Friday, September 5, 2014

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39)

As Americans wait for the fourth Thursday of November, the French get excited around the third Tuesday of that month.  No, the French haven’t adopted Thanksgiving, their celebration is typically unique.  On “Beaujolais Day,” as it is called, the latest vintage of Beaujolais wine goes on market.  Not only does the wine have a tasty fruity quality, it also indicates the caliber of that year’s vintage when the wines mature.  In grape-producing regions like France and Palestine wine serves as a symbol of joy.  For this reason Jesus compares his mission with a new wine in today’s gospel.

Interestingly, Jesus shows no contempt for the old wine, Judaism, when he proclaims his message of God’s kingdom as the new.  He says that some people prefer old wine as, indeed, it has a mellowness to be savored.  But there is no mixing of new wine and old.  Accepting Jesus’ messages means stepping away from Judaic law into the more challenging and more promising realm of gospel love.

 Church history is soiled by anti-Semitic outbursts.  Most likely the cause for of the prejudice has been envy given how successful Jews have been in commerce and the professions.  Certainly the anger against the Jewish faith is misplaced.  Jews, as Luke’s gospel consistently shows, are Jesus’ forbearers always worthy of respect and dialogue.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11)

The poet Alfred Lord Tennyson captures the vigor of ancient adventurers in his poem “Ulysses.”  One line is especially famous: "Tis not too late to seek a newer world."  Already an old man returned from the Trojan War, the hero is not content to sit back and die.  Rather he embarks on a new voyage to accomplish more feats. Jesus instills in the fishermen of today’s gospel a similar spirit.

Peter and company have ended a night's work without any fish to show for their efforts. But after hearing Jesus preach, they do not refute his command to try again. Rowing into deep water, they lower their nets and watch in astonishment the marvelous catch. Jesus then uses the incident as a parable to indicate the successful missionary efforts the fishermen will have as his disciples.

As many of our youth lose interest in the Church, some may become discouraged. They wonder whether the Lord is really here among us.  Of course, he is – closer to us than we are to ourselves as St. Augustine would say.  Let us not fear to put out into the deep.  We have to testify to the young of the Lord’s presence.  He has saved us from danger time and again.  He has also enlightened us continually to perform acts of kindness.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, pope

(I Corinthians 3:1-9; Luke 4:38-44)

At one parish there was an increasingly bitter rivalry between the Guadalupanas (the Sodality of Our Lady of Guadalupe) and the Carmelitas (the Sodality of Our Lady of Mount Carmel).  Each would contend that they were the best women group in the parish and began to shun members of the other group.  The pastor noting the un-Christ like behavior had the women serve each other.  On July 16, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Guadalupanas would serve breakfast to the Carmelitas.  Of course the courtesy was reciprocated on December 12.  In today’s first reading Paul similarly tries to stem the rivalries brewing in Corinth.

After spending over a year with the Corinthians, Paul knows that they have been instructed well.  He has preached, modeled, and taught unity in Christ. He naturally becomes disappointed when they break down into factions like all their neighbors.  He must remind them that they are different from other groups because they have been molded by Christ into his body. In him there is no place rivalry.

Life in Christ makes us a new creation.  We are to leave behind thinking of ourselves as better than others.  We should know more form bands that rival one another than one of our arms would compete with the other for a place of honor.  Christ has made us one in love reflecting the love of him and his Father.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37)

One college man was telling a companion how he was listening to himself recite the Creed at Mass.  He said rather defiantly “Since when do I believe in everything ’seen and unseen’ (these were the days of the former translation)? “I don’t believe in what is unseen.”  He continued, “Since when do I believe in the Holy Spirit? Where is he?  I don’t believe in him.”  Fortunately, the young man was quite drunk and not completely responsible for the blasphemy.  However that may be, his words belie the Spirit of God to whom St. Paul witnesses in the first reading today.

Paul tells the Christians of Corinth that the rebirth in hope that they have experienced is nothing natural.  Rather it comes from God’s very Holy Spirit.  It is not an illusion because it raised Christ from the dead. Indeed, it will bring about their resurrection when Christ returns in glory.  For now the Spirit brings the community together in love despite differences of age, gender, temperament and national origin.

We find the same Spirit at work today.  It enables us to see the world in a different light.  We are not here to show off our talents so that we might be given a fleeting experience of adulation.  No, the Spirit enables us to serve others in humility that we might enjoy God’s eternal wonder.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Labor Day)

(I Corinthians 2:1-5; Luke 4:16-30)

Today many young people prefer to receive Holy Communion on the tongue.  A generation ago, most took the host in the hand.  Some of this latter group probably had hygiene in mind, but others were thinking of the dignity of the human hand.  We work with our hands – whether we are bricklayers or brain surgeons.  In a sense work gives the hand its dignity.

We work so that we might eat, of course.  But we also work to give glory to God by making the world a better place to live.  In fact, the worthiness of one’s work may be measured by how much it improves society.  This does not mean that those whose work is humble – an attendant in comparison with a technician – are not significantly benefitting society.  Indeed, done with care, the work of the attendant may make a greater contribution to the human community than the sloppy performance of a genius.  The labor movement has assisted in this effort by training and exhorting women and men to work with pride.

Jesus in the gospel is presented as a worker.  We see him today returning to his hometown where he is known as the son of Joseph, the carpenter.  The Gospel of Mark calls Jesus a carpenter himself.  But he perceives a call to the most worthy work of all.  No more will he be building houses.  Rather, he recognizes that God, his true Father, wants him to proclaim God’s love to the world.