Sunday, June 12, 2005
LUKE 15:1-10
Fr. John Powell, S.J. in his book Happiness is an Inside Job, relates a true story from a letter written by a young woman, who had lived "an evil life for many years."
One day she had decided to end her life. She figured her life was a failure, and there was no point prolonging it. So, she went down to the ocean. She would swim out as far as she could and then let nature do the rest.
Before swimming out into the ocean however, she walked along the deserted beach to say her tearful good-byes to the world.
But as she walked along she heard a clear and distinct voice, which told her to "stop, turn around, and look down." When she did this, all she could see were her own footprints on the sand. Then she watched as the ocean waves rushed in and washed out her footprints.
Again, she heard the voice speak to her, saying: "Just as you see the waves of the ocean washing away your footprints on the sand, so has my love and mercy erased all your past. I am calling you to live and to love, not to die." By instinct she knew it was the voice of God. That event was the turning point in her life.
This letter from the young woman is an eloquent testimony to what Jesus tells us in today's Gospel.
The Gospel finds Jesus surrounded by tax collectors and the so-called sinners. To share a meal and have conversation while teaching someone is to share your life with them. The Pharisees and scribes considered it a scandal that Jesus, the great prophet, the good rabbi, an upstanding Jew, was sharing his life and table with such as these. The Pharisees' attitude is inspired by the old rabbinical rule: "Let no man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him near to the Law."
Jesus goes right into the midst of sinners to be as close as possible to them, to bring them out of sin and darkness to God. Jesus reveals God as one who goes in search of those who are lost to bring them back. When we understand this setting of the Gospel, we can then see the context of today's beautiful parables.
God as the Shepherd never gives up looking for us. Some men will spend their whole lives escaping from God, in the "distraction" of ideologies, money, power, pleasure, noise, pastimes, science, honors, war – in a word, everything we can think of, for everything can serve as a shield between God and us when we want to avoid meeting him face to face. However, there is fortunately always a part of us, which is not satisfied and feebly cries for God. He never fails to hear this plaintive call of the wounded heart.
In the first half of the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus is saying that God always forgives us after we sin. Jesus is saying even more. He's saying that God not only forgives us when we sin, but also treats us afterward as if we hadn't sinned.
This is clear from the three things the father does in today's parable. First, he embraces his son. Embracing the boy shows that the father welcomes him back fully. He withholds no sign of affection from him.
Second, the father puts shoes on his son's feet. Putting shoes on the boy shows that the father forgives him fully. In biblical times, shoes were the sign of a free person. Slaves went barefoot. Putting shoes on his son's bare feet takes away the sign that says the boy is somebody's slave and gives back the sign that says he's somebody's son.
Finally, the father gives his son a ring. Putting a ring on the boy's finger shows that the father restores him fully to the status he had before he ran away. For, undoubtedly, the ring was a signet ring, containing the family seal. To have it meant to have the power to act in the family's name.
And so, the embrace, the shoes, and the ring show that the father welcomes back his son totally, forgives him fully, and restores him completely to the status before he ran away. This brings us to the second half of the parable. It deals with the older son. It contrasts the father's lavish forgiveness with the older son's lack of forgiveness. The older son won't come into the house to celebrate, even though the father begs him to come in.
The parable ends without telling us what the older son did. Did he eventually come in and celebrate? Or, did he stay outside and sulk?
The reason Jesus doesn't tell us what the older son did is because of who the two sons stand for. The older son stands for the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' time. The younger son stands for the sinners and outcasts of the time.
The outcasts and sinners are responding to Jesus' call to repent. Jesus, in turn, is forgiving them – even celebrating with them. And this angers the scribes and Pharisees. They think sinners should be punished, not forgiven.
And so Jesus tells his parable in such a way that each scribe and Pharisee must write his own ending to the story. Each realizes he is the older brother and must decide whether to forgive his younger brother and to celebrate or not.
What does all this say to us today? It says two things. First, God will always forgive us after we sin. Jesus tells us that God is a loving parent. He knows us and our sinfulness. In spite of this, God loves us infinitely more than we love ourselves. And God is more eager to forgive us than we are to ask for it.
This is the message we all need to hear over and over again. As we hear it over and over again, hopefully, the day will dawn when we will understand and realize it – not just in our head but also in our heart.
And the day we do this is the day when, like the young woman in our story, we will hear the same voice she heard – a voice saying: "Just as you see the waves of the ocean washing away your footprints on the sand, so has my love and mercy erased all your past. I am calling you to live and to love, not to die."
Instinctively, too, we will know what the young woman knew: that it was the voice of a loving God speaking to us in the depths of our heart.
Second, it says that we should forgive others as God has forgiven us. We should receive them back, with full welcome, full forgiveness, and full restoration to their former status. That's the way Jesus treated Peter after Peter denied him on Holy Thursday night. Jesus not only forgave Peter, but restored him to his original status as "the rock" upon which he would build his Church.
Jesus could have told Peter: "Peter, I had great plans for you, but you blew it, you flunk the test! I'll forgive you, Peter, but you'll have to be demoted to a lesser position, because you failed not only once but three times!" But Jesus didn't do that. He treated Peter as if he had never sinned.
This is also the way we should treat those, who sin against us. We should forgive them and take them back into our hearts with the same generous love that God shows us.
Let's close with a prayer:
Lord, show me your mercy
And fill my heart with your forgiving love.
I am the younger son
Who ran away and has returned home.
Thank you for receiving me back. I am also the older son
Who finds it hard to forgive my brothers and sisters
as you forgave them.
Touch my heart with your forgiving love.
Then, when I fall asleep in death,
I will awaken in your presence to enjoy your forgiveness forever,
Together with those brothers and sisters
Whom I too have forgiven.
Amen.
One day she had decided to end her life. She figured her life was a failure, and there was no point prolonging it. So, she went down to the ocean. She would swim out as far as she could and then let nature do the rest.
Before swimming out into the ocean however, she walked along the deserted beach to say her tearful good-byes to the world.
But as she walked along she heard a clear and distinct voice, which told her to "stop, turn around, and look down." When she did this, all she could see were her own footprints on the sand. Then she watched as the ocean waves rushed in and washed out her footprints.
Again, she heard the voice speak to her, saying: "Just as you see the waves of the ocean washing away your footprints on the sand, so has my love and mercy erased all your past. I am calling you to live and to love, not to die." By instinct she knew it was the voice of God. That event was the turning point in her life.
This letter from the young woman is an eloquent testimony to what Jesus tells us in today's Gospel.
The Gospel finds Jesus surrounded by tax collectors and the so-called sinners. To share a meal and have conversation while teaching someone is to share your life with them. The Pharisees and scribes considered it a scandal that Jesus, the great prophet, the good rabbi, an upstanding Jew, was sharing his life and table with such as these. The Pharisees' attitude is inspired by the old rabbinical rule: "Let no man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him near to the Law."
Jesus goes right into the midst of sinners to be as close as possible to them, to bring them out of sin and darkness to God. Jesus reveals God as one who goes in search of those who are lost to bring them back. When we understand this setting of the Gospel, we can then see the context of today's beautiful parables.
God as the Shepherd never gives up looking for us. Some men will spend their whole lives escaping from God, in the "distraction" of ideologies, money, power, pleasure, noise, pastimes, science, honors, war – in a word, everything we can think of, for everything can serve as a shield between God and us when we want to avoid meeting him face to face. However, there is fortunately always a part of us, which is not satisfied and feebly cries for God. He never fails to hear this plaintive call of the wounded heart.
In the first half of the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus is saying that God always forgives us after we sin. Jesus is saying even more. He's saying that God not only forgives us when we sin, but also treats us afterward as if we hadn't sinned.
This is clear from the three things the father does in today's parable. First, he embraces his son. Embracing the boy shows that the father welcomes him back fully. He withholds no sign of affection from him.
Second, the father puts shoes on his son's feet. Putting shoes on the boy shows that the father forgives him fully. In biblical times, shoes were the sign of a free person. Slaves went barefoot. Putting shoes on his son's bare feet takes away the sign that says the boy is somebody's slave and gives back the sign that says he's somebody's son.
Finally, the father gives his son a ring. Putting a ring on the boy's finger shows that the father restores him fully to the status he had before he ran away. For, undoubtedly, the ring was a signet ring, containing the family seal. To have it meant to have the power to act in the family's name.
And so, the embrace, the shoes, and the ring show that the father welcomes back his son totally, forgives him fully, and restores him completely to the status before he ran away. This brings us to the second half of the parable. It deals with the older son. It contrasts the father's lavish forgiveness with the older son's lack of forgiveness. The older son won't come into the house to celebrate, even though the father begs him to come in.
The parable ends without telling us what the older son did. Did he eventually come in and celebrate? Or, did he stay outside and sulk?
The reason Jesus doesn't tell us what the older son did is because of who the two sons stand for. The older son stands for the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' time. The younger son stands for the sinners and outcasts of the time.
The outcasts and sinners are responding to Jesus' call to repent. Jesus, in turn, is forgiving them – even celebrating with them. And this angers the scribes and Pharisees. They think sinners should be punished, not forgiven.
And so Jesus tells his parable in such a way that each scribe and Pharisee must write his own ending to the story. Each realizes he is the older brother and must decide whether to forgive his younger brother and to celebrate or not.
What does all this say to us today? It says two things. First, God will always forgive us after we sin. Jesus tells us that God is a loving parent. He knows us and our sinfulness. In spite of this, God loves us infinitely more than we love ourselves. And God is more eager to forgive us than we are to ask for it.
This is the message we all need to hear over and over again. As we hear it over and over again, hopefully, the day will dawn when we will understand and realize it – not just in our head but also in our heart.
And the day we do this is the day when, like the young woman in our story, we will hear the same voice she heard – a voice saying: "Just as you see the waves of the ocean washing away your footprints on the sand, so has my love and mercy erased all your past. I am calling you to live and to love, not to die."
Instinctively, too, we will know what the young woman knew: that it was the voice of a loving God speaking to us in the depths of our heart.
Second, it says that we should forgive others as God has forgiven us. We should receive them back, with full welcome, full forgiveness, and full restoration to their former status. That's the way Jesus treated Peter after Peter denied him on Holy Thursday night. Jesus not only forgave Peter, but restored him to his original status as "the rock" upon which he would build his Church.
Jesus could have told Peter: "Peter, I had great plans for you, but you blew it, you flunk the test! I'll forgive you, Peter, but you'll have to be demoted to a lesser position, because you failed not only once but three times!" But Jesus didn't do that. He treated Peter as if he had never sinned.
This is also the way we should treat those, who sin against us. We should forgive them and take them back into our hearts with the same generous love that God shows us.
Let's close with a prayer:
Lord, show me your mercy
And fill my heart with your forgiving love.
I am the younger son
Who ran away and has returned home.
Thank you for receiving me back. I am also the older son
Who finds it hard to forgive my brothers and sisters
as you forgave them.
Touch my heart with your forgiving love.
Then, when I fall asleep in death,
I will awaken in your presence to enjoy your forgiveness forever,
Together with those brothers and sisters
Whom I too have forgiven.
Amen.
LUKE 6:43-49
The Lord brings his Sermon on the Plain to a close. He says "my words" (i.e., the words I've just spoken in this sermon) are a solid foundation on which you are to build your houses. Build your houses on these my words and no force will succeed in knocking it down, no force will succeed even in shaking it.
We are therefore to build our houses (i.e., to base our lives) on the solid foundation provided by Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Plain. This is what discipleship is, taking Jesus' words seriously. We must be convinced of the truth of Jesus' words and we must recognize the wisdom in them. However . . . this sort of mental and emotional acceptance of Jesus' words is not building our houses on them. It is not discipleship. Discipleship expects that Jesus' words be lived out, that they dictate behavior.
The problem is that many of the words Jesus spoke in this sermon are outrageous: "Blest are you poor; blest are you who hunger and weep; blest will you be when men hate, ostracize and insult you for my sake." "Love your enemies" . . . "do good to those who hate you" . . . "if someone steals your coat, give him your shirt as well" . . . "give to all who beg from you" . . . "be compassionate as your Father is compassionate."
It's hard to believe: is Jesus really serious about this? These outrageous statements: are they to be the foundation on which we're to build our houses, that is, the norms by which we are to live our lives. As I say, it's hard to believe: Jesus really is serious about this.
We are therefore to build our houses (i.e., to base our lives) on the solid foundation provided by Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Plain. This is what discipleship is, taking Jesus' words seriously. We must be convinced of the truth of Jesus' words and we must recognize the wisdom in them. However . . . this sort of mental and emotional acceptance of Jesus' words is not building our houses on them. It is not discipleship. Discipleship expects that Jesus' words be lived out, that they dictate behavior.
The problem is that many of the words Jesus spoke in this sermon are outrageous: "Blest are you poor; blest are you who hunger and weep; blest will you be when men hate, ostracize and insult you for my sake." "Love your enemies" . . . "do good to those who hate you" . . . "if someone steals your coat, give him your shirt as well" . . . "give to all who beg from you" . . . "be compassionate as your Father is compassionate."
It's hard to believe: is Jesus really serious about this? These outrageous statements: are they to be the foundation on which we're to build our houses, that is, the norms by which we are to live our lives. As I say, it's hard to believe: Jesus really is serious about this.
LUKE 6:39-42
The Palestinians of Jesus' day were very casual about unfenced wells, cisterns and quarries. Jesus draws the picture of a foolish blind man who attempts to lead an equally blind companion. They might both fall into a well.
Jesus then draws a second picture, of a person who has a little speck in his eye. A friend is trying to remove the speck but he`s having trouble. His own vision is blocked by a large plank of wood in his eye.
Imagine what a political cartoonist could do with either of these images, caricaturing one of our pompous politicians.
Jesus probably had a gently sarcastic or ironic smile playing about the corners of his mouth, as he told these two little parables. He was using humor to get across a rather serious truth about Christian living.
Some Christians are convinced that God has appointed them teachers to all others Christians. They constantly want to impose their Christianity on others, making of themselves impossible nuisances.
Jesus is saying here, "Don't try t lead another person's life for him or her. You are as blind as the companion you are trying to lead. Do not worry about the speck in your companion's eye. Concentrate on your own glaring faults. Pull that plank out of your own eye.
It's good advice.
Jesus then draws a second picture, of a person who has a little speck in his eye. A friend is trying to remove the speck but he`s having trouble. His own vision is blocked by a large plank of wood in his eye.
Imagine what a political cartoonist could do with either of these images, caricaturing one of our pompous politicians.
Jesus probably had a gently sarcastic or ironic smile playing about the corners of his mouth, as he told these two little parables. He was using humor to get across a rather serious truth about Christian living.
Some Christians are convinced that God has appointed them teachers to all others Christians. They constantly want to impose their Christianity on others, making of themselves impossible nuisances.
Jesus is saying here, "Don't try t lead another person's life for him or her. You are as blind as the companion you are trying to lead. Do not worry about the speck in your companion's eye. Concentrate on your own glaring faults. Pull that plank out of your own eye.
It's good advice.
LUKE 6:27-38
The gospel reading offers us the core of Jesus' teaching. In short sentences, he presents the essence of Christian life, which is love of enemy, doing the extra thing, forgiving as an act of love. It sounds great and it is great. And it would be much greater if all Christians lived out this positive Christian ethic. The world would change dramatically. That the world is what it is now, only shows that over the past two thousand years not enough Christians have lived out the ideal that Jesus presents in today's gospel reading. It is a teaching that makes many exclaim: "Impossible! Absurd!"
Some time ago, a man told me: "A long time ago, my neighbor offended me so much that we did not talk to each other for years. But after listening to a homily about love of enemy and forgiveness, I realized that it is my Christian duty and obligation to forgive and to show my love. I offered him forgiveness, and I must say, I felt so good afterwards."
I asked him how his neighbor reacted. "Oh, he seemed to be ashamed when I shook his hand. Maybe, he felt a bit bad because I was so generous."
This incident made me aware that even when we forgive, we can still make mistakes. Love and forgiveness should never be a duty or an obligation. If love and forgiveness do not come spontaneously from the heart, it is not genuine and could do more harm than good.
Love and forgiveness should never make you feel big-hearted in contrast to the other who is a sinner. When Jesus forgives, and he does it constantly, he does not forgive to feel big-hearted. He does not make us feel miserable because we are sinners. When Jesus forgives, he shows that he believes in us. He forgives so that we are not destroyed by self-hatred or discouragement. He helps us to discover our self-worth. For in spite of our sins, we carry in us the dignity of God's children. In other words, when God forgives, it does not so much make God look good but makes us look good again.
Forgiveness is a kind of loving. It is not considered as fulfilling a duty. This act does not come as easily as it comes to God easily, for God is love. But remembering the love of God we experience day after day, his countless acts of forgiveness, his always doing the extra thing for us, can and should lead us into an act of imitation. I forgive because God does so. I forgive that person because God has forgiven him already. That should make it easy for us to forgive.
Some time ago, a man told me: "A long time ago, my neighbor offended me so much that we did not talk to each other for years. But after listening to a homily about love of enemy and forgiveness, I realized that it is my Christian duty and obligation to forgive and to show my love. I offered him forgiveness, and I must say, I felt so good afterwards."
I asked him how his neighbor reacted. "Oh, he seemed to be ashamed when I shook his hand. Maybe, he felt a bit bad because I was so generous."
This incident made me aware that even when we forgive, we can still make mistakes. Love and forgiveness should never be a duty or an obligation. If love and forgiveness do not come spontaneously from the heart, it is not genuine and could do more harm than good.
Love and forgiveness should never make you feel big-hearted in contrast to the other who is a sinner. When Jesus forgives, and he does it constantly, he does not forgive to feel big-hearted. He does not make us feel miserable because we are sinners. When Jesus forgives, he shows that he believes in us. He forgives so that we are not destroyed by self-hatred or discouragement. He helps us to discover our self-worth. For in spite of our sins, we carry in us the dignity of God's children. In other words, when God forgives, it does not so much make God look good but makes us look good again.
Forgiveness is a kind of loving. It is not considered as fulfilling a duty. This act does not come as easily as it comes to God easily, for God is love. But remembering the love of God we experience day after day, his countless acts of forgiveness, his always doing the extra thing for us, can and should lead us into an act of imitation. I forgive because God does so. I forgive that person because God has forgiven him already. That should make it easy for us to forgive.
MATTHEW 1:1-16, 18-23
The introduction for today's celebration in the Roman Missal writes: "The Church, in keeping a solemn feast for the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrates the dawning of the Redemption over the world when, after a long period of waiting, she who was to be the Mother of our Savior was born. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. Heaven rejoices at her birth. The Lord reserves for her the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice in the certainty that the Mother of God is our Mother too."
God made an "oracle", as recorded in the Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve committed sin in the Garden of Eden and were banished. This "oracle" offered a ray of hope that the relationship of men with God would be restored. It mentions of a "woman who will bear a son and there will be enmity . . . between her seed and the serpent's and his feet will crush the serpent's head." For the people in the past, this statement would appear to be a riddle. All throughout the centuries, a guessing game ensued. Even when the "Virgin" gave birth to the "Emmanuel" no one knew the truth except those whom God had chosen to reveal the Messiah to. Of course, for those who had been given the blessings and grace to be educated on the history and meaning of our Salvation, we are indeed very privileged compared to others in the past.
God had already planned in advance our salvation from imminent "death". Just as Mary had been chosen before her birth to be the Mother of God, God also prepares for the salvation of all people. "I knew you even before you were born." Today's feast helps us be aware of that preparation and our response to it. We are not merely recipients of salvation; like Mary, we are also transmitters. The gospel presents to us the genealogy of Jesus. As we look deeper into the stories of each and every one of Jesus' human ancestors, which includes Abraham and David, we see how God prepares and delivers His people, preserving the transmittal until His final plan would be realized. Through Mary's Immaculate Conception the incarnation of Christ as a human being reminds us that we too had been created in God's Holy image. With this in mind, we are all encouraged to pursue and live out Christ's love because that is what God had meant for us to be.
Have we considered this lately? Have this fact given some purpose and direction to our human existence? Or are we content to live our lives based on how others think we should live?
God made an "oracle", as recorded in the Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve committed sin in the Garden of Eden and were banished. This "oracle" offered a ray of hope that the relationship of men with God would be restored. It mentions of a "woman who will bear a son and there will be enmity . . . between her seed and the serpent's and his feet will crush the serpent's head." For the people in the past, this statement would appear to be a riddle. All throughout the centuries, a guessing game ensued. Even when the "Virgin" gave birth to the "Emmanuel" no one knew the truth except those whom God had chosen to reveal the Messiah to. Of course, for those who had been given the blessings and grace to be educated on the history and meaning of our Salvation, we are indeed very privileged compared to others in the past.
God had already planned in advance our salvation from imminent "death". Just as Mary had been chosen before her birth to be the Mother of God, God also prepares for the salvation of all people. "I knew you even before you were born." Today's feast helps us be aware of that preparation and our response to it. We are not merely recipients of salvation; like Mary, we are also transmitters. The gospel presents to us the genealogy of Jesus. As we look deeper into the stories of each and every one of Jesus' human ancestors, which includes Abraham and David, we see how God prepares and delivers His people, preserving the transmittal until His final plan would be realized. Through Mary's Immaculate Conception the incarnation of Christ as a human being reminds us that we too had been created in God's Holy image. With this in mind, we are all encouraged to pursue and live out Christ's love because that is what God had meant for us to be.
Have we considered this lately? Have this fact given some purpose and direction to our human existence? Or are we content to live our lives based on how others think we should live?
LUKE 6:12-19
Jesus goes up a mountain to spend the entire night in communion with God. He was to choose twelve of his disciples the next day and make them apostles. It was a serious decision he had to make and he needed to draw on his Father's wisdom. He was dead serious about picking the right men.
When you look with hindsight at some of the men he chose, you have to wonder did he actually make contact with his Father that night or was it that the Father not listening to him. Think about these men. Peter denied he ever knew Jesus. James and John: Jesus nicknamed them "sons of thunder." They wanted God to zap and incinerate a whole town with a thunderbolt, because the villagers refused to accept Jesus among them. And then there was doubting Thomas. Nathanael who figured nothing good could ever come out of Nazareth. And Judas, who, today's gospel says, turned traitor. A businessman would probably ask Jesus, "did you ever interview anyone in this crowd?"
The amazing thing in all this is that, with one notable exception, all the men Jesus chose, repented their misdeeds, changed their lifestyles, proclaimed the risen Lord and the kingdom, and testified to the Lord and the kingdom with their blood. Extraordinary!
So Jesus, it seems, made the right choices . . . except for one. Why did God allow Jesus to choose Judas? I guess we'll never be able to answer this question with certitude. None of us has gained admission into God's mind. But we can speculate.
Certainly God offered this position to Judas, hoping he would respond to it as would the rest of the apostles. For all the apostles the call proved to be a grace. They accepted the grace, but ultimately only eleven lived faithful to it. Each of the eleven chose to be faithful, just as Judas chose to be unfaithful. The mystery is not rooted in the swirling mystery that is God, but in the mystery that is the human will, the human soul.
God has called us. Each of us makes decisions day after day after day. We ourselves choose to make these decisions. Our day to day decisions will mark us as faithful or as unfaithful.
When you look with hindsight at some of the men he chose, you have to wonder did he actually make contact with his Father that night or was it that the Father not listening to him. Think about these men. Peter denied he ever knew Jesus. James and John: Jesus nicknamed them "sons of thunder." They wanted God to zap and incinerate a whole town with a thunderbolt, because the villagers refused to accept Jesus among them. And then there was doubting Thomas. Nathanael who figured nothing good could ever come out of Nazareth. And Judas, who, today's gospel says, turned traitor. A businessman would probably ask Jesus, "did you ever interview anyone in this crowd?"
The amazing thing in all this is that, with one notable exception, all the men Jesus chose, repented their misdeeds, changed their lifestyles, proclaimed the risen Lord and the kingdom, and testified to the Lord and the kingdom with their blood. Extraordinary!
So Jesus, it seems, made the right choices . . . except for one. Why did God allow Jesus to choose Judas? I guess we'll never be able to answer this question with certitude. None of us has gained admission into God's mind. But we can speculate.
Certainly God offered this position to Judas, hoping he would respond to it as would the rest of the apostles. For all the apostles the call proved to be a grace. They accepted the grace, but ultimately only eleven lived faithful to it. Each of the eleven chose to be faithful, just as Judas chose to be unfaithful. The mystery is not rooted in the swirling mystery that is God, but in the mystery that is the human will, the human soul.
God has called us. Each of us makes decisions day after day after day. We ourselves choose to make these decisions. Our day to day decisions will mark us as faithful or as unfaithful.
LUKE 6:6-11
Are you surprised that the Pharisees and the scribes saw Jesus as their enemy? Look at today's gospel. The Pharisees are watching Jesus carefully, trying to catch him cure someone on the Sabbath. Brazenly Jesus confronts them. `Which is legal,' he asks them, `which illegal on the Sabbath, to do good, that is, to cure a person, or to do evil, that is, to withhold a cure?' The Pharisees don't answer . . . they can't. Jesus has them in a lose-lose situation. They either agree with Jesus' way of thinking— and this they didn't want to do at all--or they disagree and make themselves look foolish in the peoples' eyes. Jesus himself provides the answer to his own question: "Stretch out your hand," he says to a man with a withered arm. The man obeys, his arm restored to full health: and this on the Sabbath.
Jesus challenged the power elite of Israel, directly in the synagogue; he challenged them publicly and unambiguously, performing with blatant openness the very act they had wanted to catch him doing. Why did Jesus do this? Because the Sabbath was given to men and women for their own good, and yet the Pharisees forbade that good be done on it.
Law exists for people, not than people for law. When law is so structured that it no longer serves the good of citizens; when it is manipulated, controlled by the very few, when it imposes unconscionable burdens on the majority, when it perpetuates and institutionalizes poverty and oppression, the nation requires people who will unmask the evil and confront the evil-doers . . . and the patron saint of these people of course . . . is Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus challenged the power elite of Israel, directly in the synagogue; he challenged them publicly and unambiguously, performing with blatant openness the very act they had wanted to catch him doing. Why did Jesus do this? Because the Sabbath was given to men and women for their own good, and yet the Pharisees forbade that good be done on it.
Law exists for people, not than people for law. When law is so structured that it no longer serves the good of citizens; when it is manipulated, controlled by the very few, when it imposes unconscionable burdens on the majority, when it perpetuates and institutionalizes poverty and oppression, the nation requires people who will unmask the evil and confront the evil-doers . . . and the patron saint of these people of course . . . is Jesus of Nazareth.
LUKE 14:25-33
During the days of activism, there was a parable about a pig and a mother hen walking down Plaza Miranda. When they saw a billboard advertising ham and egg, the mother hen turned to the pig and said, "See how we contribute to mankind providing them with good breakfast."
"Ah, but there's a big difference," said the pig, "Yours is dedication. Mine is total commitment."
If you don't find today's Gospel hard to swallow, you are not really listening. Jesus is asking for total commitment of every Christian, as a disciple. Yes, you must be baptized, you must believe in Jesus, and you must live all the ten of the commandments.
But if you listen to St. Luke's Jesus Christ seriously, you must add three very challenging conditions: 1. You have to hate your father and mother, your wife or husband, your children, your brothers and sisters, even your own life. 2. You have to carry whatever cross Christ or life lays on you – preferably with a smile. 3. You have to give up every possession.
First, you cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless you hate – hate just about everybody you have good reason to love. If you take "hate" literally, there's a problem indeed. Elsewhere Jesus made it crystal clear that his followers may not hate anyone – and that includes Irag's Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, or Stalin, the Abu Sayyaf, drug lords, kidnappers, and unrepentant rapists.
Jesus insisted that the second great commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself – no matter who the neighbor happens to be, whatever the color or class, religion, or sex. He declared, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." And the most difficult command of all: "Love one another as I have loved you." Love unto crucifixion.
Obviously, you cannot have it both ways: Love everybody and hate your family. What then? Look at the context. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, the road to death. Great crowds surround him, all sorts of people, many of them willing to join up with him but without appraising the cost. He wants them to think it over seriously. To be my disciple is unusually difficult. Absolutely nobody, absolutely nothing, comes before me. I am your one Lord and Master. In case of conflict, your nearest and dearest take second place.
How do I know this is what Jesus meant? I turn to the corresponding text in Matthew. There, Jesus says, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
There you have in simple language without exaggeration the first condition for a Christian: Jesus is number one in your life; no one, no matter how close to you in love, no one comes before him. What Jesus wants, Jesus gets. Forget the word "hate"; the simple sentence is tough enough. Putting Jesus at the top of one's love list had done over the centuries what Jesus predicted: It has all too often "set a man against his father, and daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household."
So the hard question – "Where does Christ rank in my day-to-day existence?" Not only in general, but when I have to choose between rival loves: Christ or money, Christ or power, Christ or popularity, Christ or sex, Christ or pleasure.
But making Jesus my number one is not enough. To be his disciple, to be a genuine Christian calls for a second condition: You have to carry a cross. Here you touch the very core of Christianity – the mystery of suffering. No human being escapes it – believer or atheist, Catholic or Buddhist, young or old, rich or poor. And the forms the human cross takes are countless: the heartbreak of a dear one's death, a terminal illness, a world war that took 50 million lives, and the war in the womb that takes 50 millions more each year. It's all around us. It covers the whole newspapers each day. It's part and parcel of human living.
Like it or not, a cross is, or will be, part of your life. Your task and mine is to take this reality, and transform it into Christian living. Keep suffering from degenerating into sheer waste. Integrate it into your life. Take the pain that seem so useless and senseless, so frustrating – and make it life-giving, even a source of profound joy.
Is this nonsense? Not really, if God-made-man hung on a cross for three excruciating hours till his heart gave out, suffering has to have a profound place in the story of salvation – in our story. It has to make sense – even if you and I are too earth-bound to see it.
But there is a little light. Central to Christian suffering is a crucial sentence of St. Paul: "I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church."
Sheer pain is not a blessing; simply to take pleasure in pain makes one a candidate for masochists' club. Behind Paul's gospel of suffering is a profound realization: To make human or Christian sense, pain must have a purpose.
Soldiers give their lives courageously … for their country. Mothers endure torment … for a child to be born. It is purpose that transforms sheer sufferings into sacrifice. And the one purpose that overshadows all others is love. Such was the driving force behind Jesus' journey to the cross: "God so loved the world."
And all this – out of love for men and women most of whom do not know him, or know him and pass him by, or give him grudgingly an hour a week. And so for each one of us, Christ's sacrifice, the self-giving that saves a world, is not yet finished. In God's wisdom you and I have to take that cross to ourselves, carry it on our shoulders. And when we do each time we murmur in the midst of any distress, "For you, Lord."
Ready for the third condition? To follow Jesus, to be his disciple, you have to give up all you have. All of us? Certainly sounds like it. But the problem with each Sunday Gospel is - that you get a little part, a segment out of a larger whole; the passage you hear is not the context. A Catholic priest was quoted as preaching "To hell with the Catholic Church." What was not quoted was this next sentence, "So say the enemies of the Church."
So here, where riches and possessions, are at stake, even Scripture scholars are puzzled over Luke. On the one hand you have the radical Jesus, who proclaims, "Woe to you who are rich …" On the other hand, you have a moderate Jesus, who never tells his dear friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary to give up all they have.
Which is the real Jesus? The radical Jesus stands before us as a constant challenge. We know from experience that a danger lurks in great possession, and power, and honor. They can dominate my existence, manipulate me. If it does all else takes second place – including Christ. The radical Jesus poses a perennial question: What rules my life?
The moderate Jesus turns our attention away from danger to opportunity: the potential of my possessions. Use them as Jesus invites and commands. To a few he may say: Give all your worldly possessions to the poor and come, follow me in complete trust; to most: Share what you have; use it for your sisters and brothers. Use your intelligence to free enslaved minds, your power to produce peace, your compassion to heal fragmented hearts, your hope to destroy another's despair, your love to make life livable for the unloved.
My dear friends, today's Gospel is hard and challenging, not the kind we like to hear. But still, it is the Gospel – literally "good news." What's so good about it?
In answer a critical question: How shall I live?
1. Make sure that no person, however deeply loved; nothing, however precious takes the place Christ should occupy in your priorities.
2. Put every pain to profit, make it a saving grace for others by linking your cross to Calvary.
3. Whatever your gifts, don't hold on to them selfishly, share them – as Christ asks them of you.
The result will surprise you, perhaps already has. For when you live the way Jesus lived, you will feel the way Jesus felt. There's nothing in the world like it.
"Ah, but there's a big difference," said the pig, "Yours is dedication. Mine is total commitment."
If you don't find today's Gospel hard to swallow, you are not really listening. Jesus is asking for total commitment of every Christian, as a disciple. Yes, you must be baptized, you must believe in Jesus, and you must live all the ten of the commandments.
But if you listen to St. Luke's Jesus Christ seriously, you must add three very challenging conditions: 1. You have to hate your father and mother, your wife or husband, your children, your brothers and sisters, even your own life. 2. You have to carry whatever cross Christ or life lays on you – preferably with a smile. 3. You have to give up every possession.
First, you cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless you hate – hate just about everybody you have good reason to love. If you take "hate" literally, there's a problem indeed. Elsewhere Jesus made it crystal clear that his followers may not hate anyone – and that includes Irag's Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, or Stalin, the Abu Sayyaf, drug lords, kidnappers, and unrepentant rapists.
Jesus insisted that the second great commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself – no matter who the neighbor happens to be, whatever the color or class, religion, or sex. He declared, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." And the most difficult command of all: "Love one another as I have loved you." Love unto crucifixion.
Obviously, you cannot have it both ways: Love everybody and hate your family. What then? Look at the context. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, the road to death. Great crowds surround him, all sorts of people, many of them willing to join up with him but without appraising the cost. He wants them to think it over seriously. To be my disciple is unusually difficult. Absolutely nobody, absolutely nothing, comes before me. I am your one Lord and Master. In case of conflict, your nearest and dearest take second place.
How do I know this is what Jesus meant? I turn to the corresponding text in Matthew. There, Jesus says, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
There you have in simple language without exaggeration the first condition for a Christian: Jesus is number one in your life; no one, no matter how close to you in love, no one comes before him. What Jesus wants, Jesus gets. Forget the word "hate"; the simple sentence is tough enough. Putting Jesus at the top of one's love list had done over the centuries what Jesus predicted: It has all too often "set a man against his father, and daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household."
So the hard question – "Where does Christ rank in my day-to-day existence?" Not only in general, but when I have to choose between rival loves: Christ or money, Christ or power, Christ or popularity, Christ or sex, Christ or pleasure.
But making Jesus my number one is not enough. To be his disciple, to be a genuine Christian calls for a second condition: You have to carry a cross. Here you touch the very core of Christianity – the mystery of suffering. No human being escapes it – believer or atheist, Catholic or Buddhist, young or old, rich or poor. And the forms the human cross takes are countless: the heartbreak of a dear one's death, a terminal illness, a world war that took 50 million lives, and the war in the womb that takes 50 millions more each year. It's all around us. It covers the whole newspapers each day. It's part and parcel of human living.
Like it or not, a cross is, or will be, part of your life. Your task and mine is to take this reality, and transform it into Christian living. Keep suffering from degenerating into sheer waste. Integrate it into your life. Take the pain that seem so useless and senseless, so frustrating – and make it life-giving, even a source of profound joy.
Is this nonsense? Not really, if God-made-man hung on a cross for three excruciating hours till his heart gave out, suffering has to have a profound place in the story of salvation – in our story. It has to make sense – even if you and I are too earth-bound to see it.
But there is a little light. Central to Christian suffering is a crucial sentence of St. Paul: "I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church."
Sheer pain is not a blessing; simply to take pleasure in pain makes one a candidate for masochists' club. Behind Paul's gospel of suffering is a profound realization: To make human or Christian sense, pain must have a purpose.
Soldiers give their lives courageously … for their country. Mothers endure torment … for a child to be born. It is purpose that transforms sheer sufferings into sacrifice. And the one purpose that overshadows all others is love. Such was the driving force behind Jesus' journey to the cross: "God so loved the world."
And all this – out of love for men and women most of whom do not know him, or know him and pass him by, or give him grudgingly an hour a week. And so for each one of us, Christ's sacrifice, the self-giving that saves a world, is not yet finished. In God's wisdom you and I have to take that cross to ourselves, carry it on our shoulders. And when we do each time we murmur in the midst of any distress, "For you, Lord."
Ready for the third condition? To follow Jesus, to be his disciple, you have to give up all you have. All of us? Certainly sounds like it. But the problem with each Sunday Gospel is - that you get a little part, a segment out of a larger whole; the passage you hear is not the context. A Catholic priest was quoted as preaching "To hell with the Catholic Church." What was not quoted was this next sentence, "So say the enemies of the Church."
So here, where riches and possessions, are at stake, even Scripture scholars are puzzled over Luke. On the one hand you have the radical Jesus, who proclaims, "Woe to you who are rich …" On the other hand, you have a moderate Jesus, who never tells his dear friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary to give up all they have.
Which is the real Jesus? The radical Jesus stands before us as a constant challenge. We know from experience that a danger lurks in great possession, and power, and honor. They can dominate my existence, manipulate me. If it does all else takes second place – including Christ. The radical Jesus poses a perennial question: What rules my life?
The moderate Jesus turns our attention away from danger to opportunity: the potential of my possessions. Use them as Jesus invites and commands. To a few he may say: Give all your worldly possessions to the poor and come, follow me in complete trust; to most: Share what you have; use it for your sisters and brothers. Use your intelligence to free enslaved minds, your power to produce peace, your compassion to heal fragmented hearts, your hope to destroy another's despair, your love to make life livable for the unloved.
My dear friends, today's Gospel is hard and challenging, not the kind we like to hear. But still, it is the Gospel – literally "good news." What's so good about it?
In answer a critical question: How shall I live?
1. Make sure that no person, however deeply loved; nothing, however precious takes the place Christ should occupy in your priorities.
2. Put every pain to profit, make it a saving grace for others by linking your cross to Calvary.
3. Whatever your gifts, don't hold on to them selfishly, share them – as Christ asks them of you.
The result will surprise you, perhaps already has. For when you live the way Jesus lived, you will feel the way Jesus felt. There's nothing in the world like it.
LUKE 6:1-5
The Jewish Law allowed people, while walking through a cornfield not their own, to pluck a few ears if corn to eat. It forbade using a sickle in this situation. I suppose the idea was that it's legitimate to take enough grain to satisfy a passing hunger but you're not supposed to fill up your bodega with the grain you gather from a neighbor's field.
So on these grounds, the disciples' behavior was acceptable to the Pharisees. What got the Pharisees riled was that the disciples were doing this on the Sabbath. Pulling grain from the stalk, in the Pharisees' mind was like reaping, and so was a type of work forbidden on the Sabbath.
Jesus makes two observations. When David and his soldiers needed food, he recalls, they took the holy bread in the Temple and ate it, even though only the priests are allowed to eat this bread. By citing this happening from Holy Scripture, Jesus was clearly saying that certain basic needs, like hunger, take precedence over certain ritual laws.
The second observation Jesus made was explosive. He stated his authority over the Sabbath and over the law of the Sabbath! "The son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath," he said. This was startling, revolutionary, and to a traditionalist, frightening, even blasphemous.
In making this statement, Jesus put himself above the Sabbath law, which had been given to the Jews through Moses by God Himself. Jesus was dangerously close to putting himself on the same level as God. This would be blasphemy.
Jesus was taking a serious risk here. Using the issue of blasphemy, the Pharisees could isolate and alienate him totally from the people. Apparently Jesus thought it a legitimate risk, if by taking the risk he could make the people see that the Sabbath law was not absolute, that it was meant for our benefit, to give us the freedom to celebrate and intensify our relationship with God our Father. It was meant not to burden us but to liberate us . . . to free us to spend time with the Lord our God.
So on these grounds, the disciples' behavior was acceptable to the Pharisees. What got the Pharisees riled was that the disciples were doing this on the Sabbath. Pulling grain from the stalk, in the Pharisees' mind was like reaping, and so was a type of work forbidden on the Sabbath.
Jesus makes two observations. When David and his soldiers needed food, he recalls, they took the holy bread in the Temple and ate it, even though only the priests are allowed to eat this bread. By citing this happening from Holy Scripture, Jesus was clearly saying that certain basic needs, like hunger, take precedence over certain ritual laws.
The second observation Jesus made was explosive. He stated his authority over the Sabbath and over the law of the Sabbath! "The son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath," he said. This was startling, revolutionary, and to a traditionalist, frightening, even blasphemous.
In making this statement, Jesus put himself above the Sabbath law, which had been given to the Jews through Moses by God Himself. Jesus was dangerously close to putting himself on the same level as God. This would be blasphemy.
Jesus was taking a serious risk here. Using the issue of blasphemy, the Pharisees could isolate and alienate him totally from the people. Apparently Jesus thought it a legitimate risk, if by taking the risk he could make the people see that the Sabbath law was not absolute, that it was meant for our benefit, to give us the freedom to celebrate and intensify our relationship with God our Father. It was meant not to burden us but to liberate us . . . to free us to spend time with the Lord our God.
LUKE 5:33-39
Religious people have a kind of passion for what is old and traditional. No one accepts change more slowly than church-people. This is a problem the Pharisees had. Jesus' religious outlook was so startlingly new that they had difficulty adjusting to it. "Love your enemies and do good to those who hurt you." "The Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath." These teachings and others also were frighteningly new for the Pharisees.
Therefore they feared Jesus and his teaching as threats to their traditional way of life, to their traditional beliefs, to the power that they held in Jewish society.
In today's gospel, the Pharisees complain about a practice of Jesus' disciples, which was directly opposed to the traditional teaching of the Jewish law. They complain that his disciples are always partying, eating and drinking, that they do not practice frequent fasting. Jesus says to them that no one ever fasts at a wedding celebration. He himself is the groom, he says, and his disciples celebrate as long as he, the groom, is with them. Of course, this is a new teaching and the Pharisees feel very uncomfortable with it. So Jesus tells them a little parable to show them the truth of the matter.
"You cannot put new wine in an old wineskin." The Jews made pouches for holding wine out of the skins of animals. The skin, out of which the pouch was made, would become dry with age and worn with use. If you put new wine into an old skin, since the new wine continues to ferment, pressure would build up within the skin and since the skin was old and worn, the pressure would burst the skin and both the skin and the wine would be lost.
Jesus is saying, that a mind that is closed to and fearful of new ideas will be not able to contain them. The closed mind will be threatened and torn and ultimately destroyed by these new truths.
Why do we allow new ideas to intimidate us? Normally it has nothing to do with the truth or with religion. It's simply that we feel more comfortable, more secure with the old and the familiar. It is the loss of security that intimidates us. But then again, Jesus never gave much weight to any sort of security, did he? Perhaps we should not either.
Therefore they feared Jesus and his teaching as threats to their traditional way of life, to their traditional beliefs, to the power that they held in Jewish society.
In today's gospel, the Pharisees complain about a practice of Jesus' disciples, which was directly opposed to the traditional teaching of the Jewish law. They complain that his disciples are always partying, eating and drinking, that they do not practice frequent fasting. Jesus says to them that no one ever fasts at a wedding celebration. He himself is the groom, he says, and his disciples celebrate as long as he, the groom, is with them. Of course, this is a new teaching and the Pharisees feel very uncomfortable with it. So Jesus tells them a little parable to show them the truth of the matter.
"You cannot put new wine in an old wineskin." The Jews made pouches for holding wine out of the skins of animals. The skin, out of which the pouch was made, would become dry with age and worn with use. If you put new wine into an old skin, since the new wine continues to ferment, pressure would build up within the skin and since the skin was old and worn, the pressure would burst the skin and both the skin and the wine would be lost.
Jesus is saying, that a mind that is closed to and fearful of new ideas will be not able to contain them. The closed mind will be threatened and torn and ultimately destroyed by these new truths.
Why do we allow new ideas to intimidate us? Normally it has nothing to do with the truth or with religion. It's simply that we feel more comfortable, more secure with the old and the familiar. It is the loss of security that intimidates us. But then again, Jesus never gave much weight to any sort of security, did he? Perhaps we should not either.
LUKE 5:1-11
In today's gospel reading we see that Jesus is not only interested in crowds, he is also interested in you individually. Jesus is never too busy to meet with you. Jesus could relate to the crowds as a classroom teacher, but he also wanted to relate to a person named Simon as an individual tutor. Jesus is not only interested in us as a congregation gathered to worship him, which he delights in, but he is also personally interested in meeting with each of us one on one.
God can reach you in many different ways, through a Sunday homily or through a friend or even a sorrowful event. In whatever way God tries to reach you, know that God wants to reach you personally, like he did with Simon. What an astounding thought, Jesus was willing to leave the crowds in order to focus on just one person.
But why does Jesus approach just one person? Why would Jesus change his focus from one group to a single person? In other words, why would Jesus change from doing a perfectly good thing? When Jesus meet us, it is to take us from shall faith to deeper faith. This is what happened to Simon. He had been washing the nets while keeping one ear listening to Jesus. He had other responsibilities and duties to do. He had to fish to make a living. His family relied on him to bring in a good catch to eat and to sell. Simon was working hard at his job, like many of you are, in making a living for your family. So he thought he couldn't give up what he was doing and just spend the whole day with Jesus. But Jesus was going to do something special in his life.
Notice that when Jesus asked Simon to sit in his boat, he asked Simon to put out a little from the shore. Then after he had finished teaching the people, he told Simon to put out into the deep water to go for a catch of fish. This movement from shallow water into deeper water I take as an analogy of what Jesus was going to do in Simon's faith life. Jesus was going to take Simon from his superficial, half- hearted and casual attention to him and turn that into a deeper, more personal and real commitment to Jesus.
Simon protested mildly, saying, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have not caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets". In other words, "I've already been there and nothing happened. But, oh well, since it is you, I will give it one more try." And how does Jesus take us from where we are to where he wants us to be? By pushing us, that's how. Jesus pushes us, ever gently, sometimes with words, sometimes with actions, away from one level of stability, as symbolized by the shallow water near the shore, to a place where we are more dependent on God, as symbolized by the deeper water.
And we might also mildly argue with him, saying, "Lord, I've already been there and done that." I've already tried reading the Bible, I've already prayed, and it hasn't worked." But hopefully we won't stop there, but will continue to say, "But if this is what you want me to do, to go once again from where I am now, then so be it." Fishermen never catch many fish from the shore. They have to go out into the deep water to catch larger fish and more fish. Likewise, Jesus wants to take you from your comfortable shoreline to a deeper place where you will find more food for your soul and more dependence on him.
This can come, for example, in the form of an illness, or other crisis, either to you or to someone you know, and all of a sudden, you are drifting away from predictability and one kind of stability to a place that is more mysterious and where you can't see the bottom. But God is taking you there. He is not abandoning you in that illness or crisis. He is actually using that situation like a boat to take you further out into a relationship with Him. And the comforting thing for us to know is that even though we don't know exactly where the boat is going, we know that Jesus is sitting in the boat with us. To know that the captain of the boat is with us is very comforting when we don't know where we are going. But the captain does. And the journey to the deeper water is always to help us to know God better.
God can reach you in many different ways, through a Sunday homily or through a friend or even a sorrowful event. In whatever way God tries to reach you, know that God wants to reach you personally, like he did with Simon. What an astounding thought, Jesus was willing to leave the crowds in order to focus on just one person.
But why does Jesus approach just one person? Why would Jesus change his focus from one group to a single person? In other words, why would Jesus change from doing a perfectly good thing? When Jesus meet us, it is to take us from shall faith to deeper faith. This is what happened to Simon. He had been washing the nets while keeping one ear listening to Jesus. He had other responsibilities and duties to do. He had to fish to make a living. His family relied on him to bring in a good catch to eat and to sell. Simon was working hard at his job, like many of you are, in making a living for your family. So he thought he couldn't give up what he was doing and just spend the whole day with Jesus. But Jesus was going to do something special in his life.
Notice that when Jesus asked Simon to sit in his boat, he asked Simon to put out a little from the shore. Then after he had finished teaching the people, he told Simon to put out into the deep water to go for a catch of fish. This movement from shallow water into deeper water I take as an analogy of what Jesus was going to do in Simon's faith life. Jesus was going to take Simon from his superficial, half- hearted and casual attention to him and turn that into a deeper, more personal and real commitment to Jesus.
Simon protested mildly, saying, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have not caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets". In other words, "I've already been there and nothing happened. But, oh well, since it is you, I will give it one more try." And how does Jesus take us from where we are to where he wants us to be? By pushing us, that's how. Jesus pushes us, ever gently, sometimes with words, sometimes with actions, away from one level of stability, as symbolized by the shallow water near the shore, to a place where we are more dependent on God, as symbolized by the deeper water.
And we might also mildly argue with him, saying, "Lord, I've already been there and done that." I've already tried reading the Bible, I've already prayed, and it hasn't worked." But hopefully we won't stop there, but will continue to say, "But if this is what you want me to do, to go once again from where I am now, then so be it." Fishermen never catch many fish from the shore. They have to go out into the deep water to catch larger fish and more fish. Likewise, Jesus wants to take you from your comfortable shoreline to a deeper place where you will find more food for your soul and more dependence on him.
This can come, for example, in the form of an illness, or other crisis, either to you or to someone you know, and all of a sudden, you are drifting away from predictability and one kind of stability to a place that is more mysterious and where you can't see the bottom. But God is taking you there. He is not abandoning you in that illness or crisis. He is actually using that situation like a boat to take you further out into a relationship with Him. And the comforting thing for us to know is that even though we don't know exactly where the boat is going, we know that Jesus is sitting in the boat with us. To know that the captain of the boat is with us is very comforting when we don't know where we are going. But the captain does. And the journey to the deeper water is always to help us to know God better.
LUKE 5:1-11
In today's gospel reading we see that Jesus is not only interested in crowds, he is also interested in you individually. Jesus is never too busy to meet with you. Jesus could relate to the crowds as a classroom teacher, but he also wanted to relate to a person named Simon as an individual tutor. Jesus is not only interested in us as a congregation gathered to worship him, which he delights in, but he is also personally interested in meeting with each of us one on one.
God can reach you in many different ways, through a Sunday homily or through a friend or even a sorrowful event. In whatever way God tries to reach you, know that God wants to reach you personally, like he did with Simon. What an astounding thought, Jesus was willing to leave the crowds in order to focus on just one person.
But why does Jesus approach just one person? Why would Jesus change his focus from one group to a single person? In other words, why would Jesus change from doing a perfectly good thing? When Jesus meet us, it is to take us from shall faith to deeper faith. This is what happened to Simon. He had been washing the nets while keeping one ear listening to Jesus. He had other responsibilities and duties to do. He had to fish to make a living. His family relied on him to bring in a good catch to eat and to sell. Simon was working hard at his job, like many of you are, in making a living for your family. So he thought he couldn't give up what he was doing and just spend the whole day with Jesus. But Jesus was going to do something special in his life.
Notice that when Jesus asked Simon to sit in his boat, he asked Simon to put out a little from the shore. Then after he had finished teaching the people, he told Simon to put out into the deep water to go for a catch of fish. This movement from shallow water into deeper water I take as an analogy of what Jesus was going to do in Simon's faith life. Jesus was going to take Simon from his superficial, half- hearted and casual attention to him and turn that into a deeper, more personal and real commitment to Jesus.
Simon protested mildly, saying, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have not caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets". In other words, "I've already been there and nothing happened. But, oh well, since it is you, I will give it one more try." And how does Jesus take us from where we are to where he wants us to be? By pushing us, that's how. Jesus pushes us, ever gently, sometimes with words, sometimes with actions, away from one level of stability, as symbolized by the shallow water near the shore, to a place where we are more dependent on God, as symbolized by the deeper water.
And we might also mildly argue with him, saying, "Lord, I've already been there and done that." I've already tried reading the Bible, I've already prayed, and it hasn't worked." But hopefully we won't stop there, but will continue to say, "But if this is what you want me to do, to go once again from where I am now, then so be it." Fishermen never catch many fish from the shore. They have to go out into the deep water to catch larger fish and more fish. Likewise, Jesus wants to take you from your comfortable shoreline to a deeper place where you will find more food for your soul and more dependence on him.
This can come, for example, in the form of an illness, or other crisis, either to you or to someone you know, and all of a sudden, you are drifting away from predictability and one kind of stability to a place that is more mysterious and where you can't see the bottom. But God is taking you there. He is not abandoning you in that illness or crisis. He is actually using that situation like a boat to take you further out into a relationship with Him. And the comforting thing for us to know is that even though we don't know exactly where the boat is going, we know that Jesus is sitting in the boat with us. To know that the captain of the boat is with us is very comforting when we don't know where we are going. But the captain does. And the journey to the deeper water is always to help us to know God better.
God can reach you in many different ways, through a Sunday homily or through a friend or even a sorrowful event. In whatever way God tries to reach you, know that God wants to reach you personally, like he did with Simon. What an astounding thought, Jesus was willing to leave the crowds in order to focus on just one person.
But why does Jesus approach just one person? Why would Jesus change his focus from one group to a single person? In other words, why would Jesus change from doing a perfectly good thing? When Jesus meet us, it is to take us from shall faith to deeper faith. This is what happened to Simon. He had been washing the nets while keeping one ear listening to Jesus. He had other responsibilities and duties to do. He had to fish to make a living. His family relied on him to bring in a good catch to eat and to sell. Simon was working hard at his job, like many of you are, in making a living for your family. So he thought he couldn't give up what he was doing and just spend the whole day with Jesus. But Jesus was going to do something special in his life.
Notice that when Jesus asked Simon to sit in his boat, he asked Simon to put out a little from the shore. Then after he had finished teaching the people, he told Simon to put out into the deep water to go for a catch of fish. This movement from shallow water into deeper water I take as an analogy of what Jesus was going to do in Simon's faith life. Jesus was going to take Simon from his superficial, half- hearted and casual attention to him and turn that into a deeper, more personal and real commitment to Jesus.
Simon protested mildly, saying, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have not caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets". In other words, "I've already been there and nothing happened. But, oh well, since it is you, I will give it one more try." And how does Jesus take us from where we are to where he wants us to be? By pushing us, that's how. Jesus pushes us, ever gently, sometimes with words, sometimes with actions, away from one level of stability, as symbolized by the shallow water near the shore, to a place where we are more dependent on God, as symbolized by the deeper water.
And we might also mildly argue with him, saying, "Lord, I've already been there and done that." I've already tried reading the Bible, I've already prayed, and it hasn't worked." But hopefully we won't stop there, but will continue to say, "But if this is what you want me to do, to go once again from where I am now, then so be it." Fishermen never catch many fish from the shore. They have to go out into the deep water to catch larger fish and more fish. Likewise, Jesus wants to take you from your comfortable shoreline to a deeper place where you will find more food for your soul and more dependence on him.
This can come, for example, in the form of an illness, or other crisis, either to you or to someone you know, and all of a sudden, you are drifting away from predictability and one kind of stability to a place that is more mysterious and where you can't see the bottom. But God is taking you there. He is not abandoning you in that illness or crisis. He is actually using that situation like a boat to take you further out into a relationship with Him. And the comforting thing for us to know is that even though we don't know exactly where the boat is going, we know that Jesus is sitting in the boat with us. To know that the captain of the boat is with us is very comforting when we don't know where we are going. But the captain does. And the journey to the deeper water is always to help us to know God better.
LUKE 4:38-44
Very often we hear people say : "In God's time". Of course, it is God's sole prerogative to choose whom and what He wants to reveal and at the proper place and at the proper time. This accounts for the progressive way by which God reveals Himself and His love gradually, through the course of the salvation history of His people. Although the Church has its history, individuals do also have their own personal salvation history being revealed to them. Unless one is receptive and appreciates this, it is up to each person's free will – for us to choose whether or not to accept this. Salvation is not only a free gift from God but also a matter of personal choice.
Timing is one of the primary factors in determining when God will reveal the truth to any one of us. In the course of our history, events occur because perhaps of the way the society has been behaving and reactions towards the physical and interpersonal relationships between us. God intervenes and reveals Himself to us at the time appropriate to different circumstances. God also uses people as His messengers to bring us his message.
When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was very careful in his manner of preaching the Gospel. He understood the behavior of the Corinthians and was very patient in the way he brought forth God's message to them. He said that "what I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn't that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people?" This is also why St. Paul warned, in his letter to Timothy, about electing leaders from recent converts.
We believe that different circumstances require different approaches. We see this in the development of Christian spirituality because these came about as responses to the demands of the time and not because they are "fads" that determine the spiritual fashion of the era. Even the ecumenical councils of the Church are reactions meant to address the problems of the Church at the time they were convened.
When Jesus walked the earth, He performed many healing miracles mainly because He loved the people and wanted to bring them a greater message - that God loves His people and that they must respond to His love by doing the same to others. However, the people were still naïve and they clung to the physical need at every possible opportunity.
They wanted Him to remain with them in an exclusive way. However, Jesus said that he must "proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also", because that was what he was sent to do.
Do we hold on to our old and stubborn ways of thinking and behaving? Are we stagnant in our faith and hold on to Christ as if he were only meant for us alone? How have we responded to God's revelation to us in our personal lives?
Timing is one of the primary factors in determining when God will reveal the truth to any one of us. In the course of our history, events occur because perhaps of the way the society has been behaving and reactions towards the physical and interpersonal relationships between us. God intervenes and reveals Himself to us at the time appropriate to different circumstances. God also uses people as His messengers to bring us his message.
When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was very careful in his manner of preaching the Gospel. He understood the behavior of the Corinthians and was very patient in the way he brought forth God's message to them. He said that "what I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn't that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people?" This is also why St. Paul warned, in his letter to Timothy, about electing leaders from recent converts.
We believe that different circumstances require different approaches. We see this in the development of Christian spirituality because these came about as responses to the demands of the time and not because they are "fads" that determine the spiritual fashion of the era. Even the ecumenical councils of the Church are reactions meant to address the problems of the Church at the time they were convened.
When Jesus walked the earth, He performed many healing miracles mainly because He loved the people and wanted to bring them a greater message - that God loves His people and that they must respond to His love by doing the same to others. However, the people were still naïve and they clung to the physical need at every possible opportunity.
They wanted Him to remain with them in an exclusive way. However, Jesus said that he must "proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also", because that was what he was sent to do.
Do we hold on to our old and stubborn ways of thinking and behaving? Are we stagnant in our faith and hold on to Christ as if he were only meant for us alone? How have we responded to God's revelation to us in our personal lives?
LUKE 4:31-37
Jesus, rejected by the people of Nazareth, goes back to Capernaum. He makes Capernaum pretty much his home base.
On the Sabbath, as was his custom, Jesus attends the weekly religious service in the synagogue. As in Nazareth, he reads the scripture and explains it to the congregation. The result is wonderment among the people. His words radiate authority, greater authority than they had ever recognized in anyone else. Their preachers were always citing people other than themselves as authorities to support their teaching. Jesus spoke only on his own authority.
Jesus also stirred the wonderment of the people with the miracle he performed in the synagogue, driving an unclean spirit out of a possessed man. What amazed the people was not the fact that he succeeded in expelling the demon from the man. Other exorcists had done as much. It was the way he did it. Jesus used no set formulas, no magic incantations, no talismans, to expel the demon. Just the power of his word. He said very simply, "be quiet, come out of him," and the evil spirit left the man.
Luke says, "They were spellbound by his teaching, for his words had authority." He also says, "They were struck with astonishment and said, `what is there about his speech? He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave."
The people were astonished, spellbound by his words whether he spoke them as teacher or as exorcist/miracle-worker. His word was powerful, authoritative.
Only much later would anyone come to realize that Jesus not only spoke the authoritative word of God, he was the authoritative Word spoken once by the Father. Jesus' authority and power was in his day and continues today to be rooted in his divine nature.
On the Sabbath, as was his custom, Jesus attends the weekly religious service in the synagogue. As in Nazareth, he reads the scripture and explains it to the congregation. The result is wonderment among the people. His words radiate authority, greater authority than they had ever recognized in anyone else. Their preachers were always citing people other than themselves as authorities to support their teaching. Jesus spoke only on his own authority.
Jesus also stirred the wonderment of the people with the miracle he performed in the synagogue, driving an unclean spirit out of a possessed man. What amazed the people was not the fact that he succeeded in expelling the demon from the man. Other exorcists had done as much. It was the way he did it. Jesus used no set formulas, no magic incantations, no talismans, to expel the demon. Just the power of his word. He said very simply, "be quiet, come out of him," and the evil spirit left the man.
Luke says, "They were spellbound by his teaching, for his words had authority." He also says, "They were struck with astonishment and said, `what is there about his speech? He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave."
The people were astonished, spellbound by his words whether he spoke them as teacher or as exorcist/miracle-worker. His word was powerful, authoritative.
Only much later would anyone come to realize that Jesus not only spoke the authoritative word of God, he was the authoritative Word spoken once by the Father. Jesus' authority and power was in his day and continues today to be rooted in his divine nature.
LUKE 4:16-30
Jesus' name was becoming a household word in Galilee. The miracle he worked in Cana, turning water into wine, the numerous wonders he worked in Capernaum, and also the authority with which he taught: these had the entire province singing his praise.
Jesus comes finally to the town in which he was raised. It's the Sabbath. He goes to the synagogue for the weekly service. Everyone hopes he'll be the one to read the scripture and explain its meaning to them. He reads from the prophecy of Isaiah the text which promises a Messiah who will set Israel free. And then he speaks the line that for the congregation was the Good News, indeed, the best news, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." He makes himself one with Isaiah's prophetic proclamation of salvation. The reaction of the Nazarites is instantaneous. "He won the approval of all," says Luke, "they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips."
Then some remembered who this was who they were praising. This was little Jesus who grew up among them. His mother is Mary. His father was Joseph the village carpenter. Then they hear him speaking of Gentiles as recipients of God's favors and they reject his teaching outright and attempt to kill him.
Someone once asked Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Reciffe in Brazil, who was a prophet in his own country, "Is it hard being a prophet and being a prophet in one's own country?" Dom Helder replied that the word `prophet' is used in too narrow a sense, as though, he said, "the Lord only charged a small number of people with the responsibility of being one. Whereas we all as members of the Church have a prophetic mission." It's true isn't it? Every person baptized, in the baptismal ceremony is anointed a prophet, as was Christ. Each of us is anointed, as Dom Helder puts it, "to lend the Lord's voice to those who have no voice, to do exactly what Christ, when reading from Isaiah, declared his own personal mission to be, `the Lord God has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to open their eyes and set them free.' This," he said, "has always been the Church's mission."
Perhaps we could add to Dom Helder's words, this has been the mission also of each one who has been baptized and in the baptismal ceremony has been anointed prophet. I think, therefore, each of us should ask himself or herself, "when was the last time I brought the good news to the poor?"
Jesus comes finally to the town in which he was raised. It's the Sabbath. He goes to the synagogue for the weekly service. Everyone hopes he'll be the one to read the scripture and explain its meaning to them. He reads from the prophecy of Isaiah the text which promises a Messiah who will set Israel free. And then he speaks the line that for the congregation was the Good News, indeed, the best news, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." He makes himself one with Isaiah's prophetic proclamation of salvation. The reaction of the Nazarites is instantaneous. "He won the approval of all," says Luke, "they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips."
Then some remembered who this was who they were praising. This was little Jesus who grew up among them. His mother is Mary. His father was Joseph the village carpenter. Then they hear him speaking of Gentiles as recipients of God's favors and they reject his teaching outright and attempt to kill him.
Someone once asked Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Reciffe in Brazil, who was a prophet in his own country, "Is it hard being a prophet and being a prophet in one's own country?" Dom Helder replied that the word `prophet' is used in too narrow a sense, as though, he said, "the Lord only charged a small number of people with the responsibility of being one. Whereas we all as members of the Church have a prophetic mission." It's true isn't it? Every person baptized, in the baptismal ceremony is anointed a prophet, as was Christ. Each of us is anointed, as Dom Helder puts it, "to lend the Lord's voice to those who have no voice, to do exactly what Christ, when reading from Isaiah, declared his own personal mission to be, `the Lord God has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to open their eyes and set them free.' This," he said, "has always been the Church's mission."
Perhaps we could add to Dom Helder's words, this has been the mission also of each one who has been baptized and in the baptismal ceremony has been anointed prophet. I think, therefore, each of us should ask himself or herself, "when was the last time I brought the good news to the poor?"
LUKE 14:1, 7-14
An Arabian parable concerns a horseman galloping through the night across a plain. He is headed for the City of the Sun, which lies on the other side of a great valley.
As he rides along in the darkness, he suddenly hears a voice shout: "Stop! Dismount! Pick up some stones! Put them in your pocket. Tomorrow at sunrise you will be sad and glad."
The voice sounded with authority as if it should be obeyed, so the horseman dismounted, picked up several stones, and put them in his pocket. Then he rode on.
About an hour later, the horseman heard the same voice. Once again it gave the same command: "Stop! Dismount! Pick up some stones! Put them in your pocket. Tomorrow at sun rise you will be sad and glad." Again the horseman obeyed and rode on.
Then an hour later, as the horseman was about to descend into the great valley, the same thing happened. And again he obeyed.
Then the horseman began his descent into the great valley. The path was steep and dangerous. Soon the stones in his pocket began to pinch his leg and cause him pain. So he began to pull them out one by one and throw them away.
Finally, about sunrise the next morning, the horseman arrived at the other side of the valley. As he did, he reached into his pocket to throw away the last stone, because it is causing him great pain.
As he took the stone into his hand, he noticed that it felt strange. The horseman looked at it and saw that it had changed into a diamond. At that moment he was both sad and glad. He was sad that he had thrown away all the other stones, but he was glad that he, at least, had kept this one.
That story, of course, is a parable about life. The plain stands for childhood, when we are told to do this or that – without being told why. For example, we are told to be honest. We are told to be truthful. We are told to be generous. We are told to learn self- control. If we do these things, someday we will be glad.
The stones that the horseman picked up and put into his pocket stand for the virtues of honesty, truthfulness, generosity, and self- discipline. We acquire these by following the commands of our parents and our teachers.
The steep valley stands for adult life, when these virtues are tested severely. Then we are tempted to throw them away, as the horseman threw away the stones when they began to pinch and to pain him.
We say to ourselves: "Why be honest, when others cheat? Why be truthful, when others lie? Why be generous when others are selfish? Why be disciplined when others do as they like?" Every adult gets temptations like these. And many adults give in to the temptations.
This brings us to an important question. What is one stone or virtue that we should never throw away? What is the one virtue that we should keep, even if we throw away all the others?
One elderly woman gave this answer to that question: "The one virtue you should never throw away is the virtue of humility."
When asked why is that so? Why is it so important? She responded, "It's the one virtue that Jesus used to describe himself. He said, `Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.'" (Matt. 11: 29)
That story fits in beautifully with today's readings. For the first reading and the Gospel reading both speak about the importance of humility.
What is humility? What does it mean to be humble? Does it mean to put ourselves down? Does it mean to think little of ourselves? Does it mean to deny our true worth? Is it saying, I'm five-feet tall, when I know I'm five foot-six? Is it saying you are "pangit," when you are a stunning beauty? Is it saying you are "unlovable," when you are a "bundle of charm?"
Not at all! Humility is something more profound than that. Humility is not thinking little of ourselves. Humility is not thinking of ourselves at all. In its most profound sense, humility means to be like Jesus, who said, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." Humility means to be like Jesus, who said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." (Matt. 20: 24-28) Humility means to live as Jesus lived – not for ourselves but for others. It means to use our talents and gifts as Jesus used his – not for ourselves and our own glory, but for others and their needs.
There's a story about three people, ho were discussing about recent translations of the Bible. The first person said, "I like the New American translation that we read at Mass. It has modernized the language without sacrificing reverence for God's word."
The second person said, "I like the Jerusalem Bible that we use in our Bible study group. It has poeticized the language without sacrificing the meaning of God's word."
The third person said, "I like my mother's translation of the Bible. She has translated the Bible into life and made it alive by her example. Her translation is the best translation of all."
That story sums up the challenge that Jesus sets before us in today's Gospel. Jesus challenges us to translate God's word into everyday life. He challenges us to use our talents and gifts, not for ourselves and our own glory, but for others and their needs.
This is the challenge that Jesus sets before us in today's readings. This is the challenge that he holds out to us today's liturgy.
Let's close with the Prayer for Generosity of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
"Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and not to ask for reward,
Except to know that I am doing your holy will."
As he rides along in the darkness, he suddenly hears a voice shout: "Stop! Dismount! Pick up some stones! Put them in your pocket. Tomorrow at sunrise you will be sad and glad."
The voice sounded with authority as if it should be obeyed, so the horseman dismounted, picked up several stones, and put them in his pocket. Then he rode on.
About an hour later, the horseman heard the same voice. Once again it gave the same command: "Stop! Dismount! Pick up some stones! Put them in your pocket. Tomorrow at sun rise you will be sad and glad." Again the horseman obeyed and rode on.
Then an hour later, as the horseman was about to descend into the great valley, the same thing happened. And again he obeyed.
Then the horseman began his descent into the great valley. The path was steep and dangerous. Soon the stones in his pocket began to pinch his leg and cause him pain. So he began to pull them out one by one and throw them away.
Finally, about sunrise the next morning, the horseman arrived at the other side of the valley. As he did, he reached into his pocket to throw away the last stone, because it is causing him great pain.
As he took the stone into his hand, he noticed that it felt strange. The horseman looked at it and saw that it had changed into a diamond. At that moment he was both sad and glad. He was sad that he had thrown away all the other stones, but he was glad that he, at least, had kept this one.
That story, of course, is a parable about life. The plain stands for childhood, when we are told to do this or that – without being told why. For example, we are told to be honest. We are told to be truthful. We are told to be generous. We are told to learn self- control. If we do these things, someday we will be glad.
The stones that the horseman picked up and put into his pocket stand for the virtues of honesty, truthfulness, generosity, and self- discipline. We acquire these by following the commands of our parents and our teachers.
The steep valley stands for adult life, when these virtues are tested severely. Then we are tempted to throw them away, as the horseman threw away the stones when they began to pinch and to pain him.
We say to ourselves: "Why be honest, when others cheat? Why be truthful, when others lie? Why be generous when others are selfish? Why be disciplined when others do as they like?" Every adult gets temptations like these. And many adults give in to the temptations.
This brings us to an important question. What is one stone or virtue that we should never throw away? What is the one virtue that we should keep, even if we throw away all the others?
One elderly woman gave this answer to that question: "The one virtue you should never throw away is the virtue of humility."
When asked why is that so? Why is it so important? She responded, "It's the one virtue that Jesus used to describe himself. He said, `Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.'" (Matt. 11: 29)
That story fits in beautifully with today's readings. For the first reading and the Gospel reading both speak about the importance of humility.
What is humility? What does it mean to be humble? Does it mean to put ourselves down? Does it mean to think little of ourselves? Does it mean to deny our true worth? Is it saying, I'm five-feet tall, when I know I'm five foot-six? Is it saying you are "pangit," when you are a stunning beauty? Is it saying you are "unlovable," when you are a "bundle of charm?"
Not at all! Humility is something more profound than that. Humility is not thinking little of ourselves. Humility is not thinking of ourselves at all. In its most profound sense, humility means to be like Jesus, who said, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." Humility means to be like Jesus, who said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." (Matt. 20: 24-28) Humility means to live as Jesus lived – not for ourselves but for others. It means to use our talents and gifts as Jesus used his – not for ourselves and our own glory, but for others and their needs.
There's a story about three people, ho were discussing about recent translations of the Bible. The first person said, "I like the New American translation that we read at Mass. It has modernized the language without sacrificing reverence for God's word."
The second person said, "I like the Jerusalem Bible that we use in our Bible study group. It has poeticized the language without sacrificing the meaning of God's word."
The third person said, "I like my mother's translation of the Bible. She has translated the Bible into life and made it alive by her example. Her translation is the best translation of all."
That story sums up the challenge that Jesus sets before us in today's Gospel. Jesus challenges us to translate God's word into everyday life. He challenges us to use our talents and gifts, not for ourselves and our own glory, but for others and their needs.
This is the challenge that Jesus sets before us in today's readings. This is the challenge that he holds out to us today's liturgy.
Let's close with the Prayer for Generosity of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
"Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and not to ask for reward,
Except to know that I am doing your holy will."
MATTHEW 25:14-30
All of Jesus' parables are metaphors which tell us something about various aspects of God's Kingdom. The parables provide us with insights that instruct us how to move along the road to the Kingdom of God. All the parables have relevance to our lives today.
What is the message of today's gospel parable? Simply this: the Christian is a person who must put himself or herself at risk. The Christian must take risks. The master gives money to two of the servants, they put the money to work, make a profit and make their master happy. These two men took risks. What kind of risks? Well, the investment they made could have failed. They could have had nothing to return to the master at all, not even the principal. They took the chance, however, succeeded and made their master happy.
It's precisely this willingness to take risks that the master finds lacking in the third servant. "You did not put the money to work because you were afraid you might lose it. Because of your fear, I received no profit. Now you will lose everything."
Why must a Christian put himself/herself at risk? The parable doesn't explain, but simple reflection on Christ's teaching shows us why. At the heart of Christianity is Christ's commandment to love God and neighbor. Is loving God and neighbor risky? God will demand of those who claim to love him that their lives, all aspects of their lives, be expressions of Christian values. This will mean very often `take up your cross, die to yourself, follow my son.' Is there any upper limit to what God might demand?" "Greater love than this no man has, than that he lay down his life for his friend." The demands of being a Christian can be very heavy.
In this matter, as in all others, it's Christ who shows us the way. The Son of God, entered our world thereby putting himself at risk. He put himself in the hands of sinful men, hoping that he might save us from our own selfishness, from our self-centered values. His risk- taking paid off, for where would we now be, had he not taken the risk?
What is the message of today's gospel parable? Simply this: the Christian is a person who must put himself or herself at risk. The Christian must take risks. The master gives money to two of the servants, they put the money to work, make a profit and make their master happy. These two men took risks. What kind of risks? Well, the investment they made could have failed. They could have had nothing to return to the master at all, not even the principal. They took the chance, however, succeeded and made their master happy.
It's precisely this willingness to take risks that the master finds lacking in the third servant. "You did not put the money to work because you were afraid you might lose it. Because of your fear, I received no profit. Now you will lose everything."
Why must a Christian put himself/herself at risk? The parable doesn't explain, but simple reflection on Christ's teaching shows us why. At the heart of Christianity is Christ's commandment to love God and neighbor. Is loving God and neighbor risky? God will demand of those who claim to love him that their lives, all aspects of their lives, be expressions of Christian values. This will mean very often `take up your cross, die to yourself, follow my son.' Is there any upper limit to what God might demand?" "Greater love than this no man has, than that he lay down his life for his friend." The demands of being a Christian can be very heavy.
In this matter, as in all others, it's Christ who shows us the way. The Son of God, entered our world thereby putting himself at risk. He put himself in the hands of sinful men, hoping that he might save us from our own selfishness, from our self-centered values. His risk- taking paid off, for where would we now be, had he not taken the risk?
MATTHEW 25:1-13
In the parable the five improvident young women were unable to fulfill their joyous task: to light the way of the bride and the groom to the home of the groom where the young women would join the guests in the wedding banquet. Because they were improvident they were not ready to do what they were expected to do. So, they were barred from the wedding celebration.
What evil did these poor girls commit that they should be excluded from the banquet? The tragedy and the pathos of the five foolish bridesmaids is the heart of the parable. They were not wicked or indecent; they were just foolish. They really did nothing seriously evil, nor even anything mildly wrong. Their sin: they did not do what they were expected to do. So they were cut out of the banquet.
Jesus used this image to tell the people about his coming at the end of time. It can also be applied to the coming of death at the end of our lives. Those who are not prepared to go with the Lord, whether it is at the end of this life or at the end of time, will not accompany him to the heavenly banquet.
There is another message that should be noted here. In God's eyes refusal to do good is as worthy of condemnation as is doing evil.
In this context let us call to mind the lesson of the parable on the Last Judgment. If sometime you can sit quietly and listen deep in the silence of your soul to Jesus' words: if you fail to help the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the little ones, you are refusing help to me.
As mentioned previously, the improvident bridesmaids did no evil, not even a deed that was mildly wrong. They were not ready to do the good they were expected to do. They were neither good nor bad. They were foolish. And they were not allowed into the banquet of the kingdom.
What evil did these poor girls commit that they should be excluded from the banquet? The tragedy and the pathos of the five foolish bridesmaids is the heart of the parable. They were not wicked or indecent; they were just foolish. They really did nothing seriously evil, nor even anything mildly wrong. Their sin: they did not do what they were expected to do. So they were cut out of the banquet.
Jesus used this image to tell the people about his coming at the end of time. It can also be applied to the coming of death at the end of our lives. Those who are not prepared to go with the Lord, whether it is at the end of this life or at the end of time, will not accompany him to the heavenly banquet.
There is another message that should be noted here. In God's eyes refusal to do good is as worthy of condemnation as is doing evil.
In this context let us call to mind the lesson of the parable on the Last Judgment. If sometime you can sit quietly and listen deep in the silence of your soul to Jesus' words: if you fail to help the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the little ones, you are refusing help to me.
As mentioned previously, the improvident bridesmaids did no evil, not even a deed that was mildly wrong. They were not ready to do the good they were expected to do. They were neither good nor bad. They were foolish. And they were not allowed into the banquet of the kingdom.
MATTHEW 24:42-51
I like the parables that teach us to come anytime and Jesus will accept you just the way you are. But there is an end to the window of opportunity, and it comes at death or at the second coming, which ever comes first for you. And then there are no second chances. Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment." Are you ready? Is your life in order? If He were to come right now are you prepared to meet him?
If you are here today, it is because you have placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you been daily seeking to freshen and deepen that relationship? You are either going forward or backward. How is your prayer life? Are you daily getting refreshed by prayer, studying Gods word? How is your walk with the Lord? Are you daily growing deeper and more in love with the Father?
If you knew that tomorrow was your last day on earth, how differently would you live? You need to ask yourself that question. I am going to ask a series of questions I would like you to reflect on them and then respond to them so that one day you will receive the gift of eternal life.
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you confess hidden sins that you thought you got away with? If you know that today is you last day on earth, would you still hold a grudge against your brother or sister, or neighbor?
If you know that today is you last day on earth, would you finally follow through in committing your life 100% to God and quit being a part time Christian?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not heal a relationship with someone you are angry with or someone you hurt?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not spend a little more time talking with your children and your grandchildren about Jesus?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not spend a little more time talking with God in prayer?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not tell your neighbor or your co-worker or a friend about the saving grace of Jesus Christ?
If you knew that right now would be your last chance to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, would you do it or take your chances that there will be another chance?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then start putting them today. Because right now, today, this very moment may be your last moment or your last day.
Revelation 16:15 says: "I will come unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for Me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed."
Do you anticipate His return or are you ready? Perhaps the Lord has finished his count concerning you. Ready or not, here he comes. Right now, Jesus is standing before you with outstretched arms, inviting you to follow him all the way. Please don't turn Him away.
If you are here today, it is because you have placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you been daily seeking to freshen and deepen that relationship? You are either going forward or backward. How is your prayer life? Are you daily getting refreshed by prayer, studying Gods word? How is your walk with the Lord? Are you daily growing deeper and more in love with the Father?
If you knew that tomorrow was your last day on earth, how differently would you live? You need to ask yourself that question. I am going to ask a series of questions I would like you to reflect on them and then respond to them so that one day you will receive the gift of eternal life.
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you confess hidden sins that you thought you got away with? If you know that today is you last day on earth, would you still hold a grudge against your brother or sister, or neighbor?
If you know that today is you last day on earth, would you finally follow through in committing your life 100% to God and quit being a part time Christian?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not heal a relationship with someone you are angry with or someone you hurt?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not spend a little more time talking with your children and your grandchildren about Jesus?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not spend a little more time talking with God in prayer?
If you knew that today is your last day on earth, would you not tell your neighbor or your co-worker or a friend about the saving grace of Jesus Christ?
If you knew that right now would be your last chance to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, would you do it or take your chances that there will be another chance?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then start putting them today. Because right now, today, this very moment may be your last moment or your last day.
Revelation 16:15 says: "I will come unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for Me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed."
Do you anticipate His return or are you ready? Perhaps the Lord has finished his count concerning you. Ready or not, here he comes. Right now, Jesus is standing before you with outstretched arms, inviting you to follow him all the way. Please don't turn Him away.
MATTHEW 23:27-32
In todays Gospel,Jesus compares the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs-beautiful externally, through their manifest appearance of piety and respectability, but full of uncleanness within,referring to their practices of plunder and self-indulgence. In effect,Jesus was renouncing the hypocrisy of the religious authorities of that time.
Today, the same message applies to us. We must be able to see through the mask that whitewashes the evils that are made to appear moral just because "everyone is doing it". Thus, pornography flourishes under the guise of freedom of expression, abortion is tolerated as an exercise of freedom of choice, violence is promoted by video games which prey on the minds of the young. Before we realize it,what is morally unacceptable becomes a way of life. In time,our moral and spiritual values collapse.
Jesus is challenging us to stand up against this kind of "whitewashing" in our world today. The influence of media and peer pressure are formidable forces we have to deal with. But the prospect of our children and grandchildren losing sight of their ultimate goal, waylaid by strategies that appeal to their lower senses, should motivate us to instill in them genuine spiritual values-"inner purity that makes the whole man clean" (John P. Meier)
Today, the same message applies to us. We must be able to see through the mask that whitewashes the evils that are made to appear moral just because "everyone is doing it". Thus, pornography flourishes under the guise of freedom of expression, abortion is tolerated as an exercise of freedom of choice, violence is promoted by video games which prey on the minds of the young. Before we realize it,what is morally unacceptable becomes a way of life. In time,our moral and spiritual values collapse.
Jesus is challenging us to stand up against this kind of "whitewashing" in our world today. The influence of media and peer pressure are formidable forces we have to deal with. But the prospect of our children and grandchildren losing sight of their ultimate goal, waylaid by strategies that appeal to their lower senses, should motivate us to instill in them genuine spiritual values-"inner purity that makes the whole man clean" (John P. Meier)
JOHN 1:45-51
We know very little about St. Bartholomew, other than that he is probably the same Apostle that the Evangelist John calls Nathaniel. If Bartholomew and Nathaniel are indeed whom Jesus paid an extraordinary compliment. Jesus called one and the same person, we have one other bit of certain knowledge about him. He was a man of integrity, a man to him "a man without guile," a man incapable of deceit.
To how many people in today's world can we offer such a compliment? Think of the number of times we all put on false faces to try to make ourselves impressive. Think how often we play around with words to hide or alter the truth, to mislead those with whom we're speaking.
Dishonesty appears to be a fact of life throughout society. Student surveys show that cheating is widely practiced in schools. Students cheat, apparently unaware that cheating is immoral. The same might be said of the corporate officials of companies like Enron, Worldcom, etc. One wonders whether these officials had any sense at all of the evil they were doing, endangering the jobs and the pension plans of rank and file employees.
Jesus thought guilelessness, integrity to be a value. When he found a guileless person he complimented him. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if Jesus were to call us men and women without guile, men and women of integrity!
To how many people in today's world can we offer such a compliment? Think of the number of times we all put on false faces to try to make ourselves impressive. Think how often we play around with words to hide or alter the truth, to mislead those with whom we're speaking.
Dishonesty appears to be a fact of life throughout society. Student surveys show that cheating is widely practiced in schools. Students cheat, apparently unaware that cheating is immoral. The same might be said of the corporate officials of companies like Enron, Worldcom, etc. One wonders whether these officials had any sense at all of the evil they were doing, endangering the jobs and the pension plans of rank and file employees.
Jesus thought guilelessness, integrity to be a value. When he found a guileless person he complimented him. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if Jesus were to call us men and women without guile, men and women of integrity!
MATTHEW 23:13-22
Today's gospel is part of a prolonged condemnation of Pharisaic attitudes and behavior. One of the main reasons why Jesus denounced the Pharisees was because of their insistence that religion was no more than the fulfillment of laws governing external behavior.
The Pharisees made the law an oppressive burden. To Jesus' mind, however, the law was meant to benefit human beings, to serve their genuine interests. The Pharisaic attitude led to legalism, hypocrisy, and for the people, suffering. Jesus' attitude, however, excused people from the law when its observance would not serve human needs, and insisted on its observance when it served those needs. The law, in other words, was made for man, not man for the law.
The role given by God to law was compassionate service. Jesus quotes Hosea the prophet who puts in God's mouth the words: "what I want is mercy not sacrifice." And he says that all the law and the prophets can be summed up in a single statement, "Love God with your whole being, love your neighbor as yourself."
The Pharisees however forgot, or preferred to ignore, the original purpose of the law. They made themselves slaves of the law because, I suppose, it gave them a sense of security. Humans very often fear the responsibility of being free. It's easier to let others make the decisions, or simply to rely on the letter of the law.
In their enslavement of themselves to the law the Pharisees also found a political value. They could demand that others enslave themselves to the law. But only they had the right to interpret it. The law therefore became a tool for political and economic oppression.
Jesus wanted to liberate everyone from the law—from all law. He could not, of course, abandon the law. It was the attitude toward the law that had to be changed. The law had to be dethroned, knocked down from its pedestal. The law which had been man's master had to be made his servant. The human person must take responsibility for his servant, the law, and he must use the law to serve the needs of humankind. This is quite different from lawlessness or licentiousness or permissiveness. The law stands and its prescriptions are still there for men and women to obey. But always for the good of the men and women who are to obey them
The Pharisees made the law an oppressive burden. To Jesus' mind, however, the law was meant to benefit human beings, to serve their genuine interests. The Pharisaic attitude led to legalism, hypocrisy, and for the people, suffering. Jesus' attitude, however, excused people from the law when its observance would not serve human needs, and insisted on its observance when it served those needs. The law, in other words, was made for man, not man for the law.
The role given by God to law was compassionate service. Jesus quotes Hosea the prophet who puts in God's mouth the words: "what I want is mercy not sacrifice." And he says that all the law and the prophets can be summed up in a single statement, "Love God with your whole being, love your neighbor as yourself."
The Pharisees however forgot, or preferred to ignore, the original purpose of the law. They made themselves slaves of the law because, I suppose, it gave them a sense of security. Humans very often fear the responsibility of being free. It's easier to let others make the decisions, or simply to rely on the letter of the law.
In their enslavement of themselves to the law the Pharisees also found a political value. They could demand that others enslave themselves to the law. But only they had the right to interpret it. The law therefore became a tool for political and economic oppression.
Jesus wanted to liberate everyone from the law—from all law. He could not, of course, abandon the law. It was the attitude toward the law that had to be changed. The law had to be dethroned, knocked down from its pedestal. The law which had been man's master had to be made his servant. The human person must take responsibility for his servant, the law, and he must use the law to serve the needs of humankind. This is quite different from lawlessness or licentiousness or permissiveness. The law stands and its prescriptions are still there for men and women to obey. But always for the good of the men and women who are to obey them
LUKE 13:22-30
Kings and queens are not very much part of our lives in democratic society today. Why then does the Church insist on celebrating Christ the King and Mary the Queen?
Perhaps the answer is found in Jesus himself. When the Israelites, after the peak of glory under King David and King Solomon, were in exile, having been dominated by successive foreign powers, they longed for the promised Messiah, a temporal king, who would lead them back to glory as the supreme power in the world.
Jesus came to fulfill God's promise of a Savior King. However, his kingship is not according to the expectation of the Jewish people. The people wanted a conquering king to subjugate other people and by his power to impose his will on the people. Jesus avoided that kind of kingship. He escaped from the people when they wanted to make him king.
And yet, on other occasions Jesus himself revealed that he was the Savior King, the Messiah: to the Samaritan woman by the well, to Pilate, who asked, "Are you the king of the Jews?" But his kingship is not a political or a military one. His kingdom is of love and service. It is a kingdom within the hearts of people. He comes to reveal to us the love of God. He comes to tell us that the ways of the world, the way of selfishness, of greed, of lust, of hatred, of pride only leads to destruction and eternal death.
Jesus comes to show us that the way of love, of humble service, of spiritual poverty, of obedience to the Father's will is the way to the kingdom and eternal life with God.
And to show the extent of God's love for us, he accepted the shameful death on the cross. Down through history, countless people have died for their kings. But this king willingly died for his people. And even in his dying agony on the cross, he was concerned with the fate of those who were killing him. He prayed to his Father to forgive them. He forgave the dying thief. By this Jesus shows us what true kingship is all about. Other kings rule from their golden thrones. Jesus rules from a cross.
As king he claims dominion over all creation, that he may present his almighty Father, an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
Now, since Jesus is the King of the Universe, Mary, his mother would naturally be the queen. But more important than that, Mary's whole life was so totally God-oriented. When a woman gave tribute to Mary saying, "Blest is the breast that nursed you," Jesus corrected her by saying, "Blest rather is the one who hears the word of God and keeps it." Mary did that.
When the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of God's Son, her faith and obedience to God was such that though she couldn't understand how this was going to happen, she said, "Fiat Yes Lord, let it be done." That was the spirit of Mary all through her life. And this spirit brought her to unexpected places to give birth in a stinking cave in Bethlehem, to the strange prophecy of Simeon in the temple, to the lost Son in the temple, to the foot of the Cross and ultimately, to the Spirit-shaken room at Pentecost.
Mary's spirit was intimately united with that of her Son, Jesus. But that does not mean that she didn't have any problem with God's mysterious ways. As Jesus' life orientation was to do the will of the Father, so was Mary's. And if she didn't understand God's mysterious ways, Luke's Gospel tells us that Mary "kept all these things pondering them in her heart."
Just as Jesus' kingship is the kingship of love and service, so is Mary's queenship - is that of love and service. At the Annunciation, when she heard that her cousin Elizabeth was in the family way, she went "in haste" to Elizabeth in the hill country to assist. At the wedding in Cana, she was the first to notice that the wine was running out, and she tried to do something to save the newly weds from embarrassment. She was with the group of women ministering to the needs of Jesus and the apostles during his public ministry. She was there at the foot of the cross in solidarity with her suffering Son. She was praying with the apostles at the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended.
It is but natural that God would raise her body and soul to be beside her Son as Queen of the Universe. She is not only the mother of Christ the King, but as Jesus is honored as the King of the universe, because of his love and service, and faithfulness to the Father's will, so Mary by her life of fidelity and love is honored as the Queen of the Universe.
May she continue to inspire us and intercede for us that we may follow her footsteps in fidelity to God. With the support of her prayers may we come to share the glory of God's children with her in the kingdom of the Father.
May Mary, our Queen and Mother bring all of us to Jesus her Son!
Perhaps the answer is found in Jesus himself. When the Israelites, after the peak of glory under King David and King Solomon, were in exile, having been dominated by successive foreign powers, they longed for the promised Messiah, a temporal king, who would lead them back to glory as the supreme power in the world.
Jesus came to fulfill God's promise of a Savior King. However, his kingship is not according to the expectation of the Jewish people. The people wanted a conquering king to subjugate other people and by his power to impose his will on the people. Jesus avoided that kind of kingship. He escaped from the people when they wanted to make him king.
And yet, on other occasions Jesus himself revealed that he was the Savior King, the Messiah: to the Samaritan woman by the well, to Pilate, who asked, "Are you the king of the Jews?" But his kingship is not a political or a military one. His kingdom is of love and service. It is a kingdom within the hearts of people. He comes to reveal to us the love of God. He comes to tell us that the ways of the world, the way of selfishness, of greed, of lust, of hatred, of pride only leads to destruction and eternal death.
Jesus comes to show us that the way of love, of humble service, of spiritual poverty, of obedience to the Father's will is the way to the kingdom and eternal life with God.
And to show the extent of God's love for us, he accepted the shameful death on the cross. Down through history, countless people have died for their kings. But this king willingly died for his people. And even in his dying agony on the cross, he was concerned with the fate of those who were killing him. He prayed to his Father to forgive them. He forgave the dying thief. By this Jesus shows us what true kingship is all about. Other kings rule from their golden thrones. Jesus rules from a cross.
As king he claims dominion over all creation, that he may present his almighty Father, an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
Now, since Jesus is the King of the Universe, Mary, his mother would naturally be the queen. But more important than that, Mary's whole life was so totally God-oriented. When a woman gave tribute to Mary saying, "Blest is the breast that nursed you," Jesus corrected her by saying, "Blest rather is the one who hears the word of God and keeps it." Mary did that.
When the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of God's Son, her faith and obedience to God was such that though she couldn't understand how this was going to happen, she said, "Fiat Yes Lord, let it be done." That was the spirit of Mary all through her life. And this spirit brought her to unexpected places to give birth in a stinking cave in Bethlehem, to the strange prophecy of Simeon in the temple, to the lost Son in the temple, to the foot of the Cross and ultimately, to the Spirit-shaken room at Pentecost.
Mary's spirit was intimately united with that of her Son, Jesus. But that does not mean that she didn't have any problem with God's mysterious ways. As Jesus' life orientation was to do the will of the Father, so was Mary's. And if she didn't understand God's mysterious ways, Luke's Gospel tells us that Mary "kept all these things pondering them in her heart."
Just as Jesus' kingship is the kingship of love and service, so is Mary's queenship - is that of love and service. At the Annunciation, when she heard that her cousin Elizabeth was in the family way, she went "in haste" to Elizabeth in the hill country to assist. At the wedding in Cana, she was the first to notice that the wine was running out, and she tried to do something to save the newly weds from embarrassment. She was with the group of women ministering to the needs of Jesus and the apostles during his public ministry. She was there at the foot of the cross in solidarity with her suffering Son. She was praying with the apostles at the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended.
It is but natural that God would raise her body and soul to be beside her Son as Queen of the Universe. She is not only the mother of Christ the King, but as Jesus is honored as the King of the universe, because of his love and service, and faithfulness to the Father's will, so Mary by her life of fidelity and love is honored as the Queen of the Universe.
May she continue to inspire us and intercede for us that we may follow her footsteps in fidelity to God. With the support of her prayers may we come to share the glory of God's children with her in the kingdom of the Father.
May Mary, our Queen and Mother bring all of us to Jesus her Son!
MATTHEW 23:1-12
Jesus treated ordinary sinners and the Pharisees quite differently. His arms and his heart were always wide open to receive sinners whose sins were sins of weakness. The experience of the woman caught committing adultery, as it is narrated in St. John's gospel, provides a very beautiful example of Jesus' love and compassion for the weak, even for weak sinners. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to condemn the adulteress, but instead he shamed the Pharisees and offered forgiveness and hope to the woman.
In today's gospel Jesus roundly condemns the Pharisees. Why? Because they wanted everything for themselves, honor and respect, impressive clothing, fine titles. But they placed terribly heavy burdens on the shoulders of the ordinary people and lifted not even a finger to help them bear the weight.
With regard to ourselves today, it's not our sins of weakness that will draw Jesus' condemnation down on us. Actions done with excess … excessive consumption of alcohol, involvement with drugs, sins of impurity - even though these can have a devastating effect on both the sinner and on others — they are sins of weakness. These are some of the sins which good men and women commit although they strive with great effort to live good Christian lives.
The really great sin in our country and perhaps the rest of the world today, a sin the Old Testament characterizes as crying out to heaven for vengeance, is the oppressive burden we place on the shoulders of the great majority of our people. This is the sin that will call down Christ's condemnation on us. We like to think, I suppose, that we personally have done nothing to put these burdens on the poor. Who then imposed them? The society, of course, of which we have been members all our lives, and in whose guilt, therefore, we have a share.
Even if we were not guilty of putting burdens on others, in his parable on the last judgment, Christ does not ask those to be judged whether they have imposed burdens on "the least of his brothers." He asks, rather whether they have done anything to make burdens they imposed - lighter.
In today's gospel Jesus roundly condemns the Pharisees. Why? Because they wanted everything for themselves, honor and respect, impressive clothing, fine titles. But they placed terribly heavy burdens on the shoulders of the ordinary people and lifted not even a finger to help them bear the weight.
With regard to ourselves today, it's not our sins of weakness that will draw Jesus' condemnation down on us. Actions done with excess … excessive consumption of alcohol, involvement with drugs, sins of impurity - even though these can have a devastating effect on both the sinner and on others — they are sins of weakness. These are some of the sins which good men and women commit although they strive with great effort to live good Christian lives.
The really great sin in our country and perhaps the rest of the world today, a sin the Old Testament characterizes as crying out to heaven for vengeance, is the oppressive burden we place on the shoulders of the great majority of our people. This is the sin that will call down Christ's condemnation on us. We like to think, I suppose, that we personally have done nothing to put these burdens on the poor. Who then imposed them? The society, of course, of which we have been members all our lives, and in whose guilt, therefore, we have a share.
Even if we were not guilty of putting burdens on others, in his parable on the last judgment, Christ does not ask those to be judged whether they have imposed burdens on "the least of his brothers." He asks, rather whether they have done anything to make burdens they imposed - lighter.
MATTHEW 22:34-40
The Pharisees counted over three hundred commandments of the law. These three hundred commandments were the source of constant discussion: what is allowed and what is not allowed by each of them. As a result, the Jews literally enunciated thousands of regulations and rules that were to govern the behavior of pious people.
Another topic of debate was which of all these laws and rules and regulations was the greatest, the most important, the most binding. A lawyer in today's gospel wants to get Jesus into this sort of a discussion, hoping that he'll be able to trick him, perhaps to make Jesus look foolish in the eyes of the listeners. So he asks Jesus, "which is the greatest of the law's commandments?"
With admirable ease Jesus introduces utter simplicity into the morass of laws and regulations that cluttered up Jewish theology. He reduces all the law to two commandments, "Love God", and "Love the neighbor." As a matter of fact, Jesus makes the two commandments one, two sides of a single coin, if you wish. The one most basic commandment that sums up all the rest is expressed in the word `love.' Clearly Jesus did not want Christianity to become a heartless, loveless matter of conformity to a series of laws.
"Love" is at the core of Christianity. "Love" does not address rules and commandments. `Love' bursts into life in the presence of, and as a response to, persons. The motivation of Christian behavior was not to be a law feared, but a person loved, the person of God, the person of the neighbor.
It was his love for the Father and his love for men and women that moved the Son of God to enter into our world and upon the work of salvation.
Hopefully it will be our love of the Father and of the neighbor that will motivate all our thoughts and actions, forming them into expressions of Christian striving.
Another topic of debate was which of all these laws and rules and regulations was the greatest, the most important, the most binding. A lawyer in today's gospel wants to get Jesus into this sort of a discussion, hoping that he'll be able to trick him, perhaps to make Jesus look foolish in the eyes of the listeners. So he asks Jesus, "which is the greatest of the law's commandments?"
With admirable ease Jesus introduces utter simplicity into the morass of laws and regulations that cluttered up Jewish theology. He reduces all the law to two commandments, "Love God", and "Love the neighbor." As a matter of fact, Jesus makes the two commandments one, two sides of a single coin, if you wish. The one most basic commandment that sums up all the rest is expressed in the word `love.' Clearly Jesus did not want Christianity to become a heartless, loveless matter of conformity to a series of laws.
"Love" is at the core of Christianity. "Love" does not address rules and commandments. `Love' bursts into life in the presence of, and as a response to, persons. The motivation of Christian behavior was not to be a law feared, but a person loved, the person of God, the person of the neighbor.
It was his love for the Father and his love for men and women that moved the Son of God to enter into our world and upon the work of salvation.
Hopefully it will be our love of the Father and of the neighbor that will motivate all our thoughts and actions, forming them into expressions of Christian striving.
MATTHEW 22:1-14
Today's gospel reading opens on a banquet scene. It is not an ordinary meal but a banquet. God, in the person of the king who celebrates the wedding of his son, invites everyone to his table. Maybe we are too accustomed to his biblical image and so are no longer struck by it. And yet, it is striking. In other religions, God is often seen as a king who admits people into his presence in a sort of rigid standing to attention posture, like well-trained guards at Buckingham Palace. Here, in our biblical religion, God invites to his table. And his meal is not a stingy one. It is a banquet. For our God is a generous God who gives lavishly without ever tiring.
Furthermore, this banquet is a wedding banquet. God is a lover, someone madly in love with his people. In the Old Testament we see God presenting himself as a suitor wishing to marry Israel. To his people God offers a covenant that is bridal in character. The prophet Isaiah, speaking to the Israelites, says: "Your Maker is your husband." In the New Testament, Jesus shows that this marriage is carried through in his person.
The whole history of the relationships between God and his people is thus a love story. God confides to his people: "I love you with an everlasting love." And what he asks of his people in return is to love. "You shall love your God with all your heart."
In the parable, the king's invitation to the wedding banquet is turned down. And not only once, but several times. Those invited have other more important and pressing things to do. Moreover, in response to such a gracious offer, the king's emissaries are even ill-treated and murdered. This is the way in which Jesus sums up the drama of Israel. Invited to a love relationship, the chosen people of God responded with indifference and murder. God continues persistently to invite us to the table of his Son. What is our response?
God invites us to his banquet in many ways, and not only through the voice of his teaching Church and his priests. He invites us through that brother who inspires us by his good example, through that unusual occurrence which sets us thinking, through that trial or that great joy which brings us to lift our eyes towards him.
There are many ways by which one can refuse oneself to God. There is the violent way of the militant atheists who throw religion into the garbage can. But there is also the polite way, which consists of reducing religion to a mere formality. One attends Mass on Sundays, does his Easter duties, and gives to charity. They think that should be enough. They say to themselves: After all, a person has to earn his living, ensure his career, make influential connections, entertain his friends, keep abreast of things, bring up his children, relax a little. In short, he has other priorities.
A lot of people, and perhaps we are of this number, believe that happiness can very well be found not so much at the banquet of God, as elsewhere. They imagine that, by giving God the minimum time, they will have the maximum time for themselves - for the securing of their happiness. They forget that they are made for God and that apart from God, the most lavish human banquets have a taste of ashes. As St. Augustine says: "Our heart is restless, Lord, until it rests in you."
Furthermore, this banquet is a wedding banquet. God is a lover, someone madly in love with his people. In the Old Testament we see God presenting himself as a suitor wishing to marry Israel. To his people God offers a covenant that is bridal in character. The prophet Isaiah, speaking to the Israelites, says: "Your Maker is your husband." In the New Testament, Jesus shows that this marriage is carried through in his person.
The whole history of the relationships between God and his people is thus a love story. God confides to his people: "I love you with an everlasting love." And what he asks of his people in return is to love. "You shall love your God with all your heart."
In the parable, the king's invitation to the wedding banquet is turned down. And not only once, but several times. Those invited have other more important and pressing things to do. Moreover, in response to such a gracious offer, the king's emissaries are even ill-treated and murdered. This is the way in which Jesus sums up the drama of Israel. Invited to a love relationship, the chosen people of God responded with indifference and murder. God continues persistently to invite us to the table of his Son. What is our response?
God invites us to his banquet in many ways, and not only through the voice of his teaching Church and his priests. He invites us through that brother who inspires us by his good example, through that unusual occurrence which sets us thinking, through that trial or that great joy which brings us to lift our eyes towards him.
There are many ways by which one can refuse oneself to God. There is the violent way of the militant atheists who throw religion into the garbage can. But there is also the polite way, which consists of reducing religion to a mere formality. One attends Mass on Sundays, does his Easter duties, and gives to charity. They think that should be enough. They say to themselves: After all, a person has to earn his living, ensure his career, make influential connections, entertain his friends, keep abreast of things, bring up his children, relax a little. In short, he has other priorities.
A lot of people, and perhaps we are of this number, believe that happiness can very well be found not so much at the banquet of God, as elsewhere. They imagine that, by giving God the minimum time, they will have the maximum time for themselves - for the securing of their happiness. They forget that they are made for God and that apart from God, the most lavish human banquets have a taste of ashes. As St. Augustine says: "Our heart is restless, Lord, until it rests in you."
MATTHEW 20:1-16
"Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?"
Today's gospel of the workers in the vineyard has often puzzled many of us. Perhaps its because what the landowner in the parable did, goes against what most of us would have done under similar circumstances. We are all brought up with ideas concerning work and compensation, i.e. no work no pay, more work more pay and less work less pay. It does not seem fair to the workers who had worked longer hours to receive less than those who had worked more.
Even during the time of Jesus, the people would be shocked to hear of such a radical idea. Many will have trouble accepting and comprehending this parable of Jesus concerning the kingdom of heaven. However, perhaps Jesus really intended to shock his listeners in the same way he shocked those who listen to the parable of the good shepherd. Recall that the shepherd left the flock to search for one lost sheep. What Jesus may be proposing to his listeners then and to us now, is that the Lord's love and generosity is the foundation of the kingdom of God.
This is so different and opposite from the way human nature operates. Why is it that many of us have difficulty in accepting that God's love and generosity as the foundation of our value system? Is it because of our human nature? Is it because as children we were taught otherwise? Is it because of our sinful nature, i.e. greed, self-sufficiency and self-centeredness? Are we any different from the people during the time of Jesus 2,000 years ago?
Perhaps we need to be reminded and give thanks to the Lord for his generosity and for all the gifts He bestowed to us.
Today's gospel of the workers in the vineyard has often puzzled many of us. Perhaps its because what the landowner in the parable did, goes against what most of us would have done under similar circumstances. We are all brought up with ideas concerning work and compensation, i.e. no work no pay, more work more pay and less work less pay. It does not seem fair to the workers who had worked longer hours to receive less than those who had worked more.
Even during the time of Jesus, the people would be shocked to hear of such a radical idea. Many will have trouble accepting and comprehending this parable of Jesus concerning the kingdom of heaven. However, perhaps Jesus really intended to shock his listeners in the same way he shocked those who listen to the parable of the good shepherd. Recall that the shepherd left the flock to search for one lost sheep. What Jesus may be proposing to his listeners then and to us now, is that the Lord's love and generosity is the foundation of the kingdom of God.
This is so different and opposite from the way human nature operates. Why is it that many of us have difficulty in accepting that God's love and generosity as the foundation of our value system? Is it because of our human nature? Is it because as children we were taught otherwise? Is it because of our sinful nature, i.e. greed, self-sufficiency and self-centeredness? Are we any different from the people during the time of Jesus 2,000 years ago?
Perhaps we need to be reminded and give thanks to the Lord for his generosity and for all the gifts He bestowed to us.
MATTHEW 19:23-30
Today's gospel reading invites us to make a reflection very similar to yesterday's reflection. Jesus says in today's gospel, "It`s easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Some of us may have the tendency to over rationalize when we hear this statement. This sort of thing: oh, it's just Jesus making use of hyperbole or exaggeration, the sort of thing the Jews of his day loved to use and hear. Or: the apostles were so startled by what Jesus said, that they asked, "then who can be saved?" To ease the Apostles' anxiety Jesus immediately softened his words: "with God all things are possible." In other words, it'll take a miracle to save a rich man, but God can work miracles.
Well, as we remember yesterday, that's not always true, there are limitations on God's miracle-making power. Let us recall the time Jesus went back to his hometown. According to St. Mark, `Jesus was unable to perform miracles there, aside from curing a few sick people. He was amazed at lack of faith [of the people of Nazareth].'
More to the point, as you will recall, in yesterday's gospel Jesus was unable to work a miracle in the heart of the rich man who wanted to become his disciple. The miracle Jesus tried to perform - separating the rich man from his wealth - failed. God was powerless to work a miracle in the rich man's heart.
That's the trouble with riches. We pass so easily from the possession of riches to being unwittingly or perhaps knowingly possessed by them and then not even God can free us of our slavery. The rich man in yesterday's gospel is a perfect example.
As mentioned in yesterday's reflection, those who are the rich are those who have steady work, secure jobs, assured incomes, comfortable homes, healthy food … all that in a country where the vast majority of the people live below the poverty line. We are the rich and therefore - we are people at risk in Jesus' eyes.
Let us ask ourselves today: can we detach ourselves, not from the basic needs for our daily living, but from our surplus? Can we detach ourselves from it and offer it to God, to Jesus, for the poor? If we cannot, then we are no different from the rich man mentioned in yesterday's gospel. God cannot work miracles in our hearts if we are unwilling. Do we want to be with God or are we slaves of money?
Well, as we remember yesterday, that's not always true, there are limitations on God's miracle-making power. Let us recall the time Jesus went back to his hometown. According to St. Mark, `Jesus was unable to perform miracles there, aside from curing a few sick people. He was amazed at lack of faith [of the people of Nazareth].'
More to the point, as you will recall, in yesterday's gospel Jesus was unable to work a miracle in the heart of the rich man who wanted to become his disciple. The miracle Jesus tried to perform - separating the rich man from his wealth - failed. God was powerless to work a miracle in the rich man's heart.
That's the trouble with riches. We pass so easily from the possession of riches to being unwittingly or perhaps knowingly possessed by them and then not even God can free us of our slavery. The rich man in yesterday's gospel is a perfect example.
As mentioned in yesterday's reflection, those who are the rich are those who have steady work, secure jobs, assured incomes, comfortable homes, healthy food … all that in a country where the vast majority of the people live below the poverty line. We are the rich and therefore - we are people at risk in Jesus' eyes.
Let us ask ourselves today: can we detach ourselves, not from the basic needs for our daily living, but from our surplus? Can we detach ourselves from it and offer it to God, to Jesus, for the poor? If we cannot, then we are no different from the rich man mentioned in yesterday's gospel. God cannot work miracles in our hearts if we are unwilling. Do we want to be with God or are we slaves of money?
MATTHEW 19:16-22
According to the Acts of the Apostles the early Christians sold everything they did not need for their daily living. The income was given to the Apostles who distributed it to the poor. They did this because Jesus constantly taught material possessions were one of the primary obstacles keeping people out of the kingdom. The pursuit of wealth, he taught, was diametrically opposed to the pursuit of the kingdom. No one can serve both these masters.
Therefore, Jesus promised that the kingdom would be the kingdom of the poor. "Blessed are you poor," he said, "yours is the kingdom of heaven." He also said, "Alas for you rich, you are having your consolation now."
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the only reason why the rich man was excluded from the kingdom was because he did not share his wealth with Lazarus.
And so, Jesus taught, it would be harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Of course, nothing is impossible to God; he can work miracles. Yet, often, as in today's gospel story, even God may be unable to perform the required miracle. In spite of the spiritual blessings discipleship with Jesus would bring to the rich man, in spite of his ardent desire to follow Jesus, the miracle Jesus tried to perform - separating him from his wealth - failed. God was powerless to work a miracle in the rich man's heart.
Who are the rich in our society? We are, all of us. For surely, in a society in which the vast majority of the people live in want or need even for their daily sustenance, those are rich who have more than they need to live on. Like the early Christians we are asked to sell what we do not need. Like all Christians we are reminded not to let our wealth possess us, lest we be blocked from entering the kingdom of the poor.
Therefore, Jesus promised that the kingdom would be the kingdom of the poor. "Blessed are you poor," he said, "yours is the kingdom of heaven." He also said, "Alas for you rich, you are having your consolation now."
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the only reason why the rich man was excluded from the kingdom was because he did not share his wealth with Lazarus.
And so, Jesus taught, it would be harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Of course, nothing is impossible to God; he can work miracles. Yet, often, as in today's gospel story, even God may be unable to perform the required miracle. In spite of the spiritual blessings discipleship with Jesus would bring to the rich man, in spite of his ardent desire to follow Jesus, the miracle Jesus tried to perform - separating him from his wealth - failed. God was powerless to work a miracle in the rich man's heart.
Who are the rich in our society? We are, all of us. For surely, in a society in which the vast majority of the people live in want or need even for their daily sustenance, those are rich who have more than they need to live on. Like the early Christians we are asked to sell what we do not need. Like all Christians we are reminded not to let our wealth possess us, lest we be blocked from entering the kingdom of the poor.
LUKE 1:39-56
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary's Assumption, that Mary did not suffer physical corruption after her death. She was taken body and soul upon her death into heaven. What is the significance of this feast?
In our technological age, we have advanced so much in our scientific knowledge. We have explored the outer space of the galaxies, and the inner space of atoms, electrons, neutrons and so on. We have made so much advances in genetic engineering that we can clone and alter natural offspring. We have made great advances in psychological and human sciences that we can brainwash and make people crazy.
But when it comes to living our lives, our chief need is to find somebody who will inspire us to do what we know we should do, a hero role model. And that is the role of a friend, a spouse, or a parent. As Christians we might add that this is also the role of Mary.
As we look on the life of Mary, the first thing we find in Mary's life is suffering. Mary's suffering began when she was asked to bear a son before being married to Joseph, her fiancé. In other words, she was asked to be an unwed mother. The anxieties in her heart, - Would Joseph still accept her, when he finds out that she's already pregnant? If the public finds out, will she be stoned to death in public?
Later, when she and Joseph took the child Jesus to the Temple. There, the holy man Simeon said of Jesus: "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted." Turning to Mary he said, "And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will pierce your own heart."
Suffering continued in Mary's life when in later years she saw the opposition grow against Jesus.
Finally, her suffering reached its peak when she stood beneath the crucified body of her son on Calvary. Mary bore her suffering with courage and with patience. And that's where she becomes a source of inspiration to us. She inspires us to bear our suffering as courageously and patiently as she did.
This brings us to the second thing that we find in Mary's life. It's the spirit of service to others. The spirit manifested itself when the angel Gabriel announced that she was to be the mother of the Son of God. Her answer was short and to the point: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Mary's spirit of service continued to manifest itself when she learned of her cousin, Elizabeth's pregnancy and went to help. Finally, that spirit of service continued to manifest itself when Mary asked help from Jesus for the young married couple at Cana. Mary was already there to help at the reception in the first place.
Someone once said, "My life turned around when I stopped asking God to do things for me and asked God what I could do for him." It is this kind of spirit of service in Mary that inspires us to want to try to serve as she did.
This brings us to the third thing that we find in Mary's life. It is a spirit of profound prayerfulness. This spirit of prayerfulness is seen in her prayer of praise to God. Mary offered this prayer called the Magnificat right after learning that Elizabeth's child leaped in the womb when she approached Elizabeth with Jesus in her womb.
Mary's spirit of prayerfulness continued at the birth of Jesus, when the Gospel tells us that Mary "kept all these things [connected with Jesus' birth] reflecting on them in her heart."
And it reached a special peak when the Acts of the Apostles relates that she "devoted" herself "to payer" with the Apostles in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Because of her prayerfulness, she was always ready to do the will of God. That's why she was sinless, that's why she was taken body and soul to heaven upon her death to be with God forever.
Mother Theresa of Calcutta once said, "Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of himself." This is what prayer did for Mary. And this is what it can also do for us.
Mary inspires us to want to carry our cross patiently as she carried hers. She inspires us to want to serve others generously and joyfully, as she served them. Finally, she inspires us to pray regularly as she did.
It is in this regard we can confidently look to Mary as our intercessor. We often ask friends, especially those we believe, who are close to God to pray for us and for our intentions. Jesus himself declared: "…If two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by my Father in heaven." (Matt. 18: 19) Mary is the person most pleasing to God, a person who is always ready to help us. Her prayers and intercessions will be most pleasing to God. Who can be a better Advocate than Mary Our Mother?
And if we imitate Mary in these three things, of patiently carrying the cross, of generous service, and of living a life of prayer, then we too will rejoice with her someday in heaven in the presence of the Holy Trinity, as she rejoices there now.
This is the message contained in today's feast.
This is the good news we celebrate together.
This is the invitation that God extends to each one of us in this liturgy.
In our technological age, we have advanced so much in our scientific knowledge. We have explored the outer space of the galaxies, and the inner space of atoms, electrons, neutrons and so on. We have made so much advances in genetic engineering that we can clone and alter natural offspring. We have made great advances in psychological and human sciences that we can brainwash and make people crazy.
But when it comes to living our lives, our chief need is to find somebody who will inspire us to do what we know we should do, a hero role model. And that is the role of a friend, a spouse, or a parent. As Christians we might add that this is also the role of Mary.
As we look on the life of Mary, the first thing we find in Mary's life is suffering. Mary's suffering began when she was asked to bear a son before being married to Joseph, her fiancé. In other words, she was asked to be an unwed mother. The anxieties in her heart, - Would Joseph still accept her, when he finds out that she's already pregnant? If the public finds out, will she be stoned to death in public?
Later, when she and Joseph took the child Jesus to the Temple. There, the holy man Simeon said of Jesus: "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted." Turning to Mary he said, "And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will pierce your own heart."
Suffering continued in Mary's life when in later years she saw the opposition grow against Jesus.
Finally, her suffering reached its peak when she stood beneath the crucified body of her son on Calvary. Mary bore her suffering with courage and with patience. And that's where she becomes a source of inspiration to us. She inspires us to bear our suffering as courageously and patiently as she did.
This brings us to the second thing that we find in Mary's life. It's the spirit of service to others. The spirit manifested itself when the angel Gabriel announced that she was to be the mother of the Son of God. Her answer was short and to the point: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Mary's spirit of service continued to manifest itself when she learned of her cousin, Elizabeth's pregnancy and went to help. Finally, that spirit of service continued to manifest itself when Mary asked help from Jesus for the young married couple at Cana. Mary was already there to help at the reception in the first place.
Someone once said, "My life turned around when I stopped asking God to do things for me and asked God what I could do for him." It is this kind of spirit of service in Mary that inspires us to want to try to serve as she did.
This brings us to the third thing that we find in Mary's life. It is a spirit of profound prayerfulness. This spirit of prayerfulness is seen in her prayer of praise to God. Mary offered this prayer called the Magnificat right after learning that Elizabeth's child leaped in the womb when she approached Elizabeth with Jesus in her womb.
Mary's spirit of prayerfulness continued at the birth of Jesus, when the Gospel tells us that Mary "kept all these things [connected with Jesus' birth] reflecting on them in her heart."
And it reached a special peak when the Acts of the Apostles relates that she "devoted" herself "to payer" with the Apostles in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Because of her prayerfulness, she was always ready to do the will of God. That's why she was sinless, that's why she was taken body and soul to heaven upon her death to be with God forever.
Mother Theresa of Calcutta once said, "Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of himself." This is what prayer did for Mary. And this is what it can also do for us.
Mary inspires us to want to carry our cross patiently as she carried hers. She inspires us to want to serve others generously and joyfully, as she served them. Finally, she inspires us to pray regularly as she did.
It is in this regard we can confidently look to Mary as our intercessor. We often ask friends, especially those we believe, who are close to God to pray for us and for our intentions. Jesus himself declared: "…If two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by my Father in heaven." (Matt. 18: 19) Mary is the person most pleasing to God, a person who is always ready to help us. Her prayers and intercessions will be most pleasing to God. Who can be a better Advocate than Mary Our Mother?
And if we imitate Mary in these three things, of patiently carrying the cross, of generous service, and of living a life of prayer, then we too will rejoice with her someday in heaven in the presence of the Holy Trinity, as she rejoices there now.
This is the message contained in today's feast.
This is the good news we celebrate together.
This is the invitation that God extends to each one of us in this liturgy.
MATTHEW 19:13-15
One commentator mentions that Jesus is unique among ancient teachers in ascribing so much importance to children. In our day, of course, we like to think of ourselves as particularly enlightened in our concern for and care of children.
A few years ago, the disappearance of a child received nation-wide attention in the American press and in international media, such as CNN and BBC. Our own email publication, Daily Prayer, printed requests for prayers for the child, that she be found and safely rescued. When the child was found a couple of days later, newspaper and TV coverage was widespread. Pictures of her recovery showed her family and friends, as well as the police involved in the case and even complete strangers, experiencing a universal feeling of relief and joy.
Surely Jesus' attitude toward children had a very powerful, formative impact over the centuries on the caring attitude that manifests itself in modern western culture.
I would think therefore that the Christian Church in every nation ought to look at the care and concern its government and its citizens show for the welfare of the nation's children.
In the Philippines street children by the thousands wander about our cities, deprived of the warmth and love that only a family can provide. Even children who live in a family with one parent or with both, too often eat but one scanty meal a day, and suffer stomach diseases, simply because most of the day their stomachs are empty.
"Let the children come to me," Jesus said. Mother Theresa had suggested that if those who have, would only share what they have with the poor, there would be no poor.
Each of us has to allow himself or herself to be confronted by Jesus and Mother Theresa, and by their words. In the large picture very little would be accomplished by a middle class family that shares what it can with a poor child or a poor family, but if only one child or one family is benefited, this would be a giant step forward toward true Christian and Christ-like living.
A few years ago, the disappearance of a child received nation-wide attention in the American press and in international media, such as CNN and BBC. Our own email publication, Daily Prayer, printed requests for prayers for the child, that she be found and safely rescued. When the child was found a couple of days later, newspaper and TV coverage was widespread. Pictures of her recovery showed her family and friends, as well as the police involved in the case and even complete strangers, experiencing a universal feeling of relief and joy.
Surely Jesus' attitude toward children had a very powerful, formative impact over the centuries on the caring attitude that manifests itself in modern western culture.
I would think therefore that the Christian Church in every nation ought to look at the care and concern its government and its citizens show for the welfare of the nation's children.
In the Philippines street children by the thousands wander about our cities, deprived of the warmth and love that only a family can provide. Even children who live in a family with one parent or with both, too often eat but one scanty meal a day, and suffer stomach diseases, simply because most of the day their stomachs are empty.
"Let the children come to me," Jesus said. Mother Theresa had suggested that if those who have, would only share what they have with the poor, there would be no poor.
Each of us has to allow himself or herself to be confronted by Jesus and Mother Theresa, and by their words. In the large picture very little would be accomplished by a middle class family that shares what it can with a poor child or a poor family, but if only one child or one family is benefited, this would be a giant step forward toward true Christian and Christ-like living.
MATTHEW 19:3-12
Ezekiel spoke of the glory of the Lord rising out of the Temple and leaving the city. It was, I commented, the final break between Yahweh and his people. But it wasn't, was it? There is never any final separation of Yahweh from Israel, of God our Father from us.
The beautiful allegory in today's first reading, describes Jerusalem as the girl-baby rejected by her parents, thrown out on the ground to die and rot, with no one to bestow on her the care and love she needs to live. To some extent the reading is ghastly, but beautiful is Yahweh's love for Jerusalem. It is his love for her that makes the girl-baby grow to beautiful adulthood. Yahweh swore an oath to her and entered into a covenant of marriage with her. "You became mine," he tells her.
Unfortunately, Jerusalem knew how beautiful she was, and used her beauty to make herself a famous harlot, giving herself to every pagan god who came her way. Is it time yet for the final, definitive break? "Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl," Yahweh tells her, "and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you, that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says Yahweh."
Should this surprise us? Yahweh, after all, is the father in Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will no more insist on final, definitive breaks than did Yahweh in the days of the Old Testament.
The beautiful allegory in today's first reading, describes Jerusalem as the girl-baby rejected by her parents, thrown out on the ground to die and rot, with no one to bestow on her the care and love she needs to live. To some extent the reading is ghastly, but beautiful is Yahweh's love for Jerusalem. It is his love for her that makes the girl-baby grow to beautiful adulthood. Yahweh swore an oath to her and entered into a covenant of marriage with her. "You became mine," he tells her.
Unfortunately, Jerusalem knew how beautiful she was, and used her beauty to make herself a famous harlot, giving herself to every pagan god who came her way. Is it time yet for the final, definitive break? "Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl," Yahweh tells her, "and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you, that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says Yahweh."
Should this surprise us? Yahweh, after all, is the father in Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will no more insist on final, definitive breaks than did Yahweh in the days of the Old Testament.
