Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Lent

(Ezekiel 47:1-9.12; John 5:1-16)

For eons humans have searched for the fountain of youth.  They sought that spring of water that reverses bodily deterioration to keep its bathers forever young. Americans recall how Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish governor of Puerto Rico, traveled to Florida hoping to find such a place.  Both readings today testify how the fountain of eternal youth has long been discovered in the religious tradition.

Ezekiel speaks of the Temple waters as providing for both sustenance and healings.  Life-giving water flows from its bowels to irrigate the barren countryside.  The land in turn yields not only fruits to enjoy but medicinal foliage that cure.  The gospel passage, taken from John’s gospel, shows how Jesus surpasses the capacity of Temple waters to heal.  His blessing of the paralytic waiting by those waters enables the man to walk.

Of course, the difference between the legendary fountain of youth and the springs of living water in Scripture deals with our conception of wholeness.  Humans will look in vain for ways to overcome the inevitability of death.  Christians have found the way to transcend death in Jesus Christ.  Now that Lent has begun its final chapters we want to cling ever more closely to him.

Monday, April 1, 2019

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Isaiah 65:17-21; John 4:43-54)

Yesterday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, Church sometimes calls “Laetare Sunday.”  Most Catholics know that this term means rejoicing Sunday.  Mass celebrants, usually wearing pink or rose-colored vestments, explain that the Church rejoices because the time of penance is half-completed.  Pink, rather than the solemn purple, symbolizes the lighter spirit.

What is often overlooked, however, is the changed tone of the weekday mass readings after the fourth Sunday of Lent.  They no longer call for repentance and prayer; rather, they anticipate the fulfilment of God’s promises.  The spirit of coming fulfilment is readily seen in today’s first reading.  God tells the people that He is “about to create new heavens and a new earth.” The gospel actually tells a story of fulfilment.  Jesus saves the son of a Jewish royal official from imminent death.

We may look for signs of fulfilment in our own lives.  Hopefully our fasting has slimmed down our waistlines a bit.  However, if this were all the fulfilment we achieved, we have missed Lent’s purpose.  By now we should have developed a closer familiarity with the Lord.  Our conversation with him should be less tentative and more insightful.  We should feel and communicate to him our readiness to suffer with him.   If this is true, we will likely see positive developments in those around us.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

(Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34)

The First Letter of John seems to hint that we can only love God by loving our neighbor.  Jesus, however, in today’s gospel does not compress love of God into love of neighbor.  Quite the contrary, he prescribes a robust regimen for loving God.  He says that we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  How are we to accomplish all these practices?

In loving God with our whole heart we do not give attention to anything that will lead us away from Him.  We do not look at pornography or engage in gossip, for example. Loving God with our whole soul means to love Him fully emotionally.  We desire to be with Him and express our joy in His presence.  Practically it means to carry on continual conversation with God in prayer.  When we study Scripture and theology, we love God with all our mind.  Finally, in making significant sacrifices for God’s sake we love God with all our strength.  Perhaps in today’s contraceptive culture, the young couple who practices Natural Family Planning if they cannot afford to have more children well exemplifies a strong love for God.

Jesus tells the scribe who endorses his principal commandments that he is “not far from the Kingdom of God.”  He is not in the Kingdom yet because he has to act on what he acknowledges to be true.  Nevertheless, knowing what must be done is an important step to doing it.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23)

The elderly woman said that her grandchildren believe in God.  She went on that they try to help others.  But, she concluded, they see no reason to go to church.  There is a parallel here with the challenge the people pose to Jesus in today’s gospel.

Jesus has just driven out a demon.  The exorcism invites the people’s following him.  Will they let go of their prejudices against the poor and strangers? Will they repent of their sins and grant forgiveness to others? To follow him means living in these ways.  But the people refuse to change.  Rather they try to refute Jesus.  As the elderly woman’s grandchildren refuse to go to church, they say that Jesus can cast out demons because he is in league them.  Then they demand a sign if he expects them to believe in him. 

Jesus patiently responds with a three-fold argument.  First, he says that in fact Satan is being defeated. This is something as beneficial as it is evident with the formerly mute man now speaking. Second, he bids his critics to compare him with other exorcists who work in God’s name.  He is implying that his power to cast out demons comes from the same source as theirs.  Finally, he proposes that they open their eyes to see what following him means.  They will find through him all the blessings of the Kingdom of God.

It is incumbent upon us followers of Jesus to show people today that belief in God makes best sense when done with the Church.  Further, we have to give evidence that their aspirations of goodness are best fulfilled under Church auspices. We accomplish the first task by contemplating the Word of God proclaimed in the liturgy and talking about it with others.  We complete the second by living simply and sharing our bounty with the needy.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)

John Adams, the second president of the United States, taught that governments are better guided by laws than by “men.”  He meant that a nation fares better when it follows prudent laws rather than charismatic men and women.  Moses delivers a similar message to the Israelites in today’s first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

The word “Deuteronomy” literally means “second law.”  The book re-presents the Law that the Book of Exodus describes God giving the people. Deuteronomy also explains the value of the Law as today’s passage shows.  It says that because it comes from God, abiding by it assures God’s assistance.  In the reading from Matthew’s gospel Jesus upholds the entire Law.  Perhaps some in his day thought that he meant to pick and choose the parts of it that were to be followed.  Perhaps, also, Matthew wants to cite Jesus to refute those who misinterpret St. Paul by saying the Law has been abolished.

Christians, in fact, do not follow the dietary and ritual laws of the Old Testament.  But we should obey its personal and social precepts.  It is true that we have a New Law, but that merely gives an overarching summary of the pertinent precepts.  We are to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  To accomplish these daunting tasks we have the Holy Spirit to assist us.