Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Showing posts with label Mark 2:18-22. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark 2:18-22. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2029
Monday, January 17, 2022
Memorial of Saint Anthony of the Desert, abbot
(I Samuel 15:16-23;
Mark 2:18-22)
Jesus
reminds the people of the freshness of God’s Kingdom. They are not to think of it with old
categories like fasting but with new ones like rejoicing. Just because John had his disciples submitting
to rigorous discipline does not mean that Jesus’ disciples to do so. At least, this is true of the present
moment. He does say as well, however,
that fasting for his disciples is not completely out of the picture.
Fasting and
penance were certainly part of St. Anthony’s life. He lived for a hundred years in the third and
fourth centuries. After the initial
years of the fourth century, martyrdom ceased to be a major challenge. Anthony and others showed their love for
Christ by lives of prayer and subsistence living in the desert. In doing so, they indicated to all Christians
the need to make sacrifices for Christ.
People make
think it idiotic, but we should embrace poverty, chastity, and obedience like
St. Anthony. Poverty for laypeople will mean
living simply without consumerist spending.
Chastity will mean faithfulness to our state of life – single, married,
or religious. Obedience will entail shaping
our lives according to God’s word. This
is not a formula for misery – far from it.
It is a path to eternal happiness marked by daily joy.
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.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Monday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2:18-22)
In 1964 Martin Luther King, Jr. published Why We Can’t Wait. The book answers a question of the time, “Why
are Blacks causing so much civil unrest?” Echoing Abraham Lincoln, Dr. King replied that
no man or woman can exist half-slave and half-free. Such a condition thwarts the mind and kills
the soul. The question answered by King resembles
the one posed to Jesus in today’s gospel.
The people wonder why Jesus’ followers never fast from
food and drink. They point to the
Pharisees’ disciples who enthusiastically do so. Jesus’ answer indicates the breath of his
mission. He tells the people that the
Kingdom of God is being initiated with his ministry. This in-breaking needs to be celebrated. He knows that his life will soon end; then
the fasting may begin. His short life may even be considered an extended
Sabbath. People should no more fast during
its duration than they should be silent at a social. In this way the people can recognize his Father’s
mercy like his disciples are doing.
Today the United States remembers the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., with a national holiday.
It may seem pretentious given that he is the only person to be so
celebrated annually besides Jesus on Christmas.
However, the injustice which King fought was outrageous, to say nothing
of the slavery which precipitated it. Taking
time to consider that and to celebrate the victory over bigotry is both fitting
and helpful. We might also contemplate
that more than anyone else, Jesus was King’s inspiration and hope.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Memorial of St.
Agnes, virgin and martyr
(Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22)
Fasting, a form of self-denial, has many purposes. During Lent people fast to show remorse for
sins. Holy women and men fast to show
their love for God. Fasting prepares
athletes for training and competition.
Doctors demand that patients fast before medical procedures.
In Scripture Jesus fasts before he goes out to proclaim
the Reign of God. This fast is likely intended
as a discipline preparing him for the rigors of mission. In the exercise he comes to realize that more
than on anything else he depends on God.
In today’s gospel, however, he tells the Pharisees that his disciples do
not have to fast for the moment. He
explains that now is their time for spirited fellowship. Fasting, he indicates, is more appropriate
for mourning.
Unfortunately many people have abandoned the custom of
fasting. Even the simple penance of
meatless Fridays during Lent seems too much a burden for some. We should fast regularly by not eating for an
extended period or by abstaining from food we particularly enjoy. In so doing we show not only our willingness
to submit to God but also our love for Him.
Monday, January 15, 2018
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 a heart-felt care for others.
Today is the ninetieth 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. More importantly, he always preached respect,
even love, for others. Dr. King is not
only an American hero exemplifying both courage and racial justice. He is also a Christian saint dying, like
Christ, for 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 16, 2017
Monday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22)
When the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. and companions
called the bus strike in Montgomery, Alabama, many African-Americans there walked
to work. It was no small sacrifice since
the walkers often stood on their feet all day at their jobs. Yet they were willing to make it because the
strike showed their children and anyone else who cared to notice that they had dignity. One elderly lady who had participated in the
strike expressed her satisfaction at day’s end. “My feet are tired,” she said,
“but my soul’s at rest.” The gospel
today hints at a similar satisfaction from knowing Jesus.
Fasting is a penitential practice.
People fast to express sorrow for their sins. Jesus’ disciples cannot fast because he brings
them joy. To fast when Jesus is present
would be like sleeping when the president comes to visit. His care for all expels sorrow. His clarity provides sure direction. A time will come when Jesus’ personal
presence will be missing. Then noting
their shortcomings, his disciples will do penance.
Today the United States honors one of its greatest statesmen. It
is not a time for regret over the sins of slavery and racism. Rather, like the disciples with Jesus at
hand, we want to rejoice for having had Dr. King in our midst. In Jesus’ name he preached hope not just for
African-Americans but for the world. He
articulated and practiced a vision of all races, creeds, and nationalities
living together in peace.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Monday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22)
In the gospel Jesus asks the people to practice, at least
for a time, a new kind of religiosity.
Rather than fasting as most pious people do, he wants them to give
increased attention to himself as God’s representative. He knows that religion is more than a matter
of custom. It is discerning and
practicing the will of God.
Martin Luther King, Jr., had a similar sense of himself. He spoke to the hearts of both black and
white people who were searching for the living God. He knew that many people go to church on
Sundays and practice bigotry. He
implored the whole world to look beyond the color of a person’s skin to the
intentions of her or his heart before judging.
We pay tribute to Martin Luther King today because in
imitation of our Savior he gave up his life.
He felt danger lurking – “I may not get (to the Promised Land) with you,”
he conjectured, but did not give up the quest for freedom. He died as he lived to liberate blacks from the
indignity of prejudice and whites from the sin of hatred.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Monday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2:18-22)
Fifty years ago Martin Luther King Jr. published Why We Can’t Wait. People were asking at the time, “Do Negros have
to take to the streets and cause civil unrest?” Other wondered, “Why can’t they just wait for
the nation to see the justice of their cause?”
Echoing Abraham Lincoln, Dr. King replied that no man or woman can exist
half slave and half free. Such a
condition thwarts the mind and kills the soul.
King’s position resembles Jesus’ defense of his disciples in today’s
gospel.
The people question Jesus about his followers’ never refraining
from food and drink. They point to other
teachers of the time whose disciples vigorously did so. But, as in so many other ways, Jesus differs
from other teachers in his consideration of fasting. He recognizes that his time with the people
is limited and that he must celebrate with them God’s mercy. His short life may even be considered an extended
Sabbath during which people should no more fast than they should be silent at a
social. He urgently wants all to know
and appreciate his gracious Father like his disciples are doing.
Today the United States remembers the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., with a national holiday.
It may seem somewhat exaggerated given that he is the only person to be so
celebrated annually besides Jesus on Christmas.
However, the injustice against which King effectively contended was so
outrageous that it is fitting that the nation takes a timeout to consider. While we are at it, we might also contemplate
that more than anyone else, Jesus was King’s source of inspiration and eternal
hope.
Homilette for January 21, 2008
Monday, Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr
(Mark 2:18-22)
Many people today diet but few seem to fast. They give up food as if they were fasting in order to look better and to feel better. But they would probably ask the opposite of what the disciples of both John and the Pharisees ask Jesus in the gospel today, “Why fast?” Some might answer quickly that we fast to please God? But is God really pleased when we give up food? Those who doubt the value of fasting are fond of citing Isaiah 58 where God tells the Israelites that He is more interested in works of mercy.
But fasting has its purposes which Jesus implicitly recognizes when he says that its time is coming. He also goes on a forty-day fast before beginning his public ministry. Recalling that difficult experience in which the devil sorely tempts Jesus, we also might ask, “Why fast?” The answer is that we fast so that we might know God. God may not be moved by our fasting but fasting makes us aware of His presence. Moses and Elias fast forty days before they receive their respective revelations. Luke’s gospel mentions that the prophetess Anna In the Temple is accustomed to fasting when she tells those who were awaiting a Messiah about the child Jesus.
Forgoing the satisfaction of eating makes us appreciative of the gift of food and all God’s gifts. A simple reflection on the hunger which fasting induces will permit us to see Christ in those who chronically lack food. Finally and most importantly, fasting confirms our commitment to serve God and not ourselves. As St. Agnes gave up her life to demonstrate her commitment to God, we from time to time should give up some food.
(Mark 2:18-22)
Many people today diet but few seem to fast. They give up food as if they were fasting in order to look better and to feel better. But they would probably ask the opposite of what the disciples of both John and the Pharisees ask Jesus in the gospel today, “Why fast?” Some might answer quickly that we fast to please God? But is God really pleased when we give up food? Those who doubt the value of fasting are fond of citing Isaiah 58 where God tells the Israelites that He is more interested in works of mercy.
But fasting has its purposes which Jesus implicitly recognizes when he says that its time is coming. He also goes on a forty-day fast before beginning his public ministry. Recalling that difficult experience in which the devil sorely tempts Jesus, we also might ask, “Why fast?” The answer is that we fast so that we might know God. God may not be moved by our fasting but fasting makes us aware of His presence. Moses and Elias fast forty days before they receive their respective revelations. Luke’s gospel mentions that the prophetess Anna In the Temple is accustomed to fasting when she tells those who were awaiting a Messiah about the child Jesus.
Forgoing the satisfaction of eating makes us appreciative of the gift of food and all God’s gifts. A simple reflection on the hunger which fasting induces will permit us to see Christ in those who chronically lack food. Finally and most importantly, fasting confirms our commitment to serve God and not ourselves. As St. Agnes gave up her life to demonstrate her commitment to God, we from time to time should give up some food.
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