Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(Philippians 3:3-8a; Luke 15:1-10)
A man speaks of his experience of God. He says that when he learned of his wife having breast cancer, he felt particularly low. He went into church that evening as he usually does to lock up, in the dark he felt the Lord taking him into His arms and holding him. From then on, the man knew that everything was going to be all right. Almost certainly St. Paul refers to an experience such as this in the first reading today.
Paul is never ashamed of being a Jew. Quite the contrary, he knows that Jews have been chosen by God to bear the divine promise of salvation. He is likewise almost gleeful to have been faithful to the Covenant between God and Israel. But Paul is also certain that in the end, being a Jew is not all that important. It is much more rewarding to have encountered Jesus Christ. As he so uncompromisingly states, “…I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
We too know the Lord Jesus. If we have not felt the all-encompassing embrace of his arms already, we are likely to do so shortly. He loves us and will protect us from the ultimate harm of being lost and never found.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Wednesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary time
(Philippians 2:12-18; Luke 14:25-33)
“Question authority,” the youth of the Sixties trumpeted. It echoes the rebelliousness of the age but perhaps may be justified in the contexts of racial bigotry and of foreign militarism. St. Paul, however, makes a contrary plea to the Philippians in today’s first reading.
“Do everything without grumbling or questioning,” Paul advises his readers. He is referring to his own mandates which, he knows, have been forged in personal sacrifice according to the norms of Christ. Basically, those mandates are emulate Christ in everything; that is, to be humble and caring in the midst of societal hypocrisy.
Religious leaders will win the respect and trust of their communities by living charitably, transparently, and prayerfully. Noting these qualities, we can forgive most of the faults they may have and willingly follow their directives.
(Philippians 2:12-18; Luke 14:25-33)
“Question authority,” the youth of the Sixties trumpeted. It echoes the rebelliousness of the age but perhaps may be justified in the contexts of racial bigotry and of foreign militarism. St. Paul, however, makes a contrary plea to the Philippians in today’s first reading.
“Do everything without grumbling or questioning,” Paul advises his readers. He is referring to his own mandates which, he knows, have been forged in personal sacrifice according to the norms of Christ. Basically, those mandates are emulate Christ in everything; that is, to be humble and caring in the midst of societal hypocrisy.
Religious leaders will win the respect and trust of their communities by living charitably, transparently, and prayerfully. Noting these qualities, we can forgive most of the faults they may have and willingly follow their directives.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 14:15-24)
The Year of Faith, which Pope Benedict initiated last month, has the ambitious objective of launching a new evangelization effort. Catholics, with faith rekindled, are to reach out to family, friends, and neighbors who have lost the spark of faith. In the enterprise they are likely to meet some of the same excuses that Jesus relates in the gospel parable today.
Two of the invitees who reject the offer to the dinner party say that they have business to attend. They resemble the majority of people today who, far from seeing their work as a vocation from God, view it as a career that they choose and cultivate themselves. Faith for these people is of marginal importance – if not a means to a social network that might advance their careers, then a sector of one’s private life that gives identity and customs to highlight times of transition. The other example that Jesus gives is the man who has just married. Is it far-fetched to suggest that his excuse is pleasure? Perhaps many in our society see Catholicism as teaching mores which may interfere with their pursuit of sensual gratification.
Other trends explaining contemporary disaffection from the Church can be so readily named that it may seem impossible to stem the tide. Yet Pope Benedict believes that the task is doable. Just as the master of the house in Jesus’ parable sends his servants to go out again and invite the unfortunate and otherwise marginal people, so the pope is urging us to return to the people who have rejected the initial invitation of faith with a more vigorous appeal. We are to testify how God’s love has given our lives direction, stability, and happiness, and will do the same for them.
(Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 14:15-24)
The Year of Faith, which Pope Benedict initiated last month, has the ambitious objective of launching a new evangelization effort. Catholics, with faith rekindled, are to reach out to family, friends, and neighbors who have lost the spark of faith. In the enterprise they are likely to meet some of the same excuses that Jesus relates in the gospel parable today.
Two of the invitees who reject the offer to the dinner party say that they have business to attend. They resemble the majority of people today who, far from seeing their work as a vocation from God, view it as a career that they choose and cultivate themselves. Faith for these people is of marginal importance – if not a means to a social network that might advance their careers, then a sector of one’s private life that gives identity and customs to highlight times of transition. The other example that Jesus gives is the man who has just married. Is it far-fetched to suggest that his excuse is pleasure? Perhaps many in our society see Catholicism as teaching mores which may interfere with their pursuit of sensual gratification.
Other trends explaining contemporary disaffection from the Church can be so readily named that it may seem impossible to stem the tide. Yet Pope Benedict believes that the task is doable. Just as the master of the house in Jesus’ parable sends his servants to go out again and invite the unfortunate and otherwise marginal people, so the pope is urging us to return to the people who have rejected the initial invitation of faith with a more vigorous appeal. We are to testify how God’s love has given our lives direction, stability, and happiness, and will do the same for them.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(Philippians 2:1-4; Luke 14:12-14)
Sometimes people ask if it is a sin to tell your hostess that you liked her soup when you thought it awful. Of course, it is; but bluntness may be uncharitable as well. In any case, Jesus openly tells his host in today’s gospel that he could have done better.
When Jesus chastises the Pharisee for inviting the well-to-do and not the needy, he is commenting on an established practice that remains in vogue today. Some people calculate whom they will invite to their weddings and banquets on the basis of how much money they will receive as a gift or what might be done for them in return. It may come as a surprise that Jesus is not really opposed to the custom! But he would not have his disciples make their calculations not on whether they may receive a fat check as a gift or perhaps an invitation to a brunch at the Four Seasons. No, they should count on an eternal reward for feeding the hungry or entertaining the lonely.
The holidays are almost upon us. Perhaps some of us are already drawing up lists of guests for Thanksgiving dinner or our annual Christmas party. Let us not too quickly exclude the widow next door because she doesn’t have a mate or the man who always comes to church alone because he might be gay.
(Philippians 2:1-4; Luke 14:12-14)
Sometimes people ask if it is a sin to tell your hostess that you liked her soup when you thought it awful. Of course, it is; but bluntness may be uncharitable as well. In any case, Jesus openly tells his host in today’s gospel that he could have done better.
When Jesus chastises the Pharisee for inviting the well-to-do and not the needy, he is commenting on an established practice that remains in vogue today. Some people calculate whom they will invite to their weddings and banquets on the basis of how much money they will receive as a gift or what might be done for them in return. It may come as a surprise that Jesus is not really opposed to the custom! But he would not have his disciples make their calculations not on whether they may receive a fat check as a gift or perhaps an invitation to a brunch at the Four Seasons. No, they should count on an eternal reward for feeding the hungry or entertaining the lonely.
The holidays are almost upon us. Perhaps some of us are already drawing up lists of guests for Thanksgiving dinner or our annual Christmas party. Let us not too quickly exclude the widow next door because she doesn’t have a mate or the man who always comes to church alone because he might be gay.
Friday, November 2, 2012
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)
(Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40)
We know that we have become old when we count more friends among the dead than the living. A twenty or thirty year- old will likely have experienced the demise of only a handful of loved ones. But this is hardly the case for a person who has reached sixty or seventy. She or he longs for eternal life as the reunion with the many deceased people who shaped their lives. Today, the Solemnity of All Souls, we have a foretaste of that event.
Cemeteries, which normally have few visitors, become crowded today. People come with flowers and, in some cultures, food for their beloved dead whom they often address with affectionate terms. But the occasion is not completely nostalgic. Prayers are raised that God pardon the sins of the dead which might have been considerable.
We believe that God is a merciful father who cares about the fate of His children. Even the people who seem to have defied His goodness are not beyond the scope of our prayer today. After all, only God knows the condition of human hearts - those which may have been so deformed by life’s vagaries that their culpability was muted and those whose last beat may have resounded in contrition.
(Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40)
We know that we have become old when we count more friends among the dead than the living. A twenty or thirty year- old will likely have experienced the demise of only a handful of loved ones. But this is hardly the case for a person who has reached sixty or seventy. She or he longs for eternal life as the reunion with the many deceased people who shaped their lives. Today, the Solemnity of All Souls, we have a foretaste of that event.
Cemeteries, which normally have few visitors, become crowded today. People come with flowers and, in some cultures, food for their beloved dead whom they often address with affectionate terms. But the occasion is not completely nostalgic. Prayers are raised that God pardon the sins of the dead which might have been considerable.
We believe that God is a merciful father who cares about the fate of His children. Even the people who seem to have defied His goodness are not beyond the scope of our prayer today. After all, only God knows the condition of human hearts - those which may have been so deformed by life’s vagaries that their culpability was muted and those whose last beat may have resounded in contrition.
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