Friday, March 1, 2019

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 6:5-17; Mark 10:1-12)

Much like Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the Book of Sirach today notes different types of friendships.  The philosopher writes of friendships of utility and of pleasure.  In the first category are acquaintances for business purposes and in the second, pals to drink beer with.  Sirach might call both these kinds of friendship “fair-weathered.”  They will not likely last a lifetime, especially if the people move apart.  A third kind of friend both authors see as “another self.”  These are good people who can be trusted with the secrets of one’s heart.  They will respond honestly and wisely.  Sirach calls such a friend a treasure beyond any price.

In today’s gospel Jesus may be seen as enabling husband and wife to have this third kind of friendship.  He recognizes that divorce is the easy way out of a relationship that was meant to last until death.  Although he cites the first creation story to support the prohibition of divorce, he might have used the second as well.  By that account the woman was created from the man’s rib so that she might be his lifelong companion.  In everyday life such a relationship must overcome considerable differences of background and emotional response.  The task requires both time and effort which do not admit divorce.

We should count on God as our most esteemed friend.  He will listen to our heart-felt needs and respond in His myriad ways.  He will help married couples overcome the obstacles to loving relationships.  And He will assist all transcend any resistant fair-weathered-ness to become wise and enduring friends of others.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Memorial of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church

(I John 2:22-28; John 1: 19-28)

Today the Church recognizes two theologians, Basil (called “the Great”) and Gregory Nazianzen.  It honors them together not just because they were contemporaries but, more importantly, because they were close friends.  It seems as if the Church wants us to begin the New Year with a reflection on friendship.

Gregory Nazianzen once preached about his friendship with Basil.  He said that both came to Athens as students where they competed with one another to learn as much as possible.  But, he went on, their rivalry never resulted in envy over each other’s achievements; rather, out of love, each gladly yielded highest honors to the other.

Aristotle sees various levels of friendship.  We like some people because they are useful for business purposes.  We enjoy others for their good humor or interesting viewpoints.  But we reserve our deepest love for virtuous people in whom we see reflections of ourselves.  They possess the goodness that we wish to attain.  More than that, they help us achieve virtue by their honesty and care.

At the end of the Gospel According to John, Jesus tells his disciples that they are his friends.  He loves them deeply and wants them to share in the unity which he enjoys with God.  One worthwhile resolution for the New Year is to strive to better friends to our acquaintances and to seek a closer friendship with Jesus.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 6:5-17; Mark 10:1-12)

In today’s gospel Jesus both takes away the male prerogative to divorce and aligns marriage with the original intent of creation.  He also reverses the consequence of original sin.  At their judgment God tells Eve that she will be dominated by Adam.  Now by forbidding divorce, Jesus returns at least some of the equality between the two.  He seems to have a twofold purpose in this bold move: to save women from the ignominy of divorce and to urge husband and wife to become the best of friends.

The reading from Sirach indicates the value of such a relationship.  A “best friend” listens to one’s venting to help the person figure out the meaning of life’s vagaries.  A friend also protects one from the consequences of rash action by proffering wisdom when the person is angry or confused.  Many friendships are only as deep as water on a tabletop.  They coax the partners to avoid responsibility and then offer platitudes when the situation turns stressful.

We want to encourage our young to look for spouses who will be true friends.  Too often men marry women more for their attractiveness than for their virtue.  Women often look for men for much the same reason as well as their capacity to provide life’s comforts.  These values are out of line with the Kingdom Jesus preaches.  If our young are to live as Jesus would have them, they will take as much care in finding the right spouse as a Fortune 500 corporation in choosing a CFO.  They will search for a person who is -- most of all – faithful, honest, caring, and wise. 

Homilette for Friday, January 2, 2009

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzan, bishops and Doctors of the Church

(I John 2:22-28; John 1: 19-28)

Today the Church honors two theologians, Basil (called “the Great”) and Gregory Nazianzen. It celebrates them together not just because they were contemporaries but also because they were friends. The Church seems to be calling us to reflect on friendship as we begin the new year.

Gregory Nazianzen once preached about his friendship with Basil. He said that both came to Athens as students where they competed with one another to learn as much as possible. But, he went on, their rivalry never resulted in envy over each other’s achievements; rather, out of mutual love, they gladly yielded to one another the highest honors.

Aristotle sees various levels of friendship. He says that we befriend some people because they are useful for economic purposes and others because of their good humor or interesting viewpoints, but we reserve our deepest love for virtuous people in whom we see reflections of our ideal selves. These friends possess the goodness that we wish to attain. More than that, they help us achieve virtue by their honest and caring conversation.

At the end of the Gospel According to John, Jesus tells his disciples that they are his friends. He loves them deeply and wants them to share in the unity which he enjoys with God. One worthwhile resolution for the new year is to strive to be better friends to all our acquaintances and especially to Jesus, our perfect friend.

Homilette for january 2, 2008

Wednesday, Memorial of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory
Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church

(John 1: 19-28)

Today the Church recognizes two holy theologians, Basil (called “the Great”) and Gregory Nazianzen. It honors them together not just because they were contemporaries but also because they were close friends. It seems as if the Church wants us to begin the New Year with a reflection on friendship.

Gregory Nazianzen once preached about his friendship with Basil. He said that both came to Athens as students where they competed with one another to learn as much as possible. But, he went on, their rivalry never resulted in envy over each other’s achievements; rather, out of love, each gladly yielded highest honors to the other.

Aristotle sees various levels of friendship. We like some people because they are useful for business purposes. We enjoy others for their good humor or interesting viewpoints. But we reserve our deepest love for virtuous people in whom we see reflections of ourselves. They possess the goodness that we wish to attain. More than that, they help us achieve virtue by their honest and caring conversation.

At the end of the Gospel According to John, Jesus tells his disciples that they are his friends. He loves them deeply and wants them to share in the unity which he enjoys with God. One worthwhile resolution for the New Year is to strive to better friends to our acquaintances and to seek a closer friendship with Jesus.