Wednesday, July 18, 2019

Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 3:1-6.9-12; Matthew 11:25-27)

Humans today enter a church to encounter God.  In more primitive societies God was typically found in nature.  The latter is the case for Israel in today’s first reading.  Moses meets the Lord on the mountainside of Horeb.  As a sign of submissiveness to God, Moses must remove his sandals at the site.

God wants Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt.  He seems ideal for the task.  Having been raised in the royal family, Moses can speak directly to Pharaoh.  He also has the trust of the people.  He had slain the Egyptian who was beating the defenseless Israelite.  Still Moses needs God’s assurance of support. 

God also speaks to us in the sanctuary of our consciences.  He means to liberate us from the wrongful ideas and runaway emotions that can lead to ruin.  We should heed what He says.  He loves us and will supply all the strength necessary to love our neighbors.  He has in mind for us a more satisfying reward than any payoff the world offers.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Exodus 2:1-15a; Matthew 11:20-24)

Moses’ mother uses both work and wit to save him from destruction.  She takes pain to hide him when he is born so that he would not be taken away.  When that is no longer possible, she strategizes to have Moses adopted into the royal family.  She even manages to take care of him on behalf of the Egyptian princess.  Her care is of the order celebrated on this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

In Christian tradition Mary, the Mother of God, is known in various ways.  She is the Virgin Maiden who disposes herself completely with God’s call.  She is also the Queen of Apostles, the first human to proclaim God’s love in Jesus Christ.  She is also the great protectoress giving shelter to those under siege.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel should be seen especially in this last way.

She is associated with the brown scapular.  Scapulars were originally exterior clothing worn over the shoulders as an outer vestment.  They were like sweaters or, if worn alone, light jackets to provide protection against the elements.  In time the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel became famous for protecting its wearer from vices.  Because the full-body version was not needed for this spiritual purpose, its size was reduced.  Today the scapular is but two cloth emblems linked by two laces but still worn over the head.  As always with sacramentals, the scapular itself does not protect anyone.  But it does remind us to ask Mary to pray for us to God.

Monday, July 15, 2019

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Exodus 1: 8-14.22; Matthew 10:34-11:1)

A man tells the story of his daughter.  When she was a teenager, she became pregnant outside marriage.  She wanted to have her baby, but her mother encouraged her to have an abortion.  For the elder, the girl was not only too young to be a mother but also needed to finish her education.  The girl desperately turned to her father who was divorced from his wife.  The man believed in his daughter and promised to help her keep her baby.  Relieved, the girl said that she had bought a bus ticket to another town in case no one would support her at home.  Whether she knows it or not, this girl is following Jesus’ instructions to his apostles in today’s gospel.

It is not that Jesus has abortion in mind as he lectures his apostles.  Rather, he knows that his righteousness will always unleash opposition.  His insistence that divorce opposes the Creator’s original intention will cause a furor among those who favor a more lenient standard.  His reaching out to the grubby poor will scandalize those with a high sense of propriety.  In these ways Jesus forces people to choose.  Will they stand with him or conform to the defective ways of their family.

We may not have to choose between family and Jesus.  We may not have to choose between family and Jesus.  Our choice may be between Jesus and the urgings of the heart.  Will we follow our sexual impulses or will we resist sinful sexual desires?  Will we support organizations that assist the homeless or perhaps help them ourselves?  Or will we totally ignore those who roam the streets?  Facing issues like these, we realize that Jesus does not bring the peace of mind that we may desire.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 46:1-7.28-20; Matthew 10:16-23)

A narrative is a story.  The word is used often to explain a people’s ethos or values.  Today’s first reading reveals one of Israel’s significant narratives.  God tells Jacob not to fear going to Egypt.  There, He says, his family will prosper to become a great nation.  This narrative will give Israel reason to be tolerant of other kinds of people living among them but not sharing their culture.

The gospel relates a significant Christian narrative.  It tells of how followers of Jesus will be persecuted because of his legacy.  It indicates that they are not to retaliate but to respond with the truth which the Spirit will give them.  In this way the world will come to know Jesus’ message of enemy love not just as doable but also as salvific.

Narratives help us to appropriate the lessons taught by our founders.  They form us with an identity and a common understanding.  As descendants of Israel we should be tolerant of other peoples.  As followers of Jesus, we should be ready to suffer insult rather than strike back at our detractors.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

(Genesis 44:18-21.23b-29.45:1-5; Matthew 10:7-15)

Today St. Benedict is being held up as a model for men and women disillusioned with Western society.  He is seen as an innovator whose legacy slowly, methodically, and completely transformed the decadent remains of Roman civilization.  Benedict’s followers established monasteries as centers of retreat, labor, and conservation of classical works.  In doing so, they were able to live the Christianity they professed while justifying its claim as the culmination of history.

The contemporary movement resurrecting the model of St. Benedict is called the “Benedict Option.”  It began with observations by the moralist Alasdair MacIntyre.  The well-regarded philosopher wrote that Western Civilization has lost its way in a morass of individualism and relativism.  He conjectured that there is no use trying to correct the situation.  Rather, he said, people of good will must begin again with the ideals of St. Benedict in mind.

Benedict himself may have seen what he did as a response to Jesus’ instructions in today’s gospel.  Jesus had a project in mind when he sent his apostles to preaching the gospel.  They were to announce the “Kingdom of heaven,” i.e., God’s remaking the world in His love.