Wednesday, February 23, 2022

 Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr

(James 4:13-17; Mark 9:38-40)

St. Polycarp’s strange (to us) sounding name means much or rich fruits.  He certainly left rich fruits of meaning as a legacy.  Polycarp is an important link in the Apostolic Tradition.  It is said that he knew St. John, the evangelist.  It is certain that he encountered St. Ignatius of Antioch.  The latter wrote one of his famous letters to him.  Ignatius said that he was impressed not only by Polycarp’s godly mind but, more so, by his “holy face.”

More than anything else, Polycarp’s martyrdom sealed for him a place of glory.  He was an old man when he was brought before the Roman proconsul for sentencing.  The official asked Polycarp to curse Christ.  When the saint refused, the proconsul turned him over to be eaten by lions.  The wild beasts, however, had been put away for the night.  So Polycarp was condemned to die by burning.  He responded with courage and joy.  The proconsul was astonished. When the fire was lit, it was blown outward. Polycarp’s body was left unharmed but emitted the smell of incense.  Someone then took a dagger to pierce Polycarp’s heart.  The blood which gushed out extinguished the fire.  Polycarp’s flock was prevented from taking up his body which was then burned.  In the end, the Christians gathered up the ashes and remaining bones to venerate.

Polycarp’s and others’ martyrdom did not end Christianity.  Quite the opposite, they have spurred belief in Christ. The Church has used remains of martyrs as the base on which the Eucharist is celebrated.  We pray that our love for Christ and neighbor may be as strong as the martyrs’.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

 Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle

 (I Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19)

 It was reported that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger carried in his wallet a card authorizing organ transplants.  But when he became pope, the authorization was annulled.  The reason was not that the pope’s organs are sacred or useless.  Rather, it was that a pope’s body is no longer his own to dispose of.  It belongs to the Church.  This sacrifice of disposition of body organs is small in comparison with the others that modern popes make.  The reading from the First Letter of Peter today gives some indication of other denials of self a pope is called to make.

The reading underscores the pope’s need of humility.  It expressly says that he (really any priest) is not to lord it over the faithful.  Such behavior would give counter-testimony to Christ who humbled himself by dying on the cross.  Nor are popes and other priests to seek favors for their work.  Such actions would undermine their credibility.  More positively, they are to eagerly look after and encourage the faithful.  Only joyful care will win hearts to Christ.  The Vicar of Christ, for whom no retirement age is set, will necessarily wear himself out under such responsibilities.  His consolation, of course, is eternal glory upon the Lord’s return.

 All of us should take to heart Peter’s advice to priests.  We never stand so tall as when we bend down to help a poor or weak neighbor.  Seeking special favors for our work would corrupt justice.  It sends a message that we want for ourselves more than is ours by right.

Monday, February 21, 2022

 (Optional) Memorial of Saint Peter Damian, bishop and doctor of the Church

(James 3:13-18; Mark 9:14-29)

Today the Church remembers St. Peter Damian.  He was a monk, scholar, and reformer.  Recently he has been cited for sounding the alarm on clerical sexual abuse in the eleventh century!  Raised on a farm, Peter was shocked by rampant homosexuality among priests and even bishops.  He wrote a letter to the reform-minded Pope Leo IX describing the abuse in direct terms. 

Ecclesial corruption reached all-time highs during the tenth and eleventh centuries.  Many clerics were living openly with their wives and children.  Ecclesial offices were being bought and sold.  One of the worse popes in history, Benedict IX, occupied the Chair of Peter for much of half a century.  His name was connected to rape, murder, bribery, adultery, and sodomy.  Only because of ascetical men like Peter Damian and the reforming popes Leo IX and Gregory VII was the Church saved from dissolution.

The Letter of James today provides sure wisdom to avoid corruption.  We want to develop humility and avoid jealousy and selfish ambition.  We also need to be people of peace and generous in showing mercy.  At the same time we should endeavor to be constant in seeking and defending the truth.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time  (I Samuel 26:2.7-9.12-13.22-23; I Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38)

Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom has just reached a milestone. On February 6 she was head of her country for seventy years. She has done more than fulfill her responsibilities. She has modeled nobility for the world. She has always shown concern for the poor. She has never been involved in scandal. She has exhibited human dignity in both public and personal affairs.  The people of Britannia will remember her with admiration. Similarly, the Jews have esteemed King David.

David was primarily a war-hero. Since his victory over the giant Goliath, he gained respect for defeating Israel's enemies. However, he was far from a perfect human being. He seemed to like violence too much. He wasted no time in having his lover's husband killed. Another vice he had was lust. He had at least six wives. We may wonder why the Bible sees him as the greatest king of Israel. It was not primarily because of his ability to win battles. More significantly, he had a heart ready to forgive like God. He displays this ability in the first reading when he turns down the opportunity to kill his enemy.

In the gospel Jesus instructs his disciples to likewise imitate God's mercy. They are to forgive their enemies. In addition, they are to lend without expecting repayment, bless their adversaries, and give at the request of the other. Of course, these principles apply to us just as much as they did to first-century Christians.

Perhaps we are puzzled by the excessive demand. We ask ourselves, where is justice if anyone can strike me with impunity? Justice is hidden in God's plan. Jesus implies as much in what he says next. Our heavenly Father will not allow us to be destroyed. Rather He will reward us abundantly when His Kingdom comes. In Jesus’s words our lot will be "a good measure, shaken well, pressed down, and running over."

Perhaps our restlessness continues. We ask, could we keep ourselves in peace if we follow Jesus’ directives? Really, it's not easy. But we have examples like Saint Francis and Mother Teresa showing that it is possible. True, people as weak as ourselves are going to fail sometimes. And it will be hard at times to coordinate our responsibilities to family and friends with the demands of the kingdom. In any case, we should not despair. As long as we change our lives to accommodate the gospel principles, we will be fine.

A poor immigrant woman lent out the money she was saving to buy a house. After several months the woman who asked for the loan did not pay it back. Neither did she want to talk about it. Now the lender doesn't know what to do because she needs money to repair her car. Will she violate Jesus' demand by asking her friend to return the money? No. If she were rich and the other person were really needy, there would be reason to forgive the debt. But in this case, the two must work out a plan to ensure their mutual good.

In the second reading today, we hear Saint Paul describing the heavenly man. He says in effect that, moved by the Spirit, the heavenly man has accommodated gospel the principles. He no longer practices the vices of the “first man”: selfishness, lust, and drunkenness. Instead, he has donned the virtues of the Kingdom: nonviolence, kindness, and compassion. He has conformed himself to Christ. His destiny is life with him forever.

Soon we will be beginning Lent. It is time to consider how we can conform to Jesus. Being slow to get angry with people who baffle us? Be more ready to forgive our enemies? Yes, these are the ways of heavenly men and women.

Friday, February 18, 2022

 Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(James 2:14-24.26; Mark 8:34-9:1)

It is said that Martin Luther wanted to omit the Letter of James from the Bible because of today’s passage.  For Luther all human works are tainted by egoism which makes them unworthy.  He was quite sure that faith alone is sufficient for salvation.

The point that James wants to make is rather simple. The virtues don’t exist completely separate from one another.  If one is to love as God does, that person must believe that his acts of love matter in the sum of things.  Similarly, if one really believes in a God who loves, she will show that belief with an act of love.  Yet it is possible that one’s love be deficient.  St. Augustine knew that his budding faith would not save him if he continued to live with his mistress. 

Faith is necessary for salvation.  This faith may be explicit by our professing the creed.  Or it may be implicit like the agnostic who consistently helps his or her neighbors.  But faith without works of love is hollow.  It is like a corpse from which life is drained.  It cannot live eternally.