Friday, September 6, 2024

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39)

In France during November vintners open the first bottles of the year’s Beaujolais production.  People have been waiting to taste whether it was a fair, good, or excellent year.  The wine hasn’t aged enough to bring out its full flavor, but experts can recognize its promise.  Something akin is taking place in today’s gospel.

Jesus takes time to respond to the Pharisees’ legitimate question of why his disciples do not fast.  He explains that now is not the time to fast but to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah.  The implication is clear.  He is something new, something life-saving, something of great quality, not unlike excellent fresh Beaujolais.  In time faith in him will become old and appreciated even more, again not unlike the best vintage of Beaujolais.

Whether Christian faith is new to us, as it is to many converts, or something we grew up with, it brings peace to the heart.  It gives us definite reason to practice virtue.  With faith we can face even death with confidence.  As a psalm puts it, faith like good wine will make the heart glad.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Cor 3:18-20; Luke 5:1-11)

A boat makes a fitting symbol of the Church.  As boats carry passengers to their destination, the Church takes its members to God’s kingdom.  Also, as a boat has capacity for an enormous number of fish, so too the Church has room for all peoples.  Peter’s boat in today’s gospel, therefore, can be seen as the Church.

Peter’s great haul of fish symbolizes the Church’s success over the centuries at making converts of individuals and nations.  However, at the moment in the western world at least the numbers of Baptisms are reduced.  Now the Church must listen again to Jesus’ command, “Put out into the deep…”  In the deep people reflect and create.  So the Church will find new methods for bringing in a great haul.  Effective use of social media is one way the Church is attracting new members.  Also, the Church is organizing young people as missionaries to tell their friends about Jesus, our Savior.

There are many ways to evangelize, and all Christians have a role in the endeavor.  We must live our faith openly and not be intimidated by the current indifference if not disdain for Christianity.  People will respond to the calls from the Church reinforced by our positive example.

 Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Corinthians 3:1-9; Luke 4:38-44)

In today’s first reading St. Paul addresses a division in the Christian community at Corinth.  He urges those who see themselves as disciples of Apollo and those who claim to be followers of Paul himself to end their rivalry.  In today’s Church there is evidence of a similar disunity.  Many Catholics consider themselves as conservative while others describe themselves as liberal or progressive.  The two sides also have their heroes.  St. John Paul II represents the conservative contingent, and Pope Francis is taken as the standard-bearer of the liberals.

Paul recognizes the foolishness of such division.  He accuses those who participate in the rivalry as “fleshy people,” no more than “infants” in the faith.  He desires that the community reimage itself as a whole that has been assisted be both himself and Apollo.  Finally, he exhorts all members to understand themselves as God’s children.

As much as we allow the conservative-liberal dichotomy to thrive, our gospel message will be weakened.  Certainly there are different mindsets among Church members.  However, on close inspection there are ways in which some conservatives share values more with liberals, and vice versa, than with their own cohorts.  More importantly, the common ground of both sectors is vast and differs significantly from secular territory.  For the sake of the gospel then and for the needed support we provide one another, we must strive to overcome division.

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

 

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and Doctor of the Church

(I Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37)

In today’s first reading St. Paul almost opposes the “Spirit of God” to the “Spirit of the world.”  There are great differences between the two.  The “Spirit of God” promotes love, peace, and understanding, and the “spirit of the world” often advises pleasure, prestige, and power.  But often enough the world, imbued with the Holy Spirit since Christ’s mission on earth, reflects God’s goodness.

St. Gregory the Great recognized that the material world is not bad in and of itself.  He encouraged missionaries to use the vestiges of paganism to evangelize.  As pagan worshipped nature, Gregory condoned processions into the fields to bless natural surroundings.  As pagans kept idols, Gregory admonished missionaries to consider the saints as minor deities worthy of veneration.

We also should not condemn things material.  Objectively, they are neutral.  They may be put to good or to bad uses.  Of course, we want to make good use of everything so that they too may give praise to God.

Monday, September 2, 2024

 

Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 2:1-5; Luke 4:16-30)

Jesus’ discourse in Nazareth’s synagogue might have been delivered to the Labor Day Breakfast of the AFL-CIO.  It clearly addresses social concerns with a priority of the poor.  Jesus knows that men and women need fair wages, affordable health insurance, and freedom to associate so that they can avoid desperation and thank God.

Jesus was no slouch in the social arena.  He continually raged against Pharisees for burdening peasants with unimportant religious niceties.  The sermon today, which has been seen as an inaugural address, presents Jesus’ enlightened position on a number of issues including assistance to the needy and aid to the persecuted.

Despite the huge differences in the two major political parties of the United States, it is encouraging to see both championing the poor.  Government, after all, has a role to play in the development of a society although it is not as important to that end as the family.