Tuesday, August 30, 2022

 

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37)

The gospels view the world as captured by malevolent spiritual powers.  From their viewpoint the evil spirits foster suspicion and rejection rather than love.  They see Jesus as defeating these demonic forces and retaking the world for God.  In today’s passage Jesus handily ejects a demon or evil spirit from a man at the synagogue.

In the first reading St. Paul explains the dynamic of Jesus takeover.  Many people, but not all to the same extent, are affected by evil spirits.  These spirits – hatred, lust, pride, etc. – move the people to sin.  Christians, he says, through the victory of Christ have been given the Holy Spirit who likewise shapes their actions.  The Spirit inspires them to love, reconcile, and rejoice. 

Not only should we be aware that the Spirit moves within us; we should also renew the Spirit.  Prayer and sacraments accomplish the task.  So also does association with good people and reading edifying literature. Done deliberately, it is not a daunting but rather a satisfying task.

Monday, August 29, 2022

 

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

(I Corinthians 2:1-5; Mark 6:17-29)

Although today’s memorial is commonly called “the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist,” the Church uses a different title.  Officially, it is the “Passion of Saint John the Baptist.” Like the Passion of Jesus, it was an ordeal, as unjust as it was bloody.  It also affected Jesus.

John was Jesus’ mentor.  Probably Jesus stayed with him for a time before John baptized him. John’s cruel and unwarranted death warned Jesus that doing God’s will provides no immunity from violence.  Even the authorities will persecute one who speaks an inconvenient truth.  Jesus is aware now that the path he has chosen to travel will likely lead to a premature death. 

We see John the Baptist as a shadowy figure.  His dress and his diet impel us to keep distant from such a man.  We do so at our loss.  Like Jesus’ passion, John’s does not indicate only his suffering but also his love.  John loved God above all.  He recognized God’s call that he prophesy.  That is, he knew his vocation was to speak truth to power.   He did not flinch and was led to glory.

Sunday, August 28, 2022

 TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Ecclesiasticus 3:19-21.30-31; Hebrews 12:18-19.22-24; Luke 14:1.7-14)

It is difficult to understand today's gospel. It has to do with the values ​​of the Kingdom of God. What qualities must we develop to be welcomed into the Kingdom? In what we have just heard, Jesus describes two. It is true that Jesus does not mention the word "kingdom" in the passage.  But St. Luke writes that Jesus tells a "parable", and it is characteristic of Jesus to speak of the Kingdom in parables.

Jesus advises people to practice humility. He tells them to take the seats in the back of the hall when they are invited to a banquet. He assures them that they will not be disappointed. Perhaps the host will move them to a more prominent place. If he does not do it, although Jesus does not say so, they will have the opportunity to meet simple people.

Is Jesus prompting us to feign humility to advance our own interests? Of course not. If he were to do that, he would be betraying the Kingdom that he has come to proclaim. In the Kingdom of God, everyone is appreciated as a son or daughter of God. What more could we ask for? In this world we make distinctions according to classes and achievements. For this reason Jesus says that the host will exalt the distinguished person. However, in the Kingdom everyone will enjoy the presence of God with their companions, whoever they may be.

Perhaps we think that humility is one of the minor values ​​of the kingdom. Let's listen to what St. Augustine says about it: "... if humility does not precede everything we do, our efforts are in vain." Furthermore, humility explains the action of Christ in the incarnation. As St. Paul says: "Although he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness… "

Jesus also recommends hospitality as a value of the Kingdom. As in the case of humility, this virtue can be distorted. If a person invites to his house only those who can help him out personally, he does not have the virtue of hospitality. True hospitality asks for nothing in return. It always provides the other with free food or lodging. The origin of the word hospitality even indicates this. It comes from the Latin word hospes which means stranger.  It is likely that the stranger is not going to return the favor given to him because he lives in another place.

To ensure true hospitality, Jesus insists that people invite the poor, lame, and otherwise unfortunate to their parties. For Jesus it is not just a matter of caring for their needs. No, for him we take care of the poor as friends in our homes.

There are several other values ​​of the Kingdom of God. We will certainly count among them love, peace, and joy. These values are like the variety and abundance of fruits at harvest time: watermelons, strawberries, apples, and a thousand others.  The values we develop now make our lives truly richer.  All of them will be present together when the Kingdom of God comes in its fullness.

Friday, August 26, 2022

 

Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 1:17-25; Matthew 25:1-13)

Once an oriental with no knowledge of Christianity walked into a church in Italy.  He was taken aback by the crucifix hanging over the altar.  He asked, “What did that man do to be hung like that?” In the First Letter to the Corinthians St. Paul launches a plea for unity within the community from a similar amazement over the crucifixion. 

Paul writes that he preached the paradoxical power of Christ crucified.  Not considering himself an accomplished preacher, he says that it was the wonder of the message that won converts.  That message was, of course, that Christ gave his life to arrest the world from the grasp of sin.  Others preached to the Corinthians with more eloquence -- he writes -- but it was the common message that attracted people to believe.  Paul will exhort the Corinthians to stop claiming factions like “I am a Paul Christian” or “I am a Peter Christian” and to settle on the fact that all follow of the one who loved to the extreme.

Sounds right, but how do we reconcile this message with the reality of divisions within Christianity today?  Not only are there many distinctive Christian groups – Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, and Evangelicals. But also, within each group there is further alienation – liberals and conservatives, charismatics and social justice types, to name a couple.  For unity we must return to Christ crucified.  His sacrificial love shows us how to tolerate and even accept as brothers and sisters different types of Christians.  We must never sacrifice truth for the sake of unity.  But we must refrain from bigotry and demonization out of love of Christ.

Thrursday, August 25, 2022

Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 25:1-13)

The First Letter to the Corinthians has become the preferred work of teachers of St. Paul’s letters.  It comprises a treasury of Church history as Paul addresses many different issues challenging the Corinthians.  One of those issues was the different “charisms” in the community.  The word may sound strange to some but at its root is a very common concept in religion.  Paul treats of that concept in this passage, his introduction to the letter.

The Greek word for “grace” is charis.  It means “favor.”  Paul offers his readers a blessing of God’s grace, which sounds like a wish for “good luck.” Then Paul develops the meaning of the word as he writes, “I give thanks…for the grace (charis) bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way…”  He is referring to their good sense to accept conversion and to change their lives in accord with the gospel.

Of course, we too have been graced by a relationship with Jesus Christ.  He has become our model and friend as well as our Savior and Lord.  We imitate his love and find ourselves supported by his presence.  His sacrificial gift has achieved our reconciliation with the Father.  And his commands guide us as the shadows of life fall.