Wednesday, March 20, 2024

 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:14-20.91-92.95; John 8:31-42)

Most people think of freedom as the absence of physical restrictions.  As long as one can go where she wants and say what she wants, she is free.  But this is a limited freedom.  A really free person is not bound by inner forces like an addiction or a vice.  If someone cannot stop gambling even after putting the deed to his house as collateral, who can think of this person as free?  In today’s gospel Jesus refers to this fuller kind of freedom as not being “a slave to sin.”

The reading curiously refers to “Jews who believed in him (Jesus).”  Their faith in Jesus as Lord evidently wavers like people today who were baptized but don’t practice the faith.  When Jesus challenges them to follow him completely, they demur.  They want to keep the prerogative of doing what they like when those deeds do not comply with Jesus’ teaching.  Jesus rightly implies that they are acting more like children of darkness than children of light.

It's tempting to hold out for one’s independence.  Something inside us wants to do what we want to do when we want to do it.  Such an outlook will only lead us to folly.  More sadly, it will deny us of the joy of being with Jesus.

Monday, July 17, 2023

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 1:8-14.22; Matthew 10:34-11:1

People have difficulty appreciating today’s first reading.  They often do not realize how oppressed are the Israelites in Egypt.  The “chosen people” have lived among the Egyptians for hundreds of years.  Working as laborers, they have not had leisure time to develop their culture.  Very likely, they have assimilated Egyptian customs to the extent of losing touch with the God of Abraham.  They see Pharaoh as a kind of God. Like primitive peoples they will attribute divine attributes to the sun.

But God has not forgotten the Israelites.  He is about to act so that they may attain a degree of holiness.  It will provide formation for His Son to become humanity’s liberator from sin and death.  Now God will call a preliminary leader for the Israelites, free them from slavery, and form them into a people “peculiarly His own.”  The road ahead is long and torturous.  But followed intentionally, it will lead the Israelites to partial freedom.

We are aware that slavery exists today.  Millions cannot escape their sexual overseers.  Many more have analogously enslaved themselves to pornography.  It is largely men who look at the rot.  But women now are allowing themselves to enter the industry which severely compromises their whole lives.  We must ask God’s help in overcoming this very real threat to human freedom.

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 21:5-8-20a; Matthew 8:28-34)

Yesterday’s gospel passage ended with Jesus’ disciples asking, “’What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?’"  Today’s passage provides at least a partial answer.  Jesus is a man with divine authority.  Not only do the elements obey him; evil spirits snap to his command.  Jesus only has to say one word (in the original Greek) “’Go,’” to send the demons away from the possessed.

Jesus’ divine authority begs a question, however.  If he can so easily discharge evil spirits, why does he not just say once and for all, “Devils be gone”?  Would not the world then be free of evil?  This might be the case if humans did not call evil spirits back into their lives.  As it is, however, free will, which lies at the base of human freedom, revolts against the serenity of doing God’s will.

We can say that living in the world we are constantly tempted to reject the good.  This situation may sound more dire than it is.  We can tame the surliness of our will by constantly following the Lord’s directives.  The more we do so, the more we grow in true freedom.; that is, freedom from inner compulsions which hinder our following the natural inclination to happiness.  And the more true freedom we have, the more peaceful our world becomes.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time 

(II Corinthians 3:15-4:1.3-6; Matthew 5:20-26)

If one were to name the leading gods of the present age, freedom would be high on the list.  Everyone wants to freedom of one sort or another. Socialists want freedom from physical needs and so value free education, medical assistance, even housing and food for the masses.  Capitalists opt for freedom as the right to say and do as one pleases.  St. Paul in today’s first reading treasures freedom as well. But his conception of freedom varies considerably from current ideas. 

For Paul freedom is the harnessing of personal vice so that one can pursue friendship with God.  As he indicates today in the first reading, freedom is looking at the Lord with an unveiled face so that one can know his expectations. It is seeing with faith the glory of God in Jesus Christ and taking cues from him. 

We should not eschew current conceptions of freedom.  Those with basic needs unfulfilled have greater difficulty accepting religious truth.  And certainly individual conscience has to be respected.  However, to recognize how bad behavior causes personal and social harm suggests that religious freedom is also critical.  We need religious instruction to curtail our desires.  Freed from incessant and destructive wants, we can pursue the soul’s true goals of peace, joy, and friendship.

Monday, October 10, 2022

 Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary time

(Galatians 4:22-24.26-27. 31-5.1; Luke 11:29-32)

 A young man standing near a stop sign, cup in hand, tugs at your heartstrings.  You want to give him something to eat, but that’s impractical at the moment.  Besides, you know that the beggar is really not interested in food.  Should you give him a dollar which will likely be spent on drugs?  Or should you just make a friendly gesture and leave the scene?

In today’s first reading St. Paul fears that something similar to the beggar’s situation will develop among the Galatians.  Some in the Christian community of Galata have accepted the teaching of Judaizers who say that Jewish ritual acts must accompany Baptism.  Paul writes them that Christ has freed them from the Law for good reason – it is impossible to fulfill.  He is telling them that they must not adopt it.  Nor, he indicates, should they lose their freedom by submitting to another form of oppression.  He has things like drugs, sex, or liquor in mind.  Rather, he wants the Galatians to follow Christ who shows them how to live with integrity.

There are many kinds of slavery.  All of them take away our ability to act as we know we should.  To avoid these traps, we must develop a relationship with the Lord.  To an extent this is a spiritual endeavor, but it also can be quite a quite palpable friendship.  The Church is Christ.  When we entrust ourselves to the good people within it, we will not submit to evil cravings.

Monday, July 4, 2022

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hosea 2:16.17c-18.21-22; Matthew 9:18-26)

Today’s gospel speaks of freedom.  It shows Jesus freeing a woman from a malady she bore for twelve years.  More profoundly, it intimates how people who believe in him will be freed from the tyranny of death.

Like the ruler’s daughter, we all will die.  But death will not necessarily have the last word.  If we place our faith in Jesus, we will conquer death.  In the reading the girl’s father asks Jesus’ help on her behalf.  Jesus then raises her from the sleep of death.  Likewise, we will rise from death for having been true to Jesus.

Today the United States celebrates its freedom from the tyrannical rule of the British king.  After independence, the founding fathers proceeded to declare freedom of religion.  All Americans have the option to place their faith in Jesus.  He magnifies the liberties by giving freedom from the dominance of sin and the tyranny of death.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(I Kings 19:16b.19-21; Galatians 5:1.13-18; Luke 9:51-62)

With the coming holidays of national independence, it is worth reflecting on the second reading. St. Paul treats the ever-provocative theme of freedom. However, he does not think of freedom in the same way that we tend to think of it. We think of freedom as the removal of external restrictions. Slaves by the whip were prohibited from doing what they thought best. As human beings they deserved freedom. Still today many work under physically harsh conditions to survive. They seek freedom from their hard burdens. Paul has another conception of freedom in mind when he writes, "For freedom Christ set us free…”

For Paul, the freedom of Christ releases men and women from disordered passions. He has freed us from the inner urge to drink excessively and to run away from every uncomfortable situation. The unfortunate truth is that our internal dispositions can be an autocrat even more exacting than the whip or the demands of a boss. Just look at the way drug addicts ruin their lives for a few moments of pleasure.

The gospel today shows Jesus beginning the journey that will result in our deliverance. It says, "...he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” He knows that the cross awaits him in the holy city, but he will not go out of his way to avoid it. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus will defeat the forces of evil. These forces, which awaken inordinate passions, keep us as captives.

Jesus' emphasis on the discipline of his discipleship stands out in this gospel. He says, in contrast to our sensibilities, that it is more important to follow Christ than to bury our parents. In this way Jesus shows that his mission surpasses that of the great prophet Elisha. The prophet returned to his house to say goodbye to his people. In contrast, Jesus says that his disciples should not even look back once they decide to follow him.

However, this saying should not be taken as an excuse, much less a demand, to ignore filial responsibilities. Jesus would never say that it is not necessary to keep the fourth commandment. The Christian life offers us a great opportunity to serve our relatives together with the people of God. The saying, "Let the dead bury their dead," only emphasizes that his first priority is to save the world. Just so for us: the first priority is to support Jesus’ liberating work against human tendencies to sin.

A man, well known in his place, was an alcoholic. Many years ago he overcame this inner compulsion with the support of "Alcoholics Anonymous." Now this man participates in the discipleship of Jesus by encouraging other alcoholics to reform. In the process he has made himself really happy. This is just one example among millions of what St. Paul means when he writes: ""For freedom Christ set us free…”

Monday, October 12, 2020

 Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Galatians 4:22-24.26-27.31-5:1; Luke 11:29-32)

 A young drug addict entered a rehabilitation program.  After a time of retreat, he was sent to work in a rectory.  In a month or two the priests were missing things in the rectory.  They confronted their worker.  He said that he might be an addict, but he was not a thief.  Eventually, the young man was let go, and no more things were missing from the rectory.

The young man could not control himself.  He needed restraints.  He was not truly free but under the spell of drugs.  Even if it meant stealing to acquire them, he would do it.  In the first reading, St. Paul is pleading with the Galatians not to have something similar happen to them.  They have been given true freedom with Baptism in Christ.  They should not trade this for subjection to the Jewish Law, no matter how right the Law makes them feel.  They should trust that acceptance of the Holy Spirit will allow them to live justly.  For this freedom Christ had set them free.

Few of us would want to take on the Jewish Law with its many knit-picking practices.  But some of us still do not care to live in the freedom of the Holy Spirit.  They may not be under the influence of drugs but of other interior impulses.  They insist on holding grudges and seeing the dismal side of things.  The Spirit’s freedom gives joy and peace to the soul.  Yes, it calls us to sacrifice our will in certain matters, but it also promises happiness, both short-term and eternal.

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 2:1b-19; Matthew 9:1-8)

Today’s first reading is a hallmark of the Bible and of Western Civilization.  In it God tests Abraham by telling him to kill the son he had longed for.  Abraham does not delay in complying and stops only when God sends a contravening order.  By his obedience, Abraham shows himself a worthy beneficiary of God’s awesome blessing.  He can be a true father to many nations.

As the United States celebrates its foundation today, it faces a test similar to Abraham’s.  The premise for its freedom from England was based on natural law.  As its founders proclaimed on July 4, 1776, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  The test is whether the nation will continue to pursue freedom in accord with God’s will as given in human nature.  The alternative path on which the nation is headed is to dally in invented freedoms like abortion and homosexual marriage.

We come together today to implore the risen Lord present in our midst.  We ask him to straighten the distorted path the United States has taken in recent years.  We pray that a nation so well-endowed with resources may not deviate from the way of freedom upon which its founders set it.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:14-20.91-92.95; John 8:31-42)

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet the young prince is looking for evidence to convict his uncle of murdering his father.  He gets an idea when a troupe of actors comes to town.  He will devise a play that shows how the murder took place.  When his uncle watches the action, his visible reaction should betray his guilt.  Something similar is taking place in today’s gospel passage.

John’s Gospel not only tells the story of Jesus but contains hidden in the action the fate of the Christian community he left behind.  The controversy in today’s passage shows how part of that community -- “those Jews who believed in him” – lack a firm faith.  They accept Jesus as a prophet but do not see him as the only source of freedom which is equivalent to salvation.  They think that they are free by virtue of being children of Abraham.  Their opposition to Christians who find Jesus as the only way to salvation is dramatically portrayed when Jesus says that “are trying to kill” him.  The Judaizers who incurred St. Paul’s wrath by insisting that the Galatians be circumcised are equivalent to these half-hearted Christians.

We live in a time when many see other ways to salvation besides Jesus.  Some believe that freedom comes from not being bonded to other people.  Others think that freedom is the right to do whatever one wants short of physically hurting others.  We believe that Jesus’ way of selfless love for others brings the freedom of the children of God.  Next week we will celebrate the bestowal of that freedom in the paschal mysteries.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

(Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25)

“Freedom is not free,” goes a popular adage. What’s in mind here is that freedom must be defended from those who would force a people to act according to their designs. But freedom is not free in another, deeper sense. True freedom is more than the absence of exterior controls but the application of inner control to do what is good, truthful, and beautiful. One develops such control only with considerable intention and effort. A master artist freely applies paint to canvass producing lovely images only after years of practice. Likewise, to live righteously requires concentrated effort.

The passage from Deuteronomy speaks of God’s challenge to the Israelites. They are to choose life by developing the freedom that God has won for them. This means that they are to practice every day the virtues taught to them in the desert. Failing to do so, allowing those virtues to atrophy by following the ways of the people with whom they will live, will mean their death as a people. History has borne out God’s prediction. The Jews have maintained themselves as a nation for three millennia by following the Torah. On the other hand, no living trace remains of the Canaanites and Amorites.

During Lent we are likewise challenged to grow in freedom by refining the theological virtues won for us in Christ’s death and resurrection. Our repentance from sin as Lent begins faithfully recognizes Jesus as our savior. Our fasting for God’s sake and acts of charity on behalf of others throughout the forty days make us more loving people. And our focus on the Paschal mystery at the season’s end increases our hope of participation in Christ’s resurrected life.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42)

In a movie about the revolution in Nicaragua some years ago, a peasant boy tells an American helicopter pilot that he wants to fly. The airman takes the boy for a ride in his helicopter, but the flight does not satisfy the boy’s desire. He explains that he wants to fly like a bird flies, not to be just transported in a flying machine.

Although the vignette is meant as a metaphor for Nicaragua’s yearning to be free of foreign dominance, it also illustrates the lesson that Jesus gives in the gospel today. The Jews think they are free because they are not enslaved by anyone. But this is limited freedom. Jesus would provide them full freedom where they could not only walk wherever they wish but act as righteously as they deeply desire. It is the freedom of Van Cliburn at the piano or Kim Yuna on ice skates.

As Jesus says, freedom comes from accepting him as God’s Son. He brings the rule of heart that disengages us from attachments to fortune, fame, and force and sets our sites on eternal life. Most importantly – for redirecting our lives is a monumental task – he imparts his Holy Spirit to us. The releasing of His Spirit is what we await during the coming Easter season.

Homilette for Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42)

“Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage,” wrote poet Richard Lovelace in the seventeenth century. On a metaphysical level, at least, Lovelace is correct. True freedom is a condition of the soul more than the body. It is the capacity to tell the truth even when it is difficult like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the first reading. The Jews in today’s gospel, on the other hand, evidently see freedom as absence of physical coercion.

The Jews express their adherence to a physical notion of freedom when they say that they have “never been enslaved to anyone.” They fail to understand what Jesus as well as the prophets has told them about enslavement to sin. They cannot see that in their enmity toward Jesus they demonstrate how much jealousy and pride have manacled them.

Jesus offers to free us from internal binding by sending his Holy Spirit. The Spirit enables us to pursue what is good and to resist what is evil. It is the renewal our hearts readily accept as we complete our Lenten sacrifices.

Homilette for Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Galatians 5:1-6)

Two words in the first reading today beg clarification. First, Paul tells the Galatians (and us) that Christ has set them free. He means that Christ has freed humans from the onus of the Law as a way to please God. The Law never worked very well in the first place like kerosene lamps for reading. But Paul does not mean that humans can do whatever they wish now that the Jewish Law has been abolished. Rather, he says, it is for freedom that Christ has freed them. Here freedom refers to the life of the Spirit residing within. Without the Spirit freed people are no better off than the illiterates in a library. With the Holy Spirit they live exemplary lives that bring joy to neighbors and truly please God.

The second word that needs pondering is faith. Martin Luther stressed the idea that faith alone brings salvation. But did he mean an abstract faith which gives only verbal assent to the truth of Christ’s resurrection? That is not what Paul concludes as he extols “faith working through love.” Without love faith withers like flowers cut off from their water source. Indeed, love in a sense is the object of our faith. We are not speaking of human love here, but the divine kind which has rescued humans from the darkness of absolute zero for no benefit to itself.

Homilette for Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Matthew 11:28-30)

For good reason people do not want to be slaves. African slaves in America often experienced brutality along with arduous labor. Contemporary slavery exploits women and children who become sex objects for rapacious perverts.

But what if slavery offered a greater freedom than that of not being owned by anyone? Might it not then be acceptable? What if slavery under one person meant freedom from all other sources of domination – internal or external? Might we not want to submit ourselves to it? In mind here is not just free will to do what we believe is right but the ability to act with perfection in every situation. This freedom would be the equivalent in daily life of the freedom of an Olympic gymnast on the parallel bars or that of a virtuoso pianist at the keyboard.

In the gospel today Jesus offers such slavery. He invites us to exchange our willingness to sin for slavery to himself. He does not use the term “slavery,” of course, but speaks of a “yoke.” In biblical times, however, a yoke -- which fastened oxen together for work in the fields -- was considered a metaphor for slavery. Jesus wants us to leave behind our sinfulness in order to make a firm commitment to himself. He will send then send us his Holy Spirit to bring us to perfection. Is his offer not something that we should seriously consider?

Homilette for March 12, 2008

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(John 8:31-42)

Perhaps you have heard the term “cultural Catholics.” It refers to those who identify themselves as Catholics but only minimally practice the faith. They see their occasional Mass attendance more as a family tradition than an expression of religious commitment. Also, they dissent from many of the Church’s teachings like the crime of abortion and the infallibility of the Pope. Today’s gospel pictures Jesus addressing himself to these Catholics as the “Jews who believed in him.”

Cultural Catholics in the United States and Europe adhere to a strictly political notion of freedom. A product of the Enlightenment, political freedom means the absence of external constraint on an individual’s actions. Since this kind of constraint typically comes from government, an example would be the right to practice one’s religion without official censure. The Jews in the gospel express their adherence to this notion of freedom when they say that they have “never been enslaved to anyone.” However, like cultural Catholics today, they overlook a critical dimension of freedom when they refute Jesus for speaking of enslavement to sin.

Sin -- an internal restraint -- often undermines freedom more than religious or political oppression. Many find themselves entrapped in pride, lust, anger, or another of the so-called capital sins. They cannot put their lives in order often because they do not even recognize that sin has a grip on them. Jesus, of course, offers to save all from sin by sending his Holy Spirit. The Spirit enlightens us to recognize sin’s entrapments and empowers us to resist them. But we have to call on Jesus with true faith to receive the Spirit.

Homilette for Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Wednesday, XXIX Week of Ordinary Time

(Romans 6:12-18)

In the Letter to the Romans St. Paul deals with a question that plagues many people today. He knows that Christ has freed humans from the necessity of following the Law of Moses. The question that arises then concerns the extent of our freedom. If there is no law telling me contrary in any particular situation, we might ask, “Am I free to do what I want?” This situation mirrors what we might call “the crisis of freedom” in western society. Although there are plenty of laws, nevertheless freedom to do whatever brings one satisfaction is increasingly coveted. The situation has become critical because in the quest for freedom, many have forgotten their responsibilities.

Paul answers the question of being free to do whatever one likes negatively. He reasons that if there is a slavish attention to the Law, there is also a slavish freedom. People cannot stop themselves from doing what is harmful for themselves and others. We see this reality in addictions. Drug, sex, or alcoholics addicts hurt themselves and others. They did not have to involve themselves in these traps but chose to voluntarily. Likewise, they can opt out of the vices although doing so they will likely need some help.

Later theologians will clarify the nature of true freedom. It is not only a lack of restriction but also an orientation to do what is good. Paul awkwardly calls this freedom “becoming slaves of righteousness.” It consists of practicing virtue so that doing what is right becomes as natural as eating breakfast. True virtue requires effort. To play a Beethoven piano sonata naturally necessitates hundreds of hours of practice. Likewise, always providing a word of inspiration or extending a helpful hand requires repeated attempts not all of which hit the mark.

Homilette for Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Tuesday, VIII Week of Ordinary Time

(Sirach 35)

A Dominican theologian was explaining St. Thomas Aquinas’ moral theology to a group of young European families. He went to a blackboard and drew a small box in its corner. He said, “In that square are the commandments.” Then he asked if that is what morality is about. Everyone responded, “Of course.” But the Dominican disagreed. “No,” he said, “God is not much interested in commandments. Then he drew a box covering the rest of the blackboard. “That is freedom,” he said, “that is what interests God. Your task is to teach your children to be free.”

St. Thomas does emphasize the need for law. He teaches that all law -- natural, human, and revealed – has divine origin and is necessary to keep us on track. But law hardly comes to terms with all of morality. So the wise man says in the first reading, “In a generous spirit pay homage to the LORD, be not sparing of freewill gifts.” Truly virtuous people go far beyond what the law prescribes in assisting neighbor, in building community, and in praising God.

Reflection for Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007

In her syndicated column today, Kathleen Parker again touches America’s pulse. She cites a recent study, reported last week but lost in the hoopla over an astronaut’s romantic revenge, about pornography and adolescents. According to Ms. Parker, the report links an increasing nonchalance over children viewing pornography as adults indulge more in it. Parker is outraged as, indeed, anyone concerned about human development should be.

Many years ago a particularly insightful contributor to America, the Jesuit weekly magazine, wrote that this country will not give up the practice of abortion easily. He said that although logic points that way, people’s pleasure stands in the way. That’s an enormous obstacle for which many do not mind lying as Presidents as well as have teenagers have done. But can a majority of people be so soft-headed? Evidently, yes.

Once again, I am reminded of true freedom. People like to think of freedom as the absence of restraint. Doing whatever one wants is the declared wish of many. But such a meager hope cannot bring about true freedom, much less human fulfillment. Freedom is the perfection of one’s ability. A three year-old pounding piano keys is not playing freely. Arthur Rubenstein fingering one of Mozart’s concertos with eyes closed is. Freedom is not given by human decree; it materializes with guided effort. If children are to grow up to be free adults, they must be tutored in an environment where virtue prevails. Pornography will make them slaves of their passions, ready to lie for a bit of cheap satisfaction.