Tuesday, January 20, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 16:1-13; Mark 2:23-28)

In a couple of weeks American attention will turn to the Superbowl.  Most people will make plans for watching the championship game on television.  They will root for their preferred team, enjoy the halftime entertainment, and take note of the advertisements.  More than any other public event, the Superbowl reveals how advertisements entice the public to spend their money.

In today’s first reading Samuel is similarly enticed by an array of characteristics that amount to advertisements for a replacement of King Saul.  Eliab looks good with his lofty stature. So does Abinadab, who fought in Saul’s army.  But what is appealing to humans may not be what God desires.  Although David’s ruddy complexion attracts human eyes, it is not for his appearance that the Lord chooses him to be king.  Rather, it is David’s heart which loves the Lord and will remain faithful to him.

We too must be careful not to judge only by appearances.  Whether it be a book or a spouse, the flashy, the sumptuous, the beautiful will draw our attention.  But as the wise know by instinct and most of us from experience, what makes a person worthy is not visible to the eye.  To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., , it is not the color of one’s skin, but the content of one’s character that matters.

Monday, January 19, 2029

 Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2:18-22)

 Jesus brings Israel a new holiness.  Seeing saw how many practitioners of the law have become hard-hearted, he provides a fresh interpretation.  He extends some precepts like love to include one’s enemies.  He also accentuates what the law has taught for centuries with uncommon vigor.  He compares this new holiness to “new wine” and warns that it requires “fresh wineskins.” By this he means that the people need to change the way they live.  They must move from an obsession with personal righteousness to heart-felt care for others.

 Today marks the ninety-seventh birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  In a very significant way his ministry resembles that of the Lord Jesus.  He too strove to change people’s minds and hearts.  Where many people thought that laws were fair because they were “on the books,” he showed that some were patently unjust.  Almost as important, he always preached respect, even love, for others.  Dr. King is not only an American hero exemplifying both courage and racial justice.  He is a kind of Christian saint dying, like Christ, out of selfless love.

 We can test ourselves as being “fresh wineskins” by asking how we see people of different skin color.  If we judge them inferior mentally or morally for that reason, we are old wineskins.  We will fall apart trying to accommodate Jesus’ teaching.  But if we respect them for their differences, then we should be able to follow Jesus to the end.

Monday, January 18, 2021

 

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 5:1-105; Mark 2:18-22)

Today Americans celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The civil rights leader articulated the hopes of African Americans and indeed of Black people everywhere.  He declared that his people were tired of being dismissed as inferiors.  He asserted that each person be judged individually by character and not generally by skin color.  In his day Jesus’ preaching had such dynamic force.

In today’s gospel Jesus gives the basis for Christians not following Jewish dietary and liturgical customs.  He tells the people that the freshness of his teaching requires new practices.  Most likely Jesus himself did not advocate eating pork or worshipping on the first day of the week.  But he did see their possibility as he talked of the need of a new cloak and new wineskins.

As we follow Jesus, we should see his perspective reflected in the preaching of Dr. King.  Both advocated compassion and demanded justice.  Both envisioned a society based on what Pope Francis calls “social friendship.”  Both recognized that their common message will cause opposition.  And both had the courage to continue voicing it out of love.

Homilette for Thursday, December 21, 2006

(Luke 1)

In October 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., was a patient at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta when the news media reported that he would receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The archbishop of Atlanta, Paul Hallinan, took advantage of his stay in a Catholic hospital to personally visit the newly named laureate. He congratulated King for the honor and asked if he might give him his blessing. The request was readily accepted. Upon finishing the sign of the cross, the archbishop sank to his knees and begged Dr. King’s blessing in return.

The act of humility by the archbishop resembles Elizabeth’s recognition of Mary in today’s gospel. The elderly woman cries out, “’How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’” It was not the press that informed Elizabeth of Mary’s distinction, however. No, it was the divine interplay between the Messiah in Mary’s womb and the prophet in her own womb that tipped Elizabeth off.

We might suspend our seasonal activities for a few minutes on these days before Christmas to meditate on the divine player. Who is he that whose birth we are about to celebrate? Jesus, son of Mary, claimed by us Christians as son of God as well. Sure, but what does all this mean? The appropriate clues to answer these questions may be found in the antiphons that we use before the gospel the seven days before Christmas. These are the same as the verses to the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the wisdom that makes sense of our lives. He is the Key of David that opens our way to the kingdom of God. Reflecting on these and the others, we can appreciate why John leaps for joy when Jesus approaches.