Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah 3:31-34; Matthew 16:13-23)
It has been seven months since the earthquake in Haiti killed approximately 300,000. Pictures now appear in our newspapers showing the tent cities in which 500,000 survivors are forced to reside. With all the misery these poor people have experienced, prospects are still grim for relief soon. The rainy season is beginning in earnest possibly bringing not only discomfort but also disease.
Haiti today is like the devastated Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s time. Hope in the holy city is scant as the Babylonians have completely desecrated the Temple, killed thousands of people, and taken into captivity many other thousands as booty. “What good could possibly come of all this?” the prophet, a survivor, surely asks himself. But he does not remain in disillusion very long. He feels the Holy Spirit speaking inside him. Like a musical round that refuses to leave one’s consciousness repeating itself with words of consolation, the Spirit speaks. “I will write my law upon their hearts,” it says. The people will never stray forget God’s law again because it is indelibly engraved in them. Rather it will bring righteousness in individual lives and justice in society.
The law of which the prophet foretells and Jesus proclaims is none other than God’s Holy Spirit. Inscribed upon our hearts with Baptism, the Spirit prompts us to always do good, to avoid evil, and to love sincerely. It has a written counterpart in the Sermon on the Mount, but it is first and foremost spiritual, intractable, comforting even more than exacting.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest
(Jeremiah 31:1-7; Matthew 15:21-28)
When finishing the annual Passover meal, Jews say together, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Probably even Jews living in Jerusalem express this hope. For Jews Jerusalem is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. It is shalom, peace, under God’s protection. It is the heavenly state.
Jeremiah’s prophecy in the first reading promises that the Jews will return to their land which certainly includes Jerusalem. In the desert, as the city of Babylon must have appeared to them, they would be liberated from their sins. Then the Lord will look after their safe return. Christians take a broader view of the prophecy. For us liberation comes through Christ’s death and resurrection which does not put us in Jerusalem so much as puts Jerusalem in each of us. This takes place by Christ imparting his Spirit to us so that we might live intimately with him.
Today the Church remembers a man who lived a rather ordinary life in a truly remarkable way. St. John Vianney was a parish priest in the French village of Ars. Yet he dedicated himself to the Lord in every respect and became known for wisdom as well as piety. People came from all over the country seeking his solace. It was as if all the glory of Jerusalem beamed in his soul.
(Jeremiah 31:1-7; Matthew 15:21-28)
When finishing the annual Passover meal, Jews say together, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Probably even Jews living in Jerusalem express this hope. For Jews Jerusalem is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. It is shalom, peace, under God’s protection. It is the heavenly state.
Jeremiah’s prophecy in the first reading promises that the Jews will return to their land which certainly includes Jerusalem. In the desert, as the city of Babylon must have appeared to them, they would be liberated from their sins. Then the Lord will look after their safe return. Christians take a broader view of the prophecy. For us liberation comes through Christ’s death and resurrection which does not put us in Jerusalem so much as puts Jerusalem in each of us. This takes place by Christ imparting his Spirit to us so that we might live intimately with him.
Today the Church remembers a man who lived a rather ordinary life in a truly remarkable way. St. John Vianney was a parish priest in the French village of Ars. Yet he dedicated himself to the Lord in every respect and became known for wisdom as well as piety. People came from all over the country seeking his solace. It was as if all the glory of Jerusalem beamed in his soul.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah 30:1-2.12-15.18-22; Matthew 14:22-36)
Society yearns for a savior. Not only religious people but, on a gut level, the common person know that humans cannot achieve happiness alone. For this reason the movie “Avatar” has been such a raging success. The protagonist Jake Sully saves the inhabitants of the planet Pandora from profit-driven, ecologically-careless predators. But Jake is an erratic savior. As his surname implies, he is not perfect. After all, he has human origins and does not rise above promiscuous desire.
Of course, humanity already has a savior – a historic person who has not only conquered sin and death but has spirited us with his love. The world needs to turn to Jesus as Peter does in the gospel and not be over-charmed by fantastic imitations brandishing contemporary social values.
In the reading from Jeremiah today we hear again of the need for salvation. The prophet speaks on God’s behalf of the people’s egregious sins. They are completely incapable of repairing their fate. God, however, shows Himself as ever merciful. He will restore their peace and make them, once again, his people. We believe that God has fulfilled this prophecy in Jesus Christ. For this reason we devote ourselves to imitating his love.
(Jeremiah 30:1-2.12-15.18-22; Matthew 14:22-36)
Society yearns for a savior. Not only religious people but, on a gut level, the common person know that humans cannot achieve happiness alone. For this reason the movie “Avatar” has been such a raging success. The protagonist Jake Sully saves the inhabitants of the planet Pandora from profit-driven, ecologically-careless predators. But Jake is an erratic savior. As his surname implies, he is not perfect. After all, he has human origins and does not rise above promiscuous desire.
Of course, humanity already has a savior – a historic person who has not only conquered sin and death but has spirited us with his love. The world needs to turn to Jesus as Peter does in the gospel and not be over-charmed by fantastic imitations brandishing contemporary social values.
In the reading from Jeremiah today we hear again of the need for salvation. The prophet speaks on God’s behalf of the people’s egregious sins. They are completely incapable of repairing their fate. God, however, shows Himself as ever merciful. He will restore their peace and make them, once again, his people. We believe that God has fulfilled this prophecy in Jesus Christ. For this reason we devote ourselves to imitating his love.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah 28:1-17; Matthew 14:13-21)
An interpretation of today’s gospel has captivated many through the centuries. It sees Jesus’ power in feeding the multitudes not so much providing as persuading. That is, rather than somehow producing food for the thousands who stand before him, he merely convinces those who have brought provisions to share with those who are improvident. The result is everyone being full and walking away as friends. This way of telling the story leaves us edified but complacent. “I know someone who could do that,” we might say.
However, such a reading does not come to terms with the context of the miracle. Why does the story say Jesus takes compassion on the people? What is the significance of their being in a deserted place? Do not the details of seven objects to be distributed and twelve baskets of leftovers have special meaning? These indicators should make us aware that the gospel tradition has something very different in mind than Jesus as a convincing orator. They hint that Jesus, like the Lord in Exodus, cares for his followers and provides for their needs. The meager provisions, like the manna found on the desert floor, are sufficient because he stands behind them. The abundant oversupply indicates that he will feed a nation of followers.
Hearing the story the way that it was told and retold in the first century, we can assure ourselves that Jesus cares for us. Maybe we have just lost a job and feel very uncertain about making house payments in six months. The gospel is assuring us that we need not curse or lose sleep. Jesus takes compassion on us and will provide. We need only recommit ourselves to him.
(Jeremiah 28:1-17; Matthew 14:13-21)
An interpretation of today’s gospel has captivated many through the centuries. It sees Jesus’ power in feeding the multitudes not so much providing as persuading. That is, rather than somehow producing food for the thousands who stand before him, he merely convinces those who have brought provisions to share with those who are improvident. The result is everyone being full and walking away as friends. This way of telling the story leaves us edified but complacent. “I know someone who could do that,” we might say.
However, such a reading does not come to terms with the context of the miracle. Why does the story say Jesus takes compassion on the people? What is the significance of their being in a deserted place? Do not the details of seven objects to be distributed and twelve baskets of leftovers have special meaning? These indicators should make us aware that the gospel tradition has something very different in mind than Jesus as a convincing orator. They hint that Jesus, like the Lord in Exodus, cares for his followers and provides for their needs. The meager provisions, like the manna found on the desert floor, are sufficient because he stands behind them. The abundant oversupply indicates that he will feed a nation of followers.
Hearing the story the way that it was told and retold in the first century, we can assure ourselves that Jesus cares for us. Maybe we have just lost a job and feel very uncertain about making house payments in six months. The gospel is assuring us that we need not curse or lose sleep. Jesus takes compassion on us and will provide. We need only recommit ourselves to him.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Matthew 13:54-58)
The filmmaker Woody Allen has a bleak view of human life. He says that it is “brutal… agonizing, meaningless experience, with some oases, delight some charm and peace, but these are just small oases.” In this vein Allen’s movie characters can commit wanton murder without remorse. Many people might agree with Allen if they thought through the ways in which they live. But they are content with reveling in those infrequent oases that seem to give life a modicum of value.
We can hear the prophet Jeremiah and Jesus in the readings today preaching a message contrary to that of Woody Allen. Through mystical experience they have perceived God’s overwhelming light. So illumined, they proclaim His love for the people and the need that the people recommit themselves to Him. Of course, it seems like too much a promise and too high a price for a people convinced that darkness pervades existence like the clouds of a hurricane. For this reason, they call for Jeremiah’s death and for Jesus’ withdrawal.
Amidst hardship in life – cancer, poverty, and deceit – we continue believing in the prophetic message which Jesus has demonstrated with ultimate clarity. It may be difficult at times, but we refuse to curse both the world’s turmoil and our own trying lot. We see our destiny linked to Jesus’ who had to die on the cross to be raised to eternal life. This hope gives us the courage to profess with our lives that love and virtue are imminently worth the effort.
(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Matthew 13:54-58)
The filmmaker Woody Allen has a bleak view of human life. He says that it is “brutal… agonizing, meaningless experience, with some oases, delight some charm and peace, but these are just small oases.” In this vein Allen’s movie characters can commit wanton murder without remorse. Many people might agree with Allen if they thought through the ways in which they live. But they are content with reveling in those infrequent oases that seem to give life a modicum of value.
We can hear the prophet Jeremiah and Jesus in the readings today preaching a message contrary to that of Woody Allen. Through mystical experience they have perceived God’s overwhelming light. So illumined, they proclaim His love for the people and the need that the people recommit themselves to Him. Of course, it seems like too much a promise and too high a price for a people convinced that darkness pervades existence like the clouds of a hurricane. For this reason, they call for Jeremiah’s death and for Jesus’ withdrawal.
Amidst hardship in life – cancer, poverty, and deceit – we continue believing in the prophetic message which Jesus has demonstrated with ultimate clarity. It may be difficult at times, but we refuse to curse both the world’s turmoil and our own trying lot. We see our destiny linked to Jesus’ who had to die on the cross to be raised to eternal life. This hope gives us the courage to profess with our lives that love and virtue are imminently worth the effort.
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