Thursday, October 13, 2016

Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ephesians 1:1-10; Luke 11:47-54)

In a book of prayers, the great twentieth century theologian Karl Rahner asks if God is the God of all the laws which the Church has on record.  There certainly are many rules, rubrics, and regulations in Church files although not as many as when Rahner wrote the book before Vatican II.  Rahner answers his question with characteristic paradox.  No, God is not the God of laws, but He is the God of the one law of love.  When a person obeys the laws of the Church, which may seem trivial, out of love for God and not just to appear devout, then she is assured of finding God in her acquiescence.

Rahner recognizes the possibility that some Church rules may be too burdensome for people to bear.  He finds in the gospel itself testimony that those who legislate unwarranted precepts will be held accountable.  In the gospel yesterday and today Jesus charges the Pharisees and Scribes with doing just that.  They need to repent every bit as much as thieves and adulterers.

Jesus champions our cause by revealing God’s will.  He shows us that people who appear to be holy may not in fact be living according to God’s will.  He wants us to be holy but takes pains to point out that holiness has less to do with following countless regulations than with freeing people of slavery to power or pleasure so that they too may love as God loves.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week

(Galatians 5:18-25; Luke 11: 42-46)

Part of Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees in today’s gospel defies understanding.  Obviously he is upset with them for paying attention to small things while not attending to important matters.  He also takes aim at their seeking attention like politicians before an election.  But what does he mean by saying that they are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk?

Mothers may admonish their children at the cemetery not to walk over anyone’s grave, but this is not the abuse that Jesus has in mind here.  Rather he is saying that the Pharisees are like open graves over which people can unknowingly try to walk.  Falling into the graves the people hurt themselves.  Jesus is saying that the Pharisees give bad example which people unwittingly follow to their detriment.

We should be careful not to give bad example.  Sometimes older people cohabitate rather than marry in order not to lose a dead spouse’s pension.  But doesn’t the practice indicate that money is more important than marriage?  As Christ’s disciples, we should strive to set good example to all, especially our young.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Memorial of Saint John XXIII, pope

(Galatians 5:1-6; Luke 11:37-41)

Most of the Pharisees presented in the gospels are myopic.  They scrutinize a person’s behavior for small items in the Law but fail to see the more important matters.  Jesus levels this criticism against them in today’s gospel.  One Pharisee is ready to criticize him for not performing a purification ritual which the Law does not even mandate.  The Pharisee is oblivious, however, to the fact that such criticism goes against the Law’s requirement to love one’s neighbor.

An incident in the life of St. John XXIII indicates how pharisaic behavior can invada the Church.  When he was a young priest, Angelo Roncalli, the future pope, taught Church history in a local seminary.  At the time some Roman officials were so supercilious about maintaining orthodoxy that they suppressed faithful scholarship.  Roncalli was reported to Rome for assigning a book that the pharisaic officials thought questionable.  It turned out that the book became known as an important study of the early Church and Roncalli, of course, was recognized as a saint.

Frequent churchgoers must beware of pharisaic tendencies contaminating their spiritual lives.  We can wonder why everyone does not do all that we do.  We think that because we give up chocolate for Lent, everyone should.  We must withhold judgment on these small items if we are to live up to St. Paul’s standard in the first reading: in Christ Jesus the only thing that counts is “faith working through love.”

Monday, October 10, 2016

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Galatians 4:22-24.26-27.31-5:1; Luke 11:29-32)

The young man was also a parachutist.  He enjoyed telling people about the freedom one feels jumping out of an airplane.  There is no restriction of motion, no containment of euphoria.  One feels refreshed, stimulated, and in control of his destiny.  In today’s first reading St. Paul speaks of a moral freedom that also leaves its possessor in elation.

The moral freedom of Christians is not the absence of law.  They too should fast at times and receive the sacraments.  No, their freedom consists in hosting the Holy Spirit as their guide and strength.  The Spirit enables them to perceive the truth and then to live it.  It releases them from worry and moves them to the happiness for which they were created.  As Paul writes, “For freedom Christ set us free.”

Moral freedom is a gift that we endeavor to keep.  We must not allow the enticements of illicit pleasure and unrestrained egotism to entangle us.  The Spirit will alert us to these pitfalls and will give us the resolve to avoid them.  Nevertheless, we must decide to follow it.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

(Galatians 3:7-14; Luke 11:15-26)

The Dominican Order since St. Thomas Aquinas has been accused of being too heady.  It is true that some Dominicans have striven to imitate the genius of the “Angelic Doctor.”  But others have preached a much more popular devotion.  Since its beginnings, Dominicans have promoted praying the rosary.  Today’s feast celebrates this prayer form.

People pray with the rosary in private, in small groups, and in large gatherings.  Many have made praying the rosary as much a part of their daily routine as reading the newspaper.  Author John Shea wrote a rather sad poem about a couple who prayed the rosary together for years until one spouse died.  Then the other continued to pray, but felt ever more acutely her loss.  As she finished the first part of the “Hail Mary,” only silence responded with the second.  Of course, we recite the rosary in large groups on most occasions that call for prayer – vigils for the dead, demonstrations in front of abortion clinics, and in procession on pilgrimages.

The rosary is a Marian devotion with definite Christological overtones.  It is directed to the mother of God in whom the Creator unites with the created in a unique way.  Those who pray the rosary focus on the great moments of the Redeemer’s life – his joyful coming, his prodigious ministry, his passionate death, and his glorious resurrection.  More than that, however, the rosary provides space for the individual believer to reflect on her life in relation to Christ.  It can be said that the rosary is hardly essential to our faith.  But our faith is much richer with the rosary.