Friday, March 13, 2020

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)

There is a story about resentment.  The wise man was talking to a fool who resented his brothers.  He told him that harboring resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for your enemy to die.  In today’s first reading we meet group of men who harbor resentment against their brother.

Joseph is not only Jacob’s child in old age; he is also an innocent dreamer.  The Scripture doesn’t say this, but it is likely that Joseph never thinks badly of anyone.  If he meets a poor farmer, he imagines him to be a plantation owner and treats him with deference.  If he encounters a crabby housewife, he dreams her to be gracious queen and offers to kiss her hand.  Joseph’s brothers consider this kind of behavior worse than contemptuous.  They want to kill him for it.

We are better, of course, to be like Joseph than his brothers.  We should look for the best in others although without imagining something that is not there.  When we find a worthwhile trait, we can respect the people for it.  Resentment for them will not just make the whole situation worse.  It is likely to cause our death sooner rather than later.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31)

It is not that the rich man mistreats Lazarus.  He doesn’t kick him or yell at him.  Nor can it be said that the rich man ignores Lazarus, at least deliberately.  He doesn’t use the back door to avoid seeing Lazarus or turn his head when he walked by the beggar.  The rich man just doesn’t see Lazarus sitting there in need.  He probably is too busy.  The Scripture does not say what he is doing.  It does say that he dresses luxuriously and eats sumptuously.  It may be supposed then that he is lost in thought about what he is to eat that evening or wear the next day.

Unfortunately, in modern society there are many ways to avoid encounters with the poor. Gated communities keep unwanted people away.  By driving on expressways one can bypass inner-city slums where poor people often live.  In this age of consumption people can also spend all of their disposable income on one gadget or apparel after another.  They do not have any money left to help those in need. 

Jesus warns us today that the fate of such people is doom.  He says that not even the hope of the resurrection will make them see their neighbors in need.  If we are to profit by his example, we must ask ourselves what we are doing for others.  If the others are only those who can help us in return, we must look again.  Jesus wants us to wake up to those in need.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

Gospel commentators say that out of deference to the apostles Matthew puts the request for high places on the lips of sons’ of Zebedee mother.  They note that in Mark the disciples themselves make the vain request and that Jesus’ reply is directed to them, not the woman.  But let’s not allow concern for “who said what” distract us from the radicalness of Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus warns his disciples that seeking high places will not profit them a bit in God’s kingdom.  In another section he denounces the scribes and Pharisees for loving such honors (23:6).  He wants his followers to serve one another in humility.  In fact, he says that their service must be like that of a slave who has no claim to rights at all.  In his way of thinking, it seems, there is no overtime pay or discretionary days off.

Jesus’ vision of a disciple may sound preposterous if not cruel to us.  But he proclaims the radicalness of the kingdom throughout the four gospels.  We should not fret about how we are to bear the heavy cost.  He promises a reward greater than any merit we might suppose for our faithful service.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Isaiah 1:10.16-20; Matthew 23:1-12)

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus wages a war on hypocrisy.  He emphasizes it in the Sermon on the Mount.  There he warns his disciples not to fast, pray, or give alms for show.  In today’s passage he critiques the Pharisees for not practicing what they preach. 

Then Jesus tells his disciples that they are brothers and sisters to on another.  As such, he does not want anyone to assume greater respect or honor than anyone else.  He becomes specific in what this means.  They are not to call one another, “Rabbi,” “teacher,” “master,” or “father.”  These titles are used among the Pharisees to covet honor. 

We in the Church have not taken Jesus literally in this command.  Teachers inside the Church abound.  Priests are almost universally called “Father.”  The transgressions on the part of the people may be readily forgiven.  They have a long tradition and often give comfort to those who seek spiritual wisdom.  But clericalism – the pretension that priests are better and more deserving of honor than lay persons – is a tragic sin.  It is tragic because Orders is a sacrament of service, not of domination.  It is a sin because it subverts the unity Jesus intends among his disciples.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Monday of the Second Week of Lent

(Daniel 9:4b-10; Luke 6:36-38)

The man gives God thanks every day.  When he was young, he was always in trouble.  He couldn’t stay out of fights.  He was convicted of assault and battery as well as using drugs.  After doing a couple of prison terms, he was facing a thirty-five year sentence.  Then he was shown mercy.  He credits God, but certainly a judge had something to do with his being given another chance.  In this case any risk the judge took proved imminently worthwhile.  The man has turned his life around.  He is married and raising a family.  He owns a prosperous small business.  He is also the youth minister of his parish.  In today’s gospel Jesus recommends that his disciples show mercy as the wise judge in this story.

When Jesus says that his disciples should not judge, he does not mean that they put on rose-colored glasses.  No, they are to distinguish right from wrong, but they are not to condemn others.  Quite the opposite, they should be ready to forgive with any good reason.   Jesus then promises that their mercy will be returned in good measure.

It is sometimes difficult to forgive because we see it as a betrayal of justice.  Jesus would agree that mercy without justice leads to problems.  But mercy tempers justice in that it allows those who have shown genuine remorse for their crimes to move on.  If everyone were to give strict repayment make up strictly for every offense tallied, many persons’ development would be stifled.  Worse yet, our society would become paralyzed.