Monday, November 27, 2017

Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 1:1-6.8-20, Luke 21:1-4)

A man with a Ph.D. in biology enjoys talking about the diet of Chinese peasants.  He says that since they are dirt poor, Chinese peasants can afford little meat and dairy products.  Rather, he explains, they mainly eat vegetables and receive the protein that their bodies require from beans and other legumes.  The authority is convinced that this diet is not inferior but significantly superior to richer, western diets.  He believes that the fats westerners assimilate from eating meat not only threatens their hearts but also are related to cancer.

The results of the vegetarian experiment related in the first reading today, then, should not be surprising.  Although the chamberlain believes that Daniel and his companions would be undernourished by the diet, actually they prove to be healthier than the others because of it.  But, of course, good nutrition is not the prophet’s point in relating this story.  He means to tell us that when we abide by the Lord’s will, things always work out for the best.  We do not need to worry, as Jesus says, about what we eat and drink or about what clothes we wear when seek first God’s kingdom.

Jesus reaffirms this lesson in the gospel today.  He praises the poor widow for generosity, a virtue extolled throughout this Luke’s gospel.  Sometimes we think that we might ignore God’s will as expressed by Jesus in order to secure more of a desired good.  Some people argue, for example, that it would be all right to take the life of a patient suffering from incurable cancer so that she does not suffer.  But such an action would violate the sanctity of human life, one of the highest principles of God’s law.  No, we want to go out of our way to comfort and console those in agony.  When we do so, both they and we will benefit. 

Monday, November 23, 2015

Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 1:1-6.8-20; Luke 21:1-4)

Babette’s Feast is a short story and later movie that tells the story of the sacrifice of a widow.  The woman lost her family and livelihood as a chef in a political insurrection.  She comes to live with two matrons who lead a small Protestant congregation.  The woman wins the lottery and spends all her award to prepare a lavish banquet for the community.  The feast transforms everyone present; their ordinary pettiness turns into gracious magnanimity.  All come to see life as radiating God’s goodness.  The widow in the story is seen as an image of Christ.  She also reflects the widow of today’s gospel.

The poor widow contributes her last pennies to the Temple in an obvious demonstration of devotion.  The scene prefigures Jesus’ own sacrifice on the cross which will take place in a few days.  “How will she live?” one wants to ask. She does not worry, however, because she knows that God provides for those who love Him.  She will thrive just as Jesus does in the resurrection.

As we approach the great Christian feasts at the end of the year, we should keep both widows and certainly Jesus in mind.  We are wise to see the bounty that we share as part of God’s gift.  And we need to ask how we may give ourselves to Him in thanksgiving.

Homilette for Monday, November 26, 2007

Monday, XXXIV Week of Ordinary Time

(Daniel 1:1-6.8-20, Luke 21:1-4)

A friend, who has a doctorate in biology, enjoys telling me about the diet of Chinese peasants. He says that since they are dirt poor, Chinese peasants can afford little meat and dairy products. Rather, he explains, they mainly eat vegetables and receive the protein that their bodies require from beans and other legumes. My friend is convinced that the Chinese peasant diet is not inferior but significantly superior to richer, western diets. He says that the fats that we consume from eating meat not only threaten our hearts but also are related to cancer.

The results of the vegetable only experiment related in the first reading today, then, should not surprise us. Although the chamberlain believes that Daniel and his companions would be undernourished by a vegetarian diet, actually they eat more healthily than the others. But, of course, good nutrition is not the prophet’s point in relating this story. Probably he, like the chamberlain, considers the diet wanting nutritionally. He means to tell us that when we abide by the Lord’s will, things always work out better. We do not need to worry, as Jesus says, about what we eat and drink or about what clothes we wear when seek first God’s kingdom.

Jesus reaffirms this lesson in the gospel today. He praises the poor widow for her generosity which is precisely the virtue he has extolled throughout this Gospel According to Luke. Sometimes we think that we might ignore God’s will as expressed by Jesus in order to secure more of a desired good. Some people argue, for example, that it would be all right to take the life of a patient suffering from incurable cancer so that she does not suffer. But such an action would violate the sanctity of human life, one of the highest principles of God’s law. No, we go out of our way to comfort and console those in agony, but we never take their lives.