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.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 2:1-15a; Matthew 11:20-24)

Other than Abraham Lincoln, no American president is better known for his moral character than George Washington.  The first president was courageous and restrained.  He sacrificed his comfort in order to serve his country.  He also arranged for the release of his slaves.  He might be compared with Moses in today’s first reading.

The incidents described in the reading portray Moses as a man of justice.  He slays the Egyptian to protect the defenseless from unjust aggression.  He admonishes the Hebrew who picked a fight with another to indicate the need for solidarity among the oppressed.  His sterling character makes him an excellent choice to lead his nation from slavery to freedom.

Moral excellence is even more attributable to Jesus.  The gospels portray him as literally flawless.  In today’s passage he cries out to the towns of Galilee exhorting them to heed his call to repentance.  Virtue will eventually impel Jesus to confront the dual powers of religion and state in Jerusalem so that the people would finally heed his message.  “’The Kingdom is at hand!’” he continually says.  So let us give up our vices in order to fully experience it.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 36:1.4-5a.10-17; Mark 10:32-45)

In the last days of 1776 the cause of American independence was thrown into doubt.  George Washington’s army had been routed in New York, and confidence in the general was waning.  The army literally walked in tatters through one of the worse winters in years.  Added to all this trouble, many of the soldiers’ inscriptions would expire on January 1.  Then seemingly out of the dark a blessing came.  On Christmas night the American army took almost nine hundred prisoners with few casualties in a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton.  Most of Washington’s soldiers reenlisted wanting to follow their commander to victory.  Such a turnabout is what Ben Sirach seeks in the reading today.

In the second century before Christ, the people of Israel are almost completely suppressed.  Having been long a conquered nation, they now see their holy places desecrated by the Greek lords and the compromised Jewish elite.  Living in Jerusalem, Ben Sirach wants to remind the people of their rich heritage.  In the prayer that comprises today’s passage, he pleads God to demonstrate His power so the morale of the people may be restored.  He is coy about this reason, however.  He tries to cajole the Lord with pretensions of praise from the entire world if He demonstrates His power.

God, of course, does not look for public support.  He seems to eschew it, in fact.  In the gospel Jesus predicts that he will be defiled, whipped, and executed.  He will rise from the dead as well but will appear only to a select few.  He wants his disciples to understand that the greatest grandeur lies in self-sacrificing love not acts of "shock and aw."

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Wednesday of the Eighth Week In Ordinary Time

(Sirach 36:1.4-5a.10-17; Mark 10:32-45)

In the last days of 1776 George Washington and the cause of American independence were having a rough time. The general had been routed in New York, and confidence in him was waning. The army was literally in tatters, and the winter was one of the worse in years. Added to all this, many of the soldiers’ inscriptions would expire on January 1. Then fortune suddenly blew the other way. On Christmas night the American army in a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton took almost nine hundred prisoners with few casualties. Most of Washington’s soldiers reenlisted wanting to follow their commander to victory. Such a turnabout is what Ben Sirach seeks in the reading today.

In the second century before Christ, the people of Israel are almost completely suppressed. Long conquered, they are forced to see their holy places desecrated by their Greek rulers and the compromised Jewish elite. Ben Sirach, who lived in Jerusalem, wants to remind the people of their rich heritage. In the prayer that comprises today’s passage, he pleads God to give a demonstration of power to restore the people’s morale. He is coy about his reason, however, preferring to cajole the Lord with pretensions of worldly praise if He exalted His own.

God, of course, does not need public support. He seems to eschew it, in fact. In the gospel Jesus predicts that he will be defiled, whipped, and executed. He will rise from the dead as well but will appear only to a select few so that they might realize that the greatest grandeur lies in self-sacrificing love not acts of awe and wonder.