Friday, December 1, 2023

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 7:2-14; Luke 21:29-33)

The liturgical years ends on a high note.  Today’s first reading shows God’s victory over evil and the reign of “the son of man” over the earth.  The four defeated beasts are the superpowers of different stages in the last millennium before Christ.  They all emerged from the sea, a symbol of evil.

The two-winged lion represents Babylon with its two ferocious kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.  The bear symbolizes the Median empire, a rival of Babylon.  The leopard signifies the Persian empire which rapidly became a regional powerhouse.  The terrifying beast at the end is the wicked Seleucid dynasty that attempted to snuff out Jewish religious practice.

Jews and Christians have suffered many persecutions over the centuries.  They still exist as confessing peoples.  Their enemies, on the contrary, are but bitter memories, for the most part at least.  We should thank God for deliverance from oppressors.  We also need to ask His help in combatting current threats to religious freedom.

Friday, November 26, 2021

 Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Daniel 7:2-14; Luke 21:29-33)

The Old Testament forbids drawing images of God.  Nevertheless, people have continued to do it.  Theologians have defended the practice, and the Church has approved it.  Images of God often take on the features of the Ancient One in today’s first reading.  He looks old but not worn.  His white hair bespeaks wisdom, not senility.

The reading also describes a personage named as the “Son of Man.”  Jesus identifies himself with this term.  We Christians, therefore, believe that it is he.  He has conquered the enemies of the people.  The Ancient One justly presents him with kingship of the whole world.

We have approached the end of another liturgical year.  We have celebrated once again in detail Jesus’ victory over sin and death.  He has led us from subjection to evil to freedom as children of God.  We can continue to give thanks to the Father for him.

Homilette for Thursday, August 7, 2008

Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Matthew 16:13-23)

We have heard the central question of this gospel passage many times. Perhaps we remember Peter’s answer as if it were our telephone number. But can we appreciate its implications? “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Jesus asks. Of course, he is talking about himself, the Son of Man; that is, the human who does God’s work. The question asks, “What more is Jesus?” Peter gives the answer that we all know. He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Now what does this mean?

Peter thinks that being the son of God, Jesus will not have to suffer. Like the son of a king will never be served a lousy meal, Jesus -- in Peter’s mind -- will never suffer at human hands. Perhaps we, like Peter, cringe at the thought of God’s son undergoing one of the cruelest forms of execution in history! But Jesus must suffer or he would not be doing God’s work. Through Jesus’ suffering God extends to every human the offer of salvation.

Humans experience salvation by recognizing Jesus as the one who died for them. This recognition is not a simple “I believe” if asked about Christ. No, it entails suffering with Jesus when we are called to it as all humans are and no human likes. But now we can accept suffering calmly. It is something like primitive humans’ controlling fire. For a long time, humans reeled from fire’s intensity and feared its power. But then they saw that they might use it for cooking, farming, and keeping warm. We do not look for suffering and pray that the suffering that comes our way is not beyond our strength. But we accept it knowing that endured in solidarity with Jesus, it gives rise to our salvation.