Sunday, September 10, 2023

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20)

We have observed that there are five great discourses in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. They begin with the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus commences his ministry. They will end with the discourse over the “last things” as Jesus arrives in Jerusalem to lay down his life. In the gospel today we hear part of the fourth speech that deals with the church.

It may be thought that Jesus would begin his discourse on the church with a description of the various offices. However, with the exception of naming the twelve as pillars and Simon Peter as his second, Jesus is not interested in church structure. The entire fourth discourse has to do with the behavior of the members towards each other. They have to become like children dependent on God the Father for support. They should never give scandal to the weak in their midst. The section today deals with handling the delicate situation when a brother or sister falls into sin.

Before we can proceed, it is necessary to clarify the question of judging. Some think that it is not Christian to say another person has sinned. They propose as proof the phrase of Jesus: "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged" (Matthew 7,1). But we are always judging. If we say, "the grass is green", we have made a judgment. According to experts, what the phrase "Do not judge..." means is that we do not condemn anyone. Only God has the authority to send a person to hell.

In the reading Jesus commands us to approach the person whom we judge to be in serious sin and ask him or her to repent. We should do this in the spirit of accompaniment of which that Pope Francis often speaks. Accompaniment never rejects or looks down on the other person for having done wrong. Rather, it moves us to befriend the sinner in order to help him or her return to righteousness. Many young people are cohabiting. It certainly is a serious sin that their families and friends should not overlook. In addition to conveying concern for their spiritual and emotional well-being, accompaniment reassures the person of our love and tries to create a dialogue in which the person can talk about the relationship. Particularly the parents of the cohabiting couple should accompany their children without promoting the sin.

The presence of a second or third person will reinforce the seriousness of the situation while maintaining privacy. The important thing is to preserve the relationship of the sinner with the community of faith. The person in serious sin should not receive Holy Communion, but he should feel invited to participate in the mass. In fact, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass applies to him or her regardless of the sin.

Jesus gives his Church the right to exclude notorious sinners. Such action has at least two motives. It is hoped that the sinner, made aware of the seriousness of his condition, will soon reform. In any case, others will realize that they have to avoid the sin.

One other thing about the discourse draws our attention. Jesus includes prayer in his teaching on how to deal with sinners. We should pray that our judgment of sin is sound. We also want to ask the Lord for the appropriate attitude and words to win the trust of the sinner. Above all, we ask that the sinner be reformed. Confronting another person about sin is always delicate. It may backfire on us.  So we also want to ask the Lord to free us from sin.

Friday, September 8. 2023

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Micah 5:1-4a or Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 1:1-16.18-23 or Matthew 1:18-23)

The Byzantine Orthodox Church has a beautiful prayer to the Christ child on Christmas.  The prayer expresses the age-old desire to present Jesus with a special gift.  It proposes as a truly worthy offering on the part of humanity a Virgin Mother.  She is Mary, the fairest of women, who will prepare Jesus for his mission of revealing God’s love to the world.

Today the Church celebrates Mary in a special way.  Hers is the only birthday recognized in the liturgical calendar besides those of Jesus and John the Baptist.  By calling attention to her birth, the Church recognizes a life solely dedicated to God. 

Mary is also singled out as a model for young and old today.  We should find in her chastity the way to happiness no matter our state of life.  We can see in her obedience to God’s will how costly sacrifice leads to wonderful outcomes.  Most of all, of course, we recognize in Mary the fullness of love.  She cares for Jesus at his birth in Matthew and Luke and at his death in John’s gospel.  She speaks up in Cana for the whole world.  “’They have no wine,’” is a plaintive call for the happiness of the kingdom.  Each of us should strive to live as faithfully as this woman.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(Colossians 1:9-14; Luke 5:1-11)

A successful businessman almost went bankrupt because of gambling debts.  He was a family man, respected in the community where he had his business, and active in his church.  But in Las Vegas he could not stop placing bets until he almost lost everything.  St. Paul has such madness in mind when he writes of the “power of darkness” in today’s first reading.

Darkness or evil takes different shapes.  One can become addicted to drugs, lie maliciously, or look for illicit sexual fulfilment.  Darkness engulfs the soul so that it dies before the light of the next day.  Paul recognizes how Christ through his teaching and by his death has dissipated its power.  By staying close to him, one can enjoy a peaceful and hopeful life.

Coming to such a state is not all our doing.  God provides the grace so that everyone come to know and rely on Christ.  Like Paul we need to pray continually that we accept the grace that dispels darkness.

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(Colossians 1:1-8; Luke 4:38-44)

Today’s first reading is taken from the beginning of the Letter to the Colossians.  The writer is supposedly St. Paul; however, many modern exegetes believe that it was written by one of the apostle’s disciples. The Colossians were the people of Colossae, a city of Asia Minor (now Turkey) east of Ephesus.  The letter addresses problems of the Christian community in Colossae.  There is confusion over the role of angels and also over ascetical practices such as fasting.

This passage is striking for its coordination of the Holy Trinity with the theological virtues.  Paul acknowledges hope of heaven where God, the Father, reigns.  The hope is being realized by the people’s faith in Jesus Christ.  Meanwhile, it is foretasted in the love people share in the Holy Spirit. 

We are to love others not out of a natural attraction but from our hope of eternal life.  Jesus not only told us of God the Father’s unconditional love but also demonstrated that love in his passion and death.  Our belief in him moves us to imitate his selfless love.  Thankfully, we have the Spirit to help us.

 

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

 Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Thessalonians 5:1-6.9-11; Luke 4:31-37)

Yesterday the Gospel of Luke was introduced into the daily mass readings.  It will be used in weekday masses until Advent.  Two characteristics of the Lukan Jesus are that he is always moving and that he speaks with authority.  Yesterday the report of his activities was from Nazareth.  Today it comes from Capernaum.  Tomorrow it will see him leaving for other towns.

The second characteristic is found in the other gospels as well.  Jesus does not cite other rabbis but makes definitive comments on the Scripture himself.  In today’s reading his words manifest authority in that demons obey them.  His charge that the demons come out of the possessed man sends them immediately away. 

Such a display of authority should provoke repentance and faith in Jesus.  The people, however, are only filled with amazement.  Let us not be so slow to respond favorably.  Jesus is here to save us from sin and death.  We should not be shy about acknowledging him as Lord and praying to him for our every need.