Thursday, February 4, 2015

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(1 Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

A zealous young Franciscan wanted to live radical poverty.  He refused even to wear sandals.  Then he stepped on a sharp object which pierced his foot severely.  He was taken to an emergency room for treatment.  His community had to a bill hundreds of times more than the price of sandals.  Perhaps Jesus demands that his apostles wear sandals to avoid such incidents.

Jesus wants his apostles to rely on Divine Providence in a prudent way.  He tells them to take no provisions that people can provide – food, money or extra clothes.  But he does not want them to defy Providence by leaving behind a walking stick to forge rivers and, of course, sandals. 

Should contemporary preachers possess much more than the limits Jesus sets here?  They live much more complicated lives that entail the use of more things.  They need medical care, for example, which is no longer available from the village wise man.  They also use computers, not quills for writing.  However, they must not ignore the thrust of Jesus’ instructions.  They are to showcase trust in the divine by stripping down to the bare essentials for today.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 24:2.9-17; Mark 6:1-6)

Parents today want their children to have cell phones so that they may have peace of mind.  But their children may use the phones to create all kinds of disturbing mischief.  The parents will sooner or later admit that a child having a personal phone is a mixed blessing.  The first reading today will present another innovation with a similar hidden disadvantage.

David’s census will give him a better understanding of his people.  It will tell him who lives where so that he might tax them more equitably.  But it will also tempt the king to count on numbers of deployable soldiers rather than turning to God for help when war threatens.  For this reason God is punishing him.  Faith in God is similarly the issue in the gospel.  The people refuse to repent and believe in Jesus as his words and deeds warrant.  Rather, they excuse themselves from accepting Jesus as God’s harbinger because they know where he grew up.

We often ask ourselves where faith in God ends and reliance on self begins.  An adage says: “Work as if everything depended on yourself, and pray as if everything depended upon God.”  But this too seems ego laden.  Yes, let us pray as if all depended upon God, but let us work as God’s beloved children.  We are wise to recognize that God wants everyone to prosper in justice.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

(Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:32)

The agent of a dietary food sold his products to people who wanted to lose weight and retain strength.  He had to convince them to undergo a rigorous diet.  He told his clients to spend whole days imbibing only the liquid shake of protein and vitamins.  He said that the process would provide energy while purifying the people of the fats that had accumulated inside their bodies.  We can see today’s feast as having a similar effect.

The first reading describes the coming of the prophet into the Temple as a refiners’ fire.  It means that his words, given by the Lord, will purify the people of rebelliousness.  The gospel foretells the cleansing taking place with Jesus whom Simeon sees as causing the fall of the self-contented and the rise of those who strive to do God’s will.  But Jesus will have more far-reaching effect.  He will bring the pagan nations to the God of Israel as was promised by the prophet Isaiah.  He will show them that the Lord does not require heroic deeds but faith in him.

We have an ancient custom of processing with burning candles today.  We should note its significance.  The flame burns away the candle fat to produce light.  It is a way of showing the Christian mystery. By putting faith in Jesus Christians remove their egotism and shine his glory in the world.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 15:13-14.30.16:5-13; Mark 5:1-20)

“The Son of Saul” recently premiered in the United States.  It retells the story of the holocaust on the big-screen perhaps for the several hundredth time.  Of course, it has a new perspective -- showing the ordeal of giving a ritual burial in Auschwitz. Yet it raises the question whether another movie exposing the genocide of Jews is necessary.  Today’s first reading hints at an answer to the question.

King David is being betrayed by his son Absalom.  He has racked much ruthlessness in solidifying the Jewish people.  Now he has to pay the price of his sins.  He finds the people drifting to Absalom a man of David’s prowess but not his cunning.  David does not hide his faults.  He even refuses to stop a crazed man from proclaiming them in public. 

Egregious sins like David’s in his time and the twentieth century holocaust must be recollected.   They indicate the evil which humans are capable of perpetrating.  They also glimpse at what forgiveness after contrition brings.  David will die in bed.  Germans are the most reluctant people in Europe to experiment with physician-assisted suicide.  These stories tell more than good coming out of evil.  They show the need for repentance and reliance on God’s mercy.

Friday, January 29, 2016

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 11:1-4a.5-10a.13-17; Mark 4:26-34)

The words, “I am pregnant,” can bring joy or misery depending on their context.  When a young husband hears them, his heart leaps with hope.  But if they are spoken to a lecher like King David, they are wrought with desperation.  In order to hide his guilt, David has his paramour’s husband killed.  Today it is easier to go after the defenseless child.

Behind the emotions lies the truth about sexual intercourse.  As the Church has consistently taught, intercourse can contribute to human welfare.  Done within marriage, it may produce offspring assuring the perpetuation of family.  It also brings a greater sense of wholeness to the couple.  Carried out licentiously, on the other hand, intercourse may be initially gratifying but ultimately disturbs the natural order.  It will scar its perpetrators and jeopardize the welfare of their progeny.

Surmounting the challenge posed by illicit sexual desire requires fortitude.  As we know from the tragedies of kings as majestic as David, such strength of purpose is not readily achieved.  But our source of fortitude comes from the gospel.  Planted deep within our souls, the word of God spreads to all parts of our being.  It makes us as gracious as the mustard tree giving refuge to the birds.  It strengthens us like wheat growing tall in the field to resist pestilent desires.