Friday, November 13, 2020

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

 (II John 4-9; Luke 17:26-37)

 “Don’t ask for whom the bells toll, it tolls for thee,” writes poet-priest John Donne. Of course, the bells he has in mind are the death toll.  Although many people prefer to put off thinking about it, the hour of life’s end is always approaching.  For those with seventy years behind them, it will surely be sooner rather than later.

Jesus makes the same point in the gospel today.  With an image that might chill a polar bear, he warns, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”  He means that death is part of life because we have bodies which may one day be the food of worms or fire if not birds.  So, Jesus admonishes, humans should prepare for the inevitable.

 Jesus’ injunction to deal with mortality deserves more than passing attention.  Although it is certainly legitimate to stave off death through healthy living and medical practice, we need to give ourselves over to death in a sense by self-denial.  Jesus himself is our primary example.  He took up his cross not just in Jerusalem but throughout his public ministry.  St. Frances Xavier Cabrini serves as another model.  She gave up her country to follow Christ among immigrants in the United States.  Her work was prodigious as well as tireless.  We follow by her example by assisting those in need, by performing periodic penitential acts, and by praying constantly. 

Thursday, November 12, 2020

 Memorial of Saint Josephat, Bishop and Martyr

(Philemon 7-20; Luke 17:17-25)

Considering how offensive it is to human dignity, we wonder why slavery was practiced for such a long time.  Only in the last two hundred and fifty years has slavery been delegalized.  Still today illegal slavery is practiced, especially of young girls in the sex trade and of young boy soldiers.  Almost two thousand years ago St. Paul pleaded on behalf of a slave to his master.  His message is recorded in today’s first reading, but it does not condemn slavery as we might expect.

Paul obviously finds slavery offensive, or he would not ask for the slave Onesimus’ freedom.  He likely sees slavery as a social evil that must be tolerated because it cannot be dismantled.  But for Paul in the Church slavery is of little consequence.  He writes in various places that in Christ “there is neither slave nor free person.”  That is, Christians are to love everyone so that the problematic master-slave relationship loses much of its aversion. Paul will even find a positive aspect to slavery when the master is truly beneficent.  Thus, he calls himself a “slave of Christ Jesus.”

We should take care not to slavishly bow to human authority.  Christ has enlightened us with the Holy Spirit.  We have to address specific issues with the general guidance of the Church and the grace from reflecting on the gospel.  Doins so, we will be acting in the freedom Christ won for us.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

 

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

(Titus 3:1-7; Luke 17:11-19)

Jesus’ encounter with the lepers in today’s gospel is reminiscent of St. Martin’s meeting a beggar.  Martin was a soldier in the Roman cavalry.  One day, mounted on a horse (at least in El Greco’s famous painting), he encountered a beggar along the road.  The beggar was dressed in rags, and it was winter.  Martin cut his cloak in two to share it with the beggar.  Shortly afterward, Martin resigned from the army.  He reasoned that he could no longer fight wars if he was to be a soldier of Christ.  

In the gospel one of the ten lepers whom Jesus heals returns to thank him.  No doubt, the beggar was likewise grateful to Martin for sharing his cloak.  But perhaps Martin was even more grateful than the man he helped.  In sharing his cloak with the poor man, Martin begins the process of conversion that leads to salvation.  The gospel demonstrates how the conversion is completed when the converted gives thanks to the Lord.

We likewise have encountered the Lord and been called to conversion.  The process may be painful as we are often set in compromising ways.  Some of us may be mired in a vice – pornography, drinking, cheating, or the like.  Some of us just regard ourselves too highly.  We pay little heed to the Lord’s command that we seek God’s will and not our own. Whatever is keeping us away from following Jesus, we will want to give it up.  Saints like Martin of Tours testify that we will not regret it.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

 

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

 (Titus 2:1-8.11-14; Luke 17:7-10)

 John Allen reported for years on the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter.  He knows what he is talking about.  He says that each cardinal feels a sense of relief after the election of a pope.  This feeling stems not from having accomplished the task at hand.  Rather the relief comes from knowing that he does not have to spend the rest of their lives under the pressure of the papal office.   It seems like the situation hasn’t changed much in the sixteen hundred years since St. Leo the Great was pope.

Leo lived in the turbulent time of barbarian invasions in Italy.  He had humbling encounters with two famous warriors, Atilla the Hun and Gaiseric, leader of the Vandals.  Leo also dealt with a doctrinal crisis.  He had to discipline an Egyptian abbot who denied the two natures of Christ with the emperor’s support.  St. Leo also preached wonderful sermons bringing some light to the mysteries of salvation.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples that they most be prepared to carry out his directives without expecting praise. We may not mind working for the Lord but often insist that our pastor or bishop duly thank us.  Jesus, however, finds such an expectation as avaricious.  He wants us to work for the kingdom believing that God will reward us as He sees fit.

Monday, November 9, 2020

 

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

(Ezekiel 47:1-2.8-9.12; I Corinthians 3:9c-11.16-17; John 2:13-22)

A man enjoyed fishing. He liked it so much that he started going fishing on Sunday mornings.  One day his pastor confronted him about not attending church services.  The man tried to explain his reason.  He said that he prayed better in his boat on the water.  He said that he could give greater praise to God in the quiet of the lake.  He added that he there he felt profoundly thankful to God for the wonder of creation. 

It is true that nature can raise our minds to God.  But it cannot substitute for Sunday Eucharist in church.  The church is the designated place where we meet other Christians for communal prayer.  There we recognize ourselves as neither better nor more favored than the others present.  Indeed, we see ourselves as parts of a community consecrated to the Lord.  Also, a church contains symbols and images that remind us of our God who transcends space and time.  We are not as likely to begin worshipping creation more than the Creator in church.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.  It is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the pope.  By attending to this celebration, we honor all churches.  We recognize that our salvation comes from our being incorporated in the People of God, which usually takes place in a church.  We also note that in church we reenact the supreme sacrifice of love.  Here we receive the Eucharist which defines us more than anything we can say or do on our own.