Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Memorial of Saint Augustine of Hippo, bishop and Doctor of the Church

(II Thessalonians 3:6-10.16-18; Matthew 23:27-32)

 Of all the theologians of the Roman Catholic Church none has quite the importance and popularity as Saint Augustine of Hippo.  His famous conversion resulted from the prayers of his mother Monica, the persuasion of his mentor St. Ambrose, and the voice of a child.  As he was walking one day he heard the voice say, “Take up the book and read.”  Seeing a Bible nearby, he opened to the passage from Romans: “… put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.”  He submitted to what God was calling him, was baptized, and went on to the priesthood and episcopacy.

Augustine lived in tumultuous times both theologically and historically.  Erroneous ideas were challenging established belief.  Some argued that the sacraments were of no use if one committed apostasy during the persecutions.  Others thought that one might earn eternal life through his or her own merits.  Still others held that the Blessed Trinity was one God with three faces.  Augustine countered these ideas with a rich theology faithful to Scripture and to logic.

In Augustine’s time the Roman Empire in the West was crumbling.  Barbarians from the north invaded Rome and northern Africa where Augustine resided.  Some blamed Christianity for Rome’s weakness.  To defend the faith, Augustine wrote The City of God.  The book explained how Christianity did not weaken the empire but fortified it with social and personal virtues.  Not just the Church but the world is indebted to this great saint. 

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

 

Memorial of Saint Monica, holy woman

(II Thessalonians 3:1-3a.14-17; Matthew 23:23-26)

As a young man, Saint Augustine achieved a modicum of success as a rhetorician.  He headed an academy where he drew several students.  His reputation was growing, but that fact did not pacify his mother, Saint Monica.  More than anything else, Monica wanted her son to practice the Catholic faith.  It seems that she saw material success as the outside of the cup to which Jesus alludes in today’s gospel reading.

Jesus frequently suggests that appearances are not to be judged so much as reality.  The tax collector praying for forgiveness in the Temple is perhaps the best example.  His prayer and not the Pharisee’s who reminds God of his own virtue is heard.  In today’s gospel Jesus condemns the Pharisees’ attention to miniscule points of the Law while ignoring its principal teachings of mercy and fidelity.

Saint Monica ceaselessly petitioned God that her son become a Christian. She also appealed to her son continually that he consider joining Christ.  She knew that Christ was the way to true happiness in eternal life.  To her -- may God grant it so for us as well -- fame, fortune, and fun cannot compete in comparison.

Monday, August 26, 2024

Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(II Thessalonians 1:1-5.11-12; Matthew 23:13-22)

In today’s first reading St. Paul begins his letter by typically thanking God.  Writing to the Thessalonians, he mentions how grateful he is for their accepting the faith and living it with love for one another. 

For Paul thanksgiving is a way of life.  He sees God as the initiator of every good thing.  He knows that griping may draw others’ attention but ultimately creates consternation for everyone concerned.  It is better, he would say, to thank God for the goodness He has bestowed than to grumble over any difficulties He has proportioned.

There is a lesson here for all of us.  The more that we can thank God for the good encountered and even for the evil endured, the closer to God we will become.  Near to Him, we will find happiness.

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Joshua 24:1-2, 15-17, 18; Ephesians 5:21-32; John 6:55, 60-69)

The Olympics left us viewers with our mouths agape. How can Simon Byles jump so high? How can the Chinese lift such enormous weights? How can Noah Lyles run so fast? All the athletes demonstrated the triumph of the body over lethargy and mediocrity.

However, in the end the body cannot achieve what is most desirable. After all is said and done, we don’t long for a medal or international fame. No, we human beings desire eternal happiness. It is something spiritual that knows no end. As Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail.” Somehow, we must obtain the Holy Spirit if we are to achieve eternal happiness.

Throughout the “Bread of Life Discourse,” we have heard what we must do to obtain eternal life. Since Jesus, the true Bread from heaven, knows the Father and reveals His will, we must believe in Him and put into practice what He teaches. Does this seem impossible?  Well, it is if we were left solely with our own natural resources. However, because we cannot achieve this through human efforts alone, Jesus has left us His Body and Blood. The Eucharist strengthens us on the journey to eternal life just as steak and milk nourished the athletes’ bodies for the Olympic games.

Jesus wants a definitive response from us to His offer of eternal life. Like Joshua in the first reading, no half-measures. Unfortunately, many today want to follow Jesus only until the path becomes rough. Then, like the murmuring disciples in the Gospel, they turn their backs on Him. They are like children who reject a dime to grab the larger copper penny.

Accepting Jesus means following His teachings, as we have seen in the readings from the Letter to the Ephesians in recent Sundays. His command in today’s reading is particularly relevant. Spouses must love each other wholeheartedly, always considering the other’s well-being. It cannot be denied that the letter teaches that the husband makes the final decision. But this does not mean that the husband is always right and should never submit to his wife’s will. Not at all. The two, as the reading says, are “one flesh.” The husband must always take to heart what his wife says. Sometimes, simply for the sake of variety, the husband will submit to his wife’s judgment.

This matter is crucial in a time that elevates individual well-being above that of the family. For example, in some places, schools can dispense contraceptives without parental consent.  In some places today, so-called “puberty blockers” (hormones that suppress the development of natural sex) can be given without communicating with parents. The vast majority of parents want to do what is best for their children. A wise person once said that the best thing parents can do for their children is to love each other. If we want healthy and wholesome children, parents must love each other with ever greater dedication.

Does it challenge us? Of course, but the strength to do so (it’s worth repeating) comes from Jesus in the Eucharist. It is His own Body and Blood that leads us pass the challenges of the world to eternal life.

 

Friday, August 23, 2024

 Optional Memorial of Saint Rose of Lima, virgin

(Ezekiel 37:1-14; Matthew 2:34-40)

Many people noted Rose of Lima’s physical beauty both as a baby and as a maiden.  However, it was her spiritual loveliness that gave her universal attention.  She loved the Lord so much that she underwent constant penances like wearing a crown of thorns.  She serves as a model of how Jesus responds to the scholar’s question of the greatest commandment.

Rose spent much of her time as a recluse in the hermitage she built near her parents’ house.  She also took care of poor children and the elderly sick.  Her charity did not escape the attention of the people of Lima.  When she died at the tender age of thirty-one in 1617, the entire city, it is said, attended her funeral.

Rose exemplifies how the commandments to love God and love neighbor go hand-in-hand.  When we love God with all our heart, we will express our love in different ways, especially by loving other humans.  And when we assist others out of love, we will need to call upon God in prayer for help.