Wednesday, August 26, 2020

 Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(II Thessalonians 3:6-10.16-18; Matthew 23:27-32)

Both readings today convey invectives.  In the passage from II Thessalonians St. Paul bewails idlers.  He says that they always come to eat but never to work. As a remedy to their laziness, Paul would deny them food.  He offers himself as a counterexample.  If anyone could be dispensed from physical work, it is Paul, the preacher and teacher.  But he always does his share of the physical work in order to set good example.

Jesus’ criticism in the gospel is more severe.  He accuses the Pharisees not only of duplicity but of murder!  He knows that they are conspiring to kill him and takes them to task for it in advance.  At the beginning of his public ministry Jesus named the “blessed” for their trust in God.  Now at the end he pronounces “woe” to those who exploit God’s name.

We cannot say, “Never criticize,” after hearing St. Paul and Jesus doing just that.  Nevertheless, we should judge carefully before doing so.  Even then, let our words be measured and never be cruel.  Our intention should always be to correct wrong-doing, not to destroy the wrong-doer.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(II Thessalonians 2:1-3a.14-17; Matthew 23:23-26)

Perhaps the most challenging reality for students of the Bible is the scholarly consensus that a few of St. Paul’s letters were forgeries.   The very notion sounds absurd.  “How can Scripture, which is by definition inerrant, contain works that give false information?” people ask.  However, St. Augustine among others was aware that all the information contained in the Bible was not completely accurate.  Vatican II declared that inerrancy has to do with the truths of the faith that God wished to pass on.  It must be remembered as well that the forgeries were not made for profit.  Rather, they were intended to assure readers of God’s continued care.  In any case, today’s first reading has something to say about Scriptural forgery.

 The writer warns readers of a letter being circulated that was written by another using his (presumably Paul’s) name.  This note testifies to the fact that there indeed were known forgeries of Paul’s letters.  But even more intriguing is the possibility, as many biblical scholars today believe, that II Thessalonians itself is a forgery.  The reasons for saying this include differences in emphasis between it and I Thessalonians.  For example, where I Thessalonians credits the people with good sense about the time of Christ’s return, II Thessalonians disapproves of the people’s obsession with the exact time of the event.

 We must remember that the Bible is a compendium of books inspired by God but written by fallible human authors over a stretch of a thousand years.  We should not expect complete internal coherence, much less conformity to contemporary literary standards.  Still we hold that the Bible contains God’s blueprint for life.  We must prudently follow its teachings as the Church guides us if we are to attain the eternal life it promises 

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.