Thursday, November 7, 2013

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 14:7-12; Luke 15:1-10)

St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans ends with what is called a paraclesis.  This Greek word means exhortation.  What we know as chapters 12 to 15 of Romans provides a moral exhortation on how to live the faith so vibrantly expressed in chapters 1 to 11.  In no way does Paul mean to separate morality from faith in Jesus.  Quite the contrary, he wants to show how the former flows from the latter.

In today’s first reading Paul shows how Christians do not live for themselves but for one another.  They all belong to Christ’s body and, therefore, should be wary of making superficial judgments of one another.  They are further reminded that the Lord will judge them on the basis of their fairness in judging others.

Often Catholics view Church moral teachings like the prohibition of artificial contraception as rules imposed arbitrarily by bishops to protect the people from flirting with evil.  This is not true.  Of course, pastors do not want their people to court sinfulness, but Church moral teaching flows from its understanding of what God has ordained for His people.  Once again, it is a matter of morality flowing from faith.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 13:8-10; Luke 14:25-33)

Gospel commentators call Jesus’ saying that his followers are to hate their families a Semiticism.”  This term means the way Jesus’ contemporaries expressed themselves in their own language.  Evidently the Aramaic language, which Jesus spoke, did not use comparatives.  For Jesus to mean that his disciples had to love him more than their families, he had to say that they were to love him and to hate their families.  Of course, he never intended that they were to scorn their loved ones.  After all, how could Jesus -- who taught about the primacy of love long before St. Paul wrote about it to the Romans – want us, his followers, to literally hate those who mean the most to us? 

But still some of us may have trouble with the idea of loving Jesus more than our children and our parents, to say nothing of our spouses.  “How could we do that?” we might ask.  The answer is both simple and hopeful.  First, we can and should love Jesus above all because he is so good – really perfect.  Then, by loving Jesus above all, we actually love our children, our parents, and our spouses not less but better.  Primary allegiance to Jesus means doing what is truly good for all.  We will not confuse indulgence with care and give in to the whims of our children.  We will not accept the prejudices that lived in our parents’ home but treat all people with respect.  We will not allow communication with our spouses to shrivel but make a continued effort to express our thoughts and feelings. 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 12:5-16ab; Luke 14:15-24)

In Seven Habits for Highly Effective People management guru Stephen Covey sets keeping the end in mind as one of the highest priorities.  Effective people know where they are going and organize their resources to get there.  Jesus gives a similar rule of success in the gospel today.

The passage begins with a pious comment, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.”  A place at the table in God’s house is the goal of every Christian at least as a Christian.  Unfortunately, she or he often lets other concerns obstruct the way to that table.  Jesus tells a parable of people invited to a dinner party who allow business and family interests get in their way of accepting the invitation.  Just as they lose their chance of enjoying the feast, those who put work or relatives ahead of doing God’s will are not to share in salvation.

Usually we have little trouble honoring God and attending to business.  God often blesses those who abide by His will with success in their work and happiness in their homes.  Still at times there may be a conflict of interests; for example, a man grapples with the option of padding his expense account to provide more income for his family and being strictly honest.  This is really no dilemma for the one who has set his sights squarely on the Kingdom of God.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop

(Romans 11:29-36; 14:12-14)

When Pope Francis tells bishops to refrain from trips abroad to be with their people, he is echoing an abuse prevalent in the Renaissance church.  Bishops of remote dioceses would live in the great cities of the time spending the money of the people they left behind.  This kind of abuse triggered the Protestant reformation and the vigorous Catholic reform from within directed by the Council of Trent.  St. Charles Borromeo, whom we remember today, was one of the leaders of the latter movement.

In some ways Charles was not a likely candidate for leading reform.  Born into a prominent Italian family, he was chosen by his uncle, Pope Pius IV, to be a cardinal and the administrator of the diocese of Milan at twenty-two years of age – a clear case of nepotism.  However, Charles not only took part in the Tridentine Council but vigorously instituted its reforms by establishing seminaries and religious education for children.  When the plague ravished Milan, he personally saw to the care of the sick-poor.

St. Paul writes in the first reading “how unsearchable are (God’s) ways!”  We should recognize that God often works beyond the norms that we impose on reality to produce good where it is unexpected.  This is not to say that we shouldn’t have norms like “no more nepotism” but to caution us from judging any situation differing with our norms as inherently bad.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Solemnity of All Saints

(Revelation 7:2-4.9-14; I John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12a)

A distinguished attorney is asked, “Who is the most important person in the courtroom (to assure justice).”  Perhaps it is the judge who sees that that due process is followed.  Or maybe it is the collective members of the jury who make the final decision regarding innocence or guilt.  Or possibly it is the defense lawyer himself who must investigate his client’s case and persuade the jury with convincing evidence.  The man responds that after many decades practicing law as prosecutor, judge, and defense attorney, he believes that the most important person in a courtroom is a reliable witness.   Such a witness’s truthfulness and conviction become the determining factors in bringing about justice.

We can define saints as reliable witnesses to Jesus.  By relying on God, by striving after righteousness, by reconciling opponents, and by practicing all the beatitudes, saints witness to the primacy of Jesus’ message and the efficacy of his grace.  Their words and, more so, their actions provide testimony that Jesus has risen from the dead to actively support his followers.

The Church has officially declared only seven thousand or so saints.  But this number hardly indicates all the people throughout twenty centuries of Christianity who have lived the beatitudes.  Today we celebrate the millions of un-proclaimed saints who have given reliable witness to Jesus.  Their number includes an African-American slave who lived so graciously that the slave-owning family buried her in the family plot proudly claiming her as kin.  All of us have known people much better than ourselves who, we are sure, belong to the legion of reliable witnesses to Jesus.