Friday, August 15, 2025

 

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Revelation 11:19a.12:1-6a.10ab; I Corinthians 15:20-27; Luke 1:39-56)

The Church always celebrates her saints on the day they died.  Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ, is no exception unless one holds, with many, that Mary never died!  (According to a minority of authorities she went to sleep and awoke in Paradise.)  No reason for the August 15 date is given for the “Dormition” or “Assumption” of Mary is given.  However, the Church of Jerusalem yearly celebrated the Commemoration of the Mother of God on this date in the middle of the fifth century. 

Scripture does not reference Mary’s transition from earth to heaven, but apologists find reasons to accept the event as reasonable.  There never have been relics of the Blessed Mother, nor is there record of a grave or tomb where early Christians venerated her.  Given testimony in Scripture of Mary’s presence not only at Jesus’ birth but also during his ministry, at his death, and even among his disciples after his resurrection, both absences indicate that something unique happened at the end of her life.

Mary’s Assumption into heaven does more than complete for us the story of arguably Jesus’ closest associate.  It supports our hope of experiencing the resurrection of our bodies. With such hope it gives us added reason not to abuse our bodies by laziness or gluttony.  It also confirms our reliance on Mary as an intercessor and our choice of her as a model in life.

Thursday, August 14, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Maximillian Kobe, priest and martyr

(Joshua 3:7-10a.11.13-17; Matthew 18:21-19:1)

The Ark of the Covenant makes its biblical debut in today’s reading from the Book of Joshua.  The Ark was prescribed in the Book of Exodus as a wooden chest with gold overlay and a lid called a “Mercy Seat.”  It was constructed to house the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the basic law of the Mosaic Covenant.  The Ark represented the Lord who wished to stay close to the people.

In the passage from Joshua the Ark is described with miraculous power.  Carried into the Jordan River, it holds back its waters so that the Israelis might occupy the land God promised to their forefathers.  The Ark was eventually placed in the Solomon’s Temple and remained there for 400 years. It was taken out of the temple for processions and to assist the Israelites in battle.  Nothing is known of the Ark after the Babylonians destroyed the Temple in the sixth century B.C.

The Ark of the Covenant has parallels with the tabernacle housing the Blessed Sacrament.  Yet its similarities should not be exaggerated.  The Ten Commandments reminded the Israelites of the covenant they made with the Lord.  The Eucharist is Christ’s physical presence, not a symbol indicating His presence.  The Eucharist is a spiritual creation meant to strengthen human souls.  The tablets of the Commandments have great symbolic value, but they are part of an order that will pass away.  The Eucharist is Christ’s abiding presence which will remain into eternity.

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Deuteronomy 13:1-12; Matthew 18:15-20)

 Internet applications like Zoom and Facetime give the experience of talking to others face-to-face without actually being in their presence. However marvelous such conversations may be, they are hardly as intimate as being in one another’s physical presence.  In fact, one of the current issues in prison reform is assuring that prisoners have direct, not electronic, access to visitors. In the first reading today, Moses is exulted for having known the Lord “face to face.” But what do these words mean and how do they align with Christian belief that only Christ has seen the Father?

 Various interpretations for knowing God “face to face” are given.  Some say they do not indicate a direct encounter with the Lord because in the Book of Exodus God tells Moses that “’no one shall see me and live’” (33:20).  Of course, there is also the very real question of God, a purely spiritual being, having a material face.  It may be best to conclude that Moses enjoyed a spiritual intimacy with God like no one else before the writing of the Book of Deuteronomy. 

 At one point in Deuteronomy (18:15-18) Moses himself mentions another prophet who will come after him.  This prophet will have God’s words in his mouth and bring a definitive revelation of God’s will.  We find fulfillment of this prophecy in Jesus Christ.  The Gospel of John quotes him as saying, at least indirectly, that he has seen the Father: “’Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father’” (6:46).  His seeing of the Father constitutes a knowing that goes beyond Moses’ spiritual intimacy.  It is a divine indwelling whereby as Jesus again says in John: “(He) and the Father are one’” (10:30).  An approximation of this indwelling with its accompanying knowledge of God is Jesus promises to his followers of Jesus in the beatitudes.  We says, “’Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God’” (Matthew 5:8).

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Deuteronomy 31:1-8; Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14)

Social theorists claim that childhood is a relatively recent phenomenon.  Only in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were children guaranteed an education and provided time to grow up.  Before that most boys were doing manual work as soon as their bodies could bear it.  Girls were drafted into the kitchen to do domestic chores.  In today’s gospel Jesus speaks up in favor of society’s little ones.

Recognizing virtue in children’s docility, Jesus recommends this quality to his disciples. More than that, he identifies children with himself as he says, “…whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”  Jesus did not initiate a pro-children campaign, but he was certainly consciousness about how children need disciples’ consideration and care.

The last fifty years has witnessed a deterioration of childhood.  Kids still go to school, of course, but they are often exposed there to social controversies beyond their stage of development. Cell phones and the Internet have magnified the damage.  We should take to heart Jesus’ warning not to despise any of the “little ones.”  All enjoy God’s favor and require our support.

Monday, August 11, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin

(Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Matthew 17:22-27)

In today’s gospel Jesus gives his disciples important lessons on freedom and on charity.  The temple tax discussed in the passage was permitted by the Roman authority.  It seems to be a modest amount, perhaps the price of a cup of coffee.  Most Jews of Jesus’ time paid it, but religious teachers often considered themselves exempt. Jesus likewise sees himself as exempt, but not for the same reason as the rabbis.

The example that Jesus gives needs to be drawn out to explain his rationale for claiming exemption.  “Kings of the earth” exempt their sons from taxes, not their subjects as the passage reads.  Jesus, the Son of God, then is exempt from the tax for God’s house.  So too are his brothers, the disciples. The exemptions do not end here but are extended to other ritual and dietary laws. 

Jesus provides for the payment of the tax out of love for others.  As Paul in I Corinthians abstains from meat sacrificed to idols, Jesus does not want to cause scandal.  He will pay the tax in solidarity with those who see it as the duty of all faithful Jews.  We too claim exemption from Jewish dietary and ritual laws, but not from charity.  Jesus actually multiples our obligations of charity with his death on the cross.