Monday, June 4, 2018

Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Peter 1:2-7; Mark 12:1-12)

Global warming is a fact.  No one should deny that temperatures have been increasing steadily for thirty years. But there have always been cycles of warm and cold temperatures for ages.  The critical debate concerns human responsibility for higher temperatures.  Are artificial pollutants sealing warm air in the atmosphere? Today’s gospel can shed some light on the moral dimension of the issue.

Jesus is locked in a battle of wits with the religious establishment of his place.  He sees its leaders as hampering God’s freeing the people of injustice.  For him they are like the vineyard that produces sour grapes in the Book of Isaiah.  His parable implies that like the leaders’ ancestors killed the prophets, they will murder him.

The vineyard in Jesus’ parable may also be taken as the environment.  The wicked farmers then are those who wantonly contaminate it for profit.  Whether or not the result is rising temperatures, leaders of industry are polluting the earth.  As a result, common people – especially the poor – suffer.  Often the biggest culprits do not stop at murder in pursuing their aims. 

Everyone should take care in treating the environment.  Although we may not have many resources to manage, we still can improve it.  Using fewer disposable items is something all might do.  Disposing hazardous wastes in designated places also assures a safer earth.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 1:1-19; Mark 5:53-56)

There is nothing new about global warming.  In its billions of years the earth has warmed and cooled many times over.  For this reasons there are petroleum deposits made from a vigorous vegetable life under the now frozen tundra of Alaska.  What is new is the hand humans have played in the current warming trend.  Most scientists are convinced that by burning fossil fuels humans are causing the rise of temperatures around the world.  They also tell us that the situation may be stabilized if humans everywhere but especially in the United States decisively reduce fossil fuel consumption.

The story of creation in Genesis today reiterates how God created everything good.  After He makes light, Genesis says, “God saw how good the light was.”  After He separates the land from the sea, Genesis repeats, “God saw how good it was.”  And so also, after God created plants and trees and after He created the heavenly lights, He calls them good.  In subsequent chapters Genesis will show how these elements turn against humans because of their sinfulness.  God will use floods and draughts, earthquakes and hurricanes to punish humans for their folly, according to Genesis.

We might dismiss Genesis as poetic fancy saying that God loves humans and does not punish them.  Or we might take the vision Genesis offers to heart.  The latter alternative will move us to heed the call of scientists to curtail our use of fossil fuel.  If we do not, the link between human overconsumption and nature’s rebellion, as Genesis indicates, may become all the more tragically apparent.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Micah 7:14-15.18-20; Matthew 12:46-50)

As summer’s heat reaches its peak (in the northern hemisphere) with more ferocity than normal, some are asking what causes such inclement weather. An increasingly common answer is the profligate burning of fossil fuels. Curiously the response approximates that of biblical times when self-indulgence among the people was seen as the general cause of hardship. In the first reading today, the prophet Micah looks to God for deliverance.

Micah prophesized in the southern kingdom and predicted the fall of Jerusalem. In today’s passage, however, he looks beyond ruination to a time when God will forgive the sins of Israel and restore the nation to its ancient glory.

We see Micah’s prophecy fulfilled in Jesus whose birthplace the prophet names in an earlier oracle. Jesus’ faithfulness on behalf of the people wins God’s forgiveness and brings about a new Israel, the Church. We, its members, are to live in a reformed way that embraces everyone in love, even future generations. Such love compels us to care for the earth so that ecological disaster may be avoided.

Homiliette for Monday, Febraur 7, 2007

(Genesis 1)

There is nothing new about global warming. In its billions of years the earth has warmed and cooled many times over. For this reasons there are petroleum deposits made from a vigorous vegetable life under the frozen tundra of Alaska. What is new is the hand humans have played in the current warming trend. Scientists seem convinced that human’s burning fossil fuels have catalyzed the heating of the earth’s atmosphere. They also tell us that the situation may be stabilized if humans throughout the world act in a decisive way.

The story of creation in Genesis today reiterates how God created everything good. After He makes light, Genesis says, “God saw how good the light was.” After He separates the land from the sea, Genesis repeats, “God saw how good it was.” And so also, after God created plants and trees and after He created the heavenly lights, He calls them good. In the next chapters Genesis will show how these elements turn against humans because of human sinfulness. Floods and draughts, earthquakes and hurricanes are the result of human folly, according to Genesis.

We might dismiss Genesis and say that it is impossible for humans to cause an earthquake. Or we might take it to heart. Doing the latter will move us to heed the call of scientists to curtail our use of fossil fuel. If we do not do cut down on energy, the link between human sinfulness and the rebellion of nature, as Genesis shows, will be even more clearly seen.