Monday, January, 20, 2025

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22)

The Letter to the Hebrews recognizes Christ as both human and the Son of God.  But it realizes that this does not mean that the human Jesus always had consciousness of being Son of God.  Rather, as today’s reading from the letter shows, Jesus had to learn how to conform his will to God’s.  As for everyone else, it was not an easy lesson.

The passage speaks of Christ’s learning obedience, the conforming of one’s will to another’s, through suffering.  As the first three gospels testify, in the garden Jesus asked God to release him from the Passion he was about to endure.  Nevertheless, he submitted himself to God when he said, ”…not my will but yours be done.”  As might be expected, the result of trusting himself completely to God was his death blossoming into resurrection glory.

Today’s reading from Hebrews makes the point that the merit of Christ’s obedience accrues entirely to those who choose him as their priest.  Being sinless, he did not need redemption.  It is to our advantage, as well as to the addressees’ of this letter, that we continue to follow him.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

 Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11)

After Jesus has taught the crowds, he asks Peter to take his boat into deep water to catch fish.  Peter hesitantly says, “’Master, we have worked hard all night…’” Yet he complies with the command.  His obedience results, of course, is a tremendous catch.  Then Peter addresses Jesus again.  He no longer calls him “master” (that is, teacher).  Now he recognizes Jesus as we do today.  “Lord…,” he says. 

As Jesus’ title has changed, so does Peter and companions’ profession.  Jesus tells them that they will no longer be catching fish but catching men.  The new line of work will cost them plenty.  The passage reads that they left everything to follow Jesus.

Is Jesus calling us to a similar sacrifice?  We are used to thinking that such complete surrender was reserved for religious.  However, Vatican II emphasized that all Christians are called to holiness.  We may not leave our homes to follow Jesus.  Nevertheless, our priority in life should change.  From seeking what is best for “me”, we seek to do God’s will.  We carefully discern what that means for us as individuals.  It will probably seem daunting at first but like the fishermen in the gospel, obedience brings a tremendous dividend.

Homilette for Monday, January 19, 2009

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22)

Humans learn obedience when they have to do something that is hard. If a superior sends a young religious to an elite school where students learn quickly and the community has a gourmet cook, she will have no difficulty accepting the assignment. But if the superior sends her to Africa where children do not have books much less computers and the staple food is yam not ham, she will consider carefully what it means to obey.

It sounds strange to hear that Christ also had to “learn obedience” since he was God. But the Letter to the Hebrews realizes that Christ emptied himself of divinity in becoming human. He too, then, had to struggle to follow the Father’s will as indicated by his request in Gethsemane that he not have to drink of the cup of suffering. His obedience, of course, led to his being exalted as God’s own son when he rose from the dead.

It almost sounds quaint to speak of obedience today. Most people like to think of themselves as autonomous with the ability to determine right from wrong for themselves. Following Church teaching regarding birth control or days of obligation, for examples, seems to them a matter of personal discretion. Such an attitude, however, conflicts with what the Letter to the Hebrews is driving at. Obedience does not lessen a person’s stature; rather, it leads to her personal sanctification.