Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)

The word ethos sounds like ethic.  The two words, no doubt, are derived from the same root.  But there is an important difference between them.  Where ethics refers to moral principles, ethos in addition to principles includes a people’s guiding beliefs and customs that are shaped by common stories.  Israel’s ethos is given in the “whole law” referred to in today’s first reading.  It is the torah, the first five books of the Bible, which prescribes in stories and laws how the “people of God” are to live.

In the gospel Jesus declares that the torah will remain in force for his community of disciples.  They must uphold the traditions of the patriarchs and of Moses who guided the people to holiness.  Most emphatically, they must guard against idols.  These whims of treacherous hearts would replace the living God, who loves and protects His people, with fraudulent desires.

We should not think that Jesus intends his disciples to follow the Jewish leadership in his day.  They (and we) are to be distinguished by sexual restraint, care for neighbor, and humility before God.  In these ways they become God’s people.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

It is not hard to forgive a person who keeps you waiting five minutes. “I’ve done the same thing,” the offended party will tell her/himself.  But if the offense is truly immense, forgiveness is much harder to grant.  In the movie “Dead Man Walking” a man cannot, at first, forgive his son’s murderer.  He says that he wants “strict justice (i.e., an eye for an eye…”).  As he is about to be executed, the killer asks the man’s forgiveness. It is tacitly given as the father attends the murderer’s funeral.

As difficult as it is to forgive in some cases, it is also hard for many people to ask forgiveness.  They might consider themselves better than those they offended.  Or perhaps they are worried that admission of guilt will cause loss of prestige or property.  Or they may not see their action toward the other as unjust.  People accused of crime should humbly consider their actions with the help of a wise counsellor.  Then, if they see themselves as guilty, they should straightforwardly seek forgiveness.

Acknowledging offenses and asking forgiveness is a universal challenge.  We all sin.  Doing so, we offend God, of course, but also harm others and ourselves.  We have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to make amends with the Lord.  Justice compels us to seek reconciliation with offended parties as well.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

(II Kings 5:1-15b; Luke 4:24-30)

The mayor, perhaps trying to impress the group of ministers he was addressing, said that he had only four friends.  His best friend, he claimed, was his wife of many years.  He named his two children as other friends.  His fourth friend was Jesus.  It is hoped that all Christian leaders name Jesus as their friend, but they should have given him priority over other friends.

Jesus is not to be relativized.  He is one’s best friend because he is the best person there is.  His advice is not just to be considered but to be followed.  His townspeople in today’s gospel might like to claim him as their own, but they are not willing to accept him as a prophet.  They want Jesus to entertain them with a miracle not to obey him as God’s messenger.  Naaman, the Syrian general, likewise does not want to heed the prophet’s word at first.  He wants his whole attention.

We have Lent to reconsider our priorities.  If we have put Jesus in a place other than first, we are not doing him justice.  Heeding his word will only bring us healing from the leprosy of selfishness.  Following him as a trusted friend will bring us to fullness of life.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

(Exodus 20:1-17; I Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25)

Years ago there was a television drama that caught some attention. A man leaves his town to learn everything there is to learn in the world. He goes to Washington to read all the books in the Library of Congress. After years he returns with his knowledge. The people arrange up an opportunity for him to provide the gist of his discovery. When the time comes, the whole town gathers to listen to him. He begins: “This is what I learned: 'I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods besides me... You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God... Remember to keep the Sabbath holy... Honor your father and your mother...'” Yes, according to the drama the Ten Commandments summarize the wisdom of the ages.

The Ten Commandments have a particular place in Christian as well as Jewish life. The Book of Exodus reports that God wrote them with his own finger. He has given them to humans as a pure gift. God does not need our compliance with these orders. However, unless we heed them, we cannot have happiness that lasts. By following the commandments we can overcome the great errors that are weakening society and leading to personal destruction. They do not allow individualism that ignores the responsibilities we have towards each other and towards community. On the contrary, we must honor our parents, refrain from taking what belongs to others, and as a corollary, support the common good.

The Ten Commandments also stand against relativism that says there are no objective laws but rather every person and every society have to create their own laws. Here are ten incontrovertible laws for everyone. Likewise, the Ten Commandments do not cede any ground to materialism. They recognize spiritual values such as God first and then honesty, honor, the sanctity of marriage, and many others.

As great as the gift of the Ten Commandments is, God has given humans something more superlative. The gospel today teaches that Jesus has arrived to replace the Temple as the meeting place between God and humans. The purification of business from the Temple comprises only the first step of his program. His own body resurrected from the dead will be the new Temple for people to worship God. Saint Paul informs us that the resurrected body of Christ is the Church.

Now the person does not need to go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices that please God. Wherever the Eucharist is celebrated, Christ is present giving God the Father the perfect sacrifice. In fact, Christ is found in all the sacraments of the Church. He is present in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, forgiving the sinner's offenses and strengthening his or her spirit to avoid sin.

The gospel passage ends with a negative evaluation of men and women. It says that Jesus does not trust them because he knows human nature very well.  This means our propensity to sin. Individualism, relativism, and materialism have penetrated the human heart with such force that the Ten Commandments alone are enough to control them. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation Jesus finds us turning to him for spiritual help as we confess our sins. It is a private space where we can open ourselves completely to God in an act that is both humble and uplifting.

During this time of Lent we can imagine Jesus purifying our lives with the Sacrament of Reconciliation as he cleanses the Temple in the gospel today. He makes us true temples of the Holy Spirit from which acts of thanks and praise rise to God the Father. 

Friday, March 1, 2024

 Friday of the Second Week of Lent

 (Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)

 Mark Twain secured fame as a humorist.  Few in his time or any could match his insight and wit.  However, he was no humanist. He did not believe that humans are basically decent.  Quite the contrary, he found them conniving for their own comfort of mind.  If all humans acted like Joseph’s brothers in the first reading or the tenants of today’s gospel parable, Twain’s view would be justified.

The brothers have no patience with Joseph, their father’s favorite son.  They universally dislike him although not all favor killing him.  In any case, they mean him harm when they sell him to the Ishmaelites.  The tenants of Jesus’ parable are even more reprehensible.  They kill the son of the landowner, who stands for the Son of God.  In strict justice, they deserve execution.

Despite frequent examples of hard-heartedness and full treachery, we know that the human heart is not completely corrupt.  In fact, humans can become merciful and loving.  For this reason we seek renewal in the season of Lent.  We endeavor to be like Christ.  He not only taught us to help others but also died to save us from death.