Friday, July 13, 2018

Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hosea 14:2-10; Matthew 10:16-23)

Today’s first reading ends the Book of the Prophet Hosea.  The prophet’s oracles were delivered to the northern kingdom of Israel.  Although Hosea typically denounces idolatry and social injustice, his message is more one of hope.  As its central image, the prophet offers his relationship with his prostitute wife.  Although she is unfaithful, he waits lovingly for her return.  God then is like the prophet ready to forgive his rebellious wife Israel if she buts repents of her infidelity.

In the passage at hand Hosea exhorts Israel to recognize its need of the Lord.  It is to beg God’s forgiveness as it reforms its way.  Not only are the people to give up idols; they are also to show compassion to the vulnerable. As a result they will thrive like a great tree unfolding its branches to the sky.

Has Israel ever returned to the Lord like Hosea envisions?  We should answer, “Yes, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.”  He alone has given God total worship.  And he alone has shown the poor thorough compassion.  As Lord, he acts on behalf of all the people.  We who swear allegiance to him then are considered righteous because of his deeds.

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hosea 11:1-4.8e-9; Matthew 10:7-15)

Demons are usually associated with the devil.  However, the word has a more generalized meaning.  They may be more properly thought of as evil spirits.  These spirits are the vices that commonly ruin people’s lives.  Pope St. Gregory the Great famously named seven – greed, envy, lust, sloth, anger, pride, and gluttony.  They are now classified as the seven capital sins because they give rise to other sins.  In today’s gospel Jesus gives his apostles orders to drive these demons out of those whom they encounter on their mission.

The Church uses the Sacrament of Reconciliation to fulfill Jesus’ mandate today.  Through the sacrament the penitent’s sins are forgiven and her resolve not to sin again is strengthened.  In these ways Reconciliation witnesses to the Kingdom of heaven which the apostles are to proclaim.

The Second Vatican Council declared that every Christian is called to holiness.  The novelty of this statement was that many lay people had thought that this state of perfection was the pursuit of religious and clergy, not themselves.  But just because holiness is meant to be universal does not mean that it is easy to attain.  We have to develop the virtues in order to live righteously.  In the quest we should make frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to lift us up when we falter.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

(Hosea 10:1-3.7-8.12; Matthew 10:1-7)

St. Benedict founded monasteries.  He also was responsible for the “Rule of St. Benedict,” a description of the ideal monastic life.  It might seem, then, that St. Benedict would be honored as a man who promoted retreat.  His name, however, is associated with the evangelization of Europe.  His legacy is similar to that of the apostles whom Jesus sends out to preach in today’s gospel. 

Evangelization is a multi-faceted project.  It is more than telling people about Jesus.  Evangelization includes shaping a culture responsive to the gospel.  For this to be done evangelizers must build churches and found schools.  They have to influence government to allow the people to practice their faith.  And they need to inculcate a sense of Christ being part of the people’s lives all day, every day.  Benedictine monks have been carrying out these practices for fifteen centuries.

Many wonder if Christian evangelization has not come to an end.  In this time of globalization societies are becoming more and more pluralistic.  Moreover, young people in many western countries are abandoning their Christian heritage.  Christian customs and traditions have lost a central place in much of Europe and North America.   Yet Christian culture cannot be lost.  It has Christ himself as its cornerstone.  Furthermore, its supreme value of self-sacrificing love is the deepest desire of the human heart.  We need other Benedicts to retrace the way.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hosea 8:4-7.11-13; Matthew 9:32-38)

Isn’t it strange that today’s gospel refers to the people as like sheep in one sentence and in the next as a field of harvest?  Shepherds and farmers are notorious rivals.  Witness Cain and Abel for example.  Then why does Matthew mix these metaphors?

Perhaps he wants to contrast Jesus’ perspective with the narrow outlook of the Pharisees.  The passage begins with the Pharisees accusing Jesus of casting out demons “by the prince of demons.”  They refuse to include in their field of vision a positive reading of Jesus’ actions.  Rather they choose to see him narrowly, as in league with the devil.  Jesus, on the other hand, cures “every disease and illness.”  His broad perspective allows him to resist evil and support goodness in all their forms.

We too should strive for inclusiveness.  We must not approve bad behavior, but we should help everyone live good lives.   Even those people commonly associated with bad behavior we need to care about.  This is what Jesus means when he says, “The harvest is abundant…” 

Monday, July 9, 2018

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hosea 2:16.17c-18.21-22; Matthew 9:18-26)

Today’s gospel should seem like déjà vu.  It is an abbreviated parallel to the passage read a week ago Sunday from the Gospel of Mark.  It pictures Jesus as somewhat more than the “man of God” as people thought of him in his day.

Jesus shows himself to be a servant of God when he wastes not a minute in going to help the official’s daughter.  The woman with hemorrhages certainly considers Jesus a holy person when she thinks that by touching his cloak, she could be cured.  In fact she touches it and is healed.  Jesus then reveals just how like God he is.  When he enters the official’s house, his daughter appears to be dead.  Yet when he takes her hand, she comes to life.

But Jesus is more than a "man of God."  When he rises from the dead, he shows himself to be equal to God -- the true Son of the Father.  We look to him to raise us like the official’s daughter from the stupor in which often find ourselves.  We tend to go along with the masses believing that happiness consists of being rich or being powerful or being sated with pleasure.  When Jesus takes our hand and awakens us, he shows us something different.  We see that true happiness consists in being generous, humble, and befriended by Jesus himself.  Of course, he will do more for us than that.  Because he is God, he will also raise us from the sleep of actual death when the time comes.