Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr

(II Samuel 24:2.9-17; Mark 6:1-6)

It is said that in during the first few centuries the churches of Rome and Sicily bragged about their saints.  The Romans would claim St. Agnes as the worthiest virgin-martyr.  The Sicilians would counter that the distinction belongs to Agatha, today’s celebrated saint.  The friendly rivalry indicates how faith penetrated the everyday life of the people.  Today, in contrast, people brag about their city’s professional basketball team.  Both readings that we just heard concern the lack of faith.

David’s census indicates his belief that numbers of soldiers and not trust in God are his priority.  In the gospel the people refuse to believe in Jesus as God’s emissary despite his cures and his wisdom. 

With science making life so comfortable we have a hard time trusting in God.  We rationalize that God works through human ingenuity, but we forget to pray.  God seems hard to fit in our everyday lives.  But we abandon God to our peril.  Faith in God provides a blueprint for stability in life.  We will go far if we keep God’s commandments.  It also assures us of bliss beyond the travail of death.  Also important, faith promises fulfilment.  We know that the world does not center around us.  Still, by faith in God we are drawn into its true center where we find purpose, meaning, and peace.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 24:2.9-17; Mark 6:1-6)

Parents today want their children to have cell phones so that they may have peace of mind. But their children may use the phones to get into all kinds of mischief. Cell phones, it might be said, are a mixed blessing with a downside as well as obvious benefits. The first reading today will present another innovation with a similar hidden disadvantage.

David’s census will give him a better understanding of his people. At least it will tell him who lives where so that he might tax them more equitably. But it will also tempt the king to count on numbers of deployable soldiers rather than turning to God for help when war threatens. For this reason God is punishing him. Faith in God is similarly the issue in the gospel. The people refuse to repent and believe as Jesus constantly teaches. Rather, they excuse themselves from accepting Jesus as God’s harbinger because they know where he comes from.

We often ask ourselves where faith in God ends and reliance on self, others, and objects begins. An old adage tells us: “Work as if everything depended on yourself, and pray as if everything depended upon God.” But this too seems somewhat ego laden. Yes, let us pray as if all depended upon God but let us work as God’s beloved children. We should recognize that God wants us to do our best without causing injury to ourselves and others.