Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 7:4-17; Mark 4:1-20)

We should note the casualness of the sower in Jesus’ parable today.  He scatters the seed indiscriminately -- in the soil, on the roadside, amid rocks, and among thorns.  “Why is he being so wasteful?” one might ask thinking, “A careful farmer would take better aim.”  But Jesus wants to demonstrate God’s generosity with his story.  The sower represents God who deals out blessings on both the bad and good.  Not only those who love God enjoy life, have liberty, feel sunrays, and taste honey.  Every human person to some degree experiences these benefits and many others.  What distinguishes the good from the bad is often the response given to God’s bounty.

After telling the parable, Jesus receives a group of people inquiring about its meaning.  They include disciples, whom may be understood as members of the Church, and others.  Effectively they are asking, “Why is God so good?”  Those who do not come forward take life for granted.  Jesus likens them to the seed eaten up by the birds before it has a chance to sprout.  

But not all who make inquiry about the gift will realize its fullness.  There must be a deeper response than inquiry; there must be willingness to sacrifice oneself.  For some, giving of themselves is too much trouble.  They are the seed that falls on rocky ground and never become rooted.  Others lose sight of God by mistaking creation for the Creator.  Giving all their attention to created things, they are like the plants that are strangled by thorns.  Finally, some seed produces abundant fruit.  They respond generously to the gift of creation by thanking God and caring for it. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church

(II Samuel6:12b-15.17-19; Mark 3:31-35)

St. Thomas Aquinas is recognized as one of the three or four greatest minds in history.  It is said that he knew about everything that there was to know at the time when he lived.  But it was not so much the breadth of his knowledge that makes Thomas so prodigious as its depth.  He saw relationships among things that gave him a complete grasp of the whole.

Because Thomas had such a tremendous mind, some may think that he was canonized for his intelligence.  It may seem understandable, if somewhat misleading, that the Church would declare him a saint because he was able to fold all the strands of Scripture and theology into a coherent doctrine.  But his holiness was as serene as his intellect.  He never taught or preached without first praying at length.  Three characteristics stand out in Thomas’ prayer.  First, as just indicated, Thomas linked prayer with study.  Second, he was so devoted to the Eucharist that he attended mass twice a day.  And finally, he either prayed before a crucifix or before the altar, the liturgical symbol for Christ.

Thomas offers all of us, not just theologians, a model to be imitated.  We may not be able to write three coherent sentences or even to write at all.  But we can and should pray to God that what we say about Him to others makes sense.  We may not be able to even pronounce the word “transubstantiation,” which Thomas clarified.  But we can and should receive Holy Communion knowing that it is the body and blood of Christ.  We may not be able to explain how Christ’s death has justified humans in their sinfulness as Thomas did.  But we can and should look at the crucifix with a word of thanksgiving on our lips.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 5:1-7.10; Mark 3:22-30)

In the movie “Doubt” a priest gives a homily about gossip.  He says that gossip is like cutting a pillow with a scissors in the open air and letting all the feathers fly out.  As it would be impossible to gather up every feather, so it is impossible to make up for the harm done by gossip.  The scribes in today’s gospel are guilty of gossip, and Jesus has his own way of describing the harm done.

In order to discredit Jesus, the scribes say that his healings are the work of the devil.  Being respectable, these men will be believed by the people.  Jesus says that this vicious gossip is tantamount to blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.  First, the gossipers can never make amends for the breach of confidence in Jesus which they cause.  Their sin is infinitely culpable because it undermines the work of God which Jesus is doing.

Our conversations often encounter vacuous spaces.  We are tired of talking about the weather or the upcoming sports event.  We want to turn to people as a topic.  We are entering a minefield.  We must be sure that what we say is not only true but fair.  That is, we must seek to avoid misinterpretations that would harm another’s well-being.  We may not be committing an unpardonable sin, but it still may be a serious one.

Friday, January 24, 220

Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church

(I Samuel 24:3-21; Mark 3:13-19)

Tomorrow, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, ends the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  For the last six days the Church has asked Catholics to pray that all Christians will be united again.  Some Protestant denominations have their members doing likewise.  Jesus initiated the prayer at the Last Supper in John’s gospel.  He prayed that “they (his disciples) may be one.”

Today we honor one of the great saints of the Reformation, Francis de Sales.  He became the bishop of Geneva, the center of the Protestant Reformed movement.  Francis brought to the ongoing debate between Catholics and Calvinists a firm grasp of theology.  Today’s dialogue between Catholic and Protestant leaders requires such understanding.  If agreements between the churches are to have meaning, they must be based on truthful premises.

But they also require humility in approaching one another.  We can look to today’s first reading for an example.  David humbly refuses to take advantage of Saul, the king of Israel.  He would join the king in the war against Israel’s enemies.  Catholics and Protestants should likewise join forces against enemies like homelessness and anti-religious bigotry.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 18:6-9.19:1-7; Mark 3:7-12)

Jesus keeping his divine origin hidden has been called the “Messianic secret.”  Demons know of it because they have supernatural knowledge.  Humans, in Mark’s gospel, have to figure it out by attention to development.  Peter will reach the conclusion first by Jesus’ works and teachings.  The Roman centurion will come to the same insight after seeing Jesus valiantly suffer and die.

The first reading gives a partial motive for Jesus’ keeping secret his identity.  The people exaggerate David’s accomplishments to make him sound superior to King Saul.  Just so, the people of Jesus’s day would see him as a political leader with potential to overthrow Roman rule.  More than this, however, Jesus has important work to do.  If people see him as a political Messiah, his message work would be attenuated.  Jesus has come to call attention to God’s love self-evident in creation and in loving relationships.  To experience fully this love, he preaches the need for people to let go of pride and covetousness.

It is a hard lesson to drive home.  Especially when people have been severely abused, appreciating God’s love is difficult.  Striving to build up the self with acquisitions becomes paramount to such people.  We must help them to find God’s love by acts of compassion.