Friday, August 4, 2023

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest

(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)

Saint John Vianney faced many setbacks in life.  He was erroneously drafted into the French military.  He had trouble with seminary studies.  As a priest, his attempts to reform the village of his assignment were resisted.  But John’s deep faith in the Lord enabled him to persist in charity.  No doubt, he saw in Jesus a model for dealing with difficulty.

In today’s gospel Jesus goes back to Nazareth.  His efforts to convert the people have proved somewhat fruitless.  Now even his townspeople reject him as an overachiever.  But he does not give up.  He rightly locates the problem in the people’s lack of perspective.  They might have believed and experienced the wonder of God if they gave him an objective hearing.  Of course, the rejection does not deter Jesus from carrying out his mission.

We will experience troubles even when we are doing good things.  We might have to modify our ways, but the real challenge is to strengthen our reliance on God.  Far from doing things for us, God will move us toward humility, commitment, and insight.  Along with love, these qualities will enable us to reach life’s goal.

Saturdaym May 1, 2021

 Memorial of Saint Joseph, the Worker

(Genesis 1:26b-2:3; Matthew 13:54-58)

Most Catholics know that the Church has singled out two days to honor St. Joseph.  The first, March 19, highlights Joseph as husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  As a child, I looked forward to this day because the pastor of our parish, whose name was Joseph, always declared it a school holiday.  Now as an adult, I anticipate the day because as a solemnity, it calls for suspension of Lenten penance.  This may sound laxist, but I think it shows how joyful God wants us to be.

The second annual “remember St. Joseph” day is, of course, today, May 1.  It emphasizes St. Joseph as a worker.  Unlike March 19, which has roots in the Middle Ages, this feast was added to the liturgical calendar only in 1955.  It has been seen as a way to support the dignity of labor while checking the influence of atheistic communism.  This year Pope Francis has exalted both feasts as well as December 18 when the gospel reading treats of the angel’s “annunciation” to Joseph and the Feast of the Holy Family.  Early last December he designated this “the Jubilee Year of St. Joseph” because 2020 marked the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of St. Joseph being declared “Patron of the Universal Church.”

Today’s gospel states that Jesus was Joseph’s son and that he was a carpenter.  Joseph did not father Jesus physically but morally.  As Mary’s husband, he took responsibility for Jesus’ upbringing as a faithful Jew.  Himself being called “a righteous man” at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, Joseph likely brought Jesus to the synagogue to head the word of God.  Even more significantly, Joseph probably impressed on his son the virtues of fairness and respect for all people, Jews and non-Jews.  Above all, he would have exemplified to Jesus gratitude to God for all his family achieved.

In Mark’s gospel Jesus is said to be a carpenter.  Very likely then, Jesus did his apprenticeship with his foster-father.  Instruction no doubt went beyond how to ply saw and hammer.  In all probability Joseph taught Jesus mindfulness in preparing the job at hand, diligence in pursuing its excellence, and patience in finishing a product.  Jesus, it can be said, was a more capable preacher and leader because of Joseph’s tutelage.

These lessons apply to our lives as Dominicans.  We too must attend to the word of God, especially as it is presented in our liturgies.  We too must prepare our proclamation of the word, who is Jesus himself, with contemplation, study, and attention to the dynamics of speaking.  Not for nothing did God choose Joseph as the preliminary formator of His Son.  And not for nothing does Joseph make a fitting model for our work as preachers.

Friday, August 3, 2018

Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Matthew 13:54-58)

You Can’t Go Home Again is the provocative title of a novel by novelist Tom Wolfe.  The story describes the plight of a writer who publishes a successful book about his hometown.  When he returns to the town, he finds his former neighbors upset with how he has portrayed them.  Apparently it is not that they have changed so much as it is he who changed.  Now he sees deep into reality to note people’s motives and desires.  Jesus has a similar experience when returning to Nazareth in today’s gospel passage.

Jesus, it can be assumed, tells the people of Nazareth about his Father, God.  This claim disturbs his neighbors.  “”Is he not the carpenter’s son?’” they ask openly. Rather than heed what he says about God, they dismiss his preaching as pretentious.

We must take care not to treat Jesus similarly.  He is the Son of God who deserves our utmost attention and obedience.  He is not like any other human being whose message in part is destined to be relativized.  Rather his words will always resound with how to live in harmony with the Father.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest

(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)

In one of his novels Larry McMurtry tells the story of an antique collector who buys a precious item from the owners of a second-hand store.  The owners ask a price many times below the object’s value because they do not know its real worth.  In the gospel today the townspeople where Jesus grew up similarly do not recognize Jesus for who he really is. 

The people of Nazareth think that they know Jesus because they know his family.  They cannot comprehend that he is the long awaited Messiah who comes to save Israel.  Even his miraculous cures and his wonderful teaching do not convince them but just confound them more.

Some of us may likewise be scandalized by the ways that Jesus makes himself present today.  We do not meet him at a grand banquet which we have to pay thousands of dollars to attend.  No, he is present in the simple hosts and the inexpensive wine that we bring to the altar.  His teachings promising eternal life are also neither complex nor enigmatic.  Rather, they contain the straightforward message that we are to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We must be careful not to reject Jesus as his townspeople do in the gospel.  Quite the contrary, we must be ever grateful that he makes himself available to us and to all.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)

In one of his novels Larry McMurtry tells the story of an antique collector who buys a precious item from the owners of a second-hand store.  The owners ask a price many times below the object’s value because they do not know its real worth.  In the gospel today the townspeople where Jesus grew up similarly do not recognize Jesus for who he really is. 

The people of Nazareth think that they know Jesus because they know his family.  They cannot comprehend that he is the long awaited Messiah who comes to save Israel.  Even his miraculous cures and his wonderful teaching do not convince them but just confound them more.

Some of us may likewise be scandalized by the ways that Jesus dominantly makes himself present today.  He does not come in a grand banquet which we have to pay thousands of dollars to attend.  No, he is present in the simple hosts and the inexpensive wine that we bring to the altar.  His teachings promising eternal life are also neither complex nor enigmatic.  No, they contain the straightforward message that we are to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We must be careful not to reject Jesus as his townspeople do in the gospel.  Quite the contrary, we must be ever grateful that he makes himself available to us and to all.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Matthew 13:54-58)

In one of his novels Larry McMurtry tells the story of an antique collector who buys a precious item from the owners of a second-hand store. The owners ask a price many times below the actual value of the object because they do not know what it is really worth. The story reminds us of how the people of Nazareth consider Jesus in today’s gospel

The townspeople where Jesus grew up do not recognize Jesus for who he really is. They think that they know him because they are acquainted with his family. But they do not realize that he is actually the long awaited Messiah whom God has anointed with the Spirit to save Israel. Even his miraculous cures and his authoritative teaching fail to penetrate their obtuseness.

Some of us may be scandalized by the ways that Jesus makes himself present to us. He does not present himself at a grand banquet which costs thousands of dollars to attend. No, he comes at our gathering in his name and makes himself palpable in the Eucharistic hosts and simple wine that we bring to the altar. His teachings promising eternal life are likewise not complicated doctrines that require a Ph.D. to understand. Rather, they contain the straightforward message that we are to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We must be careful not to find some other excuse to reject Jesus. No, despite the challenges with which he confronts us, we want to embrace him with all our hearts.

Homilette for Friday, July 31, 2009

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, priest

(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)

A man once complained that everything he hears in church he has heard before. “Isn’t there something new that the Church can teach?” he asked. This man appears to be like the townspeople of Nazareth who reject Jesus out of too great a familiarity with him.

What of the man’s objections? Does the Church have anything fresh and stimulating to say? We can answer “yes” and “no” to that understandable wish. Yes, the Church reinterprets the gospel anew for every place and time. These days the Church’s message is often that Jesus knows and accepts us as a friend who also calls us to move beyond our felt limitations. Two recent best-selling books, Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and A Day with a Perfect Stranger, indicate the popularity of this message. Forty years ago the Church saw Jesus more as a reformer who could bring about peace in our time. Vatican II’s Constitution on the Church in the Modern World exemplifies this optimistic teaching.

But it would not be disingenuous to answer the man’s query by saying “no,” the Church’s teaching remains the same. And there is good reason for the permanence of the message. As much as humans like to think of themselves as progressing, humanity remains hobbled by the same basic problems. Science and technology have contributed greatly to alleviating the burden of work, but they have not made people morally better. We still think too much of ourselves and too little of others. Rather than give thanks to God, we want to take credit for ourselves. The Church’s message today is the same as Jesus’ two thousand years ago which was little different from the great prophets’ hundreds of years before that. Humans have to reject sin and turn to the Lord!

Homilette for Friday, August 1, 2008

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Matthew 13:54-58)

In one of his novels Larry McMurtry tells the story of an antique collector who buys a precious item from the owners of a second-hand store. The owners ask a price many times below the actual value of the object because they do not know what it is really worth. In the gospel today the townspeople where Jesus grew up similarly do not recognize Jesus for who he really is. Rather, because they know his family, they think that they know him. They do not realize that he is actually the long awaited Messiah who comes to save Israel. Even his miraculous cures and his wonderful teaching do not convince them.

Some of us likewise may be scandalized by the ways that Jesus makes himself present to us. He does not come in a grand banquet which we have to pay thousands of dollars to participate in. No, he becomes present in the simple hosts and the inexpensive wine that we bring to the altar. His teachings, which promise everlasting life, are likewise not complicated theorems that only people as intelligent as astrophysicists can understand. No, they contain the straightforward message that we are to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We must be careful not to reject Jesus as his townspeople do in the gospel. Quite the contrary, we must be ever grateful that he makes himself available to us and to all.