Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Revelation 15:1-4; Luke 21:12-19)

Both readings today proclaim the ultimate triumph of Christians who persevere.  The first reading pictures Christian soldiers making music over the ash heap of their impious foes.  The gospel passage ends with Jesus’ assuring those who remain faithful that their lives will be secured.  Such an overwhelming victory is hardly what we experience in everyday life.

A news report today focused on the war in Yemen.  Unknown to many Americans, the war is taking a costly toll on children.  According to the report, 85,000 children under five years of age have died of starvation and related disease in the middle eastern country.  Such evil occurs all too frequently in our world.  Yet we run across goodness as well all the time.  Groups of Catholics and oth4r people of good will are accompanying immigrants to hearings to assure their fair treatment. We seem to endlessly live in that wheat field where the enemy has sown weeds.  We may count on good and bad coexisting until the end of time.

This dualism reflects the struggle going on in our hearts.  We feel the urge to act sinfully.  Perhaps we want to tell an egregious lie to spite someone we don’t like.  Or maybe we dream of abandoning our families for a more adventurous lifestyle.  With God’s reliable grace we will be able to overcome these wicked impulses.  More significantly, with the same we will be able to love God and neighbor continuously.  This love will assure us a place in the symphony making music over our sins.

Homilette for Friday, November 14, 2008

Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(II John 4-9; Psalm 119; Luke 17:26-37)

One form of dualism sees all material things as evil and all spiritual entities as good. It is said that candidates for dualist sects of this sort often waited until death was imminent before committing themselves completely because they did not want to give up the pleasure of the material world! Christianity is not dualistic, but Christians have always wanted to know when the world will end so that they might prepare themselves to meet the Lord. In the gospel today Jesus’ disciples show interest in the time of his return so that they also might alter their lives appropriately.

However, Jesus does not know the time of his return. He only can say that people will not be expecting his coming when he in fact arrives. Unfortunately, he soberly tells his disciples, most of the people will likely be pursuing their passions at that time. Still the situation is not hopeless. Jesus assures his disciples (who include us, of course) that if those who sincerely seek God’s kingdom will be saved. On the other hand, those who try to build kingdoms for themselves will be lost.