Monday, May 23, 2016

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Peter 1:3-9; Mark 10:17-27)

Scholars doubt whether St. Peter the Apostle actually wrote the letter from which today’s first reading is drawn.  As always, they provide multiple reasons for making such a shocking charge.  First, they ask if a fisherman from Galilee could have written the eloquent Greek of the letter.  Then, they wonder why Peter would write to the churches in Asia Minor where Paul was the principal evangelizer.  Also, they note that the continual reference to persecution bespeaks a time after Peter’s own martyrdom when persecution in Asia Minor was more likely.

Today’s passage demonstrates both the eloquent argumentation of the author and the reference to persecution.  It speaks of “a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus” which is a sophisticated reference to Baptism.  It also refers to the “trials” which the addressees are experiencing as ways to prove their love for Christ.

We should not hastily conclude that a biblical author is not the one purported in the work itself.  At the same time we must recognize that such a charge does not undermine our faith.  The use of a false name as the author of a religious document did not create the scandal in the early Church that it does today.  Writers frequently used the name of a famous personage when they tried to faithfully reflect the ideas of the celebrity.  In any case we are reminded by the Second Vatican Council that Biblical inerrancy does not guarantee the historical accuracy of every detail but the general truth that God has revealed for our salvation.  We see in First Peter an inspiring testimony that we must cling to the promise of salvation which faith in Christ holds.

Homilette for Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Timothy 1:1-3; 6-12)

As we are about to begin the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, let us take a look at the first reading. The Second Letter to Timothy comprises one of the three so-called Pastoral Epistles. Biblicists have conferred this distinction because these letters deal with pastoral problems of the early Church. Because the problems appear to be related to times after the death of St. Paul, most biblicists believe them to be pseudonymous. That is, they were written by a person or persons other than Paul of Tarsus. The present letter, however, does not touch on pastoral problems to the same extent as I Timothy and Titus, the other two pastorals. For this reason it is regarded as written earlier than the other two and possibly containing historical data regarding Paul’s final days.

Pseudonymous or not, II Timothy has helped form the popular idea of Paul as a tireless apostle. Toward the end of the letter, it pictures Paul describing his struggle for authenticity: “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” No doubt, these words have inspired many Christians to hold on to virtue until the end. Today’s passage should likewise inspire us to exert ourselves on behalf of Christ. Paul is said to prod Timothy to stir into flame the gift of God received through the imposition of hands. Although the gift here is probably related to Ordination, we can also think of it as dealing with Confirmation. We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit to arrest vice and to bring about justice. This requires ceaseless effort that often leaves us exhausted. So from time to time we must rekindle the flame of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.