Thursday, July 21, 2022

 Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 2:1-3.7-8.12-13; Matthew 13:10-17)

We think of parables as little stories that illustrate what Jesus is trying to teach.  They are like the vignettes a high school religion teacher used to tell to make a point.  Most of his students will remember the teacher’s anecdote about the bank robber Willie Loman.  Asked once why he robbed banks, Loman replied, “…because that’s where the money is.”  Then the teacher said to his students that they must decide what is most important in life and, like Willie Loman, go after it.

In today’s gospel passage, however, Jesus says that he uses parables to confuse his listeners: “’This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’”  It is only right to ask, what gives?  The evangelist Matthew, writing perhaps fifty years after Jesus, knows that many people have already rejected the message of the gospel.  But even in Jesus’ time many follow him with scant intention of heeding his call to repentance.  They merely want to see him work a wonder. For the first group Jesus’ death and resurrection will seem like a fantasy.  For the second his stories will sound so.

But, hopefully, it is not this way for us.  We believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life and want to follow him. 

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 2:1-3.7-8.12-13; Matthew 13:10-17)

We think of Jesus’ parables as charming stories that help people understand God’s working in the world.  For this reason Jesus surprises us in today’s gospel by saying he uses parables to confound his listeners.  Furthermore, Jesus’ citing the prophet Isaiah sounds mean-spirited.  Does he really mean to disassociate from his listeners because they have shown hardness of heart?

Examining the context of Jesus’ remarks should enable us to understand what is taking place.  Jesus has taught brilliantly to both the learned and the unschooled.  He has also worked many mighty deeds – cures and even raising the dead.   The people should have realized that he is no ordinary teacher, no regular healer.  They should have recognized him as God’s chosen messenger announcing a new age.  They should have repented of all their pride, greed, and lust.  They should have committed themselves to doing God’s will.  But they haven’t, and Jesus has stopped trying to break through their self-serving souls.

Hopefully, Jesus counts us among his disciples with blessed eyes and ears.  Hopefully, we respond to God’s love for us with gratitude and willingness to serve.  Should we, like Jesus apparently does in today’s gospel, write off those who don’t respond?  No, that would mean not doing God’s will.  The people Jesus encountered actually saw the living God.  Today people get only a poor image.  We must improve that image by better caring for others as best we can in Jesus’ name.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Jeremiah 2: 1-3.7-8.12-13; Matthew 13:10-17)

Anne and Joachim are recognized as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They are not mentioned in Scripture and known only from the dubitable “Gospel of James.” It is fashionable today to think of them as the grandparents of Jesus, but there is no link of them to him at all.  Still positive conjectures may be made of them.  Because Mary is knowledgeable of the Old Testament, it is likely that Anne and Joachim formed her in this way.  They probably avoided the pitfalls to which today’s readings refer.

Jeremiah’s oracle speaks of Israel having grown cynical with age.  The people have come to take for granted the goodness of God.  They no longer dream that their faithfulness to the Covenant promises them a glorious future.  In the gospel Jesus tells his disciples that many hear his parables not as the metaphors that he intends but as riddles.  Their minds have been closed with the passing of years to the possibilities that God offers in Jesus.

We must guard against the pitfalls of cynicism and despair.  It may seem incredible that we will be raised from the dead with all other followers of Jesus’ law of love.  But that has been the promise since Jesus’ own resurrection.  Now we must learn from him how to love truly from the heart.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 19:1-2. 9-11.16-20b; Matthew 13:10-17)

We think of parables as little stories that illustrate what Jesus is trying to teach.  They are like the vignettes a high school teacher used to tell to make a point.  Most of his students will remember the anecdote about the bank robber Willie Loman.  Asked once why he robbed banks, Loman famously replied, “…because that’s where the money is.”  Then the teacher told his students that they must decide what is most important in life and, like Willie Loman, go after it.

In today’s gospel passage, however, Jesus says that he uses parables to confuse his listeners: “’This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’”  It is only right to ask, what gives?  The evangelist Matthew, writing perhaps fifty years after Jesus, knows that many people have already rejected the message of the gospel.  But even in Jesus’ time many follow him with no intention of heeding his call to repentance.  They merely want to see him work a wonder. For the first group Jesus death and resurrection will seem like a fantasy.  For the second his stories will sound so.

But, hopefully, it is not this way for us.  We believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life and want to follow his teachings.  

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 2:1-3.7-8.12-13; Matthew 13:10-17)

Flannery O’Connor has been called the greatest American Catholic novelist.  Yet her novels are seldom about Catholics.  Rather they concern the working of grace in very peculiar Bible-belt Protestants.  Once she was asked why she wrote about such strange characters.  She answered that when people are near deaf, you have to shout. 

Jesus responds similarly to the question, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”  People need such on-the-money stories to wake them up to God’s goodness.  The parables proclaim that God is so generous he will pay laborers who work but an hour a full day’s wage.  They say that God’s kingdom is such a treasure that it is worth making any sacrifice to attain.  Unfortunately, in a world of diversions from home entertainment systems and iPhones Jesus’ message does not always get through.

Some people see parables as make believe.  They say that since the Kingdom does not bring immediate gratification, it is not worth pondering, much less pursuing.  But the parables have been validated by Jesus’ own experience. His eating with sinners became the search of the shepherd for the lost sheep.   His crucifixion became the seed that dies in order to produce abundant life.  Because of Jesus’ life witness the parables not only entertain us, they also move us to follow him.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 2:1-3.7-8.12-13; Matthew 13:10-17)

The storyteller is a very popular motif of New Mexican sculpture.  The image is usually an indigenous woman with children clinging to her from every side.  Her mouth is open as she relates a tale of her youth.  Curiously, however, the children are not paying much attention to the storyteller’s words.  Rather they seem more intent on frolicking. In today’s gospel Jesus has similarly just told a large crowd a story that is called a parable.  The people likewise did not heed what he was saying.

The disciples now question Jesus about why he uses parables if the people are not going to catch his meaning.  He answers that the people do not understand his parables not because the stories are inscrutable but because the people themselves do not appreciate who is speaking to them.  From all Jesus has done among them – his multiple healings and expulsions of devils – they should realize that he is the one whom God has sent into the world.  Not believing in him, his parables become no more for them than cartoons of our culture for children to watch on Saturday morning.

Parables are rich in meaning.  Like the deposits of gas and oil beneath the earth’s surface they can be mined again and again for high yields of truth.  But to take full advantage of them we must recognize that their source, Jesus, is not like any other storyteller.  No, he is the Son of God sent to us to reveal the wisdom that yields eternal life.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ex 19:1-2. 9-11.16-20b; Matthew 13:10-17)

Flannery O’Connor is a peculiar Catholic American novelist. She is Catholic because she understands the working of grace according to Thomistic theology. She is peculiar because her characters are typically the most strident of her southern, Protestant neighbors. They are ardently evangelical and, sometimes, grotesquely two-faced. When she was asked why she wrote about such strange characters, she answered that when people are near deaf, you have to shout at them.

Jesus responds similarly to the question, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” He says, in effect, they paint big, beautiful pictures so common people may appreciate God’s call to reform. On the other hand, they will challenge the sophisticated who find his stories simplistic and his teaching unappreciative of their learning.

In our day the sophisticated tote I-phones and I-pads and have busy schedules that seem to make it difficult to pray regularly and to attend to the needy. They may be like us. We should realize what the parables make obvious: God is our Father who lovingly calls us back to Him through His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Homilette for Thursday, July 23, 2009

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Matthew 13:10-17)

Flannery O’Connor has been called the greatest American Catholic novelist. Yet her novels are seldom about Catholics. Rather they concern the working of grace in peculiar Southern country people. Once she was asked why she wrote about such strange characters. She answered that when people are near deaf, you have to shout at them.

Jesus responds similarly to the question, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” We need such on-the-money stories to wake us up to God’s goodness. The parables tell us that God is so generous he will pay laborers who only work an hour a full day’s wage and that God’s kingdom is such a treasure that it is worth selling all we have to attain it. But in a world with so many diversions – from home entertainment systems to iPhones – Jesus’ message still does not always get through.

Some people see parables as make believe. Since they do not bring immediate gratification, they are not worth pondering, much less pursuing. These people might be right if the parables were not validated by Jesus’ life. He becomes the seed that dies in order to produce abundant life when he allows himself to be crucified. He is the shepherd who searches for lost sheep when he spends his time with sinners and the poor. Because of Jesus’ testimony the parables not only entertain, they move people to follow him.

Homilette for Thursday, July 24, 2008

Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Matthew 13:10-17)

Flannery O’Connor has been called the greatest American Catholic novelist. Yet her novels are seldom about Catholics. Rather they concern the working of grace in often very peculiar country Protestants. Once she was asked why she wrote about such strange characters. She answered that when people are near deaf, you have to shout at them.

Jesus responds similarly to the question, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” We need such on-the-money stories to wake us up to God’s goodness. The parables tell us that God is so generous he will pay laborers who only work an hour a full day’s wage and that God’s kingdom is such a treasure that it is worth selling all we have to attain it. But in a world with so many diversions – from home entertainment systems to iPhones – Jesus’ message still does not always get through.

Some people see parables as make believe. Since they do not bring immediate gratification, they are not worth pondering, much less pursuing. But Jesus’ parables have been validated by Jesus’ own experience. He became the seed that dies in order to produce abundant life when he gave himself on the cross. He became the man who searches for the lost sheep when he ate with sinners and succored the poor. Because of Jesus’ life witness the parables not only entertain us, they also move us to follow him.