Friday, March 18, 2022

 Friday of the Second Week of Lent

(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)

The poet John Milton described Lucifer as a tragic figure.  In Paradise Lost, Lucifer has many positive qualities, but he also harbors envy.  For this reason he rebels against God.  Today’s readings give two more examples of envy.

Joseph’s brothers envy their father’s treating him as his favorite son.  Their envy grows so virulent that they consider killing him.  In the gospel Jesus tells the story of vineyard workers who desire the owner’s vineyard.  They succeed in murdering the owner’s heir in order to attain the vineyard.

Envy or sadness over another’s rightful success affects most of us because it works off our pride.  We feel that somehow we deserve what belongs to others.  We can overcome this vice by accepting God’s love for us.  His love should mean much more than worldly success.  It offers the gift of happiness.  To an extent we can experience the happiness now as we let go of competing with others. We will enjoy the fulness of happiness with the coming of His kingdom.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 13:13-25; John 13:16-20)

In John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost the great angel Lucifer takes a definitive stand against God. “I will not serve,” he says. To punctuate the point, he adds that it is “better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.” Off he goes to bring havoc to the world, not least terribly by distorting our notion of service.

Service seems to call into question the exalted idea we have of ourselves. It apparently shows to the world and to ourselves that we are not the force that sets the universe in motion but a small cog in the order of things. Yet Jesus served -- very visibly the night he took off his tunic to wash the feet of his disciples. Service then does not demean our stature; quite the contrary it conforms us to the Lord. When we serve faithfully and well, we prove ourselves worthy of a place in God’s house, a seat at His table.

The reference to Judas in the gospel reading today points to a man who, like Lucifer, refuses to serve. It is opined – perhaps because he was the treasurer of the community -- that Judas rivaled Peter as head disciple. In the reading Jesus implies that Judas’ difficulty is that he cannot see himself taking off his tunic, much less giving his life in faithful service. Thus, he too takes a definitive stand against the Lord.