Thursday, July 28, 2022

 Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 18:1-6; Matthew 13:47-53)

Too many good people leave the Church.  They help others and even pray regularly.  But they become disillusioned by the shortcomings of Church leaders.  Certainly, clerical abuse moved many to abandon Church participation.  Also, the dictatorial ways of some bishops have created fallout.  Jesus’ parable in today’s gospel predicts such evil as it assures that evildoers will not be tolerated.

As shown more fully in a later parable, Jesus’ comparison of the kingdom to a fishnet describes how both good and bad are found in its confines.  Although the kingdom of God extends beyond Church bounds, the Church certainly is at its nucleus.  By noting both good and bad fish, Jesus is indicating that there will be both very good and some malicious people in the Church.  In the end, he is saying, the evil ones will be eliminated. 

We should not become disheartened when we see evil compromising the good of the Church.  Prayer for its perpetrators is in order.  Also, we must examine our own hearts continually so that we don’t contribute to its evil.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

 Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Jeremiah 15:10.16-21; Matthew 13:44-46)

Webster defines jeremiad as a “lamentation or tale of woe.”  The word is derived from the prophet Jeremiah’s frequent complaints to God. Today’s first reading presents a good example of a jeremiad.

Jeremiah has told the people of Jerusalem that they their infidelity has resulted in God’s sending an army to take them captive.  But the people do not want to hear his message.  They steer away from him as if he were a coyote howling in the hills.  Jeremiah then goes to the Lord with his complaint.  He tells God that he has been faithful but God has not reciprocated.  God quickly passes a judgment.  If Jeremiah repents of his self-pity, God will make him victorious over those who revile him.

 We should feel free like Jeremiah to take our complaints to the Lord but careful not to blame God for our situation.  Seeking His help, we will likely find new possibilities opening to us.  Usually, God responds in ways that we find better than we deserve.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

 Memorial of Saints Joachim and Ann, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Jeremiah 14:17-22; Matthew 13:36-43)

Many like to think of Saints Joachim and Anne as the grandparents of Jesus.  They likely do so because grandparents today are often principal influences on the religious development of children.  The Church, on the other hand, name Joachim and Anne as only “the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”  Because all that is said of them comes from apocryphal stories, it need not treat them at all.  Yet they provide a lens for considering Christ’s role in the world.

Today’s first reading should remind us of what is happening in Ukraine.  Jeremiah describes the complete destruction of Jerusalem much like what has happened in Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities.  That country is being demolished to the discouragement of the people.  In the reading the prophet can only cry to God in penitence and supplication.

After World War II our grandparents left us a legacy of hope.  They struggled to overcome the tyranny of the Nazis and of the Communists.  Trusting in the Lord, they structured a peaceful world with the United Nations as a principal resource.  It was obviously not a perfect arrangement.  Today we Christians turn again to Christ with an appeal for wisdom, strength, and patience.  We see in him the means of grace to shape a peace based on justice in the Ukraine.

Monday, July 25, 2022

 Feast of Saint James, Apostle

(II Corinthians 4:7-15; Matthew 20:20-28)

In today’s gospel Jesus predicts the martyrdom of James.  In fact, the Acts of the Apostles relates that James becomes the first of the twelve to give his life in testimony to Christ.  The reading from St. Paul can be considered a commentary on James’ sacrifice.

Paul writes from personal experience.  He was afflicted in every way – beatings, insults, shipwrecks, the ardor of travel, etc.  But he never gave up.  The person of Jesus influenced him as well as James and many, many Christians martyrs over twenty centuries.  Jesus’ teaching moved them to evangelize others.  And the Holy Spirit conveying God’s love inspired them to make the ultimate sacrifice.

We are the beneficiaries of their efforts.  Sometimes we have difficulty appreciating our legacy.  We live in a society of individuals.  Married couples often don’t share the same bank account, much less the same email address.  To say that we belong to the Church of the Apostles may sound like a shallow claim.  Nevertheless, following the teachings of the apostles, we realize that our future is not limited.  Rather, like them, our destiny is the glory of Christ risen from the dead.

Sunday, July 24, 2022

 SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, July 24, 2022

(Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13)

If a student were to ask a teacher to give lessons on public speaking, how would she respond?  Perhaps she would be so stunned as to become speechless.  But once she regained composure, she probably would form a lesson plan in her head.  Today’s gospel can be taken as Jesus’ lesson plan in teaching his disciples how to pray.

The plan has three parts.  First, it indicates to whom the prayer is addressed.  Second, it makes a list of things to petition.  And third, it develops an effective way to express one’s needs.  The best of teachers, Jesus does not lack a sound methodology.

Of course, Jesus wants his disciples to pray to God.  He tells them to call God “Father.”  What is fascinating here is not so much that we are to call God “Father.”  Even the Old Testament in various placers describes God as a father.  What is surprising is that Jesus does not insist that we say “Our Father” as he does in Matthew’s gospel.  In Matthew only Jesus calls God simply, “Father.”  But here in in Luke Jesus permits us to call God with the same intimacy as he enjoys.

Jesus wants us to ask first for peace and welfare for the world.  This is what “your kingdom come” means.  Certainly, the coming of the kingdom will mean the end of violence on our city streets as well as the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukraine.  But it does not leave out our own desires for a more worthy life.  Perhaps we are worried that there may not be enough money to pay the rent.  Or we may really need a few days’ rest.  Asking for the reign of God includes these types of requests. 

Also, we are to ask for “our daily bread.”  There are two meanings at play here.  First, “daily bread” means sufficient food that we maintain good health.  Also, the phrase suggests the Eucharistic bread that nurtures us for eternal life.  Because we live on the earth so that we may have everlasting life with God, we should not want the one kind of bread without the other.

It may be difficult for us to ask for forgiveness of our sins.  Particularly in our narcissistic society, many prefer not to think about their sinning. But the truth is that we sin, sometimes seriously.  We lie; we want inordinate pleasure; we consider ourselves better than others.  If we are going to be included in God’s family, we must seek forgiveness from these and other sins.

Finally, we are to ask that we may “not be subject to the final test.” Jesus has in mind the great trials that can undermine our confidence in God.  By this request we are imploring God that he doesn’t take the life of one of our children or that we suffer terribly before death.  It is said that Pope Francis has difficulty with this petition because God would never lead us into sin.  He may be right, but still it is not unheard of that good people suffer tremendously.

And how are we to pray?  According to Jesus in this gospel, we must pray with persistence.  In the reading from Genesis today, Abraham shows how to pray in this way.  He does not cease asking the Lord reduction of the requisite number of good people to save Sodom until the quota can be easily met.  True prayer never gives up because the one praying knows that God always wants to bring us closer to Himself.

Jesus, our teacher, is beyond compare, and his plan has been proven through twenty centuries.  Nevertheless, if it is not put into practice, it will be as useless as a snow sled in the summer.