Monday, June 23, 2025

 

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 12:1-9; Matthew 7:1-5)

Many young men today hear a call like the one Abram receives in today’s first reading.  They are moved to leave behind homeland and family to live in a new land.  They are not necessarily pious as Abram probably was not.  But they feel an invisible power beckoning them to a life more bountiful than the one they leave behind.  Thinking about Abram today, one might recall the millions of immigrants around the world.  They are searching for a better life than the poverty and often violence of their own countries.

This is the beginning of the story of God’s chosen people.  All descendants of Abram and his wife Sarai will be part of that nation.  Sarai is childless to this point. Later Genesis comments that she is very beautiful.  God has called this adventuresome man with an eye for a beautiful woman to father a special people.  Their righteousness in time will lead the world to praise Him.

Like Jews we understand Abram to be our father in faith.  His sometimes earthly character should remind us that God does not only call the saintly but us as well.  Like Abram also we must respond to God’s call.  This is not a once-and-for-all proposition.  Rather, it means faithfulness day-in and day-out even when it seems like an absurd venture.

Sunday, , June 22, 2025

 

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

(Genesis 14:18-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17)

The Second Vatican Council called the Eucharist the “source and summit” of our faith. We have the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ to contemplate why this is so. We will do our contemplation here by focusing on the first reading with continued reference to the Letter to the Hebrews and other biblical passages as resources.

The reading introduces Melchizedek, a figure who appears both obscure and illuminating in the Bible. In the Old Testament, his name is seen only in this passage and in Psalm 110. However, in the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, he is amply described as a model for understanding Jesus Christ.

The reading calls Melchizedek “king of Salem.” Salem or shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. As Melchizedek is “king of peace,” Christ will be known as “prince of peace.” He will prove himself worthy of the title when he reconciles Jews and pagans through his death on the cross. As the Letter to the Ephesians says, he reconciled both peoples to God in one Body through the cross, destroying the enmity in his person (cf. Ephesians 2:16).

The reading also says that Melchizedek is a priest. As such, he offers God bread and wine on behalf of Abram. The Letter to the Hebrews also emphasizes Christ's priestly role. Like Melchizedek, at the Last Supper Jesus will present to God bread and wine on behalf of the whole world.

Jesus will convert the offerings into his Body and Blood. On the next day, these same elements will be sacrificed to win the world forgiveness of its sins. Insofar as he relieves those who believe in him from sin, Jesus' offering will be a blessing of inestimable value.

The Letter to the Hebrews goes on to contrast the priests and sacrifices of the Old Testament with Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. In short, it says that the priests could not offer sacrifices as efficacious as Christ's because they had sinned, while Christ never sinned. Their sacrifices also pale in comparison to Christ's because they were only the blood of animals, while Christ, the Son of God, offered his own blood. Furthermore, the Old Testament sacrifices had to be repeated as long as people continued to sin. But Christ's sacrifice was once and for all because it freed humanity from the condition of sin.

We should now remember that we witness Jesus' supreme sacrifice every time we attend Mass. Because Jesus is divine, his death on the cross constituted an eternal act. That is, it took place once and for all in time, but it continues occurring outside of time. Our participation in the Mass brings us to the threshold of eternity. It is like a small window through which we see the risen Christ glorifying God the Father with his death on the cross.

Friday, June 20, 2025

 

Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 11:18.21-30; Matthew 6:19-23)

As almost everyone knows, a parable is a comparison from everyday life that aids understanding of difficult concepts.  Jesus used parables effectively in speaking to the poor about the Kingdom of God. Today’s gospel pictures him preaching about the need to value justice over wealth.  The parable he uses, however easy it was for his hearers to understand, is difficult for people today.

He says, “The lamp of the body is the eye.” That is how the ancient world considered the eye – like a lamp that projects one’s light or understanding into an object so that it may be known.  (Think of yourselves as looking for a can of Coca-Cola which you know will have the shape of a cylinder and the color red.  Then you scan the pantry for red cylinders.)  If one’s eye is defective (if it is color-blind, for example), it will have a hard time finding what it is looking for.

What do we want in life?  What are our eyes looking for?  If it is wealth and comfort, Jesus predicts that we will end in ruin because wealth and comfort are not ultimately important.  However, if we are looking for justice and kindness, if our eyes see rightly, we will die content.  We will be destined to eternal life with Jesus.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

 

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15)

As a manager places his best hitter in the middle of the batting order, so Matthew has put the Our Father at the middle of the Sermon on the Mount.  The evangelist wants the reader to realize that the incredible demands that Jesus makes of his disciples cannot be fulfilled by their efforts alone.  They absolutely need the help of God, or they will fail to comply.

One need not live too long or study too much to realize how much sin has entered the world.  Look around for what motivates people, and you will not likely find that it is love of God.  Rather, people usually act out of desire for fun, fame, or fortune.  When one is asked to make a great effort without an immediate payoff, she or he will likely not act at all.

But Jesus promises an eternal reward for those who follow his commands.  Again, it is not easy to always do his will, but he will send his Spirit to help us.  We just have to ask the Father in the name of the Son.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 9:6-11; Matthew 6:1-6.16-18)

Henri Nouwen was one of the most noted spiritual writers of the second half of the last century.  He wrote columns and books on how to live the gospel every day.  At one point he turned his attention to fundraising.  He explained to those working in Church development how to serve God more faithfully.

Nouwen wrote that fundraising is not begging.  Rather it is projecting a vision for the Church and asking people to share in it with their money.  In short, it is a way to involve people in the Church’s ministry.  He also saw fundraising as a call to conversion.  Both fundraisers and potential benefactors are called to change their perspective.  They should come to terms with the fact that God’s new project has a role for them.

We have been hearing about St. Paul’s fundraising project in the first reading these last few days.  He is calling the community in Corinth to help support the Christians in Jerusalem.  He is asking them to look beyond their own needs to people in distress.  No doubt, he sees their assistance as a way to solidify the communion of Jews and non-Jews that the Church is meant to be.