Divine Love, Human Rights

Be Made Clean - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

2012-02-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

Everyone remembers being a child and taking part in the first ritual of excluding and labeling another group of people as unclean. If you were a little girl your line was, "Icky, boy germs." The refrain of the boys was similar, "Ew, girl germs." While seemingly harmless play of children can in no way compare with segregation or other institutional forms of labeling and exclusion, it serves as a reminder to us that great crimes begin as innocent fun and banter. In the Western world we find the Hindu caste system as harsh and out of date, until our own caste systems are exposed and revealed to us. The readings today highlight this point very effectively.

In the first reading we are presented with the law of Moses regarding those with infectious skin diseases. The Mosaic code left little hope for the person suffering from such an affliction. The person so afflicted was an outcast from the community, unfit to be in the midst of the clean. This precept has had two interrelated connections. The literal sense of the text is plain enough: we naturally do not want those afflicted with infectious diseases to be in the midst of the healthy for fear that othes may become infected. However, ancient peoples regarded such conditions as a sign that the person so afflicted was a horrid sinner, and that the physical malady was a punishment or recognition of the person's uncleanness. Thus, we develop the mentality that we do not want a sinner in the midst of the "clean" community for fear that their sin may infect those without sin.

The ministry of Paul had as a fundamental theme that all sin and fall short of the calling of God. Hence, any distinction between sinners and those without sin has no basis for a Christian anthropology. All sin and require the mercy of God. The kingdom of God, then, is not about eating or drinking, nor about the clean and unclean. It is rather about serving others and finding ways to reach all people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul will use the law to preach Jesus the Lord if certain people need that message, while to Gentiles he used the cross of Christ and the ministry of Jesus to affect connection to the one true God.

In the Gospel text we find the ministry of Jesus as being parabolic and a reversal of the Mosaic code of the first reading. While Jesus is faithful to the Mosaic code in prescribing the requisite actions to the man he cured (note that iwas Jesus and not the priest who declares the man clean), nevertheless we do not find a low key response to Jesus' cure. In spite of the fact that Jesus ordered him not to publicize the matter, the man becomes an evangelist, proclaiming the good news of Jesus' salvific work in his life. Jesus commanded the man to remain quiet about the healing because he knew people would misunderstand his mission and not fully realize his identity. Only at Jesus' death and resurrection - the ultimate salvific act for every human person - can we become truly witnesses to the Good News of Jesus the Lord.

The ministry of Jesus was about making clean that which was previously unclean. As disciples of Jesus we are called to the same ministry. Who among us needs to be clean? What structures need cleaning? What things in our own life do we need to have washed clean? In order to answer these questions we must end our childish games of making people unclean by our words and attitudes. The physically unclean do not become well unless they are helped by those who are clean. Sinners cannot be cleanses unless they come to the clean seeking forgiveness and learn to be clean by those who are so cleansed. Only Jesus is completely clean. If he has cleansed us who are so undeserving of such a gift, then we must imitate his example and reach out to all with the invitation to be cleansed by the ministry of Jesus. We, therefore, cannot be exclusionary in our ministry and reject others who do not meet our criteria for cleanliness, for we must be in the midst of the world transforming all areas of society.

As we strive to serve all without condition, let us be united in prayer and mission. "Let us pray for the wisdom that is greater than human words. Father in heaven, the loving plan of your wisdom took flesh in Jesus Christ, and changed mankind's history by his command of perfect love. May our fulfillment of his command reflect your wisdom and bring your salvation to the ends of the earth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

A Prophet Like You - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Most of the time prophets are not very popular people. No one wants to hear their message: repent, reform your lives, be obedient to the will of God. More often than not the harbinger of such messages winds up in exile or dead. Last week we saw the story of Jonah, who ran from the calling of a prophet because he knew what happened to prophets in Israel. And yet the prophetic message was accepted by the people of Nineveh, much to Jonah's chagrin. Today's readings lead us to reflect upon the role and nature of prophecy in the life of Israel, the life of Jesus, and in the life of the Church.

The first reading from the book of Deuteronomy is the first instance in the Hebrew Scriptures where the office of prophet is mentioned. In the midst of establishing the covenant with the Israelites and in giving them a law to follow, God tells the people through Moses that one day God would send them a prophet like them - a human person, but one who has the authority of God - who would be the definitive revelation of God on earth. Many prophets would appear in Israel in subsequent generations, and all of them had a valid mission from God to bring the people back to obedience to God and the covenant. However, none of them were successful in their ministry; Israel disregarded the message of the prophets time and again, for the message was not popular.

The ministry of Jesus marks a unique and definitive time in the life of Israel, and the passage from Mark's Gospel today makes that point clear. The passage relates the first event in Jesus' public ministry: teaching in the synagogue of Caparnaum. It is important to note a particular theme present in Mark's Gospel: Jesus is set in opposition to institutional Judaism throughout. In the first part of the Gospel that opposition is set in relation to the synagogue, while in the latter part of the Gospel the contrast is between Jesus and the Temple. The text today has Jesus' first public act of ministry the expulsion of a demon from a man in the synagogue. The implication, of course, is obvious: the synagogue is possessed by a demon, and only Jesus can cure the sickness. His authority is unparalleled and people marvel at this work. Jesus is the prophet like us promised by God so long ago in the desert of Sinai.

The covenant relationship established by God with the people of Israel is continually described as a marriage relationship between God and his bride Israel. Fidelity to God is akin to the fidelity spouses have for one another in the institution of marriage. That is why throughout the prophetic tradition infidelity to God is referred to as adultery, and that adultery took two forms: worship of false gods and committing injustices against other people. In this context we can understand Paul's message in the second reading. Our relationship with God is also like a marriage: in baptism we partake of the nuptial bath and are betrothed to God, while in Confirmation we ratify that betrothal in the formal marriage of the person to God, and in the Eucharist we consummate our relationship to God in the most intimate union of receiving Jesus in communion.

Paul's advice to his people regarding marrying or not marrying is his own opinion, which he makes clear throughout this section of his letter to the Corinthians. It is an attempt to help people discern the best way for them to remain faithful to God in their own particular vocation. For Paul, this meant committed celibacy, while for others it did not. In our own lives we make that decision as to how we live out our commitment to God, and once the commitment is made we strive to remain faithful throughout our lives to the commitment we have made. Very often celibates are jealous of married couples, while those who are married often are jealous of celibates - a situation that hearkens back to a scene in the life of Socrates when one of his students asks whether he should marry or remain unmarried. Socrates replied, "Either way you'll regret it."

Following God by being a disciple of the Lord Jesus is becoming a prophet in whatever age or place we live. Baptism makes us priest, prophet, and king as we are incorporated into the ministry of Jesus the Lord. As we seek to live faithful to God in imitation of Jesus, we pray together for the grace to live as we ought: "Let us pray joining in the praise of the living God, for we are his people. Father in heaven, from the days of Abraham and Moses until this gathering of your Church in prayer, you have formed a people in the image of your Son. Bless this people with the gift of your kingdom. May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

This is the Time of Fulfillment - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

2012-01-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

In our times a great many cottage industries have arisen in order to help people discover their career path or professional track. Every high school has college counselors, colleges have career centers, and headhunters are omnipresent ready to help someone find the next job or change careers. Even in the Church we place a great deal of emphasis on discernment of our vocation with vocation directors, retreats, and the like. Today's readings, however, suggest that very often we can over-think the call of God when in point of fact the calling is rather obvious.

The first reading provides us with the familiar story of Jonah, the man who epitomizes the reality of over-thinking the call of God. In this text we find Jonah fulfilling the call of God only after he had attempted to run away from that call previously. At the same time, we find the people of Nineveh embrace the call of God in their lives at once. Jonah had not even gone through half the city before the entire populace had turned away from sin and accepted the call of God. Jonah was an Israelite, a person of the nation that the one true God had made his own, and yet he could not accept the call of God fully in his life. However, the people of Nineveh, a foreign people, accept the message of God from the prophet of Israel.

The second reading from the first letter to the Corinthians in many ways is similar to the story of Jonah. Paul is preaching to a community that is plagued by sin at all levels. Ritual prostitution was a prevalent practice in Corinth, a wealthy trading city that also had many other pagan temples and other forms of debauchery. Paul is exhorting a community to remain faithful to the Gospel by living as Christ lived: detached from the material things of the world, ever in tune to the voice of God present to us. In this case, Paul is the faithful servant of God and the community has rethought the call of God in their lives. The call of God is really quite simple; it is we who make it complicated.

The Gospel text for today is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. After coming out of the desert Jesus begins preaching repentance, telling people that the call of God is now. We need not wait for the coming expectation; the fulfillment of the expectation is present to us. Mark highlights this call of God coming to us now in the calling of the first followers of Jesus. Mark presents the calling of these disciples in a way unique from the other Gospels: here Jesus calls two pairs of brothers to follow him, and in each case these brothers follow. In the Hebrew Scriptures we often find sets of brothers at odds with one another: Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers. Jesus' call to us ends the ancient divisions of brothers and brings us together into one family of God. What is more, these two sets of brothers were rival fishermen who were in competition with one another. Again, Jesus ends the divisions of economic rivals, leading us to heed the Gospel message over and against our own self-interests.

It was self-interest that prevented Jonah from hearing the call of God in his life. That same self-interest prevented him from seeing God at work in the foreign people of Nineveh. The Corinthian community fell away from the call of the Gospel because they considered their self-interest over the call of the Lord Jesus. The economic pressure of conforming to the culture around them proved too great for many in Corinth, and the example of these two sets of brothers in the Gospel who gave up their economic security and self-interest to follow Jesus had faded from their memories. In our own day the Lord Jesus calls us now to follow him. There is not much to discern here: either we follow our own self-interest and live for ourselves, or we can forsake our desires, follow the Lord Jesus, and live for others. As the Psalmist says in the responsorial psalm today God "guides the humble to justice and teaches the humble his way."

As we seek for the strength to be faithful to this call of God throughout the ages, we pray together: "Let us pray, pleading that our vision may overcome our weakness. Almighty Father, the love you offer always exceeds the furthest expression of our human longing, for you are greater than the human heart. Direct each thought, each effort of our life, so that the limits of our faults and weaknesses may not obscure the vision of your glory or keep us from the peace you have promised. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Here I Am Lord - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

2012-01-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

When I was 15 I played for our city's all-star Babe Ruth baseball team, but typically I didn't play much. I was a pitcher and saw clean up work at best. Our team was in the district final of a double elimination tournament that would lead to a berth in the state finals. We were down 8-3 in the 4th inning and I overheard the coaches decide to let me pitch and "We'll win the next game." Not exactly a vote of confidence, but I was called upon to pitch in the game. We surrendered no more runs and we came back to win 9-8. While not exactly the calling I would have liked to have had as a player, it was still a call to play nonetheless. The readings today provide us with a similar theme of unexpected callings.

In the first reading we encounter the call of Samuel to be a judge in Israel. Samuel kept hearing his name called in the night, and he assumed that his teacher Eli was the one calling him, unaware of God's voice in his life. Even the master judge Eli did not at first recognize the call of God in Samuel's life, but eventually he did discern that this voice was God calling Samuel. The advice Eli gives to Samuel is one that every good spiritual director gives to their charges: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." When God calls us, we cannot lay upon him any conditions; we must be completely open to whatever God calls us to do, no matter how difficult.

The Gospel text also provides us with the theme of following God - this time in the person of Jesus. The call discipleship, however, comes from some unusual places. First, John the Baptist encourages his two disciples to follow after Jesus, whereupon Jesus encourages them to come and see where he lives. The next calling to follow Jesus comes from Andrew to his brother Simon Peter. In each case the call from God is found in the voice of another person with whom we are familiar - a friend, a brother, a neighbor. Very often God calls us to perform some act of discipleship in this same way, i.e. through an encounter with someone we know. How often are we invited to come and see where the Lord Jesus is living, and in how many different places will we find him: in the poor, a child, a sick friend, a sister or brother in a desperate situation. Wherever love needs to be, it is there that we are called to be Christ for others.

The mission of being Christ for others is the fundamental message in Paul's letter to the Corinthians today. Paul exhorts us to glorify God in our body. We could focus on the other aspects of the passage and think that to glorify God is to avoid immorality, which is certainly true. However, a positive command requires a positive action, not merely an action of avoidance. To glorify God in our body is to offer our entire lives for others just as the Lord Jesus did for us. It means hearing the voice of God calling us in the cries of the poor, in the heartache of our neighbor, in the pain of our children, and the sorrows of our brethren. We cannot be a disciple by merely avoiding that which is evil; we can only be a disciple when we go out of ourselves to serve others as Christ served us.

In our own day we have a clear call from God in our community. A great many people are in pain throughout our diocese as a result of the events of the last year. Many people are poor and in need due to a lagging economy. There are others who are suffering from injustice and oppression right in our community. God is calling us to proclaim good news to those caught in these situations of pain, poverty, and injustice - God calls us to be healing, wealth, justice, and love for others.

At times we feel unworthy of the call to discipleship, or we may wallow in the pain of past events through continued blame and anger. Samuel, Andrew, and Simon Peter were called with no prior distinction of worth. God has called us all to be players in the game. It remains for us to step up and play the game well. As we seek the strength and courage to live out our calling, we pray together: "Let us pray for the gift of peace. Almighty and ever present Father, your watchful care reaches from end to end and orders all things in such power that even the tensions and tragedies of sin cannot frustrate your loving plans. Help us to embrace your will, give us the strength to follow your call, so that your truth may live in our hearts and reflect peace to those who believe in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Love in the Ruins - Epiphany 2012

2012-01-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Every January we reflect back on the year that has passed to assess the bad and the good. At the same time we look forward to the year that has already begun, holding out some hope that this year will be better than those that preceded it. Those of us who have undertaken this ritual for decades realize the futility of the endeavor if we only look at the human dimension: war and poverty still ravage the earth, injustices will continue, and our home town sports teams will find new ways to disappoint us. However, the readings for today's feast of the Epiphany provide us with the supernatural dimension that finds God present even in the midst of these annual calamities.

The prophet Isaiah undertook his ministry during one of the most difficult and painful chapters in Israel's history: the Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem lay in ruins, the Temple had been ravaged, and the people of God were held captive in a foreign land for decades. There were few expectations of brighter days with the marking of each new year. And yet Isaiah proclaims a message of hope to the people: God's light still shines upon us even in the midst of these troubles. What is more, God will send a Savior who will restore Israel and bring all nations into unity with her in worshipping the one true God. The prophetic imagination has the ability to see the hope in the midst of ruins. It takes deep faith to pierce through the gloom of calamities, but God is still present and the promises of God are always faithful.

The ministry of Paul was certainly filled with peaks and valleys. More often than not, however, Paul experienced hardship and opposition in proclaiming the Gospel. Ephesus was a great city in the ancient world, immensely wealthy and filled with pagan temples, bustling markets, theatres and spectacles of all sorts. We tend to romanticize Ephesus because of Paul's minstry there, as well as John's time spent there and the tradition that Mary the Mother of Jesus had lived her last days there. However, those events of Christian history occurred on the margins of the city. Great opposition to the Gospel was the prevailing sentiment. And yet the passage from Paul's letter to the Ephesians is again a message of hope: the Gentiles are now connected to the one true God through the person of Jesus. Gentiles now have the same hope that the people of Israel have had throughout their history. No amount of opposition or discouragement can separate us from this reality of God's abiding love for all people.

The Gospel text provides us with the story of the wise men from the East coming to find the newborn king of the Jews. The human dimensions of the story are familiar enough to us as they present us to the injustices with which we are so accustomed from age to age: the jealousy and fear of worldly rulers, the murders and atrocities to support corrupt power, the lies and intrigue used to trap people of good will. Yet, in the midst of such evil we see God at work, guiding these Gentiles from the east and protecting Mary, Joseph, and their child. We might find God's intervention mysterious and foreign to us as we don't often experience God speaking to us in dreams. Yet, for those who are attuned to listening to the voice of God there is the realization that God often chooses very ordinary means to speak to us. God is present right in our midst, guiding us if we but let him do so.

Very often we overlook God's voice and presence because we are looking for something dramatic: an apparition or vision in some distant place, the face of Jesus on my breakfast pancake, or a loud booming voice shaking the earth. The fundamental truth of our existence, however, is that God is very near to us, very near. We need not search far and wide for what is right in front of us. There is an eastern story of a man who took his boat from shore to see what the other shore was like. After an arduous journey the man discovers that he was back at the very shore from which he began. The point of the story is that all shores are alike when it comes to discovering the mystery and presence of God, for God is present on every shore, including our own. The great celebration of Epiphany is the realization that hte one true God who had chosen the people of Israel so long ago is present to us and accessible to all peoples at all times.

As we celebrate God's presence among us and discern his mystery in our lives, we pray for the wisdom to see God and his love in the midst of the ruins of the world: "Let us pray, grateful for the glory revealed today through God made man. Father of light, unchanging God, today you reveal to men of faith the resplendent fact of the Word made flesh. Your light is strong, your love is near; draw us beyond the limits which this world imposes, to the life where your Spirit makes all life complete. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

A Dwelling for God - 4th Sunday in Advent Year B

2011-12-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

There is the story of a poor fisherman, his wife, and a talking fish. One day the fisherman finds the talking fish and the wife insists on having the husband ask the fish to grant them a wish, whereupon the wife asks for a nice house instead of their hut. The fish grants the wish. As the story progresses the wife asks for grander dwellings, and at each request the sea gets more violent. The wife's final wish is to be lord of the sun and moon, at which point the couple is returned to their poor hut. The point of the story is that the poor couple had all they needed in their simple life, and that the desire for greater dwellings led to the loss of their spirit. The readings for today's liturgy provide us with a similar lesson.

In the first reading we find King David pledging to build God a magnificent dwelling for him. After all, David had built a glorious palace for himself while God's presence in the Ark f the Covenant continued to remain in a simple tent. The desire seems just on David's part, but God does not want David to build the Temple. God was content to have his presence remain in the simple dwelling of the tent. Eventually David's son, Solomon, would build the great Temple of Jerusalem, only to have king after king defile the presence of God therein with the worship of false idols and the various injustices allowed to exist throughout the kingdom of Israel.

God's desire to dwell within the lowliest of things finds its way into the Gospel for today. The angel Gabriel announces God's intention to have Mary be the mother of Jesus the Lord. Mary was not from the upper classes; she lived in Nazareth of Galilee, one of the poorest areas of the northern regions of Judea. And yet God chose her to have the Lord Jesus reside within her and to enter human existence through her womb. Just as God preferred the humble tent of the desert for his presence to dwell among the people of Israel, so God preferred the lowly handmaiden of Nazareth to be the God bearer.

The readings point us to the real point of the Advent and Christmas seasons: God neither desires nor prefers the grand buildings built by human beings for his dwelling, even though the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is housed in such places. It is God's preference to dwell within the heart and soul of each human being he has created. All of us have been chosen to be God bearers and to bring God's presence into the world through our words and deeds - deeds of justice and love. The buildings we create are fine enough, but just as the Temple of Jerusalem has been destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed once again, so our buildings bear the same fate. Buildings do not have an eternal destiny, human beings do. We must build a suitable dwelling for God within our own hearts and souls in order for Christmas to mean anything at all.

Martin Sheen played the lead role in a movie called "The Fourth Wise Man." Sheen's character is the fabled fourth wise man who was to accompany the others to bring additional gifts to the Christ child - gifts of three precious jewels. The man gets separated from the others and lost along the way. He desperately searches for the Lord Jesus over many years in order to bring him these jewels. However, over the years he comes across people in need who require his assistance: a sick child, a slave under harsh conditions and separated from his family, and a widow in dire need. The man uses the jewels to save these people from their plights, and he wanders the streets of Jerusalem penniless and heartbroken that he was unable to give these gifts to the Lord Jesus.

The final scene has the wise man sitting along the side of a road in Jerusalem, and Jesus walks by carrying the cross to Calvary. Jesus stops to talk with the wise man, who apologizes for not having brought him the jewels. Jesus replies, "For as often as you did it to one of these least ones, you did it to me." We ended the liturgical year with that line from the final judgment of Matthew 25, and so it becomes the central message for Advent and Christmas. We make a fitting dwelling for God by caring for the least among us. We make the best preparation for the coming of Jesus by deeds of justice and love.

As we make ready for and celebrate together the coming of the Lord Jesus, let us ask for the grace we need to make our lives a fitting dwelling for him. "Let us pray as Advent draws to a close for the faith that opens our lives to the Spirit of God. Father, all powerful God, your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepartes us for his coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Test Everything - 3rd Sunday of Advent Year B

2011-12-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

In the past few weeks my eight year old son has begun questioning the cherished legend of Santa Claus. He has barraged us with a flurry of probing questions that expose the incredulity of many aspects of the Santa Claus story: how can Santa deliver all these presents to every child in the world in one night? How can reindeer fly? Why does the Santa at Zona Rosa look different than the Santa at our school holiday pageant? Sooner or later he will arrive at the truth behind the Santa Claus legend, and healthy questioning will lead him to discover the real identity of Santa. Today's readings provide us with a template to follow in our own discovery of the identity of Jesus.

Paul encourages us in the second reading to test everything - to retain what is good and reject what is evil. While such advice seems tautalogical, the spirit in which we engage in this testing is what we must strive to achieve. Paul exhorts us to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and in all things to give thanks. Very often our testing in the world is done with a great deal of cynicism, skepticism, and negativity. And yet Paul provides us with a model of testing that does not seek the personal destruction of individuals or groups of people, but instead we should seek joy and gratitude in a spirit of prayer that seeks the truth of our identities and that of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel text we see a group of people searching for the identity of John the Baptist. Indirectly this searching for John's identity is linked to the search for Jesus' identity that comes to dominate the Gospel of John. If John is the precursor, the one sent to prepare for the coming Messiah, then the identity of Jesus becomes clear. However, this group searching for John the Baptist's identity cannot arrive at a definitive decision. John's answers confuse them because they have a faulty notion of the identity of the long awaited Messiah. They hoped for a political savior who would liberate Israel from Rome and to restore the nation of Israel. Jesus, however, is not that messiah.

The identity of the Messiah that the Christian community adopts is found in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. The anointed one (i.e. Messiah) is to bring glad tidings to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, release to prisoners, and to bring a year of favor from the Lord. The messiah would be wrapped not in garments of fine cloth or jeweled robes, but rather in deeds of justice that bring salvation to all nations. This image of the Messiah becomes the criteria for testing everything related to the identity of Jesus. In the end it is Isaiah' description of the Messiah that is the authentic understanding of the role and identity of the Messiah of God. The Lord Jesus fits that description and through his life and ministry we come to salvation.

In our own lives we must test ourselves against this mission of the Messiah, for in becoming followers of Jesus we take on that identity and mission for our own lives. Fundamentally, then, our lives must be centered on acts of justice and charity. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus in the same way Lent prepares us to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. In addition to repentance for our sins and penitential practices, we have many opportunities to perform acts of justice and charity during Advent as we prepare for the coming of Jesus.

Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus among us. Advent prepares us to have Jesus become incarnate in our lives through our words and deeds while at the same time preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. As we continue our preparateion, we pray together for the help necessary to be a fitting crib for the Lord: "Let us pray this Advent for joy and hope in the coming Lord. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church; the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope that his presence will bestow, for he is Lord forever and ever. Amen."

The King of Service - Feast of Christ the King Year A

2011-11-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

In Shakespeare's play Henry V, the entire court is shocked at the ascension of young Henry to the throne after the death of his father. Henry was known as one not attune to courtly manners and attention to serious duty. He frequently visited taverns and cavorted with the lower classes in his various escapades. No one thought Henry would make a suitable king for the great realm of England. What people failed to notice, however, is that Henry was not merely having revel, but rather he was meeting the people of his realm, getting to know them, understanding their lives and problems - for these would be the people who would fight his wars and pay his taxes. Henry learned to serve them and love them, and in so doing he learned the true greatness of leadership. Today's feast of Christ the King reminds us that service, not power and prestige - is the hallmark of Christian leadership.

The first reading from the prophet Ezekiel provides us with the paradigm of leadership in ancient Israel - the shepherd. All the great leaders of Israel were shepherds: Abel, Abraham, Moses, David. A shepherd cannot lead and protect his flock in a sheltered bunker apart from them. He must be in the midst of his flock, getting to know them and love them. This intimacy enables the shepherd to seek out the lost and stray sheep, and to face any danger in protecting his flock from harm. Shepherding is not pleasant work: you get dirty and smelly in caring for sheep, and you are exposed to the elements in being with them in the field. This model, however, is the model Jesus adopts for his leadership, one that is passed on to the shepherds of the Church who take up the shepherd's staff of leading their flock.

In order to live the life of service, the follower of Jesus must place oneself in an inferior position in relation to others. This idea of submission is the point Paul makes in the second reading. Jesus the Lord submitted to the will of the Father, and in so doing he destroyed sin and death. In the same way, we can overcome sin and death in our lives through submission to God. This submission then puts us in the spirit of service to others that is the hallmark of Christian living and leadership. By this submission we lose ourselves in the identity of Christ and participate more fully in the solidarity called for by Christian service.

The obligation of the Christian Gospel, however, is not restricted to those who profess the name Christian. In the Gospel reading we see all peoples coming for judgment. Our judgment is not based on our knowledge of the catechism or any system of theology. We are judged solely on whether we have served the least of Jesus' brethren. It is significant that both the sheep and the goats do not recognize the Lord Jesus in the least ones, for they ask, "When did we see you hungry, or naked, or in prison?" Human beings are fundamentally constituted to being Christian, and the baptized faithful recognize our fundamental human vocation to be followers of Jesus. It is our task to make that vocation known to others in both word and deed. By fulfilling our Christian and human vocation to serve others we most effectively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the one who calls us and provides us with the example to follow.

The call to ministry and discipleship has been given to each and every person. This mission requires great humility, a generous heart, and great fortitude in enduring many things. Most importantly, it is a call that demands that we be in the midst of the world, getting dirty and exposing ourselves to great dangers as we serve each and every human person without exception. Such a calling cannot be done from an ivory tower or some protected enclave. It requires us to immerse ourselves in the messiness of this world and to love all unconditionally.

Henry V famously encouraged his men to battle with these words:

"For he today that sheds his blood with me/Shall be my brother, be he ne'er so vile,/This day shall gentle his condition;/And gentlemen in England now abed/Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,/And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks/That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day." (Act IV, scene 3)

The Lord Jesus asks us to shed our blood - to be his brother - in his army of peace and service to all. We pray together for the grace to follow his lead: "Let us pray that the kingdom of Christ may live in our hearts and come to our world. Father all powerful, God of love, you have raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death to life, respelendent in glory as King of creation. Open our hearts, free all the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, to live in his love. Bring all mankind together in Jesus Christ your Son, whose kingdom is with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."

Be Not Afraid - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-11-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

When I was a teacher I coached the JV boys basketball team for the high school. The varsity team was preparing for the district playoffs, being seeded sixth and set to play the second ranked team. The morning of the game the athletic director informed me I would be coaching the game, as the varsity coach was at the hospital with his young daughter who had a serious accident that day. Fear was palpable in me and in the players, but we rallied behind one truth: courage is not the absence of fear. It is the willingness to step up and do what is right and what is necessary in spite of your fears. Managing our fear enabled us to pull off an upset win that night, and it is also the key to understanding the readings for this Sunday's liturgy.

In the first reading from the book of Proverbs we encounter the ideal wife, a symbol for wisdom in Old Testament literature. A wife in ancient times had many fears: fear her husband may die and she become a vulnerable widow: fear of famine; fear for the future of her family. Yet wisdom knows how to care for the home, how to provide for the needs of her family, how to care for the poor, and how to be courageous and confident in doing what God has called her to do. Very often it is women who exhibit courage far better than men, as we see in the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Seeking wisdom is the key to dealing with the ordinary - and extraordinary - events of life.

One of the extraordinary events that become an obsession for people is the end of the world and final judgment. Paul addresses the needless preoccupation with this event in the second reading. No one knows the final day of the Lord's coming, but wisdom enables us to know that we should not be complacent in our Christian life. The Christian has the witness of hope and joy in trusting all to God's providence. The desire to know the final day is a vain pursuit that distracts us from the duties of our present life. It is born of fear that consumes us and drives out the love that we should be present in the life of a follower of Jesus. Love provides us with the courage we need to live confidently as a child of God.

In the Gospel passage we have yet another vision of the final judgment, this time represented in the giving of talents to servants and the return of the master to account for the use of those talents. Wisdom knows that all is a gift from God and that gifts are meant to be shared with others. Fear should not lead us to squander that gift, as happens to the third servant. God has called us all to a great work, entrusted us with the gifts of ministry to build up the kingdom of God on earth. None of the servants knew when the master would return, but they knew he would return one day. The difference was in how each saw their relationship to the master and what inspired them to act. Love propelled the first two servants to accomplish great things, while fear led the third servant to fail in his obligation to use his talents wisely.

God has called each one of us to ministry in his Church, each in their particular vocation and circumstance of life. No doubt there are forces in the world that make us fearful: the culture of death seems to grow more prevalent each day; violent persecution of Christians is growing in more parts of the world; and basic moral sense has given way to self-interest, greed, and exploitation. In our own diocese we may be afraid to move forward in building up the kingdom of God as we face many difficulties and problems of a public nature. Today, however, God once again says to us: be not afraid. God continues to call us to ministry and we must want to do great things for God: great deeds of justice and charity for every single person on earth, born and unborn, friend and foe, rich and poor.

As we seek for the courage to carry out our baptismal call, let us pray together for this help we need from almighty God. "Let us pray with hearts that long for peace: Father in heaven, ever-living source of all that is good, from the beginning of time you promised men salvation through the future coming your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to drink of this truth and expand our hearts with the joy of his promises, so that we may serve you in faith and in love and know forever the joy of your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Walk the Talk - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-10-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

The worst part of being a parent or a teacher is when you encounter a situation where you violate a rule or principle you have established for others to follow. Invariably your children or students will catch you, and you are then forced to give a defense for your indefensible action. In my youth I remember all too well the reply that came from my parents and teachers: Do as I say, not as I do. That reply wins no support in any polling I have ever done on those who have heard such a phrase, and yet people in government, business, and religion all adhere to it in one form or another. The readings today challenge us to overcome the talk and look at our walk.

The prophet Malachi begins our set of readings by describing the problem: the priests of Israel are a bad example and have taught others to forsake the covenant with God. Consequently, the nation will suffer punishments as a result of the actions of the priests, and the punishments will be most severe for those priests who have led others astray. No doubt many in the pews have a similar sentiment in their hearts as a result of the recent events in our diocese, but before we get ready to throw stones at the clergy, we must first consider the other readings to get a more complete picture of the situation.

Jesus seems to develop a similar condemnation against the scribes and Pharisees of the law in his day. However, Jesus had no quarrel with their teaching of the law; he has far more to say about their living the law themselves. Bad example in many ways is worse than bad teaching. Bad teaching can be refuted with sound argument and truth because it is only directed at the mind. Bad example, however, cuts to the very core of a person and reaches the heart. The effects can be long lasting and some never fully recover from bad example.

The solution Jesus offers is not merely a condemnation of the actions of the scribes and Pharisees, for the words of condemnation are just that - merely words. Instead, Jesus encourages us to live faithfully to God through humble service to others. Later in his ministry Jesus will provide the ultimate example to drive home the point about humble service: he takes up a basin and towel, and washes the feet of his disciples - an act that not even a servant would perform for another. This example certainly provides the motivation for Paul's ministry of treating the Thessalonian community as a nursing mother would care for her child, toiling day and night so as not to be a burden to others.

We have received a great deal of criticism as a church in the past several months as a result of the recent events in our diocese, some of which is justified. People certainly have a right to be angry and hurt. However, the solutions provided by many critics are merely punitive and retributive. In no instance do we find anyone stating that the cure for our present malady is to commit ever more deeply to serve one another in profound humility and love. And yet this is precisely the message of Jesus for us today. Yes, we must repent and atone for the mistakes we have made, but more importantly we must also follow Jesus in his example: serve one another in humility and love.

God's covenant with Israel is a great challenge for his people, one they continually failed to achieve as individuals and as a community. The people of Israel had no example to show them how perfectly live the law of God. Jesus becomes that example of perfect living of the law of God, a theme Matthew highlights time and again in his gospel. Jesus is the only person to perfectly live the law of God, and this individual fidelity should be the example that the community of the Churhc should embody in their lives.

As we gather this weekend to grow in our Christian life and calling, we ask God's continual help along the way: "Let us pray in the presence of God, the source of every good. Father in heaven, God of power and Lord of mercy, from whose fullness we have received, direct our steps in our everyday efforts. May the changing moods of the human heart and the limits which our failings impose on us never blind us to you, source of every good. Faith gives us the promise of peace and makes known the demands of love. Remove the selfishness that blurs our faith. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Who is My Neighbor? - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-10-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

From the earliest days of the Church, pilgrimage has been one of the most fundamental experiences of Christian piety. The concept of pilgrimage certainly goes back to the experiences of Israel: Abraham's pilgrimage from Ur to Canaan, Israel's move from Egypt to the Promised Land, and the return to Israel from the Babylonian captivity. The most profound experience of being a pilgrim is that of being a stranger in a strange land. The pilgrim is utterly dependent upon the hospitality of the residents there, as the language, land, and customs are utterly foreign to the visitor. The pilgrim is also one who must trust in the good will of those who occupy this strange land. Today's readings highlight for us the reality of our pilgrim status on earth.

The Gospel text provides its original audience the definitive interpretation of the Old Law by Jesus. The Law consists in love of God and love of neighbor - two commandments that cannot be separated. Matthew's readers were Jewish Christians living after the destruction of the Temple and the beginning of their expulsion from the synagogues. This audience was keenly aware of their status as strangers and aliens in a foreign land: the land of Israel that no longer welcomed them, and the land of the Roman Empire that was no home to the Christian community. Loving God and neighbor became the way of living as a pilgrim in this foreign place that speaks a different language than that of the Christian.

Paul's community in Thessalonica also experienced this pilgrim status as they go forth in new territories for the Gospel message. In moving westward from Asia Minor to the Greek mainland, Paul enters a new world and the word alone will not be able to win people to the Gospel of Christ. By living the faith and imitating the deeds of Jesus, people in this strange land come to accept the Gospel. When a person is not able to speak the language of a strange land, actions are the universal language to overcome this barrier. Christians come to embody the love of neighbor in welcoming the stranger in their midst. This hospitality leads to the acceptance of the Gospel by those who were foreign to this language.

The first reading from the book of Exodus challenges the Israelite community to remember their status as strangers and aliens in a foreign land. God commands them to welcome the stranger and alien into their midst because they were once in that position. God anticipates Israel's movement from a minority under rule by a dominant empire to the day when they would have their own land. Such transitions are a challenge to any society. It is easy to be in favor of social justice when one is the minority and experience injustice from others. It becomes more of a challenge to live the message of social justice when you become the majority and feel threatened by the presence of those different from you.

The history of our nation is replete with examples of oppressed minorities crying for justice who later become part of the majority and then become the oppressors of the new stranger and alien. In very many cases it has been Catholic populations from other lands who have experienced such hostility, and sadly enough in more recently times it is some Catholics who seek to oppress the new group of strangers who themselves are Catholic! Today the most prosperous nation on earth has initiated harsh and extremely limiting laws to prevent people from entering our land lawfully. At the same time we look the other way when immigrants are exploited for their work so that we might continue to live as we like. Such policies have only increased the scourge of human trafficking and drug trafficking globally and in our own land. We must never forget our history as strangers and aliens, nor must we forget our theology of being a pilgrim people who everywhere are strangers and aliens in a world that does not speak the language of Jesus the Lord.

As we seek to recover our pilgrim identity and imitate our ancestors in faith who welcomed the stranger, let us pray in the words of the Church in today's liturgy: "Let us pray in humble hope for salvation. Praised be you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no power for good which does not come from your covenant, and no promise to hope in, that your love has not offered. Strengthen our faith to accept your covenant and give us the love to carry out your command. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Lord is King - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-10-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

In the world of mathematics you will be hard pressed to find a two sided object in geometry. In order to create a shape with sides, at least three sides are required. Despite this truth, people try in vain to reduce various things to only two sides - left and right, black and white, and the like. The readings for this Sunday point out the complexity of our world while at the same time showing forth the simplicity of God. The issue of church and state presented here is not to be viewed through a political lens, but rather with the eyes of faith that present a deeper vision than the two dimensional perspective of polemic.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah presents us with the figure of Cyrus, king of Persia. Known in the ancient world as being a ruthless leader, we nevertheless encounter a positive image of him in the biblical text. However, the prophet also reminds us that political power does not lead to divine status, a common failure of ancient monarchies and empires. Kings are dependent upon God for their success just as everyone else. Even a ruthless person such as Cyrus can make decisions favorable to the people of God, a lesson we might reflect upon in our American political climate of demonization.

At first glance one might get the impression that the passage from Paul has little connection to the other readings. However, Paul is the first to use the term "gospel" to refer to the message of Jesus. This Greek term had been employed by the Roman empire. The emperors, who thought themselves divine, saw their words as being good news for their people. Paul, however, uses the term to refer to the message of Jesus - that message of Jesus which is truly good news for all. What is more, this message is not merely words as were the decrees of emperors, but the message is also mighty deeds of power and the Holy Spirit. Hence, it is not political power but rather divine power that gives authority to the gospel of Jesus.

The gospel text is well known to us, but often it is used as a defense of the separation of church and state instead of its original intent of correcting our attitudes toward political power, God, and money. Two groups come to question Jesus on whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar: the Pharisees opposed Roman occupation and thus would take a negative answer to the question, while the Herodians who favored Roman rule would prefer Jesus to answer in the affirmative. Each sought to trap Jesus so that he would be in trouble with one or the other. Jesus' answer dumbfounds his audience - both then and now.

What truly belongs to Caesar? Money - something of little importance and clearly a man-made object. What belongs to God? Everything! What do we have that does not come from God? Nothing! God has given us our world and our very being, and these things are what we owe to God. Yet, we always hold something back from God, much like Cain. Matthew's readers would know all too well the conflict that this scene presents to them. On the one side they are faced wtih pressure from the Jewish synagogue to conform to the prevailing Jewish theology and reject Jesus as Messiah. On the other side they face the pressure of the Roman Empire in forsaking Jesus for the cult of Caesar. In both cases the worldly security of money comes forward as the pressure point used to bring about conformity.

In our own day we have many who would co-opt the Gospel in creating political pressure upon the followers of Jesus. We will be told by various people that voting in certain ways is the authentically Catholic way of the Gospel, and others will tell us that we must defend America as a Christian nation. Failure to conform to these folks will lead to exclusion and rejection. Yet, the psalmist today states that the Lord is king, not Caesar; and that our true homeland is heaven, not America. This does not mean that we do not engage in the political arena, but we must do so based on Gospel values that cannot be translated into a political platform and bthat cannot be embodied in any one candidate or political party.

As we seek to make God the Lord of our life, we ask for his constant help in the words of today's opening prayer: "Let us pray for the gift of simplicity and joy in our service of God and man. Almighty and ever-living God, our source of power and inspiration, give us strength and joy in serving you as followers of Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."

The Marriage of Heaven and Earth - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-10-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Story book weddings - the ones where everything goes off without a hitch - are perhaps the most fictitious narratives ever designed. I have yet to meet a couple who did not have something go awry in their wedding plans, ceremony, or reception. Nevertheless, we all love the idea of the perfect wedding because we are all romantics at heart. Love should be perfect and neat and tidy, though the travails of planning and executing a wedding are good preparation for the struggles that married life entails.

The prophet Isaiah presents us with a picture of the perfect wedding feast. The food is perfect, the setting is perfect, and there are even no tears to be had at this wedding. The prophet provides this setting to describe the fulfillment of the Messianic age in Israel, a time when oppression will end, fidelity to God will reign, and all the people will treat one another with justice and love. No doubt Isaiah's audience needed such a message in the midst of the Babylonian captivity when Israel was no longer their homeland and the people had no idea if they would ever return. Such an image provided the Israelites with the hope of eventual return and the fulfillment of all their longings.

Jesus uses the wedding image of Isaiah in describing the kingdom of God. Yet, this wedding scene is not perfect as it was in Isaiah. Someone enters the wedding banquet without the wedding garment - a crasher to the party. The person is escorted out so that the wedding feast can continue as it should. Jesus always referred to the kingdom of God as something we await, but also as something that is present already in our midst. In the life of the Church our sacramental actions are our participation in the kingdom of God here and now, in addition to an expectation of future completion in heaven. How can we, then, understand the actions of the Gospel's wedding banquet?

In the ancient world marriage was a threefold process: betrothal, wedding ceremony, and the consummation of the marriage. Betrothal was not really akin to our notion of engagement. Betrothal was a legal obligation to marry the other person at a future date already determined by the families. It required legal action to break a betrothal, as we see early in Matthew's Gospel when Joseph intends to break his betrothal to Mary. Both betrothal and the wedding ceremony were once in a lifetime events; you could only engage in these events once. Without going into the details, the consummation of a marriage can take place more than once in the life of a couple.

I mention this dynamic to highlight how it is we encounter the reign of God here and now in our sacramental life. Baptism can be likened to betrothal to God. We are pledged to God and become part of the family of God irrevocably. In Confirmation we celebrate the wedding day by confirming the pledge of baptism and being sealed in that relationship with God. Finally, in celebrating the Eucharist - the banquet of the Lord Jesus - we consummate our relationship with God in joyous celebration of union with our beloved Lord. This analogy explains why it is we ordinarily do not allow those who are not baptized or confirmed to receive the Eucharist. The current western practice of receiving confirmation before Eucharist is an historical aberration that is slowly being corrected. RCIA has restored the proper order of receiving these sacraments.

The life of the Christian, then, can be likened to a marriage relationship. In such a relationship we are in a deep loving relationship with another, a relationship that grows and evolves over time. Love is what shapes our decisions and actions in the relationship, and yet it is God who always initiates the relationship and shapes its course in our lives. We merely respond to that love as we would in our human relationships of love. Hence, Paul in today's second reading finds himself in every circumstance of life, content to be hungry or satisfied because love has led him to this life of service to others.

As we seek to respond to love with love, we ask God's help in today's opening prayer: "Let us pray in quiet for the grace of sincerity. Father in heaven, the hand of your loving kindness powerfully yet gently guides all the moments of our day. Go before us in our pilgrimage of life, anticipate our needs and prevent our falling. Send your Spirit to unite us in faith, that sharing in your service, we may rejoice in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The God of Peace - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-10-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

War is certainly a more profitable business than peace. Defense contractors certainly earn far more than farmers or mediation experts. The same is true regarding the ever present cottage industries of the negative message. How many people in our culture profit from tearing down others: politicians, business leaders, religious leaders, and many others. There is no real talent in tearing down other people, but it takes great skill to build up another person - just ask a parent or a teacher. Today's readings provide us with an opportunity for us to decide what we choose to do: to build up, or tear down; to be peacemakers or war mongers.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel text from Matthew provide us with bleak images of the Lord's vineyard on earth. In Isaiah's day Israel was decimated by the invading Babylonian Empire, a fate that befell God's people for the failure of its leaders to remain faithful to the covenant of Israel. In this particular selection we see little signs of hope, though later in the book Isaiah provides a message of hope by looking ahead to the Messianic age and the deliverance of Israel from this horrid plight.

Similarly Matthew is presenting us with this lesson of Jesus, who invokes the prophetic tradition of the wasted vineyard of Isaiah in describing the condition of Israel in both Jesus' day and in the time in which Matthew is writing his gospel. The leaders of Israel complain loudly about Roman occupation in Jesus' time, yet they fail to see its cause lies once again in their infidelity to God. They have ignored the message of the prophets and they will kill the son of the vineyard owner. All of this will lead to the destruction of Jerusalem and the final diaspora of the Jewish people from Palestine. When Matthew writes his gospel text in the eighth decade of the first century, the Jewish leaders are expelling Christians from the synagogues, thereby completing the break between Christians and their older brothers in faith. Once again, new leaders will replace older leaders of God's vineyard.

It is at this point that the cottage industries of negativity stop. These negative images are all they need to manipulate the masses, attempting to convince us that they are modern day prophets like Isaiah or Jesus. Yet, Isaiah and Jesus ultimately had messages of hope found not in political structures or economic models but in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the dawn of the Messianic age for which Isaiah longed. It is precisely here that Paul picks up the message of hope for us in the second reading. We long for peace in our lives, personal and communal. How are we to acquire this peace?

Paul exhorts us to think about whatever is good, whatever is noble, whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is worthy of praise. These thoughts will lead us to the peace for which we all long. In the modern era we have a tendency to look at that which divides us in terms of culture, politics, and theology instead of what we hold in common and what is good and pure in other traditions that differ from ours. The ancient church recognized what was good and worthy in the world of antiquity, accepting and borrowing freely from ancient Greece and Rome, pagan cultures both. We must not be afraid to find similar treasurs in other cultures, and in fact we are encouraged to do so by the Second Vatican Council and subsequent acts of the Magisterium. The Gospel has the transformative power to find the good in any culture and make it holy. The words and deeds of Jesus and his redemptive death and resurrection provide us with the peace we need to have no anxiety in our interaction with other cultures and traditions. We need not be defensive or engage in unnecessary apologetic; we can only benefit in learning new approaches to the faith of the ages.

If we truly have the faith of Jesus we will have the peace we desire in our individual hearts. In our positive interaction with other cultures and traditions we create a model for peace that can show the world how to live in the way God calls all of humankind to live. Let us pray for this faith that leads to peace in union with the Church universal: "Let us pray before the face of God in trusting faith. Almighty and eternal God, Father of the world to come, your goodness is beyond what our spirit can touch. Lead us to seek beyond our reach and give us the courage to stand before your truth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Fairness Doctrine - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-09-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Students of American history will be familiar with the title - fairness doctrine. It was the policy of the Federal Communications Commission from the late 1940's stating that a broadcast company, radio or tv, had to air both sides of a controversial issue in a fair and balanced way. It was designed to guarantee a diversity of viewpoints and failure to do so was subject to FCC enforcement, which the Supreme Court held to be valid in a decision on the matter in the late 1960's. Interestingly enough, the fairness doctrine has been officially abolished and is no longer a policy of the FCC.

Today's first reading and gospel texts present us with the theological version of the fairness doctrine. Here, the principle is whether God should extend mercy to the lifelong sinner who repents and whether God should punish the lifelong person of virtue who falls from grace. The prophet Ezekiel presents the fairness doctrine in rather stark and straightforward terms: no mercy will be granted to the virtuous man who commits iniquity, while mercy will be extended to the reprobate who repents at the end.

Jesus, however, nuances the discussion just a bit. He presents the case of two brothers who are asked to carry out a command of their father. The first son promises to do so, but he does not follow through on the promise. The second son, on the other hand, refuses to do so, but late on thinks better of it and fulfills the command of the father. Once again, the fairness doctrine is set in rather straightforward terms: it is the person who actually carries out the will of God in his or her life through actions and deeds who is faithful to the Father. Lip service alone does not cut it; positive actions are what counts.

Lest we go away feeling good about ourselves and our understanding of God's will, we still must consider the second reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians. If we are to follow the will of God, we must imitate the one who did so perfectly in his life, the Lord Jesus. While actions are important and essential in fulfilling the will of God, so too is the attitude with which we carry out these actions. Jesus, the son of the living God, while on earth did not exalt himself or set himself as God's equal. Jesus renounces any claim to honor and titles. Instead, he lowered himself to the status of a slave, taking our place in dying for our transgressions. Our attitudes must be that of the Lord Jesus, otherwise our external actions will have no value whatsoever.

Paul's letter to the Philippians was a moral exhortation to his favorite community, and yet morality is never separate from Christ. As Karl Rahner points out in referring to Paul in this letter: "When he is preaching about morals he is thinking of Christ, when he is thinking about Christians and when he is thinking about the rest of mankind, he thinks of the Lord. He thinks of the Lord as of one someone nearby, someone who once lived among us and has simply gone away and is in heaven; he thinks of the Lord as of one abiding with us in his Spirit, in his word, in his brother and sister, as of one who is coming, who would penetrate ever further into our lives, who would absorb our lives ever more completely in himself, who with his Spirit and his power, with his own history which is still going on, is engaged in one tremendous advent. And he is close to us as well, in the destiny that leads our lives toward a single goal, to death and to judgment, which may be nearer than we think. The Lord is near. He is close to all of us. Are we close to him?" (Biblical Homilies, p. 139)

It is a strange phenomenon that someone can be close to you, but you are not close to them. How often do our children try to snuggle close to their parents, and sometimes we embrace them in return and we share that closeness, while at other times our minds are elsewhere and we only share an incidental closeness of space. God seeks to embrace us fully. May we return that embrace fully in our words, actions, and attitudes. We pray together with the Church throughout the world: "Let us pray for the peace of the kingdom which we have been promised. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in your unbounded mercy you have revealed the beauty of your power through your constant forgiveness of our sins. May the power of this love be in our hearts to bring your pardon and your kingdom to all we meet. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

An Attitude of Gratitude - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-09-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was invited to give a reflection on an aspect of Catholic Social Teaching to a group of youth ministers, so I chose the idea of gratitude since it has spiritual applications as well. The reflection began by giving several wrapped gifts to some of the attendees, none of whom, by the way, thanked me for the gifts. The gifts were snacks, a DVD movie, and other things to share with others. After they opened the gifts I asked them what they were going to do with the gifts. All said they would enjoy the gifts; none said they would share their gifts with others. When we pointed out the obligation in Catholic teaching to share, the group instead moved to complain about how much they make in salary. Needless to say, gratitude was not in the room that day.

The event came to mind in looking at the Gospel text for this Sunday. Jesus compares the reign of God to an owner who goes out to hire people for his vineyard. To provide context, it is important to know that throughout many parts of the country day laborers are the dominant profession of the lower classes. If you visit Turkey, for example, you will see people standing about waiting for someone to hire them for the day or the week. Their entire livelihood depends upon being selected to work for someone, and so they are extremely vulnerable. If they do not get chosen, they and their families cannot eat. Many immigrants right here in Kansas City try to earn a living as day laborers, as it is their custom from their countries of origin.

In any case, workers came to the vineyard at various points in the day to work, and when the day was over the owner came and paid everyone the same daily rate, regardless of the number of hours worked. Those who worked all day did not thank the owner for being employed at all. Instead, they took the opportunity to complain about the injustice of being paid the same as those who worked less than they had. Instead of seeing the owner as generous to those who worked fewer hours, they saw him as parsimonious for not paying them more. The real injustice in the story, however, is not in the action of the owner, but in the lack of gratitude in those who worked the entire day.

In the grand scheme of things, God owes us nothing. He was under no obligation to create anything - but he chose to do so in order to share his being and his love with the entire cosmos. When humankind on our planet fell into sin, again God was under no obligation to redeem the human race through Jesus his Son. Somehow we have developed the idea in modern Christianity that God owes us something, that we are entitled to his beneficence. Yet, God freely chose to extend his mercy upon us and to show the ultimate example of love in the person of Jesus. We in no way have earned this gift. Indeed, we can state with the prophet Isaiah - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord."

The great spiritual writer Thomas Merton said that the heart of the Christian life is gratitude. In fact, the Second Vatican Council asserted that the source and summit of the Christian life is the Eucharist, a word that means thanksgiving. The entire Christian life is one of dependence upon God and gratitude to him for all that he has done for us. In being ever grateful to God for all, we thereby fulfill the command of Paul in the second reading: "Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ." Jesus the Lord humbled himself to become one of us, and humility then is essentially tied to our dependence upon God and our gratitude to him for all that we have and are. Merton's contrast of the humble man and the proud man speaks to the Gospel call today: "The humble man loves himself, and seeks to be loved and honored, not because love and honor are due to him, but because they are not due to him. He seeks to be loved by the mercy of God....The proud man loves his own illusion and self-sufficiency. The spiritually poor man loves his very insufficiency. The proud man claims honor for having what no one else has. The humble man begs for a share in what everyone else has received. He too desires to be filled to overflowing with the kindness and mercy of God." (Thoughts in Solitude, p. 44-45)

As we seek to live a life of dependence, gratitude, and humility, let us join our hearts to the prayer of the Church in the liturgy today: "Let us pray to God that he may attune our thoughts and actions to his own. Lord our God, you say of yourself that you are good with a love that surpasses even justice. Thank you for accepting the little ones as much as the great, those who turn to you at the last hour as well as the laborers who have toiled all our lives. Open us more to the free gift of your grace, make us accept them with gratitude and appreciate how liberally you give to others. Turn our ways into your ways of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Discerning the Will of God - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-08-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Many of us have had the experience of looking for something familiar to us: our car keys, shoes, a favorite coffee mug, or some other mundane item. After an exhaustive search through the entire house, we find them right in front of our eyes. They were there the entire time, and yet we could not see them. Why? Very often we already have a preconceived idea of where they were, and when the object isn't where we think it should be, we lose our focus and search in vain for the missing item. Discerning the will of God often follows the same pattern; happily, the readings can help us see what is really obvious.

The prophet Jeremiah provides an honest dialogue between Jeremiah and God. The prophet thinks at first that God has duped him into thinking falsely about the will of God for him and the nation of Israel. However, Jeremiah realizes that in reality he duped himself. We all expect to have success in the work God has called us to perform, and when our idea of success is not met, then we blame God. The truth is more difficult to accept: that we have provided ourselves with a false notion of success and our vocation. Jeremiah thought his preaching would convert Israel: that they would return to God and thus overcome their enemies. That outcome didn't happen, and yet God's will was present in that outcome as well as in Jeremiah's work. Fidelity to our vocation is the most important aspect of discerning God's will. Authentic discernment can only exist within a heart that is faithful to God's call.

Paul finds himself in a similar prophetic role. In the second reading we find Paul exhorting the church of Rome not to be conformed to this age, but instead to be renewed by the transformation of our minds. Only through such transformation can we then discern the will of God for us - what is good, pleasing, and perfect. The Christian community in Rome faced the difficulty of practicing their faith in the very heart of the Roman Empire. Pressure was mounting for the Christians to acquiesce in accepting the growing cult of the emperor. Rejection of this cult led to loss of status and financial security. Later this rejection of the cult would lead to the loss of their lives, and yet again we find that fidelity is essential to discernment. Worship of one's nation, no matter what form that takes, is always the sin of idolatry and thus the most blatant example of infidelity.

The Gospel text provides us with the ultimate criteria for knowing the will of God. The mission of Jesus is to live and die for others. Peter cannot see this truth because he has already had his own understanding of what the Messiah of God should be. Like most Jews of his day, Peter saw the Messiah as a political leader who would overthrow Roman occupation and lead Israel back to its time of glory before the time of Jeremiah. Peter had conformed himself to his present age, not to the will of God. The mission of Jesus is our own mission as well. The entire call of God for us is to imitate Jesus in his fidelity to God and thus live for the sake of others to the point of death.

In the early church martyrdom was the ideal to which the Christian aspired, for it meant imitating Jesus in his death as well as in our lives. The modern age has affected the attitude of Christians. Instead of expecting martyrdom as the lot of Christians and not shrinking from it, we find ourselves complaining at the faintest slight against us. Finding acceptance in the world from Constantine to our own age has led us more often than not in conforming ourselves to the age rather than to the will of God and the example of Jesus. Yet in every age the Church has examples of those who did not seek such conformity to the age. We see in their lives the authentic imitation of Jesus that instilled within them the peace that enables us to overcome the hostilities of the world, and, sadly enough, even from those within the Church.

As we seek to be faithful to the call of God and the example of Jesus, let us unite ourselves with the liturgy for today in having before our hearts the opening prayer for today: "Let us pray to God who forgives all who call upon him. Lord God of power and might, nothing is good which is against your will, and all is of value which comes from your hand. Place in our hearts a desire to please you and fill our minds with insight into love, so that every thought may grow in wisdom and all our efforts may be filled with your peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Making the Team - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-08-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

We have all been there: the sandlot or gymnasium where we are all standing in an awkward mass. In front of us two of our peers are captains and they are choosing players for their teams. Depending on the sport there are only so many slots to be filled and some of us won't be chosen for a team. The feeling of not belonging in these experiences is palpable and difficult for a young person to deal with. Now, imagine an entire group of people who are not chosen to belong to the team. In our times we would call such exclusion discrimination, but corporate exclusion was common in ancient times, and it explains the condition of the Gentiles with respect to Israel and access to the one true God. The readings today show us a God who picks all of us to be on his team.

The prophet Isaiah develops the promise of the Messianic age when the hope of the Gentiles' entry into the fold of Israel comes to fruition. From the time of the diaspora to the Christian era Gentile conversions to Judaism were rare due to the requirements of the Jewish dietary laws and male circumcision. At best, Gentiles who desired a relationship with the God of Israel but who would not conform to these external practices were known as God fearers: they believed in God and followed the moral law of Torah, but they were not considered Jews and thus not part of God's chosen people. Isaiah provides the hope of a future inclusion where worship of God and adherence to the justice precepts of Torah were the marks of such inclusion. This hope finds an echo in the responsorial psalm today: O God, may all the nations praise you!

In the second reading we find Paul talking about the actual inclusion of the Gentiles in his present day. The preaching of Paul provides the concrete realization of Gentile access to the one true God. God has provided a generous gift to all - Jew and Gentile alike, and Paul reminds us that God's gifts are irrevocable. The Gentiles come to Christian faith because now they have access to God through Jesus Christ. Fidelity to the moral law and participation in the sacrifice of Christ through sacramental action and living the law of love are now providing this access. The old divisions of race, class, and gender are now gone. All have access to God and all are radically equal in Christ. The Messianic age is here through the obedience of Christ and our acceptance of that obedience in our lives through faith.

The Gospel of Matthew provides us with a scene from the life of Jesus that seems indifferent at best to the needs of the Gentile woman. Matthew is writing to Jewish-Christians who are facing two distinct struggles: the acceptance of Gentile converts, and seeing their connection to Judaism dying away. The Temple had been destroyed and Jewish-Christians are being expelled from the synagogues by rabbinic Judaism. Today's text simultaneously addresses both issues: Jesus welcomed the Gentiles through faith in him, and at the same time Jesus rebukes rabbinic Judaism in finding their faith wanting in comparison to the Gentile woman. The action of Christ and our access to it by faith, not ancestry or ritual piety or anything else, is what saves us all.

Everyone of us stands in need of Jesus' healing and salvific work in our lives. The faith of the woman led her to healing and to works of justice. We must reach out to all peoples in bringing Jesus' teaching and example to others. This love excludes no one, the gift of faith is offered to all. It does not come to us by our own action and we cannot earn or merit it. What is more, we cannot impose conditions on others or place limitations on God's grace which is present all around us. Our works do not lead to faith; God leads us to faith and we then respond to that gift in our lives. The biblical texts for today's liturgy make this point abundantly clear.

As we seek to imitate Jesus in our ministry to others, we help to bring forth the Messianic age to its full completion. Let us pray with the Church in seeking the grace of God to carry out this work: "Let us pray with humility and persistence. Almighty God, ever loving Father, your care extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation to the hearts of all who live. May the walls, which prejudice raises between us, crumble beneath the shadow of your outstretched arm. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Pearl of Great Price - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-07-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

Noted American novelist John Steinbeck wrote a famous novel entitled "The Pearl". He quotes the parable of the pearl of great price from the Gospel of Matthew to begin the story. It is set in a poor village of Mexico where a family has an infant son they adore so much. The child, however, gets ill and they are unable to afford the medicines due to their poverty and the corruption of those in power. The father of the family finds a pearl of great price in the ocean, but the corrupt pearl merchants conspire to cheat him out of a fair price for it. Desperate, the family flees to Mexico City in the hopes of obtaining a greater price. The pearl merchants chase after the family, and after a brief struggle, the husband and wife return to their poor village with the body of their dead son, shot to death in the skirmish with the bounty hunters.

The novel forces us to come to grips with social injustice, but it also forces us to consider what is of ultimate value in our lives. Certainly the child is their pearl, and no doubt the fate of their child is tied to the pearl of the ocean needed to pay for medicine to save the child. Yet, did they see their treasure correctly? The readings for today's liturgy force us to consider this question in our own lives.

In the Gospel text Jesus presents us with several images of the kingdom of God. All of these images combined show us that the kingdom of God is the greatest treasure we can possibly possess and that we should strive continually to possess this kingdom in our lives. Yet, how do we envision this kingdom? Do we see it in terms of power and domination, or do we see it in terms of service and building up the members of the kingdom of God? Jesus makes it clear that it is not for us to decide who belongs to the kingdom: we are merely present to be caught up in its path and allow ourselves to be taken into its mystery. At the end of time God will decide who belongs and who does not belong. As St. Augustine taught, the city of man and the city of God are intermingled on this earth until the end of the age. We can only remain faithful to the city of God by conforming ourselves to the teaching and example of Jesus.

Paul makes plain what was implicit in the Gospel text: the kingdom of God and our election into it is a gift from God. Our calling as members of this kingdom is also a gift and a great responsibility. Again we must ask ourselves how we envision this gift? Do we seek to keep this gift for ourselves and use it to the benefit of others? I remember overhearing a Catholic encourage a priest by saying, "Keep the faith!" The priest replied, "No, we must give it away freely to others." That exchange captures well these different views of this precious gift entrusted to us.

At the end of the day, we are all faced with the same choice Solomon has in the first reading. In baptism we have been anointed kings to share in that ministry of Jesus, but again how do we envision this kingship in our lives? We can certainly pray for long life, riches, and victory over our enemies. At face value these seem like fine things, until they are measured against what Solomon actually prays for: an understanding heart to help the people of God to distinguish right from wrong. He asks to be a servant king, not a domineering king - and God rewards him for making the correct choice and for having the correct view of kingship, gift, and the treasure entrusted to each and every one of us.

As we strive to follow the teaching and example of Jesus, to imitate Solomon as we live out our baptismal vocation in the midst of the world, and to ensure that our world is free from the injustices that lead to desperate decisions, let us unite our hearts with the Church in her opening prayer for today's liturgy: "God our Father, open our eyes to see your hand at work in the splendor of creation, in the beauty of human life. Touched by your hand our world is holy. Help us to cherish the gifts that surround us, to share your blessings with our brothers and sisters, and to experience the joy of life in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Creation and Redemption - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-07-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

The ancient world clearly understood the connection between the human and divine. Even the pagan world saw human events intertwined within those of the divine. The Trojan War was seen in these terms by the ancient Greeks. The book of Genesis shows how creation became disordered from the fall of our first parents. Even in more modern times the notion of human frailty causing natural ruin is not a foreign concept. In William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" the king and queen of the fairy world, Oberon and Titania, are engaged in a lover's spat, fighting over the rights to an orphaned child. As the argument progresses, Titania reminds her lover that the storms and plagues of the natural world are the result of their arguments. She concludes:

And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown/An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds/Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,/The childing autumn, angry winter, change/Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,/By their increase, now knows not which is which:/And this same progeny of evils comes/From our debate, from our dissension;/We are their parents and original. (Act II, Scene 1)

These same sentiments occur in the biblical texts from today's readings. Paul's letter to the Romans clearly sees the whole created realm as being subjects to futility, and that creation is waiting in painful expectation as it waits for the redemption of our bodies. That full redemption will not take place until the eschatological times of fulfillment that remain unknown to us. The sufferings we endure - whether they be physical, moral, spiritual, or mental - are the pains of childbearing as we bring forth the reign of God in our lives. The patience required to endure the pains of labor is the same virtue we need to bring forth works of justice and peace in our lives.

Isaiah the prophet also uses the image of creation to make the same point. The rain and snow have a natural purpose of watering the earth and bringing forth life for the earth. In the same way, God's work is never done in vain. The word of God goes forth to produce the fruits God wills for it. As with the rain and seeds of creation, we need to have patience with ourselves and others in seeing the effects of God's word among us. Our lives, individually and communally, seem to make little progress in the life of the spirit. We struggle with our weaknesses, fall again and again into sin, and continually make the same failures. Yet, we live with the hope that in continuing to follow the promptings of God in our lives we will overcome these failings and succeed in living a life of holiness.

The gospel text too teaches us this same lesson, again within the context of images from creation. The futility of growth amid the imperfect elements of creation is all to evident: growth cannot take place on rocky ground, shallow soil, or in the midst of thorns. Only in the rich soil disposed for growth can we find success in producing fruit. Yet, God continues to sow in areas where we might not think wise. The fact that the word of God fails in these areas is not the fault of God or his word, but rather in the imperfections of the soils that receive them. As cooperators in God's work of creation and redemption, we have the opportunity to make these imperfect soils a fitting place for God's word to take root and produce a great deal of fruit.

If the storms and groanings of creation are the result of human sin and failure, then it follows that only a life of radical holiness and justice will result in the full redemption of creation we all desire. Poor soil can be changed into good soil, and sinful human beings - both individual persons and the community of the Church - can be made into worthy vessels that are fit dwellings for God that bring forth the reign of God on earth. As we seek to follow our common vocation, we pray together with the Church: "Let us pray to be faithful to the light we have received, to the name we bear. Father, let the light of your truth guide us to your kingdom through a world filled with lights contrary to your own. Christian is the name and the gospel we glory in. May your love make us what you have called us to be. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Spirit, Soul, and Body - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-07-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

We are accustomed to thinking about the human person in terms of a duality: soul and body. This dualism is the inheritance of Greek philosophy that passed into the Christian tradition from the time of St. Augustine to St. Thomas Aquinas. While the distinction has been helpful at times, it leaves us at a loss in trying to understand how the biblical writers understoon the human person. Today's readings present us with such a struggle.

The second reading from Paul's letter to the Romans at first glance appears to present us with the duality of the flesh and the spirit at war with one another. However, we have to consider what part of the human person decides whether we follow the promptings of the spirit or the desires of the flesh. In Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians he describes the human person as spirit, soul, and body - a Trinitarian image that helps us better understand his vision of the human person. God dwells within the deepest recesses of the human person in that part called the spirit. The soul is the bridge that links the spirit to the body, and it is the soul where the struggle exists. In Paul's view, the proper functioning of the person is the soul listening to the promptings of God in the spirit and thus directing the body to carry out the will of God discerned from the listening to the Spirit of God dwelling within our spirit. In the reading today, Paul presents us with the opposite vision: a dysfunctional person is one whose soul follows the desires of the flesh and not the spirit. Such a person cannot at all be said to be a follower of Jesus.

In the Gospel text Jesus provides us with an idea of those who live according to his yoke, according to the spirit of God. It is often the least ones, the poor and oppressed, who often know the will of God far better than the wise and powerful of the world. The least ones don't live in the flesh because they lack the means to do so, whereas the wise and powerful have the means to live a life of the flesh. Thus, while they are poor in matters of the flesh, the least ones are rich in the spirit of God. They know that the will of God is not found in having more but in being more. They know that ruling comes not from conquest and institutional power but rather in ruling oneself by following the promptings of God in the spirit.

It is interesting to note that the yoke of Jesus is easy to those who are heavy burdened and downtrodden, but is yoke is very hard for the wise and powerful. The first reading from the prophet Zechariah provides us with the key to understanding this difficulty. The prophet outlines for us the identity of the Messiah: a just savior, meek, and riding on an ass. The coming Messiah will outlaw the tools of war: peace will be the hallmark of his reign. And yet we find the world continually at war, and we are told to "support our troops" - code language for telling people not to question war at all, an implicit charge of disloyalty against those who oppose the current wars. Indeed the Messiah has come, but he has yet to be received and accepted by our world. The least ones continue to find the yoke of Jesus easy but that of the world harsh, while the wise and powerful have an easy time in the world and neglect entirely the life and message of Jesus.

In seeking to follow the yoke of Jesus let us return to the image of the human person that St. Paul provides us. May we attune our soul to listen to the promptings of the spirit where God dwells within us and so direct our bodies to do the will of God we encounter in the spirit. In this way we will reject the desires of the flesh and avoid becoming one of the wise and powerful of the world. We pray with the Church for this grace today: "Let us pray for greater willingness to serve God and our fellow man. Father, in the rising of your Son death gives birth to a new life. The sufferings he endured restored hope to a fallen world. Let sin never ensnare us with empty promises of passing joy. Make us one with you always, so that our joy may be holy, and our love may give life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

A Merciful and Gracious God - Trinity Sunday Year A

2011-06-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Having young children can often be a great tonic that soothes the wounds inflicted upon us in the world of grown-ups. Young children often make the same mistakes over and over again, and each time they come to us begging forgiveness and promising to do better in the future. We know they mean what they say, and we also know that they will fail again and the scene of begging forgiveness will once more be played out on the stage of our living rooms. The same is true for us adults in our relationship with God. How often have we entered the confessional promising God to do better, only to find ourselves back in the sin bin a few weeks later confessing the same failures. The readings today for Trinity Sunday help us to maintain this perspective we know so well from our own human experience.

In the first reading we find Moses with God in the great theophany on Mount Sinai. God led his people to this place in order to establish the covenant with them. We must remember that prior to this day, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert continually offending God. They longed to return to Egypt and slavery because the desert was a hardship. They continually grumbled against God for their plight. Even at the moment of receiving the covenant they fashion for themselves a false god to worship. How right was Moses in saying that this is a stiff-necked people, and yet he once again pleads for pardon from God, and God remembers his love and forgives his people once again.

Why does God continually forgive his people? The Hebrew word for love used in the Exodus account here denotes a marital love, an unbreakable bond that exists between two persons. Such a love exists among the persons of the Trinity, and it is this love that God brings to the relationship to which he invites every single person. This love is also the love to which we are called to exemplify in our relations with other people, as Paul notes in the second reading. Paul encourages the people of Corinth to live in harmony and peace, and if we do so the God of love and peace will be with us. Paul uses the word "agape" to denote love in this passage, the Greek term used by Christians to denote the Hebrew notion of love - the love to which we are called in our lives.

We also discover the term "agape" in the Gospel text when Jesus tells Nicodemus about the love God has for the world to such an extent that he sent his only Son not to condemn the world, but rather so that the world might be saved through belief in him. For John, faith is always a verb - to believe means to do the works of Jesus on earth, and so the followers of Jesus are called to live this radical love in every circumstance of life and to every person we meet. Nicodemus comes to realize this love only when he sees Jesus die upon the cross, the ultimate act of radical love.

We saw earlier that the people of Israel were a stiff-necked people. Paul encourages his audience to mend their ways. John records Jesus' admonition that unbelief, i.e. failure to love, leads to both condemnation. We are well aware of our sins - both our individual sins and our collective sins as the institution of the Church. We have promised to do many things, and we have failed to live up to those promises. We have a responsibility to acknowledge those failures and to accept the human consequences that result from them.

At the same time we once again entrust ourselves to the Triune God who provides us with an example to follow as we look to mend our ways and to live as Jesus himself did while on earth. As Pope John Paul II stated in his first visit to the United States, "Jesus gives us his peace accompanied by his justice. He is peace and justice. He becomes our peace and justice. We are bearers of the peace and justice of God! We are not builders of a peace and justice that are merely human, always wearing out and always fragile. Wea re primarily the humble beneficiaries of the very life of God, who is justice and peace in the bond of charity. God's justice and peace cry out to bear fruit in human works of justice and peace, in all spheres of actual life." (Homily in New York City, October 1979)

We therefore pray to be God's justice, peace, and charity in the world: "God of love and mercy, you call us to be your people, you gift us with your abundant grace. Make us a holy people, radiating the fullness of your love. Form into us a community, a people who care, expressing your compassion. Remind us day after day of our baptismal call to serve, with joy and courage. Teach us how to grow in wisdom and grace and joy in your presence. Through Jesus and in your Spirit, we make this prayer. Amen." (USCCB Prayer for the Third Millennium)

Worship and Doubt - Ascension of the Lord Year A

2011-06-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Even in the best of times doubt afflicts the believer. Faith, like all the other virtues, is tested by the struggles and sufferings of life. Courage cannot be tested unless a situation develops where bravery is called for. Temperance exists only in the life of the person who has struggled with their appetites in the various circumstances of life. Faith, too, can only take place when the storms of doubt surround the person and the virtue is required of us. In the life of the Church we find no shortage of tests to our faith, especially her in the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. Scandal cannot but test the faith of every believer, and the readings today provide us with the opportunity to examine our faith in the midst of these trying times.

In the Gospel text we read that the disciples were astonished upon seeing Jesus for the first time after the resurrection. They simultaneously worshipped and doubted, a great consolation for us in these times. Worship does not require perfect faith in order for an act of worship to be efficacious. The disciples doubted because all of their expectations of the Messiah were completely wrong: Jesus was not a political messiah sent to restore the nation of Israel to power and influence. Yet, their object of worship is correct - the Lord Jesus. As long as we fix our attention on Jesus and appropriate his values to our own we will then be freed from our idolatry to power and false images of discipleship.

The first reading provides us with yet another scene where the disciples' attention is focused wrongly. After Jesus ascends into heaven they stand looking at the sky, a posture that receives rebuke from two men dressed in white. Why? Our attention should not be focused on Jesus in heaven, but rather in Jesus among us. We have the promise that Jesus will return and so we have no need to stare at the sky looking for Jesus to be as he was on earth. Jesus calls us to be his presence in the world today, and so our worship is not an end in itself but rather a means to become Christ for others.

This very mission of the Church is precisely the point of Paul's letter to the Ephesians in the second reading. Paul encourages us to know the hope that belongs to the call of Christ we have received. Further on we read that we are the body of Christ and we have received all that he has received from the Father. This identity and mission carries with it an awesome responsibility before the world. Can we say that we have lived as Christ has lived, loved as he loved, served as he served? Our failures in this mission both as individuals and as the collective institution of the Church requires us to seek God's forgiveness, to atone for our sins, to resolve to never more offend the living God, and to do penance for these sins.

In the early days of the Church reconciliation was a public event. The penitent stood before the people of God to accuse himself of sin and to be restored to the people of God by the people of God. While we now celebrate this sacrament in a private manner in our own day, it is perhaps necessary in some way for us to celebrate this sacrament publicly when our sins are public and affect the whole body of Christ. The point of such a celebration is not to create a publicity stunt or even to shame sinners. It is rather to experience the catharsis and metanoia of the action of reconciliation. It is also to hold ourselves accountable to one another and to the world - to set an example for others that we intend to live as Christ's disciples and to restore what has been broken.

As we celebrate the Ascension of Christ in glory, may we seek to follow the Lord Jesus by walking in his teaching and example. We pray: "Father, send the gift of peace into our hearts. You know our efforts to follow the trail that Jesus has blazed before us. Forgive our weakness and infidelity, so that, reinvigorated by your Spirit of peace, we may resume our journey with greater courage until we reach the home where you wait for us. Amen." (Revelation of Love, by David Turoldo).

The Lord is My Shepherd - 4th Sunday of Easter Year A

2011-05-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

More than a few years ago I was at Mass in Dallas, TX where I had been living when these sets of readings occurred. One of the deacons at the parish preached on these readings, lecturing the congregation on the lack of trust people have in institutions. Speaking directly to my generation, he questioned how it is that we could not put faith in the pillars of our society: government, business, religion.

Growing up I remember teacher after teacher, adult after adult told us kids that respect had to be earned, that it was not a right we had at birth. So, if this statement is true, then there could be plenty of reasons why our generation has trust issues. With respect to government, my generation grew up in the post Watergate era where we experienced countless instances of government lies and abuse of power. In the realm of business, my generation experienced the Keating five, the savings and loan debacle of the 80's, Enron, Arthur Anderson, and a host of other institutions who have cheated their shareholders and lied to the public. And dare we mention the ways in which religion has sadly led people to lose trust: the sexual abuse crisis, televangelists, and the use of violence in the name of religion. Needless to say, too much could be said to justify the lack of trust that exists in our world.

And yet we find ourselves present today at holy Mass. In spite of the many reasons why we should not trust we again come to the Church seeking nourishment and direction in our lives. The human person needs to trust in order to survive and thrive. On a horizontal level we cannot exist without trust, and we long to put our trust in people and institutions. The readings today provide us with the only place where such trust belongs - the Lord Jesus.

How are we to know that we can trust Jesus? The second reading provides the answer: Christ suffered for us, and left an example that we should follow in his footsteps. Jesus accepted insult, he suffered, and he handed himself over to death. He did not insult, he did not threaten, and he offered himself up. This example is meant for us who had gone astray like sheep. By following the example of Jesus we return to the shepherd and guardian of our souls. In this way is Jesus the Good Shepherd who leads the sheep to good pasture, and only by living as Christ do we ensure trust in the hearts and minds of people.

In the life of Israel there had been many just and upright shepherds to guide God's people: Abel the righteous, the holy patriarch Abraham, Moses and Joshua, and David the great king of Israel. And yet the Gospel text has Jesus say that all who came before him were thieves and robbers. Is this mere hyperbole, or does Jesus intend us to take these words literally? Surely these predecessors of Jesus were righteous leaders of God's people, and yet they fall short of the standard of being a shepherd. Jesus is that standard, and only by being united to him and following his example can we be led to green pastures. Only by following Jesus can we ourselves be authentic shepherds for the people of God. Only by accepting insult and giving none, by suffering while not threatening, and only by handing ourselves up to death for others without seeking relief from this vocation can we shepherd the people of God with authenticity - and only in this way will the people hear the voice of Christ and follow.

The lack of trust we experience is natural, and the distress we face in such times can be painful. As we seek to follow Christ the Good Shepherd, let us pray for good shepherds to be among us and seek the grace to be good examples ourselves: "Let us pray to God our helper in time of distress. God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, though your people walk in the valley of darkness, no evil should they fear; for they follow in faith the call of the shepherd whom you have sent for their hope and strength. Attune our minds to the sound of his voice, lead our steps in the path he has shown, that we may know the strength of his outstretched arm and enjoy the light of your presence forever. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen."

Were Not Our Hearts Burning? - 3rd Sunday After Easter Year A

2011-05-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Recently the world witnessed the lastes from the realm of false antiquities: someone claims to possess the nails from Jesus' resurrection. Many people look to such items as well as apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in various places throughout the world or on a piece of French toast at your local Denny's to bolster their faith. Millions of dollars are spent to span the globe in search of such phenomena, and yet the greatest presence of God on earth resides in your neighborhood Catholic Church - the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Today's readings bring us back to the central elements of our faith.

The Gospel text relates the journey of two disciples who were leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus when they encounter Jesus on the way. However, the two men do not recognize Jesus while walking on the road. The conversation turns to the events of the past few days, event which the two men seem to know so well while their mysterious companion appears unaware. As they walk along the way Jesus proceeds to explain to them the scriptures concerning the Messiah and how the events of the past few days were necessary events in the life of the Messiah for the climax of salvation history. While Jesus speaks to them, their hearts are burning within them, yet they still do not recognize him until they stop for the evening and Jesus performs the Eucharistic action of breaking the bread. Then, they come to recognize Jesus, but he disappears from their sight. What are we to make of all this?

Jesus is not longer physically present to us as he was prior to his death. If we search for that presence in material objects or in alleged apparitions we will be disappointed. As the second reading points out, we have been ransomed from our futile conduct of seeking God's ransom in perishable things like silver or gold. Instead, we have been ransomed by the blood of the spotless lamb, Jesus the Christ. The presence of the risen Jesus is in the Word of God and in the sacramental actions of the Church, as the two men in the Gospel text discovered.

And yet there is more to be discovered. Jesus performed many great signs and works while on earth, just as God had done for the Israelites throughout salvation history. We encountered these various events during the Easter Vigil liturgy when we heard the many readings from the Old Testament regarding God's intervention in history. We have also heard the three great signts of Jesus in the weeks preceding Holy Week when we heard the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus. Many people long to experience such phenomena in our own time and they lose faith when such does not happen.

However, Peter tells the Israelite people in the first reading that Jesus has been raised and that they are now experiencing the effects of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Jesus' faithful people. The presence of the Holy Spirit works miracles in our own lives: just look at Peter in the first reading, the same Peter who fifty days earlier had denied Jesus thrice and ran away with all the others in fear. The Holy Spirit continues to have that effect in the lives of people in our own day, and he can have that effect in our own lives if we but recognize Jesus risen from the dead and present to us in Word and Sacrament. We celebrated just such a life last week in the beatification of Pope John Paul II. The Holy Spirit transformed a poor young man who lost both his parents at a young age to a state of holiness that inspired nations to seek freedom and led millions to a renewal of faith in their lives.

The miracles we seek should be the radical change of our own lives and the great deeds the Holy Spirit can do in us for others. As we acknowledge the presence of Jesus in our lives and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we pray today with the universal Church: "Let us pray in confident peace and Easter hope. Father in heaven, author of all truth, a people once in darkness has listened to your Word and followed your Son as he rose from the tomb. Hear the prayer of this newborn people and strengthen your Church to answer your call. May we rise and come forth into the light of day to stand in your presence until eternity dawns. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

This Man God Raised - Easter Sunday

2011-04-23T20:18:00.001-07:00

Three years ago I attended my twentieth high school reunion. These events are occasions for remembering old times with friends at school, and it is a time for examination. Some of our old friends seem much the same as they did years ago, while others have changed so much it causes a shock in us. It also leads us to question our own lives: what changes have taken place in our lives? Are we basically the same as we were in high school, or have we undergone profound changes? Today's readings provide us with the opportunity to reflect on such changes, for they are not really about Jesus; they are about Peter, and by extension they are about us.

In the Gospel text we find Peter confronting the reality of Jesus rising from the dead for the first time. Mary Magdalene tells Peter the tomb is empty, and his disbelief at this statement leads him to look at the tomb himself. He sees the burial cloths, the head covering, and the empty tomb - and yet none of this has any real effect upon him. The Gospel text states that they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. At this point the Resurrection of Jesus has had no effect upon his life.

The first reading, however, provides us with an entirely different Peter than we've met previously in the Gospels. It is now a few years after Jesus' resurrection and Peter is preaching to Cornelius and a group of Gentiles about Jesus' ministry, his death, and resurrection. Peter is offering the salvation of Jesus to the nations, doing so in a bold way that leads his listeners to accept the Gospel and to live as Jesus lived. Peter becomes almost unrecognizable, like classmate from twenty years ago whom you remembered in one way but whom now is completely different. How can we account for this transformation in Peter?

Between these two scenese come a series of events that will transform Peter. He comes to encounter the risen Jesus a number of times in his life. These encounters provide a great deal of irony, for the disciples initally do not recognize Jesus when they first encounter him, but after a while they see Jesus in this new life. Peter also has his own personal encounter with the risen Lord when Jesus asks Peter about his love. This conversation is cathartic for Peter: it recalls the painful memory of his denials of Jesus shortly before Jesus' death, and it is painful to be asked multiple times whether you love someone. Yet, this conversation confirms Peter in the ministry to which Jesus has called him. Finally, Peter, along with the other disciples and Mary, receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, a transformative experience for the entire community.

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and for many of us this celebration is the latest in many past celebrations of this event - the central event of the Christian faith. Jesus is risen from the dead, and yet the readings also refer to our own resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the dead and is both unrecognizable and knowable in his resurrected state, so too we see in the readings that Peter too has risen with Christ. Peter is a new person, one we do not recognize from our earlier experiences of him in the Gospels.

As we renew our baptismal vows in the liturgy of Easter, we reflect on whether we have indeed risen with Christ as Peter did. Are we the same as we were before encountering Christ, or have we too become transformed by our encounters with him - encounters that are both personal and communal? The season of Easter is a time to reflect on our encounters with the risen Jesus in our lives while we re-examine the encounters of the early Christians and the Church with the risen Jesus over the next fifty days. In our reflections we keep within our hearts the prayer of today's Easter liturgy: "Let us pray that the risen Christ will raise us up and renew our lives. God our Father, by raising Christ your Son you conquered the power of death and opened for us the way to eternal life. Let our celebration today raise us up and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Lord, If You Had Been Here..." - 5th Sunday in Lent Year A

2011-04-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Whenever a natural disaster occurs or when a terrible evil like the Holocaust afflicts a great number of people, one of the first reactions people have is, "Where was God? How can there be a God when such calamity and evil occurs?" In a certain sense, both Martha and Mary fall victim to such thinking in today's Gospel reading. They have lost their brother Lazarus and in their grief they say to Jesus, "Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died."

The Gospel story presents an interesting contrast. Jesus was absent from Martha and Mary, and Lazarus died. Yet, after Lazarus died Jesus is present to them and he raises Lazarus to life. The presence of Jesus makes all the difference in the world. When Jesus is absent from our lives there is only death, grief, and despair. In our anguish we make the same statement as Martha and Mary: Lord if you had been here. On the other hand, when Jesus is present in our lives, anything becomes possible. There is life, joy, and hope. In our joy we make the same statement of the Samaritan villagers from the Gospel text two weeks ago: We know that this is truly the Savior of the world.

This Gospel passage is the final piece in the threefold scrutinies of catechumens before receiving the sacraments of initiation at the Easter vigil. Each Gospel text has brought us closer to the font and to the reality of Jesus Christ. In the first text two weeks ago we met the Samaritan woman at the well who came to draw water and found that only Christ could quench her thirst. Last week we encountered the man who was blind from birth and discovered that only through Christ can we see aright in our lives. This week we encounter the most dramatic encounter of all.

Death is the ultimate evil from which no one escapes. In the ancient world there was a great fear of death, for the vast majority of souls were brought to Hades, the place of shadows, where they would spend all of eternity. Only the very few - men who struggled against the gods - found their way to the Elysian Fields. In this Gospel text, there is no struggle against God, no struggle against Christ. There is only faith that Jesus can do what he promises, and it is this faith that enables all men and women to find their way to paradise.

In each of these Gospel texts, faith brought satisfaction, sight, and life. Yet, faith is not something we can provide for ourselves. In each story faith is an invitation from Jesus, and it is Jesus who brings us to faith through a series of conversations and encounters. He does not impose faith upon us and we do not come to faith on our own power. Faith only comes through an invitation and encounter with Christ.

We have encountered Christ in the sacraments and in the experiences of our lives. The phrase of Marth and Mary - Lord if you had been here - makes no sense to us. Christ is present to us always: in our moments of joy and our moments of sorrow, in our hope and in our despair, in our life and in our death. In the life of faith there are no conditional statements. We cannot barter with God, nor can we impose upon Him our own conditions and demands. Rather, it is Christ who sets the conditions and demands upon us, but no longer in the language of commands but in the invitation of a conversation and encounter. Faith means that our entire being belongs to Christ such that he is never absent from us nor we from Him.

As we journey together to the conclusion of Lent, may we give ourselves completely to Christ in the celebration of the Paschal mysteries. May our prayer today be that of the Church for the catechumens during this third scrutiny: "Lord, may your people be one in spirit and serve you with all their heart. Free them from all fear. Give them joy in your gifts and love for those who are to be reborn as your children. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Growing in the Knowledge of Christ - 3rd Sunday in Lent Year A

2011-03-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes and ordinary encounter can have a much deeper meaning than the surface may initially reveal. We can all recall instances where we encounter a person who reveals to us the presence of Christ. I recall meeting a man outside a church I was entering for a time of prayer. He asked me for a ride to his doctor, as he was running late and it wasn't far. I agreed to do so after I made a short visit to the church, but he said I need not help; he would find another way. I was only in the church a minute when I felt guilty about not helping the man, and I rushed out of the church, realizing that God was present in the man who had this need. I searched everywhere for him, but I could not find him anywhere. It was at this point that I learned what God had revealed to me: prayer before the real presence of Christ should lead us to see Christ in others and to serve them as Christ served us.

The Samaritan woman in today's Gospel reading has a similar experience. A simple conversation about water leads to a profound realization about the identity of Jesus. When the story begins the woman addresses Jesus with a slur, calling him a Jew. As the story progresses she then refers to Jesus with more respect, calling him 'sir'. Then, after Jesus tells her about her irregular life, she comes to see Jesus as a prophet, and later wondering whether Jesus is the promised messiah. By the time the story is over, the entire village of Samaritans comes to regard Jesus as the savior of the world. What is more, the woman leaves behind her water jar, never having filled it with water.

This Gospel text is the first of three passages from the Gospel of John we will encounter through Lent. Each of these texts is a step along the road to initiation into the Church for those preparing for baptism at Easter. The entire Church is asked to consider anew our understanding of the identity of Christ as we walk with the catechumens toward the font of baptism. What does it mean for us to assert that Jesus is savior of the world?

At the time in which John wrote his Gospel text the early Christian community was experiencing their first widespread persecution from the Roman Empire. This persecution arose because the Christians no longer had the protection of the Jewish synagogues from the requirements to offer sacrifice to the emperor. They had been expelled from the synagogues and were no longer considered Jews by both the Jewish community and the Roman authorities. Thus, the Christians now were required to offer the sacrifice for emperor worship. The title "savior of the world" was the title of the Emperor. Thus, when John ends this story with the Samaritans declaring Jesus to be the savior of the world it represents a firm act of faith in the face of severe persecution: the Church would not betray her faith in Christ amid the pressures of the world.

We might well ask ourselves why the Church faces so little overt persecution in our nation. Is it because our nation has become fully converted and is a Christian nation, as some would suggest? Hardly. The reality of abortion on demand, the widespread proliferation of pornography, the xenophobic hatred of immigrants, and our materialistic culture would indicate something other than a Christian nation. Perhaps our lack of persecution has more to do with our general acquiescence to the larger culture, as polls on most subjects shows Catholics to follow the general attitudes of the wider population.

Lent is a time for catechumens and candidates to prepare for the sacraments of initiation, where we are asked whether we reject Satan and all his works, and whether we believe in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Church which is Christ's spouse. The whole Church prepares with them to renew these vows and to recommit to living a fully Christian life. We pray together in our repentance: "Let us pray to the Father and ask him to form a new heart within us. God of all compassion, Father of all goodness, to heal the wounds our sins and selfishness bring upon us you bid us turn to fasting, prayer, and sharing with our brothers. We acknowledge our sinfulness, our guilt is ever before us: when our weakness causes discouragement, let your compassion fill us with hope and lead us through a Lent of repentace to the beauty of Easter joy. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Limits of the Law - First Sunday of Lent Year A

2011-03-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

When I was a teacher I had a number of students who suffered from test anxiety. This phenomenon manifests itself in the following way. We could have activities, lessons, and other strategies to learn material and the students would know the material cold. Yet, when the "test day" arrived, some of them froze and could not remember the material in order to succeed on the test. Thus, they would do poorly. So, when I decided to call the assessment exercise something else and change the atmosphere of the former test day, the students did much better. Once we eliminate the bad word 'test', their fear went away and they could succeed.

In a certain sense, this same dynamic is taking place in the second reading from Paul's letter to the Romans. Paul recognizes that the law has been unable to help God's people to achieve success. In fact, the law has had the opposite effect: it has caused people to sin. Paul uses the history of Israel to demonstrate this point. From the time of Adam to Moses death reigned because sin was in the world, though in that time people did not sin as terribly as the original fault of Adam. Once the law entered the history of Israel at the time of Moses, sin abounded all the more. The responsorial Psalm is the prayer of lament from David after he committed the double crime of murder and adultery. David is the paradigm of the law, and yet the law failed even David.

The original sin of our first parents is recounted in the first reading for today's liturgy, and once again we find a law in existence: do not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While it seems like a simple law, our first parents were not able to keep this law. The serpent found it quite easy to fool Eve, and Adamn gave even less resistance when offered the fruit by her. Once sin entered the world, the history of sin becomes the history of the world, and even the greatest gift of God to the Jewish people - the Law - failed them in the thought of Paul.

Paul offers the death of Jesus as the victory over sin and death, and through the death of Jesus the entire human race is now able to overcome sin in our lives. Our text from the Gospel of Matthew recounts the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Matthew carefully constructs the story to mirror the temptations of the Israelites in the desert after leaving Egypt. In each of those original temptations the people failed God; Jesus, however, will not fail - and in this victory over Satan we find an example to follow. In each temptation the devil presents Jesus with a passage from the law, and in each reply Jesus too uses the law to provide an example of faithfulness to God.

What the people of God lacked in their history was not a law to obey but an example to follow. In the person of Jesus we have the example of the only one who lived the law to perfection, and yet obedience to the law is not sufficient to find salvation because we cannot earn our salvation. Salvation is solely a gift of God offered to us, one that comes to us in the person of Jesus and through his death and resurrection. Paul uses the word 'gift' four times in the selection from Romans to highlight this fact.

In this time of Lent we seek to repent of our sins and to follow Jesus more closely. Let us remember that, in the words of the spiritual writer Fr. Paul Coutinho, "Repentance is a consequence and not a condition of God's love." We do not earn God's forgiveness through our repentance; we repent as we respond to God's love in recognizing we are not worth of it and we often fail in responding to love with love. And so we pray with the Church as we begin this Lenten season: "Let us pray at the beginning of Lent for the spirit of repentance. Lord our God, you formed man from the clay of the earth and breathed into him the spirit of life, but he turned from your face and sinned. In this t ime of repentance we call out for your mercy. Bring us back to you and to the life your Son won for us by his death on the cross, for he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen."

Servants and Stewards - 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-02-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

In the movie The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker continues his training to become a Jedi knight under the tutelege of the ancient master Yoda. Yoda repeatedly warns him about the dangers of the dark side of the force, and in typical male bravado Luke boasts, "I'm not afraid." To which Yoda replies, "You will be. You will be!" There is a tendency to think that courage is the absence of fear, when in reality it is the willingness to do what is right and necessary in spite of our fears. The readings for today's Mass highlight this point clearly.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah is set within the context of exile in Babylon. The Jewish people had just lost their homeland and they were led away into bondage by the powerful empire of Babylon. There was no expectation that they would return one day to their homeland or that they would receive any beneficial treatment while in exile. They came to lose their homeland because they saw it as an end in itself and not a means of serving God. Israel fell into idolatry, disunity, and committed acts of injustice against the poor. Yet God does not forget his people, and he reminds them of his love for them in one of the more tender images possible. The prophet could not conceive of a mother forgetting or neglecting her child - born or unborn - and yet even if such were to happen God would never forget his people. Reassuring this is for us in an age that sees such levels of child abuse and abortion.

Paul reminds his audience at Corinth that they are called to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this community there was a belief that since the kingdom of God had been entrusted to the Christian community that they were then entitled to certain liberties since their salvation was almost assured. Paul knows all too well from Jewish history that this very attitude led to the Babylonian captivity and subsequent punishments from God as the hands of other empires. By reminding us that we are servants of Christ Paul seeks to instill the authentic Christian vocation of service to others within his community. A servant serves others and a steward oversees property that is not his own. We are not masters but servants; the kingdom of God does not belong to us by right but rather is entrusted to us as a gift.

In the Gospel reading, Matthew relates further Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and this passage focuses on the choices we need to make in our lives. Matthew's community was struggling with great pressure: the Jewish authorities were beginning to expel Christians from the synagogues. This expulsion carries a grave consequence: the Christians no longer have protection from the exception from Roman law requiring religious tribute to the Roman emperor. Such an exemption was granted only to the Jewish people. Now that the Temple has been destroyed and their status as Jews revoked, the Christian community has to choose its loyalties: will they succumb to the pressures and return to the synagogue to receive the Roman exemption, or will they follow Christ who was rejected by his own people for the sake of the kingdom of God? Matthew encourages his people to choose Christ by providing for his readers this sermon of Jesus that relieves the fear and encourages us to be courageous in our choice.

The people of Isaiah's time has a great deal of fear. What would the future bring? What pressures will there be in remaining faithful to the one true God? Matthew's community faced similar fears and pressures. Both communities found the courage needed to overcome their fears and to be faithful to God. Both communities chose service and the role of a steward as the path of an authentic follower of God, and Christ provides us with the example to follow in bearing with love the opposition from hostile crowds.

As we seek the strength to follow the example of Christ and our ancestors in faith, we pray that God would help us in our journey: "Let us pray that the peace of Christ may find welcome in the world. Father in heaven, form in us the likeness of your Son and deepen his life within us. Send us as witnesses of Gospel joy into a world of fragile peace and broken promises. Touch the hearts of all men with your love that they in turn may love one another. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Long Arm of the Law - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-02-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

If we only had the first reading to be our guide in life, the spiritual and moral life seems rather simple: follow the commandments of God, choose good and not evil, and all will be well in this life and the life to come. What is more, the Responsorial Psalm confirms the message of Sirach nearly to the letter.

However, Paul saw difficulties in this approach. As a former Pharisee, Paul had followed the law of God faithfully and yet he was far from the heart of God. Paul thought he knew what was good and what was bad - and yet he saw his friends and associates choose against Jesus. He himself had initially chosen against Jesus, persecuting the early Christian church. Apparently, choosing rightly isn't as easy as it seems.

Paul realized that the difficulty lies not in God but in ourselves. We humans create all sorts of criteria that determine what is good and successful: good health, riches, a good reputation and standing in the community, and popularity. All of these things are external criteria that are all wrong. Paul reminds us that God's wisdom is mysterious and hidden. In order to discern this wisdom we need to find it not in the external but in our hearts by listening to the Spirit who dwells within. Once we have heard the voice of God through the Spirit dwelling within can we have deeds that show forth the faith we profess in our deeds.

The Gospel text returns us to the ministry of Jesus where we encounter the Lord interpreting various parts of the law. This selection provides us with four particular cases that the rabbis endlessly debated. All of these examples deal with the person's relationship with other people. The center of these rabbinic debates traditionally involved interpreting a person's external behaviors in these particular situations. Jesus, however, gets to the root of each precept of the law: what lies within the human heart that leads to our decisions.

In the first instance, the law seems simple enough: you shall not kill. Most of us would not condemn ourselves in this commandment. Most of us haven't shed blood, but we all have thought badly of our neighbor, spoke ill of them, or failed to reconcile ourselves with our neighbor when performing our religious rituals. The Spirit would convict us of violating the law in this regard, as these little things - if left unchecked - will lead to actual shedding of blood.

Similarly, the law against adultery seems straightforward, and most of us have not transgressed this law through physical intimacy with one who is not our spouse. Yet, our hearts and thoughts often betray us in this regard, and if we fail to fight against these smaller battles that take place within us we will fail in the more obvious matter of the actual external action.

The final two examples appear to involve external actions: we should not divorce, and we should not make oaths. Yet, the act of divorce presupposes a tendency of humans to make exceptions to this law so that we can do as we like. Jesus restores us to the original understanding of marriage that God gave in the beginning: what God has joined together no one can separate. In the same way, the very fact that we find it necessary to make oaths implies that humans have a tendency to lie. The story of the fall from paradise makes this fact plain enough. If the children of God were truly listening to the Spirit of God dwelling within them, then there would not be any thought of putting away our spouse to marry another or to lie.

We may, then, never kill anyone, commit adultery, swear an oath, or divorce our spouses - and yet we could be far from living the law. Only God can see the human heart, and if we examine our conscience with care and in communion with the Holy Spirit we will see what God sees and discern rightly how we must live our lives.

Connection to the Spirit can only take place in a life of deep prayer, for only God can help us in this struggle within us and only there can wisdom be found to guide our behaviors that conform to the life of the Spirit. What is more, the example of Jesus provides us with the authentic interpretation of the law through his words and deeds that lead us to salvation. We therefore pray with the Church universal for this help: "Let us pray for the wisdom that is greater than human words. Father in heaven, the loving plan of your wisdom took flesh in Jesus Christ, and changed mankind's history by his command of perfect love. May our fulfillment of his command reflect your wisdom and bring your salvation to the ends of the earth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Blessed Are You - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-01-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus begins his public ministry by ascending a mountail and teaching the people. We are meant to see in Jesus the figure of Moses and the teaching of God on Mount Sinai. What is similar in Jesus and Moses is that God calls the lowly of the earth to be the light to the nations, and the qualifications of being blessed of God is the exact opposite of the expectations of the world.

God called the people of Israel to be his own, a choice that is utterly shocking in the context of the ancient world. Israel was in the bondage of slavery at the hands of the powerful kingdom of Egypt. Throughout Israel's history she stands as a lowly nation in comparison to the great empires of the ancient world: Babylon, Assyria, Greece, and Rome. The prophet Zephaniah reminds the Israelites of this calling in an attempt to return them to obedience to God's law. Captivity in each age led to the temptation to compromise with the larger culture, and it led to divisions within the community. Zephaniah hoped for a renewal of God's people in his day, and yet the prophet despairs of that hope and looks to the day of the Messiah when a faithful remnant will remain to pasture the people of God to a new period of glory.

Paul continues the theme of God calling the lowly in his own ministry. The first Christians were not powerful people by any stretch of the imagination. Corinth was one of the most prominent cities of the ancient world, growing wealthy by sea trade and pilgrims who flock to the pagan temples for ritual prostitution. Christians struggled in such a culture, and compromise with the world was the route some attempted. This led to divisions within the Christian community, divisions that were present to the people of Israel in the time of Zephaniah. Paul uses the same message to return people to fidelity to their baptismal call.

Matthew writes his gospel to a community struggling with the same compromise that Zephaniah and Paul experienced. The Jewish synagogues were beginning to expel the followers of Jesus from the Jewish community. Prior to that point the Roman Empire regarded the Christians as a sect of Judaism, and thus the Christians were granted the dispensation from offering sacrifices to the Emperor, a privilege given only to the Jewish people. If the Christians were not part of the synagogue, they were then required to offer these sacrifices, which of course their faith would not permit them to do. Matthew's community felt the pressure to compromise on two fronts: compromise with the synagogue on the identity of Jesus, and compromise with the Roman Empire on offering sacrifice to the Emperor.

Matthew, then, returns to the theme of what it means to be blessed by God. All of these attributes are consistent with the themes of Zephaniah and Paul, and they stand in radical opposition to the standards of the world. As a result of historical circumstances, Christians have come to expect a sort of worldly preference: legal protection, special status, material comfort, and the like. The fact of our historical preference over the centuries has caused us to forget about what truly defines the child of God. The history of the people of God is opposition from the world and being the lowly ones of the earth. Fidelity to God is solidarity with the poor and care for others, as the Psalmist states in the responsorial Psalm: "The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry." This is our faith; this is our call.

After Jesus' baptism he began his public ministry by reminding the people of God of their identity and calling. As we seek to be more faithful to our baptismal call, we seek the Lord's help in uniting our hearts to the opening prayer for today's Mass: "Let us pray, joining in the praise of the living God, for we are his people. Father in heaven, from the days of Abraham and Moses until the gathering of your Church in prayer, you have formed a people in the image of your Son. Bless this people with the gift of your kingdom. May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

No Divisions Among You - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

2011-01-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

The prophet Isaiah wrote his prophetic book during the end of the Babylonian captivity. To understand his message in today's first reading we first have to understand the reason for the captivity in the first place. In the view of the prophet, God led Israel into captivity because of her infidelity to God, her unjust behavior toward the poor, and the divisions that existed among the people of God. It was these divisions that separated Israel into two separate kingdoms - the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. These divisions led to the downfall of Israel in the face of menacing enemies. So, Isaiah's message today is one of hope: the punishment of God has been lifted and we are once again reunited to live as the faithful people of God.

Similarly, the message of Jesus finds a hearing among the people of his day. Roman occupation had divided the people of Israel into various political factions: Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes, and Zealots. Some called for compromise and collaboration with the Romans, while others called for opposition that ranged from fidelity to the Law to violent measures. In the midst of this scense comes Jesus proclaiming the kingdom of God, a term of Messianic expectation, but one that was easily misinterpreted.

Some people heard this phrase and immediately opined that the Messiah was here to re-establish the kingdom of Israel and overthrow the Roman occupiers. Is it not odd how we have the tendency to interpret the words of God to fit our own particular political allegiances? Yet, there can be found no trace of the political in the words of Jesus; clearly he meant something else by these words. Overthrow of an enemy like the Romans would take years, and Jesus declares the reign of God to be now. Where is the kingdom found? The answer to that question is the same place as where the action of the Gospels takes place: within our hearts. God is already present and at work in our lives. We need not wait for some nebulous indeterminate future. Repentance and reconciliation are to happen now in order for us to inaugurate the reign of God in our lives.

The first followers of Jesus do not realize this point yet; they follow him because they are Galileans - the land of Zebulon and Naphtali from the time of Isaiah - and desperate to be relieved of the oppression of Rome that has hit them particularly hard. Still, they follow Jesus and over the course of his ministry they come to learn more about this reign of God, not fully understanding all of its implications until Jesus has died and risen from the dead. Only then can we know what the full implications of the reign of God are.

Only when we realize what Jesus meant by the reign of God can we then understand the point Paul is making in the second reading: if we know the cross of Christ, how can we have divisions among us, for it is in the cross of Jesus that the reign of God comes to be fully known? The reign of God can only be founded in a heart that has emptied itself of its own desires, pleasures, and preconceived ideas. Only when we have been crucified as Christ himself can we know the reign of God and bring it forth in our world. The presence of divisions within the Church is a sign that while we may have been ritually baptized we have not died with Christ in our hearts and thus not truly ready for the reign of God to be realized in our lives.

The Psalmist's prayer - to dwell in the house of the Lord, to gaze on his loveliness, and to contemplate his temple - must be our own desire. Thus, we pray with the Church: "Let us pray, pleading that our vision may overcome our weakness. Almighty Father, the love you offer always exceeds the furthest expression of our human longing, for you are greater than the human heart. Direct each thought, each effort of our life, so that the limits of our faults and weaknesses may not obscure the vision of your glory or keep us from the peace you have promised. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Servant and Son - Baptism of the Lord Year A

2011-01-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

There is a fundamental orientation in the Catholic theological tradition to have a both/and approach to questions instead of an either/or methodology. For example, the orthodox position of Jesus' nature is that he is both human and divine, not one or the other. In the spiritual life Jesus commands us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. A host of other examples could be found to provide examples of the fact that generally our Catholic tradition tends to be a more accommodating - but more challenging - position than one might originally suspect.

Today's feast of the Baptism of the Lord highlights this feature of our Catholic faith as well. In the first reading we are provided with the words of Isaiah the prophet who foretells the future Messiah by the words of the Lord: "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased." Matthew echoes this ancient text in relating the event of Jesus' baptism by including the words of the Father after Jesus came up from the water: "This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased." The Gospel writer changed the word servant to son in order to indicate the unique identity of Jesus the Messiah of God. Yet, there is a sense in which Jesus is both servant and son, an identity that we share as baptized faithful of Christ.

The entire ministry of Jesus was one of complete service to others. The second reading from the Acts of the Apostles attests to this fact. Jesus healed those who were sick, he comforted those who were afflicted, he fed those who were hungry, and he died for us all that we might be liberated from the slavery to sin. What is more, Jesus challenged those with power and wealth to act with justice and mercy, thereby extending the role of servant from individual responsibility to one of corporate obligation as well.

The role of servant is to follow the orders of the master. A servant must give an account of what he has accomplished for his master at the end of the day, and a servant's primary virtues are fidelity to mission and master and obedience to the tasks assigned. Thus, the servant performs his tasks out of a sense of justice and external obligation to the master. These virtues are good and necessary, and certainly Jesus is a servant in being entirely faithful to God the Father and the mission entrusted to him. Jesus showed perfect obedience to all that God assigned for him to follow. In our mission to be servants in imitation of Jesus we might consider these virtues for our own life and ministry.

However, the role of a son is entirely different than the role of a servant. In ancient times a son was expected to follow in the footsteps of his father. The son would imitate the Father and learn the trade or profession of his father so that one day he could take over the workd of his father in his own life. The son's fidelity and obedience to his father were not the result of external obligation or fear as in the case of a slave, but rather his fidelity and obedience spring from the love he has for his father. The son wanted to please his father because of his love and the hope of one day being like the father in all things: work, family, and other roles.

By accepting the baptism of John - a baptism not required of Jesus because of his unique identity - Jesus shows us how to be a servant and a child of God. Certainly we are servants committed to justice in serving God and others. Yet, justice is not enough to regulate our lives; it does not engage the heart. Thus, we, like Jesus, are called to act as sons and be animated by the power of love in transforming the world around us. The obligation of love commands our entire being and transforms us into another Christ living and dying for others.

Jesus, then, was called to a ministry of justice and love. As disciples of the Lord Jesus we too are called to this same ministry through our baptism. We invoke the help of God the Father to complete this mission with great fidelity: "Let us pray that we will be faithful to our baptism. Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as your own beloved Son. Keep us, your children born of water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lived and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

The Evidence of Repentance - 2nd Sunday of Advent Year A

2010-12-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

There was a woman driving along and she finds herself in a traffic jam. Impatient, she begins to honk her horn loudly, then she opens her window and begins to yell and cuss. A police officer happens by the scene and proceeds to arrest her. Indignant, the woman asks, "Officer, why are you arresting me? I've committed no crime." The officer replied, "Ma'am, I have reason to suspect this car is stolen. One the back it has a fish symbol, indicating the owner is Christian. Based on what I saw I can't believe you're the owner of this car."

This story highlights the point John the Baptist was trying to make to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming to him to be baptized. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, and repentance should be evidenced by a change in behavior and lifestyle. For this reason, he urges them to produce good fruits as evidence of the life of repentance. In other words, if we are truly repentant, we should be living differently than we did previously. The problem with those coming to see John was that they were more interested in the external ritual than what the ritual signified. Ritual alone is not sufficient to produce repentance; a complete change of life is required.

In what, then, does repentance consist? The first reading from the prophet Isaiah is the prophetic announcement of the coming Messiah, the one who would liberate Israel from oppression and free all the people from sin. Throughout the history of Israel the people always had the law of God before them; they knew how they were supposed to live their lives. Yet, the people continued to fall away from God by committing idolatry and acting unjustly toward the poor and lowly. Prophets would come to preach repentance, butto no avail, and thus an external punishment would follow, leading the people to return to God.

Both Isaiah and John fulfull the traditional role of the prophet, and yet the Messiah to come would be greater than the prophets. Why? The Messiah would not only speak of how to live - he would show us how to live by his very deeds. What is more, the judgment of the Messiah would bring complete justice, for as Isaiah and the responsorial psalm point out, he will rescue and save the poor from the ruthless of the earth. Repentance, then, is all about living our lives differently so that the poor are treated with justice.

Many preachers like to take these scripture passages and interpret them symbolically. They will say that the poor are really sinners and that repentance is about not living a life of sin. While this interpretation is no doubt true, the literal sense of the scriptures is the most basic and fundamental sense upon which all other interpretations are based. If we overlook the most obvious meaning, then we neglect the word of God entirely. The ministry of Jesus was all about care and compassion for the poor - the literal poor as well as the spiritual poor. A few weeks ago we read the Gospel passage about Zacchaeus, a man small in stature who wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus saw Jesus and came to repentance, and in his story we see authentic repentance: he lived his life differently. He began to care for the poor, dispossessing himself of his goods so that others may live.

Throughout the Gospels we see these examples of authentic repentance, and we find Jesus praising those who live their lives differently - the evidence of repentance John was seeking but did not find among the Pharisees and Sadducees. These religious leaders took part in their ritual, but they did not live their lives differently: they were still exploiting the poor and neglecting the needs of the vulnerable. They continued to live in their palaces and donate a mere pittance to the needs of the poor.

As we continue to await the coming of Jesus during this time of Advent, may our repentance be genuine, and may we live our lives in a way that shows evidence for our repentance. We pray the words of the opening prayer for God's help along the way: "Let us pray in Advent time for the coming Savior to teach us wisdom. Father in heaven, the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him. May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen."

Reflections on Turkey Part II

2010-11-23T17:12:00.001-08:00

I had intended on addressing this issue in a later post, but an experience today caused me to raise the issue now. Today I visited my son's first grade class to give them a short presentation about Turkey. I showed them some pictures, as well as some items I brought back from Turkey: some Turkish coins, some marble, a stone from a 4,500 year old wall, a sea shell, and a leather sombrero. The kids loved the pictures and the items and they asked a lot of questions. One question in particular took me aback: "Mr. Huntz, were people in Turkey trying to kill you?"

I politely answered no, and explained how friendly the people of Turkey were, but I thought for a long time about that question and what might have prompted it from a seven year old child. As the day progressed, however, I was drawn to a conversation we pilgrims had at the last night of our pilgrimage. Fr. Davis asked us to think about what we learned and loved about Turkey. Ron Jenko, a pilgrim from Jacksonville, FL, made the observation that he had a particular view or bias about Muslims that was completely shattered by the pilgrimage experience. The Muslim people of Turkey were very friendly, and freedom of religion was quite evident in the country, as evidenced by our ability to visit churches and attend Mass daily.

We also had the opportunity to talk with priests, sisters, and lay Catholics about their experience of living in Turkey as a minority. In every instance we heard about the collaboration between the Catholic community, the Jewish community, and the majority Muslim community on works of charity and interfaith dialogue. We heard about the fact that the Catholic community is growing because it is the only religious institution that uses modern Turkish in the liturgy as opposed to Arabic and other ancient languages no longer spoken by most people. The churches in Turkey were well attended, and one of the shrines we visited, Mary's House in Ephesus, is a place where Muslims, Jews, and Christians come to pray and make pilgrimage. In fact we saw that very dynamic the day we visited.

In the United States we've been condition to view Islam with suspicion and disdain by our media and certain political and religious leaders. That conditioning no doubt led this young boy to ask the question he did, and he can't be faulted for that. However, we can and should question the news sources we receive in our country, sources that have just as much bias as those of other nations we would apply the same label of bias towards.

The experience of waking up each morning to the Muslim call to prayer was refreshing, and it was equally powerful to hear that prayer call throughout the day. We might well reflect on our own culture and commitmet to prayer individually and collectively. We might also reflect on what contributes to radical fundamentalism around the world. Western materialism, pornography, abortion, and permissiveness are repugnant to any person of faith, particularly in nations where such things are only now being introduced. Perhaps the presence of such things is more an indictment on the state of Christianity in the West than it is an indictment of the Muslim world that reacts strongly against such things. This is not to condone fundamentalism and violence as those are inappropriate responses, but equally inappropriate is our indifference to such things in our own country.

This visit to Turkey taught us a lot about the faith of other peoples, and it caused us to reflect on our own faith as well.

Reflections on Turkey - Part 1

2010-11-21T03:43:00.000-08:00

Note: On November 2nd, 32 pilgrims from various parts of the United States embarked on a 15 day pilgrimage to Turkey in order to visit the sites of the New Testament and early Christianity. The following is the first installment of my reflections on the trip.

Turkey is the modern day nation that was formerly known at Asia Minor in the ancient world. The earliest settlers of the area were the Hittites, a group of people mentioned several times in the Old Testament who were expert ceramic and pottery makers. We had the opportunity to see the remains of their civilization and see people today still making pottery in the same way. As time went by the Greeks came to dominate the region after the invasions of Alexander the Great, at which time the area developed a Greek name - Anatolia. It was during this time that many of the great cities of the area were founded: Antioch, Smyrna, Byzantium, and many others. Many of these cities were founded on already existing settlements, as we saw in many of the archaeological digs we visited. For example, the city of Troy, the site of the famous war romanticized by Homer's two epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, had nine different city layers that have been discovered.

Eventually the Romans came to dominate the region as they conquered the entire Mediterranean region, and it was their legacy that still remains throughout modern day Turkey. We saw well preserved amphitheatres, baths, an ancient cistern, roads, and the remains of shops, temples, agoras, gymnasia, and other important buildings. The genius of Roman architects still astounds us today.

It was during the time of Roman occupation that Christianity came to birth in the region. In Antioch, Christians were first given their name, and the city boasts of St. Peter's founding of their Christian heritage, as well as the site of St. Ignatius of Antioch's ministry and the great church father St. John Chrysostom. In Antioch we saw the cave church of St. Peter, and we had Mass at the church of St. Ignatius, the site of the present day Catholic community in Antioch. While there we met three men from Austria who were themselves on a pilgrimage: they were walking from Austria to Bethlehem, hoping to arrive on Christmas. Their witness was a powerful affirmation of faith for us.

Many ancient sites of the Christian church still exist: the remains of the basilica of St. John in Ephesus, the cave churches and monasteries in Cappadocia, the Hagia Sophia Church and council building where the two councils of Nicaea were held, and the great Hagia Sophia basilica in Istanbul. These sites came into existence when Christianity was legalized by the Roman empire and then nurtured during the Byzantine empire. With the coming of the Crusades and the loss of the area to the Ottoman Empire in the 15th Century, the Christian community became smaller, yet continues to exist even to this day in present day Turkey. Islam brought with it many developments to the region: magnificent mosques, palaces of the sultans, and an array of academic centers. Many of these sites remain as well.

My intent in this post was to provide a general overview of our trip, its scope and breadth. In subsequent posts I will provide some of my own learnings and reflections on what we experienced. Enjoy the pictures along the way! These four pictures are as follows from left to right: the Hagia Sophia Church in ancient Nicaea, a Roman Council chamber in Ephesus, the cave church of St. Peter in Antioch, and our pilgrim community celebrating Mass in a cave church in Cappadocia.

The Rule of Justice - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-11-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

When I was in middle school I played on our Catholic school baseball team. It happened one Saturday that we were scheduled to play a game at 11am against my cousin's team, but it had rained for a few days prior. Our coach called us the night before the game, asking us to be at the field at 8am to prepare the field for the game because the grounds crew did not do so. Upon arriving at the field we saw standing water in the dirt infield and we asked our coach how we were going to fix the problem. He ordered us to step back, and he took a can of gasoline, poured it over the dirt infield, then set it ablaze. The field dried almost instantly, and we resumed our work in preparing the field for the game, which we wound up winning 11-1.

That event from my childhood came to mind as I reflected on the first and second reading. In many ways we could have said to our coach that it wasn't fair for him to expect us to work for two hours preparing the field, then play a seven inning baseball game and win. Yet, he did expect it of us and we did it. In burning that field it seemed like the stubble of the fields burned away by the justice of God so that only good soil would remain for new growth to take place. Paul's injunction to work was certainly evident in our coach's expectation of us to be both the grounds staff and the time that will win the game on the field we prepped. Neither the game itself nor the victory we achieved would have been possible without our work to prepare the field for play.

The responsorial Psalm provides us with the theme for today's Mass, a theme I learned on that ball field twenty eight years ago: The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice. Justice is not fairness because fairness is subjective in nature. It wasn't fair that we had to prepare that field, but it was a just deed we performed. In the same way the purveyors of iniquity will say that it isn't fair that God will punish them for oppressing the poor and acting selfishly, but it will be just because everyone deserves a share in the fruits of the earth.

One might argue that the Gospel text does not deal with justice, but we must pay attention to the setting of the story: people were marvelling at the wealth of the Temple and the majesty of the sacrificial rites. Jesus then reminds his audience that none of this opulence matters. All of it will be destroyed, and indeed it all was destroyed by the Roman invasion of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. What matters in our lives isn't the adornments and ceremonies of religion but rather it is performing the justice of God in our lives that is important.

In our own day the "liturgical wars" have taken their toll on the casualty count of the faith community. The liturgy of the Church is a means to an end, not an end itself. The rites of the Church are designed to effect what they signify in those who participate in them, for in each of them there is the fundamental call to serve God and neighbor in our everyday lives. If we are not becoming more just and loving servants of the Lord Jesus then perhaps the fault lies not in the liturgy itself but rather in our outlook on the liturgy. Do we come with clipboard ready to critique the liturgical celebration and see nothing beyond the rite itself? Or, do we approach the liturgy with the attitude of the humble student ready to learn what the Church provides for us in the liturgical celebration - in the prayers, scripture texts, and gestures of the worshipping community? As in the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, the latter will go away justified.

My baseball coach used the work and fire to teach us a valuable life lesson. Jesus uses the stark image of the destruction of the Temple to remind his audience what is really important - what is really the justice of God. We pray for the grace to ever seek the justice of God in our lives and in our world: "Father in heaven, ever-living source of all that is good, from the beginning of time you promised man salvation through the future coming of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to drink of his truth and expand our hearts with the joy of his promises, so that we may serve you in faith and in love and know forever the joy of your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen." (Opening Prayer)

To Whom Are We Wed? - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-11-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

The Gospel text for this weekend certainly presents its challenges, the first of which being the perennial question as to whether we will be united with our spouses in heaven. Theological opinion certainly runs the gamut as to an answer, and the Gospel text certainly presents the absurdity of the question pressed to its logical conclusion. Overlooked in this quagmire is the larger theological question: to whom are we wed? Where are our allegiances in the realm of faith? These are the real questions for us to consider in the readings for this Sunday.

The first reading presents the case in stark terms. It relates the story of seven brothers who are arrested for maintaining fidelity to the law of God against the oppressive Greek occupiers. Each one is offered the choice of rejecting God and his law or suffering torture and death. The brothers all choose loyalty to God in the face of great torment and consequently provide us with an example to follow in our own lives. Would our loyalty to God and his truth be such that we would be able to endure a similar fate?

In the United States this question is largely hypothetical and theoretical, but we have to remember that this scenario was a very real one for the early Christian church. We might well ask ourselves whether this disparity is the result of our modern predisposition to acquiece to the demands of the culture rather than adopt a position that might run contrary to prevailing opinion. In almost every category of current issues we find Catholics preferring popular opinion rather than the position of the Church: abortion, same sex marriage, respect and care for immigrants, capital punishment, the immorality of nuclear weapons, and a host of other issues.

Pope John Paul II stressed that each position the Church takes has its roots in the dignity of the human person. He states that "each and every person has been included in the mystery of the Redemption, and with each one Christ has united himself forever through this mystery. Every person comes into the world through being conceived in his mother's womb and being born of his mother, and precisely on account of the mystery of the Redemption is entrusted to the solicitude of the Church. Her solicitude is about the whole person and is focused on each person in an altogether special manner. The object of her care is the person in their unique and unrepeatable human reality, which keeps intact the image and likeness of God himself." (Pope John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, #11)

The Sadducees in the Gospel reading rejected the transcendent dimension of the human person. By denying the resurrection of the dead they reduced the human person to merely an earthly reality, and thus there could be no reason why anyone should remain faithful to God and the law. The Sadducees were one group who allied themselves with the Roman occupiers who exploited the populace. Hence, the first reading provides us with the proper contrast to their infidelity in recalling the story of these heroic men who, like St. Thomas More, died the king's good servants, but God's first.

In the end we face a challenge of vocation, one that asks us to determine where our allegiances lie and to whom we love above all things. The spiritual life is often referred to as a marriage union between a person and God, a relationship of perpetual obligation. Yet, the obligation is not merely one of external observance; in the end it is love alone that can transform our weakness into strong fidelity to God, profound service to our neighbor, and selflessness to the point of death. God will always be faithful as Paul reminds us in the second reading. We therefore pray with the Church in the opening pray for today's Mass for the grace of being faithful to God in all things: "Let us pray that our prayer rise like incense in the presence of God. Almighty Father, strong is your justice and great is your mercy. Protect us in the burdens and challenges of life. Shield our minds from the distortion of pride and enfold our desire with the beauty of truth. Help us to become more aware of your loving design so that we may more willingly give our lives in service to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Day of the Lord - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-10-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the biggest cottage industry in Christianity is in telling people exactly when Jesus will return for the final judgment. Throughout the history of our faith we have seen countless predictions come and go, and yet the world is still here. This concern was certainly present in the Thessalonian community to whom Paul writes, for the author has to warn people about alleged statements falsely attributed to Paul stating that the end times were near. However, the problem we face is not when Jesus comes again, but what our expectation of that event is. The readings today provide us with the proper expectation.

The first reading from the book of Wisdom provides its audience with a contrast from the surrounding religions of Israel. Pagan religions viewed its gods as adversarial forces in the world that threaten humans. At best the ancient gods tolerated humans and at worst they were hostile to the existence of humans. These traditions then adopted a system of sacrifices to appease the angry gods so that humans might avoid calamity. Yet, the author of Wisdom presents us with the one true God who loves all that he has made. Even those who offend against God are rebuked gently in order that they might abandon their evil ways and believe in the Lord.

The Psalmist continues the same theme from Wisdom in reminding the reader that the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. God lifts up those who are falling and raises up those who are bowed down. While Israel has seen the great mercy of God time and again in her history, still they see God in terms of the surrounding culture: an image of fear and judgment. Fear and judgment can never lead to love, and thus these two pieces of wisdom literature remind us that God prefers the path of love and mercy to instill the same within us.

The Gospel text powerfully demonstrates the love and mercy of God through the ministry of Jesus. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of Jericho, a large city, and so he was certainly a wealthy man. Yet, he acquired his wealth through dishonest means; tax collectors of the day were known for cheating and extorting people for sums beyond their required tax levy in order to amass a large fortune for themselves. The Gospel text does not tell us what attracted Zacchaeus to Jesus, but he greatly desires to see Jesus, about whom he has probably heard a great deal. Perhaps it was the message of Jesus regarding God's preference for the poor that led Zacchaeus to reconsider his life; maybe it was Jesus' message of God's love and forgiveness that can change any life. In any case Zacchaeus goes to great lengths to see Jesus, to invite Jesus to his house, and then to make amends for his life of sin.

Jesus announces that salvation has come to the house of Zacchaeus today. The coming of Jesus, then, is not about fear and judgment, but about announcing salvation being offered to all. In anticipating the coming of Jesus, our goal then should not be to pass along a message of fear and judgment, but rather our aim should be to see Jesus' coming joyfully, for when Jesus comes he brings salvation, he brings good news. Pope John Paul II asks us to consider Jesus's coming: "Do I want to see Christ? Do I do everything to see him? This question, two thousand years later, is as relevant as it was then, when Jesus passed through cities and villages of his land. It is a relevant question for each of us personally today: Do I want to? Do I really want to? Or do I perhaps rather avoid the encounter with him? Do I prefer not to see him and do I prefer him not to see me (at least in my way of thinking and feeling)? And if I already see him in some way, then do I prefer to see him from afar, not drawing too near, not venturing before his eyes so as not to perceive too much...so as not to have to accept the whole truth that is in him, that comes from him - from Christ?" (Pope John Paul II, Address, November 2, 1980)

Let us then entrust ourselves to God, asking for the grace to see with clarity what the coming of Jesus means and how we should anticipate with joy this coming in our lives. So, we pray: "Let us pray in the presence of God, the source of every good. Father in heaven, God of power and Lord of mercy, from whose fullness we have received, direct our steps in our everyday efforts. May the changing moods of the human heart and the limits which our failings impose on hope never blind us to you, source of every good. Faith gives us the promise of peace and makes known the demands of love. Remove the selfishness that blurs our faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

God Hears the Outcast - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-10-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Discussions on prayer tend to be focused on our side of the conversation: "What should I say to God? Does God hear my prayers? What techniques can help me in prayer?" While those questions are important, they tend to overlook the fact that prayer is a two way street. We speak to God, but God also listens and speaks to us. What God says to us in prayer and in the scriptures can often be difficult for us to accept. The readings for this Sunday provide us with a balanced view of prayer, as well as a challenge for people of every age.

The first reading from Sirach reflects the response of the wisdom tradition of Israel to the question of whose prayers God hears. The prevailing view of the day held that riches were a blessing and poverty was a curse; sickness and misfortune were punishments, while health and comfort were gifts of God. Sirach reminds the audience that God holds no favorites and that he hears the cry of the oppressed, the weak, and the lowly. What is more, the justice of God will rescue the marginalized, for God judges justly and affirms the right. The Psalmist too echoes these sentiments of Sirach: God is close to the brokenhearted and he will confront evildoers at the appointed time for God's justice to emerge.

Jesus, however, seems to present a different message in relating the story of the Pharisee and Publican in the Gospel text. The tax collector was wealthy because he oppressed others with his dishonest ways and unjust practices, while the Pharisee was righteous before God, obeying the smallest detail of the law. However, what we say to God - what comes from our deepest self - is what is important in the eyes of God. The Pharisee was righteous in external matters, but his heart was not pure and his prayer was really addressed to himself, not God. The tax collector, by contrast, is not righteous in his external actions, but he demonstrates profound contrition and humility in his prayer because it came from the very depths of his being. Such prayers bring profound conversion and renewal. The outcast is the hero of the story, while the perceived good guy comes away not looking so good - just as we saw in the first reading!

Paul seems to present us with yet another obstacle to prayer, for the second reading appears to be the prayer of the Pharisee in the Gospel text. Paul is boasting of is actions and of his salvation to come. However, Paul knows the difference between praying like a Pharisee and praying like a repentant sinner, for he has uttered both kinds of prayers in his life. He came to see that external observance of the law cannot save; only faith in Christ that animates the heart and propels a person to live as Christ lived can achieve such redemption. It is this faith that Paul boasts of, not his own works.

Pope John Paul II offered us a glimpse of his own prayer life as he began his papacy more than thirty years ago. His words are reminiscent of Paul's words while at the same time reflecting the prayer and ministry of the Lord Jesus: "For me prayer is the first priority. Prayer is a basic prerequisite to service of the Church and the world....Every believer should always think of prayer as an essential and indispensable component of one's vocation. It is the 'opus divinum' which precedes and overshadows every work. We well know that faithfulness to prayer, nor its neglect, is a test of the vitality of religious life, apostolate, and Christian fidelity." (John Paul II, Address, October 7, 1979)

Let us, then, be attentive to the prayers we utter so that they may come from the very depth of our being and reflect our true position in the universe as utterly dependent on the love of God. Let us also listen to God as he tells us that he hears the prayers of the lowly, the poor, and the oppressed. May we hear the cry of the poor and through our prayer serve them as the Lord Jesus did: "Let us pray in humble hope for salvation. Praised be you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no power for good which does not come from your covenant, and no promise to hope in, that your love has not offered. Strengthen our faith to accept your covenant and give us the love to carry out your command. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen." (Opening Prayer)

Faith on the Earth - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2010-10-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

"But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" This question seems oddly placed at the end of our Gospel text for today's Mass. Surely there are many people of faith: churches are well attended on Sundays, people seem to be praying fervently, and charities received a great many donations across the world. In previous times we can find other great examples of widespread faith among people in various parts of the world. How, then, could Jesus question whether he'll find faith on the earth when he returns?

Perhaps the problem lies in what we regard to be faith. The readins for this week all address this central element in a person and a community's relationship with God. Rather than provide us with a definition of faith, the scriptures provide us with examples for us to ponder and to examine in our lives in relationship to those stories of faith.

The first reading from the book of Exodus provides us with the story of Moses praying in fervent intercession for Joshua and his army in their battle against Amalek. As long as Moses kept his hands outstretched, the Israelites had the better of the day; once his arms fell, Amalek's army had the upper hand. So Aaron and Hur helped Moses keep his arms outstretched so that the Israelites could win the day. This story isn't about manipulating God through our own efforts. It is about the great faith of Moses in God's help. The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for forty years; they were hardly a fit military machine to take on the powers of the day, let alone defend themselves effectively. These people were an outcast group on the earth, scorned by all for their odd faith in one God. Compared to other nations, Israel was insignificant and quite powerless. It is within this context that we should see the faith of Moses: in spite of these overwhelming odds, God chose to protect the marginalized people of Israel and to make them his people. Moses believed that God would help them - not with some magical powers but with faith and love that would enable them to rise up to be the people God called them to be.

Similarly the Gospel story of the widow and the unjust judge should be seen as a story of faith within the context of the times. Widows were absolutely powerless in ancient society. Women had no status or protection of citizenship apart from the connection to a man. When a woman was a girl, she received societal protection through her father's citizenship; when she married the woman received the protection of her husband's status. A widow generally could not remarry when her husband died, leaving her completely powerless in society, although God had provided protections in the law for widows and the Israelites were obligated to provide for widows in their need. This unjust judge in many ways reflects the times in which the story takes place. The Romans had replaced all the leaders of Israel with hand picked puppets who would be loyal to Rome, not to the law of God. Some Jews followed Roman law and ignored the law of God. This unjust judge clearly did not respect God or human beings. Yet, the widow had faith that God would protect her and side with her in this matter with the judge. Her perseverance paid off and the judge helped her not out of concern for her or God, but because he wanted her to stop nagging her.

Clearly, the faith Jesus is looking for is not one that is wrapped up in our selfish pursuits: praying to win the lottery, to have a big house and fine things, or success in certain worldly pursuits are not the aims of faith. These readings point us to a faith that trusts that God will help the voiceless, the poor, and the lowly of this earth - and if we ask for the grace to become effective advocates for these least ones in our society then the Son of Man will indeed find faith on earth should he come in glory today. We should heed the command of the second reading: "be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage, through all patience and teaching."

The Eucharist - the memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus - is the ultimate lesson in learning to live as Christ and to have the faith of Christ to the point of dying for others. A life lived for others is the only way to heaven, and so we pray for help in incorporating this word and Eucharist in our lives by unitinig our thoughts to the closing prayer of Mass this week: "Lord, may this Eucharist help us to remain faithful. May it teach us the way to eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Remember Jesus Christ" - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2010-10-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

The similarity between the first reading and the Gospel regarding the healing of a leper might tempt us to look no further in the readings for meaning. These two stories are straightforward enough: Namaan and the unnamed leper are healed, both are foreignes, and both come to faith in God through their healing. What, however, is the challenge for us in the readings this week?

The first answer to that question lies in the generosity of God's gifts of compassion and mercy. In the time of Elisha the prophet the faith of Israel in God was once again at a low point. The prophet had been pushed aside to the margins, since the leaders and people of Israel would not listen to the words of the prophet. In the midst of this setting God heals Namaan the Syrian through the ministry of Elisha. Similarly, the Gospel story recounts the event where Jesus heals ten lepers without question. All are healed, but only one returns to thak Jesus for this great gift. In both stories we see Elisha and Jesus break social conventions: it was forbidden to have contact with those who are unclean, and it was forbidden for the unclean to approach others. The compassion and mercy of God extend to all and are not limited by our social conventions and laws.

The second part of an answer to the challenge of the readings is found in the act of thanksgiving both Namaan and the unnamed beneficiary of the Gospel reading. Neither Elisha nor Jesus place any conditions on the supplicants who approach them for assistance: they perform the compassion and mercy of God without deciding whether or not they "deserve" God's help or not. None of us deserves God's compassion and mercy, yet we have all received them in abundance. These two characters recognize this fact and thank God. Their lives have been changed by the experience and they live new lives of gratitude. Namaan commits himself to the God of Israel; the man in the Gospel story too becomes a person of great faith. That faith leads to a life of gratitude to God.

Still, a life of faith and thanksgiving are still not enough. Paul provides the most important challenge to us: Remember Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Does such a remembrance merely recall these past events as wonderful stories that happened long ago to other people? Or, is our remembrance sacramental in nature? The latter type of remembrance is one where the person we recall is not merely some historical figure, but someone who is alive and present to us. To remember Jesus Christ is not the same as remembering George Washington. When we remember the ministry of Jesus it should change us profoundly; it should call us to imitate him in the way we live our lives.

Pope Benedict XVI stated, "The man who has hope lives his life differently." (Spe Salvi, #2). We might well ask the question, "Different from what?" The world encourages us to live for ourselves, to satisfy our every desire and whim, and to neglect the needs of others. Such a life cannot have any room for God because there is already another god present - ourselves. When we live by hope we are remembering Jesus Christ and the manner in which he lived: a life of total service to others, a life of bringing the compassion and mercy of God to others without qualification; a life of radical solidarity with every single person because each and every one is a child of God. Thus, to live in hope is to live the life of Jesus Christ in the particular circumstances of our life today.

Namaan and the healed foreigner came to live lives of hope through their recognition of God's compassion and mercy in their lives. May we come to recognize God's compassion and mercy in our lives, and through that recognition come to be the compassion and mercy of God to others. We pray, then, for such assistance as we join our intentions with that of the opening prayer for Mass: "Let us pray that God will help us to love one another. Lord, our help and guide, make your love the foundation of our lives. May our love for you express itself in our eagerness to do good for others. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."

"The Measure of All Things" - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-10-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

During the golden age of Athens Socrates was in the midst of his great teaching career, a career that would ultimately lead to his death at the hands of the Athenian city state. During that time, Socrates' main opponent was Protagoras, who argued that man is the measure of all things. This statement means that there is no transcendent reality that determines how we ought to live our lives, no objective truth to order our behavior, and no other person whose very presence obligates us in some way to respond beyond ourselves. The flaws of this philosophy are obvious to us who profess belief in God, but our mere external profession does not immunize us from the temptation to live and think as if we are the measure of all things. Very often our prayers are self-centered, and even when we pray for others there often is a hidden motive of our own selfish concerns addressed in those petitions. The readings for today's Mass remind us of this temptation and they provide a remedy to overcome it.

The prophet Habakkuk wrote during the time just before the invasion of Israel by the Babylonian army in 586 B.C. He sees the coming destruction of Jerusalem and so he addresses a lament prayer to God that seems somewhat selfish: why do I have to see his wickednss and destruction? The brutal honesty of Jewish prayes is refreshing in a certain sense, and God certainly appreciates it as well because God responds with brutal honesty as well: the just will live because of their faith. In effect, God is telling the prophet that whether you see good things or bad, it does not matter. What matters is that you trust God in all things and practice justice toward all.

Hearing God's word can be a great challenge. The psalmist reminds us that hearing God's word is not enough. His ancestors heard God's word in the desert, and yet their hearts were hardened and they failed to believe. Despite the many great signs God performed for them, th Israelites continually fell into idolatr and injustice. These sins revisit Israel and lead to their downfall that Habakkuk is about to witness.

The letter to Timothy that forms our second reading today describes a community that is in fear of giving witness to their faith. Despite their many external observances and exercises, the community still cannot rekindle the flame of their original faith commitment. The answer to the problem does not lie outside of ourselves; instead, it dwells within us. The answer is not ourselves and what we do - the answer is found in listening to the Holy Spirit who dwells deep within us, encouraging us in the way we should walk. The performance of external actions and rituals are not bad in themselves, but if they are not accompanied by deep faith their value is nil. Faith only comes through a deep and abiding relationship with the God who dwells within us.

Jesus provides the final tonic to the temptation to measure all things in ourselves. The call of discipleship is one of service, a call that requires humility to realize our place in the universe. God has made us to serve Him by serving others. We can have no legitimate complaint against God because we have received all from him. Only faith can lead us to an authentic life of service, a life that is also one of justice. We can then forget ourselves and reach out towards others. As the Second Vatican Council stated: "Only the light of faith, and meditation on the Word of God can enable us to find everywhere and always the God 'in whom we live and exist' (cf. Acts 17: 28); only thus can we seek his will in everything, see Christ in all men, acquaintance or stranger, make soun judgments on the true meaning and value of temporal realities both in themselves and in relation to man's end." (Second Vatican Council, Apostolican Actuositatem, #4)

Authentic justice comes in a life of faith, and the life of faith is grounded in a profound prayer life that communicates with the Holy Spirit who dwells deep within us, ready to form us into servants for the kingdom of God. May our concluding prayer lead us to the Holy Spirit who grants faith to us that we might live lives of justice and service: "Let us pray before the face of God in trusting faith. Almighty and eternal God, Father of the world to come, your goodness is beyond what our spirit can reach. Lead us to seek beyond our reach and give us the courae to stand before your truth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Woe to the Complacent - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-09-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Many people who frequent the sacrament of reconciliation often complain of confessing the same sins each time they enter the confessional. Instead of being discouraged, this realization can become a great blessing because the person who has this struggle is not complacent in working against their sins. They are not giving up in the battle to increase in virtue and grow in sanctity. The rich man in today's Gospel reading, however, lost the battle long ago and now finds himself in the wrong side of Sheol. How did he arrive at this predicament?

The prophet Amos provides us with the first clue in our search for an answer to the rich man's dilemma. The Gospel text describes the man's lifestyle as one of great feasting and enjoyment in physical pleasures. Amos details well the life of a person of wealth in his time and in any age: they place a great deal of importance in providing for themselves the best of everything for their bodies that they overlook the needs of their souls and the needs of the poor who exist all around them. As the spiritual writer Francis Fernandez points out, "He lived for himself as if God did not exist. He had completely forgotten the fact that we are not owners of what we have, but only administrators." (In Conversation with God, vol. 5, p. 118)

Paul encourages Timothy not to forget the reality of God. God alone is immortal and unapproachable. We cannot live as if we are some deity who cannot be approached by others, nor can we live our lives as if we will never die. For we will die one day and we will need to answer the fundamental questions of our life: did we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, welcome the stranger, and care for the ill? The rich have an obligation to share the good things God has given to them with those who have nothing at all. If we live a life of simplicity and detachment, "we will be able to live solidarity with those who suffer, with the poor and the sick, with the marginalized and the oppressed. Our sensitivity will grow. It will not be so hard for us to see Jesus Christ in the needy person in frontof us. It is Christ who speaks to us those memorable words, 'As long as you did it for these the least of my brethren, you did it for me (Mt. 25: 40). These will be our credentials on the day of judgment. We will all understand at that time that Heaven is reserved for those who loved their brothers in deeds and in truth." (A. Fuentes, The Christian Meaning of Wealth, 1988)

The sad fate of the rich man is highlighted in multiple ways by the Gospel writer. First, Luke gives the poor man a name, Lazarus, while the rich man remains nameless in the story. The lack of a name indicates how insignificant in reality this rich man is, though he sees himself as important in his own eyes. Second, the man fails to grasp his own situation even in the bad side of Sheol. He orders Abraham as if the patriarch were a servant of his - first to have his thirst relieved, then to appear to his family in order to warn them. The response of Abraham is equally telling: first, he tells the rich man about the great chasm that divides them, a great irony since in this mortal life the rich man had created a great chasm between himself and Lazarus. Second, Abraham reminds him of all the teachings and examples of the Jewish tradition that could prevent his family from suffering the same fate as he. If they could not believe the great signs of salvation histoy, they cannot come to faith through the resurrection of one man.

Complacency leads us eventually to think of ourselves as far greater than we are in reality, thereby leading us to forget God and the needs of others. St. Augustine came to realize the folly of his rich lifestyle and renounced it all for the sake of God and others. Let us unite our prayer to his as we pray for the resolution to live for others and not for ourselves: "How lovely I suddenly found it, to be free from the glamour of those vanities, so that not it was a joy to renounce what I had been so much afraid to lose. For you cast them out of me, O true and supreme Loveliness, you cast them out of me and took their place instead, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, yet not to mere flesh and blood; brighter than all light, yet deeper within than any secret, loftier than all honor, but not to those who are high and mighty in their own estimation." (St. Augustine, Confessions, 9, 1, 1)

Living As Children of Light - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2010-09-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Most of us have had the following experience: we hear a radio personality or a group of people they know rail on and on about the state of our world today. The culture of death is all about us; the world is going to heck in a hand basket; this age is the apocalyptic times. Leaving aside the fact that such sentiments seem to have been popular over the last two thousand years, we might well consider the solution to such a state of affairs. Very often the diagnosis of a problem is quite easy; a remedy is a more rare bird indeed.

The first reading for this Sunday seems to be a voice noted above: there is much corruption about - the poor are being exploited by the rich and God is not happy. Unless we change our ways God will punish us with great severity for our injustices both individual and social. The prophet Amos offers us no solution; what is more, he is stating a perennial problem that the prophets have been railing against for generations. Amos sees no solution - God will act with great severity soon.

In many ways Amos bears a great deal of similarity to John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus. Both John and Jesus preach a message of repentance that is addressed to an audience in Israel filled with groups offering solutions. The problem is Roman occupation leading to poverty and compromise with God's law. Various groups offer differing solutions: the Sadducees tell the people just to go along to get along; the Zealots are urging armed revolt; the Pharisees offer the solution of passive resistance and fidelity to God's law; the Essenes have left altogether, waiting for the Apocalyptic battle to come.

Jesus, however, offers a completely different solution: radical conversion and identification with the poor and marginalized. Care for the poor and voiceless is the most fundamental part of Jewish law - the part that matters. Jesus chose to become poor in order to serve the poor, a radical step unheard of in ancient times, but one that has been followed by many since the time of Jesus. In the Gospel text, Jesus is not content with half measures in approaching the reign of God. Those seeking wordly riches are far more aggressive in their projects than the children of light who claim to be seeking the reign of God. Only when the followers of Christ embrace fully the example of Christ in our lives will we arrive at a fundamental solution to the problems of the world. There is no other way - no panacea or silver bullet that can lead to a quick solution. The only path to renewal in our lives and in the world is when we take seriously the teaching and example of Christ and live as Jesus lived.

One of the false solutions finds an allusion in the reading from the first letter to Timothy. Some believe in social agitation and political empowerment through community organizing as the main solution to society's problems. Yet neither Jesus nor Paul offers that solution. Paul encourages us to pray for those in authority so that they will come to the conversion they need in their lives to arrive at the truth of authentic renewal in our lives and in the life of society. Our task as Christians in society is to deliver the truth that people need to hear, to pray for all, and to live as Christ has shown us both as individuals and as a society. As Pope John Paul II stated, "Humanity is loved by God! This very simple yet profound proclamation is owed to humanity by the Church. Each Christian's words and life must make this proclamation resound. The Master has said it already: if only we children of the light were to put at least as much effort and obstinacy into doing good as the children of darkness put into their activities." (John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Christifidelis Laici #34, 1988)

Let us conclude our reflection by praying and incorporating into our lives the words of the Opening Prayer for today's Mass: "Let us pray to the Lord who is a God of love to all peoples. Father in heaven, the perfection of justice is found in your love and all mankind is in need of your love. Help us to find this love in each other that justice may be attained through obedience to your law. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Vocation to Forgiveness - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-09-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

In a recent homily published by the USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat, Bishop Finn connected the devotion of Divine Mercy to the issue of capital punishment, making the case that our vocation is to imitate God's mercy in our lives and our laws. Our society's use of the death penalty does not lead us to this vocation of mercy and should therefore be abandoned. Some in the Church find this teaching difficult: the authoritative statements of Pope John Paul II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church fail to convince them. Perhaps a consideration of this week's scripture texts for Mass may provide additional light on our Christian vocation to forgiveness and mercy.

The first reading points to the worst possible sin for the people of Israel. After experiencing the mercy of God in being released from the slavery of Egypt, the Israelites craft a false god and worship it while Moses is in communion with God on Mount Sinai. Rather than punishing the people with death, God spares the people, and Moses provides us with an example of a godly leader who seeks mercy for people so that they might be brought closer to God.

The responsorial psalm is the famous "Miserere" prayer of David after committing the double sin of killing Uriah and then having an adulterous relationship with Uriah's wife Bathsheba. David implores God's mercy upon him, and God does spare David's life. This experience of God's mercy led David to compose songs of praise to God and to be the most just leader Israel would ever have.

In the second reading Paul relates to Timothy the great mercy God has bestowed upon him. Paul had first been a blasphemer who persecuted the young Christian community, and yet neither God nor the early Christians sought his death. Instead, God comes to Paul in a vision and brings Paul to conversion. What is more, the Christian community, though initially skeptical, accept Paul into their midst and he goes on to become the great Apostle to the Gentiles.

In these three examples we might consider the outcome if God had not chosen to have mercy: Israel would not have experienced the great events of salvation history; David's reign would not have passed to Solomon and the subsequent ancestry that leads to the birth of Jesus; Paul would not have had his productive ministry that brought the light of salvation to many nations.

As great as these acts of mercy were, none compares to the mercy shown in the parable of the Prodigal Son. In asking for his inheritance in advance, the younger son essentially desires his father's death, the worst possible shame that a child can inflict upon a parent. Despite this indignity, the father gives the son the inheritance, and the son in turn squanders the money on sinful living. The culture of the day would have seen the son disowned by the father, but in this story the father seeks out his lost son and restores him to his household. What is more, the father does not reject the indignant older son, telling the older son that he has a place in the house always.

The parable, of course, is about God's mercy to us, and so too are the other readings. The Church in her wisdom places these readings before us today for us to consider mercy in our own lives: is mercy something we seek for ourselves only, or do we recognize the obligation for us to live a life of mercy toward others? This obligation is not only personal in our individual dealings with others, but also it is an obligation to society in its dealings with people. The salvation of souls demands that we provide each individual every possible opportunity to encounter the merciful God.

The Eucharist is the memorial of the great act of God's forgiveness extended to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus. In receiving Holy Communion we hope to become what we eat - the very person of Jesus in our lives and actions, actions of mercy and love. And so we conclude our reflection by praying with the universal Church the prayer after communion for today's liturgy: "Lord, may the Eucharist you have given us influence our thoughts and actions. May your Spirit guide and direct us in your way. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen."

"Conduct Your Affairs with Humility" - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

2010-08-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

In the 17th and 18th century philosophers such as Bernard Mandeville, John Locke, and Adam Smith argued that all of human activity is directed toward self-interest. Even acts that we classify as altruistic, in their estimation, are really designed for our self-interest. Some perform these acts to have the appearance of sanctity in the eyes of others, while others perform them in order to achieve salvation and hence the motivation is self-interest. These philosophers developed their theories in order to frame the economy of capitalism, an economy that panders to our every self-interest and desire.

Unfortunately, there arose a theology in the Church that mirrored this philosophy of self-interest; in fact, its overarching theme was the economy of salvation. In this theology we look to perform certain acts of piety and good works for the acquisition of merit that we can then apply toward our salvation. Indulgenced prayers, pilgrimages and good works that had indulgences attached to them, and the works of mercy were all pursued with the end in mind of our own salvation. Good works led to merit; sin led to loss of merit - and thus our whole lives were placed on a balance sheet of assets and liabilities that focused solely on our self-interest in our own personal salvation.

The readings for today's Mass paint an entirely different picture and theology of salvation. The wisdom writer who composed the book of Sirach focuses our attention on the virtue of humility. The word humility has its origin in the Latin word 'humus' which means soil. The virtue of humility, according to the wisdom writer, focuses our attention on the true nature of our lives - that we are made from soil and to soil we will return. By recognizing our nature as being a creature entirely dependent for our existence and all that we have on the love of God we can arrive at a humble view of ourselves.

We might think that the Pauline book of Hebrews provides us with a vision of the reward for humility in describing the heavenly Jerusalem. Yet, the author does not use the term reward. Instead, this heavenly Jerusalem is a gift of God open to all who have faith. It is entirely a gift that cannot in any way be earned through the merits of our own actions. The realization of heaven as a gift again leads us to a posture of humility. The fact that we cannot earn this gift through our own efforts is a liberating realization.

The realization of our position as a creature and the realization of faith and heaven as a gift lead us to another epiphany: we cannot live our lives as we had before. In our past lives we conducted our affairs with our self-interest in mind. Now, however, we live not for ourselves but for others. The parable Jesus gives in the Gospel text today may appear to be directed toward our self-interest: the strategy of finding the best seat in the house may seem like using the pretense of humility in order to advance our own self-interest. However, Jesus commands the listeners to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind to their parties. These folks cannot repay us in any way; there is no possibility of self-interest in such an act.

Some have used the last line of the text to argue for a theology of merit: "For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Yet, such a reward is the life of imitating Christ in our lives. In all of his actions Jesus showed complete disinterest in his own fate; his concern was only in the welfare of others. That is the essence of humility: to empty ourselves and take the form of a slave to serve others without any thought of reward in this life or in the life to come.

The great 19th century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins captured well the goal of love. May this closing thought lead us to live such lives for the greater glory of God:

O God, I love thee, I love Thee -

Not out of hope of heaven for me

Nor fearing not to love and be

In the everlasting burning.

Thou, Thou, my Jesus, after me

Didst reach Thine arms out dying,

For my sake sufferedst nails and lance,

Mocked and marred countenance,

Sorrows passing number,

Sweat and care and cumber,

Yea and death, and this for me,

And Thou couldst see me sinning;

Then I, why should not I love Thee,

Jesus, so much in love with me?

Not for heaven's sake; not to be

Out of hell by loving Thee;

Not for any gains I see;

But just the way that Thou didst me

I do love and I will love Thee:

What must I love Thee, Lord, for then?

For being my king and God. Amen.

Our Example and Hope - The Assumption of Mary

2010-08-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we digress from our ordinal Sundays to contemplate the Assumption of Mary into heaven. In many ways this feast is a difficult one for us to celebrate because we can't identify its event with our own human experience. None of us has been immaculately conceived, and none of us will be assumed body and soul into heaven as Our Lady has received. How, then, are we to derive meaning and inspiration in our lives from this feast?

The first reading from the book of Revelation provides us with one possible connection. The woman in this reading has been identified both as a figure of the Church as well as of Mary. In this way we can see ourselves as children of Mary who experience the trials and struggles of life on earth with the constant attacks of the dragon all about us. At the same time, we can experience the peace and serenity of Mary and the Church as so united to the loving God that these trials seem unimportant as compared with the joy of holy fellowship with God and one another. While singularly privileged, Mary too experienced trials and struggles that she had to bear with patience and love.

Monsignor Ronald Knox gives us a very intimate idea of how we can relate to Mary's experiences and see our own in hers. He wrote, "Just as a traveler, gazing out to contemplate a vast panorama, seeks some human figure in his surroundings to bring the distant objects into perspective, so do we look towards God with amazement, but can identigy and welcome a purely human figure at the side of his throne. A ship has finished its passage, a destiny has been fulfilled, a human perfection has existed. Through her, his masterpiece, we see God's relations with humanity more clearly and with greater insight." (Sermon for the Feast of the Assumption, 1954)

Mary, too, provides us with an example to follow in the Gospel text for today's liturgy. Rather than dwell on her own blessings, she instead goes at once to visit her cousin Elizabeth in order to help her in her time of expectation. This scene provides us with much to admire: Mary came from Nazareth in Galilee, a place where poverty was the rule. She goes forth to Elizabeth's house which must have been one of greater means since her husband was high priest that year. God brings together rich and poor in the whole plan of salvation through Mary's selfless acceptance of God's will for her and through her immediate impulse of care for another. Mary's Magnificat echoes this radical equality of all God's children: she first thanks God for bestowing this gift to her, then celebrates God's leveling the playing field - the mighty will be brought low and the lowly will be brought high. The justice of God has finally come in the Messianic age.

By recognizing the gifts and vocation God has given us; by bearning with patience and love the trials and tribulations of this life; by caring for others and seeking the justice of God we can imitate Mary in our lives and come to the reward of heaven. The image of the traveler that Msgr. Knox gave fifty six years ago is in fact the reality of our lives. We are pilgrims on the journey to heaven, and while we follow Christ along the way we also have great saints who serve as landmarks on our pilgrimage. Mary stands as the first and greatest landmark in our pilgrimage. As we celebrate her singular gift of the Assumption, may we be filled with the hope that through her example and intercession we may join her and all the saints in the heavenly Jerusalem. Let our prayer along the way be that of the Church on this day: "Let us pray that with the help of Mary's prayers we too may reach our heavenly home. Father in heaven, all creation rightly gives you praise for all life and all holiness comes from you. In the plan of your wisdom she who bore the Christ in her womb was raised body and soul in glory to be with him in heaven. May we follow her example in reflecting your holiness and join in her hymn of endless life and praise. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Do This and You Will Live" - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-07-10T16:02:00.001-07:00

Many pundits and talk radio personalities insist that America is a Christian country, founded on Christian principles and setting forth an example of Christian living for all the world to follow. That is the claim made with our words. What, however, do our deeds say about our Christian identity? These same pundits would deny help to those who were deemed "undeserving" because the person in need was an undocumented immigrant or too lazy or whatever other qualifier deemed necessary to ration mercy and charity.

The Gospel text today may provide us a proper context for determining Christian identity and authentic Christian living. The reading is the famous parable of the Good Samaritan, one with which wer are intimately familiar. Jesus tells the parable in order to answer the question of the lawyer, a question designed to set limits on the command of love. The parable has four main characters: the man who was robbed, the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan. The man robbed was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, so we can safely deduce that he was a Jewish man. The priest and Levite who pass by and offer no help to the man are fellow Jews, and yet they do not help their fellow countryman and co-religionist. Notice, however, that Jesus passes no judgment on them or state why they did not stop to help.

Finally, we have the Samaritan, a member of the enemy race and religion of the Jewish people. This man stops to help the man dying in the ditch. He does so probably knowing the ethnic and religious identity of the man he is helping. The Samaritan does not place any limits on the love we should have for our neighbor; he offers whatever he can for the welfare of the man. In many ways he mirrors the actions of Jesus when he healed others and offered help: there were no limits to the love of Jesus. When Jesus is done telling the story, again there is no direct judgment involved: he merely asks the lawyer who was neighbor to the man in need. The lawyer's answer is telling: rather than use the description Jesus provides in the story - "a Samaritan traveler" - the lawyer instead says, "The one who treated him with mercy." The lawyer would not acknowledge the race and religion of the hero in the story, though he accurately states the actions of the Samaritan man. Jesus then commands the lawyer - and us - to go and do likewise.

The first and second readings point out that the demands of love are not esoteric and obscure. We know what we should do, for it is a law that God has written upon our hearts from the beginning of time. The text from Deuteronomy states very clearly that the law of love is very simple and easy for all to understand; we do not need an educated attorney to interpret it for us. Perhaps that was the point of Jesus telling the parable: everyone can access the truth contained in the story, not merely an educated elite. St. Paul shows us that while Jesus is the pre-existent Son of God present with God in the cosmos, he is also present in the Church and therefore accessible to all through the ministry of the Church on earth. By our actions as Christians we should be providing access to the law of love for all.

Jesus tells the lawyer and us that the law of love is the only path to salvation: "do this and you will live." Our challenge and pilgrimage as Christians is to grow ever more in this one essential virtue. Thomas Aquinas stated that love is the only virtue that does not have an excess; we fail in this virtue only by having a defect or a lack of love. Love is the only measuring stick for determining Christian identity and life. May we unite our prayer to that of the opening prayer for today's Mass and through it come to embody the virtue of love in our lives: "Let us pray to be faithful to the light we have received, to the name we bear. Father, let the light of your truth guide us to your kingdom through a world filled with lights contrary to your own. Christian is the name and the gospel we glory in. May your love make us what you have called us to be. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Peace: The Gift of God - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-07-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Every single person on earth desires peace, but if the question were asked as to what constitutes peace we then arrive at a new war. Few can agree on a definition for what all human beings desire. Some say it is the absence of war, others the freedom from want, and still others speak of peace as an inner feeling of the soul. All of these definitions see peace as something that can be achieved through material human effort alone, and as a result all of them are lacking. This week's readings provide us with a greater insight into peace.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah we do not encounter the word peace, but we do see images of peace: Israel as being like a nursling carried in the arms of a mother. What greater image of peace can there be than to see an infant sleeping in the arms of his or her mother? Yet, the prophet tells us that this peace comes from God; it is not something that human beings can create for themselves alone. The prophet provides this image of peace to a nation experiencing the trauma of foreign invasion, despoilation, and slavery at the hands of the Babylonian Empire - all the result of sin, which Pope John Paul II states "that violence and injustice have their roots deep in the heart of each individual, of each one of us." (Message for World Day of Peace, 1984) The image is of the Messianic age when peace would come to all people through the coming of the Messiah of God.

Paul reminds us in the second reading of a second characteristic of peace, namely, that it comes to all who follow the rule of life God has shown us through the example of Jesus. So, while the fact remains that peace is a gift from God, we nevertheless have a role to play in bringing about peace and mercy in our lives. As the Church states regarding its Social Teaching, "it is a word that brings freedom. This means that it has the effectiveness of truth and grace that comes from the Spirit of God, who penetrates hearts, predisposes them to thoughts and designs of love, justice, freedom, and peace. Evangelizing the social sector, then, means infusing into the human heart the power of meaning and freedom found in the Gospel, in order to promote a society befitting humankind because it befits Christ: it means building a city of man that is more human because it is in greater conformity with the Kingdom of God." (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #63)

In the Gospel text we see Jesus send out the disciples to accomplish the very evangelization that we just read about. The mission is one of peace, and it is our mission as well. Pope Paul VI stated that the mission of the Christian in the modern world is to deliver the Gospel message of peace that is "founded on justice, on the sense of the inviolable dignity of the human person, on the acceptance of an indelible and desirable equality of human beings, on the basic principle of human brotherhood, that is to say, on the respect and love due to each person." (Message for World Day of Peace, 1971) As in the day of the first disciples, this message will not be accepted by many. In fact, this message will lead to violence being committed against the Christian community that raises up the message in every age. Yet, the fidelity to the Gospel brings with it the interior peace to accept this suffering as Jesus the Lord did.

As we prepare to go forth from the Eucharist which is the bond of peace and charity, may we have this prayer in our hearts: "We thank you, Father, for showing yourself to us in the life, death, and resurrection of your Son Jesus. We thank you for all that you have offered us today; help us to understand your will more fully, and give us patience and comfort when we fail. Lord, give us your peace: the world is tormented by war and hatred, by suffering and injustice; give us the peace that we should give to others, the peace we should treasure in our hearts, the peace the world cannot give. Amen. (A Christian's Prayerbook: Psalms, Poems, and Prayers for the Church's Year, p. 100-101)

Ut Unum Simus - That We Might Be One (12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C)

2010-06-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

For centuries the Israelites longed for peace and unity that seemed so elusive to them. The constant infidelity by the people led to the rupture of unity within Israel such that two kingdoms came to be formed. It is within this context that the prophet Zechariah writes, looking forward to the day of the Messiah when his death would purify the people and lead to a solid unity among the people of God.

Paul makes the case quite bluntly for us in our second reading for today's Mass: we are all one in Christ Jesus. However, our experience of the last two thousand years and in our own time flatly contradict the message of Paul, as well as the fervent prayer of Jesus for unity that we read throughout the Easter season from the Gospel of John. In fact, the Gospel text for today shows Jesus fulfilling the words of Zechariah, promising his disciples that he must suffer and die unjustly. What is more, everyone who wishes to be a disciple of Jesus must desire and experience the same fate. Needless to say, the disciples weren't excited by that message, and some chaffed at it. Jesus prayed for unity because he saw disunity already among his disciples and no doubt knew that it would continue throughout the life of the Church.

Two experiences from this past week confirmed for me that lack of unity among us today. The first was an email from a high school friend who is now convinced that there is no pope because the Church has become so corrupt because it adopted heresy at the Second Vatican Council in the many changes that occurred in the Church. Yet, from time immemorial we believe that the Church is the bride of Christ and that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #796-797). The Church can never cease to be what she is by her vocation, and in every time and place she is called to become ever more perfect and faithful to Christ. Therefore, she can and must repent of sins and to change the things that can change for the good of the Church and her mission to the world. My friend, sadly, could not see this reality and thus an aspect of disunity is experienced among the baptized faithful.

The second experience involved an exchange with someone who condemned the Church for announcing the excommunication of a nun who authorized an abortion at a Catholic hospital in Phoenix, AZ. The local bishop affirmed the teaching of the Church regarding the procuring of a direct abortion (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #2270-2275). However, given the lack of information available to outsiders due to federal laws, the best course in this case is not to render judgment based on media reports, but to leave the matter to the local diocese and the Catholic hospital. Instead, various groups are rendering judgment and conducting a war that again shows a lack of unity in the body of Christ.

The vocation to be a disciple of Christ and a member of the Church is not an easy one. It demands a great deal of self-denial on our part, as Jesus himself stated in the Gospel for today. Many would like to have the Church formed in their own image and likeness: some would desire a pope and a Church of the past, while others pine for a pope and a Church of the future. Yet Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever - and so is his bride the Church. We find Christ and the Church in our present day gathered as she always has around the altar of God united with the pope and bishops who shepherd us.

The Israelites splintered into disunity through their lack of fidelity to God's law and covenant; the disciples of Jesus' time wavered over the demand of the Cross in the life of discipleship. Paul calls us to unity that comes from being faithful to God and accepting the cross of Christ. May we pray with one voice today the opening prayer of holy Mass: "God of the universe, we worship you as Lord. God, ever close to us, we rejoice to call you Father. From this world's uncertainty we look to your covenant. Keep us one in your peace, secure in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Do This in Remembrance of Me" - Corpus Christi Year C

2010-06-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians provides us with the earliest recounting of the Last Supper and the words of institution of the holy Eucharist. The words Paul relates here are also found in the Gospel of Luke. It is these words that the Church has selected to be the words of consecration and anamnesis in the Eucharistic Prayer of holy Mass. We hear these words every time we participate in the sacred Liturgy, and yet have we stopped to consider what Jesus meant when he said the words "Do this in remembrance of me"?

Traditionally, the Church has consistently taught that in these six words Jesus instituted a new ritual - the celebration of the Eucharist, the memorial of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. Certainly this understanding has great validity because the Church has always and everywhere offered the sacred Liturgy in obedience to this command of Christ. However, the Church has also taught that the liturgy is not an end in itself but rather is a means to an end. Christ gave us the sacraments so that we might be transformed into his own likeness, i.e so that we might become Christ. St. John Chrysostom, in preaching on this very passage from St. Paul, stated, "Paul reminds us that the Master gave up everything, including himself, for us, whereas we are reluctant even to share a little food with our fellow believers. But if you come for a sacrifice of thanksgiving, do not do anything unworthy of the sacrifice. Do not dishonor your brothers or neglect them in their hunger, do not get drunk, do not insult the church. When you come, give thanks for what you have enjoyed, and do not cut yourself off from your neighbors." (Homilies on the Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, 27: 5)

The words of Jesus, then, are also an ethical command: "Do this in remembrance of me" also means to become Christ in all of our actions, to live and die for others. The ritual of the liturgy is designed for us to fulfull the ethical demands of the commandment. St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the virtue of this sacrament is to transform a person into Christ through love (Commentary on Book 4 of the Sentences, D 12, q. 2, a. 2, ad 1). The command of the ritual is designed to help us fulfill the ethical command in the words of Christ,

The gospel for today's Mass also highlights the ethical dimensions of the Eucharist. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes has always been seen as a Eucharistic event, and Jesus gives the disciples a command: "Give them some food yourselves." What the disciples are able to offer - five loaves and two fish - cannot possibly feed the entire multitude, but that is not the point. Jesus asks us to give him all that we have and he provides for all until we have had our fill. Similarly, by itself, our living and dying for others in obedience to the command and example of Christ cannot redeem the world, but by offering our life and death to that of Christ's we can be co-redeemers with him and transform the world.

The ritual command, then, can have no meaning if we do not intend to fulfill the ethical demand the Eucharist requires of us. The real presence of Christ in the Sacraments is diminished if Christ is not present in our life and actions. If the Sacraments are a visible sign of an invisible reality, should not we who receive the Sacraments make visilbe in our lives the invisible reality that is God dwelling within us?

Both Melchizedek and Abraham fulfilled an ethical duty of hospitality to one's neighbor and offering to God a worthy gift. However, their offering was but a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice. It brought them salvation only when the Lord Jesus fulfilled the promise of their ritual action. Their prayer now is that of the Church triumphant as they join us in our worship: "Lord Jesus Christ, we worship you living among us in the sacrament of your body and blood. May we offer to our Father in heaven a solemn pledge of undivided love. May we offer to our brothers and sisters a life poured out in loving service of that kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. (Opening prayer)

The New World Order - Pentecost Year C

2010-05-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

"The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit ushers in a new era in the 'dispensation of the mystery' - the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of his Church, 'until he comes.'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1076) In the liturgy for the feast, the Church presents to us a wealth of symbolism in teaching us about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the individual Christian.

The first reading provides us with the actual event of the Pentecost event. The feast of Pentecost at the time of Jesus came to celebrate two events: thanksgiving for the upcoming harvest and the receiving of the Law at Mount Sinai. This feast was one of the major pilgrimage festivals where Jews throughout the Mediterranean region came to Jerusalem for the festival. On this particular celebrations, the disciples receive the Holy Spirit in a great gust of wind and tongues of fire. They begin to speak to the crowds, and each one heard the disciples in their own particular language. This event accomplished what the Old Law was incapable of doing - restoring the unity of humankind that was lost at Babel. Just as our communication became distorted and divided at the fall of the tower of Babel, so the world's unity is restored by the work of the Holy Spirit.

What is more, this revelation is given publicly to the whole world; it is not a private affair as was the giving of the Law to Moses. The New Law is intended for the whole world and none are exempted from it. As the Catechism states: "On that day, the Holy Spirit is fully revealed. Since that day, the Kingdom announced by Christ has been open to those who believe in him: the in the humility of the flesh and in faith, they already share in the communion of the Holy Trinity. By his coming, which never ceases, the Holy Spirit causes the world to enter into the 'last days,' the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited though not yet consummated." (CCC #732).

Paul references this inheritance in the second reading from the letter to the Romans. The Holy Spirit gives us the spirit of adoption that enables us to cry out, "Abba - Father" - and so we come to inherit eternal life. Adoption was a very different arrangement in the ancient world than it is today. In those days a father could disinherit his natural born sons, but he could not disinherit an adopted child. An adopted son was forever protected legally in this arrangement. By way of example, Octavian (Caesar Augustus) was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, and Tiberias was the adopted son of Caesar Augustus; the Romans used adoption to pass on inheritance of the throne so as to avoid civil wars. In any case, the point of Paul's use of the term is to point out the permanent character of the Christian's inheritance and the immense responsibility we have in cherishing it.

This permanence is also reflected in the Gospel reading where Jesus refers to the Spirit as our Advocate, a legal term referring to a legal representative before a court. The promise of an advocate was a reassuring one to the disciples because in the Jewish scriptures no advocate was present before the throne of God to defend humankind. Recall the story of Job where Satan advocates against Job before God's court. No one is there to represent Job; he is utterly defenseless. The same is true of daughter Zion in the book of Lamentations. However, in the new world order of Christ we have an advocate to defend our cause before God. We are not defenseless; we are not alone in the universe. We have the consolation of the Holy Spirit in the new age of the Church.

The same Spirit who drove Jesus into the desert and then into his public ministry drove the disciples to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus and to perform works of justice and charity for the sake of others. May the Holy Spirit drive us to the same ministry of Jesus and the Church throughout the ages as we pray the words of the opening prayer for the feast of Pentecost: "God our Father, let the Spirit you sent on your Church to begin the teaching of the gospel continue to work in the world through the hearts of all who believe. Amen."

“Why are you Looking to the Heavens?” – Ascension Year C

2010-05-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

In many ways the feast of the Ascension is a summary of the entire Easter season. We have reflected on witnessing, the attitude of Christians in the midst of trials and tribulations, and the hope that exists for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Each week we have been led more and more to a full understanding of our responsibility as Christians. This week we are given the prodding we need to stop being a spectator and start taking part in the Christian life.

Our marching orders come straight from the first reading. After Jesus ascends the disciples stare at the sky, thinking that their hope has left them, not knowing what to do next. However, an angel appears to kick-start them into action: “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” This question can certainly be applied to us in our own day. Many pine for Christ’s return in glory. Others see the Christian life as one of prayer and a posture that looks only to heaven. Both attitudes are not authentic Christianity.

Both options for the second reading provide us with the idea that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are people of hope who live differently than other people. In ancient times there was no thought of hope: the gods had an adversarial relationship with humankind and the best we could hope for is to appease them through sacrifice. There was no hope of living a life of virtue since that was reserved only for the few who were strong enough to do so. There was no hope for a blessed afterlife, for only the heroes were able to achieve such status. The rest of us were confined to ordinary lives of suffering on earth and an eternity in the shadows of the Underworld. Yet Paul urges us to “hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope” – and that confession is not merely a creed but a way of living that shows forth the faith we profess on our lips. As Pope Benedict XVI stated: “Christianity did not bring a message of social revolution like that of the ill-fated Spartacus, whose struggle led to so much bloodshed. Jesus was not Spartacus, he was not engaged in a fight for political liberation like Barabbas or Bar- Kochba. Jesus, who himself died on the Cross, brought something totally different: an encounter with the Lord of all lords, an encounter with the living God and thus an encounter with a hope stronger than the sufferings of slavery, a hope which therefore transformed life and the world from within.” (Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, #4)

The Gospel text for today also makes this point clear: we are to be witnesses to the ministry of Jesus and make that ministry our own: to live and die for others and that the message of the forgiveness of sins be brought to every land on earth. What is more, we have the promise of Christ that he will be with us and the seal of the Holy Spirit that will inform and inspire our own participation in this ministry of Jesus. Only lives built upon such faith and hope can lead to a love that will transform our lives and the lives of others in the world.

It was this faith and hope that conquered the world of the early Church. An early Christian writer reflects on such a witness in the lives of Christians that brings forth such transformation. As we close our reflection, let us ponder these words and see if they apply to our own lives: “Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs….And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country…They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life….Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.” (From a letter to Diognetus: Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)

Give Peace a Chance - 6th Sunday of Easter Year C

2010-05-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone longs for peace, but very few people know how to acquire it. What is worse, hardly anyone knows in what authentic peace consists. Peace is not merely the absence of war or a calm heart or soul. Consider, however, the definition of peace from an early Church father: "Peace, indeed, is serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart, the bond of love, the fellowship of charity. It removes hatred, settles wars, restrains wrath, tramples on pride, loves the humble, pacifies the discordant and makes enemies agree. For it is pleasing to everyone. It does not seek what belongs to another or consider anything as its own. It teaches people to love because it does not know how to get angry, or to extol itself or become inflamed with pride. It is meek and humble to everyone, possessing rest and tranquility within itself." (Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 174.1) The readings for this Sunday all relate to the theme of peace in one way or another.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows the early Church embroiled in its first great controversy: should Gentile converts to Christianity be required to adhere to the Mosaic Law as Jewish Christians practice? In our own times we might find this question silly, but recall that prior to the coming of Christ converts to Judaism from paganism were required to adhere to the entire Mosaic Law. Jewish Christians still felt bound to adhere to the law while also fulfilling the duties of Christian faith. As a result Gentiles did not often convert to Judaism, nor would they be willing to join the Christian church if it meant adherence to the old law. In response, the apostles met to settle the matter and establish peace in the Church, invoking the Holy Spirit - the guarantee of peace - in deliberating and making the necessary decision.

The apostles give us an example to follow in establishing peace on earth among people. Pope Paul VI reflected on this process thus: "True peace must be founded upon justice, upon a sense of the untouchable dignity of man, upon the recognition of an indelible and happy equality between men, upon the basic principle of human brotherhood, that is, of the respect and true love due to each man, because he is man. Every human being has inalienable rights that must be respected. Each human community - ethnic, historical, cultural, or religious - has rights which must be respected. Peace is threatened every time one of these rights is violated. The moral law, guardian of human rights, protector of the dignity of man, cannot be set aside by any person or group, or by the State itself, for any cause, not even for security or in the interests of law and order. The law of God stands in judgment over all reasons of State. As long as injustices exist in any of the areas that touch upon the dignity of the human person...true peace will not exist. Peace cannot be established by violence, peace can never flourish in a climate of terror, intimidation and death." (Pope Paul VI Message for World Day of Peace, 1971)

In promising peace to his disciples, Jesus connects that peace to love for him that should lead to rejoicing in our hearts. This peace and love cannot be removed by trials and tribulations, persecutions or torments. The example of Christ on the cross six weeks ago proves that point and establishes for us the path to follow so that we can enjoy the fullness of peace in the heavenly Jerusalem that John describes for us today in the book of Revelation. On earth and in heaven we have no other need for our souls than the Lamb of God who provides for us light in the midst of darkness.

Saint Augustine echoes the sentiment of peace on earth and heaven in this prayer that shall close our reflection for today: "Even now you are in us, O Lord, and we are in you, but now we believe it, then we shall have full knowledge of it. Indeed as long as we are in the body as it is now, corruptible and weighing down the soul, we are exiles far from you; we walk in faith and not in vision...You, O Lord, tell us openly that we are in you even now when we shall live that life in which death will have been swallowed up, we shall know that you are in the Father, and we in you, and you in us, because then, all that through your work is already begun will arrive at perfection: your home in us and ours in you. O Lord, at the moment you depart from us you leave us peace; you will give us your peace when you return at the end of time. You leave us peace in the world, you will give us your peace in the life to come. You leave us your peace so that, by remaining in it, we may conquer our enemy; you will give us your peace when we shall reign without fear of our enemies. You leave us peace so that, even here, we may love each other, you will give us your peace in heaven, where there can be no more strife." (St. Augustine, In Johannes 75: 4; 77: 3)

Christ's Presence Among Us - 5th Sunday of Easter Year C

2010-05-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

No one likes to suffer. We complain about having a cold or allergies or the slightest inconvenience to us. Much of our consumer culture is spent trying to convince us to purchase products and services that will ease our suffering and make our lives more convenient. Yet, last week we saw that the disciples rejoiced for suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God. The theme of tribulations and our response to it forms the theme of this week's readings. Each reading was originally written for a community experiencing distress and tribulation.

The first reading shows us the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. In each place they encounter disciples undergoing persecution, and the message of Paul and Barnabas is perhaps shocking to us today: "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." For some reason Christians of every generation seem to think that the death and resurrection of Jesus means an easy life for the believer. Yet we cannot share in Easter glory until we first experience the sufferings of Good Friday. As a noted spiritual writer noted regarding the ministry of Paul and Barnabas, "The love of Christ which sustained them and their awareness that he himself was working in them and with them, did not dispense them from tribulations, just as the new converts to Christianity were not dispensed from them, since it is through those tribulations that we enter the kingdom of heaven." (Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, Divine Intimacy, vol. 2, p. 197)

The message of Paul and Barnabas is no different from the message of Jesus in the Gospel text. The new commandment - love one another as I have loved you - calls us to love as Jesus loved, i.e. to live and to die for others. This love will be the mark of an authentic disciple of Jesus, a love that is completely selfless and self-giving for the sake of others. Every time we participate in the celebration of the Eucharist it is our hope and prayer that through this celebration we become more like Christ - to become what we eat - and imitate the selfless giving of Christ in the concrete actions of our lives. These actions of love manifest the presence of Christ in our lives to the world and to one another. The presence of Christ in the Eucharist has little meaning if it does not manifest to the world the presence of Christ in our lives through love.

The community of John continued to experience the tribulation of persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire during the reign of the emperor Diocletian. Within this context John composed the book of Revelation to be a source of comfort for his community of disciples. John describes through most of the book the tribulations that will beset the Church in every age until the end of time. Heaven is the reward for remaining faithful during this time of trial - the fidelity that Christ himself gave as an example for us in his death. In this reward there shall be no more tears, no more suffering, and no more death - a clear hope for the community suffering all these things in spades.

This love and fidelity transformed the world and brought untold numbers to the Christian community in the early Church. Can it be that our lack of tribulation is a sign that we have conformed ourselves to the world instead of to Christ? Do we lack the love we should have, the love Christ bids us to have? As we reflect upon these things in our own lives, may the prayer of St. Augustine inspire us to renew and rekindle our love: "O Christ, you have given us a new commandment, that we love one another as you have loved us. You call it new because you strip away the old man and clothe us with the new. In fact it is not just any love that renews man, but the love which you distinguish from the one that is purely human when you add: as I have loved you. This new commandment renews only the one who accepts it and obeys it...Lord, make this love renew us, make us new men, heirs of the New Testament, men who sing the new canticle. Make this love which has renewed all the just of ancient times, the patriarchs and prophets, as later the blessed Apostles - make it continue to renew the nations and gather in the whole human race, no matter how much spread throughout the world, make of all a single new people, the body of your bride." (St. Augustine, In Johannis, 65: 1)

We Are His Sheep - Who is Our Shepherd? 4th Sunday of Easter Year C

2010-04-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Nowadays people do not like being compared to sheep. In our modern sensibilities we find it offensive to be compared to docile animals with little thinking capacities. After all, we are more educated and we make our own decisions about a great many things that in ancient times were not available to people. However, shepherding was the essential economy of Israel and all the great figures of the Old Testament were shepherds: Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. Israel saw her relationship to God in terms of God being their shepherd and they the sheep who follow the shepherd. These images continue in the time of Jesus and the New Testament, as all our readings this week make reference to the shepherding image.

The first reading draws our attention to authentic shepherds for the sheep of God. By their actions in putting Jesus to death, the Sanhedrin has lost their claim to be shepherds of God's people. Paul and Barnabas, by contrast, demonstrate the qualities of genuine shepherds who care for all God's people. The message of the Gospel is a message for all God's people, and every single human being - Jew or Gentile - has access to that message through faith in Jesus. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gave us an example of qualities for shepherding the people of God. What is more, he appointed people to look after his flock, as we saw in last week's Gospel text and now we see in the actions of Paul and Barnabas.

In the vision of John in the book of Revelation that makes up our second reading, a great multitude is gathered in heaven to adore the Lamb of God. These are the sheep who followed the example of the Lamb. Jesus showed us the way to live on earth: to follow the will of God in all things by giving one's life and death for others. This Lamb becomes the shepherd who guides them through times of great distress. No doubt our own times could be described in these terms, and the message is the same for us as it would be for the original audience who experienced the persecution of the Roman Empire. We must be faithful to Christ and remain within the sheepfold of His Church.

The Gospel text also highlights this theme. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who guides his sheep by training them to hear his voice. Shepherds take great pains to train their sheep to recognize only the voice of the shepherd; a well trained flock of sheep will not follow any other voice but that of the shepherd. Jesus does likewise with his flock, the Church. He has provided us with shepherds to guide the Church faithfully. Last week we saw Jesus do so by commissioning Peter to be the chief shepherd of the flock, a duty entrusted through the ages to the popes.

Today we have a tendency through our power of choice to prefer to listen to one pope over and against another, as if there were any difference in what each teaches or in the authority each possesses. As one spiritual writer noted, "we should not fall into the all too easy temptation of setting one Pope against another, having confidence only in those whose actions respond to our personal feelings. We are not among those who nostagically look back to a former Pope or look forward to one in the future who will eventually dispense us from obeying the present one...Therefore in speaking of the pope we exclude from our vocabulary any expressions derived from parliamentary assemblies or the polemics of newspapers; let it not be said that people not of our faith should be the ones who explain the prestige of the head of the Church in the world to us." (G. Chevrot, Simon Peter, ch. 2)

Our shepherds on earth need our prayers and support in order to shepherd well, for only the grace of God can enable them to accomplish the grave responsibilities entrusted to them. May our prayers be with them as we hear the Opening Prayer for Mass today: "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, though your people walk in the valley of darkness, no evil should they fear; for they follow in faith the call of the shepherd whom you have sent for their hope and strength. Attune our minds to the sound of his voice, lead our steps in the path he has shown, that we may know the strength of his outstretched arm and enjoy the light of your presence forever. Amen."

"We are Witnesses to These Things" - Third Sunday of Easter Year C

2010-04-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

In our times the word 'witness' refers to someone who actually sees an event occur and they give a statement to that effect. Our legal system uses the term in a similar way, referring to people who were eyewitnesses or other experts who can tell the court what happened in a particular case. While all of these senses of the word are certainly true, there is another element of the word 'witness' lost to our modern understanding, one that we find today in the readings for holy Mass. These readings provide us with the call to witness, the act of witnessing itself, and the heavenly witness after our life on earth.

In the Gospel reading, John records yet another resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples. These men were carrying on their ordinary work of fishing when Jesus appears on the shore and directs them in their work. Once he realizes it it Jesus, Peter jumps in the water to swim to our Lord, not prepared for what Jesus will say to him. After breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. While Peter answers yes to each instance, Jesus commands Peter each time to feed Jesus' sheep. Afterward, Jesus will tell Peter what will happen in his life, indicating even the type of death Peter would suffer. In every instance of this Gospel text, Peter is called to witness to Jesus' resurrection: in swimming ashore, in receiving the command to shepherd the Church of God, and in hearing how his life of witnessing will end. Witnessing involves more than mere words; it involves deeds.

The first reading provides us with another aspect of witnessing. Peter in fact is the main character again in this reading, where he tells the Sanhedrin that the Christian community is the witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Greek term for witness is marturia, a word that provides us with our English word 'martyr'. To be a witness, therefore, is not merely to speak words, but to perform the works of Christ on earth: to go about doing good and to suffer for the sake of Jesus' name. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known. 'All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation" (CCC #2472, quoting Vatican II Ad Gentes #11).

By witnessing to the resurrection of Christ and the ministry of reconciliation throughout one's life, even to the point of death, the Christian then becomes worthy to partake of the heavenly liturgy John describes in the second reading from the book of Revelation. This final act of witnessing is our reward for a life of faith on earth, a reward we do not earn but one freely given to those who live in response to the love God has shown to us all. Blessed Pope John XXIII now partakes of this heavenly worship, and while on earth he offered us a prayer that aptly concludes our reflection: "O Lord, in return for so much tenderness you ask me anxiously one thing only: 'My son do you love me? Lord, how can I answer you? See my tears, my throbbing heart...What can I say? 'Lord, you know that I love you.' Oh, if I could love you as Peter loved you, with the fervor of Paul and all the martyrs! My love must be joined to humility, a low opinion of myself and scorn for the things of this world - and then make of me what you will, an apostle, a martyr, Lord! At the sight of my most gentle Jesus humbling himself and, like a meek lamb, submitting to persecution, torture, treachery, and death, my soul is bewildered, ashamed, prostrated: I can find no words - even my pride hangs its head in shame. 'O most sweet Jesus, comfort of the pilgrim soul, with you I am voiceless, by my very silence speaks to you! Oh, after so many graces, showered upon me during my long life, there is nothing now that I can refuse. You have shown me the way, O Jesus. 'I will follow you wherever you go,' to sacrifice, to mortification, to death" (Journal of a Soul, p. 91-92, 318).

Seeing is Not Believing - Sunday After Easter Year C

2010-04-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've often imagined myself, a native of Buffalo, NY, being away from America for many years and apart from any news whatever. Someone then comes to me and says the Buffalo Bills won the Super Bowl. Needless to say, I'm a bit skeptical, but I want to believe it with all my heart. Still, I would want some proof for this miraculous news. In some way, I could identify with Thomas in today's Gospel text. However, the comparison would not do justice to the full import of today's readings, for in reality this week's liturgical theme has to do with the response of faith to the risen Jesus.

Rather than seeing the Gospel reading as being about Thomas, another reading of the text would have us focus our attention on the eleven who saw the Risen Jesus first. While still afraid afterward (they were still in the locked upper room eight days later), they nonetheless felt compelled to tell Thomas about their experience with Jesus and encouraged him to believe. Through their efforts Thomas was present the next time in order to experience Jesus' second appearance. On Easter we have renewed our baptismal vows and new members of the Church have been baptized and confirmed. We have encountered the risen Christ, and so we must encourage others to meet Jesus alive and present to them as well.

St. Augustine made a similar point to his flock centuries ago: "So, then, on Saturday next, on which we shall celebrate the Vigil, God willing, you will have to render not the Prayer (the Our Father), but the 'Symbolum' (the Creed); because if you do not learn it now, afterwards you will not be hearing it every day in the Church from the people. And, in learning it well, say it every day so as to not forget it: when getting up from bed, when you are going to sleep, pronounce your 'Symbolum'; pronounce it to God, striving to learn it by heart, and don't be lazy about repeating it. It is a good thing to repeat so as not to forget. Don't say: 'I have already said it yesterday, I am saying it today and I say it everyday: I have it well engraved in my memory.' Let it be for you a reminder of your faith and a mirror in which you see yourself reflected. Look at it yourself, then, in it; check to see if you continue believing all the truths that you say in words that you believe, and rejoice daily in your faith. Let them be your riches; let them be as an apparel for the adornment of your soul" (St. Augustine, Sermon 58, 15).

John, the author of the book of Revelation, took the creed seriously and passed the faith on to others. For this apostolic endeavor, he found himself exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman Empire. Unable to be in contact with others, John becomes discouraged until he sees this vision of the risen Jesus in the heavenly Jerusalem, a sight that frightened him just as the sight of Jesus on that first Easter morning. Nevertheless, John is encouraged to write down what he has experienced. Through his writing John will be able to pass along the faith to others.

Finally, the first reading recounts the response of the entire Christian community to the risen Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit they have experienced at Pentecost. As a result of their witness for the faith, more and more people came to believe in the Lord and the young church grew in numbers. What is more, their ministry was focused on care for the sick and the poor, an essential element of Christian living in every age. Thus, by gathering together in community for prayer we come to know our ultimate destiny and vocation in life. As the Second Vatican Council taught: "Only by the light of faith and by meditation on the word of God can one always and everywhere know God in whom 'we live and move and have our being', seek His will in every agent, see Christ in everyone whether he be a relative or stranger, and take correct judgments about the true meaning and value of temporal things both in themselves and in their relation to man's final goal" (Vatican II, Apostolican actuositatem, 4).

If we live by this faith and genuinely put it into practice in our lives, then we too will lead others to Christ and to his Church. We will open schools instead of close them, grow deeper in Christian unity around the bishops as the authentic teachers of Christian faith, and provide a ministry of healing to the sick that protects all human life from conception to natural death and leaves no one uncovered. We pray, "God of mercy, you wash away our sins in water, you give us new birth in the Spirit, and redeem us in the blood of Christ. As we celebrate Christ's resurrection increase our awareness of these blessings, and renew your gift of life within us" (Opening Prayer).

Missing the Signs - Palm Sunday Year C

2010-03-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

"How different the cries, 'Away with him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him,' and then, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest!' How different the cries are that now are calling him 'King of Israel' and then in a few days time will be saying, 'We have no king but Caesar!' What a contrast between the green branches and the cross, between the flowers and the thorns! Before they were offering their own clothes for him to walk upon, and so soon afterwards they are stripping him of his, and casting lots for them" (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon on Palm Sunday, 2, 4).

No doubt we have all heard something like the above passage more than once in a Palm Sunday homily, and certainly there is some truth to it. Today's scene of triumph will give way to profound mourning later in the week, followed by utter joy at the Resurrection of Jesus. However, if we look closely at the readings today we can get a glimpse into the fact that Jesus' disciples missed the signs Jesus was giving them - and if we are not careful we can fall into the same trap.

Prior to Jesus entering Jerusalem he weeps over Jerusalem, knowing that he goes to be rejected by the people His Father has chosen to see him. Jesus' disciples, however, see this entry as the opportunity to proclaim Jesus as the political Messiah everyone is expecting and to overthrow the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus commands his disciples to bring him a colt or a donkey on which to ride into the city. In ancient times the choice of a steed on which to enter a city was a conscious choice by a military or political leader. To ride on a horse signaled a time for war or rebellion, while the choice to ride on a donkey was intended to signify himself as a prince of peace, not war. This procession into the city was designed to signal the ultimate act of peace - the death of Jesus for the sake of the human race so that we might be at peace with God and one another.

The other readings for today's Mass highlight this theme as well. The first reading from Isaiah highlights the fact that the future Messiah is not a political rebel, but one who will offer himself as the suffering servant of the people. While such suffering was regarded as a disgrace and a sign of sin in a person's life, instead God makes it the mark of the Messiah and by extension the distinction of discipleship. In the midst of such suffering we rejoice and offer praise to God. As St. Bonaventure prayed, "O Jesus, foreseeing the multitude that was coming to meet you, you mounted an ass and gave a wonderful example of humility amid the applause of the people who were coming to you, and were cutting down branches and strewing the street with their garments. While the crowd sang songs of praise, you, ever mindful of compassion, lamented over the destruction of Jerusalem. Rise now, O handmaid of the Lord, and go in the procession of the daughters of Zion to see your true king...Accompany the Lord of heaven and earth sitting on the back of the colt, follow him with olive branches and palms, with works of piety and triumphant virtues" (St. Bonaventure, The Tree of Life, 15).

Paul's famous hymn to Christ in the letter to the Philippians underscores the great humility Jesus had throughout his entire life. Jesus the Son of God became a human being and lived a life of simplicity, poverty, and service to others even to the point of dying on the cross like a common criminal and slave. Jesus is Lord not because of his divinity, but because he chose to become human, to be humbled, and to die for us. It is by imitating Jesus the Lord that we come to share the banquet of the Messiah in the kingdom. It is because the disciples missed all these signs throughout Jesus' ministry and on Palm Sunday that they fled, denied, and betrayed him later in the week.

May we avoid the example of the disciples and instead recognize the signs Jesus gives us in calling us to follow him in all things. We unite our prayer to the entire Church: "Almighty, ever living God, you have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled your will by becoming man and giving his life on the cross. Help us to bear witness to you by following his example of suffering and make us worthy to share in his resurrection" (Opening Prayer).

My Son, You are Here with Me Always - 4th Sunday of Lent Year C

2010-03-13T06:08:00.000-08:00

A few years ago Pope Benedict XVI was meeting with the Jewish community of Rome and in his address the Holy Father referred to the Jewish people as "our older brothers in faith." Some Jewish groups in the United States objected to this phrase, recalling that the older brothers in the Old Testament were wicked: Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Joseph's older brothers. In response to these criticisms, the pope referred to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the gospel for today's Mass, as the true understanding of the relationship between Christians and Jews. He reminds us all that both sons were forgiven by God, and that such forgiveness is the cause of our joy. Hence, today's Mass is traditionally referred to as "Laetare Sunday", since the theme of the Mass texts are all concerned with joy. This joy, in each of the readings, has to do with homecoming.

In the first reading, the people of Israel have finally arrived at the Promised Land, the home God promised them forty years earlier in Egypt. Imagine the joy of a people who wandered aimlessly in the desert for forty years, searching and longing for what God has promised. They suffered hunger, thirst, pestilence, and all sorts of humiliations in the desert, and yet all of it was the result of their stubbornness and sin. They relied on their own devices and powers, not on the help of God, in their quest for what truly satisfies. Thus, to hear the words of God, "Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you" must have been a joyous sound to their ears.

In the same way, St. Paul reminds his audience of Corinth that now with the coming of Christ our old lives of sin have passed away and we must live as a new creation. We have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation that was the mission of Jesus on earth. As Jesus has forgiven our sins through his death and resurrection, so we must bring reconciliation to our relationship with God and our relationships with other people. It is only through forgiveness of sins and a deep relationship with God that we can find joy and happiness in our lives. Modern society seeks happiness in the inventions of human ingenuity, only to find emptiness in the bottom of the box. As Pope Paul VI stated, "Technological society has succeeded in multiplying the occasions of pleasure, but finds great difficulty in giving birth to happiness. For happiness has its origin elsewhere: it is a spiritual thing. Money, comfort, hygiene, material security, etc. may often not be lacking, but nevertheless, despite these advantages, boredom, suffering, and sadness are frequently to be found supervening in the lives of many people" (Pope Paul VI, Exhortation, Gaudete in Domino, 1, 9 April 1975).

The prodigal son comes to realize that material possessions and pleasures cannot make him happy. He squanders the fortune his father gave him only to come to the most extreme level of depravity and want. Many individuals - even entire societies and cultures - sink to the same level of depravity and degradation and never come to their senses. This son receives the great grace of realizing his status before God and the human community. It causes within him a great repentance and resolution to make a new life serving his father. In returning to his father's house we find great rejoicing in the father and the household, but also in the forgiven son who could not have imagined being forgiven for such grievous sins. The same love and forgiveness shown to the younger son is also extended to the older son, who is indignant and cannot understand the joy of the household. We may find ourselves in a state of joyless Christianity, and so this Gospel should help us recover the joy of the authentic Christian life, so that we can utter the words of Blessed John XXIII: "I am, alas, the prodigal son who wasted your substance, your natural and supernatural gifts, and reduced myself to the most miserable state because I have fled far from you who are the Word by whom all things were made, and without whom all things turn to evil because they are nothing in themselves. And you are that most loving Father who welcomed me with a great feast when, repenting of my transgressions, I came back to your house and found shelter under your roof, in your embrace. You took me in again as your son, yet set me once more at your table, made me share in your joys: you called me once more to take part in your inheritance. Here I am in your heart! What then would you have me do?" (John XXIII, Journal of a Soul 1900, p. 68-69).

Homeland Security - 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C

2010-03-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Ever since the attacks of September 11, 2001 our nation has yearned for security - safety from terrorism and threats to our peace and livelihood. These hopes are certainly important, unless they dominate our thoughts and cause us to forget the commands of God and we come to treat innocent people unjustly. The security of our national homeland is important, but not as important as the security of our eternal homeland of heaven. Today's readings give us pause to reflect upon our eternal security.

The first reading is familiar enough to everyone: Moses encounters God in the burning bush. God has heard the suffering prayers of his people and has come to rescue them from the slavery of Egypt. Moses no doubt was overjoyed at that part of the theophany, but Moses was not prepared for what would come in the future. Nevertheless, he trusted entirely in God and accepted the mission of liberating God's people from captivity and leading them to the Promised Land. We know the rest of the story: the Israelites will not be faithful to God, and God will abandon them to their own devices. Unless we remain faithful to God as Moses did, we will fall into the same fate.

St. Paul repeats that message to a generation of Christians who felt secure in their salvation. The Corinthian community had the idea that since they had faith and accepted Jesus as their Savior that they could live as they pleased. Paul writes to them in order to correct them of that notion. Yes, we are privileged people for having Christ and His sacraments available to us, but our lives must reflect the faith we claim to profess. As a noted spiritual writer put it, "To belong to God's people, to have access to the living water of grace, the spiritual food of the Eucharist, and all other sacraments is no guarantee of salvation if we do not embark upon an intense effort at conversion and total adherence to God. No one can take this for granted, neither in virtue of his position in the Church, nor on the basis of his own virtues or good service rendered" (Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, O.C.D., Divine Intimacy, vol. 2, p. 52).

The message of Jesus in the Gospel text continues the same theme. Jesus gives two examples from his own times to teach this lesson to the crowd. The crowd believed that these calamities occurred to the Galileans because their sinfulness was worse than others. Jesus corrects that notion and forces us to accept a truth difficult to accept: there is only one conscience we are fit to examine and it is our own. Only God knows fully the hearts of another person, and while we may see individual acts of others as damning to that person, Jesus wants our focus to be on our own sins and not those of others. Each one of us has plenty of chores to do in his or her own house; we need not look for work in another's.

To bear abundant fruit we must deny ourselves, sacrifice our own preferences to serve others, and to accept the cross of Christ and die daily to ourselves. As Pope Paul VI taught, "What would become of a Gospel, of a Christianity, without the Cross, without pain, without the sacrifice of pain? It would be a gospel, a Christianity, without Redemption, with no Salvatio: a Redemption and Salvation of which - and we ought to recognize it with unmitigated sincerity - we stand in absolute need. The Lord has saved us with the Cross; with his death. He has given us hope again, the right to life" (Pope Paul VI, Address, March 24, 1967).

Our salvation - our eternal homeland security - rests upon hope, which the Catechism states, "responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement, it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity" (CCC, #1818). May our prayer this week be that of holy Mass today: "God of all compassion, Father of all goodness, to heal the wounds our sins and selfishness bring upon us you bid turn to fasting, prayer, and sharing with our brothers. We acknowledge our sinfulness, our guilt is ever before us; when our weakness causes us discouragement, let your compassion fill us with hope and lead us through a Lent of repentance to the beauty of Easter joy. We ask this through Christ our Lord."

"Him Alone Shall You Serve" - First Sunday in Lent Year C

2010-02-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Lent originally began as a final retreat for catechumens preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. The retreat was centered on today's Gospel text of Jesus' forty days in the desert. Just as Jesus passed through three trials, so the catechumen would pass through three scrutinies in final preparation to received the baptismal waters, the oil of confirmation, and the body and blood of Jesus. These rituals are preserved in our modern day Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. However, Lent eventually came to be understood as a retreat for the entire Church to pass through in preparation for the celebration of the Great Pasch, a time when we will renew our baptismal vows and recommit our lives to Christ. Today's readings provide us with the beginnings of our retreat.

In the first reading from Deuteronomy, the people of Israel recall their time in the desert where they passed from slavery to freedom. The first fruits offering would remind the people of their total dependence on God and how the offering signified their total dedication to Him. Unfortunately, the people of Israel would often forget these events, and the first fruits offerings would become a mere empty ritual. It no longer had meaning and it could not save the people from what truly enslaved them - sin.

Paul reminds us in the second reading from the letter to the Romans that it is faith in Christ that alone has the power to save us. Pope Paul VI expressed this sentiment well in the following prayer: "O Jesus, we believe in your love and your goodness; we believe that you are our Savior, that you can do what is closed to and unrealizable for any one else. We believe you are the light, the truth, the life; we have only one desire: to remain united to you, and to be Christians not only in name, but Christians who are convinced, apostolic, and full of zeal" (Pope Paul VI, Teachings, v. 4).

The temptations of Jesus in the desert, we should remember, occur after Jesus was baptized. St. John Chrysostom explains that "As Our Lord did everything for our instruction, so he wished to be led out into the wilderness and there to enter into combat with the devil. He did this in order that the baptized should not be troubled if after Baptism they suffer still greater temptations, as though such were not to be expected" (Homilies on St. Matthew, 13, 1). Jesus suffered the very same temptations that the people of Israel experienced in the desert so many centuries ago: hunger for bread, worship of a false god, and lust for power. Jesus overcomes these temptations and shows us that through baptism and the faith that comes with it we can overcome all the temptations that the devil will throw our way - both individually and collectively.

The devil won't come to us with offers of bread, idols, and power in the same way. Very often we encounter these temptations in more subtle ways, and sadly we so often succumb for mere trifles compared to what was offered to Jesus. Lent, however, is our time to repent, recommit, and return once again to the path on which Jesus walks. Let us pray for strength, using the words of Blessed John XXIII:

"O Lord Jesus, who at the beginning of your public life withdrew into the desert, we beg you to teach all men that recollection of mind which is the beginning of conversion and salvation. Leaving your home at Nazareth and your sweet Mother, you wished to experience solitude, weariness, and hunger. To the tempter who proposed to you the trial of miracles, you replied with the strength of eternal wisdom, in itself a miracle of heavenly grace. It is Lent. O Lord, do not let us turn to 'broken cisterns' that can hold no water or imitate the unfaithful steward or the foolish virgins; do not let us be so blinded by the enjoyment of the good things of earth that our hearts become insensible to the cry of the poor, of the sick, of orphan children, and of those innumerable brothers of ours who still lack the necessary minimum to eat, to clothe their nakedness, and to gather their family together under one roof" (John XXIII, Prayers and Devotions, March 15).

Blessings and Woes - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-02-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

Frederick Nietzsche argued that there were only two ethical systems: hero ethics and slave ethics. Hero ethics was the ethics of ancient Greece and Rome where the strong man was the ideal: courageous, strong, and powerful. By definition only a very few could be virtuous in such a system. The other system of ethics according to Nietzsche is slave ethics, the ethics of Judaism and Christianity where service and love for others is the ideal, a system where anyone could become a saint. Nietzsche unfortunately rejected slave ethics, exalted hero ethics and his notion of the superman that brought us the horrors of Naziism. Our readings today present us with a similar contrast.

The first reading from the prophet Jeremiah is a traditional Jewish lament prayer where woes and curses begin the prayer, followed by resolution and blessings. In this case, the curse is upon the one who chooses to follow other human beings, and their woe is misery and lack all their days. By contrast, the prayer exalts those who follow the Lord, for their blessing will be prosperity all their days. The prophet uses this contrast in an attempt to get Israel to repent of following human beings and to follow God. Perhaps if the people do so the the coming destruction will not befall them. However, they failed to listen and punishment came.

In today's Gospel Jesus reverses the order of the traditional lament prayer, and in so doing changes the understanding of who is blessed and who is cursed. Jesus' prayer begins with the blessing and ends with a curse, thus overturning the traditional theology of his day. That theology saw God's favor bestowed on those who were rich, satisfied, and merry, not unlike the prosperity Gospel of our own day. However, Jesus calls the poor, hungry, and sad the blessed of God. Why? The prophetic tradition of Israel provides the answer: fidelity to God results in persecution, poverty, and hunger, while the false prophets of every age are rich, satisfied, and mirthful.

The passage from Paul' first letter to the Corinthians shows us that following Christ does indeed lead to persecution and death, but ultimately those faithful to Christ will rise with Christ. The ultimate victory and vindication from God lies not in wealth but in rising with Christ. Our hope and joy are both here in following Christ and in the promised fulfillment of future glory. As Saint Augustine prayed many centuries ago, "Now, as long as I am in the body, I am far from you, Lord, since I go forward through faith and not through sight. The time will come when I shall see what I believe without seeing, and when I see what I now believe, I shall be happy...Then the reality of what I now hope for will come...Now I lament, as I go about searching for a secure refuge where I can be safe; now, seeing myself sick, I have recourse to the doctor...Now in the time of hope, of tears, in the time of humility, sorrow, and sickness...I have become an object of wonder for many...because I believe what I do not see. In fact, those who are happy in what they see take their delight in drink and in pleasure...in greed and wealth and rapine and worldly honors...they delight in these things. But I walk by a different path, paying no heed to present reality and fearing success in this life, I find security in nothing except in your promises, O my God. I live happily in my hope, because you, O Lord, are true to your promises; yet since I do not yet possess you, I groan under the sting of desire. Make me persevere in this desire until what you have promised comes: then will my lamentation cease and only praise will ring out" (Commentary on the Psalms, 70, 8-9; 148: 1).

The prosperity Gospel - the gospel of Nietzsche - ultimately leads to ruin and desolation. The true Gospel of prosperity is to follow Christ wherever he leads on this earth, for we know that His way will lead us to heaven. Let us then serve the poor, the hungry, and the persecuted in our world so that we may journey to the reign of God with Jesus, who served unto death that leads to a blessed resurrection.

Here I am, Lord. Send Me - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-02-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

When a person finds the love of their life, they will go to any lengths to be with that love. They will follow that love wherever it goes or wherever love calls that person to be. Today's readings present us with three people who fall in love and follow that love wherever that love asks: Isaiah, Paul, and Peter. In reflecting upon their calls from God, we can better appreciate the calling each of us has from God, described so well in Lumen Gentium: "All the faithful, whatever, their condition or state - through each in his own way - are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which our heavenly Father himself is perfect. By means of their special vocation, it belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairms and directing them according to God's will" (#11, 31).

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah receives his call to be a prophet of God in the midst of great trials in the land of Israel. King Uzziah had died and the nation would once again drift into idolatry and injustice. The task of the prophet was a difficult one, and Isaiah did not feel worthy to receive the call. Yet, God cleansed him from his sins and encouraged Isaiah to move forward with the mission entrusted to him. This encounter with God gave the prophet the strength he needed to carry out God's will in his own time.

Similarly, Paul recounts for us how he had been called by the Lord to be an apostle of the new Christian community. He too felt unworthy of the call, even as he writes about it in the midst of his mission. Yet, Paul did not let his imperfections prevent him from following Jesus and performing the works of the kingdom of God. We too should not let our weaknesses prevent us from fulfilling the vocation to which we are called. John Henry Cardinal Newman describes well this feeling: "God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work for me to which he has not committed to another...Somehow, I am necessary for his purposes...if, indeed, I fail, he can raise another, as he could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do his work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep his commandments and serve him in my calling" (Meditations on Christian Doctrine, I: 2).

Finally, we meet Peter in today's Gospel. Peter had already been called by Jesus to follow him. Here, however, Peter finds out just what it means to be a disciple. He had been out all night fishing and caught nothing, even though night is the best time for fishermen to succeed in their work. Jesus comes along and asks Peter to put out his nets in the middle of the day, the most unlikely time for a huge catch. Peter knows that from a human point of view this request cannot possibly bring forth success. Yet, he obeys and brings forth a great catch of fish, and Peter realizes that the works of light are superior to the works of darkness. The supernatural outlook of the reign of God breaks forth in him, and while Peter too feels unworthy to be part of Jesus' mission, nevertheless the Lord encourages him to press on: the catch of fish is but a foretaste of a greater mission and success in the life of Peter.

The same is true for us in our own ministry. We cannot become discouraged at our sins and those of others. The essential aspects of ministry are found within these readings: we acknowledge our weaknesses and failings, we abandon ourselves completely to God, and we carry on the work God has called us to perform. May we be strengthened by the prayer of St. Ambrose: "Master, we have toiled all night and have caught nothing, but at your word, I will let down the nets. I, too, Lord, know that it is like night for me when you do not speak...I have sent out my voice like a dart...and have not yet captured anyone. I have called out all day; now I await your order; at your word I will cast my net. O empty presumption, O fruitful humility! Those who formerly caught nothing, Lord, now catch huge quantities of fish. This is not the fruit of human eloquence, but the result of a call from heaven. Amen" (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, IV, 76).

Love in the Midst of Conflict - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-01-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

One of Socrates' students asked him, "Teacher, is it better to marry or remain single?" To which the philosopher replied, "Either way, you'll regret it." Regardless of what path we have chosen in life, conflict always exists. All three readings for this Sunday's Mass were written in the midst of severe conflict and distress, and each provides a piece to the puzzle in our never ending quest for conflict resolution.

The first reading from the prophet Jeremiah presents us with the call of the prophet by God. Prophecy is never an easy task, especially in ancient Israel. The mission is to deliver a message to the powers of the day - priest and king - announcing their infidelity to God and the need to repent. Such a mission will result in certain death, and the prophet knew this fact when he received the call. Nevertheless, Jeremiah remains faithful to his call to "stand up and tell them all that I command you." Part of our baptismal call is to follow the prophetic ministry of Jesus knowing that many times that will put us in conflict with the powers of our world today. Yet, the first reading reminds us of the first message of conflict resolution: remaining faithful to God in spite of the opposition.

The Gospel text from Luke follows from last week's reading. Jesus seems to be accepted as a prophet in his home town, though they ask him to perform the prophetic signs he did in other towns. However, Jesus instead gives them the prophetic lesson: they will reject him just as their ancestors rejected God in the times of the prophets. Jesus then refers to three specific prophets called by God to perform mighty deeds not in Israel to Israelits, but to Gentiles in other lands. For this message, his own townspeople seek to kill him that very day, and here we find the second message of conflict resolution: do not fear what will happen to you. As Origen prayed many centuries ago: "We pray with all our hearts, O Lord, that you may enable us to fight to the end for truth with all our strength of our soul and body. If the time comes for our faith to be tested - since as gold is tried in the furnace, so our faith will be tested through danger and persecutions - if a persecution breaks out, grant that we may be prepared so that our house may not collapse in winter, and our dwelling not be destroyed by storms as if built upon sand. And when the winds of the devil blow...may our works stand firm, as they have done up to today if they are not undermined from within; and grant that, prepared for any trial, we manifest the love we have for you, O God, to whom belongs the glory and the power forever" (Origen, Early Christian Prayers, 61).

The second reading from Paul's letter to the Corinthians is often read at weddings since it is the Love Hymn, though we forget that Paul wrote this message to a community in the midst of internal strife. Rather than comparing whose ministry or gift is superior, Paul reminds us that love is the ultimate gift and the universal principle of ministry for all. If our work lacks love, then nothing we do will be successful or bear genuine fruit. Love must provide for us the fuel to withstand all and to see all people as children of God called to life and love with God. Our prophetic work, then, would not become self-righteous or judgmental if enflamed with divine love. This love led Jesus to the cross in order to die for an ungrateful and fickle world. This love will lead us to the same ministry of Jesus if we allow God to do so.

May the opening prayer remain in our hearts and on our lips as we minister to one another: "Father in heaven, from the days of Abraham and Moses until this gathering of your Church in prayer, you have formed a people in the image of your Son. Bless this people with the gift of your kingdom. May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us. Grant this through Christ our Lord."

The Time of Fulfillment - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-01-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

It is customary for us in our times to think of the time before Jesus as the time of expectation. The people of Israel were the children of the promise awaiting the coming of the Messianic age when all would be fulfilled. All the hopes and dreams of the Messianic era would be brought to fruition by the coming of the Messiah. The readings for today shed a great deal of light on this theme.

In the first reading Ezra the priest is leading the people of Israel in prayer after returning from the Babylonian captivity. The expectations of the people were high after such a calamity, and this day of prayer was a day of thanksgiving and celebration - today is holy to the Lord. Therefore, the people should rejoice and feast, "for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength." God has surely worked wonders for the people, as they are now free.

However, in the Gospel reading for today we see an even greater cause for rejoicing. The Messianic age has come. Jesus comes to preach in the synagogue of his home town to announce that the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the Messiah were fulfilled today in him. An even greater liberation than the one we saw in the first reading is about to happen: the captives will be set free, the blind will see, oppression will end, and the poor will receive glad tidings. The whole world will have their sins washed clean, and the captivity from the evil one will come to an end in the ministry of Jesus.

This ministry continues in the mission of the Church. Paul reminds the early Christian community that in baptism we are brought into the ministry of Jesus and we all perform specific functions within the body of Christ. Just as a body has many parts that perform separate functions to make the entire body work well, so the Church has many ministries that have specific functions to make the body of Christ work well. What unites all the ministries is the mission of Jesus that is our mission: we are sent to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom from oppression, and to bring good news to the poor.

The mission of the Church - the mission of Jesus - is to every person and to the whole person. Our mission is both material - providing for the poor and the needs of others - and to the spirit - to liberate people from sin. As Pope John Paul II noted in his first encyclical Redemptor Hominis, "In Christ and through Christ God has revealed himself fully to mankind and has definitively drawn close to it; at the same time, in Christ and through Christ man has acquired full awareness of his dignity, of the heights to which he is raised, of the surpassing worth of his own humanity, and of the meaning of his existence. All of us who are Christ's followers must therefore meet and unite around him. This unity in the various fields of the life, tradition, structures, and discipline of the individual Christian Churches and ecclesial communities cannotbe brought about without effective work aimed at getting to know each other and removing the obstacles blocking the way to perfect unity. However, we can and must immediately reach and display to the world our unity in proclaiming the mystery of Christ, in revealing the divine dimension and also the human dimension of the Redemption, and in struggling with unwearying perseverance for the dignity of each human being has reached and continually reach in Christ, namely the dignity of both the grace of divine adoption and the inner truth of humanity, a truth which - if in the common awareness of the modern world it has been given such fundamental importance - for us is still clearer in the light of the reality that is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the stable principle and fixed centre of the mission that God himself has entrusted to man. We must all share in this mission and concentrate all our forces on it, since it is more necessary than ever and, in spite of the opposition, more awaited than ever" (#11).

May we go forth inspired by the prayer of the liturgy: "Almighty Father, the love you offer always exceeds the furthest expression of our human longing, for you are greater than the human heart. Direct each thought, each effort of our life, so that the limits of our faults and weaknesses may not obscure the vision of your glory or keep us from the peace you have promised. We ask this through Christ our Lord."

Do Whatever He Tells You - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

2010-01-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today we begin the season of Ordinary Time, a Sunday in which we can find a theme for the entire liturgical year and the entire Christian life. In the Gospel we find such an overarching theme, spoken by the mother of Jesus: "Do whatever he tells you."

The first reading from Isaiah was written after the Israelites had returned from the Babylonian captivity. The hopes and expectations that they had in earlier prophetic works regarding their return were soon dashed at the daunting tasks that awaited them in Israel. The reality of return and rebuilding did not meet the expectations they had imagined. The prophet then provides the people with the true purpose of their expectations: in the Messianic age to come. The Messianic age was pictured as a wedding feast, the image of love when a bride comes together with her groom in complete love and joy. In that time, the relationship between God and his people will be transformed from one of servitude to one of spousal love.

The Gospel text provides us with the fulfillment of that Messianic expectation. John situates the beginning of Jesus' public ministry at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. The region of Galilee suffered the most under Roman occupation, and thus the poverty and hardship of the people here was more severe. Thus, when the wine runs out at the wedding feast few people are surprised. However, what is surprising is the resolution to the problem. Mary points out the problem to Jesus without asking for anything, then advises everyone to do whatever he tells you. At first, Jesus is reluctant to intervene, since it was not his hour, i.e. the time for his death and resurrection which is the full realization of the Messianic expectation.

Yet, in a sense, this time was his hour, for the entire life and ministry of Jesus was a redemptive act. In fact, Pope John Paul II saw in this story a redemptive act in minature. "At Cana in Galilee there is shown only one aspect of human need, apparently a tiny one of little importance: 'They have no wine'. But it has symbolic value: this coming to the aid of human needs means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of Christ's Messianic mission and salvific power. Thus, there is a mediation. Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs, and sufferings. In her position as mother, she puts herself 'in the middle', that is to say, she acts as a mediatrix, not as an outsider. She knows that in this way she can point out to her Son the needs of mankind, and in fact, she has the right to do so" (Redemptoris Mater, #20).

In our ministry as Christians, it is our obligation to care for the needs of mankind, no matter how small, and to bring them into the radius of Jesus' ministry and power. We have the right and obligation as baptized faithful to mediate these situations with genuine human concern and at the same time a profound spiritual outlook that transforms the ordinary into an encounter with the living God. Indeed, the Church today reminds us of that mission by providing us with the responsorial Psalm that bids us to "proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations". What is more, the second reading from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians provides us with all the various gifts God provides to us through the Holy Spirit, gifts we are obliged to use on behalf of others. These readings remind us that liturgy and sacramental life are not ends in themselves, but rather they are first means to an end so that we may minister to the world as Christ did, and secondly they point us to the invisible reality they signify, the heavenly Jerusalem and fullness of life with God.

May we go forth inspired by the readings, all they command, and with the opening prayer from the Mass in our hearts: Almighty and ever present Father, your watchful care reaches from end to end and orders all things in such power that even the tensions and tragedies of sin cannot frustrate your loving plans. Help us to embrace your will, give us the strength to follow your call, so that your truth may live in our hearts and reflect peace to those who believe in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

You Are My Beloved Son - Baptism of the Lord Year C

2010-01-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

There are a variety of misunderstandings regarding the sacrament of baptism. One such misunderstanding is that baptism is the culmination of the spiritual life. “I am baptized, my sins are forgiven, and I am saved. There is no further obligation on my part,” people think. The readings for our feast today dispel this notion rather bluntly.

The first reading from Isaiah is not merely a description of the Suffering Servant or the future Messiah, but rather it is a call to discipleship. “I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” Every single person is called by God to perform the works of justice in the world.

The Gospel reading confirms the message of the first reading. While we can clearly see the fulfillment of the Messianic expectation from Isaiah in Jesus, nevertheless the words of God the Father spoken to Jesus are words addressed to us at our baptism as well: “You are my beloved son. On you my favor rests.” We must remember that immediately after Jesus is baptized, the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan, and then Jesus begins his public ministry. For Jesus, baptism was not the end of the road, but the beginning of his public ministry.

The same is true for Christians of every age. In our own time, the Second Vatican Council has reminded us of our baptismal obligations in no uncertain terms: “They are mistaken who, knowing that we have here no abiding city but seek the one which is to come, think that they may therefore shirk their earthly responsibilities. For they are forgetting that by the faith itself they are more obliged than ever to measure up to these duties, each according to his proper vocation. Nor, on the contrary, are they any less wide of the mark who think that religion consists in acts of worship alone and in the discharge of certain moral obligations, and who imagine they can plunge themselves into earthly affairs in such a way as to imply that these are altogether divorced from the religious life….The Christian who neglects his temporal duties, neglects his duties toward his neighbor and even God, jeopardizes his eternal salvation” (Gaudium et Spes #43).

The entire focus of the Christian life is to imitate Christ and to become Christ in all we say, do, and think. Our baptism, therefore, must imitate that of Christ’s. Jesus’ baptism led him to battle with the devil, to care for the poor and the sick, to lead people to reject sin and live for God and others, and to ultimately die for others. The Psalm today proclaims, “The Lord will bless his people with peace.” That promise can only become a reality if we conform our lives to Christ and live and die as Jesus lived and died, for it is only a heart in union with God and devoted to imitating Christ that can experience such peace.

The Church’s ritual of baptism highlights these obligations for the Christian. For most of us these words were spoken to us as infants, so let us conclude our meditation with some of the duties proclaimed to us in the baptism ritual: “This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He is to walk always as a child of the light. May he keep the flame of faith alive in his heart (#100). The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father (#101). Through baptism and confirmation, make him your faithful follower and a witness to your gospel (#84).”

Fourth Sunday in Advent - Year C

2009-12-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

“I Come to Do Your Will, O God”

As we arrive at the final days of Advent, a season of expectation, we would do well to ask ourselves, “What have we been waiting for?” The question is a fair one, given the fact that Jesus has already been born incarnate two-thousand years ago, and we know neither the day nor the hour of his second coming. How can we expect an event that has already occurred or an event whose coming is clouded in unknowing?

The answer lies in the fact that while Jesus has been born incarnate centuries ago, he has yet to be born in our hearts and lives today. Every Christian has to make the message of the incarnation his or her own. Today’s readings make that fact abundantly clear. In each case we meet a humble person or place who has received the message of receiving the Messiah. Bethlehem, the lowliest place, will become the location for the Messiah’s coming in the first reading from the prophet Micah. St. Paul summarizes the entire prophetic tradition of Israel in today’s second reading: God desires not sacrifices and offerings, but a will entirely devoted to Him.

The Gospel reading presents us with the one human being who exemplifies this lesson of the first two readings. The Blessed Virgin Mary accepted the will of God completely in her life and became the Mother of God. She brought forth the incarnate Word of God into the world. Yet, when she received this message, Mary did not exalt in her own gift, but immediately set out to visit and serve her cousin Elizabeth. Mary brought forth Christ in the flesh and in her deeds for others.

That example of Mary provides us with our own goal for the Advent and Christmas season. The Lord Jesus must be born in our hearts and we must bring him forth into the world through our words and deeds. The authentic Christian life is one that incarnates Christ again in the world by corresponding to God’s grace, surrendering to God’s will, and performing the deeds of justice, love, and mercy. The angel did not ask Mary about her theory of God or any other proposition. Instead, she was asked to surrender to God’s will and to make Christ present to the world. That is the duty of every Christian. As Pope Benedict XVI stated in reference to the final judgment parable of Matthew 25, “In this parable, the judge does not ask what kind of theory a person held about God and the world. He is not asking about a confession of dogma, solely about love. That is enough, and it saves a man. Whoever loves is a Christian. However great the temptation may be for theologians to quibble about this statement, to provide it with ifs and buts, notwithstanding: we may and should accept it in all its sublimity and simplicity, quite unconditionally – just as the Lord posited it” (What it Means to be Christian, p. 68-69).

The real tragedy of the Advent and Christmas season isn’t over whether a person says “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”, or whether public nativity displays will be allowed or whether kids can sing Christmas carols in public schools. The great tragedy will be that we failed to allow Christ to be born in our hearts and into the world through our deeds of justice, love, and mercy. Let us beg for this grace so that the real meaning of Christmas may be forthcoming and we fulfill our human vocation. May our prayer be that of St. Ambrose: “O Mary, you did not doubt, you believed and received the just reward of your faith. ‘Blessed are you that have believed.’ But we too are blessed because we have heard and have believed: every soul that believes, conceives and begets the word of God, and recognizes his works. O Mary, obtain for each of us your spirit of glorifying the Lord; that each of us may have your spirit of rejoicing in God. Through you alone are Mother of Christ physically, yet through faith Christ is begotten by all; help me, O Mary, to receive within me the Word of God” (St. Ambrose, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, II, 26).

Why Rejoice?

2009-12-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called “Gaudete” Sunday based on the Latin word that is the first word of today’s entrance antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always!” In the midst of the penitential season of Advent and as we approach the darkest day of the year at the Winter Solstice, the Church encourages us to rejoice. Why on earth should we be rejoicing at this particular time? Once again, the readings chosen for the day provide us with the answer.

The first reading from the prophet Zephaniah is a cheerful passage in the midst of a prophetic book that is otherwise quite dour. The prophet Zephaniah appears in Judah before the Babylonian captivity to warn the people of Israel to stop worshipping false gods and to repent of the injustices they are committing against others. In the midst of that warning comes this passage about rejoicing, even though God’s judgment is imminent upon Israel. He urges the people to rejoice in Israel’s future deliverance because “the king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.” The age of the Messiah will bring forth this confidence: God is with us, and we must rejoice because God is present, even in the darkest hour.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written while Paul was in prison, and yet he urges the Christian community to rejoice because “the Lord himself is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds.” The Lord is near not in the sense of his second coming, but rather because God is spiritually and physically near to us in all our needs. Why, then, should we fear anything? Very often we are afraid because we have looked for happiness in things that cannot really make us happy. As the spiritual writer Francis Fernandez states, “We need a firm foundation for our happiness. It cannot depend exclusively on changeable circumstance like good news, good health, peace and quiet, enough money to bring up the family comfortably and having all the material possessions we would like. All these things are good in themselves if they do not separate us from God, but they are unable to provide us with real happiness” (In Conversation with God, vol. 1, p. 115).

The Gospel reading provides us with a group of people who had a comfortable life and then some. From a material point of view, the tax collectors who come to John the Baptist had it good, and yet we find them coming to John looking for authentic happiness. John urges those who come to him to practice the deeds of justice and mercy in preparation for the coming Messiah who will bring judgment upon his arrival. Luke states that John “preached the good news to the people.” The Greek word for “good news” was used by secular rulers to denote messages of salvation from secular rulers and the Roman emperor. In adopting this term to denote the message and work of Jesus the Messiah, the New Testament writers again challenge the structures of the day: salvation and peace – good news – come only from God through Jesus the Messiah, not from the secular realm.

As we await the coming of the Messiah at Christmas, let us remember that he is already near and present to us. We need not fear as we practice the works of justice and mercy in our world that needs them so desperately. If we have not been as diligent in those practices, now is the time to begin. Let us conclude our reflection with words from the theologian Karl Rahner, “For the Lord has come and yet he is still coming. He is already here, but is in our midst, still, as the hidden God; and so we are still men who have no lasting city here, pilgrims between time and eternity, men who must still await God’s coming, men who keep Advent even at Christmastime and must remember that we are still at the beginnings, still on pilgrimage; that we must make our way through time, amid sorrow and distress, but with a heart full of faith, toward the eternal light that still awaits us. What this means is that eternity is not yet here. But it does not mean that we must not cherish the light that is already lit, and it does not mean that we ought to turn our backs upon this world. It means that we ought not to neglect the other light…You are here. You are the Lord of my faith, you are my strength and delight. You are the Christmas in the Advent of my existence” (Biblical Homilies, p. 65, 67).

Second Sunday of Advent - The Road Not Taken

2009-12-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black,

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

(Robert Frost)

The theme for this Sunday's Mass certainly has parallels to this poem from Robert Frost. Both the first reading and the Gospel have to do with preparing and traveling on roads. The historical context of each reading provides us with a rich background for better understanding their theological meaning.

Baruch is writing to the Israelites who are in captivity in Babylon. The nation of Israel has been brought low due to its following of false gods and the injustices they commit against others. The prophet provides a message of hope by envisioning a road back to a restored Israel from their place of captivity. Baruch has no timetable for such an event; only the hope that God would someday restore his people and liberate them from outside oppression and from their sins. Following the road to Jerusalem - the road made by God - is the way of salvation.

The Gospel reading from Luke is situated within a very specific time period offered by the Evangelist. Luke reminds the readers of the oppressive times in which John the Baptist came preaching. The Jewish people were under harsh occupation by the Romans, and they suffered much at the hands of Pilate and Herod. During this time the image of the road had a specific context: only the Romans build roads, and they did so to prepare a way for their army and the coming of the Emperor's reign in a land. The Jewish readers saw these roads being built and knew what those roads brought.

Now, however, John the Baptist comes and proclaims the coming of the Messiah using the prophetic image of the road from Baruch: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his path." The Lord here is not the Roman emperor but the coming Messiah. The message John preaches - and one that Luke reiterates fifty years later - is a direct challenge to the Roman occupation: the peace and salvation of Israel will not come from Roman roads but from the way of the Lord.

Jesus is the Messiah the prophets foretold and expected. If we put aside our false hopes that we put in political leaders and place that hope in Christ, we will find the blessings of the promised Messianic age. These blessings Paul prays for in the new Christian community: "that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception to discern what is of value so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."

What road will we choose to travel upon? Will we choose the popular road of worldly expectations and political messiahs, or will we choose the road less traveled by, the road upon which Christ traveled to Calvary where we find our salvation and our hope? May our prayer be that of St. Augustine's: "Only one thing do I ask, only one thing, I say, do I desire: that you scorn not the works of your hand. Preserve me in your good work, not mine; because by looking at mine you may condemn me; looking at yours, you will give me a crown. Since whatever is good in me all comes to me from you, it is therefore more yours than mine...Through your goodness I have been saved by means of faith, not through any merit of mine, but through your gift; not in virtue of my works lest I become proud. I am your creature, fashioned by your grace together with my good works" (St. Augustine, Commentary on the Psalms, 137, 18).

First Sunday of Advent - What Difference Does Christ Make?

2009-11-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today's first reading offers us the promise of the future Messiah. When he comes, "Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure." All the promises of the future Messiah point to a time of peace, prosperity, justice, and love. As Catholics we believe that Jesus is that long awaited Messiah, and yet we do not see peace, prosperity, or justice. Instead, we find the same wars, poverty, and injustice that ruled the earth prior to and during the time of Jesus. We are left asking, in the words of an old TV commercial: "Where's the love, man?"

The words of Jesus in today's Gospel reading provide us with no answers to our problem. Here again, Jesus paints a gloomy picture of the end times, and yet the description of those times could very well describe just about any historical time period. What is unique about these calamities and signs when we see such things everyday? How can we possibly distinguish the end times from any other time?

When he was a priest in Munster, Germany, Pope Benedict XVI preached a series of sermons on the Advent season to university students there. One of his reflections is relevant to our present meditiation: "What really torments us today, what bothers us much more is the inefficacy of Christianity: after two thousand years of Christian history, we can see nothing that might be a new reality in the world; rather, we find it sunk in the same old horrors, the same despair, and the same hopes as ever. And in our own lives, too, we inevitably experience time and again how Christian reality is powerless against all the other forces that influence us and make demands on us. And if, after our labor and efforts to live on the basis of what is Christian, we draw up the final balance sheet, then often enough the feeling comes over us that the reality has been taken away from us, dissolved, and all that remains in the end is just an appeal to the feeble light of our good will" (What it Means to be Christian, Ignatius, 2006).

The answer lies in the person of Jesus himself. The Messianic promise is fulfilled in the person of Jesus, who found peace in the midst of depravity and violence. The teachings of Jesus were complemented by the example of Jesus, who showed us through his life how to live in the world. It is in imitating Jesus and abandoning ourselves entirely to God that the Messianic promise comes true in our own lives. The promises of the Messianic prophecies and the description of the end times are simultaneous messages that we must appropriate in our own lives and in our own times. That promise is for us now, not just back then, and the warnings about the end times are for us now and not just back then.

Today's second reading brings to light what should be the attitude of the Christian who lives in expectation: "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen our hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ...as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God - you do so even more."

Let our prayer for this Advent be that of St. Ambrose: "Of what use is it to me, who am mindful of my sins, if you come, O Lord, and yet do not come into my soul and into my spirit; if you, O Christ, do not live in me, nor speak within me? It is to me that you must come, for me that your coming advent must become a reality. Your second coming, O Lord, will take place at the end of the world; then we shall be able to say: For me the world has been crucified and I for the world. O see to it, Lord, that the end of the world finds me occupied with heaven. Then, wisdom, virtue, and justice, and the redemption will all become truly present for me. O Christ, you indeed died but once for the sins of your people, but with the purpose of ransoming them every day from their sins" (St. Ambrose, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 10: 7-8).

Are You a King?

2009-11-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

We arrive at the culmination of the liturgical year with the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King. Many people might question the purpse of this feast, since kings aren't rulers of nations any longer. How can modern people understand the meaning of the title if we do not have kings any longer. However, the readings for the day present us with a complete picture of what the Church means in ascribing this title to Jesus, a title that can be understood in any time and place.

The first reading from Daniel is an expectation of a future Messiah. Daniel is writing to a community of Jews oppressed by foreign kings, and they find themselves in this situation due to the unfaithfulness of Israel's kings. Daniel sets his sights on a future king who possesses ultimate power, whose rule is not just for Jews but for all people, and whose rule shall never end. This hope is that of the entire people of Israel in Daniel's time, a desire that grows over the years until the coming of Jesus, in whom Christians see as the fulfillment of this hope.

In the second reading from the book of Revelation, we encounter a description similar to that in Daniel. The author deliberately makes this connection for his audience, who are experiencing the trials of the Roman persecution. The Roman Empire claimed to have ultimate power, universal rule over all peoples, and boasted that their rule would never end. This passage from Revelation is a direct challenge to the claims of the empire and a profession of faith in Jesus, in whom we find our hope and strength against the powers of the world.

The Venerable Bede, the early Church father, points out that in rejecting the earthly kingdom and establishing the kingdom of God on earth as a foretaste of the kingdom to come, Jesus anoints the subjects of his kingdom as priests who must offer themselves as a sacrifice for others just as Christ did for us: "Since the King of Kings and the celestial Priest united us to his own body by offering himself up for us, there is no one of the saints who is spiritually deprived of the office of the priesthood, since everyone is a member of the eternal Priest" (Bede, Explanation of the Apocalypse, 1.6).

The kingship of Christ is something Pilate cannot possibly comprehend, as we see in today's Gospel. The kingdom of Jesus does not belong to this world, it is not about fighting military wars with earthly rulers. Instead, the kingship of Christ is one of truth, and the subjects of Jesus' kingdom are those who belong to the truth. The kingdom of Jesus will indeed face violence and opposition from worldly kingdoms because they are built upon falsehood. The kingdsoms of the world in every age claim to save us from war, poverty, and the like, but those claims are always and everywhere lies designed to enslave human beings. Again, it is only Jesus who can bring salvation and truth to our lives: that is the fundamental message of this feast day. We await the fulness of Jesus' kingdom that exists on earth as a promise of the one for which we pray: thy kingdom come!

Jesus proclaims his kingship right before mounting the cross, the throne from which he reigns. If we wish to be his subjects, we must be crucified as well. Let us close our meditation with a reflection from a famous theologian of the 20th century who offered this thought and prayer for this feast day thus: "We must bear witness to this truth by what we sacrifice and what we venture. We must want to be witnesses to Christ and subjects of his kingdom, and have the courage to accept abasement. Right and truth are not necessarily what seems noble and glorious, what the world will accept and heartily applaud. No, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not comprehended it. In us too there is darkness. That shrinking from the light is part of our own heart, and so Jesus the man of sorrows stands before us and says to us: 'Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.' Without making pronouncements about the Church and her power, without thinking of the Church in terms of party politics, could we not make room in our hearts and say: Disperse the darkness of my heart and allow your truth - which is humility, faithfulness, hoping against hope, blessed truth - to be in me, so that your power may triumph by drawing everything to you, as you hang there, lifted up upon the cross, even my poor heart" (Karl Rahner S.J., Biblical Homilies, "There Stands Truth", Feast of Christ the King 1958).

The Great Parousia

2009-11-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church provides us with readings designed to have us consider a topic we would rather not think about. The end of our lives and the end of the world are not cheerful topics, but they are both realities with which we have to face. The way a person approaches these realities determines their outlook on a great many things in life, as well as their final outcome in the life to come.

The first reading from Daniel and the Gospel reading from Mark present us with a stark picture of the end of time. Unsurpassed distress and great tribulations will define these times. We have to remember that these readings are a specific type of literature to ancient times known as apocalyptic. The purpose of writing apocalyptic was not to instill fear or even to determine the specific time of destruction. Rather, authors use this literary device to encourage their readers to remain faithful to the way of the Lord and to persevere during difficult times. Apocalyptic literature, then, was really a message of hope written for an audience experiencing great trial.

In the case of Daniel, the author of that work was encouraging the Jewish community experiencing persecution at the hand of pagan occupying forces in Israel at the time. Daniel is referring to those specific historical instances and uses them as a backdrop for a larger apocalyptic of cosmic proportions. Those who lead others to justice will be rewarded, while those who committed injustice will finally receive punishment for their crimes.

Similarly, the Gospel of Mark was written during the time of the Roman invasion of Judea. The holy city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and the great Temple was razed. This event caused great distress to the early Christian community which was still intimately tied to their Jewish roots. With such calamitous events occurring, the early Christian community to whom Mark was writing expected Jesus to come very soon. Mark employs apocalyptic to encourage his community in the midst of these trials.

The writers of the New Testament used the Greek word “parousia” to refer to the final coming of Jesus. This term was used to describe the solemn entry of the Emperor into a city or province. He would then be declared the savior of that territory. These triumphal arrivals were usually the occasion for feasting and the beginning of a new calendar. (cf. M. Schmaus, Dogmatic Theology, VII, p. 134) The New Testament writers, then, were making a direct challenge to the political establishment of their time: it is Jesus alone who can bring us victory and peace. Jesus alone is our savior and upon his return will we feast, but not before. We cannot accept a political leader as our savior or a political program as our gospel.

Intimately connected with awaiting the coming of Jesus was the full establishment of the kingdom of God, a kingdom that exists now on earth, but serves as a sign of the one that exists fully in heaven. There, Jesus waits as our high priest, as Paul notes in the second reading, since he has already forgiven our sins. As Pope Paul VI noted, “The kingdom of God, which had its beginnings here on earth in the Church of Christ, is not of this world, whose form is passing, and that its authentic development cannot be measured by the progress of civilization, of science, or of technology. The true growth of the kingdom of God consists in an ever-deepening knowledge of the unfathomable riches of Christ, in ever-stronger hope of eternal blessings, in an ever more fervent response to the love of God, and in an ever more generous acceptance of grace and holiness by men” (Pope Paul VI, Credo of the People of God, 27).

As we await with joy the coming of Jesus and the fulfillment of the kingdom of God, let our prayer be the joyful refrain from the responsorial psalm: “O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed….You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.”

The Royal Priesthood of Christ

2009-11-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

"The Lord keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,

gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets captives free."

At first glance, the first reading and the Gospel reading for this Sunday do not reflect the sentiment expressed in the passage from the Responsorial Psalm that accompanies them. The first reading for today's Mass depicts a widow in Zeraphath who is suffering from the severe famine on the land. The woman has only enough materials to make one more meal for herself and her son. Once this food is exhausted, they will not have any other way of obtaining food, and thus they will die like many others did in the famine. Yet the prophet Elijah, a foreigner, comes to her asking for food. Is this not unjust? How could the prophet of God ask for food in the midst of famine, realizing she is a widow with a son and no means to support themselves? Nevertheless, the widow readily provides the prophet with food.

The same thought might occur to us as we read today's Gospel where Jesus praises the widow who gives all she has to the Temple treasury. Surely the Temple treasury has no need of such an insignificant amount. What is more, it is the Temple and the entire institution of Judaism that ought to be supporting the widow in her need. Jesus, in fact, condemns the entire system for their mistreatment of widows and orphans just before we encounter the widow in the Temple. How, then, can she be praised for her offering? Yet, the widow makes her humble offering without complaint.

The answer lies in our second reading for this Sunday. Paul continues to reflect upon the priesthood of Jesus Christ, an office to which every follower of Jesus enters at baptism. A priest is commissioned to offer sacrifice, adn the Christian priesthood imitates the priesthood of Christ, who offered himself for the entire human race. Our priesthood, then, is to offer ourselves for others as Jesus did. As Pope John Paul II reminds us in a sermon he gave on these readings, "Our humble offering may be insignificant in itself, like the oil of the widow of Zarapheth or the coins of the poor widow in the Temple. Yet our offering becomes pleasing in the eyes of God thanks to our union with Jesus" (John Paul II, Homily in Barcelona, November 7, 1982).

Everyday life provides us with endless opportunities to exercise our common priesthood of offering ourselves for others. I remember teaching religion to sixth graders at a Catholic school in Plano, TX years ago. Kids often invite many people to their home for the celebration of their birthday, expecting and receiving presents aplenty. One year there was a student in my class who was turning twelve and he invited every0ne in the class to his party. However, he placed a condition on all those who attended: Do not bring a present for me, but instead bring the amount you would have spent on a present for me and give it to our church's sister parish in Honduras. That one selfless act taught us all a great deal about our faith that year, for in that moment he exercised his royal priesthood and offered himself for others.

The point of the readings for today is to focus our attention on what is really important. There are a great many injustices in the world regardless of what time in history we may be living. No doubt we have an obligation to stand against injustice at every turn, but the Gospel is not meant to pit one class against another, one race against another, one gender against another. The heroes of our readings today are two women of different ethnicity and time period. They did not wallow in self pity or engage in class warfare. They remembered the needs of others before their own needs. These women loved their neighbor as themselves. They were participating in the priesthood of Christ and offered themselves for others.

May our lives imitate their lives and the life of Christ, and may our prayer ever be today's opening prayer: "Almighty Father, strong is your justice and great is your mercy. Protect us in the burdens and challenges of life. Shield our minds from the distortion of pride and enfold our desire with the beauty of truth. Help us to become more aware of your loving design so that we may more willingly give our lives in service to all."

Reinventing our Blog

2009-11-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Our Human Rights Blog will adopt a new outlook. Each week we will post a reflection for the upcoming Sunday readings in the liturgical year. By reflecting on the liturgical cycle instead of the news cycle, we can perhaps discern God's will more clearly as we experience these scripture readings in contrast to all that goes on around us in the world.