Friday, May 18, 2018

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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

A Marianist brother, like many people, loved to fish.  He used to say that a fisherman takes his watch off, puts his line in the water, and never worries about time.  The brother only confirmed other slogans about fishing such as, “A bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office.”  Understanding how much fisherman love their occupation helps us appreciate today’s gospel.

Jesus wants Peter to commit himself first and foremost to him.  He asks his disciple, “Do you love me more than these?”  The question is not meant to show that Peter loves Jesus more than the other disciples love him.  How could Peter claim that after denying Jesus publicly three times?  No, the question seeks to ascertain if Peter will work for Jesus or will return to fishing.  The pronoun “these” refers to the accoutrements of fishing – boat, nets, and lines.  When Peter answers Jesus unequivocally, “’Yes…,’” Jesus assigns him the task of leadership of the Church.

We should consider ourselves queried in the same way as Peter.  Do we love the Lord more than our own occupations or other  interests?  Jesus does not necessarily mean that we forego other pursuits.  However, he does want us to make him the first priority of our lives.  We are to love him more than our work, even more than our children and our very selves.  It is a tall order to commit to, and it may take a lifetime before we can comfortably respond, “Yes.”  But assent is required if we are to have the eternal life Jesus promises.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11)

A witness to the process of canonization of St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers, testified that the saint never became agitated or angry. Even on arduous journeys, Paul of Venice said, Dominic “was always happy in tribulations and patient in adversities.” This note regarding another saint may help us appreciate the holiness of Simon Peter in the gospel today.

Simon must feel tired and frustrated as he returns from a long night of fishing without catching anything. We might think of the writer who spends hours before her computer before realizing that she has typed nothing worth saving. Or Simon at this moment may be compared to the farmer who comes home to find his garden completely ruined by raccoons. Simon may want to swear and certainly needs to rest before considering his next outing. When Jesus at that moment tells him to put out to sea and lower the nets again, he may even consider exploding, “What do you know about fishing?” But instead he tells the Lord calmly what took place during the night and without hesitation does as Jesus commands. The result, of course, is a catch so stupendous that Simon is completely humbled and entirely changes his life.

Very often in the New Testament followers of Jesus are exhorted to patience, kindness, and gentleness. Roughness, bitterness, and rancor are not Christian virtues. Not only do soft words and obliging ways attract others to Christ, they also act like gentle rains producing abundant fruit for their practitioners.

Homilette for Monday, April 13, 2009

Monday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:14.22-33; Matthew 28:18-15)

Wars change territorial maps. After almost any war the victors annex disputed lands while the vanquished forego their claims. After World War I, for example, France, Poland, Demark, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia gained possession of lands from Germany. The resurrection of Jesus also brings about change. It alters not exterior but interior maps of everyone illumined by its brilliance. We see clear change in Peter as he boldly preaches Jesus in the reading from Acts today.

Of course, the proclamation takes place when Peter receives the Holy Spirit with the other disciples on Pentecost. But as courage, understanding, and the other gifts are works of the Spirit, so the coming of the Spirit is a function of Jesus’ resurrection. We can view the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus and the descent of the Spirit as one great Easter event with so much content that its wonder becomes appreciable only when we consider them separately.

Peter who denied Jesus at the high priest’s house now tells the Jews openly that Jesus is the long-awaited heir of David. He even has no qualms about charging the Jews with the death of Jesus. However, his purpose is not retribution but forgiveness. He will go on to say that repenting of their sin, they too may receive the same transforming Spirit.

Homilette for March 18, 2008

Tuesday of Holy Week

(John 12:21-33; 36-38)

The gospel today invites us to compare and contrast Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial of Jesus. We may have heard preachers say that the two offenses amount to the same sin of infidelity. That opinion, however, is wrong-headed. It would be like equating setting on fire a home and not calling the fire department when we see the blazes. Others may condemn Judas’ treachery of handing Christ over to his enemies but dismiss Peter’s failure to stand up for Christ out of fear. This way of thinking is also misguided. Both deeds are despicable although Judas’ is more serious than Peter’s.

In explaining Judas’ treason, the passage says, “Satan entered him.” This does not mean that Judas betrays Jesus because he is possessed by the devil. No, there is full responsibility here. A bit later, when Judas leaves the supper, the passage ominously adds, “...it was night.” This reference is not to give the time of day but to indicate that Judas chooses darkness to the light of Christ. Earlier in the gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that some people choose darkness to light (3:19). Here Judas deliberately makes the same choice. We should realize that we too are susceptible to it.

Sometimes we look for ways to excuse ourselves of sin. A young man may say that peer pressure forced him to drink too much. A young woman may attribute her abortion to fear of her parents’ chastisements if she came home pregnant. These kinds of circumstances certainly have a bearing on one’s action, but they seldom are so extreme that they excuse wrong-doing. We must develop virtue by always striving to do what is right amidst the varied circumstances of life. Conversely, we must not act like Peter who fails to support Jesus although he knows better.