Tuesday, August 6, 2019

The Transfiguration of the Lord

(Daniel 7:9-10.13-14; II Peter 1:16-19; Luke 9:28b-36)

Pope Benedict XVI notes that in Luke’s Gospel the transfiguration occurs while when Jesus is praying.  He calls the interpenetration of Father and Son the sensation of pure light.  Jesus becomes, as John’s gospel declares, “light from light.”

In prayer Jesus recognizes that God is calling him to suffer.   He can glimpse the cross awaiting him in Jerusalem.  This is the “Exodus” which Moses and Elijah mention in the passage.  The vision does not deter him but compels Jesus forward.  He knows that it is the Father’s will, which he will always do come what may.  Meanwhile, the glory of the light prepares the disciples for the shock of the crucifixion.

We should not deny a similar eventuality for ourselves.  Whether we suffer through old age or face death in an instant, the experience will not be easy.  Like Jesus we should be determined to do God’s will.  We will be giving positive example to our associates.  More importantly, we too will come to know God’s glory.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)

When a commodity becomes plentiful and cheap, people are likely to look for alternatives.  At one time chicken was most families’ favorite food.  They reserved it for Sunday dinner after church to crown their day of leisure.  Today, with mass (and inhumane) poultry farming, chicken has become relatively inexpensive.  Many families prefer steak or salmon for special occasions.  In the first reading something similar is brewing.

The Israelites have grown tired of the manna which they have had to eat it every day.  They return to Moses with the absurd complaint that they would have been better off in Egypt.  Moses then goes up to the Lord perplexed about what to do.  He knows that the people should be grateful.  At the same time he realizes that they are still not holy, still not truly the Lord’s.   Moses himself betrays a rebellious spirit as he attempts to weasel out of God’s service.

Holiness is a matter of being different.  But the difference is not being individualistic.  Rather holiness is going against the grain of human pride to give oneself completely to God.  It is overcoming the tendency to see ourselves as entitled and recognizing everything as a blessing from God.   Then it is becoming a blessing to others.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)

Jews celebrate two feast days in September or early October that often escape our attention.  On the first day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar they celebrate Rosh Hashanah, their New Year.  On this day the shofar or ram’s horn is blown, literally as a wake up call to the people.  The wild sound reminds everyone that the Day of Judgment is coming when all have to give account for the good and evil we have done.  It is as festive a day as Christmas with different kinds of special foods – fruits, honey, and the round loaf of bread symbolizing the beginning of another year. 

Ten days afterward is the holiest day of the Jewish year Yom Kippur, which the reading from Leviticus refers to as the Day of Atonement.  Traditionally it is thought of as the day Moses finished his forty day conference with God and brought the second set of the Commandments to the people.  Seeing the golden calf, he destroyed the idol and had the people repent.  Granted forgiveness, Jews to this day remember the event with this day of repentance for sins.  It is also a day of heightened fasting and prayer. Most every Jew attends a synagogue service on Yom Kippur.

Christians will please Jewish acquaintances by wishing them a happy New Year on Rosh Hashanah and a blessed Yom Kippur.  But these days should have more meaning for us than improving our relationships with modern Jews.  We should recall how Jesus was a Jew as the gospel today makes evident.  Jews are also God’s chosen people whom we have to thank for bringing us a Savior.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Exodus 40:16-21.34-38; Matthew 13:47-53)

Moral theologians are something like a fisherman who throws a net into the sea as in today’s gospel.  They treat of many things, most of which need to be sorted out and evaluated.  Their job is to judge acts first as either good or bad and then the bad ones as gravely or venially sinful.  To do this well they examine how the passions of the agent affected her actions.  Very importantly, they propose virtues which will support the will to do what is right and resist the desire to do evil.

Today we celebrate the patron of moral theologians, St. Alphonsus Ligouri.  He was an accomplished man in many respects.  He founded a prominent religious congregation and was made a bishop.  But Alphonsus is best known for infusing the academic discipline of moral theology with common sense.  When laxists were looking for grounds to dismiss every act as non-sinful and rigorists were ready to condemn, Alphonsus promoted a middle ground.  He wrote that an act may be dismissed if it has as many arguments for dismissal as for condemnation.  For example, some theologians say that getting a tattoo is almost always wrong. Others are not so sure.  If, after weighing the reasons that either group of theologians makes, there are equally good arguments for body tattoos as there are against, then they should not be condemned. 

We should be ready to promote good actions and be cautious to condemn bad ones.  If we have to condemn, let our object be the action and not the person.  Let God judge the person without forgetting that the parents in the home and the state in society take the role of God.  In this way we will give all their due – the essence of justice.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Memorial of Saint Ignatius, priest

(Exodus 34:29-35; Matthew 13:44-46)

Today the Church honors not just St. Ignatius but also the legacy he left.  Ignatius gave up a military career after he was injured and experienced conversion.  He prayed intensely and studied theology.  At the university he joined a group of scholars to form the Company of Jesus, the Jesuits.  They were ordained and soon spearheaded the Catholic Counter-Reformation.  The Jesuits have become the Church’s most prominent religious congregation.  Seven years ago, for the first time, a Jesuit was elected pope.

Ignatius’ conversion could be compared to the merchant’s finding a pearl in today’s gospel.  In reading and praying, Ignatius found Christ in a much deeper way than in his Catholic upbringing.  He gave up his sword and everything else to be like his Lord.  As the first leader of the Jesuits, he awoke the attention of the world to Jesus’ love. 

Today’s collect remembers Ignatius as a soldier-saint by recognizing the need of discipline in the quest for holiness.  We must take to heart the lesson.  We train ourselves to put aside earthly vanities by keeping our eyes on the Lord.