Friday, August 16, 2019

Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Joshua 24:1-13; Matthew 19:3-12)

If we ask a Jew what is the first commandment, we are likely to receive a surprising answer.  She probably will not say, “I am the Lord, your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.” Nor will she say, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all you heart and soul.”  No, Jews regularly look to Genesis One for the answer to this question: “Be fruitful and multiply.”  For Jews God’s primary command is to marry and to have a family.  For this reason Jesus comments that his statement about celibacy in today’s gospel will be difficult to accept.

Jesus also goes back to Genesis in defending the indissolubility of marriage.  He extrapolates from Genesis Two which says that in marriage a man and a woman become one flesh.  His point is that this union is not to be fractured.  The Pharisees have inquired of Jesus exceptions to the rule about the indissolubility of marriage.  So far Jesus has indicated that there are none.  But now he makes an allowance.  One can be exempted from the obligation to marry and have children for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Does this mean that people who do not marry or become a religious are somehow defying God’s will?  We ask this question from concern of those who have never met “Mr. or Ms. Right.”  Jesus would not condemn them.  He would only urge them to live for the Kingdom of God by praying and assisting the needy.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Revelation 19a.12:1-6a.10ab; I Corinthians 15:20-27; Luke 1:39-56)

Fr. Raymond E. Brown was one of the preeminent biblical exegetes of the latter twentieth century.  Protestants scholars recognized his expertise.  The pope named him to the Pontifical Biblical Commission.  Fr. Brown strove for Christian unity.  He told Protestants that they should not worry too much about Marian claims made by Catholic popes.  He said that they may be traced to different references in Scripture.

Today’s feast points to such claims and references.  There is no direct statement about Mary in Scripture after her being in the company of the Apostles at the Pentecost event.  No report is given of her passing, much less of her assumption into heaven.  But there is indirect testimony.  The first reading refers to her being prepared a place by God.  The second reading speaks of the resurrection of all the dead of whom - it is not inconceivable - Mary takes precedence. The gospel reading shows why.  Mary is the first to proclaim the Good News of God doing great new things in the world. 

Protestants are still wary of speaking much about Mary.  We should be aware of that but, nevertheless, not reluctant to invite them to our devotion.  Mary is, after all, a model disciple as well as a preacher of the Gospel.  As his mother, she is also close to Jesus.  Finally, she has a distinctively woman’s sensitivity to others’ needs.  Much like people ask us to pray for their needs, we can solicit Mary’s intercession.  In this way, may she serve as a source of unity and never again of division.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Memorial of Saint Maxilimilian Kolbe, priest and martyr

(Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Matthew 18:15-20)

Like the great Moses, St. Maximilian Kolbe stands as person of great accomplishments.  He was an intellectual, a foreign missionary, and a martyr.  Over time he has been criticized for his zeal.  However, his defenders have adequately shown that his critique of Freemasonry as being inspired by anti-Semitism is exaggerated.  Maximilian harbored 2,000 Jews in the monastery he founded during the Nazi persecution.  Furthermore, his polemic was not against the Jewish faith or the Jewish people but the leaders of the Zionist movement. 

Kolbe died offering his life as a sacrifice to God for others.  Imprisoned at Auschwitz, he volunteered himself in place of another inmate.  The Nazis were seeking retribution for a prisoner’s escape and then arbitrarily chose ten men to be starved.   Kolbe replaced one of the men who had a family to care for.

In today’s gospel Jesus exhorts his disciples to forgive one another.  He seems to imply that the one who gave offense should ask for forgiveness.  If he or she does not, Jesus would have disciples pray for the offender out of love.  In this way they will be disposed to forgive as is their duty.   Maximilian Kolbe’s self-sacrifice in love indicates a supreme desire to reconcile with those he criticized.  We do not have to doubt his sanctity.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Deuteronomy 31:1-8; Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14)

University students become especially frenzied when their athletic teams are considered the best.  This standing is usually measured by polls rating a school "number one.” Anticipating the polls, students will chant incessantly as their teams keep winning, “We’re number one!”  Their desire may be called sophomoric in light of today’s gospel.

The disciples come to Jesus with the question, “Who is first in the Kingdom of God?”  Pointedly Jesus ignores the concern to give a lesson on service.  He tells them that they must humble themselves like a child so that they may respond to the needs of others.

It is sometimes a challenge to get right the idea of self-importance.  We want to be appreciated as special for who we are or, at least, for the company we keep.  This longing is not bad or mistaken but it is only part of the story.  God loves us and so do our parents from conception.  But Jesus is reminding us here that being loved does not fulfill our destiny.  We are to make use of that love with service to others.  Jesus uses the example of a child who responds with eagerness to please their parents.  We are to do the same for God and neighbor.

Monday, August 12, 2019

Monday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Matthew 17:22-27)

Once I traveled from Calcutta in eastern India to the Punjab in the west.  Having purchased my train ticket beforehand, I went to the train station with confidence.  All I had to do was to board the train.  But that was easier said than done.  Fifteen minutes before the scheduled departure, the station went wild.  People rushed in every direction.  I could not find my coach but foolishly refused the request of porters to help me.  A young man noticed my vulnerability and came to my aid.  He took my bag and found my coach and seat.  He did not ask for anything in return.  He probably did not realize that he was carrying out the precept in today’s first reading.  He befriended an alien. 

Scripture has a universal vision.  People are not to so clannishly or nationalistically that they turn their backs to others.  They are to help one another as they share a common origin in God.  Obligations to family and to nation exist, but these should not curtail friendship with others.

We live in a time of people on the move.  There are certainly more tourists and probably pilgrims than ever before.  The numbers of immigrants and refugees also keep growing.  Material benefits are regularly derived from this vast movement of humankind.  Spiritual benefits are to be reaped as well when we make an effort to assist strangers.