Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 14:19-28; John 14:27-31a)

Abraham Lincoln steered the United States through its most perilous moment.  He is often considered strong as a bull and clear-sighted as an eagle.  In truth he suffered from severe depression that made him consider suicide.  But he refused to allow himself that way out.  He rebounded from his melancholy to think himself through personal difficulties by giving attention to the great challenge of his time.  In the first reading today we see Paul responding to a crisis with similar resiliency.

Paul deeply wants his fellow Jews to believe in Jesus.  He knows that they will find salvation only through him.  He preaches Jesus’ lordship in the synagogues of Asia Minor, but the proclamation is continually rejected.  In today’s reading from Acts he is beaten and left for dead by his compatriots.  But Paul rises from the setback to redirect his message.  If he cannot convince the Jews of Jesus, he surmises that the pagans may heed him.  The beating even becomes a stimulus to work harder among a different group of people.

We too may feel defeated at times.  Perhaps our friends don’t believe in Jesus or are at best lukewarm about their faith.  Still to us Jesus not only is our destiny but our means to attain it.  We must not lose heart.  Rather we will find in Jesus the wisdom to overcome life’s challenges.  We should also meet others with similar convictions to support us along the way.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

(II Peter 5:5b-14; Mark 16:15-20)

Encyclopedias like to describe St. Mark as the son of Mary who had a house in Jerusalem where St. Peter went after being rescued from prison.  There is an old tradition for this story, but it has no firm historical basis.  Mark, of course, was the author of what is sometimes called the “second gospel,” which only indicates its place among the four in standard Bibles.  Because it is relatively short without an infancy narrative or many parables, the work has often been overlooked as a liturgical resource.  It was hardly used in the pre-Vatican II Sunday liturgies.  But appreciation for the gospel has increased in recent decades.  It is seen today as the pioneer gospel written perhaps twenty years before its counterparts.  More importantly, its profound theology makes it one of the literary masterpieces of civilization.

All of the gospels give a unique understanding of Jesus.  Mark sees him as the suffering savior anointed by the Holy Spirit.  The second gospel describes Jesus as poorly understood by his own disciples and absolutely rejected by Jewish leaders.  Yet it emphasizes that he valiantly introduces God’s kingdom into the world by wise words and life-saving deeds.  Mark portrays Jesus’ brutal death on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice that atones for human sins as it prepares for resurrection glory.

Mark is a good place for us to start reading Scripture.  We will find many of its scenes resonant with our experience.  It says that Jesus was a worker like most of us today, at least until the time that he began his teaching mission.  One character of this gospel speaks the words that we often say to ourselves, “Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief.”  Another begs, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me a sinner.”  We can thank God for this gospel and for its author whom we call “Mark.” His faith, wisdom, and literary talent have enabled us to know intimately our savior.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:7-21; John 15:9-11)

For the last two years a great debate has been conducted within the Church.  Pope Francis had made it known that he was considering a change in the policy of prohibiting all divorced and remarried people from receiving Communion.  Several cardinals reacted with a letter reminding the pope that the prohibition of divorce came from Jesus himself.  As intense as this controversy became, it was likely not nearly as passionate as the one of which the first reading today gives account.

It is easy to imagine the polemics of the different sides.  Paul and Barnabas come to Jerusalem asking why pagan Greeks need to adopt Jewish customs in order to be part of the Church.  After all, they would explain, it is the cross of Jesus that brings salvation.  Furthermore, they would add, expecting circumcision is not practical, much less considerate.  Then the other side weighs in: because Jews are God’s “chosen people,” one must first join this larger group before being adopted into God’s family.  Besides, they surely add, how could one enjoy table fellowship with people who ate the flesh of pigs, apparently the most unclean animal? 

The decision of the apostles to accept pagan Greeks into the Church two thousand years ago underlies our presence at mass.  Similarly Pope Francis made a momentous decision three weeks ago in his apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love.  He upheld the long-standing tradition of the Church forbidding divorce, but he also called for deeper discernment regarding the relationship of married people.  Actually the pope is calling all of us to a closer relationship with God through a more loving care for one another.  Christian spouses especially have the vocation to love so that they may become for all as well as for each other the door to God.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 13:26-33; John 14:1-6)

ISIS continues to wreak havoc on Christians not only in Syria and Iraq but also in Europe.  Meanwhile, the reaction in the United States is severe.  Political candidates want to bar all Muslims from entering the country.  There is good reason for hearts to be troubled.

Yet Jesus tells his disciples in today’s gospel not to worry.  He assures them that there is room for all in God’s kingdom.  He wants them to follow him as he leads the way to eternal life.

Supported by one another, we line up behind Jesus.  We will find Muslims in our company as well as members of other religious traditions.  We will not hear non-Christians express explicit faith in Jesus, but we see them like him refusing to hate their enemies.  We also notice them like him willing to forgive those who have hurt them deeply.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 13:13-25; John 13:16-20)

A school administrator remembers the day Bishop Daniel DiNardo of Sioux City, Iowa, was waiting with him for a meeting to begin.  The administrator started to set up chairs for the affair, and the bishop did not hesitate to assist him.  The administrator today marvels at the humility of the bishop who today serves as the cardinal-archbishop of Houston.  Cardinal DiNardo that day at least took to heart Jesus’ admonition to his disciples in today’s gospel.

Jesus has just startled his followers by washing their feet.  His action is equivalent to a small business person washing the cars of employees.  Of course, Jesus is not surrendering his role as teacher.  His point is that his followers are not to lord over but to serve one another.  It has been noted that there are no positions of privilege in the Gospel of John.  Even at the end of the work when Jesus commissions Peter to pastor his flock, he gives him no special authority.

We must be careful not to condemn hierarchy.  Rather we should see the need for people with responsibility to have authority to fulfill it.  But we also look for leaders who take to heart Jesus’ example of humble service.