Sunday, January 21, 2024

THIRD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

(Jonah 3:1-5.10; I Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20)

The First Letter to the Corinthians is largely Saint Paul's answers to questions about the Christian life. Like us today, the Corinthians wanted to know how to live their faith in this troubled world. Because fundamental problems rarely disappear but reappear in new forms, it should not surprise us that Paul's advice to the Corinthians serves us well.

Interestingly, today's passage from First Corinthians begins in a similar way as today's gospel. Both readings warn that now is the time to act. Jesus says, “This is the time of fulfillment” in the sense that we cannot wait any longer. Pablo is more to the point. “Life is short,” he writes to the community of Corinth implying that if they do not act now, they may never act.  They may die tomorrow or have other concerns that demand their attention.

It's like the decision that runners make at six in the morning. If they don't get out of bed at this time, they may very well miss the opportunity to exercise that day. Almost always something -- be it a phone call, an unexpected visit, or a chore that was forgotten about before -- will prevent them from working out.  The time to act is now, not tomorrow.

What should we do? Again Paul's response conforms to Jesus' preaching in today’s gospel. Jesus urges: “Repent”; that is, change your way of thinking. Paul gives content to this command. He says that the Corinthians must behave as if they lived in a different reality than the current one. This new reality is the life of the saints who reside with God. Instead of conforming to the ways of the world, we must live like the blessed.

First, Paul addresses himself to the married. They must live as if they were not married. That is, they do not think of their spouse as an instrument to achieve their own goals. Men should not think of their wives as objects of their erotic fantasies. Women should not think of their husbands as means to procreate and support children. Spouses have to appreciate each other as that special person that God has entrusted to him or her to help reach eternal life.

Paul also urges the joyful not to rejoice. It is not that Paul does not want to see us happy, but he does not want us to live always seeking personal comfort and pleasure. Rather, may we have compassion for those who suffer in our midst. A man has lost his wife and son to cancer. These deaths cost him dearly, but he has learned how to be cheerful despite his plight. What is striking is that now he is dedicated to supporting other people who have suffered like him.

Paul's warning about consumerism concerns us especially today. Many people buy out of habit and even compulsion. They have all kinds of gadgets in the house, every invention from Apple or Braun. Truly their desires have become needs. They should learn that true happiness does not come from buying things but from cultivating caring relationships. Mother Teresa spoke of the spiritual poverty of the West as greater than the physical poverty of India. She said in an interview: “You, in the West, have millions of people suffering from such terrible loneliness and emptiness. They feel unloved and unwanted…They know they need something more than money, but they don't know what it is. What they really lack is a living relationship with God.”

“A living relationship with God” is equal to the Kingdom that Jesus has brought into the world. It is in part carrying in the mind the hope of eternal life after death. It is also having a clear conscience and a heart full of desire for the good of others. And it also includes collaborating with all types of people – whites and blacks, Muslims and Jews, poor and rich – for a society in accordance with God’s will.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

(Hebrews 12:4-7.11-15; Mark 6:1-6)

In a book of prayers Mother Teresa asks for what appears to be strange things.  “Jesus, deliver me from the desire to be approved,” she says.  Then she goes on, “Deliver me from the fear of being ridiculed.”  “Why would she not want to be approved?” we might ask.  And, “Who would ridicule Mother Teresa?”  But Mother Teresa was a prophet.  She frequently said things of God that people did not want to hear.  She was like Jesus in today’s gospel reading. 

At first, all the people praise Jesus.  They think of him as “’Joseph’s son,’” a local lad who has done well.  They turn on him when Jesus makes them realize that he is God’s prophet.  If he is to do in Nazareth what he has done in Capernaum, the people will have to repent and believe in God’s love.  They will have to recognize that God is not a local deity but the Lord of the universe.  Jesus cannot do marvelous works for them just because they think they know him.  With that the people become so furious that they are ready to stone Jesus to death.  Because his hour has not come, he is able to escape from their clutches.

We too must realize that Jesus has come not just to help us because we are familiar with him.  No, we have to believe in him as the God of salvation who comes to help us, sure, but also to call us to repentance and to love of God and neighbor.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Monday of the First Week of Lent

(Leviticus 19:1-2.11-18; Matthew 25:31-46)

Mother Teresa often called the poor “Jesus in disguise.”  Her reason for doing so can be found in today’s gospel.  Jesus himself identifies with the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned.  The poor certainly suffer a disproportionate incidence of these conditions.

But often in economically advanced societies the poor are well overweight.  They eat too much of the wrong foods, and they do not get enough exercise.  What can be done for them?  Certainly people can model healthy eating and exercise habits and also encourage the poor to follow them.  Advertising paid with public funds might also remind people of a healthy lifestyle.  Public policy that provide opportunities for the poor to improve their living habits may be crafted as well.

Above all, we must identify with the poor.  We not only have to see them as like Jesus but as our brothers and sisters.  Then with both our physical and creative resources engaged, we will work out ways that will remove them from jeopardy.  In these ways we will find ourselves called into the Father’s kingdom.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(1 Micah 5:1-4a or Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 1:1-16.18-23)

In his homily for the canonization of St. Teresa of Kolkata Pope Francis told his audience that they must ask themselves, “’What is God’s will in my life?’”  Mother Teresa as a religious discerned a calling from God to take care of the poor.  She acted on it in such deep and varied ways that her saintliness became evident to the world.  Just so the Virgin Mary, whose birthday we celebrate today, discerned her calling.

Today’s gospel indicates how God planned for eternity the coming of His Son.  His intentions were implemented at once independently and coordinately in the actions of each person in the long list of Jesus’ ancestors.  Most of all, they were construed and acted upon by Mary and Joseph.  The two must have discovered in their reflections why they were born.  That is, Mary found by giving birth and raising Jesus and Joseph by participating in his upbringing answers to Pope Francis’ question: “What is God’s will in my life?”

Each of us should be asking herself or himself the same question.  The answer probably will not be to become a priest or religious.  But it can be said with certainty that the answer will be not only something moral but also something supportive of God’s people.  God has graciously given everyone one of us life so that we might serve others as part of His eternal family.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8)

A theologian of some repute once challenged Mother Teresa’s famous dictum that the Lord does not ask us to be successful but only to be faithful.  The theologian reasoned that it is a waste of talent and time to go about oblivious to the effects of our actions.  Rather, he would say, it is only prudent to make our efforts as productive as possible. 

As often happens, both sides in this debate have a hand on the truth.  Certainly Jesus calls us to accountability for what we do.  Wasting resources and producing results which harm as much as they help are not the fruits that he looks for.  But some fruit trees, like the tropical mangosteen, take over a dozen years to grow from seed.  Faithfulness on the part of the planter is required if its fruit is to be harvested and enjoyed. Just so, sometimes our best efforts may require years to produce the desired results.

In today’s gospel Jesus prescribes faithfulness as the one indispensable quality to produce any worthwhile fruit.  He calls himself the vine to which we must stay connected.  Apart from him our well-intended actions either devolve into egotism or are finally abandoned.  Both results are like incipient fruit that shrivels when plucked prematurely from the vine.  Staying connected to Jesus, we produce a harvest which benefits people while giving glory to God.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 2:1-11; Mark 9:30-37)

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was fond of saying we may not be able to do great things but can do little things with great love.  She meant that in the eyes of God the second is as good as the first and maybe even better.  Jesus comes to a similar point in today’s gospel.

It is more than ironic -- really tragic -- that Jesus’ disciples argue like children about who is the greatest among them and miss his prediction about his impending death.  Nevertheless, he does not give up on them but uses the moment to teach them a worthy lesson.  Taking a child – in his day considered a person of little worth – into his arms, he instructs his disciples that if they wish to be great, then they must care for such an insignificant one. This kind of humble service is what matters most, not the number of stars on one’s coat.

With all the fanfare given to success, it is hard not to think about ourselves in competition with others.  Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit has descended upon each of us with a similar message to what Jesus heard at his baptism: “You are my beloved son…” Accepting this belief as truth, we will want to please our Father by humble service to His people.  

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8)

A theologian of some repute once challenged Mother Teresa’s famous dictum that the Lord does not ask us to be successful but only to be faithful.  The theologian reasoned that it is a waste of talent and time to go about oblivious to the effects of our actions.  Rather, he would say, it is only prudent to make our efforts as productive as possible. 

As often happens, both sides in this debate have a hand on the truth.  Certainly Jesus calls us to accountability for what we do.  Wasting resources and producing results which harm as much as they help are not the fruits that he looks for.  But some fruit trees, like the tropical mangosteen, take over a dozen years to grow from seed.  Faithfulness on the part of the planter is required if their fruit is ever to be harvested and enjoyed. Just so, sometimes our best efforts require years to produce the results we desire.

In today’s gospel Jesus prescribes faithfulness as the one indispensable quality to produce any worthwhile fruit.  He calls himself the vine to which we must stay connected.  Apart from him our well-intended actions either devolve into egotism or are summarily abandoned.  Both results are like incipient fruit that shrivels when plucked off the vine.  Staying connected to Jesus we produce a harvest which both benefits people and glorifies God.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(Wisdom 1:1-7; Luke 17:1-6)

The revelation that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta experienced darkness, dryness, and depression on her way to sanctity shocked the world. Yet despite her trials every morning before the sun came up, she prayed an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. Her prayer probably echoed that of the Apostles in today’s gospel, “Increase our faith.”

The Apostles ask for more faith after Jesus challenges them to a new kind of holiness. Not only are they never to give scandal causing others to sin, but they are to be always ready to forgive the sins of others. They feel incapable of following these commands.

In truth, unaided they are! None of us can live the righteousness of Jesus solely by means of natural virtue. It is the grace of the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts that provides the decisive margin. The Spirit moves us to both inordinate zeal for personal perfection and compassionate understanding of others’ foibles.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 25:13b-21; John 21:15-19)

Many evangelical Protestants openly profess their love of Jesus. But surely love of the Lord is as much a characteristic of true Catholics. Mother Teresa used to describe herself by saying, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”

In the gospel today Jesus uses love for him as the one criterion for service of his lead apostle. Some will scoff that it is silly to say that we love someone who died two thousand years ago. They also will question what kind of love it is if the beloved, like a baseball star or a pop singer, has millions of professed lovers. But these objections really do not faze us because we know that Jesus is alive and dwells among us spiritually. We can even have a personal relationship with him by caring for his body, the Church, and listening to his words in Scripture. Finally, because he is God, we know that he can care for all his lovers with the utmost personal attention.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51)

The prison chaplain was warning volunteers about doing favors for inmates. He said that they must be especially careful not to take anything from a prisoner to be mailed outside. Rather, he emphasized, they should show by the witness of their presence in the name of Christ that he suffered a kind of hell so that the prisoners as well as everyone else might not be deprived of heaven. This is the same message that Paul relates in his long letter to the Corinthians whose beginning we have in the first reading today.

One hundred years ago today Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, whom the world came to know as “Mother Teresa,” was born in the Ottoman Empire. As much as anyone in the last century she gave witness to Christ’s death on behalf of others. Recent revelations have shown that Mother Teresa’s sojourn was full of doubt as well as works of mercy. Although this fact has troubled some people, it consoles others. We now know better that the questions challenging belief do not put us outside the company of saints. Rather, faced with the will to follow Christ unreservedly, they constitute part of the death to self that leads to eternal life.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8)

A theologian of some repute once challenged Mother Teresa’s famous dictum that the Lord does not ask us to be successful but only to be faithful. The theologian reasoned that it is a waste of talent and time to go about oblivious to the effects of our actions. Rather, he would say, it is only prudent to make our efforts as productive as possible.

As often happens, both sides in this debate have a hand on the truth. Certainly Jesus calls us to accountability for what we do. Wasting resources and producing results which harm as much as they help are not the fruits that he looks for. But some fruit trees, like the tropical mangosteen, take over a dozen years to grow from seed. Faithfulness on the part of the planter is required if their fruit is ever to be harvested and enjoyed. Just so, sometimes our best efforts require years to produce the results we desire.

In today’s gospel Jesus prescribes faithfulness as the one indispensable quality to produce any worthwhile fruit. He calls himself the vine to which we must stay connected. Apart from him our well-intended actions either devolve into egotism or are summarily abandoned. Both results are like incipient fruit that shrivels when plucked off the vine. Staying connected to Jesus we produce a harvest which both benefits people and glorifies God.

Homilette for Friday, May 29, 2009

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 25:13b-21; John21:15-19)

Many evangelical Protestants openly profess their love of Jesus. But surely love of the Lord is as much a characteristic of true Catholics. Mother Teresa used to describe herself by saying, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”

In the gospel today Jesus uses love for him as the one criterion for service of his lead apostle. Some will scoff that it is silly to say that we love someone who died two thousand years ago. They also will question what kind of love it is if the beloved, like a baseball star or a pop singer, has millions of professed lovers. But these objections really do not faze us because we know that Jesus is alive and dwells among us spiritually. We can even have a personal relationship with him by caring for his body, the Church, and listening to his words in Scripture. Finally, because he is God, we know that he can care for all his lovers with the utmost personal attention.

Homilette for Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8)

In one of her novels Anne Tyler writes of a misleading advertisement boasting “vine-grown tomatoes.” Her character criticizes the sign saying something like, “All tomatoes are vine grown, but juicy and tasty tomatoes are vine-ripened.” We know that too often tomatoes are harvested prematurely and taste as much like paper as food.

In today’s gospel Jesus exhorts us to remain close to his vine so that our lives may be fruitful. This means that we are to take his words to heart contemplating their meaning and judiciously putting them into action. Franciscan Friar of Renewal Benedict Groeschel describes how Mother Teresa once asked him if he wanted to be more productive. Of course, he did. Then Mother Teresa told him that he should make a holy hour everyday. When Fr. Benedict objected that he was too busy for that, Mother Teresa only chided him that he really did not want to do more. Fr. Benedict finally surrendered to the idea, and the outcome has been abundance in preaching, writing, and harvesting vocations.

Homilette for Monday, November 12, 2007

Monday, XXXII Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Josaphat, bishop and martyr

(Luke 17:1-6)

Jesus is not only addressing his apostles in the gospel passage today. His words touch all people with responsibilities for others. Parents, teachers, supervisors, government servants, military officers should take notice.

Those in leadership must never give scandal since the penalty they will pay would drown a Navy frogman. The apostles, who will become heads of local churches, already feel the weight of their selection and ask Jesus for more faith. They sound like teachers seeking a raise because we entrust them with our children. Teachers may deserve an annual increase, but Jesus assures the Twelve that they have enough faith. Even if it appears small, their faith can produce an orchard of fruit!

We share the apostles’ burden. We feel that our faith is insufficient to carry out our responsibilities when God does not immediately meet our needs. The recent revelations about Mother Teresa might give us courage. The world has come to know that Mother Teresa experienced the darkness, dryness, and depression of grave doubt. Yet every morning before the sun came up she prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. During the day she went into the streets of Calcutta to tend to the humblest of people. Fortunately, few of us know the bleakness that plagued Mother Teresa. Nevertheless, we would do well to imitate her habit of prayer and care for the needy.

Homilette for Monday, October 1, 2007

Monday of the XXVI Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux

(Luke 9:46-50)

What is it about children that makes them like Jesus? It is hard to tell these days because childhood has changed so much. No doubt, it was different again in Jesus’ day, but there is something residual -- existent in the first century; prominent between 1850 and 1950 when, according to social commentator Neil Postman, childhood reached its acme; and still perceptible today. Children follow the directives of their parents confident that parents have their good in mind. Jesus trusted his Father just so; many adults do not.

True, we adults have the considerable task of discerning what God wants of us. But perhaps more problematic is our ego’s attempt to visualize God’s will according to its own designs. One commentator has called “the dark night of the soul” precisely releasing “our ego’s hold on the psyche” to allow for a change in our lives which will bring about a new way of understanding our relationship with God. It is the painful process of fidelity through questioning and near desperation that ends in our awareness of being God’s children doing what He tells us, confident of His love.

Although St. Therese of Lisieux enjoyed many years of religious enthusiasm, she too underwent the dreaded “dark night.” In it she evidently doubted what was to become of her after death. Yet she did not divert her attention from the Lord but faithfully lived out her vocation. Now we know that Mother Teresa of Calcutta also had a difficult trial of faith. She also did not waver in fidelity. We want to follow these little giants by continuing on the way we have chosen even when our minds turn overcast with questions.

Homilette for Friday, September 7, 2007

Friday, XXII Week of Ordinary Time

(I Colossians)

An icon of Christ hangs in a Benedictine monastery in Oceanside, California. It describes with visual images what the first reading relates with words. Christ is clothed in white like a new-born infant or, more to the point, like one appearing in glory. His wounds are covered with stars to show that he was dead but has come back to life. On the halo surrounding his head are the Greek letters ho on which mean “the (one) being” above all others. He has a compassionate face with eyes that seem to see to the bottom of the soul looking at him. His torso glimpsed by an opening in the white cloth is strong but not overpoweringly arrogant. He poises his right hand to make a blessing or, perhaps, a judgment. His left hand holds a book, obviously the Scriptures, with just one word shown pax (peace), showing that he has reconciled all things to himself. Seated on a throne with a with a blue pedestal indicated royalty, he leaves the impression of ruling over the whole world, especially its largest entity, the Pacific Ocean.

Christ commands our confidence. Sometimes tossed by the vagaries of life we waver in our allegiance. We have to cling to him with steadfast love. Recently writings left by Mother Teresa have revealed that she also was not spared doubts and inner turmoil. Yet she remained loyal to Christ to the end of her life. Each day she rose for meditation at 4:30 a.m. Even in fame and old age she did not cease tending to the needs of the poorest. As already evidenced by miracles in her name, Christ has brought her home to eternal life.

Homily for Penance Service

(Readings: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark 12:28-34)
“Cogito, virgo sum.” Do you recognize what I am saying? Maybe not exactly. “Cogito, virgo sum.” “I think. I am a virgin.” This pun, of course, takes off on the famous phrase, “Cogito, ergo sum.” “I think, therefore I am.” With that sentence Rene Descartes changed the course of Western philosophy. There is a sentence in the Scripture readings today that has had an even more far-reaching effect.
“Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohayu Adonai Echad.” “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God – the Lord alone.” These words are taken from the Old Testament. But they are meant equally for us as for the Jews. We Christians, as the Vatican Council points out, are the new Israel. The famous Shema goes on to state what Jesus says is the first commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
A decade ago a Jesuit theologian wrote a disturbing article entitled, “The Eclipse of Love for God.” The theologian tells us that what was one primary to our Christian faith, our love for God, is now often dismissed. Some, he says, replace the love for God with love for neighbor. Others, he continues, believe that the command to love God is only another way of stating the requirement to love oneself! Gratefully, the theologian advises us that the commandment to love God still stands and can be fulfilled.
As we ask God’s forgiveness for our sins this evening, we might ask ourselves how well we have fulfilled the first commandment to love Him above all. Have we loved him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength?
To love God “with all our heart” is to love God undividedly. Mother Teresa once said that her heart “belongs solely to Jesus.” We must try to imitate her. This does not mean that we love only God and feel indifferent to everyone else. If such an exclusive love were possible, it would not be love for God! As the First Letter of John says, “…whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (I Jn 4:20). But loving God with all our heart means that we do not divide our love for God with love for things of the world. We do not lust after flesh; we do not hanker after fortune; we do not thirst after fame.
The soul is the seat of supernatural life. To love God with “all our soul” means to love Him for the eternal life which only He can give us. Some may wonder, is it really love if the motive of our affection is our own benefit? But certainly thinking in this way denies our human personality. It is all right to love another for what we gain from that relationship as long as we are not just using the other as a means to our own self-satisfaction. As a lovely poem repeated every night on an old radio program put it, “I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.” We love God because He meets our needs today and promises us eternal life tomorrow.
When we love God with “all our mind,” we seek to know as much about Him as we can. We read the Bible and other religious literature. We seek answers to the great questions about God: Why does He tolerate evil? How does He consider people of other faith traditions? We have heard of the adage, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Yet that is what some people seem to be doing by watching “thirty years of television coming back at us all at once through sixty cable channels.” Loving God may mean turning the TV off to read, to think, and to talk with others about Him.
The strength of our love for God is shown by our willingness to make sacrifices for Him. The Church commands us to give up meat on Fridays and Ash Wednesday during Lent. That’s a small sacrifice which should not consume much strength. A much greater sacrifice for married couples would be to abide by the Church’s teaching against contraception. For most couples, I suppose, that would take all one’s strength! All of us can show the strength of our love for God by conversing with God in prayer continually.
In the prefaces to his gospel and then to the Acts of the Apostles St. Luke mentions a certain “Theophilus.” He may have a particular person in mind, but just as likely he may be thinking of all of us. “Theophilus,” you see, means “lover of God.” And all of us love Him, at least a little. Let us now try to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.