Monday, June 28, 2021

Dear Reader, if you receive these homilettes by email, you may find the service stopped in July.  As I understand an instruction from Google, its Burnfeeder program will no longer support the service.  You can always find the homilettes on the blog site: https://cbmdominicanpreacher.blogspot.com/ . Perhaps if you send me your email address, I could send the homilettes in a mass email.  You may send your email address to cmeleop@yahoo.com. When I ascertain that the service is no longer functioning, I will start sending them to you personally.

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, bishop and martyr

(Genesis 18:16-33; Matthew 8:18-20)

The name Irenaeus is derived from the Greek word meaning peace.  On at least two occasions, St. Irenaeus showed himself as irenic; that is, as a peacemaker. On behalf of his bishop, Irenaeus once carried a letter from Lyons to the pope in Rome asking leniency for Montanist heretics.  Another time he achieved reconciliation when the pope wanted to excommunicate Eastern Catholics for celebrating Easter on a different day than the Western Church.  in today’s first reading Abraham similarly acts on behalf of others.

God wants to destroy Sodom for immorality.  As the next chapter of Genesis shows, the men there are homosexual predators.  Other traditions see them as ignoring the poor.  In any case, Abraham tries to talk God out of punishing the people of the city for their crimes.  God accepts Abraham’s argument, but the men of Sodom prove to be worse than Abraham considered.

Abraham’s dialogue with the Lord attracts our attention.  He speaks to Him as a neighbor and receives from Him a favorable hearing.  We should feel no less inhibited.  God has called us to Himself as sons and daughters.  He elicits awe and deserves our praise, but these qualities do not exclude conversation.  When we talk with Him freely, we will mention our needs.  We should not be surprised at all to receive what we ask for.

Monday, July 1, 2019

Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 18:16-33; Matthew 8:18-22)

Americans are fond of telling their children that George Washington never lied.  Historians will verify the first president’s exceptionally virtuous character.  The story not only speaks well of the country; it also provides a model for children to follow.  The first reading gives a similar testimony to Abraham’s character. 

The passage begins with God contemplating whether to share with Abraham his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  It suggests that Abraham should know God’s ways so that he might instruct his people wisely.  Hearing of God’s plan, Abraham shows what kind of person he is.  He plaintively asks God to reconsider destruction if there could be found a significant number of honest people.  Like God, Abraham has a compassionate heart that does not want to see people suffer unnecessarily.

God calls all of us to compassion.  Like Abraham we should pray for those who seem destined to suffer.  People diagnosed with cancer, for example, should be remembered in our prayers.  Like God we should try to minimize suffering as much as possible.  Since people who are sick often seek consolation, we should be ready to give them our support.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 18:16-33; Matthew 8:18-22)

C.S. Lewis published a series of essays entitled God in the Dock.  The book presents evidence for what the title suggests: that modern humanity has placed God on trial.  Rather than trusting God, many today prefer to blame at least the concept of God for the world’s wars.  It is not an entirely new concept as today’s first reading shows.

Sodom and Gomorrah are known for corruption, but not all of their inhabitants are sinful.  God could not be considered just if He, as Abraham probes, destroyed the cities with as few as fifty good people.  But what if there were not quite fifty good people?  He equally could not be considered just if there were forty or thirty or even ten.  Beyond that God could destroy the cities and save any of the just through special acts of mercy.  In the end this is what God does sending fire and brimstone and Sodom and Gomorrah while sparing Lot and his family.

For us God has shown himself more than any human concept of justice would have Him.  He not only refuses to destroy humanity for its outrages but has sent His Son to save us from our folly.  But we have to trust in Him by following Jesus’ ways.