Wednesday, XXVII Week of Ordinary Time
(Luke 11:1-4)
With Halloween fast approaching we might want to reflect on the first desire expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, “hallowed be your name.” The word Halloween comes from a form of hallowed. It is actually short for all hallows even, or the eve of All Saints. American Catholics have a sense of this because of the obligation to attend Mass the next day, the Feast of All Saints.
Obviously then, "hallowed" is connected with saints. Indeed, it is an ancient way of saying “holy.” When we heed Jesus’ instruction to pray “hallowed be your name,” we express our wish that God’s name be recognized as holy. Here name is more than a way to call something; rather, it means one’s fame or reputation. We can look at two famous Shakespearean quotes to appreciate the difference. In Romeo and Juliet the heroine downplays the importance of a name when she tells her lover, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by another name would smell so sweet.” The character Cassio in Othello captures more the biblical idea of name when he speaks of reputation, “Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself...”
Holiness, of course, is the chief element of God’s reputation. He shows His holiness through His glory which is nothing less than the manifestation of His divine and gracious will throughout creation. When all women and men follow God’s will, His name is truly hallowed and peace reigns of earth.
Homilette for Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Tuesday, XXVII Week of Ordinary Time
(Luke 10:38-42)
Giving a talk to Missionaries of Charity, the congregation Mother Teresa founded, will likely humble any priest aware of what is going on. The sisters place a chair in the center of the room for the priest and then sit on the floor around him. No doubt they have the posture of Mary listening to Jesus in the gospel today in mind.
In the passage Jesus acts prophetically in a number of ways. First, he visits a woman’s home and then he allows a woman to sit at his feet. Rabbis do not take such liberties in biblical days for obvious reasons. But Jesus evidently does not feel tempted to sin by thought much less by action. He does, however, mean to demonstrate that women must hear the gospel as well as men.
Most of all, Jesus acts like a prophet here by the implication of his words. He tells Martha that only “one thing” is important. For him that thing is always to heed the word of God. He is hinting to Martha and the rest of us that he speaks that word. We need to put aside our many cares to listen to him.
(Luke 10:38-42)
Giving a talk to Missionaries of Charity, the congregation Mother Teresa founded, will likely humble any priest aware of what is going on. The sisters place a chair in the center of the room for the priest and then sit on the floor around him. No doubt they have the posture of Mary listening to Jesus in the gospel today in mind.
In the passage Jesus acts prophetically in a number of ways. First, he visits a woman’s home and then he allows a woman to sit at his feet. Rabbis do not take such liberties in biblical days for obvious reasons. But Jesus evidently does not feel tempted to sin by thought much less by action. He does, however, mean to demonstrate that women must hear the gospel as well as men.
Most of all, Jesus acts like a prophet here by the implication of his words. He tells Martha that only “one thing” is important. For him that thing is always to heed the word of God. He is hinting to Martha and the rest of us that he speaks that word. We need to put aside our many cares to listen to him.
Homilette for Monday, October 8, 2007
Monday, XXVII Week of Ordinary Time
(Jonah 1.1-2.2;11)
Americans may today recognize the city of Mosul in Iraq because of the violence that continually flares up there. But more would recognize the city by its former name, Nineveh, capital of the ancient kingdom of Assyria. In that city lies the shrine of the burial place of the prophet Jonah which many Muslims and some tourists visit. The sanctuary, however, is something of a ruse. It does not go back to anywhere near Biblical times. Even if it did, we know that the character Jonah is really a literally fiction.
Of course, this does not mean that the Bible is in error. Quite the contrary, the Book of the Prophet Jonah brilliantly reveals the will of God. It shows God’s plan to save the whole world and not just a relatively small number of Israelites. Equally significant, Jonah demonstrates how the proudest of people can repent of their sins.
The passage we read from Jonah today pictures pagan sailors (could we think of any group more hardened?) scandalized by Jonah’s disobeying God’s command and then begging God for mercy. This sentiment and action directly oppose the response of the Israelites to God during the period of the latter kings. They notoriously abandoned the Law without looking back. God takes pity on the sailors by calming the seas despite their atrocious act of human sacrifice. We should listen to the story as yet another reminder of God’s love despite our sins and His mercy always available upon sincere request.
(Jonah 1.1-2.2;11)
Americans may today recognize the city of Mosul in Iraq because of the violence that continually flares up there. But more would recognize the city by its former name, Nineveh, capital of the ancient kingdom of Assyria. In that city lies the shrine of the burial place of the prophet Jonah which many Muslims and some tourists visit. The sanctuary, however, is something of a ruse. It does not go back to anywhere near Biblical times. Even if it did, we know that the character Jonah is really a literally fiction.
Of course, this does not mean that the Bible is in error. Quite the contrary, the Book of the Prophet Jonah brilliantly reveals the will of God. It shows God’s plan to save the whole world and not just a relatively small number of Israelites. Equally significant, Jonah demonstrates how the proudest of people can repent of their sins.
The passage we read from Jonah today pictures pagan sailors (could we think of any group more hardened?) scandalized by Jonah’s disobeying God’s command and then begging God for mercy. This sentiment and action directly oppose the response of the Israelites to God during the period of the latter kings. They notoriously abandoned the Law without looking back. God takes pity on the sailors by calming the seas despite their atrocious act of human sacrifice. We should listen to the story as yet another reminder of God’s love despite our sins and His mercy always available upon sincere request.
Homilette for Friday, October 5, 2007
Friday, XXVI Week of Ordinary Time
(Baruch 1:15-22, Luke 10:13-16)
In the Gospel Jesus laments that the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida have not repented. In the reading from Baruch the people demonstrate the repentance he expects. He wants sinners to recognize that they have erred not in judgment but in heart. Repentance is based on memory. The Babylonian Jews recall God’s goodness: how He led their ancestors out of captivity in Egypt and gave them the Law to live as a free people. To be precise the Book of Deuteronomy records how Moses set before the people a blessing if they follow the ways of God and a curse if they pursued their hearts’ whims and fancies. Now the people recognized how they chose the latter and have paid dearly for their sins.
Our society also has wandered from God’s ways with similarly disastrous results. Preachers typically bemoan how present times do not measure up to former ones, but how else is one to see the degeneration in morals cast before the public? True, our society is not expressly Christian, but Jewish-Christian values and traditions ground Western civilization.
The other day a newspaper article told of Hollywood possibly prohibiting all smoking in pictures that youth might see. This sounds like a sensible restriction, but it is only ironic with all the sexual promiscuity that Hollywood projects. Immoral sexual gratification creates much more serious personal and social problems. But few are willing to curb its public expression. More than protect youth from the dangers of smoking, we should guard them from sexual licentiousness.
(Baruch 1:15-22, Luke 10:13-16)
In the Gospel Jesus laments that the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida have not repented. In the reading from Baruch the people demonstrate the repentance he expects. He wants sinners to recognize that they have erred not in judgment but in heart. Repentance is based on memory. The Babylonian Jews recall God’s goodness: how He led their ancestors out of captivity in Egypt and gave them the Law to live as a free people. To be precise the Book of Deuteronomy records how Moses set before the people a blessing if they follow the ways of God and a curse if they pursued their hearts’ whims and fancies. Now the people recognized how they chose the latter and have paid dearly for their sins.
Our society also has wandered from God’s ways with similarly disastrous results. Preachers typically bemoan how present times do not measure up to former ones, but how else is one to see the degeneration in morals cast before the public? True, our society is not expressly Christian, but Jewish-Christian values and traditions ground Western civilization.
The other day a newspaper article told of Hollywood possibly prohibiting all smoking in pictures that youth might see. This sounds like a sensible restriction, but it is only ironic with all the sexual promiscuity that Hollywood projects. Immoral sexual gratification creates much more serious personal and social problems. But few are willing to curb its public expression. More than protect youth from the dangers of smoking, we should guard them from sexual licentiousness.
Homilette for Thursday, November 4, 2007
Memorial of St. Francis Assisi
(Matthew 11:25-30)
In 1219 Francis of Assisi joined the Fifth Crusade. He traveled to Egypt where the Christian army was preparing to attack the Muslim forces. But Francis did not join the battle. His intention was to convert the Muslims to Christ. After the Christian armies suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Malik al-Kamil, the Sultan of Egypt, Francis seized his opportunity. He sauntered over to the Muslim camp asking to see the Sultan. Evidently, Malik took Francis as a deserter who wanted to convert to Islam and granted him an audience.
The Sultan challenged the friar to walk on the image of a cross woven into a carpet. In some circles this was considered a desecration of Christianity’s most sacred image. Francis, however, did not possess a scrupulous conscience. He walked on the cross reminding the Sultan that there were two other crosses raised on Golgotha and he was only trampling the cross of the “bad thief.” Then Francis challenged the Sultan. If he walked over burning coals unharmed, the Sultan and his people would have to convert to Christianity. At this the Sultan demurred saying that if he converted to Christianity, both he and Francis would be massacred.
The encounter with the Sultan evidently had an effect on Francis. When his friars established the norms for missionary activity among Muslims, Francis insisted that they prohibit any attempt to use weapons as a means of conversion. Nor were they to taunt Muslims into making martyrs of them. Rather, either they were to subject themselves to their adversaries as a model of Christ’s forbearance or they were to proclaim the gospel openly but without any demonstration of force.
We should understand that when we look at St. Francis of Assisi, we see an image of Christ, the image of God. Because he took Jesus literally -- shouldering Jesus’ yoke and learning from him, the people of his age recognized him as a “new Christ.” Christ himself seems to have confirmed this likeness by transferring to him the wounds of his crucifixion. In the gospel today Jesus also says, “I am gentle and humble of heart.” He will not attack others but recognizes the dignity of all human beings. So Francis did not promote battling Christianity’s enemies but dialoguing with them so that they might see the virtues of Christ.
(Matthew 11:25-30)
In 1219 Francis of Assisi joined the Fifth Crusade. He traveled to Egypt where the Christian army was preparing to attack the Muslim forces. But Francis did not join the battle. His intention was to convert the Muslims to Christ. After the Christian armies suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Malik al-Kamil, the Sultan of Egypt, Francis seized his opportunity. He sauntered over to the Muslim camp asking to see the Sultan. Evidently, Malik took Francis as a deserter who wanted to convert to Islam and granted him an audience.
The Sultan challenged the friar to walk on the image of a cross woven into a carpet. In some circles this was considered a desecration of Christianity’s most sacred image. Francis, however, did not possess a scrupulous conscience. He walked on the cross reminding the Sultan that there were two other crosses raised on Golgotha and he was only trampling the cross of the “bad thief.” Then Francis challenged the Sultan. If he walked over burning coals unharmed, the Sultan and his people would have to convert to Christianity. At this the Sultan demurred saying that if he converted to Christianity, both he and Francis would be massacred.
The encounter with the Sultan evidently had an effect on Francis. When his friars established the norms for missionary activity among Muslims, Francis insisted that they prohibit any attempt to use weapons as a means of conversion. Nor were they to taunt Muslims into making martyrs of them. Rather, either they were to subject themselves to their adversaries as a model of Christ’s forbearance or they were to proclaim the gospel openly but without any demonstration of force.
We should understand that when we look at St. Francis of Assisi, we see an image of Christ, the image of God. Because he took Jesus literally -- shouldering Jesus’ yoke and learning from him, the people of his age recognized him as a “new Christ.” Christ himself seems to have confirmed this likeness by transferring to him the wounds of his crucifixion. In the gospel today Jesus also says, “I am gentle and humble of heart.” He will not attack others but recognizes the dignity of all human beings. So Francis did not promote battling Christianity’s enemies but dialoguing with them so that they might see the virtues of Christ.
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