Monday, September 19, 2022

 

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Proverbs 3:27-34; Luke 8:16-18)

If wise people offer proverbs, Jesus shows himself among the wisest in today’s gospel.  He offers four proverbs that go deeper than the proverbs purportedly offered by Solomon in the first reading.

1) Referring to himself, Jesus says that no one lights a lamp and then hides it.  He is the lamp that reveals the will of God.  How can he not preach?  2) As the Letter to the Ephesians says, God has revealed in Christ His plan to bring everyone together.  Therefore, people should be wary of the hopelessness that surrounds the world.  3) They hear tales of woe but should not lose faith.  God will not abandon them or the world.  4) Maintaining faith will produce more faith with accompanying hope and joy.  Those without enough faith to even say a prayer will find themselves overwhelmed by the many worries of the world.

Wise people are not necessarily scholars.  They are thoughtful people who reflect on the nature of things.  Steeped in faith, they will help us live fruitful and meaningful lives.  Even though his life was short, Jesus has shown us how much everyone’s life is worth living.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Proverbs 21:1-6; 10-13; Luke 8:19-21)

Most baby-boomers remember with fondness the Mickey Mouse Club.  Walt Disney’s daily television show of the late 1950s provided edifying entertainment without pedanticism.  Proverbs were an almost daily feature.  The show’s host repeated a proverb like the ones of today’s first reading.  Then he sang a tune, “Proverbs help us all to be better mouseketeers; that is, followers of Mickey Mouse.  The cheerful, good-hearted cartoon creation was proposed as the model for children of the generation.

The ten proverbs cited today were probably used on the Mickey Mouse Club.  They do not have a unifying theme beyond the need to be humble, earnest, honest, and kind.  They reflect the Decalogue in their moral wisdom and succinctness.

The fact that Jesus frequently uses proverbs in his preaching gives those we hear today added currency.  As he says in the gospel, his closest human relatives are they who hear such words and put them into practice.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Timothy 3:14-16; Luke 7:31-35)

“You will be known by the company you keep,” our mothers used to tell us.  They were only repeating a proverb that generally serves listeners well.  Not only are people inclined to judge us as good or bad on the basis of our associates, but also we tend to become like our friends. 

But folk wisdom has its limitations.  What do we do, for example, when proverbs contradict one another?  Is “discretion the better part of valor” or is “the one who hesitates lost”?  Obviously, we have to look beneath the surface to attain the truth in matters like this.  Just so, Jesus appeals to his listeners in the gospel today to look beyond what meets their eyes to the effect that his eating and drinking with sinners creates.  He is not conforming to their sinful ways, but they are repenting of their sins. 

Jesus is telling us not only to stop judging by superficial criteria but also to step out of our social confines.  He wants the young to greet the elderly, blacks and whites to dialogue, and workers to extend a hand to the unemployed.  Whether we talk about Jesus or not when we reach beyond our typical company, we give testimony to his goodness by imitating his ways.