Monday, March 18, 2019

Monday of the Second Week of Lent

(Daniel 9:4b-10; Luke 6:36-38)

Last week Pope Francis held his annual Reconciliation Service with the priests of Rome.  He told the priests something of which they were already aware but perhaps needed to hear again.  Actually it is something of which all Catholics need to be reminded of continually.  Francis said that priests must be continually “on guard against the temptation self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction.”  This is the purpose of confession.  We declare ourselves as sinners, which is to say we are not satisfied with our behavior.  We likewise asks God’s mercy, which is to say we cannot live without forgiveness.

In today’s first reading Daniel makes similar claims for the Jewish population exiled in Babylon.  He recognizes that the people have sinned terribly in varied ways.  He also asks God’s forgiveness on their behalf.  In the gospel Jesus says that people can count on forgiveness as long as they are willing to forgive. 

We do not like to admit our faults.  For this reason some people avoid confession, and others make excuses when they have done something wrong.  These strategies take us from our final goal.  It is wise to own our sins and ask God’s mercy.  When we do so, we should find ourselves understanding of others and ready to forgive.  Then we will be, as Jesus commands, “’merciful, just as (our) Father is merciful.’”

Friday, March 15, 2019

Friday of the First Week of Lent

(Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26)

Ten years ago a prominent priest in Florida had a dramatic fall from grace.  Internationally known on radio and television, the priest was photographed on a beach necking.  In short order he was chastised and sidelined for violating his vow of celibacy.  The priest exemplified what the prophet Ezekiel proclaims in today’s first reading.

Ezekiel passes the judgment that when a good man commits a wicked deed, he will die.  The prophet recognizes that this judgment will sound harsh.  He tells his audience: “’You say, “The LORD’s way is not fair!”’”  It is important to remember that Ezekiel does not exclude the possibility of repentance.  He only emphasizes that evil perpetrated by a good person is just as intolerable as evil done by a known sinner.  Actually, it is worse because it causes scandal leading others to sin.

Religious celibacy is more critical today than ever.  It serves as a sign of contradiction in a world that is closing itself to the presence of God.  Celibacy allows its adherents to make a radical search for God.  It short-circuits the pitfall of stagnating in the gratification of sexual desire.  It also encourages those who do not take the vow to seek God in their lives.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Thursday of the First Week in Lent

(Esther C:12.14-16; 23-25; Matthew 7:7-12)

You will not find today’s passage from the Book of Esther in most so-called Protestant Bibles.  Its composition in the Greek language has put it outside the Canons of Jews and Protestants.  The Catholic patriarchs, however, decided that many Jewish scriptures written in the Greek or Aramaic languages deserve consideration as the inspired word of God.  Today’s passage certainly indicates a custom that Jews and Christians have practiced since their origins.  In times of trouble, pious people always turn to God for deliverance. 

Although God certainly has no need of human attention, He has been revealed as a father who cares for all His children.  This is certainly Jesus’ intention in today’s gospel passage. He tells his disciples that even more than their fathers on earth, God will assist them.  He exhorts them to ask Him to ask in prayer for what they need

Just about all of us have had a positive experience when we turned to God in our need.  Perhaps we misplaced a book or are looking for a parking place.  Rather than fretting over the matter, we humbly asked God for help.  Then, quite remarkably, we found what we were searching for.  It seems to happen more often than randomness can explain.  Yet it also seems that if we ever tried to test the probability, we would come out frustrated.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent

(Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32)

The Lenten fast sixty years ago required adults to not eat between meals and to not eat meat more than once a day.  Many Catholics either could not or would not make these sacrifices.  For the sake of unity and perhaps to curtail people from judging one another these rules were relaxed.  Since the Second Vatican Council the Lenten fast in the United States has been simplified.  Catholics are not to eat meat on Fridays and to not eat between meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Still some people have difficulty meeting this reduced command.

The practice of a communal fast is presented in today’s first reading.  The Book of Jonah tells how non-Jews once responded to the Word of God by fasting.  On order of their king the whole population along with their animals did not eat or drink.  Truthfully, there is no other historical record that this fast took place.  Very probably the book was not written as a tale to change Jewish attitudes towards foreigners as well as to promote devotion among Jews.  Yet the idea of a communal penance is clearly established.

We too much consider ourselves as individuals and not as parts of a community or, better, communities.  We need to recognize that we both reap benefits and do damage according to the groups to which we belong.  When these groups injure others, we should recognize some responsibility.  The most patent example of injury for Catholics, as for many other organizations, has been racial prejudice.  Doing a common penance in reparation for these sins seems both fair and wise.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15)

A cartoon a couple of years ago showed two drivers after a fender-bender.  One says to the other, “My lawyer will contact you tomorrow.”  This is the way many people think today.  When offended, they first and foremost seek redress.  Today’s readings teach us that getting back at others is not God’s way.

The passage from Isaiah’s is taken from the end of the second of three sections of the book.  The prophet is consoling the exiled captives in Babylon.  He has told them that they have suffered enough for their infidelity.  He has also assured them that God does not hold grudges.  Indeed, Isaiah makes clear that God takes delight in forgiving.  Jesus similarly teaches of his Father’s willingness to forgive.  However, he insists that God will forgive only those who are willing to forgive others.  He is saying that humans have to adopt God’s ways if they are going to receive God’s mercy.

It’s tragic how wars are continually refought because peoples do not want to forgive.  Many Arabs live with resentment for Jews, and many Jews live so with Arabs.  The same is true of Indians and Pakistanis.  In the United States African-Americans are demanding reparations while white-Americans hold on to the prejudices of their ancestors.  These are not God’s ways.  If people want to be truly free, they must let go of these kinds of demands. Then they need to forgive others’ their offenses to receive God’s forgiveness for their own.