Tuesday, February 1, 2022

 Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 18:9-10.14b.24-25a.30-19:3; Mark 5:21-43)

Absalom’s death in the today’s first reading is comic.  His hair gets caught in a tree which leaves him hanging and vulnerable to attack.  It is moralistic as well.  Absalom took pride in his good looks which became his downfall.  The story also reveals one of David’s many flaws.

David had Absalom banished for killing his half-brother, David’s firstborn son.  He thought that Absalom acted out of envy for the heir apparent.  Then David learned that Absalom acted out of revenge for his sister, whom his brother impregnated.  So he allowed his son to return to Jerusalem.  But he never allowed Absalom to visit with him.  After the rejection, Absalom plotted to usurp David’s kingdom. 

The stakes are high in this royal drama, and the development is tragic.  We should take note of the character flaws to prevent our suffering similar fates.  Excessive pride will create resentment.  People cheer when they see the proud fall.  Revenge does not resolve old conflicts but creates new ones.  Finally, friends and relatives deserve attention.  It may be impossible to grant their requests, but they should learn the reason for rejection.

Monday, January 31, 2022

 Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest

(II Samuel 15:13-14.30, 16:5-13; Mark 5:1-20)

Teen suicide worries many today with good reason.  Its incidence has increased dramatically over the last couple of decades.  Adolescents are experiencing much more anxiety in this era of instant communication.  They appear in some respects like the demoniac in today’s gospel.

Whatever the demon is, it is torturing the man it possesses.  Mark describes the man as “crying out and bruising himself with stones.”  The people may have feared him, but Jesus does not recoil in a confrontation.  Jesus is in such control that he extracts the demon’s name.  From that point on, the demon submits to Jesus’ authority.

Today’s patron, St. John Bosco, possessed a similar control over adolescents.  In his day they may not have had great anxiety issues but faced their own challenges.  John Bosco urged that his followers always treat youth with patience and understanding.  He realized that children are never bad but need adult guidance to grow in the right ways.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

 THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Jeremiah 1:4-5.17-19; I Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 4:21-30)

Sixty-one years ago President John Kennedy delivered his famous inaugural address. It ended with challenges first for the citizens of the United States, then for the citizens of the entire world. He said: “…my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.  His words resonate with the those of Jesus in the gospel today.

The passage comes from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. Last Sunday we heard how he began his discourse in the Nazareth synagogue. He read the part of the prophet Isaiah that says that the prophet is anointed to assist the poor and comfort the distressed. Now Jesus affirms that this is his mission. “Today,” he says, “(this) Scripture is fulfilled…” At first, he receives the approval of his fellow citizens.

Jesus then reminds them that he is not there primarily to benefit his relatives and friends. Rather he has come to solicit their support. We can imagine what he would have them do. If possible, they are to follow him on the mission. If they can't accompany him, they may be able to contribute something toward the expenses. They can, at least, pray to God for its success. It is similar to the request made by the Church today.  It asks people to commit themselves. Youth should consider a religious or priestly vocation. Everyone who can, should offer if not time at least some money to charities. Then we are to lend a hand to a neighbor in need.

Incredibly, it is not uncommon for some to turn down these requests. They go to Mass on Sunday so they don't lose the possibility of eternal life. But from Monday to Saturday they look out for their own interests. They would no more visit a nursing home than stick their arm into a snake hole. The same rejection can be seen in the gospel. People react to the implications of Jesus' speech with anger. They hoped that Jesus would be their ticket to a more comfortable life. Perhaps, in addition to healing the sick, he could increase the economy of the town. If he stayed in Nazareth, men and women from all over Israel would come to see him. The townspeople could sell them food and lodging.

The people get so angry with Jesus that they want to stone him. (One can be stoned either by throwing rocks at the person or by throwing the person on rocks.) It is as if by suggesting that they sacrifice themselves, Jesus has committed a capital crime. The people who today reject Jesus’ mandates do not want to kill him but to ignore him.

In the second reading today we hear Saint Paul's beautiful reflection on love. He does not have in mind acquisitive love as many people think of it. No, he is thinking of charitable love. It is the sacrifice of the self for the good of the other because the other is an image of God. It is putting ourselves second because God is first. This love, as the reading says, is patient and kind. It is collaborating with a parish in Honduras so that campesino children may receive a secondary education. It is making sandwiches for the homeless. It's helping in a million possible ways.

We have endured the Covid virus for almost two years. All of us have known someone who has died from the disease. However, we do not feel defeated or worn down. Rather we now feel that we can live with the threat. It is time to resume Jesus' program. It is time to assist the poor and comfort the distressed.

Friday, January 28, 2022

 Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church

(II Samuel 11:1-4a.5-10a.13-17; Mark 4:26-34)

St. Thomas Aquinas was born into a wealthy family.  When he showed a religious sentiment, his parents thought that he should be an abbot.  But Thomas was not inclined to live as a rich man.  He joined the Dominican Order, a relatively new institution in his day.  The Dominicans were gaining an intellectual reputation.  No doubt this appealed to Thomas’ love of learning. But he was also fascinated with the poverty which the Dominican friars professed.

In his Summa Theologica Thomas writes of Jesus’ poverty.  He begins by saying that one would think Christ should have embraced moderation.  If he was going to redeem all humanity, he should live like the average person.  But, according to Thomas, Christ took on extreme poverty.  For this reason Christ could honestly say, “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Thomas explains that Christ strove to be poor because he was a preacher.  A preacher must devote himself (or herself) totally to the Word of God.  That is, the preacher cannot be looking after riches.  Just as important, Thomas says that Christ chose material poverty in order to enrich others spiritually.  He showed the world that God blesses those who give up everything for Him.  This blessing, which in the end is complete happiness, is worth much more than gold.

We might say that Thomas Aquinas “could have had it all.”  But he chose to have very little, really just enough to get by.  In the end, however, Thomas received all that we can hope for – eternal life.  Thomas’ aspiration here should be ours as well.  We should not hanker after riches.  We need material things, but we should seek them to the extent that they avail for us the spiritual gifts of love and peace.

Thursday, January 27, 2022

 Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(II Samuel 7:18-19.24-29; Mark 4:21-25)

There is an old story about a rabbi quizzing his disciples.  “When does the night end and the day begin?” asks the rabbi.  One disciple answers, “When you can tell the difference between a cow and a coyote on the horizon.”  Another student responds, “When you can distinguish the oak from the apple tree in the meadow.”  The rabbi says that neither disciple has answered correctly.  “Then when is it?” the students demand.   The rabbi answers, “Night ends and day begins when you can look into the eyes of a stranger and see your brother or sister.”  He continues, “If you cannot do that, you are still in the night.”  In today’s gospel Jesus gives a similar lesson.

Jesus is telling his disciples a parable about a lamp.  He says that a lamp is brought into a room to reveal what is hidden.  The disciples will eventually understand that Jesus himself is the lamp.  He reveals to his disciples that they are brothers and sisters not just to one another but to every man and woman. More than that, he enables them to see that they are children of God with an eternal destiny.

The light of Christ makes evident difficult truths like the need to forgive. We put it under a bushel basket when we refuse to allow his words to make us kinder and more patient.  In this way Christ enlightens for us the road to heaven.