Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

At the heart of today’s gospel lies a critical question for the spiritual life.  Do we love God for Himself or do we love Him for the spiritual rewards that He promises?  The mother of James and John does homage to the Lord to seek high places in his Kingdom for her sons.  Is her piety enough to secure what she asks?

Asking spiritual gifts of Jesus presupposes faith in him to give it.  Although Jesus does not assign table order, believing in him will lead to places at the celestial banquet. God cannot be separated from the spiritual gifts that He alone provides.  However, if we center our focus on God’s gifts to us, we may become distracted and begin to believe because of the earthly gifts that He also provides.  Then when things turn against us, our faith may falter.

God in Himself is perfectly lovable.  He created the universe and sent His Son to save humankind from folly.  We love Him for all His magnificence, including His goodness that we will eventually see up close.  If we suffer want now, let it be.  We know that following the Lord Jesus will not leave us disappointed.

 

Wednesday, March 8. 2023

 Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, March 8, 2023

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

Chicago’s first “Mayor Daley,” Richard J., achieved a reputation for political know-how.  Once he was criticized for asking a judge to appoint his son as a trustee in a class action lawsuit.  The appointment meant a hefty financial reward.  Daley told his critics, “If a man can’t put his arms around his sons, and give them a hand, then what kind of world are we living in?”” No doubt, the mother of James and John asked Jesus to help her sons in today’s gospel with the same sentiment.

The woman expresses faith in Jesus when she makes her request.  Jesus takes no offense when she makes the appeal. What bothers him, however, is the concern for high places, not just of the brothers but of all his disciples.  He proceeds to insist that leaders in his church must concern themselves with service.

There is nothing wrong with a desire to be recognized and respected for doing what is right.  But when our goal is simply to be praised, we are liable to betray our purpose.  As Jesus gave his life to free us from sin and death, we should work for the benefit of others.  Because Church leaders preach Jesus, they should serve with exceptional diligence. 

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

Gospel commentators say that out of deference to the apostles Matthew puts the request for high places on the lips of sons’ of Zebedee mother.  They note that in Mark the disciples themselves make the vain request and that Jesus’ reply is directed to them, not the woman.  But let’s not allow concern for “who said what” distract us from the radicalness of Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus warns his disciples that seeking high places will not profit them a bit in God’s kingdom.  In another section he denounces the scribes and Pharisees for loving such honors (23:6).  He wants his followers to serve one another in humility.  In fact, he says that their service must be like that of a slave who has no claim to rights at all.  In his way of thinking, it seems, there is no overtime pay or discretionary days off.

Jesus’ vision of a disciple may sound preposterous if not cruel to us.  But he proclaims the radicalness of the kingdom throughout the four gospels.  We should not fret about how we are to bear the heavy cost.  He promises a reward greater than any merit we might suppose for our faithful service.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

When politicians and prelates go to Rome, they often have one objective in mind.  They want to be photographed with the pope.  They may have only ten minutes with the Holy Father, not enough time to exchange more than niceties.  But that is all right with them.  A picture with the pope in the newspapers back home raises their status in the eyes of the people.  Perhaps the mother of James and John harbors a similar motive when she approaches Jesus.  She asks him to place her sons on either side of him in glory.  She wants her sons to be seen as people of importance.

Interestingly Jesus does not reject the sons because of the ambition of their mother.  Rather he questions their willingness to sacrifice themselves for him.  When they seem genuinely ready to suffer on his behalf, Jesus affirms their courage.  He knows that they need his help to fulfill their commitment to him as disciples.

All of us do but especially those who face terminal illness.  The pain, the loneliness, and the anger that many experience facing death makes them want to do something outrageous.  Some want to show themselves as masters of their life by taking it.  Others try to imitate the super-wealthy by taking a lavish trip.  Others desire to curse their enemies.  We are wise to reject these temptations by becoming a servant as Jesus recommends.  We do this by seeking reconciliation with adversaries and by exemplifying submission to God’s will.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

As in yesterday’s gospel, today’s underscores the need for disciples to serve humbly.  Coupled with the first reading, it indicates that their humility should run so deep that it might withstand treachery.

James and John’s mother sounds callous or, at best, foolish as she approaches Jesus for a favor.  After he reveals the agony awaiting him in Jerusalem, she requests positions of privilege for her sons!  But Jesus shows no outrage.  Rather he asks if the two are ready to join him in suffering.  When they say that they are, he tells them that he does not have the right to promise them anything.  The passage indicates, however, Jesus’ displeasure with the rest of the disciples.  When they display anger with the brothers for allowing their mother to do their bidding, Jesus tells them not to fret over positions of privilege.  Rather they are to concentrate on how best to serve the Kingdom.

When we forget about what we might receive for doing good, we will find ourselves doubly rewarded.  We will come closer to our remote goal of eternal life, and, wonderfully, we will receive temporal favors.  These gifts come, again, after losing ourselves in serving the Kingdom.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Memorial of Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo, bishop

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

We humans usually do what we do for mixed reasons. We come to mass on Sunday perhaps because we love God but also because we want to be seen by our neighbors and because it is such an ingrained habit that we have no real alternatives.

The gospel today urges us to clean up our act. Let your first and foremost motive always be love of God, it tells us as Jesus admonishes his disciples that they are to serve others and not themselves. In truth, we should avoid the limelight to insure the purity of our motives. This may mean that we make anonymous donations or that we refrain from talking about our good deeds.

Today the church in Peru celebrates her illustrious patron, St. Toribio of Mogrovejo. As a layman in Spain, he was chosen as Archbishop of Lima. At first, he protested the irregularity, but later conceded. At his post, he urged colonists and probably the indigenous as well to conform themselves to Christ not to their worldly ways. He would tell them, “Christ said, ‘I am the truth’; he did not say, ‘I am the custom.’” Just so we must rid ourselves of the custom of self-seeking as we do God’s will.

Homilette for Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent

(Matthew 20:17-28)

The great virtuoso violinist Ishak Perlman tells the story of a woman asking him to listen to her son play the violin. When Perlman rather reluctantly agreed, the mother took out a tape recorder and played a cassette. Perlman marveled at the beautiful music. “He sounds just like Ya Ya Haifitz,” Perlman exclaimed. “That is Ya Ya Haifitz,” the mother replied, “and my son plays just like that.”

Children may allow their parents to exaggerate their abilities. Evidently James and John do not mind their mother soliciting Jesus for places ahead of Peter and the rest of the disciples in the coming Kingdom. But the brothers’ hidden self-esteem does not impress Jesus. He is interested in whether they are willing to suffer for the sake of that Kingdom.

Lent is the season for us to get a grip on our pride. Most of us generally think too much of ourselves. Rather than compare ourselves downwards by noting how we may be better than others in this or that, we should compare ourselves with the saints whose devotion we can hardly hope to emulate. Then we will see how exalted self-esteem betrays a firm trust in God and how our depreciation of others indicates a failure to love.

homilette for February 20, 2008

Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent

(Matthew 20:17-28)

The great virtuoso violinist Ishak Perlman tells the story of a woman asking him to listen to her son play the violin. When Perlman rather reluctantly agreed, the mother took out a tape recorder and played a cassette. Perlman marveled at the beautiful music. “He sounds just like Ya Ya Haifitz,” Perlman exclaimed. “That is Ya Ya Haifitz,” the mother replied, “and my son plays just like that.”

Parents often exaggerate their children’s talents. Children may allow them to do so if they might gain some advantage for themselves. Evidently James and John do not mind their mother soliciting Jesus for seats ahead of Peter and the rest of the disciples in the Kingdom of God. But the brothers’ exalted image of themselves in the Kingdom does not impress Jesus. He is interested in whether they are willing to suffer for the sake of that Kingdom.

Lent is the season for us to get a grip on our pride. Most of us generally think too much of ourselves. Rather than compare ourselves downwards noting that we may be better than others in some ways, we should compare ourselves with the saints. Then we will see how our concerns about self betray a firm trust in God and how our depreciation of others indicates a failure to love.