Thursday, January 26, 2023

 Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops

(II Timothy 1:1-8; Mark 4:21-25)

Recently deceased Australian cardinal George Pell took to heart St. Paul’s famous advice to Timothy.  Paul tried to encourage his disciple and protégé Timothy to find courage to deal with his problems.  Evidently, as Timothy’s teaching authority was being challenged, he was unsure how to defend himself.  “Stir into flame the gift of God,” Paul tells Timothy.  That is, he wants Timothy to trust in the Holy Spirit’s gifts of fortitude and wisdom.

Cardinal Pell died suddenly two weeks ago as the result of a common surgery.  He had returned to Rome after spending over a year in prison in a Australian miscarriage of justice.  Cardinal Pell used the time as a long retreat in which he wrote extended an extended memoir.  That reflection attests to his courage in facing setbacks.  It also encourages others to profess the truth of Christ in a world often antagonistic to him.

All of us – priests, religious, and lay people – should prepare ourselves to defend the truth of Christ.  Often we are inclined to silence when others belittle Christ’s teachings propagated by the Church.  Be it opposition to divorce on demand or the prospect of eternal life, we want to be both clear and kind about what we know to be true.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

 Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

 (Acts 22:3-16; Mark 16:15-18)

 Today ends the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  “What’s that?” many people ask, even people who come to church regularly.  The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was established over a hundred years ago.  It addresses the contradiction of Jesus’ church being divided up as if it were an indigenous territory that was parceled in a land rush.  In the Gospel of John Jesus prays: “’…that all of them may be one as You, Father, are in me, and I am in you’” (John 17:21).  As it now stands, Christians are no more one than the colors of the rainbow.

 The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul was chosen as the day to end the week of prayer.  It is worthwhile to ponder why.  Of course, Paul is universally admired.  Protestants see his insight of “salvation by faith in Christ” as particularly critical to Christian self-understanding, which it is.  Catholic priests and sisters have made Paul their model in the profession of celibacy.  But a deeper reason explains the choice of Paul as the patron of unity.  As the name of the feast indicates, Paul underwent conversion.  He changed his mind and heart.  He was the persecutor of Christ who became his greater promoter.  Something like Paul’s conversion must take place in Christians if there is ever to be unity.

The conversion called for here is akin to the change of heart preached every Lent.  We must humble ourselves before God and one another.  We must not think of ourselves as better than others because we are traditional Catholics or “everybody’s welcome” Protestants.  Rather we must listen to Christ speaking through one another.  And we must bend to accept one another as a brother or sister.  We cannot compromise fundamental principles for a superficial unity.  But we can establish partnerships that transcend differences.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

 Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Hebrews 10:1-10; Mark 3:31-35)

 An unforgettable scene in the movie Dances with Wolves shows the hero riding away with the Indians.  He was a calvary officer on the American frontier who was abandoned by the American army and adopted by a Sioux tribe.  He became one of them; they became his family.  In today’s gospel Jesus similarly chooses his family.

Jesus’ blood relatives come looking for him.  Believing him to be mentally disturbed, they want to take him back to Nazareth.  But he makes it known that his disciples are his “mother, brothers, and sisters.”  Jesus never says that any human is his father.  The only father he has, his true Father, is God in heaven.

Although not in the same way, God through Jesus is our Father as well.  He takes care of our needs as every one of us can attest.  In response we should thank Him by always doing His will.

Monday, January 23, 2023

 Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 9:15.24-28; Mark 3:22-30)

In today’s gospel scribes have come from Jerusalem to see Jesus.  No doubt, they want to investigate the wonders that have been attributed to him.  Their conclusion is astonishing.  They say, despite his attention to prayer and compassion, that Jesus can cure illness and expel demons because he is in league with the devil!

However, Jesus is not dismayed. He responds to the accusation with an analogy that challenges people today but perhaps was not lost on those surrounding him.  He compares Satan’s control over the world to a strong man’s possession of a house.  Then Jesus compares himself to an even stronger man who has come into Satan’s house and tied him up Satan.  As a result, the household is liberated of Satan’s perverse rule.

The evangelist Mark is telling us that Jesus has delivered us from sin and death.  We must not refuse his liberation out of a liking for or familiarity with sinful ways.  For the sake of our salvation and others, we must give ourselves over to him.

Sunday, January 22, 2023

 THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 8:23-9:3; I Corinthians 1:10-13.17; Matthew 4:12-17)

Galilee may be the region where Jesus came from, but it was not considered the holy land. To the contrary, in Biblical times Galilee was under a cloud of suspicion. Isaiah in the first reading today and Matthew in the gospel tell why. They say that Galilee is the "district of the pagans." Non-Jews inhabited the land with the invasion of Assyria seven centuries before Christ. They brought their idols and their offensive customs to the Jews. For this reason, Isaiah also calls it a "land of shadows."

Isaiah sees God rescuing the Israelites in the land from foreign oppression. He describes his action as "a great light" shining on the people. Matthew tells of Jesus fulfilling this prophecy when he comes to Capernaum. From there Jesus will preach the Kingdom of God with powerful words and deeds.

More and more our time is seen as a “land of shadows”. Certainly, we have cars, cell phones, and other gadgets that make life comfortable. But we are also seeing the breakdown of the family with divorces and out-of-wedlock births. Many today prefer having pets to raising children. Accompanying the destruction of the family, people are losing faith. Yes, almost everyone celebrates Christmas in one way or another, but relatively few attend Sunday mass. One sign of things to come is that young people often answer “none” to polls asking their religion.

Jesus penetrates the shadows of Galilee through his illuminating preaching. He exhorts people to repent in order to experience the wonder of God's kingdom. For Jesus, repentance consists of more than feeling remorse for our sins. Rather, it means leaving behind the things that lead us away from God and turning to Him with prayer and good works. More to the point, repentance detaches us from the things that fill our minds with vices so that we dedicate ourselves to goodness.

A Franciscan friar preaches of repentance in his life. As a young man, he was very fond of dressing up in fine clothing. He says that he was always buying new shirts and pants to stay in style. Now this piece of vanity has passed. He is content with wearing the habit with a pair of shorts under it.

Each of us has to examine his own life for the thing that inhibits him or her from moving closer to God and leaving it behind. For many it is the movies that are increasingly obscene. For others it is the bad company they keep. If our companions use bad words, in a short time we are going to use them and, worse, think in such terms. It can be the multiple mirrors that we have in the house feeding our vanity. Or it may be our fanaticism about football, hockey, or professional wrestling for their brutality. Of course, there are many more temptations, but the task is to discover and leave the one that is keeping us from God.

Paul sees several shadows in the Corinthian community. In today's reading he addresses factionalism. Later, he will deal with immorality, the reception of the Eucharist unworthily, and the denial of the resurrection from the dead. In every case problem Paul will find the resolution in Jesus Christ. It is Christ into whom all are baptized so that they have become one. It is Christ with whom they are united in such a way that fornication becomes infidelity to him. It is Christ who fed his own body to his disciples the night before his death so that when they come inebriated to receive the Eucharist, they are rejecting Christ. It is Christ who rose from the dead so that if they do not believe in their own resurrection, they are denying his resurrection. The same Christ can also dispel our shadows. First, we must let him into our lives. Then, we must embrace him with all our soul.