Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, priest

Lectionary: 406

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

 

The death of John the Baptist could be regarded as a tragedy, an unnecessary death which occurred because of forces beyond his control, and concerns that were not his. Although imprisoned by a ruler he had criticized, the same ruler intended to keep him alive. He was not a threat and there was no need to kill him.

But other forces – they might be called political, but politics is life and the word explains nothing – moved on Herod and John, and forced the craven king to act against his better judgement. The king’s wife Herodias resented the prophet for saying what everyone was saying. The death of her husband was unexpected; her marriage to her brother-in-law, suspicious. Everyone knew the king could do whatever he wants; the Roman authorities certainly didn’t care who he married. They didn’t worry about who he murdered.

But the mad prophet in the Jordan River made an issue of it. It was against their religion, he said. And he wouldn’t shut up. So Herod’s wife took matters in her own hands, much as Queen Jezebel had many centuries before. Those things happen in our complicated world. The innocent suffer, the guilty prosper, the sun goes up, the sun goes down.

But the Church remembers John not as tragic; he triumphed over evil. He is a martyr, prophet, and saint. He died for speaking the truth to a power that would not hear it, and a society that didn’t care.

Sometime later Herod feared that John was undead. Like the mantle of prophecy that Elisha received from Elias, the Spirit had passed from John to Jesus. Despite the murder, the Spirit said to Herod and his people, “I am still here!” And mighty powers were at work in him.

The Church continues to do these mighty works, especially by the Sacraments. The Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation – sound the name, Emmanuel. God with us. Reconciliation and Anointing the Sick describe the wonder of God’s compassion. Marriage and Orders reveal the consecration of adult men and women to the LORD.  

As we promote family life and denounce abortion and euthanasia, as we stand with the poor, the alien, the disenfranchised and despised we point to the Lord with John’s very words, “Behold the Lamb of God.”  He is not dead. He has been raised.

 

Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop and doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 405

“These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly, and offer as an oblation to the LORD burnt offerings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day.”

As I read Walter Brueggemann's study of Deuteronomy, what most impressed me were Moses' precise instruction for the three sacred festivals: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths). They are echoed in today's reading from Leviticus. 

 

Observing the feasts was a sacred duty; they entailed year-round planning. Especially, the tithe of the harvest was stored to be shared with everyone -- family, friends, servants, neighbors, and resident aliens. They didn't tithe their money since theirs was a "cashless" society; nor was the tithe for the support of the temple. That institution would eventually be built and maintained by the government. 

So long as they observed these holy seasons with the free spirit that any holiday should have, the Lord would provide prosperity, security, and fertility for the fields, livestock, and women. They could invite everyone to join them since there's plenty more where that came from. No one can outdo the LORD in generosity. 

Devout Jews practiced the easy generosity of those festivals just as Christians honor Christmas -- all year round. As he travelled the dusty road to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples relied on that spirit.  In the  thirteenth century, Saint Francis could abandon his privileged family and wealthy patrimony with the same assurance. 

That confidence in God still supports the Church today. I sometimes hear cynical remarks from the unchurched, that religion "is all about the money." And indeed the lifestyle of some televangelists and popular preachers arouses suspicion even among the elect. But the Holy Spirit remains with the Church and if some shysters exploit our generosity we know the Lord will apply an appropriate remedy when the time comes.

I lived alone as one of three Catholic pastors in a small Louisiana city. I often presided at weekday and Sunday masses in all three churches. Occasionally, I sought a restaurant meal on a quiet weekend evening. After a few years, whenever I went out, I found that someone had picked up the tab for my dinner. It was sometimes the owner and sometimes a known friend. Most often the waiter told me the meal was paid for and I didn't know who. I was also provided with free haircuts, dental and doctor's appointments, and ordinary auto maintenance. I neither asked for nor expected these privileges; they were inspired by the ordinary piety of good people. I hope I was worthy of their kindness. 

Our faith, the Scriptures, and the LORD remind us of the true "economy" which is giving and receiving, not taking and making. We give as we are able; we receive with gratitude. We do not presume to take from others what we suppose they owe us; nor do we make others satisfy our financial, physical, or emotional needs. We live by faith and we know there is plenty more where that came from. Because God cannot be outdone in generosity. 

Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Readings for this Memorial of Saint Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home....

Our Holy Father Pope Francis is a fellow of endless surprizes. Not only has he instructed the bishops to suppress the Tridentine Mass -- which has been used to split the Body of Christ into separate religions -- he has also given us this new memorial of Jesus's particular friends: Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. 

Given what scripture scholars have been telling us about Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene -- that they were not the same person and that the latter has been sadly impugned as La Traviata -- the reform of this memorial was long overdue. There is a more complete explanation of this adjustment on the Vatican website -- "straight from the horse's mouth!" 

The first reading,  chosen for the occasion and taken from the First Letter of Saint John, is lovely: 

Beloved, let us love one another,

because love is of God;

everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

In this way the love of God was revealed to us:

God sent his only-begotten Son into the world

so that we might have life through him.

The passage reminds us that the Church is neither an ideological party, a business, or a company. It is a congregation of people who care for one another, comprised of those the Lord has personally invited to be friends and family. We are not divided by politics, nationality, ethnicity, or race. Our solidarity is founded on the Rock of Faith in Jesus Christ. 

After we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we love one another. Reluctance, hesitation, or failing to do that sabotages the Mighty Work which God has done for us. 

The siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus remind us that sexual exploitation in the Church is worse than a crime, it is incest. Motivated and guided by the Spirit of God, men and women enter the Sacrament of Marriage and bespeak the Love of God for his Church. Their personal devotion to Jesus and their gracious hospitality on several occasions demonstrate our eager hospitality to the Lord and his disciples. 

The story of Martha's harangue of Jesus also teaches us about friends and family -- that we must work out our differences as quickly as possible. We can quarrel because we trust one another! Without that trust, we live in continual, perhaps unconscious, dread of one another. Is it any wonder that families who do not pray together fracture and fall apart. Their separated pieces number more than their members since the individuals suffer psychic splintering. 

This first annual Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus -- following soon after the July 16th suppression of the divisive Tridentine Mass -- invites us to rejoice in the friendship of Jesus which binds us together and makes us One. 

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 403

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

I heard a TV ad recently for apartments in a senior living facility. They assured potential residents many conveniences, comforts, and "No Sacrifice!" 

But they did not say why anyone would want to live without making habitual and daily sacrifice. Isn't that how we know we're alive; isn't that how we demonstrate our gratitude to God and our love for family, friends, and neighbors? We prove we are like  the Lord himself -- that is, we are among his disciples -- when we make sacrifices for our enemies. 

Apparently, these marketers of luxury know nothing of the Kingdom of heaven, that "pearl of great price." But merchants should know that investing nothing profits nothing! 

Without challenges and daily acts of courage, human life becomes first a vacuum of emptiness, and then a vortex of despair. Like the dogs which are bred for hunting, shepherding, guarding, or guiding, we want to, and are created to, worship our LORD with frequent sacrifices of prayer. Emerging from our daily prayer we look around to find what we might do for others. 

Seniors must often attend to their chronic health issues so as to be more available for their families, neighbors, and works of mercy. The greatness of a society often relies upon willing volunteers. (I understand that Communist Russia banned every volunteer organization that did not explicitly promote the Party, which led to their collapse.) 

We look forward to Eternal Rest with Almighty God and his saints and angels, and then we look forward to finding something useful to do in God's Kingdom. 

Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 402

The tent, which was called the meeting tent,

Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp. Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.

The phrase "outside the camp" should strike a familiar chord in the minds of Christians as we study the Book of Exodus and the story of the escaped Hebrews in the Sinai peninsula. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews urged us, 

"Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach that he bore. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come." 

The Hebrews had no lasting city in the wilderness as the Lord delayed their entrance to the Promised Land. But they had the usual problems of families, friends, and neighbors; and there were times when they wanted to consult the LORD about these matters. 

I have been concerned lately about my own preoccupation with the "news" and the twenty-four hour news cycle. I really don't need all that much news nor do I believe I must or should keep up with it. The world is a sad place but my anxiety isn't helping. 

We're called to go outside the camp to meet the Lord and pray with others and in solitude for deliverance. 

As I understand now, for the first time in history, most human beings live in major cities. Rural culture with its high valuation of family, independence, and hard work will not disappear but it will not be dominant much longer. To survive people will need maximum flexibility, mobility, and scrappiness. They'll struggle to stay in touch with one another; maintaining their marriage covenants is already an enormous challenge. 

We must go outside the camp frequently to consult with the Lord and ask, "What do you want of me today? Here I am!" 

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lectionary: 401

"So I told them, ‘Let anyone who has gold jewelry take it off.’
They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

We've all heard lame excuses but Aaron's story takes the cake. Jewish devotion, with its reverence for God and its confidence that nothing happens which is not God's will, had no truck with superstitious nonsense, and even less with bald faced lies.

But, as recent headlines have shown, there are a lot of people who believe anything. As President Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time." 

Some people believe the former president won the 2020 presidential election, despite all the evidence; and despite the fact that he told the world in 2016 he would not accept a loss and would claim the election was rigged. 

 

More recent headlines concern the millions who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and its variant. They want to be more assured of its effectiveness. But they have already decided they will never be assured. They have no faith and, as any Protestant will tell you, "Without faith you cannot be saved." 

Moses demand of Aaron, 

“What did this people ever do to you that you should lead them into so grave a sin?

Many people do not believe in Truth. To their minds, there is no such thing. But without a commitment to truth they are pathetically vulnerable to exploitation. They believe what appeals to their "common sense" although common sense has little experience, less memory and no knowledge of history. They assume what they believe is true and shun the hard work of honest research. And they're encouraged by their cynical leaders who cash in on their naivete. After fashioning a fictitious world to their own liking, they weep like abandoned children when it collapses. 

Moses continued to rebuke Aaron, the cynical leader: 

“You have committed a grave sin.

I will go up to the LORD, then;

perhaps I may be able to make atonement for your sin.”

It falls to those who know and love the Truth to atone for the sins of our fellow citizens as we try to reconstruct a functioning democracy.  

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 110

I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love…

 

In today’s gospel, “Philip answered Jesus, ‘Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.’” His remark echoes Elisha’s servant who asked in our first reading, ““How can I set twenty barley loaves before a hundred people?”

We might ask a similar question of Saint Paul, “How can acting humbly, gently, with patience, and bearing with one another make a difference in the face of so many crises? Can’t you see we must do something big, dramatic, and even violent if we expect anything to change?”

The great philosopher Descartes, by way of a thought experiment, proposed, “Cogito ergo sum!” which translated means, “I think therefore I am.”

It worked for him but more often we think, “I act and therefore I am!” If I am not doing something I don’t I exist! I am doing, working, and making a difference. I am saving lives! I must act to save myself and everyone around me! I cannot dare to stop.

The gospel relieves us of all that. We are responsible, in the sense that we must respond to God’s saving grace. But we neither initiate God’s saving deeds -- His mighty works -- nor make them happen. Rather, we receive and allow the Spirit of God to direct us. If I take up a project without God’s initiative and direction it will come to naught.

We are afflicted also with many prejudices and presuppositions that blind us from seeing God’s mighty works among us. We often ask, "How can good come of this? It’s so hopeless!" These normal human reactions assume a godlike knowledge of good and evil and only demonstrate our shortsightedness. From our low place we cannot see beyond the horizon, we need guidance from One on High who sees farther and wider.

That’s where we begin to learn the patience of which Saint Paul speaks.

Many Americans today believe we are living in an apocalyptic era. The End is near, they say. But the polarization of our political parties is largely a product of the news media and their rabid courtship of ever more consumers. They exaggerate, amplify, and exacerbate our differences for their own profit.

Our borders are secure against military aggression; our economy is diversified and resilient; our governments are still functioning, and our Christian presence is still prophetic. Predictable problems appear as our cities grow while small towns and rural communities disappear; that irreversible development must be addressed.. We are aggressively addressing racism and young people are leading the way. Our biggest worry may be widespread family disintegration but watching NPR, CNN, or Fox will not improve that situation.

This is the Catholic hour. More than ever, Catholics must prophetically represent the fidelity, courage, and sacrificial generosity of Jesus. We do that by our practice of faith, our concern for our neighbors, and our confidence that God is still in charge. 

Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, priest

St Sharbel Makhlouf

Lectionary: 400

He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

 

I learned a new word recently; a word I should have known forty years ago. I came across it in my reading and, at first, assumed I knew what it meant and continued to read. Finally, when I realized the author was going to build an entire chapter around the word, I decided to look it up.

Dialectic: the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions.

Wikipedia has a complete essay on the different forms of dialectic. Elenchus might demonstrate the contradictions in one’s opinion. Socrates specialized in that. Hegel's dialectic describes the process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Philosophers have developed many forms of dialectic discussion.

In today’s gospel Jesus recommends a dialectic with our atheistic, agnostic, heretical, and skeptical neighbors. Rather than going to war with differing doctrines – yanking out the bad weeds -- we honor those who hold these opinions and allow them space to share their thoughts.

In the process of listening we might discover sympathy with their problem, if not their solutions. For instance, in the conversation about abortion, we might admit that many people – both single and married – refuse to accept the consequences of their behavior. Many pregnant women have been abandoned by their lovers. It’s a very old story, as anyone who can read knows.

Similarly, millions of people face old age, debility, and senescence alone. No one is there for them. Anxious for their own welfare and reluctant to surrender their independence, they seek medically assisted suicide.

We might disagree with the solutions of abortion and euthanasia, but we must agree the problems are endemic and often intractable. We must also admit that our lack of sympathy for persons caught in these difficult places is not helpful. Nor is it helpful to say what they should have done a long time ago, or how they might have avoided this problem.

Dialectic discussion recognizes the situation as it is and volunteers to join the search for a reasonable, responsible next step. Let's face it; some things are not going to go away. Divorce, abortion, gay marriage, nuclear weapons, racism, grinding poverty: all these issues and more don't disappear because many of us wish they weren't here. No one can say where the future must go or how the story will end. We may hope for a better tomorrow, but we cannot see it very clearly.

In today's gospel Jesus predicts a judgement day when the weeds will be bundled and burned while the wheat is gathered into the barn. And he insists that the harvesters will do that, namely angels. Not you or me!

We were expelled from Eden for attempting to own the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We have our approximate ideas of the way things should be, but mostly we have to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily discernment. And go easy on the judgements.

 

Memorial of Saint Bridget of Sweden

Lectionary: 399


But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

After giving us three examples of people who hear the Word of God and fail to bear fruit, Jesus tells us of the one "who hears the word and understands it." 

All four heard the word but their responses and their fruitfulness were quite different. They failed for lack of understanding and interest, for having no roots to help them survive tribulation and persecution, and for being consumed with crippling anxiety despite their piety.

Those who hear the word and understand it are not simply different from the other types. Rather, they have experienced and passed through those stages. They have learned – by the grace of God – first that they must pay close attention to God’s word. Getting it comes neither automatically nor easily. They have decided that, despite a million distractions, they will attend the word. They listen closely.

They have also passed through immature enthusiasm and been exhausted by it. They have seen that their energetic efforts to get excited and stay excited about the Gospel came to nothing. Burned out by trying too hard and expecting too much, they have learned to stop, be silent, and listen. Although they were discouraged, they decided not to quit. When their hopeful expectations died, they committed themselves to the supernatural virtue of hope, which does not hope for what it sees.

Finally, they saw that they could not afford to pay attention to a million other concerns, worries, and anxieties and remain in God’s presence. They care but they don’t care about this world. Assailed by several media devices – television, radio, social media, 24-hour news – they control their consumption of this world’s worries. They choose to isolate themselves and focus their attention on the Lord. When they must pay attention to a major concern – like a family crisis – they turn to prayer, transforming their anxieties to spiritual energy.

They do their religion, meaning they hear the Word of God through the multimedia of daily prayer, engagement in congregational worship, study of the scriptures and tradition, voluntary sacrifices, and association with persons who are also committed to the Gospel.

Those who hear the word and understand it don’t expect anything to come easily because they have walked with the Lord to Jerusalem and Calvary. They do expect God’s merciful benevolence and they are often satisfied.

 

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

Lectionary: 603

He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer.

 

We find in the writings of Saint Paul, as in the whole of the New Testament, confusing signals about the flesh. How does the flesh relate to the spirit? Or should we call it the Holy Spirit? 

The common language of the Roman Empire was Greek. Greek philosophy imagined the human being as a composite of body and soul. The body was flesh; the soul was the spirit of the human being, which bore some resemblance to the Spirit of God. Saint Paul would remind his disciples that the Spirit of God knows God as a human spirit knows the person.

 

Greek philosophers described the conflict of flesh and spirit. A proud, warlike people struggled to build cities; and to do that they had to lift the rational mind out of the slime of lust, rage, and vendettas. They knew that the demands of the body sometimes overwhelm the spirit. And sometimes the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Their cult of athleticism taught them that the flesh often prefers idleness and indulgence when it should be disciplined. The body should be trained to expect and overcome hardship. It needs a disciplining soul to drive it toward perfection.  

 

They also knew of sexual energy and its anarchy. Just when you think your house is in order one of your Romeos runs off with Juliet and chaos ensues. (But in their tragedies the lovers were the Greek Troilus and the Trojan Cressida.)

 

In our Christian tradition, people sometimes wonder about Jesus and Mary Magdalene. What exactly was going on between those two? How free was this freest of all men with that woman? Did he flout the sexual mores of the day like he ignored the Pharisaic disciplines? 

 

On her side, the Magdalene gets very little attention compared to the spotlight on Jesus. If we discount the stories of women that were certainly not about her and the stories that were probably not about her, we’re left only with her appearances among the Easter stories. Saint Luke adds one detail: “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out….”

 

Nonetheless, there she is at the tomb, squealing with delight at his appearance and throwing her arms around his risen, glorious body! What is going on? (Or did he ward her off, as the medieval artists preferred, with, “Nolo me tangere.” Do not touch me!) It’s hard to avoid the physical reality of his appearance and her delight in seeing him. If he had been only a ghost he would not have told her to let him go.

 

But I find a satisfactory answer in this story, one often overlooked by sexualizing fantasists: Jesus told her, “Go and tell the brothers!” even as he described his own immediate duty, “I am going to the Father.”

 

In effect, “Never mind all that physical affection, we have work to do.” 

Mary will love the Lord by announcing the Good News of Jesus’s resurrection. She will find her great satisfaction in belonging to his body the church. She will know his intimacy in the Eucharist, and his love by the fire in her heart. She will always know his immediate presence by his apparent absence. Her desire will be her satisfaction. This love will be soulful, physical, energizing, reassuring, divine, and profoundly human. 

Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, priest and doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 397

 

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in, let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

 

The “test” in today’s first reading is more than a one-time event. Deuteronomy measures Jewish pre-exilic history against this standard. Did they trust the Lord to provide for them through all their difficult moments? The catastrophes of invasion from Syria and Babylon, the destruction of Jerusalem, their exile and diaspora to many parts of the earth, prove that God was faithful to his word, and they were not. 

The Lord punished their infidelity but never cancelled his covenant or abandoned his people. Against all odds, they have returned to their homeland. The Lord has done this, it is wonderful in our sight.

Deuteronomy, unlike the histories of most regimes and dynasties, records the nation’s wickedness. Where surviving Roman, Egyptian, Syrian, and Babylonian monuments commemorate the triumph of armies and the power of rulers, Deuteronomy recalls the sins of rulers, priests, prophets, and the populace. 

But, ironically, this history of sin and forgiveness remains as a living document for prayer and contemplation, while ancient ruins -- like Ozymandius -- which remember success, power, and conquest, fascinate only historians and tourists.

The test found in this passage from Exodus involves the people’s reliance on God. They will be blessed with prosperity and security in full sight of their enemies, as Psalm 23 assures them; but failure to trust in God's providence will lead to catastrophe. Scripture records innumerable chances to learn and relearn the lesson. The blessings are given gratuitously despite their sins; and the punishments, one would think, should be persuasive.

But no one can stand in judgment against God's chosen people or their history. They have done well in keeping and treasuring the unhappy history of sin; they have done better by recalling it primarily as a record of God’s merciful and gracious fidelity.

The test remains for those Jewish, Christian, and Muslim nations who believe they have inherited the promises of God’s mercy. Do we trust God to protect us while we invest in health care, education, and economic equality? Or do we neglect those human necessities to build defenses against improbably threats? 

At what point does the cost of defending the homeland become so great there is nothing worth defending in the homeland? Historians recall the lackluster performance of English troops against German incursions in North Africa. Apparently, the Tommies were not persuaded the Empire (on which the sun never sat) was worth fighting for. 

The Bible reminds us of the consequences of sin. If we are eager to see the LORD's promises fulfilled, we will not ignore his warnings. 

Optional Memorial of Saint Apollinaris, bishop and martyr

Lectionary: 396

Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.

The annihilation of Pharaoh and his Egyptian army -- the most powerful military force on earth at that time -- is the most important Old Testament Mighty Work of God. The inspiration, initiative, planning, power, and execution of this astonishing incident are entirely the LORD's. Moses, who is the only other actor in this drama, can take no credit for it. Nor can the Hebrews who witnessed it. 

This is the way of all God's mighty works, in the Old and New Testaments. Human beings have their part but it is never greater than God's. All they had to do was walk on the dry bottom of the sea to the other side, and then watch what happened. They were only minor characters in the drama. There was nothing about Moses or his rod that could make the Red Sea open up, induce the Egyptian force to rush pell-mell into the depths, nor close it up again. 

The principle holds true of New Testament miracles, the Apostolic church, and the centuries that follow. In John 5:19-21, Jesus insists upon that:

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also. For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,* so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.

We hear it also in the Acts of the Apostles as the disciples are both directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

The practice of faith is essentially that. We wait upon the Spirit's guidance as we choose opportunities, pursue careers, and engage in relations with family, friends, neighbors, and church. If a mighty work is done, the credit is God's. If anything gets done, the credit is God's. 

At first blush that might sound stultifying, as if God would stifle human initiative. There are two responses to that: first, God's work is planned and directed toward eternity. If I want to do something that will outlive me, that's the way I want to go. Secondly, the Lord uses our intitiative to make things happen. The inspiring impulse comes from God and tracks through me to completion. 

This is why we can say the Son of God is the Son of Mary. Without her total engagement in that marvelous deed -- physically, mentally, and spiritually -- the child would not have been born. God never uses the willing in an unseemly fashion, for his own utilitarian objectives. But he does use the unwilling, as the hapless Pharaoh discovered.

And so we pray each day and many times a day, "...thy will be done." As the poet Dante said, "In his will is our peace." 

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 395

But Moses answered the people,

“Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.
These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”

 

Mighty Work  and its synonyms appear often in the Old and New Testaments. The original is the parting of the Red Sea, the escape of the Hebrew slaves, and the annihilation of Pharaoh and his army.

A Mighty Deed is always God’s free and generous demonstration of supreme authority. If there are other gods, none can compare to our God. He rules unchallenged; his gift is gracious; his choice of the Hebrews first, and then us, as his elect can only be explained as his choice. We have no peculiar trait that would make our election necessary, obligatory, or inevitable. He might have selected anyone; he did choose the descendants of Abraham, whose claim to fame was, “a wandering Aramaean.”

Throughout the history of Israel into the age of the New Testament, the greatest work of all – greater than the Red Sea incident – is the Resurrection of Jesus. More than the resuscitation of a corpse, this miracle shows us who Jesus is, the Son of God and coequal with the Father. It is a final and ultimate Mighty Deed; nothing greater will ever happen.

And then we find many other astonishing works in the Old and New Testament, from the Deluge and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the many healings at the hands of the apostles, and the beautiful death of Christian martyrs. Given the bewildered cowardice of the twelve as we saw in the gospels, we can only be amazed at their wisdom and courage following Pentecost. First they are scattered like sheep, and then they are bound together in an unbreakable, irresistible communion.

In this 21^st century, many self-described Christians seem jaded by the wonders of technology. Human beings have leveled mountains and filled valleys; they build islands, even floating islands. They regard the Biblical wonders as mythological – which they are – and therefore unreal, which they are not. They are mythological in the sense that their deep meaning is inexhaustible; they are real in the sense that God’s authority remains perfect, free, and supreme. We might take jet travel, the Internet, and cell phones for granted because they are no longer astonishing, but we should practice amazement at God's mighty deeds, and never permit ourselves to take them for granted. 

As “People of the Book we find our identity in our faith with its liturgy, scripture, and tradition. Together we study the wonderful works of God in the scriptures, the lives of the martyrs and saints. And then in private we share with our family and closest friends the miracles of our personal life. Many of us have been delivered from catastrophe by God's intervention. And all of us have been saved from worse tragedies we see among our neighbors, colleagues, and fellow citizens. Faith reveals mysteries to us which do not appear to the uninitiated. Where some see good luck, we see God’s mercy; where some see things “stranger than science,” we see God's powerful hand and outstretched arm.

The 21^st century challenges us to practice our religion as we share communion with God’s faithful people from Abraham and Sarah to the present day. We sing from their songbook, the one hundred and fifty psalms that were sung in Solomon’s Temple. We grieve over the destruction of Jerusalem and the death of Jesus; we rejoice in the restoration of the Holy City and the Pentecost coming of the Holy Spirit. We hope where the world despairs for the LORD’s mighty works to reveal Emmanuel, God with us.

 

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 107

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off

have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one

and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,

abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,

that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,

thus establishing peace....

Our Catholic tradition treasures the Blood of Christ. It's symbolic roots lie in the murder of Abel, whose blood cried to heaven for justice. The flowing blood of sheep and heifers, poured upon the altar (which represented God) and sprinkled upon the people, gave birth to the covenant between the LORD and his people. We never forget the blood which Jesus first shed when he was circumcised, then on the night before he died (according to Saint Luke), and finally from the cross. 

Throughout the many centuries when the congregation was not invited to drink from the chalice, the priest, representing the people, always drank of the cup. That gesture must remind us of Jesus's warning to his over-eager disciples, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" 

For many people, being drawn into a Church which breaks down the dividing wall between rich and poor, black and white, gay and straight, citizens and migrants, the cup of communion is a challenge. They would limit communion to their own kind, the desirable people. And yet there is no rest for them as they continue to kick against the goad. 

Wine, I am assured by some people, is relaxing; and sharing the consecrated wine of the Mass -- the Blood of Christ -- invites us to "come away and rest awhile." Our communion establishes peace. The dividing walls were intended to maintain order but instead created injustice and violence; our communion secures safety and assurance. 

Our readings today -- in mid-July -- remind us that the summer can be a season of relaxation. "The living is easy, fish are jumping, and the cotton is high." Students and workers alike take vacations in summer as they head for mountains, lakes, and ocean shores, or tour cities near and far. 

And yet even the Bible tells us it has often been the season for war. Indeed, summer has become a season for protests against systemic racism in the United States. 

Personally, I find it necessary to practice abstinence in the summertime from the 24-hour news cycle. I don't need that much information; but I do need to withdraw and enjoy communion with the Church and the Lord. 

The LORD invites us to, "“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” We will find many people resting with us, including the homeless, the unchurched, and other deplorables. And when our Host looks upon us, his heart will be moved with pity for we are indeed, like sheep without a shepherd. 

Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 394

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.

From this and other passages we should understand that Jesus was crucified precisely because he was healing people. He knew that. In this twelfth chapter of Matthew he withdraws from that place not in cowardice but because his time had not yet come. The Lord will do nothing not according to the will, direction, and timing of the Father. 

We should also understand that when we ask the Lord to heal us, forgive us, or save us, we're asking him to go to Jerusalem to be crucified. 

Certainly the thousands who came to him during those few years before he died could not imagine that. Not knowing the future, they assumed that something will workout to placate or neutralize the enemies of the Lord's anointed. He must continue healing everyone, and then establish his promised Kingdom of God. 

But he show us, his disciples, what is to come; and we go with him to Jerusalem to witness that very event. 

As we recite our rosary, especially the Sorrowful Mysteries, we abide with the Lord in Gethsemane for a while. As his friends we might urge him to flee! Go, find a safe place! Hide out for a while. There must be safe houses and admirers who will protect you until this blows over! 

But we also beg him to wait, to be arrested, and to go with the mob to certain death. There is no other way to deliver us from the mess we have created for ourselves. We've tried everything and only failed. 

Long after his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the Evangelist Matthew would make sense of it all as he read the words of the ancient Prophet Isaiah: 

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,

        my beloved in whom I delight;

    I shall place my Spirit upon him,

        and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

    He will not contend or cry out,

        nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

    A bruised reed he will not break,

        a smoldering wick he will not quench,

    until he brings justice to victory.

        And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Lectionary: 393

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.

 

The Lord God reveals justice and mercy to us. Reason tells us we must deal with one another with both. All activities of family, business, government, recreation, society, and religion should be guided by these principles. 

But they seem to be opposites and we can never get the combination right. To some people we are too merciful, and with others we are too just. Often, when we tried to apply justice we discover we were just being cruel, as when street children were hanged for picking the pockets of the wealthy. But sometimes, when we show mercy we discover our kindness is exploited. It seems that we give them an inch and they take a mile.

Often too, our just rules seem unkind; we believe they prevent evil and will be shown, in the long run, to be merciful. The Catholic Church, for instance, has taken its stand against abortion as a form of birth control. Such practices may provide short-term satisfaction, but we fear their consequences. 

Widespread use of artificial means of birth control have proven to be catastrophic as people manage their own fertility without reference to its sacred nature. The methods allow adults to sort children into wanted and unwanted, desirable and undesirable. 

But, has there ever been a parent in the history of the world who didn’t, at some point, regret giving life to this particular monster? After fifty years of effective birth control, violence against women and children has not abated, abortion is widely supported, and many young people – who were apparently wanted – commit suicide. 

Those who do not welcome the cross of parenthood and recognize its sweetness will rage like the condemned nations even as we insist that our teachings are kind.  

In God mercy and justice are the same thing, and only those who are governed by the Holy Spirit of Jesus can hope to balance them well. We must pray continually to be guided by the Lord in our thoughts, words, and deeds as we practice mercy, justice, and God’s merciful justice.

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 392

God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you. 

    “This is my name forever;
        this my title for all generations.

“Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I am concerned about you

 

The human animal treasures the past. We record our memories in stone, paper, and electronic media; and insistently teach our young their history. Our memories consist of the experience of each person plus the collective stories of family, tribe, nation and the universe. If I know who I am, that knowledge is framed by our collective experience. I am a member. Ignorant of the past, we lose our identity as human.

If a people, like African migrants, can be deprived of their past they become slaves of those who have kept their memories and rewritten that of the slaves. However, if the slaves recover their past, they become free.

When the LORD spoke to Moses from the burning bush, he began by refreshing the failing memory of the Hebrew slaves. “I am the LORD, the God of your fathers;” and then he named the first three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The LORD seemed to present his credentials to Moses, and to demand respect by the memory of the Hebrew patriarchs.

In the 1970’s, the Church realized the old methods of catechesis – based on rote learning – was not preparing Catholic children for an unpredictable, evolving future. Teachers were then given texts, images, and manuals with many biblical references, to instruct the children. The new method assumed the children were learning and practicing their traditional faith at home, and that they were familiar with worship in their parish churches.

Unfortunately, in many cases, those assumptions were wrong. The children, surrounded by pictures of every kind, saw few images of the Lord, Mary, or the saints; their daily routines did not include prayers. Their parents often came from different religious traditions and had neither discussed nor agreed upon the religion of their children. It was simply not important to them. Since the 1970’s, the situation has only grown worse.

Without a Catholic heritage, children learn the skeptical attitudes of the dominant culture. In the seventies it might have been a fundamentalist religion which falsely claimed to read the Bible without interpretation. The obvious followed from that as picking and choosing one’s religious beliefs must lead to infertility. Why would children adopt their parents' religious beliefs which were nothing more than opinions? 

Today’s secular culture despises traditional, organized religion; they claim a vague spirituality which fails to remember even the Christian roots of the word spirit. They suffer that most abject form of slavery: bondage to self. 

It falls to every practicing Catholic to learn more than the rote catechism responses of their childhood. They must learn their faith as adults, and teach them to other adults. I met a devout church-going fellow recently who believes there is no climate change; he also believes Noah’s flood was an actual historical event. Where does one begin to talk this willful naivete about sin and grace in the real world? The Bible does not recognize a distinction between wicked and foolish; both lead to the same dreadful place.

Despite its secularity, the world still occasionally remembers Jesus. We beg God to help us represent the “prophet like Moses” who invokes “the God of your fathers…, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” 

The Son of God and the Spirit of God are concerned about us. They will lead us back to our Father and free us from bondage even as they restore our memories of faith.