Friday, August 22, 2025

 

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Ruth 1:1.3-6.14b-66.22; Matthew 22:34-40)

In the Book of Ruth there are two heroines.  Ruth is valiant for standing with her mother-in-law who loses both husband and sons.  As a foreigner without children, Ruth’s chances of having a family would be better if she seeks a husband among her own people.  When Naomi suggests this option, she shows herself to be selfless and wise.  Perhaps because Naomi is this kind of person, Ruth wants to stay with her and make Naomi’s God her God.

What makes Naomi so God-like?  The question invites speculation: attention to God’s law? compassion from having suffered? perhaps having loving parents herself?  In any case, Naomi embodies God’s covenant with Israel.  She has learned hesed, i.e., steadfast love, from the God of Abraham.  She seeks first not her own welfare but that of others and is happy when the needs of those around her are met.

For us Christians the story of Ruth and Naomi anticipates not only the coming of Christ but also of Mary, his mother.  She will likewise experience the loss of her son while expressing compassion for the needy and devotion to the God of her ancestors. 

Thursday, August 21, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope

(Judges 11:29-39a; Matthew 22:1-14)

Two questions may arise in people’s mind after hearing today’s readings.  First, how could God require Jephthah to sacrifice his own child (or anyone’s child for that matter)?  Second, what if the guest at the wedding feast was too poor to own a wedding garment?  It doesn’t seem right that he be bound and thrown into the darkness.

In regard to the first question, Jephthah was foolish in making such a vow.  It would be only right for him to admit his fault, sacrifice an animal (as Abraham did after being relieved of the command to kill his son) , and allow his daughter to carry on with life.  The gospel parable is to teach the disciples about the kingdom of God.  It should be taken as an allegory, not an historical event.  The man without a wedding garment represents those who are not baptized.  They lack the baptismal dress that the newly baptized were given.  According to Matthew, Jesus is implying that Baptism is necessary for entrance into the Kingdom of God.

Reading Scripture can raise questions.  It was meant to inform and inspire, but it can also cause doubt.  There is, however, no need to remain in doubt for long.  We can meditate over the problems and read commentaries or ask experts to clarify the meaning. Often the troubling passages yield deep insights into God’s ways among men and women.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot and Doctor of the Church

(Judges 9:6-15; Matthew 20:1-16)

The fable in today’s first reading needs explanation.  The story from the Book of Judges relates a sample of the tragic history of Israel in the first centuries in the Promised Land.  At issue is the desire of the people of Shechem, a prominent city of northern Israel for a king. Abimelech, one of the many sons of the judge Gideon, is the leading candidate.  He manipulated the people to kill his seventy brothers.  Jotham, the one brother who survived the slaughter, relates the fable to decry his half-brother’s candidacy.  He says that most trees have the good sense not to be sovereign over the others.  Only the wiliest of all the trees, the buckthorn, will take the office.  By the story Jotham implies that the reign of Abimelech is bringing terror to Shechem.

Abimelech is hardly the first or the last seeker of kingly power.  Humans crave authority so that they may lord it over others.  St. Bernard, a friend to kings of his day, surely knew this.  He embraced an ascetical way of life and became a proponent of humble monasticism.  He wrote a stern letter to a cousin who left his Cistercian reform for the more grandiose life of the Benedictines in Cluny.

If we cannot have kingly status in the world, we may seek it in our homes.  In either arena we should be careful to take our Lord as a model.  A king by nature and achievement he did not lord it over others. He served all --rich and poor – to teach us how to live in humble righteousness.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Judges 6:11-24a; Matthew 19:23-30)

Vocation stories are prominently featured in Scripture.  Moses, Jeremiah, and St. Paul are perhaps the best known.  They demonstrate not only God’s attention to human persons, but also their use in carrying out His purposes.  Today’s first reading describes the call of the judge, Gideon, to defeat Israel’s enemy, the Midianite kingdom.  Not untypical of vocation stories, Gideon expresses doubt that he can be of service.  However, God is looking for faithfulness here, not prowess.  Gideon makes a sacrifice in God’s honor, and God blesses him with the wherewithal to defeat the enemy.

Gideon will lead a reduced army against the numerous Midianites.  When the time for battle arrives, the Lord confuses the Midianite troops so thoroughly that they kill one another.  Israel again conquers its enemies with the help of God.

God is calling each of us.  It takes time to discern what He has in mind.  But by dialoging with the Lord in prayer and showing the same faithfulness as Gideon, we will come to know His will for us.  God does not abandon His people.

Monday, August 18, 2025

 

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Judges 2:9-11; Mathew 19:16-22)

The fact that the man who approaches Jesus in today’s gospel is “young” has a bearing on the passage’s teaching.  The young men are commonly ambitious.  They are willing to do whatever is necessary to obtain their heart’s desire.  They will work twelve or fourteen hours a day to acquire a fortune or will spend a night queued at a ticket office to attend a concert.

It cannot be said that ambition is evil as lust or greed is evil.  However, ambition tends to fog one’s conscience.  Prodded by ambition, a young man or woman may ignore responsibilities to family, friends, or the Lord. In today’s gospel the ambitious young man thinks that he might work to gain heaven as if it were real estate.  He poignantly asks Jesus, “’What must I do to gain eternal life?’” When Jesus points out that heaven requires trust in the Lord, not specific works, the youth’s illusion is shattered.  He cannot give up control of his life, even for an eternal destiny.

We may wonder if we must sell all we own and give the proceeds to the poor to attain eternal life.  Not literally, but we must discern deeply and critically what the Lord expects of us.  Then we must follow up on our conclusions in continual dialogue with him.