Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 35:1-12; Mark 10:28-31)

Fr. Rick Matty was rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in El Paso at his untimely death last year.  He did everything well.  People loved the stories he told when preaching.  He also touched his parishioners with pastoral solicitude.  The poor as well as the rich were edified by his words of consolation and hope.  Those who saw his office were impressed by its meticulous order.  It seemed that there was not a pen on his desk out of place.  Today’s first reading from Sirach transmits a similar sense of right order.

Sirach or, more correctly, Ben Sira names the Jewish author of the work.  He finds in “the law” or first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures the fulfillment of a good life.  Thus, a good man or woman observes the precepts, gives to the poor, refrains from doing evil, offers due sacrifices, etc.  The author does not doubt a bit the outcome of such practices: “…the Lord gives back to (the just person) sevenfold.”

We do not have to be meticulous in everything to be virtuous, but we must abide by just laws and even go beyond their strict compliance with generosity toward those in need.  We too look toward a reward many times greater than the sacrifices we make.  In the gospel passage Jesus tells us that our hope will be realized not only in the current order of things but in God’s coming kingdom.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 17:20-24; Mark 10:17-27)

In northern climes it is customary to think of death toward the end of the year when days grow short and winds chill the bones.  Perhaps this is why All Souls Day is fixed in November.  But today is a good day to reflect on death as the United States government has set it apart to remember the dead.

Memorial Day originated after the Civil War to remember the more than one-half million fallen soldiers in that conflict.  It was placed at the end of May when flowers are in full bloom to decorate the graves of the war dead.  Americans soon came to cemeteries on Memorial Day to pray for all their beloved dead.  Nowadays many people tend to take a vacation on the extended weekend, but some consideration of the dead is still in order.  After all if people to do not sufficiently reflect on death, they cannot adequately understand life.

The author of today’s first reading believes that death is the final event for a person.  The dead may be remembered afterwards, but they will have no consciousness of the tribute. In the gospel Jesus suggests another view of death.  Acknowledging the validity of the man’s question about eternal life, Jesus assumes that death can be transcended.  For this to happen, one must rely not on one’s resources – be it wealth, education, or energy -- but completely on God.  Unfortunately, the man in the gospel is not willing to go that far in faith.  We pray now that our dead loved ones along with all those who died defending their country have submitted themselves to God in faith.  We also pray for ourselves, as the reading from Sirach suggests, that we too may come to complete reliance on God.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 6:5-17; Mark 10:1-12)

In a recent issue of First Things editor R.R. Reno comments on the nature of marriage as holding together two people of enormous differences.  In most cases at least a man and a woman are raised with different visions of life handed down by their parents.  They also respond emotionally to situations in different ways because of their distinct hormonal compositions.  Physical difference may pique some curiosity, but after a while there is less to share than among people of the same sex.  And yet the couple because of the sheer power of sexuality can form a loving union to nurture a family.  To support marital relationships, Jesus upholds a necessary injunction in today’s gospel.

Jesus is forced to comment on the perennially troublesome question of divorce.  Moses seems to make allowances for it, but the issue is the proper interpretation of Moses.  Should divorce be allowed for any pretext like the currently popular complaint of incompatibility?  Or should divorce be limited only in the case of an extreme irregularity like, for example, someone attempting marriage without the capacity for sexual intimacy?  Jesus knows that married couples need a strict law to support their efforts to overcome all the differences in a marital relationship. 

Traditional marriage is under assault from those who would dissolve it for any difficulty and, more recently, those who consider its purpose only to provide cover for sexual intimacy whatever the gender of the partners.  The condition of future generations is at stake, but the populace seems bent on ignoring Jesus along with the wisdom of the ages. 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 5:1-8; Mark 9:41-50)

There is an old story about divine Providence that may enlighten today’s reading from Sirach.  Once in the midst of a terrible storm a man was stranded on top of his roof as the waters rose around him.  He prayed for help and indeed a boat came by, but the man refused to get in saying that the Lord would rescue him.  The man eventually drowned.  Going before the Almighty, he asked why he was not saved.  The Lord replied with the question what the man thought was the purpose of that boat which came by.

The reading warns humans about self-reliance.  They should not trust completely in their own wealth, power, or strength.  But this advice should not be taken to mean that one’s wealth, power, and strength are worthless.  God may have provided them so that the person could withstand difficult times.  In any case people should pray for guidance, but they should also realize that God might test their love by not always giving them what they ask.

We must never forget that God loves us more dearly than a mother, her infant.  He will see us through any storm even though not necessarily in the ways we foresee.  We show our trust in Him by prayer, by using wisely the resources available, and by accepting what develops as His will.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 4:11-19; Mark 9:38-40)

Wisdom seeks what is truly good in life.  Like a counterfeit detector, it sets off an alarm with the superficially pleasing but ultimately disillusioning.  Like a wine taste’s nose, it can sniff supreme quality in a new vintage.  In patriarchal societies wisdom is compared to a woman with whom a person must share full and lasting intimacy to realize its promise.

In today’s reading from the Book of Sirach wisdom is described as a demanding companion who will discipline its pursuant.  But for whatever investment of time or energy it exacts, it brings the inestimable rewards of peace and happiness.  This is to say as much as the Scriptural dictate, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Making the effort to abide by God’s eternal laws brings His infinite favor.

We live in a world with a myriad of information at our fingertips but wisdom miles away.  By taking care not to become absorbed in the ease of attaining the former but ever pondering its meaning we can achieve the latter.