St. Ignatius of Loyola is a giant among the
saints. He stands out as a man intoxicated and on fire with love for God. Born
in 1491 into Basque nobility he was the youngest of 13 children and was baptized
Ignatius of Loyola. There is evidence to suggest that his mother died giving
birth to him. He grew up conscious of his social obligations and keen to grow
into his role as a nobleman. As a young man he lived with a powerful Basque
family and spent time as a courtier in the court of King Ferdinand. After the
death of the Spanish, Ignatius’ family fell out of favour and he became a
soldier. In the spring of 1521, when French troops entered the town of Pamplona,
Ignatius refused to bow to the invaders and put up a robust and courageous
resistance. He was gravely wounded in battle by a cannonball which shattered his
leg, and it was as he lay on his sickbed that his conversion began. Bored and
unsettled by his slow recovery he whiled away the time reading books, some on
chivalry and others on the lives of the saints. He discerned that the romantic
books made his heart heavy and sad whereas the books on the saints lifted his
spirit and gave him great joy. A process of conversion and repentance had begun
in his life. On recovering he traveled to Monsterrat in order to keep vigil
before the Black Madonna, laying his sword and shield before her and renouncing
the life of a soldier. Then he went to Manresa where he embraced a life of
severe penance and intense fasting, often experiencing despair and even
contemplating suicide as the burden of sin and guilt weighted heavily on him. In
the midst of this oppression and pain at Manresa, as he sat on the bank of the
River Cardoner, he experienced God’s love and saw something of the Trinity which
left an indelible mark on his life and spirituality. He went on to form the
Society of Jesus - soldiers for Christ – an order which played a significant
part throughout the Counter- reformation and continues to this day to fulfill a
key role in the life of the Church.
Today we join our prayer to his: ‘Teach us, good Lord, 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 labour and not to ask for any
reward except to know and love you. Amen.
John the Baptist and Truth
Speaking the truth can be costly. One can lose one’s reputation, one’s
livelihood and even one’s life. Human history is replete with examples of men
and women who refused to buckle in the face of evil or corruption. So often the
price they paid was the ultimate one – the loss of their lives. John the Baptist
was a zealous guardian of truth: truth about Christ, truth about morality and
truth about his own mission. John was lover of truth. He embraced it and strove
to live by it – and in the end he was martyred for it.
John spoke the truth about Herod’s adulterous relationship with Herodias. Their
adultery was scandal and John was fearless in condemning it. What Herodias
thought of John was obvious: she despised him, resenting his interference and
nursing a deep-seated grudge against him. Herod on the other hand was attracted
to John. Herod was a weak man who lacked moral fibre. He was also fickle and
capricious; but in a strange way he was fascinated by John and his message.
Truth has its own power – it wins over the mind. Was Herod being won over? Was
he being convicted that his relationship with Herodias was against God’s law? We
don’t know – what we do know is that Herodias wanted to still John’s tongue. She
understood Herod’s weaknesses and knew what it would take to have him eating out
of her hand. He was a puppet and she was pulling his strings. There is fine line
between resentment and murder and Herodias crossed it. Her grudge had matured
into full-blown murderous intent. She had Herod backed into a corner. He was no
lover of truth or justice and could not stand up to her.
And so John was beheaded. His witness echoes through the centuries. Since his
death, many have followed in his footsteps, witnessing to the truth and paying
for it with their lives. One example would be Oscar Romero. He refused to be
silent in the face of flagrant injustices. His stand incurred the wrath of his
enemies and he paid for it with his life. We know of many other examples of men
and women who refused to be silent in the face of evil. We are called to live
and witness to truth. Truth is not relative – it is an absolute reality.
Ultimately the truth we are called to witness to is not a concept of an idea or
a philosophy, but a person. Truth is Jesus and Jesus is the truth. On the feast
day of John the Baptist, we can pray for the spirit of honesty and courage that
governed his life.
O Lord, unlike your servant John we are so timid. We hate to take a stand. Yet
we know that so often what is wrong and evil is accepted as normal and healthy.
Grant us the wisdom to know when to speak out for love, truth and justice. Amen.
Are you open to God’s call?
It was not unusual for Jewish rabbis in Jesus’ day to gather a group of
followers and disciples around them, but they would not usually have chosen the
sort of men that Jesus did. Jesus called uneducated fishermen, tax collectors
and sinners. This tells us that God calls us despite our unworthiness. We only
have to be open to him and allow him to work in us. It is he who has the power
and grace, and he wants to transform us into the kind of disciples he desires.
Peter and the other disciples showed the sort of humility that Jesus looks for.
First they obeyed his command to put out and let down their nets, though it was
against all reason. Here was a carpenter’s son telling experienced fishermen
what to do – they had already toiled through the night, the best time for
catching fish, so they were not likely to get anything in the morning. Yet they
obeyed Jesus, with incredible results. This miracle opened Peter’s eyes to the
Lord’s power in a new way. His response was to be scared and feel unworthy to be
in the presence of such holiness and power. This sense of unworthiness is the
normal reaction of those who encounter God. The Lord does not deny our
unworthiness, yet his response is to encourage, and not to condemn. Jesus told
Peter not to be afraid, and called him and others to be fishers of men. Jesus
calls people with love and compassion in spite of their unworthiness and offers
healing and forgiveness. When we perceive our unworthiness, we are on the road
to salvation. He wants us to come to him with humble and contrite hearts.
Our sense of God’s holiness and majesty in the face of our own unworthiness
should not discourage us. We do not have to be great saints to be Jesus’
disciples: we just have to be open to him and do our best to obey his commands
in our daily lives. He knows that we are weak and sinful, but he loves us as we
are, and in Christ we can find forgiveness for all our sins. We do not have to
rely on our own strength or wisdom, for we have a Lord who helps us when we call
on him.
Lord, we know that we are sinners who are unworthy to enter your presence. Grant
us humble and repentant hearts, so that we may receive forgiveness and new life
from you, and become fishers of people that you want us to be. Amen.
Times
have changed, but never the essence of Christian life
Today we were privileged to begin reading from the earliest book of the New
Testament, Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. Paul had already preached
to the Thessalonians and his letter manifests his pastoral concern for them.
Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia, was a port and trading centre with
a diverse and cosmopolitan population. Paul founded the church there with the
help of Silvanus and Timothy. He began his ministry, as he usually did, by going
immediately to the synagogue to preach. He won over a number of Jews, Greek
God-fearers and some prominent women of the city. This success provoked anger
and jealousy, and Paul and his companions were forced to leave the region before
they could ensure the new converts were sufficiently rooted in their new-found
faith to withstand suffering and persecution.
Paul wrote to them with affection and love when he discovered that despite
fierce persecution they were keeping the faith. He was proud of these believers
and their courageous witness. News of their faith and perseverance spread
throughout Macedonia and Achaia and far beyond. They eloquently displayed the
power of the gospel through their faith, love, joy and endurance. Their witness
was grounded in their experience of the power and transforming grace of the Holy
Spirit. Despite the absence of those who could ground them more deeply in the
faith, they had been able to take hold of the life they had received, stand firm
against their persecutors and witness to the life of the Spirit.
The Thessalonians were among the first to hear and respond to the Good News of
Jesus Christ. Times have changed over two thousand years, but not the essence of
Christian living. First is faith, a gift from God which we cannot in any way
merit. Faith must shape our conduct by which we look to God as the source of all
life and holiness. Second is hope, a confident trust that God loves us and will
lead us in our journey to the fullness of life which he has planned for us. The
third is love, which must be the motive and guiding force of all we do in our
relationship with God and with each other. We are no doubt very different from
the Thessalonians in our language, our culture and our way of life. And yet we
are exactly the same as these early Christians in what really matters: our
faith, our hope and our love.
Lord, we pray that you would grant us the grace of true faith, hope and love.
May we always trust you and in all our struggles never lose sight of our hope of
eternal glory, which you have promised to us through your son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
St. Bartholomew
St. Bartholomew whose feast we celebrate, 24 August 05, is listed in the New
Testament as being one of the twelve. He was also present in the upper room at
the election of a replacement for Judas. A tradition grew up that identified him
as the Nathanael we meet in today’s Gospel.
Nathanael initially refuses to accept that anything good can come from a remote
Galilean village. He was understandably skeptical though his reason was not a
good one. There was no reason why the Messiah should not come from Nazareth. God
often chooses people and places that seem unimportant in the world’s eyes.
Philip, disciple and evangelist that he is, is undeterred by Nathanael’s
provocation and acts as a true herald of the Gospel by holding out the
invitation to ‘Come and see.’ People have many reasons for being reluctant to
come to Jesus, or skeptical about him, and often they are as irrational as
Nathanael’s. We can debate with others all we like, but they will not believe in
Christ unless they encounter him for themselves and he is able to work in their
hearts.
Nathanael, in his strong reaction to Jesus, actually revealed one who could be
moved to a profound faith. Jesus, the true judge of all character, saw
immediately in Nathanael one who had all the qualities of a disciple. Despite
his strong views he was ripe for conversion. This is often the way. Those who
resist and oppose the gospel message can be a lot closer to accepting Christ
than they give the impression of being. It’s almost as if they are just asking
to be persuaded. We can put off witnessing or sharing our faith with others if
we discern a reaction which is dismissive, rude or ignorant. We easily give up
and feel that those who are strong in their opinion and fixed in their view
won’t change. The opposite is often the case. Jesus’ insight bowled Nathanael
over. His proclamation of Faith is wonderful: ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God.
You are the King of Israel.’ Nathanael’s encounter with Jesus shows that he was
open to the Lord in spite of his remark about Nazareth.
Nathanael was able very quickly to let go of his own view about Jesus. Like him,
we can have strong judgments and opinions. However, it is as we are humble in
confessing our need for God’s grace and forgiveness that we grow in our
understanding and knowledge of God. Like Nathanael, we can each have a
transforming encounter with Christ, and we will see greater things than we can
imagine. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit we can receive revelation from on
high and grow profoundly in our understanding of the riches and treasures
revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lord, Jesus, you found in your servant, Bartholomew one who was without guile,
one who recognized immediately the Messiah, the Son of God. Grant us a similar
disposition which is eager to be taught by you, instructed by you, and guided by
you. Amen.
What will you take
with you when Christ comes?
The reading (Mt 24:42-51) opens up a key teaching of Christian revelation which
is often ignored, misunderstood or even laughed at. The teaching is that Christ
has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again. These are central pillars of
Christian revelation, about which Jesus clearly wanted his followers to be in no
doubt. If you are struggling with this truth, listen to the clear and eloquent
teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: ‘Since the Ascension Christ’s
coming in glory has been imminent, even though “it is not for you to know times
or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.” This eschatological
(regarding the doctrine of last or final matters) coming could be accomplished
at any moment, even if both it and the final trial that will precede it are
delayed.’ (CCC 673)
Jesus’ analogy of the householder knowing when the burglar will strike holds
true whether one is living in the first century or the twenty-first. Home
security systems are a booming market. Many of us devote time, attention and
money to guarding our houses. That which we value, we seek to protect. Jesus’
teaching in today’s Gospel forces us to ask profound and searching questions
about our lives: is our faith our most precious possession? Do we guard and
protect our faith? Jesus is challenging us to reflect on how much we value his
life within us. We need to cultivate our relationship with God through prayer,
reading his word and drawing ever more deeply from the riches of the Eucharist.
We need to guard our hearts and understand life’s brevity. We must try to live
holy lives and carry out the tasks God has called us to do.
St. John of the Cross noted that at the end of our lives we will be judged on
our love for God and our neighbor. The gift of life and the gift of love are
awesome responsibilities and one day we will have to give an account of our
lives. Jesus does not want us to live in fear of his return, but to look forward
to it as a time when his kingdom will come fully and evil will be conquered. And
we can rejoice that if we are trying faithfully to serve him he will welcome us
into our heavenly home.
Lord Jesus, help us not to be complacent or too caught up in the affairs of this
world. May we always fix our hopes on your coming, and while we are on earth be
faithful servants who do your will. Amen.
Holiness in Sexual Morality
In the reading, from his letter to the Thessalonians, (1Thes 4:1-8) Paul
expresses his deep concern for them and he prays for them to live holy lives and
thus be ready for Christ’s coming. He is concerned that they should continue to
grow in holiness and not be content with what they have so far achieved. Here
Paul is an example to us in our attitude to our fellow Christians. A true love
for them does not mean simply that we are nice to them and do not harm them: it
means we are concerned that they should grow increasingly in holiness. This may
mean encouraging them or occasionally rebuking them if necessary as long as this
is truly done from love and we ourselves accept our own need for correction at
times. God does not want us to be satisfied with the little we have – he wants
to shower more and more blessings on us, and sanctify us more and more so we may
become like his Son Jesus Christ. Paul knew that the Thessalonians were new
Christians and were surrounded by a pagan world; they could not afford to be
complacent if they wanted to persevere as Christians.
We too live in a society that is largely secular and often hostile to
Christianity; and so we too need to be vigilant or our Christian values can
easily be eroded. We have to maintain regular practices of prayer, contemplating
God’s word, and receiving the Sacrament if we are to keep our faith alive in an
unfriendly environment. Paul stresses the area of sexual purity, as the
Thessalonian Christians lived among pagans who had very lax standards of sexual
morality. In the Western society today this is also the case: sex is treated
casually, and hardly anyone thinks it wrong to have sex outside marriage. Paul
states clearly that God calls us to chastity, and we have to be pure if we are
to grow in holiness. As Christians, we know that God has given us his Spirit and
that to defile our bodies is to offend against the Spirit that dwells in us. But
it is not easy for us to be chase in a world where there is sexual temptation
all around; let us be aware of our frailty and ask God through his Spirit to
give us the wisdom and strength to live pure lives and grow daily in holiness.
Lord, you have filled us with your Holy Spirit, and called us to holiness, not
impurity. We pray that you would protect us from sexual temptation and sanctify
us more and more as we try to live lives pleasing to you. Amen.
Training in Holiness:
Learning to Pray
The central concept of the Christian life is the call to holiness. This is a
call that God addresses to each one of us. Holiness is our response to the love
that God has revealed in Jesus and poured into our hearts through the gift of
the Holy Spirit. This call is made to us individually and as a community.
Being called to be holy requires training in holiness. A key characteristic of
such training is prayer. The disciples asked Jesus, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ We
know that Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ request to teach them was what we now
call ‘the Lord’s Prayer.’ Perhaps the real issue here is whether Jesus had
simply taught them a prayer or was he teaching them to pray. What do you think?
When you have learned the Our Father, do you feel that you have now learned how
to pray or rather that you have simply learned one prayer-one among many others
that you must also learn.
Jesus’ response was not simply to teach them the ‘Our Father.’ That would have
been only to teach them a prayer, a formula. No, Jesus actually made possible,
for every human being, a new and intimate relationship with the Father through
his sacrificial death on the cross. And he rose from the dead and poured out the
new life of the Spirit upon all who joined to the Son in baptism. The new life
of the Spirit makes the Our Father not just the words of a prayer but the
expression of our redemption and new life in Christ.
Twice in the Gospels Jesus speaks of being thirsty – at the well of Samaria and
on the cross. This is interpreted not simply as a physical thirst but, more
deeply, revealing the thirst of God for men and women to come to him.
The disciples heard Jesus speak about the Father. They realized how much Jesus
was daily sustained by His relationship with the Father and they could see that
Jesus shared that relationship most intimately when he prayed. When they asked
Jesus to teach them to pray, they were asking to be able to share in that same
relationship.
The Lord’s Prayer is, specifically and definitely, a disciple’s prayer; it is a
prayer only a disciple can pray; it is a prayer only one who is pledged and
committed to Jesus Christ can take upon his lips with any meaning. The Lord’s
Prayer can really be prayed when the person has entered into discipleship. Let
us make the request of the disciples our own and ask the Lord to teach us to
pray
(Matthew 19:23-20) The disciples of Jesus were steeped in the Old Testament
tradition that saw abundant material riches as a sign of God’s favor. They
reacted with astonishment when they heard Jesus declare how hard it is for the
rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s not surprising that they asked their
anxious question: ‘who then can be saved?’
The implication of Jesus’ words is not that money of itself is evil or that
having it is wrong. Rather Jesus teaches us to examine our interior attitude to
wealth. The danger of our love of material things is that it can deflect our
focus away from God and his kingdom, which is immeasurable more valuable than
any possessions.
The problem with wealth is that it can cause us to lose sight of what is truly
important in our lives. In today’s materialistic society, it is impossible to
evade its influence. We are bombarded with many attractions with the constant
media focus on the rich and the famous, all promoting the desirability of
wealth. They also pander to our greed and envy when offering cheap loans for
cars, holidays and other things they try to convince us we need.
The rich young man, recognizing his attachment to wealth, turned from Jesus.
Wealth poses similar dangers to our spiritual lives. Are we envious of others?
Do we covet their money or their possessions? Do we waste our time wishing we
could get rich quick? Are we unscrupulous about how we get money? Do we try too
hard to keep it to ourselves? Does it affect our relationships with others and
with God? The list seems endless.
Jesus knows our nature inclines towards self and how helpless we are against the
lure of wealth. Left to our own devices, salvation seems impossible. Thankfully
his promise to the disciples remains: ‘with God all things are possible.’ The
teaching is clear. If we are too self-sufficient financially, closeness to God
is difficult – but not unrealizable.
Jesus shows how foolish it is to confuse ends and means. Financial wealth can
bring spiritual and emotional poverty. The truly rich person knows his or her
dependence on God and interdependence with others. The Holy Spirit can enlighten
us to the emptiness of worldly riches that perish and show us the eternal
treasure of our faith in Jesus.
Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit set us free from attachment to material
possessions. Show us the damaged attitudes we need to repent of. Help us to look
at the world from a more heavenly perspective. Amen.
Grace and the Vineyard Workers
(Mt 20:1-16) It is said that there is one area of a worker’s life where mistakes
will not be tolerated, and that is their pay slip. If an error occurs at this
level, be it by computer or human being, complaints are made and no work is done
until the problem is sorted out. We have an acute sense of justice when it comes
to our income. Indeed the idea of a minimum wage is just, right and proper and
it is vital that companies get this right.
Today’s parable appears to fly in the face of the good practice laid down by any
modern employment forum. Can you imagine getting up at the crack of dawn,
laboring all day at a menial and thankless task, having borne the heat of the
day, toiled and sweated, only to be paid the same as someone whose only
contribution was an hour’s work! We would be outraged, angry and defiant at the
sheer audacity of it – and so were the workers in Jesus’ parable. One of their
number spelt out their case: ‘These last worked only one hour and you have made
them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
Their complaint would without any shadow of a doubt be upheld at any industrial
tribunal in the world.
However, before we get too carried away by this fundamental injustice, we need
to check ourselves. This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven not the
kingdom on earth. Jesus invites the reaction of indignation, shock and outrage
because it highlights an important principle about God’s kingdom. The key to the
parable is the response of the owner of the vineyard who represents God the
Father. The vineyard owner gives it to them straight: they are getting only what
they agreed, nothing more and nothing less. He can do whatever he wants with his
money and, striking at the very heart of their aggression, he challenges them:
are you envious because I am generous? God has no favorites; he loves every
human being. Jesus died for everybody and invites the rich, the poor, the
faithful, the unfaithful, the moral, the immoral, the lost and the found to turn
to him for redemption and salvation.
Grace is not our right; it is given as a gift. It is always undeserved,
seemingly ‘unfair’, often unexpected, usually unfathomable. We are not called to
understand grace, but to enjoy it, to dispense it…and, perhaps, to remember to
say ‘thank you’!
Gracious God, thank you for your amazing grace.
(1Thes 2:1-8)St. Paul’s visit to the Greek city of Thessalonica during his
missionary journey to that part of Europe. Paul had run into such hostile
audiences while preaching there that his converts had to smuggle him out of the
city. Paul defends his preaching of the gospel against others who had been
attacking him. His opponents accused him of preaching a false message, and using
it as a cover for trickery, deceit, greed and self-seeking. These were vices
typical of the traveling orators, philosophers and religious charlatans who were
common at the time. Paul denies that his preaching of the gospel has anything in
common with such tricksters. His message has been given to him by God, and he
preaches it with great boldness in the face of all opposition, seeking no
personal gain but suffering in the service of the gospel. The truth of his
message is shown by the manner of his preaching, and its powerful effect on
those who hear it. He does not act to please people, but God, who has given him
the task of preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.
Paul is an example for each of us in how we should live our lives and bear
witness to the gospel. We may not be wandering missionaries like him, but we are
called to bring the Good News to others in our own circumstances. It is easy for
all of us to live lives trying to please other people and not God. We can be
dominated by worries about what others think of us and this can respect others
and not force our message on them in an insensitive way; but in the ultimate
analysis we must be aiming to do what God wants, regardless of what others
think. If we really desire to do this and ask God for his help and guidance, he
can give us the courage to speak clearly and boldly like Paul. And like Paul the
way we live should support our preaching and impress others with its sincerity
and power. We can examine ourselves to see what our motives are for witnessing
to Christ.
The message of the gospel has the power to win over minds and hearts, but we
need to seek to do this with gentleness and respect. The manner in which we
serve, minister and witness is crucial to transmitting the message of the
gospel. Paul provides us with a wonderful model of one who loved those he
served. Our service of others is always best when it is born of love and
affection.
Lord, grant us the grace to live our lives trying to please you. May all our
words and deeds bear witness to you and may your spirit guide us to preach the
gospel boldly, so that others may come to know you through us.
The Primacy of Peter, our
First Pope.
The primacy of Peter was not an invention of the Church later on but goes right
back to the beginning, to the mind and will of Jesus himself.
I have selected ten examples from the New Testament to establish this truth:
1.In the New Testament, Peter appears as the first of the apostles. In the
list of the apostles, he is names always the first. (Cf. Mt, Mk, Lk, and Acts)
2.The gospels show him as the spokesperson of the apostles. (Cf. Mt, Mk, Lk, and
Jn)
3.Jesus promises Peter that he is to be the rock foundation of the church. (Cf.
Mt 16:18-19) Peter is to guarantee stability and security, permanence and unity.
Christ is himself the foundation of the Church, but this foundation appears
visibly in Peter. He is given authority to rule as representative of the Master.
The metaphor of binding and losing in the text means: to exclude from the
community and to readmit, to impose an obligation and to release from it; to
declare something lawful or prohibit something. This function is also assigned
to the apostolic college (Cf. Mt 18:18) but it is Peter’s in a special way which
is his alone.
4.Peter is given the task of confirming his brethren in their faith. (Cf. Lk
22:31-32) “…I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail, when once
you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
5.Christ gave the care of whole flock to Peter. (Cf. Jn 21-15-17) Feed my lambs
and feed my sheep.
6.Among the apostles Peter is the first to be the witness of the resurrection.
(Cf. Lk 24:34) “The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. St. Paul in
1 Cor 15:5 says, “Christ appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
7.In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter appears as the head of the young Church. He
proposed to the rest that one should be chosen to take the place of Judas and
Mathias was chosen. (Cf. Acts 1:15-26)
8.It was Peter who spoke to the crowd on the day of Pentecost. (Cf. Acts
2:14-40)
9.Peter took the decisive step of admitting Cornelius and his family, the first
Gentiles into the Church. (Cf. Acts 10:1-48)
10.It was Peter’s address that decided the issue whether Gentile Christians
should be obliged to observe the Jewish practices. (Cf. Acts 15:5-12)
The failures of popes throughout history do not contradict Jesus’ promise that
the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. Peter himself wanted to
show that he was establishing his Church not on human strength, but on his own
love and faithfulness. The Church’s true foundation is Christ himself.
Peter is one of the most interesting characters in the Gospel. It is clear that
he had leadership qualities. But it is also clear that he had glaring
weaknesses. In the Gospels we see his ups and downs. Sometimes he is very brave;
other times he is very cowardly. Sometimes he is like a rock; other times he is
like a piece of jelly. He is almost too human, certainly not our idea of a saint
or even the ideal person to be the head of Christ’s Church. But it’s very
interesting to see how Jesus dealt with him, how He helped him to grow into the
man who was ready to lay down his life for him, and who eventually did.
Let us take a closer look at the relationship between Jesus and Peter. It will
help us to grow as human beings and as disciples of Jesus. It all began when
Jesus called him. Obviously Jesus saw potential in him. We all need someone to
believe in us. It’s hard to believe in ourselves if no one else believes in us.
Peter didn’t think that he deserved that call. He said, ‘Lord, depart from me,
for I am a sinful man.’ Jesus did not deny that Peter was a sinner, but he
challenged him to grow. We need to be challenged. Demands have to be made on us.
Not to demand anything from someone is to condemn that person to sterility.
When Peter made his great declaration of faith: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God,’ Jesus praised him and promised him further responsibility. We
all need recognition for work well done. We all need affirmation. This
encourages further generosity. Jesus corrected him. When Peter drew his sword in
the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said to him, ‘Put away your sword.’ It takes
courage on the part of the tutor to point out mistakes. And to learn from one’s
mistakes is an essential part of growth. Jesus once told him off. Thus when
Peter wanted to prevent him from going to Jerusalem, Jesus said, ‘get behind me,
Satan, you are more of a hindrance to me than a help. At times the tutor may
have to reprove. But there is an art in doing it. He understood that when Peter
denied him, he did so more out of weakness than out of malice. He forgave him
and gave him the chance to begin again. We all need someone who can understand
our weakness and who doesn’t write us off when we don’t produce the goods right
away. Jesus gave Peter the chance to grow up. The thread which runs right
through their relationship was love. Peter knew that Jesus loved him. Love is
the climate in which people can grow. This was the rock in Peter’s life.
We can imagine that Peter made a very good leader. A leader has to be aware of
his/her weakness. The experience of denying Jesus rid Peter of pride and blind
reliance of his own resources. At the same time it enabled him to understand the
weakness of others.
Peter’s story is our story too. Sometimes we are strong and other times we are
weak. Each of us has high and low moments. We must not let our low moments get
us down, and we must draw encouragement form our high moments. While we must not
forget our weak side, we must try to act out of our strong side. The Lord smiles
on us in our good moments, and upholds us in our low moments.
The low moments of others should not cause us to put them down or write them
off. Their good moments should help us to see their potential, and to affirm and
encourage them. In general we are eager to voice our criticisms, but reluctant
to give a single word of encouragement, and in this way we bar every road to
improvement. Peter had his faults and those faults were very obvious. But so too
were his strengths: his generosity, his enthusiasm, his leadership. Jesus saw
that, in spite of everything, his heart was sound. And in the long run love is
what counts. We must try to seek the good in everyone, and to reveal it and
bring it out, as Jesus did in the case of Peter.
Lord Jesus, strengthen the faith of our Pope. Give him wisdom and courage to
proclaim the faith unwaveringly in love and in truth. Amen.
An Invitation to the Wedding
Banquet
(Mt 22:1-14)God’s mercy and generosity knows no bounds. He embraces every human
being because he created every human being. Created in God’s image and likeness
every human being is a child of God. The rich, the poor, the beggar, the thief,
the righteous and the unrighteous find a home and a warm embrace at God’s royal
banquet. The idea of a banquet is a rich concept which finds a central role in
the Old Testament. Prophet Isaiah foresaw a time when God’s people would rejoice
at a sumptuous banquet celebrating God’s victory over sin and death.
Jesus takes up the theme in today’s Gospel, setting the scene of a ‘wedding
banquet’ hosted by a king for his son. Jesus always shatters the myth of social
exclusion as the kingdom of God is an all-inclusive community demolishing the
distinctions which so often underpin our society. In Jesus’ parable many who are
invited to the lavish wedding party decline the offer – excusing themselves on
the basis of prior engagements or too full a schedule. Others are less
charitable and ill-treat and even kill the king’s messengers. The enraged king
dispatches his troops to destroy these ungracious recipients. Determined that
the banquet should go ahead he invites all to the wedding banquet of his son.
It was the custom of the day for the host to provide a wedding garment for his
guests – this would have been more than necessary in this context because many
had come straight from the streets. However, one guest has not donned the
garment provided and this is interpreted as a terrible insult to the host, his
son and the other guests.
The “invited” guests are the Jews. The “other” guests are the Gentiles and their
belated invitation, however, doesn’t exempt them from basic banquet etiquette.
To accept an invitation also means, to come properly dressed. We have accepted
God’s invitation to the wedding banquet of heaven. We must come to it “dressed”
properly – in garments of love and gratitude, in the wedding garment of
righteousness.
Father, you have prepared a banquet for all people to share. Help us to bear
witness to your loving invitation to all who come to you. May we show your
special love for the poor in the way we live our lives. Amen.
(Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16,22)The reading tells the story of two heroic women who are
devoted to each other – Naomi, a Jewish woman and her daughter-in-law Ruth, a
Gentile from the territory east of the Dead Sea called Moab. The short Book of
Ruth is of considerable significance in biblical history. Ruth is mentioned by
name in Mathew’s family tree of Jesus. Without her fidelity and perseverance
there would have been no Obed, no Jesse and so no David. A Moabite woman is King
David’s great-grand mother. It is also worth noting that Ruth is one of the few
women in the Old Testament to receive prominent and positive treatment; this is
one of only three books in the whole Bible to be names after a woman, the other
two being Judith and Esther.
Ruth is a model of loyalty, dedication and devotion which are all rewarded. Ruth
displays immense fidelity to the covenant she has made. She cares for her
mother-in-law and seeks out Boaz, her dead husband’s kinsman. When Boaz meets
her he declares that Ruth has already earned his favor by her great
self-sacrifice and risk-taking. Naomi too is blessed and acknowledges that Ruth
is more to her than her seven sons she had borne, all now dead. The two women
emerge as models of covenant fidelity. This simply story is deeply moving and
has relevance for us. We are called upon to show devotion and loyalty to the
promises and vows we have made. It could be the religious vows or our marriage
vows or the more general commitment to follow the way of our Lord.
Let us pray that we will be touched by the story of Ruth and Naomi and that we
will strive to follow the noble and fine example of this dutiful
daughter-in-law. Amen.
What or Who is at the
center of your identity?
What defines our identity? Is it our job, our family, our pastimes, the approval
of others? The list of possibilities is endless; but we all have some things we
hold to as giving our lives meaning and happiness.
The crossing of the Red Sea was a defining moment for the Jews: before this they
were a race of slaves slowly being destroyed by the Egyptians. The God of their
forefathers was a distant memory: the reality of their life was forced labor,
poverty and injustice. The incredible experience of walking dry-shod through the
parted waters of the Red Sea and seeing the enemy army swept away, gave them a
new identity. Imprinted in their hearts was the truth that God loved them and
had chosen them to be his people.
Moses, and all the prophets after him, strove to keep this truth uppermost in
the people’s minds: they knew how easy it is for the human memory to be
distracted. They used the yearly feasts, especially the Passover, to commemorate
and keep alive all God had done for them. Every Jew would regularly recite the
prayer, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt…the
Egyptians treated us harshly…the Lord saw our affliction, our toil and our
oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm (Deut. 26:5-8).
The crossing of the Red Sea is an image of our baptism. Through the water of
baptism we are joined to Christ as he leads us through his death and
resurrection and gives us new life. This transformation is now what defines us
most deeply; we are loved by God and share in the divine life of the Trinity.
From this center all the other things that define us take meaning and direction.
But our memories too are short: we easily loose sight of our relationship with
God an, before we know it, are swept along by society’s definition of who we are
and how we should live. We can swim against this time through prayer and
celebrating the sacraments especially the Eucharist. It is in prayer that we
allow the Holy Spirit to renew our faith in God’s love and bring to completion
the great work that he began in us at our baptism.
Lord Jesus, help us to keep alive the hope you have given us through baptism.
May it be the foundation of our lives so that we can be the salt of the earth
and a sign of hope to the world.
St. Lawrence (Feast)
We had special scripture readings for today’s feast of St. Lawrence. (August
10th) Tradition says that he was one of the seven deacons who served the Church
in Rome. A third-century Spaniard, Lawrence had been called to Rome by Pope
Sixtus II. There he served as a deacon, devoted to the poor and needy. Mentioned
in the Canon of the Mass, he is one of the most venerated saints in the Church
in Rome. Because he cared for the poor with warm generosity, the people came to
love and respect him. For this reason the first reading (2 Cor 9:6-10)
emphasizes God’s love for the man who is generous and cheerful in giving to
others. In the Gospel (John 12:24-26) Jesus says that if the grain of wheat
dies, “it produces much fruit.” The body of Lawrence, roasted alive on a
gridiron, was the grain of wheat that in dying bore much fruit by strengthening
and inspiring others.
In verse 7 of 2 Corinthians 9 from Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth, he
tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. During the 1980’s, Mother Teresa
visited Britain in order to see the problem of homelessness and the plight of
those who slept rough in the large cities. It was embarrassing at the time for a
visitor from the third world to witness poverty in what should have been a
developed nation. A young political reporter had the chance of interviewing
Mother Teresa. Skilled and hard-hitting, he started to ask her penetrating
questions about what she thought of the neediness and deprivation that she had
witnessed. ‘And who is to blame for this kind of poverty in such a wealthy
country?’ he asked. He was clearly looking for a political statement which would
condemn the government’s attitude to the disadvantaged. Mother Teresa’s answer
stopped him in his tracks. She said, ‘It’s you and me – we’re to blame. We’re
too greedy. We want everything for ourselves and ignore our brothers and
sisters. Like many of Mother Teresa’s teaching it was blindingly simple yet got
straight to the heart of the matter. Without entering into complex economic
arguments she pointed out greed as the cause of the evil.
Greed has its roots in insecurity. We think that material wealth will make us
happy. If we stand back and think about it, most evidence points in the opposite
direction. Wealth often brings its own sadness and strife. Generosity, on the
other hand, implies a sense of security, and for the Christian a deep confidence
that the Lord will provide. Perhaps that is why God loves a cheerful giver
because such a person trusts him rather than material wealth and is open to his
love and protection.
Lord, forgive our selfishness and greed and give us generous hearts that trust
in your love and kindness. Amen.
Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
In the Profession of Faith we say, “I believe in the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting.” The resurrection of Jesus is the crowing truth of our
faith: a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian
community; handed on as fundamental by tradition; established by the documents
of the New Testament and preached as an essential part of the Paschal Mystery
along with the cross. Therefore, the decisive truth of the Christian faith is
that the Lord is truly risen; and that our faith is founded on this sublime
conviction. And it is in our humanity, in our flesh and blood that he has risen,
been glorified. The risen Jesus is not a ghost but is the same body that has
been tortured and crucified for it still bears the traces of his passion. But it
possesses the properties of a glorified body, not limited by space and time.
This truth announces that our life has a sure destiny and that is with Christ
our risen Lord.
The human being in the creative design of God is a unity of body and soul. He is
a unity by the one actual reality of his humanity and the unity of his last end
and purpose. For that reason he is only really complete and perfect when he has
received his one total fulfillment with the whole of his spiritual and corporeal
nature. Ultimately it is not possible to separate man into a soul that finds its
perfection and consummation with God and a body that is left behind somewhere.
That is why the Church says that our end and perfection consists in sharing one
day the eternal glory of our creator with our entire reality-the physical and
spiritual, body and soul. This is the one eternal goal of man. In 1 Cor. Ch 15
St. Paul deals with the fact of the resurrection, where he says that Christ will
change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, into a spiritual body. This
remains at the very heart of the mystery of faith, something that transcends
history. We cannot perhaps imagine this glory. We will find it difficult to
understand what it means for a human being to reach perfection and completion in
soul and body. But we can recognize by our reason, instructed and enlightened by
faith, that God alone can be our last end, that only in him can we find
satisfaction.
The Dogma of the Assumption says that ‘the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free
from all stain of sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was
taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as queen
over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the
Lord of Lords and conqueror of sin and death.’ This truth has been taught and
believed undisputedly for centuries in the Church before it was expressly
formulated and defined. Any who has belief in the dignity of the mother of the
Lord, her importance in the history of redemption, her sinless holiness, her
role as the exemplar and type of the perfection of redemption as such, has at
least by implication, knowledge of the perfect consummation which the dogma
expressly formulates. Mary in her life on this earth was the highest, unmatched
realization of redemption in a human being, endowed with grace as the Mother of
God.
We might wonder what relevance has Mary’s Assumption to our own lives. The
Blessed Virgin is, in a profound sense, the model for all Christians. We are
called to imitate her faith and obedience, her disposition towards God, her
humility, and her willingness to accept her calling in his plan of salvation.
This feast is a reminder to us of our resurrection and the hope of the world to
come. Mary’s participation in the heavenly life of God holds out to each of us
the same hope and promise. We are reminded of the greatness of each human being
as fashioned by the grace of God. We live in an age in which man is intensely
occupied with himself. Do we not make an idol of our physical humanity? Isn’t it
unspeakably tortured, desecrated, tormented and abused with the scandalous
absence of restraint? It is to such a world that the Church announces the
assumption of the Blessed Virgin body and soul into heaven. This feast,
therefore, reminds us that we need to transform ourselves and make ourselves
worthy so that we can reach God.
God chose Mary not only to be the mother of his only Son, but has also given her
to us as our mother and model of Christian life. As we ponder Mary’s assumption
into heaven, we know that we can look forward with confidence to our own
resurrection from the dead and eternal life with God.
Mary, our Mother, you are our forerunner, model, intercessor and guide. You are
a sign of hope and comfort to us all on our pilgrim way. We ask that you, who
gave birth to Jesus, the incarnate Lord of life, may ask him to bring us all one
day to the life he promised. Amen.
A Mother’s Love -Persistence
Love is the greatest power in the world. To be possessed with love is to be
filled with a power which will not be denied. It is amazing what people can do,
and will do, when they are motivated by love. We see this especially in the case
of a mother. A mother will do anything, brave anything, suffer anything, endure
anything, for the sake of her son or daughter. It is unbelievable, considering
the amount of pressure that mothers come under and the amount of torture they
have to go through because their children get into trouble and into crime.
We have a beautiful example of love and persistence in Beth Holloway Twitty,
whose brilliant and beautiful daughter Natalee Holloway of Mtn. Brook, Alabama,
disappeared from the Dutch island of Aruba. The anguish and pain of this loving
mother for her daughter is very clear in her perseverance and persistence in
taking up the case with the Aruban authorities and turning every stone possible
to trace her missing daughter since her disappearance for more than 10 weeks.
What we see here is the unshakable determination of a mother and her concern for
her missing daughter.
A mother who never gave up on her son was St. Monica. She will be remembered as
the mother who shed tears for the conversion of her wayward son. She never gave
up praying for her son. St. Augustine attributed his conversion to the love,
prayer and intercession of his mother. Later on he would write, “The son of
these tears could not be lost.”
Nothing would be known of Monica had she not been the mother of the great bishop
and doctor of the Church, Augustine of Hippo, who wrote of her in many of his
works. Monica was a native of North Africa, one of the most Christian provinces
of the Roman Empire towards the close of the fourth century AD. She had the
strictest Catholic upbringing and yet she was given in marriage to the pagan
Patricius who comes over as generous, but irascible (irritable) and unfaithful
to his wife. It was her strong character that enabled her to win over both
Patricius and his mother. So skillful was Monica at husband- management that
local women took to coming to her with their marital problems. She would counsel
them in her own method, advising them to hold their tongues until their
husband’s ill-humor passed and then choose their moment to put there case. She
particularly warned them against all disloyal gossip.
Monica and Patricius invested great hopes and pride in the precociously bright
Augustine, saving up to give him the education that would take him to the
university at Carthage and into a distinguished career. They postponed his
marriage to complete his studies. Nor was he baptized, Monica taking the then
common view that baptism should be deferred at least until the impetuousness of
youth had abated, and perhaps even until the approach of death. Augustine’s own
considered view was that this failure to have him baptized and married
contributed to his years of moral and spiritual wandering.
Augustine took up the office of professor of rhetoric in Milan where he came
into contact with the great Bishop, Ambrose, whose life had great influence on
him. He experienced a spiritual struggle and with this came a growing faith in
Christ and the strength to put sexual gratification and worldly ambition behind
him. His desire was for a retired, monastic life. After instruction Augustine
received baptism from Ambrose, Monica’s joy was boundless. Just before her last
illness she said to him, “Nothing in this world gives me joy. I do not know what
is there left for me to do…All my hopes in this world are now fulfilled…All I
wished to live for was to see you a Catholic and child of heaven…God has granted
me more than this in making you despise earthly happiness and consecrate
yourself to his service. ”She died at the age of 55and was buried at Ostia,
North Africa. Monica sets us an example of constancy in prayer and fidelity to
Catholic practice combined with practical good sense and a willingness to stand
up for the truth.
In today’s Gospel, (Mt15:21-28) we see another wonderful example of a mother
pleading for her sick daughter. Jesus was in a foreign territory, the gentile
district of Tyre and Sidon. It seems that he had gone there for a break.
However, no sooner had he arrived there, than he was accosted by a pagan woman
who pestered him to cure her sick daughter. It must have taken great courage for
this woman to approach Jesus. Jews were not supposed to speak to non-Jews;
rabbis would not talk to a woman in public, even their wives. Recall when Jesus
approached the Samaritan woman at the well and asked for water, it was she who
was startled and wondered how it was that he, a Jew, would speak to her. The
Canaanite woman, therefore, knew that as a gentile and a woman, she would be
despised by orthodox Jews. She was not put off, however, by the disciples’
attempts to get rid of her. She persisted and came up with a shrewd reply to
Jesus’ apparent refusal. She said to Jesus, “I know your priority must be now
with Israel; but as you feed Israel, couldn’t you slip a little food to me, just
as little boys slip food to their pets when their parents aren’t looking.” Jesus
was so impressed with her faith and persistence that he granted her request and
praised her faith to his disciples.
Jesus wants us all to have this sort of untiring faith and persistence in
approaching him. The Canaanite woman knew her desperate need and her awareness
of this need was strong enough to enable her to persist through every obstacle.
When we are aware of our own weakness and neediness, we will approach the Lord
with confidence and faith.
Persistence in prayer is commended by Jesus elsewhere in the gospels. In the
Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge, he tells us to the effect that we
ought always to pray and never lose heart. We should never be disheartened but
persist in faith despite every apparent setback. We know that our loving Savior
wants all to come to him and longs to pour out his blessings on us. At times it
may seem as if our prayers meet with no response, but this is when we should
persist in them all the more.
An encounter with a poor person in need can be a humbling experience; it makes
us aware of our own poverty. We are poor in a different sense. We are poor in
compassion, poor in our willingness to help another person, poor in our capacity
to love. Through the poor we discover our own weakness and woundedness and
results in a deep inner liberation. It puts us in touch with our true selves.
The encounter can also awaken and reveal the heart. It can awaken within us
feelings of tenderness and compassion, kindness and communion. It shows us that
it is possible to be more, to love more, and to give of ourselves more. It calls
us to humanity and leads to a new beginning. And it reminds us that before God
all of us are poor.
The Canaanite woman had deep faith and nothing would deter her from going to
Jesus. It is this deep faith and persistence that Jesus wants us all to have.
Faith calls forth from us humility, courage, perseverance and love. A mother
never gives up. Neither does a person with faith. Faith and love are inseparably
connected. Love is the expression of our faith.
Lord Jesus, we know that you want to heal us and bless us in many ways. Grant us
the faith to persist in coming to you in prayer, so that difficulties may not
discourage us but rather lead us to pray all the more. Amen.
Jealousy
Moses was given the gift of leadership of his people. Aaron and Miriam had also
received a particular vocation and had been chosen by God for specific tasks.
All three had received grace and talents they needed to fulfill God’s plan for
their lives. Aaron was chosen to assist Moses in negotiations with Pharaoh and
Miriam was a prophetess who led the women in worship to celebrate the crossing
of the Red Sea. Given this family background and anointing, what could cause
such antagonism between them?
Aaron and Miriam provide the answer. ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through
Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?’ Such questions reveal a raw and all
too common attitude of mind which disrupts and devastates groups and parishes
and religious communities. Miriam and Aaron, blessed and anointed as they were,
had no reason to be jealous and they incurred God’s judgment.
Jealousy, by its very nature, is primarily concerned with self-interest and
those who suffer from it quickly lose sight of how displeasing it is to God.
Within a parish community it can emerge in many guises, from petty gossip and
backbiting through to undermining rightful authority and outright rebellion. Why
it is so prevalent in religious circles is uncertain. It might reflect a
perceived notion that some have received greater gifts from God than others, and
indeed God does seem to shower particular people with certain gifts but that is
God’s prerogative.
At its deepest roots, jealousy reflects a sense of insecurity and the remedy is
always repentance. Jesus always seeks to heal repentant sinners. We can be fully
confident that as we go in sorrow before his heavenly throne, we will not only
be forgiven but also be set free from bondage to jealousy, no matter how often
we are beset with it.
Lord Jesus, we repent of the occasions when we have sunk into envy and jealousy.
Please forgive us and set us free.
What counts in life is not what we acquire but what we become in the process of
living.
On 11th of October, 1998, Pope John Paul II canonized Edith Stein, a Jewish
woman and a Catholic nun who died a martyr at the Auschwitz extermination camp
during World War II. She left behind an illustrious career when she found the
greatest treasure and the pearl of great value; that was a life set apart fully
at the service of the Lord. Born on the 12th of October, 1891 in the present day
Poland, Edith was very dear to her mother as her birth on Yom Kippur of that
year served as a sign to her mother of God’s blessing upon the child. Edith lost
her father at the age of two and her mother decided to carry on the family
lumber business.
The Steins were a religious family; the children attended the synagogue with
their mother. Edith was an exceptional student from her earliest years in school
and she thrived on literature. During adolescence, Edith had stopped praying and
became an atheist. But while studying at the University of Gottingen, she
explored a spiritual dimension to her existence. Edith received her doctorate
‘summa cum laude’ in August 1916 at the age of twenty-five and at first she
taught philosophy at Freiburg University as assistant to Edmund Husserl.
In late 1917, Edith learned that her dear friend and Professor at Gottingen
University, Adolph Reinach had died during military action. She went to comfort
his widow and found her to be a woman of incredible interior strength. Anna
Reinach shared that her faith in Jesus was the reasons for her peace. This visit
produced a lasting mark on Edith’s soul and she referred later in her life to
this event as the most decisive reason for her conversion to Christianity. While
on a holiday in the summer of 1921 she read the autobiography of Teresa of Avila
overnight and knew than that she was to become a Catholic. The cross of Christ
compelled her from that day forward. Her life became a reflection of humility
and surrender. She wanted to lead a contemplative life.
After her conversion to Catholicism she taught at a girls’ Catholic high school
and giving lectures throughout Europe from 1928 to 1932. She made intellectual
contributions through her many writing, the most noted being FINATE AND ETERNAL
BEING. Her lecture post at a German Institute was shortened as a result of Nazi
policies of persecuting the Jews. At the end of April 1933, Edith made her
decision to become a Carmelite nun. She experienced deep peace in her soul
knowing that she was following God’s will. She received the name Sr. Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross at her investiture in April 1934. At the Cologne convent
Edith finished her masterpiece, FINATE AND ETERNAL BEING. She was commissioned
by the Carmelite Order to write THE SCIENCE OF THE CROSS, a branch of philosophy
that dealt with what you see, hear, feel etc. in contrast to wheat may actually
be real or true about the world. Edith studied the Hebrew Scriptures and spoke
of how Jesus prayed as a faithful Jew. The sisters of Cologne valued Sr.
Teresa’s insight into the Jewish roots of the Catholic faith.
When the Nazis began persecuting the Jews, she was transferred to a convent in
Holland, traveling on the night of December 31st, 1938. She experienced
suffering in her soul every time she heard unkind comments about Jews. Her
sister Rosa, having been baptized after their mother’s death, joined her in the
convent and served as portress at the convent. Edith and Rosa reported
frequently to Gestapo officers. Edith considered herself a baptized Jew and did
not shirk her Jewish identity to escape death. She had anticipated that the day
would come when she would offer her life uniting herself to her crucified Lord
and surrendering her life into his arms. In 1942 the Nazis ordered the arrest of
all Catholics of Jewish descent. The Stein sisters, Edith and Rosa were held in
two concentration camps in Holland before being transferred to Auschwitz where
they died in gas champers on the 9th of August 1942.
A close relationship with God is a real treasure. Edith found that treasure in
the cross of Christ for whom she sacrificed her life in total abandon but in
whom she found total joy and contentment.
What counts in life is not what we acquire but what we become in the process of
living.
Each person has a different set of values in life. Some crave for fame and
popularity. Nothing pleases them more than to be recognized in the street and to
have their photographs in the newspaper. For others the pursuit is status and
respectability within the community. People have different dreams and ambitions
of life and they would sacrifice anything to succeed in life and to achieve a
dream.
What is our greatest treasure, something for which we would sell everything we
own? In today’s Gospel Jesus tells two short parables about the kingdom of
heaven being like a treasure hidden in a field or a pearl of great value, and
challenges our response to this kingdom. The readings tell us to get our
priorities right. Many married people find out the hard way that it is more
important for a family to be happy than to live in plush surroundings. Time
spent with children is of more value than money spent on toys. We may live in
the age of the instant, but rearing a family and teaching them how to discipline
themselves or get along with another, are things that cannot be rushed.
Experience teaches us that there are no short cuts in these important matters
because anything that is worthwhile cannot be achieved without a lot of effort.
Our greatest treasure is our faith which tells us that we are heirs to the
kingdom of God. Our faith is so important and valuable that everybody must give
it absolute priority. The worldly values are destined to pale into
insignificance. Our search should not be for superficial happiness but to
develop a good relationship with God. We must preserve the faith that has come
down to us through the apostles and by a previous generation at so great a cost.
If we want happiness there is no point to turning to the passing things of life,
hoping that they will fill our emptiness and loneliness. We must invest time and
energy in detaching ourselves from such superficiality. Our great destiny is to
share in God’s glory and so our sole preoccupation should be to stake everything
on Christ and the values he stands for and portrays. When we live and value
God’s kingdom, we do it unto life eternal. What counts when we die is not what
we have acquired in life but what we have become. If we have failed before God,
then it is a total failure.
Lord, help us to seek first your kingdom. May we recognize the priceless value
of your kingdom and put it before all worldly wealth and power.
St. John Vianny
St. John Mary Vianny is a window of light into what God can do with a life that
is totally yielded to him. In this saint we have someone who speaks powerfully
to us today of how to serve God and serve one another in love. John Marie was
born in a village near Lyons in south-eastern France, on 8 May 1786 and baptized
the same day. Seventy years after his death he was proclaimed by the Church as
patron of parish priests. This a man whose life has spiritual lessons to teach
us all.
The path to priesthood for the young John Marie was littered with obstacles. The
French Revolution ushered in a time of anti-clericalism. Priests faithful to the
Church risked arrest and persecution. He found his studies difficult throughout
especially Latin. God’s grace put him in touch with a holy priest who encouraged
him and with his help he was ordained a priest in 1815.
In 1817 the Cure came to Ars where he stayed forty-one and half years until he
died in 1859. Prayer and care of the poor were the hinges on which his heart
swung open to rejoice in the Lord. He promoted the custom of frequent communion,
believing that the Eucharist nourishes virtue and protects the faithful from
sin.
His long hours spent in the confessional give us another indication of his
sanctity. In summer he would spend between fifteen and sixteen hours and in
winter between eleven and thirteen hours ministering to those who wished to
confess their sins. Sometimes people would wait a week to be heard. Visitors
even paid poor people to keep their place in the confessional line. The
enthusiasm of the pilgrims was so great that his catechisms were snatched and
treasured as a relic, his cassock was slashed and locks of his hair were even
cut off.
His concern for youth led him to oppose dances as he saw them as occasions of
sin. He would not absolve penitents unless they gave up dancing. He managed
eventually to stop dances altogether. Worn out by his continued austerities and
by the ceaseless stream of visitors who sought his counsel, he died in 1859.
More than three hundred priests and religious were among the 6000 people who
gathered for his funeral. He was canonized in 1925.
The spiritual lessons his life displayed speak powerfully to our own personal
walk with God. He understood the importance of prayers and that grace grows
through struggle. He was a man of deep humility and despised ecclesiastical and
civil honor. He had a great sense of the supernatural and reverence for the
priesthood. He used to say, “To suffer lovingly, is to suffer no longer.” May
this saintly life inspire us to grow closer to God.
Lord God, you never cease to give new saints to your Church as a pattern for
holy living. Help us to imitate St John Vianny in his zeal for souls that we may
share his reward in heaven. Amen.
Never give up. Keep on praying!
Jesus was in the Gentile regions of Tyre and Sidon, to the north of Galilee.
Even here his fame had spread, and he was approached by a Canaanite woman asking
him to heal her daughter. Although she was not a Jew she had faith that Jesus
could heal her daughter, if he wished to, and saw something in him that made her
persist in her request. Her need was greater than any fears or scruples she may
have had about approaching Jesus. She had faith in his power to heal her
daughter and addressed him as “Lord”. This was more faith than Jesus had
encountered in many of the Jews who had seen his miracles and heard him preach.
She was not put off by the disciples’ attempts to get rid of her, and even when
Jesus told her that he was sent to help the Jews and not the Gentiles, she
persisted and came up with a shrewd reply to his refusal. Jesus was so impressed
by her faith and persistence that he granted her request and praised her faith
to his disciples. (Mt 15:21-28)
Jesus wants us all to have this sort of untiring faith and persistence in
approaching him. The Canaanite woman knew her desperate need, and her awareness
of this was strong enough to enable her to persist through every obstacle. If we
do not know our own weakness and neediness, we shall not approach Jesus
wholeheartedly. We may easily lose heart when difficulties get in the way; but
if we truly see him as our hope of salvation, we shall persevere in coming to
him, whatever the cost.
Persistence in prayer is commended by Jesus elsewhere in the Gospels. In the
parable of the widow and the unjust judge he tells us to the effect that we
ought always to pray and never lose heart. We should never be disheartened but
persist in faith despite every apparent set back. We know that our loving Savior
welcomes all who come to him and longs to pour out his blessings on us. At times
it may seem as if our prayers meet with no response, but this is when we should
persist in them all the more. Faith in Jesus was what the woman had above all
else; this was the quality for which he praised her and it led to the healing of
her daughter. Jesus always responded to those who had faith in him. He still
does so today.
Lord Jesus, we know that you want to heal us and bless us in many ways. Grant us
the faith to persist in coming to you in prayer, so that difficulties may not
discourage us but rather lead us to pray all the more. Amen.
It’s God’s plan that counts,
not ours!
There is certain sadness about today’s first reading from the Book of
Deuteronomy. Moses had been the great hero of his people. He had resisted
Pharaoh to his face, demanding the release of the people in the name of God. He
had been God’s instrument in leading the people of Israel out of slavery from
Egypt. In the desert he was God’s instrument for a covenant with the people. He
had endured the rebellion of the people and had interceded for them with God.
Now near death he knew that it was not to be his joy and privilege to lead the
people into the Promised Land. That destiny was to fall to Joshua. Moses needed
profound humility to accept the plan of God. Somehow he understood that God’s
plan, although not in accord with his own preference, was best. Not concerned
with being recognized as of the greatest importance among God’s people, like a
little child he was docile to God’s will.
God has a plan for each of us. At times we may wish that we could have a
different vocation, perhaps one more in the limelight or in contract one less
demanding. But it is God’s choice which counts. Think about Pope John Paul I,
Pope for only thirty-three days, with no opportunity to lead the Church forward.
He was like Moses who was not privileged to lead the people into the Promised
Land. Such, for his own good reasons, was God’s choice.
We see this in the life of Edith Stein whose feast we celebrate today. She
submitted her life to God’s will. Born into a German-Jewish family, she was a
great scholar trained in philosophy. Her persistent search for the truth led to
her baptism as a Catholic. Inspired by the life and writings of the great
Spanish Carmelite Teresa of Avila, Edith entered the Carmel at Cologne. Gassed
and cremated at Auschwitz in 1942, she died a martyr to the Christian faith. She
never forsook her Jewish roots even as she discovered with joy the path of
Christianity. Her desire to be in solidarity with Jews and Christians alike gave
her a share in Christ’s cross. For this she is recognized as an icon of
reconciliation. In 1999 Pope John Paul II named her co-patroness of Europe
alongside Ss Bridget of Sweden and Catherine of Siena. In doing so he was
acknowledging her holiness and also encouraging respect, tolerance and
fraternity in Europe across religious and cultural divides. We can emulate her
faith, courage and self-sacrifice.
Lord, may we grow in faith and in the courage to do your will in all situations.
Though we don’t know the future, we trust that you have a plan for us, and that
whatever may happen you will never forsake us. Amen.
Can you, like
Peter, walk on the waters of life?
Arthur was a POW at Auschwitz. His story is remarkable, a moving testimony of
courage and faith in the face of unspeakable evil. Only his unshakeable faith in
God and reading his Bible helped him to survive. He focused his life on God. His
faith in God gave him the strength and inspiration in great suffering. He gives
us an eyewitness account of the cruelty of the Secret Service and how his faith
enabled him to survive the ordeal. He writes:
When we arrived at Auschwitz we were put in camp E711. We were oblivious to what
was awaiting us. We were all pretty happy until we saw an SS guard whipping a
Jewish girl with his riding crop. She couldn’t have been much older than 15. The
SS used this incident to break our spirits. They beat this poor girl into a pulp
and killed her. We were all in deep shock – many of us wept. We were all
experienced soldiers but we hadn’t seen anything like this before. If the SS
thought the Jews weren’t working hard enough they would beat them viciously. The
life expectancy for a working Jew in Auschwitz was one month.
A time he will never forget was when the SS were transporting thousands of
Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz. At this time the camp was working at a demented
pace – the SS were gassing and incinerating about 4,000 Jews a day. The train
carrying them to the gas chambers passed our camp. Each night he read the Bible.
He says that he couldn’t have survived without his faith. A lot of people went
insane and committed suicide – they couldn’t bear the inhumanity they were
constantly exposed to. All he knows is that he kept his sanity through reading
the Bible. He sometimes doubted if he’d ever get out of there alive but he never
doubted that God was with him.
In the midst of Auschwitz’s death throes Arthur witnessed acts of such demonic
depravity that one would not think such things are possible. Arthur was terribly
traumatized by what he saw and it would be many years before he could speak of
such evil. After the war he suffered from terrible nightmares, migraine and
stress. The letter to the Hebrews helped him a lot especially (Hebrews Ch
10:32-36) wherein the author encourages trust and confidence in the midst of
great trials and sufferings.
Arthur had been a spectator in hell. What he saw and experienced will live with
him forever, but he has found freedom and peace. His zest for life, his love for
his Bible, his devotion to his wife and his profound conviction that even in the
midst of the valley of the shadow of death God was with him, are a testimony to
God’s love and grace as well as to the triumph of the human Spirit. A person who
has faith has a source of strength and inspiration, especially when trouble
strikes. It’s not we who keep the faith. It’s the faith that keeps us. Taken in
a literal sense, the story of Peter attempting to walk on water may not be
relevant for us. But taken symbolically it has great relevance for us. ‘Walking
on water’ is a symbol of something that is impossible to unaided human beings.
At some time or other, every disciple of Jesus is faced with very trying
circumstances, very difficult decisions, very great sorrows, very powerful
temptations. At those times it is as if we are being asked to ‘walk on water.’ I
could give some examples:
John is a young person living away from home. It is a Sunday morning. He is in a
warm bed and it is cold outside and his choice is whether he should go to church
to participate in the celebration of the Mass. He knows that he will have to
take the laughter of his companions. Will John obey the gentle voice of Christ
calling him to walk across the water of cynicism to go to church to received
God’s word and the sacrament?
Mary is a single girl who has become pregnant. She is heading into the middle of
a storm of protest from her parents and gossip from her neighbors as soon as the
news breaks. Then she is offered a way out – a quiet abortion. No one will ever
know. But then she hears the gentle voice that abortion is wrong. Will she have
the courage to listen to that voice?
Eileen is a young mother with three children. Suddenly her husband leaves her
for another woman. She feels hurt and betrayed, lonely and angry. Will she have
the courage to walk on the troubled waters relying on the words of Christ to
trust in him and follow his path?
Gerry is a policeman. A drug dealer offers him a large amount of money if he
would turn a blind eye to his activities. It’s very tempting. But then he hears
a voice saying, ‘Do not participate in corruption.’ Will he be able to walk
across those foul and ugly waters?
Paul is a commercial traveler. He is away from home. One night he meets a very
attractive woman. He hasn’t been getting on very well of late with his wife. No
one will ever know if he is unfaithful to her. Will he have the strength to walk
across the waters of fidelity at the call of Christ, who tells him that adultery
is wrong?
We have to contend not only with an outer struggle – against the elements – but
also with an inner struggle – against ourselves. To some extent, the whole life
of a Christian is a kind of walking on water, in so far as it implies walking in
faith, which means relying on the word of Christ. Many times we are asked to
step out on his word. One day we will have to leave the early boat that has
carried us through the stormy waters of this world, and set out across the dark
waters of death. If at difficult moments during life we have opted for Christ,
then at death it will come naturally to us to reach out and take his hand, so
that he may haul us onto the shores of eternity.
Like Peter, the apostle, we too have often set out confidently across the waters
of life. However, as soon as the winds of trouble rise against us, the waves of
adversity begin to buffet us, we lose our nerve and begin to sink.
Lord, when our faith falters, as it often does, may we hear your gentle voice
saying to us, ‘Courage, Do not be afraid.’ In that moment, Lord, may your divine
power uphold us, calm our fears, steady our nerves, and enable us to steer our
little boat to a place of safety and peace, beyond the wind and the waves. Amen.
It’s easy to
say we love God, but… do we do His will?
In a reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses appeals to the Israelites to
remember how dearly God has loved them and how tenderly he has cared for them
throughout their history. As we listen to Moses give his farewell address in the
wilderness of Moab and recall the important events of the past, we discover the
mystery of God’s call of a special people to return his love and obey his laws.
At the same time we realize in wonder that we too are caught up in this mystery
today as members of God’s new chosen people, the Church. As God chose the
Israelites to play a special role in his plan, so today he calls each of us and
has a plan for us.
Our love for God will not be the same as the love we feel for people who are
dear to us. Love of God must always be mixed with reverence and fear, since he
is the perfectly holy Lord and we are his creatures. If our love for the Lord is
to be genuine it must be translated into deeds. If we truly love him, we will
want to do what pleases him. We cannot really be close to God if our
relationship with him does not lead to changes in how we live. It is easy to say
we love God, but the real test of this is how much we try to do his will. God’s
commands often go against the natural impulses of human nature; he calls us to
love our enemies, to give ourselves to others, to live chaste lives. If we are
not impelled by God’s love working in our hearts, these commands will seem too
hard and unattractive for us. But as we come to understand how much God loves
us, and how much he has done for us, we will long to please him. When we know
that our sins are forgiven and that we become children of god, there will be no
limit to what we are willing to give in return for such blessings.
Lord Jesus, deepen and renew our insight, knowledge and understanding of the
mystery of your life, the humility of the cross and the power of the
resurrection. Teach us to have reverence and fear of you which have as their
foundation an understanding of your power, glory and majesty. May we come to
know your love for us, so that we may desire to do your will in return and show
love for you in all our actions. Amen.
Self denial – take
up your cross and follow me.
People often talk about ‘carrying your cross’, referring to a particular
affliction that they have to put up with in life. We do all have such problems,
and no doubt this is part of what Jesus meant. But at a deeper level taking up
the cross refers to the whole process of putting our sinful selves to death, and
learning to follow God’s will rather than our own. Jesus says, “If a man wishes
to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and begin to
follow in my footsteps.” These words of Christ follow in the Gospel immediately
after Peter was upset by Jesus’ prediction of his passion and death. The cross
has been a stumbling block not only to Peter but to mankind in general
throughout the centuries.
The need for suffering and death remains a mystery. We see in nature that
strange truth, that paradox that death produces life. A seed must die to produce
a new plant. Christ by his death makes eternal life possible for us. We share in
this life that Christ won for us by becoming like Christ in suffering, by a
death to self. We gain everlasting life by the same means with which Christ
accomplished the redemption. The words that Christ uttered in the Gospel, “If a
man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self and take up his cross,’
are very emphatic. Our union with Christ is conditioned by our conformity with
him in his sufferings on this earth. St. Paul writes to the Romans: “If we have
died with Christ, we believe that we are also to live with him…if we have been
united with him through likeness to his death, so shall we be through a like
resurrection.” Paul tells us that the reason why we suffer with Christ is that
we may be glorified with him. Without the cross there is no glory, without death
no resurrection. We know that if we share in his death, we will also share in
his resurrection. Sacrifices we make for Christ turn out not to be real
sacrifices in the end, because we give up something ephemeral (short-lived) in
return for eternal glory. Let us always remember the words of Paul to the Romans
which says that ‘the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Lord, grant us the grace to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow you.
Help us to live lives of self-denial and service, and share in your sufferings
so that we may also one day share in your risen glory. Amen.
Jesus Lord, I believe that you are the divine physician, and that you can cure
all our ills. I believe in your words: ask and you shall receive, seek and you
will find, knock and it shall be opened to you. We come to you, Lord, for
healing and wholeness.
Jesus, there is no sin and no illness that you cannot eliminate with your word.
There is no wound you cannot heal. Heal my body of this (name your illness), and
restore me to health, to serve and praise you, and you alone, as the source of
my health.
Jesus, I lift up to you all who suffer with physical infirmity, especially (name
the person) Turn your face to those who come to you in their need. Restore their
strength. Remove every tumor, every disease and dysfunction. As you healed the
cripples and the lepers because of their faith, so touch these, now, faithful
and devoted to your word. Heal, Lord Jesus.
Jesus, touch those who, in their suffering, do not know you; do not have faith.
Through your healing, create a new, great light in their souls and a zeal to go
out and proclaim that you alone are Lord.
Jesus, I lift up to you all those who live in a life of addiction, whose free
will has been diluted. Touch all those who suffer from drugs, alcohol, nicotine,
and sexual abuse. Free their body and soul from every evil influence.
Jesus, heal those who have been deceived by the Evil One and those caught in
various forms of idolatry and whose lives are filled with hatred and revenge.
Heal all those who know not love. Remove from their hearts all remnants of
painful heritage. Cure their souls of any and all burdens they carry, including
those carried forth from childhood. Remove anything in them that blocks their
capacity to love.
Jesus, heal those who cannot forgive, or those shackled to painful memories.
You, Lord Jesus, who forgave from your cross, grant the gift of forgiveness to
all those who suffer from past hurts or the mistakes of others. Expel all
memories that are painful to them and that block loving relationships with you
and with others. Forgive and eliminate all envy, jealousy, mistrust and fear,
especially within families, Lord.
Jesus, I lift up to you all who suffer emotional illness, those burdened with
personality difficulty and neurosis. Heal them of depression and grant
forgiveness to them and to any others who may have caused their burden. Free
them from any thought of suicide, or from any evil spirit who preys on their
illness.
Jesus, Hear the cries of little children who suffer from illness, from hunger,
from poverty, from abuse. Heal those who are responsible for them and have
failed in any way to provide for their needs, especially for their spiritual
needs; that they might know that you exist and of your special love for them.
Jesus, heal families. Cure whatever might exist in any family that is a source
of abuse to a spouse and especially to a child.
Jesus, I lift up to you all people, all nations, and all races. You, as the
Prince of Peace, can eliminate their prejudice, hatred, misunderstanding and
greed. Cover all nations with a zest for love, forgiveness and peace.
Lord, I praise and thank you for responding to me. May your healing love pour
out on me, on my family, on all who suffer and who need special healing. Lord
Jesus, flood the world with your blessings. Thank you Lord. Amen.
God ultimately
triumphs - even in our adversity
The family of Israel had gone from Palestine to Egypt before the year 1500 B.C.
to avoid the ravages of a famine and for more than 200 years they had enjoyed a
period of prosperity and peace in Lower Egypt. Then there came a change in the
dynasty of the Pharaohs. Before long, the new ruler had forced the Jews into
slavery and started killing off their little boys as a way of controlling the
Jewish population. From today’s passage (Exodus 2) we learn how God spares Moses
from this fate. Ironically, the child who will grow up to deliver Israel from
bondage finds safety in the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. Henceforth Moses will
dominate our attention as we reflect this period Jewish history.
Pharaoh hoped to consolidate his power by sheer force, pursuing a murderous
policy of repression. However, we see in today’s scripture, his desires were
thwarted and his edicts simply circumvented (prevented). The Hebrew midwives
refused to kill the infant boys. Moses’ mother and sister followed the letter of
the law by putting the baby in the Nile, though safe in a basket. Pharaoh’s
daughter adopted the infant Moses and paid the baby’s own mother for nursing
him. However fearsome and invincible pharaoh must have seemed at the time, his
plans would eventually come to nothing. He would ultimately be defeated by God’s
plan, worked out slowly and quietly in the person of the baby floating gently in
the basket amongst the reeds of the warm shallows of the Nile.
However impossible the circumstances, however great the forces ranged against
it, God’s plan ultimately triumphs. The Book of Exodus is the chronicle of God’s
faithful and loving protection of his chosen people, through all manner of
adversity. All Jewish people cherish the story of the deliverance from Egypt as
a timeless witness to God’s love and care.
We all have many episodes through our lives when God has intervened to protect
us or show his love. Most often, these are unnoticed at the time. Unless we give
conscious, prayerful thought to the course of our lives, they remain undetected
forever. Strangely many people will testify that the times when God is closest
to them are the very times when they have felt most alone or abandoned. God is
closest in adversity and his power is made perfect in weakness. Amen.
St. Benedict
We honor St. Benedict, abbot, author of the Rule, Patriarch of western
monasticism, Patron of Europe, and founder of the celebrated monastery at Monte
Casino. The Benedictine tradition has served both Church and civilization with
distinction. Benedict’s achievement was to produce a monastic way of life which
was complete, orderly and workable. The monk’s primary occupation was liturgical
prayer complemented by sacred reading and manual work of various kinds. For this
he wrote ‘The Rule’ which came to be recognized as the fundamental, almost the
only monastic code of the western world in the middle ages. Its flexibility
enabled it to be adapted to the needs of society so that monasteries became
centers of learning, agriculture, hospitality and medicine.
Benedict made physical labor part of his rule and gave dignity to work and
workers. His motto is: work and pray – Ore et labor. He tells us that there is
great fulfillment when one helps to satisfy the needs of one’s brothers and
sisters through one’s labor.
I found a short passage of ‘The Rule’ in a prayer book and I shall quote it for
you. In it Benedict instructs his monks as to how they should conduct themselves
in their day to day life. They can inspire us to be faithful followers of
Christ. ‘Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ; discipline your body; do
not pamper yourself, but love fasting. You must relieve the lot of the poor,
clothe the naked, visit the sick and bury the dead. Go to help the troubled and
console the sorrowing.
Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way…You are not to act
in anger or nurse a grudge. Rid your heart of all conceit. Never give a hollow
greeting of peace or turn away from one who needs your help…Do not injure
anyone, but bear injuries patiently. Love your enemies. If people curse you, do
not curse them back but bless them instead…Live by God’s commandments everyday;
treasure chastity, harbor neither hatred nor jealousy of anyone, and do nothing
out of envy. Do not love quarrelling; shun arrogance. Respect the elders and
love the young. Pray for your enemies out of love and never lose hope in God’s
mercy.’
St. Benedict has truly been a blessing. May his faith and life inspire us to be
faithful to our Diving Master. Amen.
Will you face
persecution in the name of Christ?
On the 24th of March 1980, Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, was struck
down by a single bullet shot by a professional marksman whilst he celebrated
Mass. Romero was one of many Christian martyrs of the twentieth century, but his
assassination was perhaps, in its shocking, arrogant audacity, one of the most
blatant examples. He was bold enough to speak out against the right-wing
elements in El Salvador – basically the government and the army – who were
maintaining a policy of savage repression of the poor of the country.
Politics is a messy business, of course, and there are those who say that the
Church and State should refrain from crossing into each other’s territories. In
the face of such injustice and denial of human rights, however, Romero could not
remain silent. His outspoken proclamation of Christian values became a thorn in
the flesh of the government and consequently his days were numbered. It became
dangerous to know him, or to be associated with him. Indeed, several of the
mourners at his funeral were shot.
In the Western society, we are unlikely to be imprisoned or experience physical
violence for our faith. The persecution is more subtle. We may well encounter
animosity, ridicule or ostracism if we speak up for the values enshrined in
Jesus’ teaching and try to swim against the tide of worldly values. For example
a moral stance that condemns abortion, euthanasia, immodesty or sexual
licentiousness, is deeply unfashionable these days and usually evokes an
antagonistic response.
It is fascinating that Jesus advised his disciples to be ‘as wise as serpents
and innocent as doves’. Our witness is to involve all our skills, gifts and
faculties. Worldly values are to have no place in the life a Christian. If we
speak out the gospel values, then we will find ourselves in conflict with the
forces of evil. As someone said, ‘only dead fish swim with the tide.’ As
followers of Christ we need to be spiritually alive.
Lord, even though we are weak, help us to imitate you in all things. Give us
your courage to speak the truth, your constancy to endure the trials of life and
your love with which to counter the coldness and bitterness in the world.
Do not seek revenge,
for God’s plan is powerful!
The story of Joseph is a moving one that has always appealed to readers. We can
imagine the drama of the situation as Joseph’s brothers come before him in
Egypt. The boy whom they had sold into slavery years before now stood before
them as the most powerful man in Egypt, yet they did not know it. Joseph had it
in his power to do whatever he wanted with the brothers who had betrayed him. A
natural reaction for someone in Joseph’s position would have been to seek
revenge on his brothers. Joseph did not do this, nor did he immediately tell his
brothers who he was. He wanted to test them first, to see if they had changed
over the years. They now repented for their wicked treatment of their younger
brother and saw themselves as suffering and deserved punishment for what they
had done.
We can probably identify with the brothers’ feelings. We have all done wrong in
our lives; perhaps some memories haunt us, and make us feel we deserve
punishment. Joseph’s brothers had changed from the hard-hearted men they seemed
earlier; and so there is hope for all of us to repent and change. We can turn to
the Lord and receive the forgiveness he has won by his death on the cross. In
him we can find acceptance and freedom from condemnation and reach the place
where he wants us to be.
We celebrate the feast of Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr. Born near Ancona,
Italy, the eldest daughter of a peasant, she was a religious girl and much given
to prayer. Her father died when she was ten; her mother went out to work while
Maria took care of the house. In the year 1902, age twelve, while defending her
chastity against a man attempting to violate her, she preferred to die rather
than give way and was repeatedly stabbed with a knife. She died the next day.
Her killer was sentenced to life imprisonment. When he was released at the age
of twenty seven, he was a changed man. He lived to see his victim canonized in
1950, a martyr for purity and for Christian life.
Maria Goretti’s life is much more than a story from the past. It is a proof that
in any time and circumstance, virtue is possible. May Maria’s heroism and
fortitude challenge today’s youth to follow a life-style which says ‘no” to sin
and “yes” to God.
Lord Jesus, we acknowledge our sinfulness and we rejoice that there is no
condemnation for those who repent and trust in you. Fill our hearts with
forgiveness and peace and faith in your plan for each one of us to find our home
with you. Amen.
Trust God
through sufferings no matter how unfair they seem
In the reading from the Book of Genesis (Chaps 44,45) we see that Joseph’s
brothers have come to Egypt seeking food at a time of famine. They do not
realize that the man selling them grain is their brother Joseph, whom they sold
into slavery years before. Joseph then pretends to keep the youngest brother as
his slave for allegedly stealing his drinking cup. At this point, we hear
Joseph’s brother Judah striving to convince Joseph how deeply this loss of the
younger brother will grieve their father Jacob. He already bears a heavy sorrow
because he thinks Joseph is dead. Judah’s speech finally touches Joseph’s heart,
and in a deep moving scene he reveals to his brothers who he really is.
There are strong emotions in the story that we can all identify with. Judah’s
moving plea to Joseph not to arrest Benjamin, his picture of the ages Jacob’s
love for his youngest son, Joseph weeping as he prepares to reveal his identity
to his brothers – all these are vivid and dramatic. Joseph shows that he
understands the real key to his story when he tells his brothers not to be too
distressed because God sent him before them to preserve life.
When we see our own weaknesses and problems, the things that go wrong in our
lives and our sins we can easily start to despair of God working through us. Yet
the very things that trouble us may be what God is using to further his plans.
God’s plan I s greater than all our sins and confusion. We need to trust that
God is working in all that happens, however unlikely that may seem at times.
Joseph trusted in God through all his sufferings and setbacks, unfair though
they must have seemed to him. He could easily have concluded that God had
abandoned him, or nursed a grievance against his brothers, but his faith never
wavered, and in the end he did not know what the future held. Let us follow his
example in living lives of faithful obedience, leaving the future in God’s
hands.
Lord, we know that you have a plan for us, even if we do not yet understand it.
May we never despair of our sins, but preserver, trusting that your power is
greater than any of the problems that surround us. Amen.
Don’t despair, “I will be
with you always.”
The scripture reading from the Book of Exodus 3:6, 9-12 describes Gods’ dramatic
appearance to Moses in the burning bush. Moses had become a shepherd working for
his father-in-law. God gave this shepherd the responsibility of leading the
Hebrew flock out of slavery in Egypt. God assures Moses, “I will be with you.”
This promise of divine help to his chosen servants will continue to echo through
the pages of the Old Testament. It found expression at last on the lips of Jesus
when he spoke to his apostles before leaving the world, “I will be with you till
the end of the ages.”
Moses started his life as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. There is
something providential about his origins. Surrounded by the trappings of power
and influence, Moses was being prepared for his mission: that of leading the
beleaguered (struggling) Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the
Promised Land.
God takes his time in calling Moses, who spends many years in the desert,
seemingly indifferent to the plight of his fellow countrymen. God leaves him in
that spiritual wilderness of incompleteness then chooses his moment. Moses, by
now a shepherd, is attracted to a bush which is burning and yet remains intact.
Approaching, he enters into a conversation with God, who is calling him to a
task which seems beyond him.
When God calls someone for a mission it involves responsibility and offers a
challenge. For Moses the responsibility was to lead his people to freedom and
the challenge was to respond to the mission. God calls Moses by name and waits
for a free response from him before giving a clear directive. Moses’ reaction
was one of fear, typically the reaction of one who feels unworthy before the
Almighty.
God – who is love - is not easily deflected. He has compassionate plans for his
people and confidence that Moses will respond. And yet when the mandate is
clarified, poor Moses is overcome. “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?”
These words express his natural humility and diffidence (shyness) before the
daunting task. God of love promises fidelity with the words, “I will be with
you.” Moses will save his people and on this same mountain will bring them face
to face with God.
Lord, you called Moses despite his self-doubt. “I will be with you” were your
reassuring words. In our darkest moments of inadequacy, stretch out your hand to
us, that we may labor with you in your plan of salvation.
Sabbath or Sunday Is there a difference?
Not a day of inactivity, but a day filled with the wonder of God.
The twelfth Chapter of St. Mathew’s gospel records the growing opposition to
Jesus among the Scribes and Pharisees. It will climax in our Lord’s death. We
discover one of the reasons why the Pharisees came to hate Jesus – his different
attitude towards the sacred Sabbath.
The heart of the Sabbath lay in two words, rest and remembrance. God called his
people to enter into his rest that was a reflection and contemplation of all
that he had created and of all that he had done in liberating his people from
slavery. The Sabbath was a day to rest like God and to rest in Him. This was not
a day of inactivity, but a day that was filled with the wonder of God, that
acknowledged that all creation is held in the palm of his hand, and that in him
all things are sustained. Jesus opposed the rules that bound people and drew
them away from the rest and remembrance of the Sabbath. In his words and actions
he showed that it was a day to nourish body and soul, a day to testify to the
goodness of the Lord. The Sabbath of the Old Testament is now fulfilled in the
Sunday of the New Testament. St. Augustine called Sunday - “a sacrament of
Easter”.
For Sunday recalls the day of Christ’s resurrection and the day of Pentecost.
Sunday then becomes for us a day of faith in which we declare that Christ has
died, Christ is risen and Christ will come again. It is a day when we proclaim
that Christ is our light and our salvation, a day when we celebrate our new
birth. It is a day when through listening to his word we once again have our
hearts set on fire and our spirits are renewed. By sharing in the breaking of
the bread we unite ourselves with Christ and accept his call upon our lives. On
this day God blesses us and calls us to enter more and more deeply into the
Sabbath; for us the true Sabbath is the person of our redeemer, our Lord Jesus
Christ. In entering into the Sabbath we receive in great abundance the gift of
his love.
In his Apostolic Letter, “The Lord’s Day”, Pope John Paul II wrote, “Do not be
afraid to give your time to Christ. Let us open our time to Christ that he may
cast light upon it and give it direction. He is the one who knows the secret of
time and the secret of eternity and he gives us ‘his day’ as an ever-new gift of
his love.” (Dies Domini 7)
Lord, you teach us to be merciful and compassionate. You ask us to be renewed
and nourished at the table of the Lord’s word and at the table of the Lord’s
body. Help us to keep the Lord’s Day, the day of your resurrection and the
coming of the Holy Spirit, as a day of rest and remembrance. Amen.
What’s in a name? I AM WHO AM…
There is something special in a name. A certain intimacy is included in calling
someone by his first name. It is virtually impossible to feel close to a person
if you do not know his name. Exodus (Chap 3:13-20) describes how God revealed to
Moses in the burning bush on Mount Horeb his sacred name – ‘I AM WHO AM.’ In
giving his name through Moses to his people, God wished to show that He was
entering into an intimate, personal relationship with them. Although God is
transcendent, far above his creation and one worthy of awe and respect, he is
close to his chosen people. This intimacy of God is even more evident in the
person of Jesus Christ, the God made man.
The holy name of God has the power to invest Moses with the necessary strength
and determination to fulfill his mission. Moses receives the knowledge of God
through His revelation. For Moses, this name evokes two concepts: refusal and
gift. God refuses to be contained by human analysis or interpretation, but
promises the gift of his presence.
God’s name is beyond the power of words to explain. God can show himself in any
kind of elemental manifestation: a fire, a thunder storm or a gentle breeze.
These epiphanies are ways of expressing the mystery of God, which transcends all
our daily experience and understanding by taking us beyond our senses into a
reality we somehow appreciate but cannot truly fathom in this world. The name
remains largely shrouded in mystery, even after God has uttered it, a powerful
reminder that God himself is veiled from our vision and understanding.
Recognizing the power of God’s love at work in our lives today, we too sense
this mystery and are filled with awe for the God who can do so much with so
little. We do not have a God who is far removed from the sorrow and joy of our
everyday existence. Rather we are blessed to have as our God one who is close to
us, one who guides and directs our lives with love and concern.
Lord, you are sheer mystery, and your love for each one of us is pure gift. We
long to serve you, to labor with you to fulfill your plans for the world. Help
us to discern our part in that scheme, and give us the grace to do everything in
your holy name. Amen.
Do not look for signs and wonders; our faith lies in the man Jesus Christ!
Jesus repeatedly amazed the crowds with miraculous signs and wonders. Yet, like
Pharaoh of old, the Pharisees and scribes have hardened their hearts. When Jesus
did perform miracles, they responded with skepticism. Although they address
Jesus respectfully enough as ‘Teacher’, Jesus knows that they are merely trying
to trip him up or trap him. Not only does Jesus refuse their request, he rebukes
them. Signs and wonders substantiated Jesus’ claims, but were not the substance
of his mission. Jesus did not come to dazzle, but to reveal the Father.
Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, non-Jews, notorious for their
wickedness; yet, the Ninevites listened and repented. So famous was King Solomon
for his wisdom that even the pagan Queen of Sheba came to hear him, and was duly
impressed. Jesus is infinitely greater than either Jonah or Solomon, yet the
Scribes and Pharisees refused to his call to repentance. More signs, even
greater signs will not convince those whose minds are closed or whose hearts are
hardened.
Jesus promises only the ‘sign of Jonah’ – recalling Jonah’s three-day vigil
inside the belly of a fish – a reference to his death and subsequent
resurrection, which will be the conclusive sign of his divinity. As St. Paul
later wrote: ‘For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ
crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to gentiles, but to those who are
called…Christ is the power of God and wisdom of God.
Signs and wonders were – and still are – a vital part of God’s kingdom. But the
reason we are to seek Jesus is not so that he can work miracles for us, but so
that we can enter into and enjoy an intimate relationship with him.
Heavenly Father, open our eyes to the countless signs of your presence and power
all around us.