Memorial of St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church
(I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13)
In the 1920s the University of Chicago pioneered a course of studies in humanities called the “Great Books.” Students of the program pore over the classics of western civilization like Plato’s Dialogues and the New Testament. Criteria for the list of great books include relevance to the modern era, value in being reread numerous times, and treatment of questions humans continually ask themselves. It should not surprise us to learn St. Augustine’s works will be found on every list of “Great Books.”
After Augustine converted to Christianity and became a priest and later a bishop, he settled in the city of Hippo for the rest of his life. There he studied, preached, and wrote prodigiously so that his collected works could easily fill any bookshelf. He did not seek fame or fortune from his efforts but gave his life as God’s servant to the people he shepherded.
Today’s gospel speaks of the necessity of having lamps burning brightly when the master returns. As in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus tells his disciples that they are “the light of the world,” the reference here to lamps means that Jesus’ disciples are to perform good deeds in God’s name so that the world might glorify Him. Augustine in his extraordinarily gifted way did just that by humbly contributing to the wisdom of the ages with writings intended for the Christians of Africa but destined to the whole world.
Homilette for Thursday, August 27, 2009
Memorial of St. Monica
(I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51)
“Night and day,” Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “we pray beyond measure to see you in person and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.” As Paul cares for the community of faith he founded in Thessalonica so St. Monica prayed for her son Augustine. The opening prayer of today’s mass indicates that tears accompanied her orations that Augustine might convert to faith in Christ.
Monica hardly prays alone. In the secular age which we inhabit, many mothers and fathers pray that their children will return to Christ. Parents realize that he is not only the bridge to eternal life but also an anchor to save us from drifting among the half-truths and the compromising pleasures of the world.
Augustine, of course, eventually put aside his mistaken beliefs and scandalous life-style to become first a Christian, then a priest and bishop, and along the way the greatest theologian of antiquity. His writings seem to confirm the efficacy of his mother’s prayers. Speaking to God, he writes in his Confessions, “You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you, yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness.”
(I Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51)
“Night and day,” Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “we pray beyond measure to see you in person and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.” As Paul cares for the community of faith he founded in Thessalonica so St. Monica prayed for her son Augustine. The opening prayer of today’s mass indicates that tears accompanied her orations that Augustine might convert to faith in Christ.
Monica hardly prays alone. In the secular age which we inhabit, many mothers and fathers pray that their children will return to Christ. Parents realize that he is not only the bridge to eternal life but also an anchor to save us from drifting among the half-truths and the compromising pleasures of the world.
Augustine, of course, eventually put aside his mistaken beliefs and scandalous life-style to become first a Christian, then a priest and bishop, and along the way the greatest theologian of antiquity. His writings seem to confirm the efficacy of his mother’s prayers. Speaking to God, he writes in his Confessions, “You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you, yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness.”
Homilette for Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(I Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:27-32)
Thessalonica was a prominent city in northern Greece. It was situated along the great Roman highway, Via Egnatia, about one hundred miles west of Philippi, Paul’s first stop after he crossed the Hellespont into Europe. Thessalonica had a Jewish synagogue as well as various pagan temples. Paul was evidently successful in preaching to both kinds of people there.
One reason for Paul’s success was probably his willingness to do physical work for his keep. Today’s reading from his letter mentions his “working day and night in order not to burden” anyone. Probably this means that he labored by day at his tent-making craft and at night preaching to the people. As evidenced by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in our own time, people generally accept missionaries who do not have their hands out.
Paul emphasizes that the Thessalonians are receptive not so much of him and his companions as of the word of God which they preach. They are but men, but their message has a divine thrust. It acts with unrelenting power to square motives and thinking with righteous action and a renewing spirit. This same word of God has remade us also as true children of God.
(I Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:27-32)
Thessalonica was a prominent city in northern Greece. It was situated along the great Roman highway, Via Egnatia, about one hundred miles west of Philippi, Paul’s first stop after he crossed the Hellespont into Europe. Thessalonica had a Jewish synagogue as well as various pagan temples. Paul was evidently successful in preaching to both kinds of people there.
One reason for Paul’s success was probably his willingness to do physical work for his keep. Today’s reading from his letter mentions his “working day and night in order not to burden” anyone. Probably this means that he labored by day at his tent-making craft and at night preaching to the people. As evidenced by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in our own time, people generally accept missionaries who do not have their hands out.
Paul emphasizes that the Thessalonians are receptive not so much of him and his companions as of the word of God which they preach. They are but men, but their message has a divine thrust. It acts with unrelenting power to square motives and thinking with righteous action and a renewing spirit. This same word of God has remade us also as true children of God.
Homilette for Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)
Matthew’s gospel shows Jesus beginning his first public discourse with eight beatitudes and his last discourse, recorded in the reading today, with seven woes. The beatitudes, of course, indicate the rewards Jesus’ followers will receive, and the woes, the punishments his enemies will undergo. There are also contrasts among the beatitudes and the woes. Today’s gospel passage relates the fourth and fifth woes which are opposed to the fourth and sixth beatitudes.
Where Jesus considers those hungering and thirsting for righteousness “happy” or “blessed,” he sees those who neglect “judgment and mercy and fidelity” as destined for destruction. The latter are the kind of people who attend to the minutia of the law – “pay(ing) tithes of mint and dill and cumin” -- without keeping its spirit on fairness and compassion.
While the scribes and Pharisees present a pleasing façade – “the outside of cup and dish” -- what lies behind the scene – their “inside” -- is wicked. Jesus’ disciples, on the other hand, strive to be “pure of heart” which means to desire inwardly what is worthy of God. It is a life-long struggle, to be sure, but one that promises honest relationships in this world and the beatific vision in eternity.
(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)
Matthew’s gospel shows Jesus beginning his first public discourse with eight beatitudes and his last discourse, recorded in the reading today, with seven woes. The beatitudes, of course, indicate the rewards Jesus’ followers will receive, and the woes, the punishments his enemies will undergo. There are also contrasts among the beatitudes and the woes. Today’s gospel passage relates the fourth and fifth woes which are opposed to the fourth and sixth beatitudes.
Where Jesus considers those hungering and thirsting for righteousness “happy” or “blessed,” he sees those who neglect “judgment and mercy and fidelity” as destined for destruction. The latter are the kind of people who attend to the minutia of the law – “pay(ing) tithes of mint and dill and cumin” -- without keeping its spirit on fairness and compassion.
While the scribes and Pharisees present a pleasing façade – “the outside of cup and dish” -- what lies behind the scene – their “inside” -- is wicked. Jesus’ disciples, on the other hand, strive to be “pure of heart” which means to desire inwardly what is worthy of God. It is a life-long struggle, to be sure, but one that promises honest relationships in this world and the beatific vision in eternity.
Homilette for Monday, August 24, 2009
Feat of St. Bartholomew, Apostle
(Revelation 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51)
On the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle, we hear a gospel story about Nathanael! It is not an oversight. On the lists of apostles in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the name Nathanael is absent but the name Bartholomew appears. This Bartholomew is always paired on these lists with the apostle Philip. In John’s gospel there is no mention of Bartholomew, but there is the story of Nathanael, a friend of Philip. It is logical then to assume that Nathanael and Bartholomew is the same person. Also, Bartholomew appears to be a surname since “bar” in Hebrew means “son of” which makes some conclude that the celebration today is more properly “the Feast of Nathanael Bartholomew.”
As interesting as the apostle’s name may be, we commemorate him today for something more. He proclaims Jesus “the Son of God and King of Israel.” At the end of John’s gospel Thomas calls Jesus “my Lord and my God.” But he will have the advantage of seeing him after the resurrection. Nathanael’s insight comes from his being, as Jesus says, “a true child of Israel,” that is one who has faithfully waited for the Lord.
As Nathanael Bartholomew and all true Israelites waited for the coming of the Messiah, so we and all true Christians wait for him to return. After two millennia we might feel frustrated if there were not evidence that he is close at hand. Most significantly, Jesus is present to us in the Eucharist from which we receive spiritual nourishment and moral guidance. We still want him to reappear in human form to tell us plainly secrets about ourselves as he does Nathanael in the gospel.
(Revelation 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51)
On the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle, we hear a gospel story about Nathanael! It is not an oversight. On the lists of apostles in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the name Nathanael is absent but the name Bartholomew appears. This Bartholomew is always paired on these lists with the apostle Philip. In John’s gospel there is no mention of Bartholomew, but there is the story of Nathanael, a friend of Philip. It is logical then to assume that Nathanael and Bartholomew is the same person. Also, Bartholomew appears to be a surname since “bar” in Hebrew means “son of” which makes some conclude that the celebration today is more properly “the Feast of Nathanael Bartholomew.”
As interesting as the apostle’s name may be, we commemorate him today for something more. He proclaims Jesus “the Son of God and King of Israel.” At the end of John’s gospel Thomas calls Jesus “my Lord and my God.” But he will have the advantage of seeing him after the resurrection. Nathanael’s insight comes from his being, as Jesus says, “a true child of Israel,” that is one who has faithfully waited for the Lord.
As Nathanael Bartholomew and all true Israelites waited for the coming of the Messiah, so we and all true Christians wait for him to return. After two millennia we might feel frustrated if there were not evidence that he is close at hand. Most significantly, Jesus is present to us in the Eucharist from which we receive spiritual nourishment and moral guidance. We still want him to reappear in human form to tell us plainly secrets about ourselves as he does Nathanael in the gospel.
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