Friday, March 22, 2019

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)

When old Catholics come together, they sometimes tell the story of a parish priest who said mass in twelve minutes.  He did it in pre-Vatican Council days when no one was following the liturgical Latin.  Of course, it was an abuse of the sacrament as were other practices of those days.  The demeaning of Protestants, the transfers of priest sexual abusers, and the downplaying of Scripture are but a few of the traits of those times that called for reform.  In today’s gospel Jesus points to the need of a similar reform in Judaism.

Jesus is speaking to the elders and chief priests of the people.  He knows that they resist his call to a less severe interpretation of the Law.  Some of his issues which they reject are healing on the Sabbath and moral judgment based on one’s intention as well as the concrete action.  Jesus further realizes that the established religious leaders have made up their minds.  He knows that they will do away with him when they have the opportunity.  His parable serves as a prophecy for what is soon to take place on Calvary.

We must not be closed to reform.  Vatican II expressed this principle as the need for the Church to constantly purify itself.  We as members of the Church community must strive for greater understanding of self, greater love for others, and greater sacrifice for God.

Homilette for April 4, 2008

Homilettes for weekdays between March 27 and April 4 follow below. May the fifty deays of Eastertime fill you with joy. Please write me if you have any comments regarding these homilettes. cm

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42)

It is safe to say that Pharisees are not gospel favorites. Many picked on Jesus because they could not recognize that his healing on the Sabbath marked the dawning of a new age. But the New Testament does recall some Pharisees who helped Christ. Nicodemus in the Gospel of John comes first by night to learn from him and then in daylight to bury him. In the reading form the Acts of the Apostles today the leading Pharisee Gamaliel defends the apostles in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Of course, Gamaliel does not accept Christianity. He only states that as a matter of policy religious tolerance is more judicious than persecution. His reasoning is summarized in the memorable lines: “But if (Christianity) comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Religious tolerance was mandated by Vatican II with a different logic. The Council taught that the human conscience is inviolable. No state or person has a right to interfere with how an individual worships God.

During Easter-time the Church asks us to recall the experience of the early Church. Every day at Mass this year we read from the Acts of the Apostles. We see how the Church starts as a small community in Jerusalem that spreads throughout the western world. She has little reason to fear other faith traditions. Rather, she has the commission to dialogue with them concerning the experience of reconciliation to God.