Thursday, September 22, 2022

 Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ecclesiastes 1: 2-11; Luke 9:7-9)

How could youth accept the first reading as relevant?  They see inventions all the time.  Twenty years ago Facebook was cool.  Youth used it to communicate without parental awareness.  Now Facebook is mostly used by older generations to keep track of their families.  Youth use Instagram or, perhaps Tic-Toc. 

But the author, named Qoheleth which simply means preacher, is not thinking of physical innovations.  He has attitudes and postures in mind.  People whenever and wherever want to be lovely, rich, and famous.  They like to consider themselves as better than average.  Surely these pretensions are vane. Some say, “There is no God” while others reject Scripture’s presentation of God for their imaginings.  These postures may also be considered vanity.

Ecclesiastes, the musings of the preacher, shake readers up to reality.  It forces them to see their tendencies to err and sin.  But it does not despair about finding meaning in life.  Its conclusions will hardly contain the full range of life’s possibility.  These will be seen only when Jesus Christ appears on the world stage.  But Qoheleth prepares the world for him.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

 Feast of Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist

(Ephesians 4:1-7.11-13; Matthew 9:9-13)

In a very real sense today we celebrate two people – a preacher and a writer.  The preacher Matthew is distinguished for having given up a lucrative career as a tax collector.  Somewhat like St. Francis of Assisi, Matthew left his wealth to follow Jesus.  Nothing more of substance is said of him in the gospels except what we read in today’s passage.  As an apostle, It is presumed that he gave testimony to Christ’s resurrection and was martyred in the process.

Matthew, the evangelist, has left a marvelous legacy.  His portrait of Jesus balances the human descendent of David and the divine Son of God.  He describes Jesus not only as a wiseman but, more importantly, as an imperial lawgiver.  His construction of Jesus’ five lengthy discourses provides Christians with profound understanding of the moral life, church order, and what to expect at the end of time.  

We wonder about the accuracy of the gospels themselves when we hear things like Matthew, the apostle, was probably not the same as Matthew, the evangelist. Our concern probably reflects a resistance to embrace what is really true, good, and holy.  Both Matthew, the apostle, and Matthew, the evangelist, knew better.  Neither would harbor a doubt that Jesus’ company is the only way of life that brings perfection and transcendence.  Like the tax collector in today’s reading, we should eagerly follow him.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

 

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and comansions, martyrs

(Proverbs 21:1-6.10-13; Luke 8:19-21)

Ancient Israel struggled with the meaning of wealth as do people today.  Especially the Book of Deuteronomy sees riches as a blessing from God for obeying the commandment to love God alone.  A problem arose, however, when rich people worshipped God but ignored the poor in their midst. Were they blessed or just living at the eye of a hurricane?

In today’s reading from the Book of Proverbs, the sage says that the one “who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard.” This truth will be made manifest in Sunday’s gospel when Jesus tells the parable of “Lazarus and the rich man.”  The rich person’s observance of the Law must go beyond praising God to assisting the neighbor in distress.  Otherwise, the person is doomed, no matter how much money he or she has in the bank.

We should not dismiss any of the laws of the Old Testament other than those of ritual and dietary observance.  They point to Christ who refines them a bit and observes them exemplarily.  Better than observing the Law, then, is emulating Christ.

Monday, September 19, 2022

 

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Proverbs 3:27-34; Luke 8:16-18)

If wise people offer proverbs, Jesus shows himself among the wisest in today’s gospel.  He offers four proverbs that go deeper than the proverbs purportedly offered by Solomon in the first reading.

1) Referring to himself, Jesus says that no one lights a lamp and then hides it.  He is the lamp that reveals the will of God.  How can he not preach?  2) As the Letter to the Ephesians says, God has revealed in Christ His plan to bring everyone together.  Therefore, people should be wary of the hopelessness that surrounds the world.  3) They hear tales of woe but should not lose faith.  God will not abandon them or the world.  4) Maintaining faith will produce more faith with accompanying hope and joy.  Those without enough faith to even say a prayer will find themselves overwhelmed by the many worries of the world.

Wise people are not necessarily scholars.  They are thoughtful people who reflect on the nature of things.  Steeped in faith, they will help us live fruitful and meaningful lives.  Even though his life was short, Jesus has shown us how much everyone’s life is worth living.

Sunday, September 18, 2022

 TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Amos 8:4-7; I Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13)

In the Gospels of the last three Sundays, Jesus has presented us with a spirituality of Christian discipleship. He has taught us how to live our faith led by the Holy Spirit. Three weeks ago, he told us not to take the first seats, but to act humbly. Two weeks ago, he demanded that we love him more than our loved ones and even more than ourselves. And last Sunday, with three exquisite parables, he warned us not to be stingy with our love, but to rejoice when a lost soul is found. The teachings on discipleship continue today. Jesus shares the wisdom to avoid a tendency that causes many to fall and to practice discipleship every day.

In 1896, gold was discovered in the Yukon, a part of northern Canada that borders Alaska. Within months a hundred thousand people were arriving there to strike it rich. The vast majority of these people did not find gold, and many died in the effort. Wealth has an unbalancing effect on men and women. In the parable of the unjust steward Jesus advises us not to let money control us. Rather, we should take advantage of money to reach the Kingdom of God by helping the poor with it. A sage once expressed this teaching in this way: "The only thing we take with us when we die is what we have given away."

Jesus also advises today that his disciples be diligent in little things. As Saint Mother Teresa used to say: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” We are probably not going to welcome Pope Francis today, but we can welcome a person who seems lonely and uncomfortable. We're probably not going to visit the White House today, but we can visit a nursing home. We probably won't be taking supplies to the refugees from Ukraine this weekend, but we can lend a hand in the parish food pantry. We probably won't be teaching in college classrooms, but we can review our children’s homework.

Jesus does not say that discipleship is regularly easy or fun. Rather he has warned those interested that to follow him, one has to deny oneself and carry one's cross daily. So perhaps we want to ask why we do it. Each person has her own particular answer. To some it is no more than what their parents did. But we can mention some reasons that move most of Jesus’ faithful followers. First, the teachings of Jesus show us the right path to navigate through the pitfalls of life. So, by following Jesus our consciences will be freed from guilt. Second, following Jesus puts us in the company of good and trustworthy people. It is not that there are no scoundrels in the Church, but the majority of the faithful struggle alongside us to live justly. Finally and most importantly, following Jesus gives us the hope of full and perpetual happiness. Passing through the cross to death, Jesus rose from the dead. Carrying our cross and dying to ourselves, we hope to obtain the same end.