Monday, January 4, 2016

Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

(I John 3:22-4:6; Matthew 4:12-17.23-25)

Very soon the eyes of the nation will turn to the somewhat remote states of Iowa and New Hampshire.  The country will be examining presidential candidates striving to build a following in the early contests of these states.  The people will decide who connects with them; that is which candidates articulates their sentiments and deserves their trust.  A similar process is taking place in today’s gospel.

Jesus is beginning his ministry.  He does not go directly to Jerusalem but first meets the needs of the people in the remote regions of Zebulun, Naphtali, and Galilee.  Soon he has followers from all over Israel and beyond.  By the brilliance of his message and the power of his cures Jesus raises the hopes of everyone he encounters.

Praying that this year’s elections produce prudent leaders is not mixing politics and religion.  It is asking God’s blessing on a fundamental human need.  We require government leaders who are in definite ways like Jesus.  They should be honest but discreet, strong but compassionate, wise but willing to act.  Whether or not we will be satisfied with the results of our political process next year at this time, we can always turn to Jesus for help.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

(Number 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21)

Back in the fourth and fifth century many people – bishops, professors, even the public – argued over theological issues.  For example, it was important for them to know whether God suffered on the cross.  Some like Archbishop Nestorius of Constantinople thought the idea ridiculous.   “How could humans cause the infinite, almighty God to experience torture?” he likely asked himself.  Nestorius figured that in Jesus there were both two natures and two persons.  For him Jesus’ human person with his human nature died on the cross.  His divine person with his divine nature remained above such horror.  Other bishops like St. Cyril of Alexandria objected.  They realized that if Jesus were two persons, one divine and the other human, and only the human person died on the cross, then that death could not have redeemed humanity from its sins.  The debate crystallized at the Council of Ephesus in 431.  The council gave its determination in a rather unique way.  It declared Mary to be the “Mother of God.”  This means that Jesus was only one divine person with both a divine and a human nature.  It also means that we are saved from our sins – that our selfishness, lust, and hatred are forgiven when we cling to Jesus.

Today in celebrating Mary, the Mother of God, we are indirectly celebrating our salvation.  The gospel suggests how we might do it well.  We can identify three groups of people in the passage.  The first group is the shepherds who come to worship the new born Savior.  However, they probably return to their pastures to talk about their sheep, their families, and what is for dinner. Some of us are like them.  We dutifully come to mass today and then busy ourselves with football and other concerns.  The second group is the people the shepherds inform about what the angels proclaimed to them.  These people are said to be amazed by the story.  But their interest ends there.  They do not go to worship the Savior even for hour.  Many people use the holidays only to “eat, drink, and be merry” like these men and women whom the shepherds meet.  The third group is just one person – Mary.  The passage says that she reflects in her heart upon all that is happening around her.  We should aspire to be like her.  We should think about what it means that God became human and died on the cross for us.  We will make this meditation part of our New Year program.  More importantly, we will adjust our lives so that selfishness, lust, and hatred never control our actions.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

It is a good day to take stock.  We want to ask ourselves, “What were the most significant events of 2015?”  And, “How did I fare this past year?  Am I a better person now than a year ago?”

The year 2015 may be especially remembered for a Supreme Court edict.  Nine judges by a five-to-four vote required every jurisdiction in the country to grant marriage licenses to homosexual couples.  In doing so, the non-elected body not only obliterated the duly-established laws of most of the states but defied what has been recognized as natural law from time immemorial. 

Today’s gospel should provide some consolation to those of us who were saddened by the decision.  We look to Jesus as the light of the world.  He shines in the darkness of this world’s folly as the source of life.  If we can say that we have drawn closer to him during this past year, then 2015 was a positive experience despite the caprices of the demigods on the courts.  If we cannot say that, then let us pray we might do so a year from now.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

(I John 2:12-17; Luke 2:36-40)

There is a story about disciples asking their spiritual master if there is anything they can do to become enlightened.  The master replies that they cannot do any more to be enlightened than they can to make the sun rise.  The disciples then complain of what good are all the spiritual exercises the master has taught them.  The master answers, “To make sure that you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise.”  The readings today reveal this truth.

The first reading sounds very harsh.  It commands that people do not love the world that has given them a home, a sense of God through nature, and wonderful friends.  Of course, the reading is only warning that the affection people have for the world be tempered.  It implies that the world also contains distractions leading them from the path to God.  Spiritual exercises assure that we not love the world too much.  Anna in the gospel passage has been leading an intensely spiritual life for decades.  Now she reaps dividends from her practice.  She can recognize Jesus, the rising sun of justice.

We too must develop a proper regard for the world.  Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Sì has invited us to a deeper appreciation of the good of the earth.  But to cultivate that appreciation we have to discipline ourselves according to the spiritual life.  We need to see that excessive enjoyment of material goods will move us to love them more than their Giver.  We will lose sight that God, the greatest good, transcends what we see, hear, and touch.  Indeed, overindulgence in material creation will not only lead us from God but will lead to the destruction of the created world.  

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:3-11; Luke 2:22-35)

Fifty years ago Dutch theologian Edward Schillebeeckx wrote a revolutionary book entitled Christ: The Sacrament of the Encounter with God.  In this work the author showed how Jesus in the flesh signifies God’s love for the world.  The humanity of Jesus then can be legitimately called a sacrament – a visible sign of invisible grace.  The idea sounded almost heretical at the time but is now accepted as a valid way of considering Christ’s redemptive work. 

In the gospel the visionary Simeon sees the infant Jesus as “a sign that will be contradicted.”  He too recognizes that Jesus manifests God’s redemptive love for all.  But he has the insight to realize that the sign will be rejected by some.  Indeed, Jesus will become the test for the world.  Anyone who accepts him or, at least, his commandments of love of God and love of neighbor he proclaims will find salvation.  Anyone who rejects him or his message will be lost.  Simeon’s reference to the sword piercing Mary seems to include her in this test.

Often we dwell on Simeon’s words to Mary as prophesying Jesus’ death on the cross which she witnesses in John’s gospel.  However rich for some that way of thinking is, we do well to ponder the prophecy as a matter of acceptance or rejection of Jesus as sign of God’s love.  We can take note that Mary passes the test brilliantly.  She is the first to follow Jesus by meditating on the events of his birth and acting on them. In doing so, she provides us an example for this Christmas week.