The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Did the Son of God have to become human? This question sounds academic but is worthy of everyone’s thought. Might God have led humans out of sin by a way other than the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? The doctors of the Church answer “no.” Human disobedience sin was so egregious that only someone commensurate with God but like us in nature could atone for it. Some of these doctors go on to say that God may also have become human just out of goodness. He wanted to express His love for us in the most intimate way.
In the same way we might speculate whether it was necessary for Sts. Peter and Paul to come to Rome. Although there is not the same necessity for establishing the church in Rome as in having the Incarnation, there is a parallel reason. In the first century Rome was the center of much of the world. If the message of Christ was to proceed to all nations, it would have its greatest bounce from Rome. Indeed, Rome gave impetus for the evangelization of the world as the blood of the two greatest apostles was shed there.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. It is the patronal feast of Rome where most everyone takes a holiday. The rest of the world sees the feast as a way to contemplate the authority of the pope, the bishop of Rome. Like Peter he is the symbol of unity of the Church. Like Paul he has the commission to assure the spread of the gospel. In the United States we will wait until next week for a holiday. Today, however, we joyfully thank God for these two saints.
Homilette for Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thursday, XII Ordinary Time
(Matthew 7)
In a movie depicting life in the Bronx during the 1960s a man of experience advises a teenage boy how to determine if his date would be a worthy girl friend. He says that the boy should open the car door for the girl to let her in. Then if she doesn’t reach over to unlock the door on the driver’s side, she is self-centered and should be dropped therewith. The advice is not unlike the test that Jesus provides in the gospel for those worthy of heaven.
Jesus warns about praying a lot -- saying “Lord, Lord” -- but doing nothing to indicate fidelity. He is critical also of striving to accomplish remarkable feats but lacking humility and innocence. On judgment day Jesus says that he will be looking for those who have each day practiced his standards of perfection. It’s a tall order, of course, but Jesus will send us the Holy Spirit so that we might fill it.
This gospel passage ends the Sermon on the Mount, the so-called blueprint of the Christian life. It has introduced a new kind of morality – one not based exclusively on outward acts or only on inner prayer. No, for Jesus thought, word, and deed all have to be beyond reproach. In outlining the new morality Jesus has shown himself to be a greater lawgiver than Moses. The latter only brought God’s law on tablets from the mountaintop. Jesus, on the other hand, shows himself to be the actual lawgiver -- the one who speaks as God with his own authority.
(Matthew 7)
In a movie depicting life in the Bronx during the 1960s a man of experience advises a teenage boy how to determine if his date would be a worthy girl friend. He says that the boy should open the car door for the girl to let her in. Then if she doesn’t reach over to unlock the door on the driver’s side, she is self-centered and should be dropped therewith. The advice is not unlike the test that Jesus provides in the gospel for those worthy of heaven.
Jesus warns about praying a lot -- saying “Lord, Lord” -- but doing nothing to indicate fidelity. He is critical also of striving to accomplish remarkable feats but lacking humility and innocence. On judgment day Jesus says that he will be looking for those who have each day practiced his standards of perfection. It’s a tall order, of course, but Jesus will send us the Holy Spirit so that we might fill it.
This gospel passage ends the Sermon on the Mount, the so-called blueprint of the Christian life. It has introduced a new kind of morality – one not based exclusively on outward acts or only on inner prayer. No, for Jesus thought, word, and deed all have to be beyond reproach. In outlining the new morality Jesus has shown himself to be a greater lawgiver than Moses. The latter only brought God’s law on tablets from the mountaintop. Jesus, on the other hand, shows himself to be the actual lawgiver -- the one who speaks as God with his own authority.
Homilette for Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Wednesday, XII Ordinary Time
(Genesis 15)
People say that sex sells. Just noting all the attention given to Paris Hilton, who could deny that truth? But fear also makes a successful salesman. Remember Karl Malden warning us a generation ago not to “leave home without them”? No doubt, American Express sold a treasury of travelers’ checks on that note of fear. In the first reading we see Abram exasperated by the fear of having to leave the virtual empire God promises him to an unrelated heir.
Fear often blinds us to our responsibilities. At one time fear drove people to seek quarantine, not assistance, for people with AIDS. Fearing the judgment of others, we can likewise falter in tasks that we normally accomplish with ease. How many times have we become tongue-tied when speaking to an authority figure when words normally flow out of our mouths like water from a tap?
God assures Abram that there is no need for fear. What is essential is that he have faith and then to do what is required of him. Faith provides the margin of accomplishment because it links us with the Almighty. It enables Abram to leave behind his homeland and then to let go of his complaint that he has no child heir. God calls on undreamt powers – the fire in the midst of darkness – to accomplish His will on Abram's behalf. Trusting in God we too cannot lose in the long run despite the setbacks we face. Jesus Christ – by far the brightest star in the firmament of Abraham’s descendents – has assured us of victory over death itself. But first, we have to put our faith in him through prayer.
(Genesis 15)
People say that sex sells. Just noting all the attention given to Paris Hilton, who could deny that truth? But fear also makes a successful salesman. Remember Karl Malden warning us a generation ago not to “leave home without them”? No doubt, American Express sold a treasury of travelers’ checks on that note of fear. In the first reading we see Abram exasperated by the fear of having to leave the virtual empire God promises him to an unrelated heir.
Fear often blinds us to our responsibilities. At one time fear drove people to seek quarantine, not assistance, for people with AIDS. Fearing the judgment of others, we can likewise falter in tasks that we normally accomplish with ease. How many times have we become tongue-tied when speaking to an authority figure when words normally flow out of our mouths like water from a tap?
God assures Abram that there is no need for fear. What is essential is that he have faith and then to do what is required of him. Faith provides the margin of accomplishment because it links us with the Almighty. It enables Abram to leave behind his homeland and then to let go of his complaint that he has no child heir. God calls on undreamt powers – the fire in the midst of darkness – to accomplish His will on Abram's behalf. Trusting in God we too cannot lose in the long run despite the setbacks we face. Jesus Christ – by far the brightest star in the firmament of Abraham’s descendents – has assured us of victory over death itself. But first, we have to put our faith in him through prayer.
Homilette for Tuesday, June 26
Tuesday, XII Ordinary Time
(Matthew 7)
A few years ago a magazine parodied the Church’s concern that people who are not prepared to receive Holy Communion nevertheless go to take it. The magazine compared giving notice that reception of the Eucharist is intended for faithful Catholics in the state of grace to having a bouncer at the Communion rail. Yet the gospel proscription today of giving “what is holy to dogs” has been interpreted from early times in the Church as a warning not to admit the unbaptized or the unrepentant to the Eucharist.
The Eucharistic bread and wine are, after all, Christ himself. He comes to bring us peace and to strengthen us against evil. Everyone, of course, needs this assistance. But unless one recognizes him and is not encumbered by sin, accepting him in Communion is like exercising immediately after a full meal. It will not improve but only jeopardize one’s well-being.
Of course, suggesting that people are like dogs sounds rash to our ears. It was an expression of first century Judaism just as twenty-first century Americans innocently call the elderly as well girls “guys” – a term once reserved for young men. We do well not to judge Jesus by the colloquialisms he uses but to judge ourselves by the universal standard he sets when he says, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”
(Matthew 7)
A few years ago a magazine parodied the Church’s concern that people who are not prepared to receive Holy Communion nevertheless go to take it. The magazine compared giving notice that reception of the Eucharist is intended for faithful Catholics in the state of grace to having a bouncer at the Communion rail. Yet the gospel proscription today of giving “what is holy to dogs” has been interpreted from early times in the Church as a warning not to admit the unbaptized or the unrepentant to the Eucharist.
The Eucharistic bread and wine are, after all, Christ himself. He comes to bring us peace and to strengthen us against evil. Everyone, of course, needs this assistance. But unless one recognizes him and is not encumbered by sin, accepting him in Communion is like exercising immediately after a full meal. It will not improve but only jeopardize one’s well-being.
Of course, suggesting that people are like dogs sounds rash to our ears. It was an expression of first century Judaism just as twenty-first century Americans innocently call the elderly as well girls “guys” – a term once reserved for young men. We do well not to judge Jesus by the colloquialisms he uses but to judge ourselves by the universal standard he sets when he says, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”
Homilette for Monday, June 25, 2007
Monday, XII Week of Ordinary Time
(Genesis 12)
Fr. Tim Cavanaugh is the priest-protagonist of a series of novels by Jan Karon. In the morning Fr. Cavanaugh prays in his church, “Father, make me a blessing for someone today.” We might all follow his example. God makes us a blessing when we take time to console someone who appears troubled. Likewise, we become a blessing as we strive to execute our work with utmost care.
In the reading from Genesis God tells Abram that he will be a blessing for all the communities of the earth. We can see this prophecy fulfilled as three of the great religions of the world -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- see in Abram (or Abraham) their spiritual father. But Abram is not just a man whose off-spring has multiplied like grains of sands. After all, that does not recommend anyone very much. Rather, Abram has become a true blessing in modeling for us trust in God. At seventy-five Abram probably feels like it is time to retire to his homestead. But at the Lord’s insistence he uproots family and farm to journey wherever God leads him.
In a time that flaunts “rapid rewards” and “instant gratification” we may find it difficult to trust. God often seems to ask that we wait patiently for the good that we seek. So singles worry that they will never meet Mr. or Ms. “Right,” and the sick wonder if they will ever have another pain-free day. They, as the rest of us, are called to let go of personal desires so that God might work great blessings through us. Amazingly, when we do so, we are likely to find ourselves immeasurably fulfilled.
(Genesis 12)
Fr. Tim Cavanaugh is the priest-protagonist of a series of novels by Jan Karon. In the morning Fr. Cavanaugh prays in his church, “Father, make me a blessing for someone today.” We might all follow his example. God makes us a blessing when we take time to console someone who appears troubled. Likewise, we become a blessing as we strive to execute our work with utmost care.
In the reading from Genesis God tells Abram that he will be a blessing for all the communities of the earth. We can see this prophecy fulfilled as three of the great religions of the world -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- see in Abram (or Abraham) their spiritual father. But Abram is not just a man whose off-spring has multiplied like grains of sands. After all, that does not recommend anyone very much. Rather, Abram has become a true blessing in modeling for us trust in God. At seventy-five Abram probably feels like it is time to retire to his homestead. But at the Lord’s insistence he uproots family and farm to journey wherever God leads him.
In a time that flaunts “rapid rewards” and “instant gratification” we may find it difficult to trust. God often seems to ask that we wait patiently for the good that we seek. So singles worry that they will never meet Mr. or Ms. “Right,” and the sick wonder if they will ever have another pain-free day. They, as the rest of us, are called to let go of personal desires so that God might work great blessings through us. Amazingly, when we do so, we are likely to find ourselves immeasurably fulfilled.
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