Friday, July 29, 2016

Memorial of Saint Martha

(Jeremiah 29:1-9; John 11:19-27)

Perhaps no actor in America has been as cherished as Lucille Ball.  She became famous in the television series “I Love Lucy” of the early 1950s.  Her performances in different episodes are still regularly cited.  Lucy was so very human with most of the virtues and some of the shortcomings that describe the best of us.  She can be compared with the character of Martha in the gospels. 

Martha is well described as a friend of Jesus.  She does not hesitate to ask his assistance in the famous passage from the Gospel of Luke.  She also seems intimate enough with Jesus to question his behavior without worrying about loss of affection.  In today’s gospel she implies a criticism of Jesus for delaying his trip to Bethany.  But above all Martha shows extraordinary regard for Jesus as she recognizes him as “the Christ, the Son of God.” 

Martha’s relationship with the Lord should encourage all of us.  Like her we often find ourselves hitting our heads for talking too much. We may even wonder like her why it takes so long for Jesus to respond to our needs.  But once again like her we believe that he is the Christ who has come into the world to lead us to eternal life.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 18:1-6; Matthew 13:47-53)

Author Graham Greene once wrote of his preference for the Gospel according to John.  He liked the fourth gospel because it does not say anything about damnation and hell fire.  It only talks of eternal life.  The Gospel according to Matthew, on the other hand, seems to relish images of punishment like in today’s passage, “wailing and the grinding of teeth.”

Jesus is speaking of the Kingdom of heaven being like a dragnet which captures both good and bad fish.  Although he says that the good fish will be set aside in buckets, he seems to emphasize the bad which will be thrown away.  He adds that it will be this way with wicked people who will be cast into “the fiery furnace” at the end of time.

It has become fashionable to claim that no one may be in hell.  But shouldn’t that thesis make us wonder whether justice is rendered in the world?  It seems obvious that some people deliberately choose to do evil.  Purgatory -- an intensive purifying experience – may provide a solution to the dilemma.  Or perhaps the wicked are just left for oblivion without either the burning or beatitude?  In any case we should keep in mind that Jesus’ purpose in speaking about hell is always to spur us to do what is right.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 15:10.16-21; Matthew 13:44-46)

Webster defines jeremiad as a “lamentation or tale of woe.”  The word is derived from the prophet Jeremiah’s frequent complaints.  Jeremiads may be found in both the book which bears the prophet's name and the Book of Lamentations.  The latter work, however, was probably not the work of the prophet.  Today’s first reading presents a good example of a jeremiad.

Jeremiah has tried to tell the people that they have incurred God’s wrath.  He has warned them that their infidelity and idolatry have resulted in Babylon’s army coming to invade Jerusalem.  But the people do not want to hear his message of woe.  They reject him and leave him like a coyote howling in the hills. 

Jeremiah’s only recourse is to God.  He complains that he has been faithful, but God has not reciprocated.  Then he hears the Lord’s judgment.  If Jeremiah repents of his feeling sorry for himself, God will make him victorious over those who revile him.

We should feel free like Jeremiah to take our complaints to the Lord in prayer.  Perhaps it is a problem with an abusive son or daughter that troubles us.  God will hear us but will also want us to be just and firm in our response to the difficulty.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Jeremiah 14:17-22; Matthew 13:36-43)

According to a non-canonical gospel Joachim and Anne are the parents of Mary.  Nothing is known about them with certainty, not even their names.   Of course, Mary had to have parents.  Because she is so saintly, it is likely that her parents were good people.  They may serve as a model for the good seed in today’s gospel.

The passage explains the parable of the wheat and the weeds.  The good seed produces a brilliant harvest.  After the weeds have been picked and discarded, the harvest appears as glorious as gold.  Such are the lives of the good.  They may be as humble as dirt, but whatever they do bears the fragrance of love for others.

This feast of Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, provide us an opportunity to reflect on the role of our grandparents in our faith development.  Some of us have had the blessing of pious grandparents caring and praying for us.  Often enough our grandparents, chastened by experience, have demonstrated a sure and steady faith.  Their peace has challenged the presumption that the world is necessarily becoming wiser and happier.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Feast of Saint James, apostle

(II Corinthians 4:7-15; Matthew 20:20-28)

People were gathering in a bar in New York City to have a drink after work seven months after nine-eleven.  A young marine in full dress was standing at the bar with two older men, possibly his dad and uncle.  At one table sat a group of outdoor workmen; at another a group of office women.  Into the room walked two men wearing NYFD tee shirts.  Perhaps because they were wearing boots as well, no one seemed to doubt that they were really firemen.  Everything stopped as all the customers rose to their feet.  The marine turned around and gave the fireman a full salute.  Everyone else followed suit.  The bartender poured the firemen drinks, and all went back to what it had been.  Today the Church honors St. James with the same instinct that captured the attention of that crowd in the bar after nine-eleven. 

St. James was the first of the apostles on record to have been martyred for the sake of Christ.  The Acts of the Apostles mentions that he was executed by order of King Herod.  In time all of the others except St. John are believed to have similarly given their lives as a witness to Christ.  For this reason they are venerated as James today with a proper feast day.

After so many centuries we have lost some of the fervor in honoring the apostle-martyrs.  But we should never neglect to observe their feast days but less forget their stories.  In the first reading Paul, also an apostle-martyr, explains why.  They suffered travails as well as death so that we might know Jesus Christ who gives us eternal life.