Thursday, June 23, 2016

Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings 24:8-17; Matthew 7:21-29)

Jesus in today’s gospel could well have been commenting on our first reading.  That passage from the Second Book of Kings takes note of the final days of the Kingdom of Judah.  After the spring of renewal with Josiah, Judah’s kings returned to idolatrous ways.  Now the entire kingdom experiences downfall.  The king of Babylon carries off the nation’s wealth and a sizeable number of its population.

In the gospel Jesus warns about basing one’s life on wickedness.  He compares it to building a house on sand which will give way in a storm.  It is necessary, Jesus says, to construct a house on rock which provides a firm foundation.  Rock, which is often an image of God himself, symbolizes here Jesus’ moral teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

History may be described as the sequence of great nations falling because of the deterioration of virtue.  Many peoples have built empires which eroded as the people lost their bearings of righteousness.  Rome is the greatest example.  We Americans must assure that our country’s laws are firmly grounded on morality if the nation’s future is to resemble its past.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings 22:8-13.23:1-3; Matthew 7:15-20)

A television drama portrayed a man who had gone to Washington to read every book in the Library of Congress.  When he returned home, he was asked to share the wisdom that he gained.  A crowd assembled for his exposition.  He began, “I am the Lord, your God; you shall have no strange gods before me.  You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.”  Then the people joined the litany.  One person after another recited one of the Ten Commandments.  The first reading today conveys this sense of rediscovery of ancient wisdom.

The high priest finds the Book of the Law, the first five books of the Bible, in the Temple.  Evidently it has been lost or ignored for decades.  The setting is the seventh century before Christ.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel has been decimated, and Judah is constantly threatened.  But at last there is a worthy king whose name is Josiah.  When Josiah hears the contents of the Book of the Law, he is overwhelmed with a mixture of sorrow and urgency.  He orders that it be read so that the people could once again find the way to righteousness.  Unfortunately, Josiah will not live long enough to carry out all the needed reforms.  Within fifty years after his premature death Judah falls to the Babylonians.

New ways of thinking seem to make our traditional values outmoded.  Some people seem to think that change always means improvement.  Sure, knowledge may enhance the quality of life for many.  But basic human values – love, truth, goodness, to which the Scriptures testify -- remain the basis of a truly satisfying life.  We too must continually scrutinize the Scriptures and follow its wisdom if we are to find our way to happiness.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

(II Kings 19:9b-11.14-21.31-35a.36; Matthew 7:6.12-14)

Many see God as the author of creation.  They reason that there must be a first cause of the universe.  They also recognize that the physical laws of the universe are so finely determined that if they were changed a bit, absolute chaos would result.  Today’s first reading challenges the world to see God as the Lord of history as well. 

The passage from the Second Books of Kings, a history of Israel, relates a famous story.  Just as the king of Assyria is about to attack Jerusalem, he is turned back in his tracks.  It is not Judah’s army that stops the siege.  Rather a pestilence has broken out among the troops forcing a retreat.  Because God is viewed as the controller of nature, He is seen now as the Judah’s savior.  He seems to be in control of history as well as creation.

God works in many ways and always through secondary causes.  We see His hand in the downfall of the Soviet empire and the protection of tiny nations like Costa Rica.  We believe that God is bringing the world together in peace despite many regional conflicts.  He will use human agency and may not accomplish the task for millennia.  But because God loves humanity, He will see the various nations and peoples reconciled by the end of time.

Monday, 20, 2016

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings 17:5-8; 13-15a.18; Matthew 7:1-5)

In the early 1930’s an English newspaper called for essays answering the question, “What’s wrong with the world today?”  There were plenty of wrongs with the world at that time.  National economies were in depression throughout the world.  Communism was gaining popularity all over.  Germany was on the verge of rearming.  It is said that G.K. Chesterton submitted the winning essay consisting of only two words.  Chesterton wrote, “I am.”

Chesterton seems to have taken to heart Jesus’ message in the gospel today.  Rather than judge the wrong-doing of others, his followers are to recognize and correct their faults.  This perspective is not unreal and much less self-abusive.  Rather, it understands what many come to realize with embarrassment: people are not as capable as they often claim, and others are not as deficient.

It is not possible to refrain from all judgment.  Jesus does not intend us to do so.  But our judgments should be considerate of the conditions in which others live.  They also need to be tentative so that if we are mistaken, the judgment may be readily corrected. 

Friday, June 17, 2016

Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings 11:1-4.9-18.20; Matthew 6:19-23)

Jesus’ parable in today’s gospel comparing one’s eye to a lamp is notoriously hard to understand.  He seems to mean that how one sees reality determines the soundness of the person.  If someone looks at things greedily by desiring to accumulate wealth and power, that person is not healthy inwardly.  But if the person realizes that wealth and power are not as valuable as goodness and truth, then the person stands in sound health.

Jesus’ lesson is borne out in the first reading.  Athaliah is the daughter of the wicked Ahab and Jezebel of Israel, and wife of King Jeroram of Judah.  When her husband and son are killed, Athaliah attempts to have all Jeroram’s other children slain so that she can sit on Judah’s throne.  The scheme falters, however, when prince Joash, Jeroram’s son evidently by another woman, is rescued.  Athaliah rules Judah for six years, but she is slain as Joash is anointed king. 

We must be wary of wealth and power.  They are not evil in themselves, but they can create desire that will cause us to sin.  Rather than pine for riches and control, we are wise to pray for wisdom on our own behalf and on behalf of our leaders.