Thursday, August 24, 2023

 

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, apostle

(Revelation 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51)

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Bartholomew is paired with Philip, the apostle.  Because Nathaniel has that distinction in John’s gospel, he is considered the same as Bartholomew.  In today’s passage from John, Bartholomew/Nathaniel recognizes Jesus as Messiah.

His recognition approximates what Simon calls Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel.  In the famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Simon says Jesus is “the Christ (i.e., Messiah), the Son of the living God.”  Jesus in turns names Simon, “Peter,” which is to say the rock, the foundation of his Church.  Jesus gives a descriptive title to Bartholomew/Nathaniel as well.  He is a true Israelite without duplicity.

We should strive to be likewise.  We say that we are Christians; that is, followers of Jesus.  We should always act like him.  This means praying to God constantly and serving others diligently.  Doing so, we too will experience angels working marvelous deeds. 

 Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Judges 9:6-15; Matthew 19:1-16)

 Fables are stories which dramatize animals or other non-human entities in order to deliver a moral message.  The reading from the Book of Judges today comprises a fable which approximates the one just mentioned.  The issue is the appointment of a king over Israel.  Useful trees like the olive and the fig refuse the honor of kingship so a buckthorn, which is no more than a large shrub, assumes the office.  The buckthorn represents Abimelech, the cutthroat son of Gideon.  He slaughtered seventy half-brothers to secure his throne and afterward burned alive the people of Migdal-shechem.  The reading anticipates the latter atrocity when it mentions fire coming from the buckhorn. 

 The moral offered by the story is that Israel should not seek a king but accept the kingship of God.  Anything less will result in affronting God with accompanying mistreatment of the poor.  This is not to endorse theocracy in which a modern state rules according to the dictates of a religion.  Such an arrangement today often leads to severe injustice not because of God but because of human distortion of God’s law.

 We need civil government to regulate the material goods.  Christians must obey civil rulers although never at the cost of sinning.  We pray for government rulers as St. Paul admonishes.  And we try to shape laws and elect leaders that will protect the rights of all.

 

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

 Memorial of the Queenship of Mary

 (Judges 6:11-24a; Matthew 19:23-30)

 The dialogue between Gideon and the angel sounds something like “Saturday Night Live.”  When the angel assures Gideon that the Lord stands with His people, Gideon retorts cynically.  “If the Lord is with us,” he asks, “then why has all this (humiliation) happened to us?”  The answer to his query should be obvious to Gideon.  Israel’s lack of success in battle against the Midianites is their infidelity to God’s Covenant.  Compromising their integrity as a people, they become easy prey to enemies.

 Gideon may be talking flippantly because he is not sure whether the stranger before him is really the Lord.  He asks for a sign which is given when fire consumes Gideon’s sacrificial offering.  Knowing that he is in the Lord’s presence, Gideon begins to wonder if he will suffer for his impertinence.  However, God assures him not to worry.

 We should not hesitate to open our hearts to God in prayer.  But humility is called for in such awesome company.  God is, after all, our Creator, not our buddy.  He befriends us out of love but does not share our tendencies to complain and gossip.  We should speak with Him as with a revered professor who has deigned to give us his time.  That is, we should be attentive to His correction and appreciative of His encouragement.

Monday, August 21, 2023

 

Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope

(Judges 2:11-19; Matthew 19:16-22)

Today’s gospel gives the impression that one has to become a monk to inherit eternal life.  Indeed, St. Anthony of the desert, the epitome of hermit monks, did precisely what Jesus prescribes here.  But such a reading betrays the tradition of Christian spirituality.

Christians have always held that there are many ways to eternal life.  Not only monks and nuns are on their way to salvation.  A political leader like St. Louis of France became a saint as did the Italian doctor Gianna Beretta Molla.  Sanctity requires that one places God first and foremost and always treats others with love.

The young man of the gospel receives a literal calling from Jesus to sell everything and follow him.  He must respond to it or be lost.  He goes away sad because like the seed among thorns, he is strangled by his wealth.  However, he is not hopeless.  Perhaps in time he will reconsider the call and became a disciple.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 56:6-7; Romans 11:11-15.29-32; Matthew 15:21-28)

The gospel today seems particularly appropriate for our time. It indicates the reason for many people abandoning faith in Jesus. The storyline is short but fascinating. It describes an encounter between a Canaanite (non-Jewish) woman and Jesus. It seems that Jesus insults her. But a careful reading reveals how she takes no offense and even draws closer to Jesus after his comment.

The great defender of the faith C.S. Lewis wrote a striking essay titled "God in the Dock." He says that in ancient times human beings always recognized themselves as guilty of sin. They, therefore, asked God for forgiveness. He goes on to say that in modern times the situation has been reversed. Humans accuse God of the tragedies and natural catastrophes that people suffer. As a result, the Church has to defend God from His accusers.  The first thing many see in today’s gospel is Jesus making a racist remark.

There is undoubtedly a new sensitivity in recent times. Today men and women take as offensive nicknames that a hundred years ago were considered terms of affection or respect.  A man must be careful to whom he calls a younger man, “Sonny.”  In Major League Baseball, the Cleveland team dropped its nickname "Indians" because some indigenous said that it was offensive. To many contemporaries Jesus using the term "little dogs" in reference to the situation of Canaanite's daughter seems like an outrage.

Jesus can be readily defended. He never calls the girl a "dog." He only compares his situation with the person who has food for the family, not for the pets. However, Jesus does not require defense. As the woman acknowledges, he is the “Lord” who would do nothing wrong. It's not that his deeds are good because he does them. Rather it is that he is God, the supreme good, in whom there is no evil.

The Canaanite does not denounce Jesus. She doesn't even see his words as offensive. Rather, she shows us the proper disposition toward God when she prostrates herself before Jesus in adoration. Recognizing him as “Lord,” she then reiterates the urgency that he help his daughter. With these acts she shows the world how to acknowledge Jesus with both gesture and word.

Last Sunday we heard Jesus in the gospel call Peter a man of "little faith." He now tells the Canaanite woman that she has "much faith." In this case we should imitate the woman and not Saint Peter. As the woman asks that Jesus cast out the demons that harass her daughter, we want to ask him to cast out the demons that pollute our time. That is, we want to ask you to remove not only the growing lack of faith but also the self-centeredness that allows people to do whatever they like.

There is a famous novel that begins with the words: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." This can be said of any time and certainly of today. There is always a lack of faith in Jesus making times bad. But Jesus is always close to us turning bad times into good.