Friday, October 14, 2022

 Friday of the Twenty-eighth week in ordinary time

(Ephesians 1:11-14; Luke 12:1-7)

In his recorded homily last Sunday Bishop Robert Barron preached on the virtue of humility.  He said that humility is the source of sanctity because pride is the greatest of vices.  In demonstrating this spiritual truth, Bishop Barron featured Naaman, the Syrian general.  Despite his prominence, Naaman took the advice of an Israeli slave girl and the second-hand instruction from the prophet Elisha.  The result was not just his physical healing but his coming to know and praise the true God.

In today’s gospel Jesus recommends the same humility.  He tells his disciples to beware of the leaven or hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  He means that the Pharisees try to make themselves look important before others.  Their pretension, however, will end in the loss of their souls if it is not corrected.  The Pharisees and everyone else must acknowledge their weaknesses before God and neighbor as they pray for strength to overcome them.

We like to reflect on our strengths – good looks, discipline, sharp intellect, what have you.  In acknowledging these, we should give thanks to God for both natural endowment and the grace to develop it.  But it is more important to acknowledge our weaknesses – laziness, craving for food, clumsiness, etc.  Doing so, we can appeal to God for the saving grace to bear our crosses as His children.

Thursday, October 13, 2022

 Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Ephesians 1:1-10; Luke 11:47-54)

 In a book of prayers, the twentieth century theologian Karl Rahner asks if God is the God of all the laws which the Church has on record.  There certainly are many rules, rubrics, and regulations on file although not as many as when Rahner wrote the book before Vatican II.  Rahner answers his question with characteristic paradox.  No, God is not the God of laws, but He is the God of the one law of love.  When a person obeys the laws of the Church out of love for God, he writes, then she is assured of finding God in her obeisance. 

Rahner recognizes the possibility that some Church rules may be too burdensome for people to bear.  He finds in the gospel itself testimony that those who legislate unwarranted precepts will be held accountable.  In the gospel yesterday and today Jesus charges the Pharisees and Scribes with doing just that.  They need to repent as much as thieves and adulterers.

Jesus champions our cause by revealing God’s will.  He shows us that people who appear to be holy may not in fact be living according to God’s will.  He wants us to be holy but takes pains to point out of what true holiness consists.  It has less to do with following countless regulations than with freeing people from slavery to power or pleasure.  In this way they too may love as God loves

Wednesday, October, 12, 2022

 Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Galatians 5:18-25; Luke 11:42-46)

It is a tragedy that the Boy Scout movement is hemorrhaging so badly.  At least in the United States, it is trying to rebuild after filing for bankruptcy.  For most of the twentieth century Boy Scouts developed both spiritual and physical skills that are essential for excellent citizenship.  Many men today can name from memory Boy Scout “laws” that sound much like the virtues St. Paul lists in today’s first reading.

The list, known as the “fruits of the Spirit” can be neatly divided into three groups of three virtues.  The first three -- love, joy, and peace – epitomize life in the Holy Spirit.  How should a Christian be if not loving, joyful, and peaceful? To support these dispositions, the Christian must develop generosity, kindness, and gentleness.  And this is done through faithfulness, patience, and self-control.

Working through human agency, the Holy Spirit relies on teachers and models, both in the home and away.  Parents who are both firm and loving usually influence development of virtue to the greatest degree.  Teachers, and here can be added Boy Scout leaders, also can play a critical role.  Finally, friends will leave a telling mark on a person’s character.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

 Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Galatians 5:1-6; Luke 11:37-41)

In the homes of pious Mexican families, an altar is often present.  It will have an image of Jesus and his Virgin mother along with a picture of a deceased loved one and some prayers.  The altar is a way of extending the life of prayer in church to the home.  In Jesus’ time Pharisees would wash before meals for a similar reason.  Washing oneself before eating imitates the ablutions of animal sacrifices in the Temple.  It reminds house members and guests of God’s presence wherever good people congregate.  For good reason, then, the Pharisee in today’s gospel is surprised when Jesus does not wash as he goes to eat.

Because the washing is not mandatory, Jesus is free to omit it.  However, he uses the look of surprise on the Pharisee’s face to give a lesson on spiritual hygiene.  He says that inner purification through almsgiving forgives more sin than washing of one’s hands and feet.  He wants his disciples to practice charity, not to worry about popular ritualistic practices.

This doesn’t mean that we should go to church with dirty hands unless, perhaps, it was in helping a homeless person that we dirtied them.  In any case, we should try to keep in mind the needs of others and much as our own needs.

 

Monday, October 10, 2022

 Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary time

(Galatians 4:22-24.26-27. 31-5.1; Luke 11:29-32)

 A young man standing near a stop sign, cup in hand, tugs at your heartstrings.  You want to give him something to eat, but that’s impractical at the moment.  Besides, you know that the beggar is really not interested in food.  Should you give him a dollar which will likely be spent on drugs?  Or should you just make a friendly gesture and leave the scene?

In today’s first reading St. Paul fears that something similar to the beggar’s situation will develop among the Galatians.  Some in the Christian community of Galata have accepted the teaching of Judaizers who say that Jewish ritual acts must accompany Baptism.  Paul writes them that Christ has freed them from the Law for good reason – it is impossible to fulfill.  He is telling them that they must not adopt it.  Nor, he indicates, should they lose their freedom by submitting to another form of oppression.  He has things like drugs, sex, or liquor in mind.  Rather, he wants the Galatians to follow Christ who shows them how to live with integrity.

There are many kinds of slavery.  All of them take away our ability to act as we know we should.  To avoid these traps, we must develop a relationship with the Lord.  To an extent this is a spiritual endeavor, but it also can be quite a quite palpable friendship.  The Church is Christ.  When we entrust ourselves to the good people within it, we will not submit to evil cravings.