Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
(Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30)
Pope Francis has become what might be called a "sign of contradiction." He is the Roman pontiff who stands for belief in God and an ethics of self- sacrifice. One would expect that the world would reject such an icon out of hand. But Francis is revered by non-Catholics and Catholics alike. The Scripture readings today speak of two incidents of other religious "signs of contradiction."
In the first reading God tells Moses to erect a pole with a bronze serpent to heal the Israelites of snake bites. The image of the very beast that menaced the people becomes the source of their welfare. In the gospel Jesus says that his being lifted up on the cross in death will become the source of eternal life for those who can look and recognize him as Lord.
Like Pope Francis we are to become signs of contradiction in the world. Knowing that we are destined to eternal life, we should share that joy with others and invite them to come and see the goodness of God.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Monday of the
Fifth Week of Lent
(Daniel
13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62 ; John 8:12-20)
The Book of the Prophet Daniel was written in the second
century before Christ although its context is sixth century Babylonia. The author is critiquing his people’s desertion
of Judaism for the pagan cult of Palestine’s occupiers. The abandonment of Jewish Law is portrayed as
so perverse that even judges are willing to give false testimony! However, God comes to the people’s rescue through
Daniel. By saving a woman from the
wicked judges’ lies, the young prophet restores virtue to the nation.
In Christians’ eyes Daniel prefigures Christ. Today’s passage shows Jesus as likewise saving
a woman from being stoned to death. However,
his virtue runs even deeper than Daniel’s.
Where Daniel delivered a righteous woman from her persecutors, Jesus treats
even a guilty person with mercy. Those
who follow him will strive to show a similar compassion. Parting from him will only lead down the road
to one’s being harshly judged.
We are approaching the commemoration of Jesus' fateful
entry into Jerusalem. We must choose
which way we will go. Will we follow Jesus,
the light of the world, to divine mercy?
Or will we trod darker paths to our eventual condemnation?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Friday of the Fourth
Week of Lent
(Wisdom 2:1a.12-22; John 7:1-2.10.25-30)
Few Americans have distinguished themselves more than George
C. Marshall. As Army Chief of Staff
during World War II, he oversaw the Army’s build-up that saved the world from German
and Japanese tyranny. Later as Secretary
of State, he introduced the foreign aid plan that rebuilt the European economy
and assured American prosperity. In
recognition of these efforts Marshall
received the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet
Senator Joe McCarthy attacked Marshall as feeble,
stupid, and responsible for China
turning Communist!
Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom soberly
assures us that even the most righteous of people like George Marshall suffer
persecution. Certainly the Gospel of
John portrays Jesus as being so persecuted.
By healing the hopelessly infirm, Jesus shows himself to be sent from
God. By performing such acts on the
Sabbath, he further reveals that a fundamentalist interpretation of the Law is
not God’s plan. The Messiah, God’s
anointed Son, has arrived in person. Following
him, not rigorously interpreting the Law, leads to salvation. The gospel today pictures Jewish rulers, losing
their authority to Jesus, plotting to kill him.
When we pursue what is good, we will sometimes find our
efforts criticized and our intentions misconstrued. It happened to Jesus, and as his followers,
we can expect it to happen to us. But
suffering persecution is no reason to give up doing what is right. We might check our work and question our
motives to assure that they are properly ordered. If they are, then there is reason to stay the
course. After all, Jesus promises the
Kingdom of heaven to those who suffer persecution for the sake of
righteousness.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Solemnity of Saint
Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(II Samuel 7:4-5a.12-14a.16; Romans 4:13.16-18.22;
Matthew 1:16.18-21.24a)
Boo Radley is the minor hero of the epic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. He is not seen
much and says little if anything.
However, when the children of the protagonist, a virtuous lawyer, are
threatened by a disgruntled drunkard, Radley intercedes to save their lives. Although it may seem a bit irreverent, we
might picture St. Joseph in a similar role.
Interestingly, St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus,
does not say a word in any of the four gospels and is only mentioned in
three. Yet he is universally known for
being both just and loving. His
righteousness is displayed by his not wanting to embarrass Mary when he discovers
that she is with child. He exhibits the human
virtues of courage and prudence as he races Mary and Jesus to Egypt upon
hearing of Herod’s plan to kill all male children of the region. The evangelist Luke further records how Mary
commends Joseph’s loving concern as she mentions that he, as much as she, was
anxiously looking for Jesus when the lad is found with the teachers in the
Temple.
St. Joseph serves as a model for men, especially fathers,
in a world that is losing its sense of masculine virtue. He also shows all of us the priority of expressing
love for others with faithful presence and self-sacrificing action over the often misleading use of words.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Wednesday of the
Fourth Week of Lent
(Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30)
The title, “& Son,” in a business listing reassures
clients. The owner obviously has a
family which roots him in the community and suggests trustworthiness. If the son comes to do the job, the client
perhaps thinks “like father, like son” and expects the true value for what she
pays. An analogous father-son
relationship forms the heart of today’s gospel.
The Jews become upset that Jesus keeps calling God his
father. They correctly see -- although
they do not believe -- that if God is his father, then he has all God’s
characteristics. In other words, Jesus is
God. He too is able to bring people out
of captivity as the reading from Isaiah proclaims of God. Jesus will perform a greater wonder. Empowered by the Father, he will call the
dead to life. But he will not do this
arbitrarily. He will call only those who
already have known his voice to eternal life.
Others may be called, but to condemnation.
The Easter promise will always astound us. We cannot help but ask, how can the dead be
raised to life? But certainly all adults
have seen in their lifetimes things that they never before had dreamed. God, who also is beyond our imagining, has
infinite power. When we try to imitate
not His power but His goodness, we attend to Jesus’ voice and can hope to be
called from death to life.
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