Thursday of the Twelfth Week
Today’s gospel reading from Matthew is one of those that makes us pause and reexamine our faith. Many people undoubtedly think that they are doing the will of God; many people believe themselves genuine in their prayer. But are we really doing God’s will? And are we really praying in earnest? Jesus calls us, as his disciples, both to listen to his words and to act on them. If we can do this then we are like a man who built his house on rock – a solid foundation.
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week
When I was a child, there was a practice of tying a string to your finger to help you remember something. I seem to recall it was an expression recited to me by my grandmother. The string trick helped somewhat but it mostly reminded me that there was something important I needed to remember without actually helping to recall it. Now there are all kinds of techniques and devices to help one remember, everything from a pneumonic to a smart phone. While these are better systems for reminders, especially with recall, they are not perfect.
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
It has sometimes troubled me to hear that the gate that leads to eternal life is narrow and the way that leads to destruction is very broad. On the surface this is one of Jesus’ harsher sayings and not necessarily something I would quote if I were attempting to present Jesus to someone for the first time. Yet reading the first and second readings together as they are linked for us today reveals a very positive message that can be uplifting for us Christians today as we go about our daily lives.
Monday of the Twelfth Week
Today’s gospel reading from Matthew’s account on the Sermon on the Mount always makes a lot of sense to us. It’s no secret that human beings are prone to judging others. And we probably can think of lots of examples of people who seem quick to judge others while completely failing to notice their own shortcomings. These people can be particularly annoying; we wonder how they can be so critical of others and not of themselves.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Today, we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. If I had to name this feast based on today’s readings, I would name it the feast of the Most loving Trinity. None of the readings we have today speak about the holiness of the Trinity or about the Trinity itself. Rather they speak about the nature of God who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Paul refers God as the God of love and peace. Jesus, in today’s gospel reading says, “God so loved the world….”
Saturday of the Eleventh Week
We might read discussion of boasting in today’s first reading as a reflection on the proper ordering of all things in the life of a Christian. The appropriateness of “boasting” depends upon it how it moves people toward God. While telling the truth about Paul’s own spiritual fruits would make sense, Paul expresses reservation about doing this precisely because that truth could misdirect people to him instead of to God (2 Cor 12: 5-7). Since the Corinthians, to whom Paul is writing, presumably no nothing of the man about whom Paul does boast, misdirecting them is far less likely in that case. Why is this so important? Precisely because we are always tempted to direct our drive to worship God in all sorts of other directions.
Friday of the Eleventh Week
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, then your whole body will be filled with light." (Matthew 6:19-23) What does Jesus mean when he says this?
It is true that you can tell a lot about a person when you look at their eyes. Eyes hold so much emotion - the rest of a person might look normal but the eyes will betray a tear, and sadness or anger. Sometimes you can tell about a person's soul a bit, too: people who are going through extraordinary crises of faith often have eyes that look desolate, displaying the emptiness they feel inside. Or, conversely, I think of some Mennonite friends of mine whose eyes always displayed peace, and consequently anyone who would talk to them would feel at peace too. Of course, eyes are attached to bodies; it is never only the eyes that we see, but a person's whole body that expresses their situation. So Jesus makes a connection between the eye and the body; if the eye is working, the body will reflect that.
Thursday of the Eleventh Week
Many of us have probably had the experience of wanting the best for someone and trying to guide him or her appropriately. For those of us who are parents, we can honestly say that we DO often know what’s best for our kids, even when they seem not to believe us. Sometimes we feel like we are making progress in training or guiding others; they seem to take our words seriously and change their habits and lives accordingly.
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week
Generosity is a character trait that seems to be found either naturally in people or not. But it is also a trait that can be practiced and eventually learned, yet more difficult to find is a cheerful giver. Also, one might think that material wealth would determine levels of generosity. Yet recent statistics show that 8% of those making $20,000 or less gave at least 10% of their incomes to churches while 1% of those making 75,000 to $99,999 gave a similar amount. The statistics and the readings today challenged me to reflect upon the question, “Who were the cheerful givers from my own experience and what might they teach me about generosity?”
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week
In the first reading for today, Paul praises the churches of Macedonia for their keen desire to live out the gospel. This dedication to the gospel is demonstrated first and foremost in the outpouring of their love for one another. As Paul states, Jesus is our prime example of the proper response to God’s love. For Jesus did not come into the world to exalt himself: Instead he came with a mission of love and service. Paul notes that we are not forced to respond in this way. The Macedonians’ response was an act of gratitude towards God, who loves us and who has done more for us than we can possibly imagine.
Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua
As we return to Ordinary time today, our readings draw out the theme of salvation: “The Lord has made known his salvation,” proclaims the responsorial psalm response (Ps. 98:1). The first reading, from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians also appeals to this: “now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). We have a positive view of salvation, as indeed we should. SALVATION! It is what we dream of, what we long for, what we seek. The word itself indicates being saved, and we might think of peace, security, help in times of trouble.
Pentecost Sunday
On the feast of the Pentecost, it is generally customary to focus on the spectacular. The awesomeness of tongues of fire, the speaking in multiple tongues, the mighty wind and the fiery speech of Peter are indeed representative of this event that transformed the history of the world. But that is in the Acts of the Apostles. Our gospel reading is from the gospel of John and in this gospel the Pentecost is associated more closely with the death of Jesus and the resurrection appearances. So, for example, John has Jesus give the spirit to the people present at the foot of the cross. Jn 19:30 says, “When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Scripture scholars tell us that John was referring not just to Jesus’ death but that he also meant that Jesus handed over the Holy Spirit. Similarly, in today’s gospel reading, Jesus said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This is John’s Pentecost. John does this because for him the church is born at the foot of the cross with the blood and water flowing from his side.
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
We have come to the last day of the Easter Season, and with it to the end of the Gospel of John, which we have been following throughout the Easter Season. We also celebrate today the memorial of St. Barnabas, a close companion to the Apostles and especially to Paul in his mission outside of Jerusalem.
As we see in today’s first reading, Barnabas was specifically called by the Holy Spirit, set apart for the work of spreading the gospel (Acts 12:2). He followed with zeal and a joyful hear, even disagreeing with his companion St. Paul on several occasions. Barnabas’s heart was consumed by God’s grace, on fire with the Holy Spirit, such that he held nothing back when it came to bearing witness to Christ. That word, “witness” is the translation of the Greek word “martyr.” Martyrs are so called because in dying as Christ did, they offer ultimate witness to Him. While we don’t know exactly when and how Barnabas died, the end of Acts of Apostles points to Paul’s martyrdom. It’s at least possible that Barnabas’s fate was the same.
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
So many people do not REALLY have faith in Christ or in his resurrection. They see Jesus as a nice guy who said good things like "Love each other." But today's reading in Acts (25:13b-21) shows that faith in Jesus must be something deeper than that. In my reflection today, I set some context for this passage in Acts, in order to discuss this deeper faith.
Festus is the current governor of Caesarea, an area that includes Judea; Agrippa is grandson of Herod and king of an area north of Judea; Bernice is his sister. Festus has been holding Paul in prison because of charges made by some of the Jewish members of the region. Paul is charged with inciting violence, disturbing the peace, and desecrating the temple and has been imprisoned for two years already. He was first charged with these crimes when the previous governor, Felix, was in charge.
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Pentecost is quickly approaching, and the liturgical season of Easter finally coming to an end. What does the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost signify? Unity, for one thing. We see this foreshadowed dramatically in Jesus’ words of prayer in the gospel of John in today’s passage: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn. 17:20-21). The unity of his followers is something for which Jesus prays, and the cause of unity is one reason for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Published in 1942, “The Screwtape Letters” gathered together a collection of letters that were originally published in a weekly Anglican periodical. These letters were from a higher ranking demon, Screwtape, to a tempter in training, Wormwood, who happened to be this demon’s nephew. At the heart of the letters was advice as to the best methods for destroying the soul. While this book is satire the truth with which it speaks can be convicting at times. The temptations Wormwood tries to inflict are calculating and very cunning in their approach.
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
I love to see my five month old daughter smile. It’s contagious. When I see her smile I can’t help but smile myself. I’m also reminded of Jesus’ words at several places in the Bible (for instance, Matthew 13:3) that to really have faith we must become like children. Sometimes I find myself become so overburdened by the cares of the world and the busyness of daily life that I forget that my life is a gift of God. It seems that what Jesus is encouraging us to do by teaching us to be like children is to get us to treat each moment of our lives as a gift, to prevent us from losing sight of the ways that we are dependent to God. It occurs to me that we can even find joy in this realization if our lives are centered on God and we are living in the light of his presence.
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Our celebration has now passed, and we are nearing the end of the season of Easter. In this final week, we turn our attention to the Holy Spirit, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost. By this time in Easter, it’s easy to feel that the Easter spirit has fizzled out. Those Easter egg hunts and the newness of the “Alleluia” seem to have been so long ago. But we should not be led to complacency in these last days of Easter. We are called to march on in the joy of the risen Lord, looking forward to that great gift given to us after the risen Lord Jesus ceased to walk the earth and ascended into heaven.
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Of all the feasts in the church, Ascension is my least favorite feast. After all, I am not very fond of goodbyes. It could be because my first real goodbye was also the hardest. I left home when I was barely seventeen. Leaving one’s family to join the seminary is unlike going away to college. There is a certain finality to that leaving. Ascension reminds me of that finality. No wonder, then, that the excitement that characteristic of the resurrection of Jesus is missing from the disciples at ascension. In fact, they are portrayed gaping at the sky, in doubt and questioning. So for me, the meaning of the feast of the Ascension rests less in the fact that Jesus went out of the sight of the world and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. That is no cause for feasting. For me, the meaning of Easter comes from this one statement, “You will be my witnesses….” In the gospel reading this command reads, “Go and make disciples.” Here lies the meaning of the feast of the ascension. The ascension of Jesus opens a new horizon for those who follow the path laid out by Jesus. The ascension of Jesus offers new possibilities for his disciples. Today I want to explore these new horizons, these new possibilities.
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
In a little more than a week we will celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, when the disciples receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit, who makes the Church into the Mystical Body of Christ. This feast is the conclusion of the fifty days of the Easter season. For now, we continue to celebrate the great mystery of Easter.