Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

(Hebrews 12:4-7.11-15; Mark 6:1-6)

In a book of prayers Mother Teresa asks for what appears to be strange things.  “Jesus, deliver me from the desire to be approved,” she says.  Then she goes on, “Deliver me from the fear of being ridiculed.”  “Why would she not want to be approved?” we might ask.  And, “Who would ridicule Mother Teresa?”  But Mother Teresa was a prophet.  She frequently said things of God that people did not want to hear.  She was like Jesus in today’s gospel reading. 

At first, all the people praise Jesus.  They think of him as “’Joseph’s son,’” a local lad who has done well.  They turn on him when Jesus makes them realize that he is God’s prophet.  If he is to do in Nazareth what he has done in Capernaum, the people will have to repent and believe in God’s love.  They will have to recognize that God is not a local deity but the Lord of the universe.  Jesus cannot do marvelous works for them just because they think they know him.  With that the people become so furious that they are ready to stone Jesus to death.  Because his hour has not come, he is able to escape from their clutches.

We too must realize that Jesus has come not just to help us because we are familiar with him.  No, we have to believe in him as the God of salvation who comes to help us, sure, but also to call us to repentance and to love of God and neighbor.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr

(Hebrews 12:1-4; Mark 5:21-43)

Today we celebrate St. Agatha, a Sicilian virgin and martyr.  Her story is much like that of St. Agnes, the Roman, whom we remembered last month.  It is said that Agatha had a powerful suitor who sent her to a brothel and then to be tortured when she refused him.  The similarity of the two stories may be attributed to the way early Christians took pride in their saints.  Coming from different regions, they would boast whose martyrs were the bravest or bore the gravest trials.

We can see a glimpse of this pride in today’s first reading.  The author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds his community of its “cloud of witnesses.”  These were the men and women of Israel who sacrificed themselves for love of God.  The writer exhorts his people to follow in their ways.  He does not want them to abandon their faith to pursue pleasure or comfort.  Rather they are to make the necessary sacrifices to follow Christ to eternal life.

Because there are fewer people at mass these days, the exhortation of Hebrews has pointed relevance.  We too have a “cloud of witnesses” – certainly saints like Mother Teresa and Padre Pio but also relatives and friends.  These people kept the faith despite hardships.  Perhaps they walked a mile to mass in freezing weather.  Maybe they gave up the opportunity to marry because their suitor was divorced or because of a religious vocation.  Their lives were first testimony of God’s love for us.  Then they witnessed the hope of all Christians for eternal happiness.

Monday, February 4, 2019

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 11:32-40; Mark 5:1-20)

In the final scene of George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan, the protagonist appears in a dream.  She has been convicted of heresy, executed, but then exonerated and made a saint.  She now proposes that she work a miracle and return to her people.  But no one in the dream thinks it a good idea.  They say that the world is not ready for saints like her.  The gospel passage today has a similar conclusion.

Jesus has just resolved one of the Gerasene territory’s biggest problems.  The man who was possessed by demons and terrorizing the people now sits as graciously as a butterfly.  You would think that the people should thank Jesus and invite him to dinner.  But they ask him to leave their area.  True, the taming of the strongman did result in the loss of a herd of pigs.  However, the reason for the people’s desire that Jesus distance himself lies deeper.  His evident holiness makes them painfully aware of their own sinfulness.  Rather than seek his mercy, they beg that he move on.

We may not directly ask Jesus to leave, but our response to Jesus’ presence may be little better.  We often refuse to acknowledge him.  We neither ask his help nor follow his example.  Instead, we often choose to worry about our problems and curse our luck if not rivals.  But he is there to cast out the demons that get us worked up.  We only have to open ourselves to him.

Friday, February 1, 2019

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 10:32-39; Mark 4:26-34)

There is a touching scene in Frederico Fellini’s movie Amarcord.  The people of a small town by the sea go out to greet an ocean liner.  The local blind man follows the crowd.  As the ship comes into view, shouts go up from the crowd.  With all the excitement the blind man exclaims, “I can see it. I can see it.”  Perhaps the people hearing Jesus in today’s gospel have a similar sensation.

Jesus is describing the indescribable.  The “Kingdom of God,” after all, is not a locality that we can find on a map.  Nor is it form of government – democratic capitalism, authoritarian communism, or enlightened socialism.  Rather, as St. Paul says in Romans, “…the kingdom of God is… righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  It is a community where people care for one another in response to God’s goodness. Jesus then makes two parables that characterize the kingdom.  First, it comes about gradually like a corn plant produces stalk and ear before the fruit appears.  Second, the kingdom gives comfort to many like a mustard tree shelters many birds.

The passage ends with Jesus tutoring his disciples. There is plenty of evidence in this Gospel of Mark that they are slow learners.  Maybe they like many generations afterwards need an explanation regarding why the kingdom is often aborted.  Why do so many communities lack righteousness, peace and joy?  Jesus will tell them that it is not God’s fault but ours.  God gives us the grace to experience His kingdom.  We have to say “yes” to His initiative.  We have to trust that when we sacrifice ourselves in love as Jesus did, God’s kingdom is ours.

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest

(Hebrews 10:19-25; Mark 4:21-25)

The word scandal comes from the Latin scandalum which means stumbling block or trap.  Those who give scandal cause other people to fall into error.  They entice others to behave badly.  Beyond the hurt it has caused, scandal makes the sexual abuse perpetrated by priests especially opprobrious.  Priests not only victimized defenseless children.  As preachers of Jesus Christ, they have caused many people to disregard the graces he bestowed.

Today’s gospel gives a hint of Jesus’ importance.  He is the lamp that is to make everything visible.  By the light of Jesus human beings are to judge the good or evil of everything.  Those who use this light appropriately will gain wisdom beyond their mental capacities.  Those who reject it will lose the benefit of their natural wisdom.

Today’s celebrated saint, John Bosco, appropriated well the light of Jesus.  He urged his religious congregation to follow Christ in treating the boys in their charge.  He said that they are to show the same patience to the boys as Jesus showed to his disciples.  As Jesus put up with his disciples’ ignorance and roughness, so should Salesians bear with the orphans.  There is wisdom for all of us here.  Like Jesus, we should correct others gently when it is necessary.  We want to give the example of Jesus’ gentleness and kindness to poor sinners.