Friday, June 19, 2015

Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 11:18.21-30; Matthew 6:19-23)

A scene in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is reminiscent of St. Paul’s rhetoric in the first reading today.  Gatsby has enticed into his mansion Daisy Buchanan, a woman on whom he had a crush years earlier.  In the former time he considered himself beneath Daisy’s social class, but now he has accumulated a fortune.  The scene pictures Daisy beginning to cry as Gatsby displays his bountiful wardrobe of shirts.  Gatsby has successfully impressed Daisy as having arrived on high.

In his letter, which is considered to be a composite of at least two writings, Paul has reason to similarly impress the Corinthians.  The context is unknown, but apparently Jewish critics have bad-mouthed Paul to the Christian community.  Paul here tries to defend himself by giving a list of his sacrifices for Christ's sake that rivals the trials of Job.  Paul describes such a defense as foolish boasting but proceeds with it anyway.  He hopes to disabuse the Corinthians of any doubts about his authenticity.

Although at times he may have acted imprudently, Paul remains the model apostle.  More than any other known evangelizer, Paul sacrificed himself for the sake of preaching Jesus Christ.  We are enriched almost as much by his commitment as by his message.  The next time we feel embarrassed to bless ourselves when passing a church or to say grace before a meal in a restaurant, let us remember the example of St. Paul.

Thursday June18, 2015

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15)

Several years ago a number of liturgists from different Christian traditions approved an alternative translation of the Lord’s Prayer.  There are no “thy’s” in the new version nor does it say of the Father “who art in heaven.”  The experiment calls for “sins,” not “trespasses,” to be forgiven and prays to be saved from “the time of trial” rather than not to be led “into temptation.”

The purpose of the experiment, no doubt, is to enable Christians to be more conscious of what they are saying when praying this quintessential Christian prayer.  As Jesus in today’s gospel criticizes pagans for babbling in prayer, some Christians mindlessly repeat the words of the “Our Father.”

The alternative version was to be approved by the various traditions.  This could not have been easy as the traditional form is so embedded in people’s consciousness that asking people to change would bring about a reaction.  Whether or not the wording of the “Our Father” is ever altered for general use, we should take care not to rattle off the prayer as if it were a password to access divine attention.  Rather we should say its words with deliberation always contemplating what they mean. 

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 9:6-11; Matthew 6:16.16-18)

The term politically correct means to be seen as just in other people’s eyes.  What a politically correct person really thinks or does is secondary according to this mindset.  Although it is mostly associated with the left side of the political spectrum, political correctness should not be limited to either a liberal or conservative viewpoint.  Politically correct conservatives will mouth their opposition to abortion, for example, even though they hardly care about unborn babies.  In the gospel today Jesus in effect condemns political correctness.

At issue in the gospel are the chief components of a pious life.  In many religious traditions pious people give alms, pray, and fast.  Jesus does not wish to denigrate these age-old customs.  But he does call for sincerity in their practice.  If fasting, praying, and almsgiving are done for God, then the doers of these actions should not be trying to impress other people.  According to Jesus, acting piously to court favor undermines goodness and merits no eternal reward.

We may hear criticisms of almsgiving as helping the undeserved poor, of praying as fruitless because God already knows our needs, and of fasting as of no value beyond losing weight.  Such talk, however, does not take into account the profound dimensions of these actions.  Yes, we should take care that our alms meet people’s basic needs, that we don’t just mouth platitudes in our prayers but set our hearts on what we ask God, and that we fast for love of God and not for vanity.  We should also endeavor not to capture the attention of others by these acts so that they may be done out of true love of God, not love of self.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 8:1-9; Matthew 5:43-48)

In order to promote charitable giving among his peers Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates started a list of the biggest donors every year.  He thought that if people liked to see their names among the year’s biggest earners, they might also want to be named the biggest philanthropists.  St. Paul uses a similar scheme to raise money from the Corinthian Christians in today’s first reading. 

Paul first mentions the example of the people of Macedonia, the province to the north of the Greek isles.  He says that although they are of modest means, they begged for the opportunity to support the poor in Jerusalem.  The implication is manifest.  The far better off Christians in Corinth should be even more willing to donate to the cause.  Evidently the Corinthians delivered as Paul will take a considerable sum of money to Jerusalem when he finally goes.

We often feel uncomfortable about giving because we do not know exactly what the money will be used for.  We don’t mind it going to buy food for the hungry but feel unsure about giving it to beggars on street corners who are apt to buy whiskey or marijuana.  It seems best to contribute to organizations that have a record of assisting the poor.  The important consideration is that we don’t just have the intention of helping the poor but actually do so with regularity.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

 (II Corinthians 6:1-10; Matthew 5:38-42)

Few Christian communities have taken Jesus’ message in the gospel today more literally than the Quakers, the Society of Friends.  For generations Quakers were given deferments from conscription into the U.S. Army because of their official position against the use of force.  In today’s gospel Jesus lays the groundwork for the Quakers’ policy.

Jesus’ command to offer no resistance to evil is a super-tall order.  Many insist with good reason that he is using hyperbolic language.  This means that Jesus exaggerates the obligation in order to move his followers from the natural disposition of taking revenge.  In other words, disciples do not have to submit completely to aggressors but, nevertheless, should be forbearing in their response. 

Forbearance is not a popular virtue today.  People either try to get even when they are offended, or they sulk in bitterness.  Forbearance inclines us to tolerate others’ faults and to forgive their offenses.  In these ways we mirror the Father’s patience with the sins of the world, which include our own.