Monday, August 24, 2020

 Feast of Saint Bartholomew, apostle

(Revelations 21: 9b-14; John 1:45-51)

We are accustomed to focusing on the apostles as individuals.  Who has not heard of Peter’s foibles?  What is one to make of the brashness of James and John?  However, the apostles are better considered as a group.  As today’s first reading makes clear, they make up the foundation of the Church.

The passage partly culminates the Book of Revelations.  Evil has been vanquished.  Now the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, meet their champion and bridegroom, the Lamb of God.  They are members of the Church formed by the teaching and self-offering of the apostles.  They will flourish forever. 

We are indebted to the apostles.  The Lord sent them to our ancestors to preach and teach the faith.  Jesus chose twelve of them to symbolize the new Israel, which was originally constituted of that many tribes.  There are more apostles than twelve.  The life and works of St. Paul make that clear.  For the unsung apostles, then, as well as to the celebrated ones like Bartholomew we give God thanks today.

Friday, August 21, 2020

 Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope

(Ezekiel 37:1-14; Matthew 22: 32-40)

On a sitcom a long time ago, a man talked about going to see a famous cowboy entertainer.  He says that the organizers of the event set up a pistol drawing contest between and all challengers.  The man boasted because he beat the cowboy star to the draw.  He said that he was able to do it because he was last in line.  By the time he faced off with the cowboy, the entertainer was so tired that he could barely lift the pistol from his holster. 

In today’s gospel Jesus faces a series of challengers.  After cleaning out the temple area in Jerusalem, the different groups come to discredit him.  First, the chief priests and the elders question Jesus about his authority.  He answers them by asking about the authority of John – a controversial issue which the Jewish leaders refuse to touch.  Then the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with the question of paying taxes to Caesar.  Jesus shrewdly tells them that one should give to Caesar’s what belongs to Caesar.  Then the Sadducees propose to Jesus the ridiculous story of seven brothers marrying the same woman in succession to prove that there can be no resurrection from the dead.  Jesus refutes their claim by saying that in the resurrection there is no marriage.  In today’s gospel another pharisee tries to trip Jesus with the question of the greatest commandment.  Jesus deftly answers by saying that the greatest is to love God and the second is to love other humans. Unlike the cowboy entertainer, Jesus never wearies of giving the right answers.

Today the Church honors Pope St. Pius X.  His pontificate was famous for allowing children to receive Holy Communion and for resolving the Modernist crisis.  Modernism was a movement within the Church challenging the authenticity of the gospels.  Historians agree that Pius was heavy-handed in resolving the crisis.  But he did defend the unique greatness of Jesus as today’s gospel shows.  For the superiority of Jesus’ teaching as well as the proclamations made about his life, especially his resurrection from the dead, Jesus is rightly called the uncreated, only begotten Son of God.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

 

Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot and doctor of the Church

(Ezekiel 36:23-28; Matthew 22: 1-14)

Ezekiel describes a hopeful outcome for Jews in exile.  They will be gathered together and returned to their native land.  There, in Judah, they will be regenerated.  They will be given a heart made for loving, not for fighting, and a Spirit of virtue, not mischief.  Christians do not see this prophecy fulfilled with Jesus’ resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples.  The gospel peeks at the outcome of the Christian blessing.

Jesus is speaking in guarded language to the leaders of Israel.  No doubt, some bystanders heard his parable as a typical melodrama with the wicked being punished and the poor being rewarded.  However, Jesus’ intention is beyond that.  He is signaling to the corrupt aristocrats of Jerusalem that their vice has been discovered and their rule is ending.  Christians from various nations, classes, and degrees of virtue will enjoy the celestial banquet.  But they cannot enter without assuming the ways of their Lord.  Hence the rebel without the wedding garment is shown the door.

Today the Church celebrates St. Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the greatest men of the Middle Ages. His life followed the pattern of the readings.  As a youth, he was frivolous.  With the death of his mother, however, he accepted the grace of the Holy Spirit.  He entered a monastery, became an abbot, and then an advisor to the courts of Europe. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

 Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 34:1-11; Matthew 20:1-16)

Every fall, priests in their daily office or prayer read a long commentary on today’s first reading.  St. Augustine wrote the commentary and intended it for parish priests.  His concern is priests’ preoccupation for their own welfare and disregard for their people’s.  He says, for example, that pastors too often fear to give offense by refusing to admonish the people to live holy lives. Ezekiel, however, has political not religious leaders in mind in his writing.

In ancient Israel the prophets served as correctives of the kings.  They were the country’s moral conscience who defined for rulers the will of God.  The prophets kept faith in the public square and considered the temple a primary work of the state. 

Today we do not see such a religious-political arrangement as helpful for western societies. There are just too many faith traditions as well as a strong secular force in most countries to call for an established religion.  Nevertheless, we should not accept too great a wall between Church and state.  Religious values have profound moral content that should inform governmental policies.  To name one, it is wrong to give permission to take away human life as is done in abortion and assisted suicide.  Sooner or later, these wrongful policies will take their toll on the people’s well-being. We can be grateful that Catholic bishops have taken their stand on these and other social issues.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

 

Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 28:1-10; Matthew 19: 23-30)

What do you give to the person who has everything?  A gilded telephone? a silk facemask?  There will always be a new luxury to acquire.  The prophets chastised conspicuous consumption.  It not only ignored the needs of the poor; it also gave a priority of things to God.  In today’s Scriptures both Ezekiel and Jesus criticize the accumulation of wealth.

Ezekiel sets his sight on the prince of Tyre.  The man has accumulated countless riches but has not heeded the Lord of Israel.  The prophet predicts he will have a hard fall at the hands of the Assyrian invaders.  Jesus, likewise, foresees a bitter outcome for those who make money their treasure.  He says that they cannot enter the kingdom of God.

 Money itself is not evil.  Indeed, it enables us to live and work without back-breaking effort.  Pursuit of money while forgetting to honor God and assist our neighbor, however, can cause our undoing.  We may think that we are increasing our stature, but in truth we are preparing our ruin.  The proper stance toward money is always gratitude to God for having received it and generosity toward the needy for having witnessed their suffering.