Friday, March 22, 2019

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)

When old Catholics come together, they sometimes tell the story of a parish priest who said mass in twelve minutes.  He did it in pre-Vatican Council days when no one was following the liturgical Latin.  Of course, it was an abuse of the sacrament as were other practices of those days.  The demeaning of Protestants, the transfers of priest sexual abusers, and the downplaying of Scripture are but a few of the traits of those times that called for reform.  In today’s gospel Jesus points to the need of a similar reform in Judaism.

Jesus is speaking to the elders and chief priests of the people.  He knows that they resist his call to a less severe interpretation of the Law.  Some of his issues which they reject are healing on the Sabbath and moral judgment based on one’s intention as well as the concrete action.  Jesus further realizes that the established religious leaders have made up their minds.  He knows that they will do away with him when they have the opportunity.  His parable serves as a prophecy for what is soon to take place on Calvary.

We must not be closed to reform.  Vatican II expressed this principle as the need for the Church to constantly purify itself.  We as members of the Church community must strive for greater understanding of self, greater love for others, and greater sacrifice for God.

Friday, December 14, 2018

Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, priest

(Isaiah 48: 17-19; Matthew 11: 16-19)

St. John of the Cross lived in the turbulent sixteenth century.  The Protestant Reformation split the Western Church in half.  The decadence of the Renaissance popes was being corrected by the reforms of the Council of Trent.  Reformers of major religious orders were calling their numbers back to their original ideals.  John of the Cross played such a role in the Carmelites of Spain. 

John believed that the Carmelites had long abandoned the semi-eremitical life of their foundation in the twelfth century.  Along with others he founded a monastery of friars who would live a solitary life of contemplation and praise to God.  In this endeavor he pairs well with John the Baptist whom Jesus extols in today’s gospel.  Of course, John of the Cross also composed theological treatises exploring the mystical life. 

Jesus presents John as the yang to his yin.  John called for reform so that people could escape the wrath of God who was sending his Messiah to judge them.  Jesus, the actual Messiah, urges reform so that the people could experience the tender love of God.  This message does not oppose John’s complimented it.  The people, as today’s reading testifies, found excuses to sidestep both figures. 

Our society finds itself in the position of those people.  We can hear voices urging reform both to avoid the turmoil of civil unrest and to experience the solace of social harmony.  We await the return of Christ who will bring justice to the earth.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Saint John of the Cross, pastor and doctor of the Church

(Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13; Matthew 21:28-32)

The readings today speak of reform, a theme more appropriate to Lent than Advent. There is still time, the Church seems to be warning us, to turn our lives around before the Lord comes in judgment. Zephaniah, the prophet, describes how corrupt the people became with the image of pollution, which strikes a deep chord with our concern over the environment. Zephaniah continues with an account of a reformed people so innocent that even what we call a white lie makes them reel in reproach.

The gospel shows reform in motion. Jesus tells of two sons of whom the first son changes heart after rejecting his father’s command. The truly fortunate among us resemble this sibling when after spending youth in pursuit of pleasure, power, and prestige, wake up to the call to a life of gratitude and reciprocal service.

St. John of the Cross lived in the midst of reform. The sixteenth century, when John was born and died, was Spain’s glory moment on the world stage. It is easy to imagine corruption in religious orders once dedicated to poverty but re-conformed with the wealth of the age. By word and example John called his Carmelite brothers back to evangelical simplicity and as a result suffered the reaction of his detractors. Nevertheless, he continued preaching his message. Because of this resolve and also because of his peerless spiritual insights, John is recognized as one of the most illustrious Carmelites in history.