Friday, November 13, 2015

Memorial of Saint Frances Cabrini, woman religious

(Wisdom 13:1-9; Luke 17:26-37)

“Don’t ask for whom the bells toll, it tolls for thee,” writes poet-priest John Donne. Of course, the bells he has in mind are the death toll.  Although many people prefer to put off thinking about it, the hour of life’s end incessantly approaches.  For those with sixty years behind them, it will surely be sooner rather than later.

Jesus makes the same point in the gospel today.  With an image that might chill a polar bear, he warns, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”  He means that death is part of life because we have bodies which will one day be the food of animals.  So, Jesus admonishes, humans should prepare for the inevitable.

Jesus’ injunction to deal with mortality deserves attention.  Although it is most always prudent to resist death, we prepare for it by self-denial.  Jesus himself is our primary example.  He took up his cross not just in Jerusalem but throughout his public ministry.  St. Frances Cabrini serves as another model.  She gave up her native Italy to work tirelessly with the poor of the United States.  We follow both by dying to self in service of others, by performing periodic penitential acts, and by prayer that recognizes God, not we, is the source of true life.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Memorial of St. Josephat, bishop and martyr

Wisdom 7:22b-8:1; Luke 17:20-25)

In the movie Philomena the son of an unmarried woman is unlawfully given to another family.  When many years later the woman discovers that the perpetrators of the crime are a congregation of sisters, she decides not to sew for personal damages.  Thankful to have closure to the question of what became of her son, Philomena accepts the apologies of the congregation.  Obviously she lives within the Kingdom of God.

As Jesus explains to the Pharisees in today’s gospel, the Kingdom of God has no geographical boundaries.  Nor is it confined to any moment of time.  Rather the Kingdom of God exists wherever men and women recognize that their lives are gifts from God which they are to share with others.  It is the freedom experienced in thanking God by joyfully serving all as brothers and sisters.

We live in a world that believes that justice can be achieved by recognizing a full complement of human rights for all.  Soon, however, we see that there are many more rights than there are responsibilities to assure their being honored.  Living in God’s Kingdom, we realize that we must sacrifice at least some of our rights claims.  It means that we humble ourselves for the good of our neighbors.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, bishop

(Wisdom 6:1-11; Luke 17:11-19)

There is a story about Robert E. Lee that may help us appreciate today’s patron saint Martin of Tours.   Shortly after the American Civil War ended, a former slave attended services at an Episcopalian church in Richmond.  When it was time, the African-American strode up for Communion ahead of all the white people.  The congregation was aghast; the ministers did not know what to do.  Then the former leader of the Confederate Army walked up to the communion rail and knelt close to the former slave.  They both received the revered bread together. 

Martin was also a former military commander.  He is famous for sharing his cloak with a beggar.  Like Lee he did not think of himself as too important to commune with those disparaged in society.  To the contrary, he saw himself as a reconciler among the people.

Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom admonishes the rulers of the earth to care for the lowly.  It tells them that they will be judged not according to their earthly power but their submission to God’s eternal law.  The same rules apply to all of us. 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Memorial of St. Leo the Great, pope

(Wisdom 2:23-3:9; Luke 17:7-10)

The Book of Wisdom was probably composed in the century before Christ in Alexandria, Egypt.  In some ways the Jews in that context were dealing with the same challenges Christians face today.  Individualism was on the rise along with skepticism and general dissatisfaction concerning traditional beliefs.  Formerly religious people were turning to paganism and secular philosophy in order to avoid persecution.  The author of Wisdom searched ancient texts for remedies to these challenges.  He maintained that by living according to the Law, Jews could be assured of the soul’s immortal life.

This sounds like Christianity's message, but there is a critical difference.  Jesus promises much more than the eternal existence of the soul.  His resurrection from the dead offers followers the prospect of glorified bodies.  They are to enjoy again the wonders of physical creation without, of course, the problems that corporality inevitably bears in its current mode.

Today the Church remembers one of its wisest leaders.  St. Leo the Great was instrumental in resolving the conundrum of how Christ could be both God and human.  Equally impressive, he negotiated with a warring Attila the Hun who subsequently withdrew his forces.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

(Ezekiel 47:1-2.8-9.12; I Corinthians 3:9c-11.16-17; John 2:13-22)

Today’s feast celebrates the dedication of the Lateran Basilica.  Many wonder, what is so great about that?  It is one of the four magnificent churches in Rome and the locale of five general councils of the Church, the most important one being the fourth in 1215.   That council called for bishops to appoint preachers and to support them in their work.  The mandate paved the way for the establishment of the Dominican Order a year later.

More importantly, the Lateran Cathedral is the church of the bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ.  As such, it serves as the symbol of all Christian churches.  In other words, today we raise up for consideration all the churches in the world.  A church is the preferred meeting place of the human person with God.  As we enter a church, we make a blessing with holy water.  This is a way of cleansing ourselves from the mess we sometimes make in the world so that we may communicate with God.

The deepest meaning for a church is actually Christ himself.  The church is the body of Christ as Jesus implies in today’s gospel.  Here we feel his warm embrace.  For this reason a church has been considered as a sanctuary where sinners and even criminals might find refuge.  Today we celebrate not so much a building but Jesus Christ.  We give God thanks for the love Christ has shown us and for the peace he imparts to us.