Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah 1: 1;4-10)
No personage of the Old Testament reveals more of himself than the prophet Jeremiah. In the reading today we hear how he reluctantly answers the call to speak in God’s name. In the famous autobiographical passages of the Book of Jeremiah he will lament this vocation because it costs him peace of mind. God tells him, for example, that he cannot marry as a sign of the barrenness that the sins of the people have wrought. However, Jeremiah admits that he cannot do otherwise than speak on behalf of the Lord because God’s name burns within his heart.
Like all the prophets Jeremiah’s role is not primarily to predict the future. Rather, for the most part he is points out how the people swerve from the path of righteousness. Their wandering always leads them to idols, be they craven images or illusory values like excessive consumption of material goods. In our time prophets like Mother Teresa have spoken out regarding radical individualism that leads people from solidarity with the suffering to lives of lustful sterility.
Although prophets are famous for indicating the impending wrath of God, they also convey God’s tender love. In a passage of Jeremiah that has been called “the Gospel before the Gospel” the prophet predicts a new covenant which will be written not in stone but on the hearts of the people so that it may be readily obeyed. He says that when this happens, the Lord will be the only God of the people and they will truly be His people. Of course, we see this prophesy fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As Paul tells the Romans, Christ’s death has led to “the love of God (being) been poured into our hearts though the holy Spirit.”
Homilette for Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene
(John 20:1-2;11-18)
Our secular age pictures Mary Magdalene as a reformed prostitute who becomes Jesus’ girlfriend. The novel The Da Vinci Code even sees her as the mother of Jesus’ child! Christians should be appalled by such ideas. There is no evidence in the gospels to support them. More to the point, they undermine Christian virtue and overlook the Church’s evangelical mission.
Jesus dedicated himself to God, his Father. His virginity did not make him any less human. Indeed, it has signaled to humans the possibility of self-transcendence. Striving to imitate Jesus’ purity of heart, we will not fall victims to our passions. Rather, we will come to love God above all and to love those whom God has given us, each in the appropriate way.
As we hear in the gospel today, Jesus sent Mary Magdalene on a mission. He told her to announce to his disciples that he was ascending to God, not only his Father but theirs as well. Carrying out this responsibility, Mary Magdalene cued the whole Church. We too are to announce God’s love. We can make such a jubilant claim not because we have seen the risen Christ, but because God has blessed our lives abundantly in him.
(John 20:1-2;11-18)
Our secular age pictures Mary Magdalene as a reformed prostitute who becomes Jesus’ girlfriend. The novel The Da Vinci Code even sees her as the mother of Jesus’ child! Christians should be appalled by such ideas. There is no evidence in the gospels to support them. More to the point, they undermine Christian virtue and overlook the Church’s evangelical mission.
Jesus dedicated himself to God, his Father. His virginity did not make him any less human. Indeed, it has signaled to humans the possibility of self-transcendence. Striving to imitate Jesus’ purity of heart, we will not fall victims to our passions. Rather, we will come to love God above all and to love those whom God has given us, each in the appropriate way.
As we hear in the gospel today, Jesus sent Mary Magdalene on a mission. He told her to announce to his disciples that he was ascending to God, not only his Father but theirs as well. Carrying out this responsibility, Mary Magdalene cued the whole Church. We too are to announce God’s love. We can make such a jubilant claim not because we have seen the risen Christ, but because God has blessed our lives abundantly in him.
Homilette for Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Micah 6:1-4;6-8)
In the prologue to his epic poem “Paradise Lost” John Milton explains the purpose of his ambitious work. Milton writes that he wants to “justify the ways of God to men.” In the reading from the prophet Micah today, we see God calling for such a judgment. Theoretically justification is unnecessary. Since God is the Creator and Sustainer of all, humans are to serve Him not to question Him. But God enters into a public trial with Israel because He desires friendship with His people so that they might take delight in His goodness.
Micah, speaking on God’s behalf, mentions a few of the marvelous deeds God has accomplished on behalf of Israel. He brought them out of slavery and taught them to be a great nation through leaders like Moses. For these benefits God does not ask the tribute which the people are willing to pay – animal sacrifices, oil stocks, or (how could they ever imagine this?) holocausts of their own children. No, God requires only virtue so that they might live in gratitude to Him and in peace with one another. He wants Israel to be just, good, and humble.
In the supreme act of loving kindness God shows the whole world exactly what He means by the virtues Micah outlines. He sends His own son, whom we know as Jesus Christ, to exemplify justice, goodness, and humility. Jesus demonstrates that justice requires particular attention to the poor. He epitomizes goodness by dying on behalf of sinners. And he personifies humility first by dispossessing himself of divine attributes in becoming human and then by suffering the most ignominious death of all – crucifixion. Even though such justification is not necessary, in Jesus God shows Himself to be all just.
(Micah 6:1-4;6-8)
In the prologue to his epic poem “Paradise Lost” John Milton explains the purpose of his ambitious work. Milton writes that he wants to “justify the ways of God to men.” In the reading from the prophet Micah today, we see God calling for such a judgment. Theoretically justification is unnecessary. Since God is the Creator and Sustainer of all, humans are to serve Him not to question Him. But God enters into a public trial with Israel because He desires friendship with His people so that they might take delight in His goodness.
Micah, speaking on God’s behalf, mentions a few of the marvelous deeds God has accomplished on behalf of Israel. He brought them out of slavery and taught them to be a great nation through leaders like Moses. For these benefits God does not ask the tribute which the people are willing to pay – animal sacrifices, oil stocks, or (how could they ever imagine this?) holocausts of their own children. No, God requires only virtue so that they might live in gratitude to Him and in peace with one another. He wants Israel to be just, good, and humble.
In the supreme act of loving kindness God shows the whole world exactly what He means by the virtues Micah outlines. He sends His own son, whom we know as Jesus Christ, to exemplify justice, goodness, and humility. Jesus demonstrates that justice requires particular attention to the poor. He epitomizes goodness by dying on behalf of sinners. And he personifies humility first by dispossessing himself of divine attributes in becoming human and then by suffering the most ignominious death of all – crucifixion. Even though such justification is not necessary, in Jesus God shows Himself to be all just.
Homilette for Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Matthew 12:1-8)
Ten years ago Pope John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter entitled, “The Lord’s Day.” In it he tried to awaken Catholics to the glory of reserving one day a week for prayer, family, and renewal. He also challenged the secularizing idea of “weekend” which stretches a day for giving thanks in beloved company into two days or more of fulfilling individual ambitions. The letter is vintage John Paul: human, reflective, and devout.
In the Gospel reading today Jesus provides us with his own reflection on the Sabbath. Of course, for him it is the very end of the week, not its beginning. As in Orthodox Jewish communities today, the Sabbath in Jesus’ time is rigorously regulated: no cooking, no walking beyond what amounts to a kilometer, no jumping or handclapping. Historians tell us that in pre-exilic Israel (i.e., before 586 B.C.) the Sabbath observance was more relaxed and enjoyable. This is Jesus’ own conception as he responds to the Pharisees who claim that his disciples are not Sabbath observant.
Do we feel a twinge of guilt when we head to the mall or go to the office on Sunday? It would not necessarily be unhealthy if we did. It is not that such actions are sinful in themselves. Jesus argues for the necessity of similar deeds by his disciples. But still we should not let Sunday go by without giving primary consideration to Jesus. He is, after all, the “Lord of the Sabbath.”
(Matthew 12:1-8)
Ten years ago Pope John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter entitled, “The Lord’s Day.” In it he tried to awaken Catholics to the glory of reserving one day a week for prayer, family, and renewal. He also challenged the secularizing idea of “weekend” which stretches a day for giving thanks in beloved company into two days or more of fulfilling individual ambitions. The letter is vintage John Paul: human, reflective, and devout.
In the Gospel reading today Jesus provides us with his own reflection on the Sabbath. Of course, for him it is the very end of the week, not its beginning. As in Orthodox Jewish communities today, the Sabbath in Jesus’ time is rigorously regulated: no cooking, no walking beyond what amounts to a kilometer, no jumping or handclapping. Historians tell us that in pre-exilic Israel (i.e., before 586 B.C.) the Sabbath observance was more relaxed and enjoyable. This is Jesus’ own conception as he responds to the Pharisees who claim that his disciples are not Sabbath observant.
Do we feel a twinge of guilt when we head to the mall or go to the office on Sunday? It would not necessarily be unhealthy if we did. It is not that such actions are sinful in themselves. Jesus argues for the necessity of similar deeds by his disciples. But still we should not let Sunday go by without giving primary consideration to Jesus. He is, after all, the “Lord of the Sabbath.”
Homilette for Thursday, July 17, 2008
Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Matthew 11:28-30)
For good reason people do not want to be slaves. African slaves in America often experienced brutality along with arduous labor. Contemporary slavery exploits women and children who become sex objects for rapacious perverts.
But what if slavery offered a greater freedom than that of not being owned by anyone? Might it not then be acceptable? What if slavery under one person meant freedom from all other sources of domination – internal or external? Might we not want to submit ourselves to it? In mind here is not just free will to do what we believe is right but the ability to act with perfection in every situation. This freedom would be the equivalent in daily life of the freedom of an Olympic gymnast on the parallel bars or that of a virtuoso pianist at the keyboard.
In the gospel today Jesus offers such slavery. He invites us to exchange our willingness to sin for slavery to himself. He does not use the term “slavery,” of course, but speaks of a “yoke.” In biblical times, however, a yoke -- which fastened oxen together for work in the fields -- was considered a metaphor for slavery. Jesus wants us to leave behind our sinfulness in order to make a firm commitment to himself. He will send then send us his Holy Spirit to bring us to perfection. Is his offer not something that we should seriously consider?
(Matthew 11:28-30)
For good reason people do not want to be slaves. African slaves in America often experienced brutality along with arduous labor. Contemporary slavery exploits women and children who become sex objects for rapacious perverts.
But what if slavery offered a greater freedom than that of not being owned by anyone? Might it not then be acceptable? What if slavery under one person meant freedom from all other sources of domination – internal or external? Might we not want to submit ourselves to it? In mind here is not just free will to do what we believe is right but the ability to act with perfection in every situation. This freedom would be the equivalent in daily life of the freedom of an Olympic gymnast on the parallel bars or that of a virtuoso pianist at the keyboard.
In the gospel today Jesus offers such slavery. He invites us to exchange our willingness to sin for slavery to himself. He does not use the term “slavery,” of course, but speaks of a “yoke.” In biblical times, however, a yoke -- which fastened oxen together for work in the fields -- was considered a metaphor for slavery. Jesus wants us to leave behind our sinfulness in order to make a firm commitment to himself. He will send then send us his Holy Spirit to bring us to perfection. Is his offer not something that we should seriously consider?
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