Monday, January 25, 2016

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul

(Acts 22:3-16; Mark 16:15-18)

Fifty years ago with the declarations of Vatican II the movement toward Church unity was gathering steam.  Only a few theological issues seemed to stand in the way.  Now, however, the movement is stymied with the ordaining of women and the blessing of homosexual unions by some Christian communities.  Reunification seems as unlikely as reaching the end of a rainbow.  Today’s Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul ends a week in which many Christians have prayed for that vanishing goal.

St. Paul himself is a symbol of unity.  His Letter to the Romans inspired Martin Luther to fire the first salvo of the Reformation.  For Catholics Paul represents the celibate priest who gives of himself untiringly.  His conversion is also representative of the change of heart that Christians of different persuasions must make.  They must let go of simplistic assertions causing division to seek deeper truths effecting unity. 

Let us not abandon the quest for Christian unity.  We want to pray for it.  Equally important, we need to collaborate with separated sisters and brothers on its behalf.  We should especially unite on social projects.  Very critically, we must not let petty desires for prominence inhibit the movement.  The credibility of the gospel depends in part on our efforts.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 24:3-21; Mark 3:13-19)

The man sat down.  He said that he had five children -- four still living.  He said one died in childbirth and gave his name.  He resembled Jesus in the gospel today naming his apostles.

Jesus gives special names to three of the troupe.  He will call Simon “Peter” or “Rock” because of the latter’s dependability.  He names James and John “Boanerges” because of their impetuosity.  Jesus does not equivocate like many others.  He names his disciples as he finds them with their various virtues and vices.

Today we remember fifty million or so mostly nameless victims of abortion.  We cannot give each an individual name like the man who still has a large place in his heart for his stillborn.  But we can offer a prayer for them collectively.  We can also name the crime that blithely allowed them to die.  Let’s call it “irresponsible individualism.”  By doing so, we are saying that their right to life has been denied so that their parents might forsake the responsibility of caring for them.  But let us not condemn those parents too quickly.  No doubt, many of them were victimized in different ways that moved them to do such a horrible thing.  So we want to include them also in our prayer today.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr

(I Samuel18:6-9.19:1-7; Mark 3:7-12)

Today, as on every January 21, two lambs have been delivered to the bishop of Rome.  The lambs’ white color and cuddly wool symbolize innocence, especially meekness.  They represent Christ and the fourth century virgin-martyr Agnes whose feast day is today.  Agnes is not only considered as pure and gentle as a lamb, but also her name resembles the word for lamb in Latin, agnus.

In today’s gospel Jesus warns the evil spirits not to reveal his identity.  He may not be acting meekly, but he does not intend to have himself exalted.  He demonstrates the maxim that he constantly preached.  He is here to serve, not to be served.

Practicing humility, meekness, and humble service, we will always run against strong natural currents.  We have a strong instinct to be recognized for our traits and works.  Nevertheless, we are wise not to draw attention to them but to allow them to speak for themselves.  Also, when others praise us for them, we are wiser still to acknowledge them as the work of God.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 17:32-33.37.40-51; Mark 3:1-6)

The biblical story of little David defeating the mighty Goliath is so well-known that we could call any contest between unevenly regarded opponents as a “David vs. Goliath rematch.”  However, the biblical story conveys much more than underdog grit outperforming seasoned excellence.

Essential to David’s victory is God’s presence to him.  As Goliath has a shield bearer going before him, David is preceded by the Lord represented, perhaps, by the shepherd’s staff in his hand.  Like a staff reining in errant sheep, the Lord keeps David from becoming either fearful or overconfident in battle.  God assists David in the slaying of Goliath just as surely as He saved Israel from the clutches of Pharaoh during the Exodus.

We often see ourselves as small like David compared to the giant challenges of life.  We may witness a thug beating up someone and wonder what to do.  Or we may be facing a cancerous condition that leaves us shaking.  At such times we do well to pray that God act on our behalf in the struggle.  He is there to help us.

Tuesday, January 19, 2015

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 16:1-13; Mark 2:23-28)

To appreciate today’s gospel requires a proper understanding of the Jewish notion of Sabbath.  It was certainly more than a long weekend as it has become in contemporary times.  Rather it was a gift from God to escape the drudgery of work.  Indeed, observing the Sabbath by desisting from all work imitated God’s own action after completing the work of creation.  In Jesus’ time Sabbath observance was indicative of one’s faithfulness to the Covenant which God contracted with the people of Israel.

The Pharisees criticize Jesus’ disciples for two reasons.  They see them working on the Sabbath by picking grain to eat.  Their complaint includes as well that the disciples are walking farther than was allowed as a restriction of one’s physical effort.

Jesus responds to the Pharisees by referring to the story of David sharing consecrated bread with his hungry companions.  His disciples may have been similarly hungry, but that is not the main issue here.  What is more important is that Jesus assumes the authority of David, God’s anointed.  As the Messiah, Jesus is claiming the right to dispense Sabbath obligations.

We want to follow Jesus by first worshipping him on Sunday, the new Sabbath.  We also follow Jesus by using Sunday as a time to recuperate our energy spent in work during the week.  Finally, we follow Jesus by being slow to criticize others who don’t seem to comply with ever law and social custom.