women are even more scared. After all, they are in a cemetery with a spirit before their eyes. They might be wondering, what does “resurrected” mean? Is it living with the body or without the body? in the world or outside the world? for a limited time or forever?

The angel assigns them a task. They are to tell Peter and the other disciples that they will find Jesus in Galilee. Where they began their discipleship with the Lord, they will begin to bring it to conclusion. But this time they will have the Holy Spirit as their light and strength. The Spirit will remind them of what the Lord said about the need to suffer if they are to follow Him. Likewise, the Spirit will strengthen them to overcome fear and apathy in your mission.

We are similar to those women that first Easter. Like them, we have a fear of death because we cannot see beyond the grave or, today, the columbarium. Nor do we have an adequate view of the resurrection. We know that it will involve a glorious new life rooted in our own bodies and that we will intimately know Jesus Christ. But what we are going to do other than praise and thank God remains obscure now. Finally, like those women, we are charged with the task of telling others how the resurrected one awaits them. Somehow we have to announce that Jesus has conquered sin and death – our sin and death. Now we can live as new people freed from sin with his resurrection as our destiny.

Friday, March 29, 2024

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

(Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42)

The Gospel of John has three of Jesus’ “last words”.”  Each gives us some insight into John’s understanding of Jesus.  The first of Jesus’ “last words” in John create a family of his mother and his Beloved Disciple.  This act should be seen as more than Jesus’ securing his mother's welfare.  More importantly, it establishes his Church.  When Jesus expires, he will send his Spirit their way.

Those familiar with convents of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity will recognize the second of Jesus’ “last words.”  They see a poster with “I thirst” connected to the crucifix in the chapel.  The missionaries mean to say that Jesus himself begs relief for all suffering from lack of drink and food.  John probably meant the words to emphasize that what happened during Jesus’ passion fulfills the Scripture.  All four gospels have Jesus referring to Psalm 22 during his passion.  “I thirst” corresponds to verse 16 of the Psalm: “As dry as a potsherd is my throat.”

Jesus’ final “last word” -- “It is finished” -- refers to his mission completed on the cross.  Jesus has died as a salvific sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.  As John the Baptist said at the beginning of the gospel, he is “’the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.’” As Jesus’ “last words” express the completion of his work of our redemption, may ours one day express trust in him.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Holy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

(Exodus 12:1-8.11-14; I Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15)

Newcomers to Catholicism should be surprised by the selection of today’s gospel.  On this evening when the Church celebrates the institution of the Eucharist, the gospel says nothing about it.  Or so it seems.  However, the Church intuits that the Gospel of John has substituted Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet for the Eucharist as an explanation of Eucharist’s meaning.

Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet is an act of servitude.  Slaves wash their masters’ feet.  By his taking on the role, Jesus indicates that his disciples must serve one another.  This is not to say that there are masters among them.  Quite the contrary, Jesus alone is master.  The rest serve one another in obedience to Jesus’ command.  On the following day Jesus will die on the cross as a sign of the master’s supreme servitude. 

In the end we will find ourselves freed, not enslaved, as a result of serving one another.  The first reading gives account of the Hebrews’ being politically freed from slavery in Egypt.  On the night remembering that event, Jesus indicates that by following his command, we will find ourselves spiritually free.  Sin will no longer control our hearts.  We will be ready to enter the Promised Land of heaven.  

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Wednesday of Holy Week

(Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14-25)

As implausible as it may seem, some scholars have defended Judas.  They write excuses like he arranged Jesus’ arrest because he wanted the kingdom to be inaugurated.  Another hypothesis is that Peter went to the chief priests on Jesus’ orders so that the paschal mystery could begin.  Of course, all such ideas contrast with all that the gospels say about Judas. 

In today’s gospel Matthew indicates that Judas handed over Jesus to the Jews for a sizeable amount of money.  The Gospels of Luke and John give another motive that may be coordinated with greed.  They say that the devil entered into him.  Whether for greed or for pure hatred, Judas’ sin is compounded.  He not only delivers an innocent man for execution; he also betrays a companion, indeed a venerated leader.

Nevertheless, we should move beyond contempt for Judas.  We might see in Judas’ motivation some of our own sinfulness.  Evil may enter our hearts so that we act against those whom we do not like or for whom we feel envy.  We might even pray to God for mercy on him as well as ourselves.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Tuesday of Holy Week

(Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33.36-38)

One of the great questions in Bible studies is who is the “servant” of today’s first reading.  He also appears prominently in three other passages in what is often called “Second Isaiah.” Except for the possible nomenclature “Israel” that appears in today’s passage, the Servant is never named.  Some say the Suffering Servant is indeed the people of Israel.  But if so, others ask, how can the same person be said to “restore the survivors of Israel”?  Others say that the servant is the prophet himself.  This also seems strange.  How might the “light to the nations” never named?

Christians have had no trouble identifying the “Servant of the Lord.” They would ask, who else could it be but the Lord Jesus?  Through Jesus’ blood, God has forgiven the sins of the world.  He suffered insult and violence, as the other passages claim, to bring the nations together.

This week above all we honor Jesus for his sacrifice.  He allowed himself to be treated like a lamb that was slaughtered to win for us freedom from sin and death.

Monday, March 25, 2024

 

Monday of Holy Week

(Isaiah 42:1-7; John 12:1-11)

St. Catherine of Siena, the fourteenth century mystic and activist, claimed an intense personal love for Jesus.  She considered herself married to the Lord, having exchanged her heart for his.  Her relationship parallels that of Mary in today’s gospel.

Not only does Mary anoint Jesus’ feet, she also dries them with her hair.  The first action is strange; the second almost bizarre.  But Mary wants to express her intense love for Jesus.  She recognizes his Lordship and gives herself completely to him in a manner beyond sexual intimacy.

Jesus merits such affection from all of us.  He saves us from the folly of sins and provides us the prospect of overcoming death.  He personified every virtue and sacrificed his life for each one of us.  Our hope should be nothing less than life with him in eternity.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION, March 24, 2024

(Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47)

We are all aware that Jesus' last words vary in three of the four gospels. The differences are more than a matter of words. They express different perspectives on how to understand who Jesus is.  In Luke, Jesus is seen as the supremely compassionate friend to all. When he dies, he has words of comfort on his lips: “Father, into your hands I commend my hands.” The Gospel of Saint John portrays Jesus as the incarnate Son of God who comes into the world with a specific mission. As the task is completed on the cross, his last words are: “It is finished.”

Without a doubt the last words of Jesus in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew are the most difficult to understand. In both gospels he says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We are left with deep concern: Has he really been abandoned by God the Father? we wonder, or, has Jesus lost faith in God? However, we can be assured that God has not forgotten his Son; neither does Jesus stop believing in God. The two evangelists, probably Matthew copying Mark, see Jesus' complete loneliness in his death as part of the enormous price he paid to redeem the world. We know that as weak as we are, we can endure suffering with the support of our loved ones. Jesus had to endure horrific torture without any support at all.

You can see this abandonment from the beginning of the passion. In Gethsemane the first disciples sleep while Jesus is writhing on the ground. Then comes the disciple who has betrayed him. All the disciples abandon him, one of them leaving his only clothes behind!

In the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, Jesus' isolation grows. As if he were a blasphemer, the high priest tears his clothes before Jesus to signify his complete disgust with him. Then all the senior representatives of Israel spit on him and slap him. They mock Jesus as a false prophet when in truth he has predicted everything that happens to him. While suffering this abuse, Jesus knows that Peter, his vicar, is denying him. Although Pilate says that Jesus is innocent, he condemns him as a rebel. The Roman soldiers continue the sacrilege by breaking his skin with whips and mocking Jesus as a comic king.

Of course, loneliness reaches its maximum on the cross. Everyone makes fun of him, even the two men crucified with him. No disciple comes forward to offer support. Even the skies darken giving the impression that God has turned his back on him. At this moment Jesus utters the cry of total discouragement from him.

As Jesus expires, God shows that he has been with His son throughout the ordeal. The veil in the Temple is torn in two rendering the sanctuary useless for sacrifices. From now on the only sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins will be the memory of his death in the Eucharist. Even more impressively the centurion, an objective witness, proclaims: “Truly this man was the son of God,” the relation that Jesus claimed at his Jewish trial.

The suffering of Jesus in the Gospel of Saint Mark provokes various emotions within us. First, we feel admiration for all that Jesus suffered for us, even the sense of loss of intimacy with God the Father. It was more than could be expected from any other man. Second, we feel deeply grateful to him for doing so much for us. His death on the cross earned the forgiveness for our sins. Finally, we feel strengthened. We tell ourselves if my Savior suffered so much pain and isolation, I am ready to suffer too. There will be times when we will be fighting for what is right without much support. Possibly our own family and friends will criticize us for taking risks in defense of the truth. Then we can remember Jesus in this gospel of Saint Mark and continue fighting on.

Friday, March 22, 2024

 Friday of the Fifth Week in Lent

 (Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)               

A television drama many years ago told the story of two angels – a good one and a bad one.  In the drama they were known as Mr. White and Mr. Black.  The people of the place where the two angels came could not distinguish who was the good angel.  So they concocted a test to tell which of the angels was the good one by having them sit down and stare at each other.  The angel who first turned away his face would be considered the inferior, and thus bad, angel.  The staring match went on for hours with neither angel flinching.  Then a small child slipped away from her mother and was going to enter into the electric gaze of the two angels.  Mr. Black suddenly got up to save the child from destruction.  Mr. White was declared to be the good angel until someone objected.  “Wasn’t really Mr. Black the good angel,” the person reasoned, “for saving the child from electrocution?”  Of course, he was, and Mr. Black became the hero whom the people followed. 

In today’s gospel Jesus similarly asks to be judged not by the people’s prejudices but by his works.  Has he not healed the sick and judged justly?  Isn’t he worthy of being called “the Son of God”?  Of course, he is. 

And so are we worthy when we regularly assist the needy.  We cannot consider ourselves sons or daughters in the same sense as Jesus, the only begotten Son of God.  We are born into a sinful condition and sometimes falter in our good efforts.  Nevertheless, through the sacraments especially of Baptism, Eucharist, and Penance we are made adopted children of God and heirs of eternal life.

 

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

In today’s first reading God changes Abram’s name to Abraham.  The two words sound alike but there is a difference.  Where “Abram” indicates the father of one nation, “Abraham” implies that the father of many nations.  This prophecy obtains in Jesus Christ whose disciples went out to all the earth.

Tragically, however, most Jews, the original descendants of Abraham, have forsaken their relationship with Jesus.  As today’s gospel shows, the “Jews” (Jewish leadership) want to kill him for his claim to be God’s Son.  There is a sense in which they remain “God’s people,” but they are limited to just one nation.

Many nations today have a Christian majority.  Some are professedly Christian.  But Christ’s hold on them is weakening.  Religious observance in many of these nations is weakening.  Morality has also become lax.  The state of things requires at least three responses on our part.  First, we must live according to our Christian beliefs.  Then we must tell others, especially our youth, about Christ and his promises.  Finally, we should pray for a Christian renewal.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:14-20.91-92.95; John 8:31-42)

Most people think of freedom as the absence of physical restrictions.  As long as one can go where she wants and say what she wants, she is free.  But this is a limited freedom.  A really free person is not bound by inner forces like an addiction or a vice.  If someone cannot stop gambling even after putting the deed to his house as collateral, who can think of this person as free?  In today’s gospel Jesus refers to this fuller kind of freedom as not being “a slave to sin.”

The reading curiously refers to “Jews who believed in him (Jesus).”  Their faith in Jesus as Lord evidently wavers like people today who were baptized but don’t practice the faith.  When Jesus challenges them to follow him completely, they demur.  They want to keep the prerogative of doing what they like when those deeds do not comply with Jesus’ teaching.  Jesus rightly implies that they are acting more like children of darkness than children of light.

It's tempting to hold out for one’s independence.  Something inside us wants to do what we want to do when we want to do it.  Such an outlook will only lead us to folly.  More sadly, it will deny us of the joy of being with Jesus.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Solemnidad de San José, Esposo de la Santísima Virgen María

(2 Samuel 7:4-5a.12-14a.16; Romanos 4:13.16-18.22; Mateo 1:16.18-21.24a)

La importancia de San José es mayor que la de un cuidador de Jesús y María. Su pertenencia al linaje de David le dio a Jesús la estatura terrenal de un rey que ha sido divinamente designado para dirigir al pueblo. Este concepto puede resultar difícil de comprender para la gente de hoy. San Pablo dice en su Carta a los Romanos que las autoridades terrenas reciben su legitimidad de Dios. Hoy en día, los gobernantes suelen ser elegidos mediante un proceso democrático. En la antigüedad, con pocas excepciones, recibían autoridad por ser de linaje real.

Como señala el evangelio de hoy, José es un “hijo de David” con derecho sobre el reino de Israel. Jesús, siendo su hijo legítimo no por nacimiento sino por adopción, recibe de él esta distinción. Demostrará su derecho a la realeza por su absoluta dedicación al pueblo.

José demostró ser un hombre de carácter impecable. Puede que nunca se haya considerado un rey, pero exhibió las marcas de la realeza por su santidad, coraje e integridad. Sólo por alguien como él podríamos tomarnos un día de Cuaresma para regocijarnos.

Monday, March 18, 2024

 Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; John 8:12-20)

Pontius Pilate betrayed his conscience in condemning Jesus to death.  The gospels are quite clear that he knew Jesus was innocent.  But to avoid trouble, he chose expediency over righteousness.  In today’s readings two men serving as judges act quite differently.

Daniel ingeniously ferrets out the truth from two lechers who accuse a woman of attempted adultery.  He saves Susanna from being executed and has the real criminals upended.  In the gospel Jesus exhibits similar judicial perspicacity.  He cleverly thwarts the plan of the Pharisees to report him to the Jewish authorities for not complying with the Law. 

Society needs just judges to function well.  Even more we need Jesus.  We require his prudence to help us fulfill our daily responsibilities.  Further, we cannot hope for eternal life without the forgiveness and grace he won for us on the cross.

Friday, March 15, 2024

 Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Wisdom 2:1a.12-22; John 7:1-2.10.25-30)

In today’s gospel the people think that they know where Jesus is from because they know that he grew up in Galilee.  However, more important than his human origin and more indicative of where he is from is his divine origin.  He is from God which the people should be able to guess from his miraculous works.

We may not be capable of miraculous works, but we can perform acts of charity.  They would signal that we have a divine origin and, more important a divine destiny.  In her book Dialogue Catherine of Siena tells us of another way to show our divine origin and destiny.  She writes that patience and charity go hand-in-hand.  When we suffer setbacks with patience, we likewise do good for our neighbors.  In right order then our good deeds reveal that we are from God and will return to Him.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Exodus 32:4-14; John 5:31-47)

The gospel of John was probably completed at the end of the first century or the beginning of the second.  It was a time of Christian persecution at the hands of Jewish reformers.  The writer of the gospel promoted Christian perseverance because some former Jewish members were returning to the faith of their ancestors.  He also hoped to boost Christian morale and to attract Jews living outside Palestine to join Christian ranks.

To accomplish these objectives in today’s passage, the author pictures Jesus debating with “the Jews.” He gives evidence of a trifold testimony to Jesus.  First, he says that John, the baptizer testified to Jesus in the desert.  Then he attests that Jesus’ work, that is, his miracles, testify to his being sent from God.  He also points out that that the Scriptures themselves, both Moses and the prophets, foretell his coming.

We too live in a time of Christian persecution.  In places like China and Iran the persecution is violent.  In other places the Church is being unfairly judged and disdained.  We can offer testimony to Jesus by our common prayer and our acts of mercy done in emulation of him.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

 Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30)

The priest in charge was not sure what to do.  He had received a complaint about one of the people he worked with.  He knew the fellow worker as well-intentioned and hardworking.  She was also somewhat rigid about rules which made her vulnerable to criticisms.  Some people picture God in this way – rigid and demanding.  They might forsake religion because of such a false image. In the readings today God sets the record straight.

Through the prophet Isaiah God proclaims that he has more concern for his people than a mother for her child.  He would go to the extent of leveling mountains to see them home safely.  In the gospel Jesus assures that Isaiah’s prophecy is for real.  He does only what the Father does.  He will see his followers home to eternal life.

We best believe that God would never do anything to harm us.  Perhaps He allows hardship to come our way.  However, this will be to correct our faults.  He wants us with Him in Paradise.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Ezekiel47:1-9.12; John 5:1-3.5-16)

Stories of the first computers may can help one understand what the readings today are proposing.  In the 1950s and 1960s computers about the size of a large cabinet performed complex mathematical operations quickly.  Numbers entered the systems through punch cards about four by nine inches.  People marveled then about the effectiveness of these computers, but they were like counting beads compared to what a laptop can do today.

Today’s first reading illustrates the graciousness of God’s Temple.  Water is pictured flowing from its sides bringing healing and health.  The paralytic in the gospel wants to be healed by soaking himself in its pool of water.  But he always arrives too late to take advantage of the stirred-up waters.  Then Jesus cures the paralysis without the man’s entering the water.  Jesus is shown as a more powerful source of life than the Temple and its waters.  In this respect he is like the contemporary computer.

Faith in Jesus produces blessing upon blessing.  We may not see miraculous cures, but we can attest in our own lives benefits from prayer.  As much as ever, we want to stay close to Jesus in the trying times of life today.

Monday, March 11, 2024

 Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

 (Isaiah 65:17-21; John 4:43-54)

 The fourth Sunday of Lent marks a threshold.  No longer will the weekday readings call for prayer, fasting, and forgiving.  Now they center on the life that Christ promises.  The gospel book changes as well.  For almost four weeks one of the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) was used.  Now the Gospel of John presenting Jesus as “the resurrection and the life” is opened for work.

Jesus seems perturbed with the royal official when he says, “’Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.’”  He is wary when people’s faith is based solely on the miraculous.  Jesus is encouraging the man to believe in him as Mesías so that he may have eternal life.  As a matter of fact, the official does so.  He has accepted Jesus without seeing the miracle take place.  Only on the next day does he learn that his son recovered from his “near death” condition. 

Jesus has also given us new life.  Some of us were dead spiritually.  We thought too much of money, food, and prestige to appreciate life’s true meaning.  The disciplines of Lent have hopefully reoriented us correctly.  Now we look forward to experiencing the fullness of life. We should expect not just balance in our daily activities but the joy and peace of mutual caring.  Heaven or eternal life consists precisely in this.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

(II Chronicles 16:14-16,19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21)

All of us recognize the gospel today. It contains perhaps the most revered verse in the entire Bible: “…God so loved the world that he gave it his only Son…” The words comfort us like when we hear our teacher say, “You are intelligent.” . But do we really believe that God loves us? Many do not, and for this reason they do not care whether they please God. They do whatever they like. Saint John Paul II said: “The first task of every Christian is to accept the love of God.” If we are to have a spiritual life that is truly Christian, we must take this principle to heart.

Because Jesus reveals the love of God, the gospel recognizes him as “the light of the world.” Light is so basic that Genesis says God made light on the first day of creation. Throughout the Bible we see the light doing at least two things. First, it fosters life. Although Bible times did not know about photosynthesis, they surely understood that plants do not grow without light. Animals live on plants, including human animals. The light of Jesus Christ goes beyond fostering physical life. It leads us to eternal life, which is endless happiness.

Light also allows us to see. The intense light in the surgery room allows surgeons to perform delicate operations. In a similar way, “the light of the world” enables us to know the truth of our existence. Loved by God, we are developing into His authentic daughters and sons. The light of truth teaches us how to prepare for eternal life.

Love cost God to allow his own son to be crucified. Love cost Jesus Christ to die in an atrocious way. And love is going to cost us too. When we love, we become vulnerable. We will spend our resources for the beloved. We remember Mother Teresa of Calcutta as one of the most loving people of our time. But she did not appear particularly beautiful. Mother Teresa spent her resources—her time and energy—on the poor. She didn't take time to go to the beauty salon.

We are also vulnerable because the beloved may reject our offers. The first reading tells the sad story of Israel rejecting God's offer to be his chosen people. The nation committed infidelities, imitated the vices of her neighbors, and even desecrated God’s Temple. You can see similar evils among Catholics today. Certainly the abuse of children by priests serves as a primary example. One can also mention the drop in worship at Sunday Mass and the cohabitation of unmarried couples.

The gospel emphasizes that Jesus does not condemn but saves. He has come not as a judge but as a teacher instructing how to truly love. Even more importantly, he has sacrificed his life to make us acceptable to God the Father. If we are condemned, we have condemned ourselves by preferring the lights of the world to the light of life and truth. In other words, we have imitated the world by loving ourselves rather than loving God and neighbor.  We have the rest of Lent to correct this error. If we find ourselves reluctant to fast, slow to pray, and lax in charity, we should double our efforts now. May these practices put us squarely in the light of Christ.

Friday, March 8. 2024

 Friday of the Third Week on Lent

(Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34)

How do we love God with all our heart?  The heart is considered the source of desire.  We set our hearts on finding a good mate or having work that we enjoy and that provides a living.  We love God with all our heart when we seek Him above all else.  That is, we strive to develop a relationship with Him through prayer.

We love God with all our soul by always living in His light.  The soul is the principle of life.  It animates the body and carries on existence when we die until body and soul are reunited.  A soul that lives in God’s light always follows God’s will.  It will discern carefully what God wants and act resolutely to carry it out.

Loving God with our whole mind, we ponder what the Scriptures and the saints say about Him.  God is so great that no one’s mind can in any true sense know Him.  Yet we can come to an appreciation of His love and His will by study and reflection.

Often carrying out God’s will requires sacrifice.  Telling the truth when a small lie will save hundreds of dollars will make us feel and perhaps look foolish.  To do so may take all the strength, yet Jesus finds this necessary to fulfill the Law.

If we love God in these ways, we will be closer to Him than the scribe in today’s gospel.  Indeed, God will have already come to us.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23)

In preparing for war, nations often demonize their enemies.  They strive to make enemies appear as less than civil, often as diabolical by telling negative stories about their characters.  When the U.S. mobilized against Iraq in 2003, Pictures were fabricated that made Saddam Hussein look like Adolph Hitler.  In World War I, the German invaders were depicted first as killing the French and Belgian civilians then as mutilating their women and children. 

In the gospel some people literally demonize Jesus.  They say that he casts out demons because he is in league with the prince of demons.  It is an ironic response, for sure, after Jesus does one of their neighbors a great service.  But, no doubt, these people are aware that accepting Jesus as one sent from God entails heeding his message of repentance.  And that requires both humility and effort. 

Perhaps many of us also are not ready to reform our lives.  After all, it will take concerted effort to stop criticizing others, to speak sincerely with adversaries, and to give generously to the needy.  But we can get beyond the stumbling blocks if we think about how much God loves us.  He has given us life and called us to be His children.  He will provide for us in death as well when we receive the full inheritance Jesus has won for us.

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)

The word ethos sounds like ethic.  The two words, no doubt, are derived from the same root.  But there is an important difference between them.  Where ethics refers to moral principles, ethos in addition to principles includes a people’s guiding beliefs and customs that are shaped by common stories.  Israel’s ethos is given in the “whole law” referred to in today’s first reading.  It is the torah, the first five books of the Bible, which prescribes in stories and laws how the “people of God” are to live.

In the gospel Jesus declares that the torah will remain in force for his community of disciples.  They must uphold the traditions of the patriarchs and of Moses who guided the people to holiness.  Most emphatically, they must guard against idols.  These whims of treacherous hearts would replace the living God, who loves and protects His people, with fraudulent desires.

We should not think that Jesus intends his disciples to follow the Jewish leadership in his day.  They (and we) are to be distinguished by sexual restraint, care for neighbor, and humility before God.  In these ways they become God’s people.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

It is not hard to forgive a person who keeps you waiting five minutes. “I’ve done the same thing,” the offended party will tell her/himself.  But if the offense is truly immense, forgiveness is much harder to grant.  In the movie “Dead Man Walking” a man cannot, at first, forgive his son’s murderer.  He says that he wants “strict justice (i.e., an eye for an eye…”).  As he is about to be executed, the killer asks the man’s forgiveness. It is tacitly given as the father attends the murderer’s funeral.

As difficult as it is to forgive in some cases, it is also hard for many people to ask forgiveness.  They might consider themselves better than those they offended.  Or perhaps they are worried that admission of guilt will cause loss of prestige or property.  Or they may not see their action toward the other as unjust.  People accused of crime should humbly consider their actions with the help of a wise counsellor.  Then, if they see themselves as guilty, they should straightforwardly seek forgiveness.

Acknowledging offenses and asking forgiveness is a universal challenge.  We all sin.  Doing so, we offend God, of course, but also harm others and ourselves.  We have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to make amends with the Lord.  Justice compels us to seek reconciliation with offended parties as well.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

(II Kings 5:1-15b; Luke 4:24-30)

The mayor, perhaps trying to impress the group of ministers he was addressing, said that he had only four friends.  His best friend, he claimed, was his wife of many years.  He named his two children as other friends.  His fourth friend was Jesus.  It is hoped that all Christian leaders name Jesus as their friend, but they should have given him priority over other friends.

Jesus is not to be relativized.  He is one’s best friend because he is the best person there is.  His advice is not just to be considered but to be followed.  His townspeople in today’s gospel might like to claim him as their own, but they are not willing to accept him as a prophet.  They want Jesus to entertain them with a miracle not to obey him as God’s messenger.  Naaman, the Syrian general, likewise does not want to heed the prophet’s word at first.  He wants his whole attention.

We have Lent to reconsider our priorities.  If we have put Jesus in a place other than first, we are not doing him justice.  Heeding his word will only bring us healing from the leprosy of selfishness.  Following him as a trusted friend will bring us to fullness of life.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

(Exodus 20:1-17; I Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25)

Years ago there was a television drama that caught some attention. A man leaves his town to learn everything there is to learn in the world. He goes to Washington to read all the books in the Library of Congress. After years he returns with his knowledge. The people arrange up an opportunity for him to provide the gist of his discovery. When the time comes, the whole town gathers to listen to him. He begins: “This is what I learned: 'I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods besides me... You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God... Remember to keep the Sabbath holy... Honor your father and your mother...'” Yes, according to the drama the Ten Commandments summarize the wisdom of the ages.

The Ten Commandments have a particular place in Christian as well as Jewish life. The Book of Exodus reports that God wrote them with his own finger. He has given them to humans as a pure gift. God does not need our compliance with these orders. However, unless we heed them, we cannot have happiness that lasts. By following the commandments we can overcome the great errors that are weakening society and leading to personal destruction. They do not allow individualism that ignores the responsibilities we have towards each other and towards community. On the contrary, we must honor our parents, refrain from taking what belongs to others, and as a corollary, support the common good.

The Ten Commandments also stand against relativism that says there are no objective laws but rather every person and every society have to create their own laws. Here are ten incontrovertible laws for everyone. Likewise, the Ten Commandments do not cede any ground to materialism. They recognize spiritual values such as God first and then honesty, honor, the sanctity of marriage, and many others.

As great as the gift of the Ten Commandments is, God has given humans something more superlative. The gospel today teaches that Jesus has arrived to replace the Temple as the meeting place between God and humans. The purification of business from the Temple comprises only the first step of his program. His own body resurrected from the dead will be the new Temple for people to worship God. Saint Paul informs us that the resurrected body of Christ is the Church.

Now the person does not need to go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices that please God. Wherever the Eucharist is celebrated, Christ is present giving God the Father the perfect sacrifice. In fact, Christ is found in all the sacraments of the Church. He is present in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, forgiving the sinner's offenses and strengthening his or her spirit to avoid sin.

The gospel passage ends with a negative evaluation of men and women. It says that Jesus does not trust them because he knows human nature very well.  This means our propensity to sin. Individualism, relativism, and materialism have penetrated the human heart with such force that the Ten Commandments alone are enough to control them. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation Jesus finds us turning to him for spiritual help as we confess our sins. It is a private space where we can open ourselves completely to God in an act that is both humble and uplifting.

During this time of Lent we can imagine Jesus purifying our lives with the Sacrament of Reconciliation as he cleanses the Temple in the gospel today. He makes us true temples of the Holy Spirit from which acts of thanks and praise rise to God the Father.