Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today is the last ordinary Sunday of the liturgical year. Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King and then we begin the season of advent. It is only appropriate that as both the liturgical and calendar years come to an end that the readings draw our attention to the end times. In biblical terms, literature that focuses on the end times is referred to as apocalyptic literature. This kind of literature has certain characteristics. It always almost is connected to some kind of persecution.
Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin
In today’s gospel, Jesus gives us a rather odd parable to illustrate the necessity that his disciples pray constantly. There are two important aspects of it, however, that perhaps we might miss on a first read—both are common features of Jesus’ parables in general and both help us to understand the story a bit better.
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, bishop and martyr
Intuitively, we believe that it is important for the church, and especially for our witness to Christ, that we make use of contemporary culture for witnessing to Christ. We know that different people like different kinds of music, for example, and so our parish has masses that make use of a variety of musical styles in order to help people worship. Other, more controversial topics relate to this too: use of medical technology at the end of life, birth control, gay marriage.
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, bishop
Today’s gospel passage from Luke is an interesting one that directs our attention toward the end of the liturgical year. It is only a few weeks until Advent begins, and the Catholic year begins with it. In the reading for today, Jesus is asked by the Pharisees about the timing of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ answer is not very satisfying for the Pharisees. Nor is it completely clear to us who read it today. Jesus seems to be redirecting their attention from their concern, and we might interpret his comment that the “Kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:21) as meaning either that He is the kingdom or that his followers are the kingdom or that the kingdom lives in each one of them if they choose to embrace it. Each of these three interpretations has its own history within the tradition of the Church.
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the Church
There are many stories, in the history of the early church, -of the tremendous works of the people of faith and how their steadfast faith and service transformed the people and communities in which they lived. One story from the church in Alexandria is an extraordinary example of Christian discipleship. A plague broke out throughout the region and many fled from fear of the plague. Yet, historians remarked that one group stayed to care for the sick and the dying. It was the Christian community of Alexandria. People were amazed at this group’s action. Many of these Christians died in service of the sick. By their actions, the Christians of Alexandria confronted the norms of a culture that was perplexed by their extreme love.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Today happens to be the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John, Lateran in Rome. This past summer I had the privilege of spending some time in Rome, and one Sunday I was able to go to mass at the Basilica, which officially is the seat of the Pope, although St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is perhaps today much more closely associated with the papacy in the popular media. What struck me about the Basilica was the massive size of the building, the high coffered ceiling. I was also impressed that the Church had been a site of Christian worship since the early centuries of Christianity. Yet it was also striking that the interior had been completely renovated at least once since then, so that it was hard to tell that it was more than a few centuries old. It was filled with religious art, including a set of very large statues of the twelve disciples mounted on either side of the nave.
Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Today we begin St. Paul’s letter to Titus. This is considered to be one of Paul’s pastoral letters because of his very practical advice; here it is in regard to the requirements and duties of Church leaders known as presbyters and bishops. Such a Church leader ought to live an upright life, as indicated by his personal conduct as well as his family’s. Indeed, every Christian should behave as described by Paul here, but for those who lead it is particularly important that they witness well to the Christian faith in the entirety of their lives. The last line describes well the task of such a leader, namely, that he hold fast to the true message in order both to refute opponents and to exhort the faithful (Tit 1:9).
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
In 332 BC the Greeks conquered what we know today as the Holy Land. They ruled Palestine for a good century and a half. Around 167 BC, in an effort to unify the many different people under his rule, Antiochus IV Epiphanes imposed Greek language, customs, and religion on all of them including the Jews. As a result the Jews were compelled to eat renounce Yahweh and eat pig’s meat – an abomination to the Jews. The book of Maccabees is an account of Greek rule and particularly, the persecution of the non complying Israelites at their hands. Today’s reading recounts the story of a mother and her seven sons who were martyred for their refusal to eat pork.
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
In the reading from Luke’s Gospel today, Jesus exhorts His disciples to keep money in its place. It’s interesting, in light of the eventual sharp contrast between God and mammon, that Jesus begins by talking about trust, and a rather common sense notion at that. If people cannot be trusted on small matters, we certainly don’t trust them with more important ones! (Lk 16:10-2). The key here is that money is not of the essence, at best its an instrument toward something, certainly not an end in itself, a small matter.
Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
What is the difference between Christians and non-Christians? It is not that Christians are any less sinful, any less capable of committing crimes, any more likely to get to heaven. Today’s scriptures make that quite clear.
The gospel (Luke 16:1-8) features Jesus’ parable of the dishonest steward (familiar because we last heard it at Sunday Mass in September). This parable has often perplexed me, because I find myself wondering why the master commends the steward for reducing his (the master’s) tenants’ debts. After all, it is the master’s money and now the master will get less in repayment while the steward has protected himself. The steward’s hope is that the people whose debts he’s forgiven will likewise find themselves generous when the steward no longer has a job.
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop
In today’s gospel passage from Luke, Jesus uses two parables to convey his dedication to the “lost.” In the first of these, he compares the repentant sinner to a lost sheep who is found by his shepherd. In the second parable, Jesus compares the repentant sinner to a lost coin. In both cases, the one who finds, rejoices. So we are led to understand that Jesus rejoices in the sinners that he is accused of welcoming. This is an important lesson for the Pharisees and scribes to understand because of their emphasis on righteousness. While righteousness in and of itself is praiseworthy, the Pharisees and scribes used it for exclusionary purposes; they preferred the lost to stay lost rather than be found. The law provided a convenient way to disregard those who had fallen away.
Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Have you ever been asked the question, “Are you saved?” At first, this question can catch Catholic’s off guard as it is not part of our usual vocabulary. Part of a Catholic response comes from today’s first reading. A proper answer to “have we been saved” is three-fold. We have been saved when Jesus died as a final sacrifice for us. We are being saved. Salvation is a process worked out with fear and trembling. We will be saved in the resurrection on the last day. Yet Paul’s letter to the Philippians’ suggests another important distinction that is often unaccounted for the question of one’s salvation.
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
I sometimes forget how much of an influence my parents, grandparents, and friends have played in my development as a Christian. For me it’s often easy to overlook this because it’s so fundamental to who I am. It’s difficult for me to imagine not having had people in my life who serve as a role models and encouragers in Christian faith. That may be one reason I find myself resonating so much with the feast of All Souls.
Solemnity of All Saints
Today is a solemnity, the highest ranking feast in the Church. All Saints’ Day is also usually a holy day of obligation, when we are required to go Mass to celebrate this great feast, which commemorates all the saints, both those known and those unknown. In other words, this solemnity celebrates those who have achieved the beatific vision of God in heaven. This is in contrast with the feast we celebrate tomorrow – All Souls’ Day – of all those who have died but have not yet reached heaven.
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
I want to begin today’s reflection with the reading from the book of wisdom. In these few verses the pronoun ‘you’ is used fourteen times in addressing God. ‘You’ in this passage is an endearing term. It is very evident that the author composed his words with a deep awareness of God and a very intimate knowledge of God. The passage suggests to me that the author is enamored by God; that the author is deeply and crazy in love with God. This passage almost seems to be a love-poem in which a lover admires the qualities of the partner.
Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
In St. Luke’s Gospel, our Lord asks us to consider humility and it’s opposite—pride, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. Why is it that we are called to humility? Isn’t pride a good thing? It seems that in all places we see pride held up as the ideal: pride in one’s country, pride in one’s achievements, pride in one’s work, pride in one’s children, pride in one’s status. What’s so deadly about pride? Pride, deadliest of sins, is such a problem because it’s an extreme focus on the self. To be proud is to be satisfied with oneself, to put oneself first. When one is completely satisfied with oneself, one does not need salvation, one does not see sin. Indeed, St. Augustine described sin as to be “caved in on oneself.”
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Life is bounded by a lot of rules, and for the most part, we’re glad people follow those rules. I appreciate, for example, that pretty much everyone respects driving on the right hand side of the road. It makes life a lot easier.
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
In our Christian faith, the twelve apostles hold a special place of distinction. They were Jesus’ closest associates, and the ones he entrusted with mission. Today we celebrate the feast of two of these apostles, St. Simon (known as the Zealot) and St. Jude. Very little is known about either of these apostles, though there are various traditions associated with them. St. Jude, for example, is known as the cousin of the Lord and is regarded as the patron of hopeless causes.
Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
This morning I awoke to a news show describing how the salaries of the wealthiest Americans have increased in the last few years. In 2008, the top seventy four United States wage earners averaged a salary of 81 million dollars for that year. This same group in 2009 had an average salary of 519 million dollars for that year, quite an increase in a short amount of time. This show, whose data was pulled from a Bloomberg News report out today, stated that these seventy four combined salaries were equivalent of nineteen million people’s wages from the lowest paid people in the U.S. If our culture defines these seventy-four rich people as the people at the top, today’s gospel suggests that they “may” be the “first who will be last.”
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Several years ago I started getting into making my own bread from scratch. I quickly learned the difference between leavened and unleavened bread. I learned to activate the yeast – adding a little sugar or flour to yeast and water before adding to the flour and water to make dough. I also learned the importance of covering the dough and allowing it to rise in a warm place, long enough so that it at least doubles in size. The time that this takes varies depending on the temperature and how active the yeast already is. Finally, I learned how to knead the dough so that the bread achieves the right texture and consistency. In addition to leavened bread I also enjoyed making unleavened, pita bread in a very hot oven. Both leavened and unleavened bread are delicious if prepared well. However, there is something special about leavened bread because of the lighter texture that results from the action of the yeast.