Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

 (II Maccabees 7:1.20-31; Luke 19:11-28)

One of the greatest achievements of the twentieth century was the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The United Nations overcame cultural and ideological barriers to forge an agreement among all the countries of the world on the claims that all people could make of their governments.  However, the system of rights and responsibilities has not always been honored by its signees.  Even the United States for a number of years after the declaration’s passage permitted widespread racial discrimination.

One right at the very core of the freedoms expressed in the Universal Declaration is that of practicing one’s religious beliefs.  Taken seriously, religion is more than a matter of personal choice and definitely not a whimsical fancy.  Religion entails the following of one’s conscience where God speaks to the person.  It is also constructive of a good society.  All religions worthy of the name guide their adherents to virtue.  Where religion is repressed, people become discontented and want to rebel

The pious story in today’s first reading tells of a vicious ruler who tries to suppress Jewish practice in Israel two centuries before Christ.  Many Jews went along with the barbarism, but not all nor, perhaps even the majority.  Those who did buy into the tyranny possibly thought, like many do today, that religion does not matter as long as there is food on one’s table.  The mother and her seven sons knew better.  Because they believed that violating a commandment of God is worse than death, they willingly accepted the latter.  Their sacrifice anticipated that of Jesus who likewise died in obedience to God.  However, Jesus’ martyrdom was greater in a real sense than all others.  Although he lived a completely righteous life according to the Jewish Torah, he suffered not just the outrageous decision of the political regime but the contempt of the religious leaders in his land.  

Sunday, October 9, 2022

 

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(II Kings 5:14-17; II Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19)

Only in recent times have human rights been recognized. After World War II the United Nations promulgated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Everyone can now claim freedom of religion, expression, and education. We must affirm that awareness of human rights has been a giant step forward to ensure the dignity of every human person. However, we cannot say that the vindication of rights has not led to difficulties.

Today the emphasis on human rights has often contributed to excessive preoccupation with the self. Too often the person claiming a right, be it real or feigned, forgets about others. This trend is seen most dramatically in so-called reproductive rights. Men as well as women insist that the mother has the right to abort a child in the womb without recognizing the child's right to life.

Another unfortunate result that overemphasis on rights has brought about has been the neglect of gratitude. Sensing a right to food, to good health, and to a thousand other things, some do not stop to say "thank you" to their benefactors. It is the theme of the gospel today. Of the ten lepers healed by Jesus, only the Samaritan returns to thank him. Yes, the nine Jewish lepers go to see a priest as Jesus commanded, but don't they have just a little time to thank Jesus first?

Gratitude for what is received never diminishes us. On the contrary, it makes us greater. It proclaims the truth that life "is not an inalienable property to be defended at all costs, but a gift to be shared." Jesus himself taught us this the night before his crucifixion. He gave us the Eucharist, a word that means “to give thanks,” when he shared his body and blood with his disciples.

Even in hard times we can be grateful. There is an old saying: "I cried because I had no shoes until I found a person with no feet." Life itself, as has been indicated, is a gift. The sun that warms us is also a gift and as is water that refreshes us. All this says nothing about the human heritage that has been left to us: the electrical system, the roads, the monuments, and the orchards.

In the first reading the Syrian general shows appropriate gratitude to God for the gifts of life and health. He brings the land of Israel home to give the Lord of Israel due worship. The gesture is extraordinary because the man is a foreigner with little knowledge of the faith of Israel. For the same reason, the faith expressed by the Samaritan leper who prostrates himself before Jesus as the representative of the true God draws our attention. As a reward for this faith, he receives the gift of salvation. It can be said that ten lepers are cured of disease, but only the Samaritan who thanks Jesus is saved

Let us not limit our gratitude to Thanksgiving Day! When are other times to thank God? The ancient custom is to thank God for a blessing before eating. Now this show of thanks in public is urgently needed as a way to evangelize. There is no better way to end the day than to thank God for all the blessings we have received and ask forgiveness for all our faults. We can also thank God for a new day when we get out of bed. Above all, gratitude should be both in our minds and in our hearts every time we enter church for Holy Mass.