Monday, November 11, 2024

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, bishop

(Titus 1:1-9; Luke 17:1-6)

If the sudden use of “bishop” in today’s first reading after the author writes of “presbyters” strikes you as odd, your intuition is right.  The two terms, whose meanings are manifestly distinguishable to us, are interchangeable in this letter.  The author, presumably St. Paul although contemporary scholars differ on this, names the qualities of a Church leader.  These are innocence, humility, equanimity, sobriety, calmness, etcetera. St. Martin, bishop of Tours, seems to fit the bill like a DNA matchup.

Martin was born in what is now Hungary.  He entered the army but withdrew as he saw it conflicting with the Christian faith he was assuming.  He was eventually baptized and became a monk, living alone at first but eventually joined by others.  When he was named the bishop of Tours by acclamation, he continued living as a monk and founding monasteries.   Martin was beloved by his people, who dreaded the thought of his dying.  Touched by their solicitation, Martin prayed, “Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work; let your will be done.”

As much as ever, the Church needs leaders like St. Martin of Tours.  Faith is being challenged by the learned.  Moral temptations from hedonists abound.  Individualism impels people away from reconciliatory communities.  Strong leadership would encourage us to live more for God and one another than for ourselves.

SUNDAY, November 10, 2024

 

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(I Kings 17:10-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44)

Today’s readings strike a chord in our hearts. We always feel for widows. The first and third readings today present us with widows who call us not only to sympathy, but also to admiration and imitation.

Although the widow of Zarephath is not an Israelite, she recognizes Elijah as God’s prophet. For this reason she also accepts his request for bread as a divine command that cannot be ignored. She prepares it for him and in return is blessed. Elijah’s prophecy that her jar will never run out of flour and her vessel will never run out of oil will be fulfilled.

In the gospel we meet Jesus in the Temple area. He has just definitively separated himself from the Jewish leadership although not from Jews. The Pharisees and Sadducees have shown themselves to be arrogant and opportunistic willing to exploit even widows. At least in the eyes of the evangelist Mark, they are not worthy of leading the people to God.

A widow catches Jesus' attention. Her donation to the Temple, even if it is the smallest one among the people present, shows true faith. The contributions of the rich may be praiseworthy if their motives are just.  In any case, the two coins deposited by the widow in the treasury deserve more praise. She could have saved one for her own living needs, but she prefers to give everything she has for the glory of God.

One may ask: is her donation prudent? We can answer “yes” because prudence dictates what is most correct and beneficial in a given situation. It is presumed that the widow has a motive for making such a costly gift. It may be to ask God's forgiveness for her dead husband. It is also presumed that she has other means to survive. Perhaps she will ask help from neighbors or continue working despite being infirm.

Jesus takes advantage of the widow's offering to once again teach his disciples. As is his custom he takes them aside.  Then he tells them of the great sacrifice she is making. This sacrifice serves as a prototype for his own since he will soon give up his life as a redemptive sacrifice for the people. The widow’s donation also serves as a lesson in discipleship. Because his disciples must bear their own crosses in following Jesus, self-giving is also prototypical of discipleship.

We should ask ourselves if it is necessary for us to give everything for the glory of God. The correct answer is, again, “yes,” but always with discernment. When we provide for our families as well as for the poor, we are glorifying God. Even when we use some resources for personal edification, it can glorify God. However, when we use them for sinful or selfish motives, we cannot claim that they serve either God or others.

It is almost always the poor who point us to the way of Jesus Christ. Not all, but some appreciate more than most of us that it is Christ who humbled himself to share our mortal state and raise us to salvation. They recognize that in the end it is he, not us and much less the powerful, that we must always strive to please. Sometimes it is the poor who teach us how to live truly well.

Friday, November 8, 2024

 Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

 (Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 16:1-8)

On a tour of the restored Pompeii the guide stopped in front of a house to point out an adornment.  It was a statue of a man whose phallus sticks out when the gate to the yard of the yard opened.  Most of the tourists were fascinated by this banality showing that St. Paul’s warning in today’s first reading as valid as ever.

Paul urges his readers not to copy the ways of the pagan majority.  He sees obsession with fine dining and ubiquitous references to sex in Greek society as anti-Christian.  Jesus’ followers, he would say, do not belong to such a realm.  According to Paul, their homeland is the kingdom of God which is still to come fully into the world.  For now, he would recommend, they need only to comply with the laws of the land like mindful migrants and ignore its mores.  They should take directives for living from the gospel.

Many today believe that the world is slipping back to the paganism that pervaded early roman times.  Homosexual relations and sex out of marriage are promoted as healthy.  Abortion is claimed to be a human right.  Buffets can turn meals into orgies.  We should take care not to be seduced by these kinds of behavior.  Rather, we should live Christian morals and show others how those morals lead to true happiness.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

 Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Philippians 3:3-8; Luke 15:1-10)

In today’s first reading St. Paul oddly writes, “We are the circumcision”.  He means that those who put their faith in Christ have achieved the blessing promised to Abraham’s descendants whom God ordered circumcised. 

Circumcision was a distinguishing mark on Jews that reminded them of their need to be sexually moderate.  It also served as a promise of blessing with God’s protection.  Paul now tells the Philippians that they have received a far greater promise in God’s Son.  Christ will give them victory over death as the final and all-encompassing blessing.

The passage assures us of the same blessing that we have received in Jesus Christ.  We might draw pleasure and even some happiness from worldly goods and relationships.  But our true and final happiness comes through knowing, like Paul, “Jesus Christ (our) Lord.”

 

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Philippians 2:12-18; Luke 14:25-33)

The hard words of today’s gospel must be understood in the context of first century Palestine.  Speaking in Aramaic, which is said not to have “more” or “less” comparisons, Jesus says that his fellow travelers must hate their relatives if they are going to follow him.  He is encouraging them to think deeply before committing themselves to him because their option may well be spurned by their families.

A famous Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhöffer, named the making of sacrifices to remain with Jesus “the cost of discipleship.”  Following the Lord may cost one’s physical life, but no believer should doubt its worth.  Keeping company with Jesus means having eternal life.

Jesus does not want us to hate anyone, least of all our family.  In fact, the more we follow Jesus, the better we will love our immediate family as well as the human family.