FRIDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK (11)
Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63 or Ez 16:59-63; Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6; Mt 19:3-12
ACCORDING TO THIS IMAGE
Every young man has an image of what he considers to be the perfect woman. Every young woman has an image of what she considers to be the perfect man. These images are taken from experience, but touched up considerably by imagination. One thing people cannot do is create someone according to this image. They must search for their ideal person.
Such is not the case with God. He does not love people because they are beautiful. Rather, people become beautiful because God loves them. God has the power to create people according to the image He has for them. We are created in His very own image and likeness.
What is God's intention for our state in life, whether married or single? Jesus deals with the issue of divorce by taking His listeners back to the beginning of creation and to God's plan for the human race. In Genesis (2:23-24) we see God's intention and ideal that two people who marry should become so indissolubly one that they are one flesh. That ideal is found in the unbreakable union of Adam and Eve. They were created for each other and for no one else. They are the pattern and symbol for all who were to come. Jesus explains that Moses permitted divorce as a concession in the view of a lost ideal. Jesus sets the high ideal of the married state before those who are willing to accept His commands. Jesus, likewise sets the high ideal for those who freely renounce marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Both marriage and celibacy are calls from God to live a consecrated life. A consecrated life is to live as married couples, or as singles who belong not to themselves, but to God. Our lives are not our own. They belong to God. He gives the grace and power to those who seek to follow His way of holiness in their state of life.
In the scriptures, there is one God and one people in one relationship of fidelity. This is an image for marriage with God's own faithfulness as the key. Marriage is at its best when men and women live in a relationship of fidelity and trust. Whatever comes their way they face it together and do not walk away.
In the first reading today: Ezekiel in the straightforward image struggles to show how it was God who made His people beautiful. They had nothing of their own to give them charm or appeal. God did it all. Then forgetting from where their beauty came, the people gave themselves over to harlotry, a symbol of their abandoning God for pagan idols and disgraceful living.
Through all this, God did not abandon His people. Divorce is not in His vocabulary. One reason Jesus condemned divorce is that Christian marriage is a human expression of God's love for His people. Leaving aside any discussion of today's problems involving divorce, we should acknowledge that we have been made beautiful people by God. What we do does not make us lovable. It is His almighty power, which makes us worthwhile. May we never forget that we must respond to God's love by the complete devotion of our lives.
WEDNESDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK
Ez 9:1-7; 10:18-22; Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Mt 18:15-20
POWER IN FORGIVENESS
The prophet Ezekiel was God's messenger to proclaim a warning that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed because of the appalling sins of its people. In effect, the prophet told the people that God was not to be blamed for their coming misfortune since they were bringing punishment upon themselves. As a sign of God's good will, the innocent would be spared, marked with an X. (Actually the mark upon their foreheads was to be the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Tau, which only resembles an X.)
Ezekiel's visions were all highly symbolic. It may be that the use of the last letter of the alphabet was intended to mean that the innocent would find salvation only on the last day, that though they would die, they would be saved on the Great Day of the Lord.
That Day of the Lord had already arrived with Jesus, and yet is also to come in the future. This Day is not a period of twenty-four hours, but the era for the unfolding of the kingdom of God, which will reach its perfection with the Second Coming of Christ Jesus.
Meanwhile we pray, "Thy Kingdom Come." But, we must also work for the realization of the kingdom: a kingdom of peace, harmony, and love. That is why Jesus preached that his followers must seek reconciliation with each other. He calls upon us to point out a wrong that may have been committed, especially one that destroys harmony and peace. Correcting others is a hazardous duty, and must be done with humility and meekness. We must also keep in mind the proper motive, which is to make present among us Christ's kingdom of unity and love.
Question: What is the best way to repair a damaged relationship? Jesus offered to us spiritual freedom and power for restoring damaged relationships. Jesus makes clear that we, His followers, should not tolerate a breach in relationship among ourselves. Sin must be confronted, and help must be offered to restore a damaged relationship. When relationships between brothers and sisters are damaged, then we must spare no effort to help get things right again if possible. But many times we need to take a close look at ourselves!
We are called to pray and to seek reconciliation. Jesus also urges us to pray together. Individual prayer is indispensable, but it can never substitute for that community prayer where Jesus is present to unite us in love.
Today the Church remembers St. Clare, who founded and lived with her community a simple life of great poverty, austerity and complete seclusion from the world, according to a rule which Francis gave them as a Second Order (Poor Clares). Francis obliged Clare under obedience at the age 21 to accept the office of abbess, an office she exercised until her death. Our Poor Clares in Spokane continue to pray for our diocese, retreat center and many others' needs. They pray for the good of all the people of God. The greatest mission of their work, of course, is in Gospel poverty. Clare is well known of her prayer and trust. She lived a Christian life of sanctity, resolving to lead the simple, literal Gospel life as Francis taught her. Her courageous resistance to the ever-present pressure of worldliness brought on a passion for poverty and humility and a generous concern for her sisters. The Poor Clares strive to live in a true harmony and peace as a community of God's children. One can truly marvel at their prayer for others and how they commit their lives to God and each other.
The highest form of prayer as a community where Jesus is present to unite us in His love is at the Mass. We all bear the mark, not of a Hebrew letter, but the baptismal sign of oneness with Christ Jesus. According to that oneness, may we pray and work for the final coming of the kingdom.
SAINT LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR
2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9; Jn 12:24-26
THE TRUE JEWELS
In today's responsorial psalm we acclaim: "Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need" (Ps 112). Lavishly He gives to those in need, a generosity that goes on and on. This happens through the grace of God, our heavenly Father.
St. Lawrence truly understood about the most important treasures of the Church. After the death of Pope Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that Lawrence asked for three days to gather together the wealth. Lawrence worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. When ordered to give up the treasures of the Church, he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said that these were the true treasures (jewels) of the Church. One account records Lawrence declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom. Lawrence was placed on a red-hot gridiron, and his last words to his executioners were "This side's done; turn me over." All this happened to him for showing true compassion and courage, and for challenging righteousness. St. Lawrence was a deacon charged with the care of the poor in Rome, whom he loved deeply.
Both readings today focus on the process of sowing seed and reaping grain for what is good for all. St. Paul uses this imagery to encourage his Corinthian Christians to be generous in contributing to a collection he is taking up for the Church of Jerusalem. (We Catholics know this well!) The principle behind this is that it extends far beyond a monetary collection. If one sows sparingly, one reaps sparingly. This applies to many things that we do in our human lives. Paul also emphasizes that the real source of whatever we do is God, and not ourselves, because God will provide. The Gospel of John speaks of the necessity for grain and seed to die before it can be transformed into the fruit it is to produce. The point here is the necessity of the death of Jesus, the fruit of which is our salvation. The Gospel implies that followers of Jesus must also be prepared to give up their earthly lives in order experience a greater form of life called eternal life. This is how Jesus Christ served us, and it is how we are called to serve one another.
We have examples of people living out this teaching by giving up their very lives, faithful men and women whose lives were an imitation of Jesus Christ, and a service to God and others.
Saint Lawrence, help us and pray for us to know the true Jewels of the Church and throughout the world. Amen
MONDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Ez 1:2-5, 24-28c; Ps 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14; Mt 17:22-27
GOD'S TEMPLES
Who among us likes to pay taxes, especially when we think they are unreasonable? Jesus and His disciples were confronted by tax collectors on the issue of tax evasion.
The Jews highly valued their temple, not because it was laden with valuable stones and metals, but because they saw it as the special abode of God on earth. It was, therefore, the supreme place for the worship of God. All Jews had to contribute by means of a temple tax to the upkeep of this magnificent edifice.
When Peter was asked whether Jesus would pay the temple tax, he did not hesitate to answer in the affirmative; we must pay so as not to cause bad example. In fact, we must go beyond our duty in order that we may show others what they ought to do. The scriptural expression to give no offense doesn't refer to insult or annoyance; rather it means to put no stumbling block in the way of others that would cause them to trip and fall. Jesus would not allow Himself anything that might possibly be a bad example to someone else. It's about our responsibilities and obligations even when we think they are unpleasant or bad.
But there is more to this story we hear today. Jesus took the occasion to teach an important lesson about Himself and the temple. He observed that kings do not take tax from their own sons, and He thereby implied that He was not a subject of God, but God's Son. Only gradually did the earliest Christians grow in a realization of the full extent of this truth. Jesus is the unique Son of God, equally divine with Him, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding.
His humanity is the new temple wherein dwells the fullness of divinity. We have been given a share in what Jesus is. We, too, are temples of God.
There was a hint of this marvelous communication of God to humans in the vision that Ezekiel saw. This vision came to him in the land of the Chaldeans, a pagan land far from the temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel realized that God's presence is not limited to any one place.
As we come to appreciate the identity of Jesus, so we should also appreciate our own. We are the living temples of God, more precious to Him than any building, even the temple in Jerusalem, could possibly be. God's life and love are within us since we are His children, made sons and daughter in the Son. Because we are God's temples, He does not exact tribute from us, only the free response of love.
NINTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME C
Wis 18:6-9; Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22; Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12; Lk 12:32-48 or 12:35-40
BANK ON IT
What do a treasure, a thief, a wedding feast, and a homecoming have in common? Jesus loved to tell stories (in the form of parables) using common everyday images to draw some rather unusual comparisons and often quite unexpected lessons for His listeners. There is an element of surprise in the story of the master returning home unexpectedly after the marriage feast. Will he catch his servant sleeping rather than keeping watchful guard over his master's estate? And how about the man who possessed great wealth, but woke up one day to discover that a thief had carried it all off? As we reflect upon the kingdom of heaven today, how do Jesus' stories help us to see it? The treasure our heavenly Father offers is of far greater value than any earthly treasure! In this parable what does the treasure of the kingdom refer to? It certainly refers to the kingdom of God in all its aspects. But in a special way, the Lord Jesus Himself is the treasure we seek. If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty (Job 22:22-23). God offers us a relationship with Him as His children and the promise of eternal life. If we make our Father our treasure, He, in turn, will make us His honored friends at the heavenly banquet.
The competition between earthly treasure and heavenly treasure does create a challenge for us. We can't help but realize it is easy to fall into the trap of believing what our country's culture emphasizes: that "you are what you earn." This type of attitude creates a lot of anxiety, leaving us constantly worried about our financial worth and feeling devalued if our "earning power" drops or if we are not part of the wage economy. Jesus offers such a different vision when He assures us that God is pleased to give us the goodness of His kingdom. There is nothing to earn here, nothing to be gained, nothing to be lost. Our self-worth is a freely given gift of God our Father. Bank on it!
In the responsorial psalm we acclaimed, "Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own" (Ps 33). We need to see, for the eyes of the Lord are upon us, and we need to have hope. May we trust that God will deliver us and preserve us from death's door.
We read in the Letter to the Hebrews that Abraham obeyed because he trusted the One who bade him to have faith. It was not blind faith, but rather an experience of God as reliable that offered Abraham another way of seeing and evaluating. The Israelites on the first Passover night were able to believe because they, too, had experienced God as trustworthy.
A couple of questions to ponder today:
Luke's Gospel counsels servants to be vigilant in waiting for their master.
Faith sometimes flies in the face of appearances. God our Father doesn't always seem present or close, others don't understand one's faith, and virtue and sacrifice aren't always rewarded. Yet, in all these appearances, we must keep vigilant and faithful.
Another big challenge is for us to continually reach out and look at others' needs, to love those we don't even want to love. This is how we keep and strengthen our faith.
We need to be vigilant for the arrival of the One who is to come. And Emily Dickinson gives us some good advice on this matter: "NOT KNOWING when the dawn will come, I open every door."
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY
Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13
PERSIST IN PRAYER
"Teach us to pray," the disciples requested Jesus. Disciples of every age, including the Church today, make this same request. Prayer is probably the most basic way we relate to God, our Father. The Scripture readings for this Sunday are a school on prayer. In Abraham, we see the value of persistence in prayer, and the mercy and justice with which God responds to such persistence. In the Lord's Prayer, the Scriptural prototype of prayer because it comes from Jesus, we receive an outline on prayer and the spirit in which to pray. "Ask and you shall receive." The Lord hears, just as the psalm today says. Believing that God answers prayers is not magic, as if we can manipulate God into giving us what we want; rather, it's an expression of our faith.
Jesus not only shows us how to pray, He encourages persistence. Can you and I think of a time when our own persistence has yielded benefits? What keeps us from being persistent in asking for what we truly need?
Asking for help is a curiously difficult thing to do at times. Once we're no longer little children, we take a distinct pride in being self-sufficient. Back when I was just learning how to drive and bought my first car (a 1962 Nova Red Station wagon), I paid $228 cash, and was so proud that I was able to do this on my own. Well, two weeks after I received my driver license, my brakes started going out. I made a terrible decision to risk not fixing the brakes until I raised enough money on my own. One day, as I was driving down a steep hill, the brakes went out completely, and I almost was in a serious accident that could have killed someone or me. Of course I thanked God in prayer that no one was hurt through this ordeal. After that, I decided that I needed to go to my Dad, let him know what happened, and ask for help to fix the brakes. Well, after getting an ear full of the wrong I did, I received help to fix my problem, but I did have to pay it back! As Jesus said, "For everyone who asks, receives."
We men may joke about being unable to ask for directions while being hopelessly lost. I tried to take care of my problem on my own, even knowing my decision was a bad one. Things happen to too many of us because we don't ask for help. We allow debt to grow over our heads, but refuse to call the financial counselor. Our marriages chill to the point of freezing, but we don't seek the assistance of Retrouvaille. We're lonely, but won't leave the house. We know we're drinking too much, but won't visit AA. We're unwell, but won't see a doctor. We sin, and don't go to Confession. Pride keeps us from taking a single step out and falling into the same hole over and over again.
So we can understand how the folks in Sodom and Gomorrah got in way over their heads and didn't have the sense to cry out for mercy. Abraham, who didn't even live in those cities, was the only person willing to make the case for their pardon, for the sake of the innocent. He asked and asked, bargaining God down on the number, and God relented each time.
In the responsorial, we call out: "Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me. You have heard the word of my mouth" (Ps 138). The second reading assures us: "God gave you new life in company with Christ."
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He gave them the disciple's prayer, what we call the "Our Father." Jesus' prayer tells us about God and about ourselves! First, it tells us that God is both Father in being the Creator and Author of all, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and He is eternally Father by His relationship to His Son and who the Son is in relation to His Father. All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from Him (Eph 3:14-15). In Christ, we are reborn and become the adopted children of God.
We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through His death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, He fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, He responds with grace and mercy.
Persistent prayer will mean more to us when we realize that like children we are speaking to a Father who listens and who loves! May we more often pray in our own words. Notice how children talk to their father. Notice how they keep on asking. That is what Jesus wants us to do when He tells us to ask. Then, be sure to ask for what others need and want as well as for what you need and want. And don't forget a word of thanks. Persistent prayer will help us take part more fully in being a part of the community of faith and worship, just like being together in prayer and worship now.
SATURDAY OF THE SIXTEENTH WEEK
Jer 7:1-11; Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11; Mt 13:24-30
LET THEM GROW TOGETHER UNTIL HARVEST
I would like to start our reflection today with this little prayer: "Lord, may your word take deep root in my heart, that I may bear good fruit for your glory. May I hunger for your righteousness now, so that I may look forward to the day of eternal life with excitement and great joy. Amen."
In the Gospel of Matthew, the image Jesus uses is a common everyday example of planting, harvesting, and sorting the good fruit from the bad. God's word brings life. God will reward each of us by living our lives fully in doing His will and doing good works.
Today the church honors Saint Sharbel, who bore good fruit through his labors. Born in northern Lebanon in 1828, Sharbel was a Maronite Catholic monk and priest. His reputation for holiness and simplicity led to his canonization in 1977. Descended from the ancient church at Antioch, Maronite Catholics spent centuries isolated from other Christian communities and appointed their own patriarch. Unique among Eastern Catholics, however, Maronites have always remained in full communion with the Church of Rome. When St. Sharbel was canonized, Bishop Francis Zayek, head of the U.S. Diocese of St. Maron, noted that Sharbel's canonization and other Maronite beatifications prove "that the Aramaic Maronite Antiochian Church is indeed a living branch of the Catholic Church."
In our responsorial psalm we acclaim: "How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God" (Ps 84). May we all live as one in the house of our heavenly Father!
