Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ex 19:1-2. 9-11.16-20b; Matthew 13:10-17)
Flannery O’Connor is a peculiar Catholic American novelist. She is Catholic because she understands the working of grace according to Thomistic theology. She is peculiar because her characters are typically the most strident of her southern, Protestant neighbors. They are ardently evangelical and, sometimes, grotesquely two-faced. When she was asked why she wrote about such strange characters, she answered that when people are near deaf, you have to shout at them.
Jesus responds similarly to the question, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” He says, in effect, they paint big, beautiful pictures so common people may appreciate God’s call to reform. On the other hand, they will challenge the sophisticated who find his stories simplistic and his teaching unappreciative of their learning.
In our day the sophisticated tote I-phones and I-pads and have busy schedules that seem to make it difficult to pray regularly and to attend to the needy. They may be like us. We should realize what the parables make obvious: God is our Father who lovingly calls us back to Him through His Son, Jesus the Christ.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 16:1-5.9-15; Matthew 13:1-9)
Jesus mentions “rich soil” in the gospel parable. Of what does that consist? Has it anything to do with Catholic education? Empirical research indicates that it might. According to a survey published six years ago Catholics who attended Catholic high schools in the U.S. are more likely to claim a strong allegiance to the Church and a habit of praying regularly.
But this is not to say that one needs to go to Loyola to be a committed Christian. Rich soil may be prepared in numerous ways. Most importantly, it is a matter of encountering Christ in the sacraments. Listening to the Word of God pronounced there pulverizes the rocky earth of egotism. Feeling the touch of Christ in the sacramental signs eviscerates the thorns of greed and lust.
(Exodus 16:1-5.9-15; Matthew 13:1-9)
Jesus mentions “rich soil” in the gospel parable. Of what does that consist? Has it anything to do with Catholic education? Empirical research indicates that it might. According to a survey published six years ago Catholics who attended Catholic high schools in the U.S. are more likely to claim a strong allegiance to the Church and a habit of praying regularly.
But this is not to say that one needs to go to Loyola to be a committed Christian. Rich soil may be prepared in numerous ways. Most importantly, it is a matter of encountering Christ in the sacraments. Listening to the Word of God pronounced there pulverizes the rocky earth of egotism. Feeling the touch of Christ in the sacramental signs eviscerates the thorns of greed and lust.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 14:21-15:1; Matthew 12:46-30)
“Parish Renewal” was established thirty years or so ago to evangelize people who are already going to church. At one point in the weekend retreat the pastor is to encourage parish unity by saying, “Blood is thicker than water.” “How do we share the same blood?” the parishioners might wonder. The pastor then explains, “We all drink the blood of Christ.”
Jesus emphasizes the unity of his disciples with him in today’s gospel. Even closer than his blood relatives are to him, he implies, are those who accept God as Father. They have assimilated his message and can be counted upon to assist those with acute needs that Jesus especially identifies with.
God has given us one another in the Church as friends who make life enjoyable and relatives to support and help. With Jesus himself they give cause for the highest praise to God.
(Exodus 14:21-15:1; Matthew 12:46-30)
“Parish Renewal” was established thirty years or so ago to evangelize people who are already going to church. At one point in the weekend retreat the pastor is to encourage parish unity by saying, “Blood is thicker than water.” “How do we share the same blood?” the parishioners might wonder. The pastor then explains, “We all drink the blood of Christ.”
Jesus emphasizes the unity of his disciples with him in today’s gospel. Even closer than his blood relatives are to him, he implies, are those who accept God as Father. They have assimilated his message and can be counted upon to assist those with acute needs that Jesus especially identifies with.
God has given us one another in the Church as friends who make life enjoyable and relatives to support and help. With Jesus himself they give cause for the highest praise to God.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 14:5-18; Matthew 12:28-32)
Pope Benedict has penned a charming anecdote about his ordination to the priesthood sixty years ago. He writes that when the archbishop laid his hands on his head, a little bird warbled a joyful song on the high altar of the cathedral. The pope warns his readers that Catholics should not be superstitious but, nevertheless, finds it appropriate to interpret the bird’s tweeter as a sign of God’s approval.
In today’s gospel the Pharisees refuse to accept all that Jesus has done as a sign of God’s authorization for his mission. They demand a further sign although do not specify what would suffice. Would they be satisfied with Jesus’ calling down fire from heaven to burn up an offering like Elias performed? Probably not because, as Jesus points, they will not accept even his rising from the dead as indicating God’s approval. The sad fact is that they have already closed their minds and hearts to faith in him.
As Pope Benedict indicates, we must be careful in seeking signs. We should not demand an inexplicable happening as divine testimony for what we are saying or doing. Yet we can and perhaps should see in the good things that happen to us as God’s blessing when we determinedly strive to carry out His will.
(Exodus 14:5-18; Matthew 12:28-32)
Pope Benedict has penned a charming anecdote about his ordination to the priesthood sixty years ago. He writes that when the archbishop laid his hands on his head, a little bird warbled a joyful song on the high altar of the cathedral. The pope warns his readers that Catholics should not be superstitious but, nevertheless, finds it appropriate to interpret the bird’s tweeter as a sign of God’s approval.
In today’s gospel the Pharisees refuse to accept all that Jesus has done as a sign of God’s authorization for his mission. They demand a further sign although do not specify what would suffice. Would they be satisfied with Jesus’ calling down fire from heaven to burn up an offering like Elias performed? Probably not because, as Jesus points, they will not accept even his rising from the dead as indicating God’s approval. The sad fact is that they have already closed their minds and hearts to faith in him.
As Pope Benedict indicates, we must be careful in seeking signs. We should not demand an inexplicable happening as divine testimony for what we are saying or doing. Yet we can and perhaps should see in the good things that happen to us as God’s blessing when we determinedly strive to carry out His will.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church
(Exodus 11:1-12:14; Matthew 12:1-8)
Thirteen years ago Blessed John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter entitled, “The Lord’s Day.” In it he tried to awaken Catholics to the glory of reserving one day a week for prayer, family, and leisure. He also challenged the secularizing idea of weekend which stretches a day for giving thanks in beloved company into two days or more of pursuing personal ambitions. The letter is vintage John Paul: intensely human, deeply reflective, and devoutly holy.
In the Gospel reading today Jesus provides us with his own reflection on the Sabbath. Of course, for him it is the very end of the week, not its beginning. As in Orthodox Jewish communities today, the Sabbath in Jesus’ time is rigorously regulated: no cooking, no walking beyond what amounts to a kilometer, no jumping or handclapping. But observance of the Sabbath was not always so strict. Before the Babylonian Exile the people were more relaxed about keeping the Sabbath. From today’s passage it can be said that Jesus prefers the more flexible interpretation.
Do we feel a twinge of guilt when we stop at Wal-Mart on the way home from church or go to the office for a few hours on Sunday evening? It would not necessarily be unhealthy if we did. We cannot say that such actions are inherently sinful. Indeed, Jesus defends similar deviations from the norm in today’s passage. But still we should not let Sunday go by without giving primary consideration to Jesus. He is, after all, “Lord of the Sabbath.”
(Exodus 11:1-12:14; Matthew 12:1-8)
Thirteen years ago Blessed John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter entitled, “The Lord’s Day.” In it he tried to awaken Catholics to the glory of reserving one day a week for prayer, family, and leisure. He also challenged the secularizing idea of weekend which stretches a day for giving thanks in beloved company into two days or more of pursuing personal ambitions. The letter is vintage John Paul: intensely human, deeply reflective, and devoutly holy.
In the Gospel reading today Jesus provides us with his own reflection on the Sabbath. Of course, for him it is the very end of the week, not its beginning. As in Orthodox Jewish communities today, the Sabbath in Jesus’ time is rigorously regulated: no cooking, no walking beyond what amounts to a kilometer, no jumping or handclapping. But observance of the Sabbath was not always so strict. Before the Babylonian Exile the people were more relaxed about keeping the Sabbath. From today’s passage it can be said that Jesus prefers the more flexible interpretation.
Do we feel a twinge of guilt when we stop at Wal-Mart on the way home from church or go to the office for a few hours on Sunday evening? It would not necessarily be unhealthy if we did. We cannot say that such actions are inherently sinful. Indeed, Jesus defends similar deviations from the norm in today’s passage. But still we should not let Sunday go by without giving primary consideration to Jesus. He is, after all, “Lord of the Sabbath.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)