Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 18:16-33; Matthew 8:18-22)
A novel begins with two soldiers saying “good-bye” to their girlfriends at the train station. Both are going to fight in World War II - one with the army in the Atlantic theatre; the other with the marines in the Pacific. Few would deny the right of their country to conscript such young men into service even if they are about to marry. In the gospel today Jesus claims such a right for himself.
What gives Jesus this authority? The passage hints that Jesus can make a claim upon his followers’ lives because he is the anointed Son of God. This will be expressed outright at the scene of the Transfiguration and again when Peter answers Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” Now Jesus indicates his divinity when he makes the otherwise outrageous demand that the disciple not go home to bury his father. No one should doubt that the situation is urgent as Jesus suggests when he states, “…the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” That is, because he must spread his message as far and as fast as possible, he will not sleep in the same bed for very long.
Fortunately we can be present at our parents’ funerals. Yet as followers of Christ we will be called upon to make sacrifices for his sake. Beyond the regular requests to give of our time and treasure parents looking forward to grandchildren may have to bless their children entering the seminary or the convent. Also, any one of us may be called out of our zones of comfort to speak up for the goodness of God in creation and the wisdom of the Church in her teachings in the face of contemporary cynicism and doubt.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
(Isaiah 49:1-6; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66.80)
As great a dramatist as William Shakespeare was, he could not have achieved such masterpieces as Prince Hamlet or King Lear without writers of comparable skill working at the same time. Shakespeare’s plots were deepened, his vocabulary was polished, and his characterization was developed by the likes of Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kidd producing dramas in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century England. To give a feel for his times, many teachers of Shakespeare require students to read a play by one of his lesser known but still quite talented contemporaries. Something similar may be said of John the Baptist in relation to Jesus.
As a preacher, John seems to have shaken ancient Israel. Although most of what is known about John comes from the four canonical gospels, he seems to have had an impact like few others. In fact, there is a religious sect today which claims John as its founder and leader in a way very similar to the way Christians view Jesus. Still the gospels see John as a foil to Jesus. That is, they relate his story as a way to highlight Jesus’ own. Luke tells us in today’s passage, for instance, that John is remarkably conceived by parents in old age. A bit later in his narrative he will show how Jesus is conceived even more miraculously by a virgin. In the fourth gospel, Jesus stands out more artfully. John’s disciples gravitate to Jesus, and John himself utters the humble yet lofty line, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
In a sense all Christians are foils of Jesus. Like him we can extend a hand to the downcast and provide bread for the hungry. But we recognize that we only imitate his goodness and that if there is anything about our actions that is truly unselfish, it is produced by his grace working in our hearts.
(Isaiah 49:1-6; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66.80)
As great a dramatist as William Shakespeare was, he could not have achieved such masterpieces as Prince Hamlet or King Lear without writers of comparable skill working at the same time. Shakespeare’s plots were deepened, his vocabulary was polished, and his characterization was developed by the likes of Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kidd producing dramas in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century England. To give a feel for his times, many teachers of Shakespeare require students to read a play by one of his lesser known but still quite talented contemporaries. Something similar may be said of John the Baptist in relation to Jesus.
As a preacher, John seems to have shaken ancient Israel. Although most of what is known about John comes from the four canonical gospels, he seems to have had an impact like few others. In fact, there is a religious sect today which claims John as its founder and leader in a way very similar to the way Christians view Jesus. Still the gospels see John as a foil to Jesus. That is, they relate his story as a way to highlight Jesus’ own. Luke tells us in today’s passage, for instance, that John is remarkably conceived by parents in old age. A bit later in his narrative he will show how Jesus is conceived even more miraculously by a virgin. In the fourth gospel, Jesus stands out more artfully. John’s disciples gravitate to Jesus, and John himself utters the humble yet lofty line, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
In a sense all Christians are foils of Jesus. Like him we can extend a hand to the downcast and provide bread for the hungry. But we recognize that we only imitate his goodness and that if there is anything about our actions that is truly unselfish, it is produced by his grace working in our hearts.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 16:1-12.15-16; Matthew 7:21-19)
If Abram showed himself in yesterday’s reading to be a man of faith, he betrays that faith in the sequel today. Rather than trusting in God to bring about a great nation, Abram acts against God’s will as it is implied in nature. He accedes to Sarai’s treacherous plan to give him progeny by means of her maidservant. It is wrong because, as Jesus reminds the Sadducees in the gospels, from the beginning one man and one woman were created to form one partnership.
Some background to Abram’s adulterous consent helps to appreciate what the story intends. Abram and Sarai sojourned for a while in Egypt where Abram coaxed Sarai into doing something similar to what she has him do in the reading today. Out of fear for his life when Pharaoh takes a shine to the beautiful Sarai, Abram asks Sarai to join his harem. After Pharaoh experiences hardship, he gives Abram back his wife and chastises him for his deceit. In the reading today, of course, Sarai turns table on Abram by suggesting that he sleep with another woman.
We should derive at least two critical lessons from the stories. First, marriage has a sanctity that is not to be violated. Wife and husband form an inseparable union that demands sacrifice even, if necessary, of one’s life. Second, and no less insufferable to contemporary ears, we are not to do evil to bring about good. Abram is in grave error for complying with Sarai’s scheme which he should know is wrong. Although we are to move with God’s promptings, we must never think that God allows us to do what is wrong.
(Genesis 16:1-12.15-16; Matthew 7:21-19)
If Abram showed himself in yesterday’s reading to be a man of faith, he betrays that faith in the sequel today. Rather than trusting in God to bring about a great nation, Abram acts against God’s will as it is implied in nature. He accedes to Sarai’s treacherous plan to give him progeny by means of her maidservant. It is wrong because, as Jesus reminds the Sadducees in the gospels, from the beginning one man and one woman were created to form one partnership.
Some background to Abram’s adulterous consent helps to appreciate what the story intends. Abram and Sarai sojourned for a while in Egypt where Abram coaxed Sarai into doing something similar to what she has him do in the reading today. Out of fear for his life when Pharaoh takes a shine to the beautiful Sarai, Abram asks Sarai to join his harem. After Pharaoh experiences hardship, he gives Abram back his wife and chastises him for his deceit. In the reading today, of course, Sarai turns table on Abram by suggesting that he sleep with another woman.
We should derive at least two critical lessons from the stories. First, marriage has a sanctity that is not to be violated. Wife and husband form an inseparable union that demands sacrifice even, if necessary, of one’s life. Second, and no less insufferable to contemporary ears, we are not to do evil to bring about good. Abram is in grave error for complying with Sarai’s scheme which he should know is wrong. Although we are to move with God’s promptings, we must never think that God allows us to do what is wrong.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 15:1-12.17-18; Matthew 7:15-20)
In his Letter to the Romans St. Paul looks to the passage of Genesis that we read today for an example of righteousness. He comments, “…it was through the righteousness that comes from faith” that Abraham received the blessings that God promises. Martin Luther eventually strips faith of any element of service as he argues that a human being needs only a firm declaration of belief to be saved. Critics of the Reformation point out that Paul obviously has a more wholesome concept of faith as he writes to the Galatians that what counts is “faith working through love.”
We might appreciate Luther more if we step back and see the pitfalls of those who stress works of charity over the necessity of faith. Too soon they lose the perspective that salvation is a gift from God and see it more as an earned reward if not an entitlement of birth. Abraham keeps a healthy balance which we will see as his story unfolds in the coming days. He gives due honor to God, his sovereign Lord, but he fulfills whatever he deems God expects of him, at least at his best moments.
Our faith turns around Jesus, God’s son, who gives his life on the cross so that we might receive his Holy Spirit. This Spirit enables us to fulfill Jesus’ commands which slackers would avoid. It moves us from the television and the dining table to visit the sick and encourage the depressed.
(Genesis 15:1-12.17-18; Matthew 7:15-20)
In his Letter to the Romans St. Paul looks to the passage of Genesis that we read today for an example of righteousness. He comments, “…it was through the righteousness that comes from faith” that Abraham received the blessings that God promises. Martin Luther eventually strips faith of any element of service as he argues that a human being needs only a firm declaration of belief to be saved. Critics of the Reformation point out that Paul obviously has a more wholesome concept of faith as he writes to the Galatians that what counts is “faith working through love.”
We might appreciate Luther more if we step back and see the pitfalls of those who stress works of charity over the necessity of faith. Too soon they lose the perspective that salvation is a gift from God and see it more as an earned reward if not an entitlement of birth. Abraham keeps a healthy balance which we will see as his story unfolds in the coming days. He gives due honor to God, his sovereign Lord, but he fulfills whatever he deems God expects of him, at least at his best moments.
Our faith turns around Jesus, God’s son, who gives his life on the cross so that we might receive his Holy Spirit. This Spirit enables us to fulfill Jesus’ commands which slackers would avoid. It moves us from the television and the dining table to visit the sick and encourage the depressed.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious
(Genesis 13:2.5-18; Matthew 7:6.12-14)
If Abram, whose name means “exalted father,” is to generate a truly great nation, he must overcome the vices of greed and treachery. Diligence and magnanimity befit one whose descendants will number like particles of dust on the earth. The reading from Genesis first indicates that Abram has already become rich through hard work. Then it shows his golden disposition. When Abram realizes that his and his nephew Lot’s households have grown too complex to coexist, he tells Lot that the two clans must separate. He neither dictates which land will be his nor suggests that a flip of coin determine who gets what. Rather he proves himself more than fair by giving Lot his preference. Shrewdly but ultimately unwisely, Lot picks the more favorable plains to the east. There he will mix with city dwellers who incur God’s wrath. Meanwhile, God blesses Abram’s nobility of spirit with what has been known as the “Promised Land.”
Today the Church honors St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Like Abram he showed himself to be prudent in face of ambition. Seeing how his family was corrupted by power, Aloysius gave up his claim to nobility. Unlike the patriarch of Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, he was a young man when he showed willful self-restraint. But his virtue never went unnoticed. His courage and determination caused a sensation in Italy. He died young in the late sixteenth century caring for people infected with the plague. Since the first part of the eighteenth century he has been recognized as the patron of youth. For this reason his Jesuit order has named many universities and high schools after him.
(Genesis 13:2.5-18; Matthew 7:6.12-14)
If Abram, whose name means “exalted father,” is to generate a truly great nation, he must overcome the vices of greed and treachery. Diligence and magnanimity befit one whose descendants will number like particles of dust on the earth. The reading from Genesis first indicates that Abram has already become rich through hard work. Then it shows his golden disposition. When Abram realizes that his and his nephew Lot’s households have grown too complex to coexist, he tells Lot that the two clans must separate. He neither dictates which land will be his nor suggests that a flip of coin determine who gets what. Rather he proves himself more than fair by giving Lot his preference. Shrewdly but ultimately unwisely, Lot picks the more favorable plains to the east. There he will mix with city dwellers who incur God’s wrath. Meanwhile, God blesses Abram’s nobility of spirit with what has been known as the “Promised Land.”
Today the Church honors St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Like Abram he showed himself to be prudent in face of ambition. Seeing how his family was corrupted by power, Aloysius gave up his claim to nobility. Unlike the patriarch of Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, he was a young man when he showed willful self-restraint. But his virtue never went unnoticed. His courage and determination caused a sensation in Italy. He died young in the late sixteenth century caring for people infected with the plague. Since the first part of the eighteenth century he has been recognized as the patron of youth. For this reason his Jesuit order has named many universities and high schools after him.
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