Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 375

God also said to Abraham:
“On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.

Before God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave the circumcision to Abraham; keeping the law and circumcision are signs of the covenant. Readers of the lectionary today might notice Genesis 17 has been redacted heavily, and several verses concerning circumcision are not included in today's text. I'm sure the editors have their reason but they offer no explanation. Perhaps January 1 is no longer "the Feast of the circumcision of Jesus" for the same reason. It just seems like not a nice thing to talk about.  

But Christians would do well to consider the gifts that come with God's covenant. Circumcision is a physical sign of God's claim on Abraham and his descendants. In that respect it resembles Baptism and Eucharist. By these sacraments we are incorporated into the Lord and become physically kin to Jesus as Jews are physically kin to the LORD by circumcision. 

This physical relation sustains our belonging to the Lord; it anchors our spirituality in our physical bodies, in corporate institutions, and in human history. One does not simply say, "I belong to God" or "I belong to Christ" without either of those signs.

A modern reader might ask, "What about women? They are not circumcised, and there is no mention of female circumcision in the Bible. Despite the deletions, today's reading includes Sarah by her marriage to Abraham. As wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac, her marriage is no less physical than circumcision. Christian women belong to Jesus in the same sacramental way.

As issues of sexuality and marriage have become highly controversial today, Catholics return to the Bible and the Magisterium of the Church for guidance. There we discover that our covenant with God is more than detente, agreement, or treaty. It is not dissolved by one-sided or two-sided consent. There is no divorce in a covenant; not with God, nor among men and women. The Lord is our God forever, and we are his people forever; from one generation to the next. 

The persistence of antisemitism reminds us of this everlasting covenant. So long as Satan makes war against God, the persecution of his people continues. Those who hate Jews hate God, and their hatred is all inclusive; it knows no bounds. No one should be surprised when synagogues and churches are vandalized.. They are the world's response to Abraham's God. Nor is the individual Jew or Christian given a free pass if they renounce their religious heritage. In times of persecution they are rounded up like the rest. 

As the Catholic Church engages in a three year preparation for the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis next year, we ponder the privilege, responsibility, and burden of belonging physically to the Lord. We thank God for the gift, and pray daily that we might be found worthy to belong in this company of saints and martyrs. 

 

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

 Mass during the Day / Lectionary: 591

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Yesterday, I considered the philosophical question of consequentialism and the Church's teaching that the end does not justify the means. Or, two wrongs don't make a right. Many people would disagree with our position; a majority might argue that sometimes we must do evil to attain a good end. And every honest person would admit they have made that choice on more than one occasion. 

The Church's position is based on God's sovereign authority. He cannot be dismissed or ignored. So long as God exists not all consequences can be calculated or predicted; the Lord may act to sabotage the best plan anyone can make. Or God may intervene to redeem a hopeless situation. Atheists, will call it a miscalculation or luck. But luck is not a god; or if there is such a god, it is mindless, uncaring, fickle, and ruthless. Luck doesn't care. Our God does. The God of Abraham and Jesus cares especially about the "orphan, widow, and alien" and does not reward violence against them. 

Because we recognize the truth, presence, and authority of God, we can recognize human authority as well. Parents have real authority over their children, as do governments over citizens, and generals over soldiers. No one makes their own rules; we must cooperate with one another to survive on the dangerous, dynamic planet of our birth. "Nature" cares about human life almost as much as luck. 

Finally, we recognize religious authority; by the mercy of God it has been revealed to us. It's invested in certain people. 

While on sabbatical several years ago, I took a course at Catholic University about the history of Pentecostalism in the United States. Mid-semester, I was astonished to realize that all the quarreling between Catholics and Protestants comes down to questions of authority. Who has it? How much do they have? How long do they have it? How did they receive it? Who authorizes the authorities? What are their limits? Can leaders be stripped of it? And so forth.

Questions about the Virgin Mary, transubstantiation, confession, relics, and saints are only distractions from the real question about authority. When a Catholic or Protestant starts to lose ground in a quarrel they change the subject to one of these less important matters. 

These questions will never be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but in the meanwhile the Roman Catholic Church celebrates our apostolic foundations, and the most important apostles, Saints Peter and Paul. Because the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are historical events, God established a Church to maintain this living memory; it is the most profound truth of every Christian's life. We cannot operate outside of this memory. We live and move and have our being within the heart of Jesus the Galilean. 

That apostolic authority is ethical, juridical (with authority over clergy and laity), and magisterial (that is, it teaches.) If the Church loses that authority, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus will be lost. It will be as if he never lived; and his sacrifice was in vain. 

Today's solemnity reminds us of the ancient heritage of Rome, where Peter and Paul died. It's history is checkered; no one can deny that. But that only proves God's fidelity to sinners. He works with and through the Church, and directs history toward salvation. 

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

Lectionary: 373

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.

Democracy imposes a particularly heavy burden upon Christians who take their faith seriously. It reminds us that we are responsible for our decisions. Freedom is inescapable, and so is the responsibility that comes with it.   

Jesus's metaphor of fruit trees offers some advice about how we should judge others. The good bear good fruit, and the wicked bear bad fruit. We can use their spiritual fruit to assess others and their worth in the community. Nor can we piously say that we don't judge others. Of course we do, and we must. A man carrying an AR-15 into a church or shopping center intends evil, is evil, and must be disarmed immediately. A predator exploiting the vulnerability of children is evil and must be stopped. 

Democracy forces us to judge our government officials, both incumbents and candidates. Are they worthy of the office? Are they capable of doing the work? What credentials do they bring to the position, and what does their past reveal about their future behavior. 

Many people justified their support of Donald Trump upon Isaiah's prophecies about the emperor Cyrus the Great. Unlike tyrants of the past, that Persian ruler didn't care how people worshiped so long as they paid their taxes to his empire. He even permitted displaced nations to return to their homelands when it served his purposes. Isaiah saw Cyrus's ascendance as good news for the Jews. He called it gospel. But no one really cared what Isaiah or the Jews thought about Cyrus. He became emperor by conquest, not by election with popular support. 

Comparing the candidate Donald Trump to the emperor Cyrus the Great, some voters supposed that a narcissist with a history of fraud and tax evasion would nonetheless promote Christian principles like opposition to abortion. If he was transparently racist and chauvinist, he might be used nonetheless by the Christian right to promote their own goals. 

The study of Consequentialism is long, deep, and complex; and many Americans loathe a discussion which spans centuries, but it raises the ethical question, "Does the end justify the means?"  

The shortest answer a priest might offer is, "No." Abortion is not justified by the better life a couple might enjoy after terminating their pregnancy. Capital punishment is not justified by the time and expense that are saved by killing a trapped and unarmed person. Although survivors may feel safer following the execution of a killer, their relief does not vindicate the evil of murder. A war should not be ended by the mass killing of unarmed citizens. 

Jewish and Christian prophecy warns the Chosen People that their violation of God's covenant will have dreadful consequences. They might not follow automatically, because there is nothing automatic or mechanical in God's plan. The consequences of sin cannot be foreseen by scientific principles of cause and effect. Rather, we are told, the Lord who is always free to do what he wills and when he chooses, will punish sins against justice and mercy. Ignoring God's law is utter foolishness. Dismissing God's laws is the work of fools. 

But those who wait on the Lord will enjoy the promised reward which will be given in his own time and in his own way. Those who study the Word of God know this. 

Citizens of a democracy are obliged to participate, and sometimes to choose between two or more seedy candidates. In the selection of one, they need not pretend they are choosing virtue over vice, or God's candidate versus Satan's. If they prefer and elect one candidate they are nonetheless responsible for that candidate's service. 

Their engagement in the political process must be more than listening to 24/7 news channels and voting in biennial elections. They should know the leaders of their townships, counties, cities, states, and the federal government. All politics is local. They should be familiar with proposed amendments and laws. They should, like Saint Joseph, know what's going on even when they have no voice or choice. 

A Christian electorate must prefer righteousness, justice, and mercy, especially for the vulnerable, poor, and despised. If they must occasionally hold their noses while voting, they should do so nonetheless. 

Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 372

How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

Abram offered a choice to his nephew Lot, who preferred the well-watered Jordan Plain. Genesis says it was like the LORD's own garden (i.e. Eden!) or like the Nile Valley of Egypt. It seemed, to this wealthy businessman, the better part. Unfortunately, it was also occupied by Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot pitched his tent and settled his family near these wretched towns. If he had learned the high ethical standards of his uncle Abraham, his children and grandchildren would copy their neighbors. 

When the nephew made his choice it seemed pretty obvious. Why should he not prefer the well-watered low land for his sheep and goats? If Abraham preferred the nomadic life of the caravans, dealing in exotic foods, fine clothes, perfumes, and incense throughout the fertile crescent from Egypt to Mesopotamia, Lot could settle and prosper in the luxurious plain. There were no limits to either man's prospects. 

But, in fact, Abram had chosen the better part when he offered the choice to Lot and accepted the less desirable land of Canaan for his herds. We can suppose his offer was divinely inspired. Though it might have appeared more genteel -- an uncle should act generously toward a nephew -- it proved to be wiser. 

In today's gospel Jesus urges us to enter through the narrow gate. It might not offer the best short-term profits. It will appear foolish to many people. But as we learn to live in the Spirit of the Lord, the obvious is not so apparent. Its glitter might not be gold. Abram probably knew what his nephew would choose but he had learned to be less concerned about his earthly fortune. A friend of God, his mind was on other things; his heart was going elsewhere. 

The patriarch's decision, even before he was circumcised and renamed Abraham, set a precedent which his descendant Jesus would follow. For he too, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped. Or, as Saint Paul would say,

I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 371

The LORD said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.
"I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you....

When did our story begin? When did we begin to know that we are set aside and not like other people? Despite our similarities to our neighbors, friends, and colleagues there is something different about us. What is it exactly, and when did it happen? 

The story begins on the edge of prehistory with God's calling Abram to "go forth  from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you." We're given little detail about that incident. Did the LORD appear visually or speak audibly to the gentleman? And why did he call that particular man? Was there something about his appearance, character, or social standing that attracted divine attention? 

Nothing. He chose and called Abraham, and so the story begins. The point is, God chose, befriended, and tested him; and Abraham was found reliable. Or, as Saint Paul put it, he was "justified by faith." That standard becomes the sole standard by which we are judged. We need not have wealth, intelligence, knowledge, or experience. We don't need to produce or achieve. Our family status means nothing; nor does our race, ethnicity, nationality, or religious background. The only standard is faith. Do you believe in God? Do you keep faith with God? Do you trust God enough to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

We come to faith in God in the same way that everyone else does, through those who show God's care for us. My parents bore, fed, clothed, and protected me. They taught me how to speak English with words they understood and with their Louisville accent. They didn't expect me to decide which language I should adopt, or which religion I might embrace. I speak their language and I believe in their God. And he is my God. 

No reason is given for God’s choice of Abraham but our salvation had to start somewhere, in a real place and real time, and with a particular person. It's not just a good idea, or a romantic notion of being good for goodness sake. Grace entered human history through Abraham and his wife Sarah; and then, their son Isaac. Because Abraham believed in God, God remains faithful to their children forever. 

Finally, because salvation is from the Jews, he sends a Jewish Messiah, his Son Jesus Christ, to redeem all nations. Grafted into the stock of Abraham, even gentiles receive blessings and become blessings for others. 

God's word to Abraham does not fail, and blessed are they who are not scandalized when hard times fall upon us. 

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 94

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Psychologists tell us that anger is often driven by fear. Responding to dangers, real or imagined, we react with fight or flight; and very often, we prefer to fight. 

Anger seems to justify itself and whatever it does. Under its influence we feel righteous and demand justice. Impelled to resist a perceived evil, we're sure we're fighting God's fight and, "By God, we will win!" 

Anger justifies its excess. If it oversteps boundaries and reacts disproportionately, punishing the enemy beyond all reasonable restraints, it believes it was driven to this excess by the enemy's actions. "It's their own fault for what we did to them! They had it coming!"  

Angry victims are dangerous people. When some people habitually react to fear with anger, the rest of us learn to fear them habitually. We avoid upsetting the one who is too easily upset; tiptoeing around them and speaking quietly; until, finally, we decide to avoid them altogether. We give the angry coward the peace they want in splendid, lonely isolation. Divorce, family breakup, and societal disintegration follow, with all the dangers of chemical addiction, violence, and suicide. 

America's political polarization begins with our fear. The land of the brave is overcome with dread. Conservatives are afraid the progressives will have their way. Liberals are terrified the reactionaries will have their way. Both sides are frightened; both sides are angry. They think all hell will break loose if we compromise. “Give them an inch, they’ll take a mile!” Everyone is suspect; everyone is dangerous. 

Three times in today's Gospel the Lord urges us, "Do not be afraid." Do not respond to threats with fear. You have no cause for fear or anger. Remember to whom you belong, and the One you serve. Your Father will provide for you, and protect you from all harm. You are worth more than many sparrows. 

Remember that God's kingdom of justice and mercy will be built in God's time, and in God's manner, and you have no idea when that might occur. 

You do not know the future. If the Lord could approach Jerusalem and certain death with serenity in his heart, we can live with rancorous controversy, polarization, and the continual threat of violence. If your neighbors have turned their homes into fortresses, take them an apple pie and invite them to come to your barbecue. If they must wear their guns to show how dangerous they are, wear your smile to assure them they have nothing to fear. 

in his Second Letter, Saint Peter described our way of life: 

Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.

The world will never be safe for cowards and they have reason to fear. It will never be safe for  Christians, but we have nothing  to fear. Every age is violent; every society represses the vulnerable and punishes the innocent. 

But the Lord has sent us to every age and every nation to live peaceably among them. The world and all its people belong to God. Because we belong to God, we are not afraid. 

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

 Lectionary: 587

Truly you have formed 
my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.

Surely, the most wonderful sight in the universe is a new born human baby. In the eyes of the infant's father and mother, their flesh, limbs, eyes, mouth, touch, and smell appear more beautiful, amazing, and astounding than the parting of a Red Sea or someone soaring to heaven in a fiery chariot. Is it possible, they wonder, this miracle came of my body, of our union? 

And then there's the overwhelming responsibility coupled with the baby's vulnerability and miraculous resilience. It's terrifying and ennobling, and most parents rise to the occasion, although some flee in horror. Thank God, most embrace the opportunity and discover their purpose in life. 

But there are moments in our history when the times seem so bleak, it might be better not to have children. War, pestilence, famine, poverty: they discourage men and women from bearing children, but God gives us children anyway, even in those dark hours. He forces us to take courage and care for this helpless human being. 

Today we celebrate the Birth of John the Baptist. He was not born in a stable or laid in a manger like Jesus, but he was a given a dangerous task. It's never safe to speak the word of God. It's never safe to announce the coming of the Lord, but John began that work eagerly, enthusiastically -- before he was born. He danced for joy in his mother's womb as the Savior approached Jerusalem in the body of the Virgin Mother. 

The Angel Gabriel told Mary that, "Elizabeth your kinswoman is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible with God." And so we calculate that John was born six months before Jesus, on the twenty-fourth day of June. 

In midsummer we anticipate Christmas, and thank God again for the approach of our salvation. 

Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 369

And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak?
Who is led to sin, and I am not indignant?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Driven to distraction by the "super-apostles" who would convert gentiles first to Judaism and then to Christ, thus negating the Lord's death and resurrection, Saint Paul would not try to overpower them with his wisdom, eloquence, or authority. A shrill, shrieking harangue would persuade no one.

Recently, I watched Matt Walsh's documentary film, "What is a Woman?" I found it painful to watch because I am chronically conflict-averse. I squirm with anxiety as he confronts various self-described experts with a simple question. But none can answer. None of his antagonists seem to have even pondered the mysteries of female, male, reproduction, or sexuality. They saw the normal, healthy anxiety of young people living in a conflicted, American culture, and attacked with barbaric violence.

As I watched the film I recalled Saint Paul's exasperated remark "Let them castrate themselves!"

Mr. Walsh eventually finds someone to answer his question; it's an answer which leaves the mystery intact and holy, without desecration or violence. It is a truth available to common sense but revealed to the Church and those who love the Lord. Democracies like ours, under stress, lose all sense of rationality and common sense. Fearful and vulnerable, they arm themselves to the teeth and select a buckthorn, Adolf Hitler, or Donald Trump to lead them.

Saint Paul, suffering the daily pressure of anxiety for all the churches, fell back upon the Word of God and let it speak for itself. Like Jesus, he would not crush the bent reed nor quench the smoldering wick. From a jail he could write letters. Under house arrest he could speak to visitors. Given an opportunity he could speak to a synagogue or crowd in the street. He had no legal, political, or military authority to impose his doctrine or cancel his opponents.

"Here is the truth as it's been given to me;" he seemed to say, "take it or leave; but realize your decision has eternal consequences."

The Church has lost none of its authority following the pedophilia scandal. We honor male and female as an image of Holiness. We support marriage, children, minorities, and pariah peoples. We still denounce abortion, gay marriage, the death penalty, euthanasia, and eugenics. God's enemies may crow about our weaknesses but that only hardens their cynicism; it draws no one closer to the truth.

Like Vatican City hidden in the heart of Rome, we remain as a tabernacle where a searching world may find the Lord. We will continue to proclaim the word persistently, whether it is convenient or inconvenient. We will convince, reprimand, and encourage through all patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4)

Optional Memorial of Saint John Fisher, bishop and martyr and Saint Thomas More, martyr

Lectionary: 368

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done...

Ad majorem dei gloriam, the Jesuit motto, translates as, "to the greater honor and glory of God." 

One of my more surprising discoveries as I study the Bible, and the spiritual life in general, is that my salvation is not about me. Nor is my life, for that matter. I am created and redeemed for God's greater honor and glory. 

Jesus clearly placed that foremost in our minds when he taught us his signature prayer, the Our Father. After the opening address of One who art in heaven, an address which is both formal and endearing, we signal our support for God's concerns; namely, his name, his kingdom, and his will. May these be blessed, built, and accomplished. 

"But what about me?" I might ask. "Should I not pray for something?" 

"Pray for your daily bread." the prayer replies, and "that your sins will be forgiven." 

Actually, I might say, "I had a few other concerns." We've got systems to maintain our daily bread, and I don't think of myself as a sinner. But I want health, prosperity, and happiness. I want security for my loved ones, that my team win the championship, and so forth. 

"...and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." 

"So where is this prayer going, anyway?  When I zigged the prayer zagged. We're not in the same place, are we?" 

Ad majorem dei gloriam... 

Ezekiel (36:21ff) says it well. When the Lord would abandon his people to the exploitation and annihilation of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon...

  

...I relented because of my holy name which the house of Israel desecrated among the nations to which they came.

Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Not for your sake do I act, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you desecrated among the nations to which you came.

But I will show the holiness of my great name, desecrated among the nations, in whose midst you desecrated it. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD... when through you I show my holiness before their very eyes. 

We must show the holiness of God to our neighbors, friends, and enemies. We're useless otherwise. 

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

Lectionary: 367 

Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.

Saint Matthew sets Jesus's inaugural "Sermon" on a mountain, recalling Moses' ascent of Mount Sinai and God's gift of the Ten Commandments. As the Lord has already declared in the fifth chapter, he has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, especially because humans, Jews and gentiles alike, too often seek shortcuts to salvation. 

He speaks of doing these righteous deeds of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in the same spirit as the ninth and tenth commandments of the Decalogue. "Do not covet" concerns more than external appearances. One must have the right attitude to live by the Law, which might be evident to God alone.  

A just person is more than an actor who appears to faithfully think, feel, and act; they must be driven by a passionate desire to live in a godly manner. Others can suspect whatever they want of one's motives; the righteous heart must be conformed to God's spirit. People who watch a stage presentation, a TV show, or movie know the actors are not speaking for themselves. Their beliefs might be precisely opposite of their characters (for instance, the famously liberal Carroll O'Conner played the conservative Archie Bunker.) Their expressions, as persuasive as they might be, are only professional descriptions of how a someone might feel under such circumstances. 

In the practice of virtue, Jesus's urges his disciples to go the extra mile; that is, the righteous should act secretly. It's better if no one knows of their prayers, fasting, and charitable deeds. If they're at all concerned about appearances, it is only to teach the young or avoid giving scandal. Sometimes one must be discreet in doing the right thing, especially if the innocent, foolish, or wicked might misinterpret what they see.

The Lord warns us about superficial piety, "Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward," which was human respect. They can expect no reward from their heavenly Father. 

I knew a young woman several years ago, who was severely addicted to some illegal substance. I had helped her out on occasion with food and warm clothing. When she decided to amend her ways, her proud advisor brought her to the church and had her give testimony of her new life to the congregation. They were delighted with her announcement and stood up to applaud. 

I sat there in stony silence. I had seen too much, and knew too well how difficult it is to go straight. She later thanked me for that. So far as I know she never relapsed but a life of sobriety consists of many one days at a time. Her reward could not come from a church of admirers.

So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Philippians 2:12-13

Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 366

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

So far as I know, the Bible nowhere says we should hate our enemies. But we certainly learn such lessons from that generic religion we all pick up along the way. It's right there with the Lord helps those who help themselves.  Not in the Bible, nor the Catechism. 

But yes, the Book of Leviticus insists, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." and then underlines the teaching with a Godlike oath: "I am the LORD." 

You'll recall the abashed critic in Saint Luke's gospel asked the Lord, "So who is my neighbor?" and was given the parable of the Good Samaritan. In today's gospel from Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, Jesus highlights his teaching with two familiar truisms, "...for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust."

But today's climate news throws a different light on Jesus's sanguine belief in his Father's management of sun and rain. Nature, it seems, cannot be bothered with considerations about human affairs. The Earth, seen as an enormous machine driven by its own momentum and juiced with sunlight, cares not a whit for wealth or poverty. The worst impact of global warming maybe on impoverished neighborhoods and tropical regions, but that's not Mother Nature's problem.

Nor is there a Gaia principle to assure the survival of life on earth. Should all life perish, and "Mother Nature" be exposed as a goddess who never existed, the earth will not lose its standing among the planets, stars, or galaxies. They also, cannot be bothered. By any secular standard we are quite alone in an indifferent universe, and the mess we're making of our world is fatal and irreversible. 

However, Jesus's teaching about the benevolence of the sun and rain relies neither on an insight into nature's superfluous generosity nor a Gaia principle, but on his faith in your heavenly father. Marching toward Jerusalem and expecting a hostile reception, he was sure that the LORD would not abandon him. Nor did arrest, condemnation, torture, and his final agony break his conviction. Not even death could overcome a faith that shines in darkness. 

   

In the face of an overheated planet and a worsening climate the priest intones, "Our help is in the name of the Lord!" To which the people respond, "...who made heaven and earth!" 

Things may get a lot worse, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. He will not abandon us. 

Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 365

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
We cause no one to stumble in anything,
in order that no fault may be found with our ministry;
on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much endurance...

As the pastor of an African-American church in Louisiana, I became familiar with Juneteenth, and its importance in the American cycle of holidays. Everyone should celebrate the ancestors who arrived in America as slaves; who toiled with everyone else to create a democratic nation, who celebrated our faith in God and our hope for peace, security, and prosperity. 

Too often the contribution of slave labor is dismissed. But if it was forced from men and women without appreciation or a promise of satisfaction, it was nonetheless significant. Visitors to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, for instance, learn about the slave miners who extracted saltpetre for gunpowder used in the War of 1812. 

June 19 is an acceptable time to remember the promises of freedom, dignity, opportunity, and leisure given to all Americans, regardless of their status. We should especially recognize and amend those attitudes and beliefs that frustrate those promises. 

The Christian doctrine of the Incarnation reminds us of two mysteries, but we often think of only the bright, shiny one. We're glad to hear that the Lord God of heaven and earth took on human flesh; and, like every human being, took his place in the complex history of Earth. Unlike the Greek notions of deity, the Jewish LORD of our scriptures was never removed from human life. He could not be a watchmaker god who creates a universe and then forgets about it. An earthling made of stardust, the God-made-man lived, ate, danced, sang, and suffered with us. 

The darker side of the Incarnation tells us that our attitudes and beliefs are also incorporated (or embodied) into the standard operating procedures of government, business, education, religion, and entertainment. Just because we don't talk about certain things doesn't mean they're not there. Failing to remember the slave miners in Kentucky only perpetuates their grievance. Inevitably and necessarily, these attitudes appear in our infrastructure as well; as in whites-only drinking fountains, the Negro Motorist Green Book, and redlining. 

In today's first reading, Saint Paul reminds us that 

...through much endurance,

in afflictions, hardships, constraints,

beatings, imprisonments, riots,

labors, vigils, fasts;

by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,

in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech,

in the power of God...

...our salvation is effected. It doesn't happen easily, and the process is often not pretty. It's especially difficult to hear of our sins and of the history of our sins. But when those stories are told by the saints who suffered, survived, and still wait on the promise of God's mercy, we're more inspired than dismayed. They are, after all, our people.

As the pastor of an African-American church I was frankly surprised to discover how deeply my congregation loved the Catholic Church and the United States. Somehow, unconsciously, I had expected something else. Many had served with honor and dignity in the armed services and were proud of their contribution.

Bernard A, one of my dearest parishioners, and a Veteran of the Italian campaign, told me of listening to the radio broadcasts of Joe Lewis's triumphs. When America was enthrall of boxing, men would gather in small towns in Louisiana to listen to the radio broadcasts of the fight. The white men stood closer by the radio; the black men stood across the street. When the fight was over the crowd would disperse quietly. The white men were quietly disappointed that their champion had lost again. The black men were silent  -- until they were out of earshot and back in their own neighborhood where they'd hoop and holler their champion's victory. 

Hearing the story fifty year later, I too celebrated the promise of vindication for the oppressed and justice for all. 

Juneteenth belongs to all of us. Let's do it right. 

. 

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 91

Christ, while we were still helpless, 
yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

It's one thing to admit that I have sinned, and can be called a sinner. It's quite something else to come to terms with my helplessness in sin; that I have done it, and will do it again, and again.... And I cannot stop. 

I quit drinking some time ago. I realized I could be a drunk or a priest, but I couldn't do both. I had tried to quit before but had failed as many times. I don't think this attempt was much different. I did have a long talk with my provincial one evening. I argued that, on one particular occasion, "They made me drink." We went round and round on that. He insisted nobody makes you drink; but when he finally quit arguing and let me win the conversation, I told him I'd not drink again. And I haven't. So far. Forty-three years later. 

It might have been out of respect for my friend and superior. I studied the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, talked with close friends, and prayed on the matter; but I'd done all those things before. 

It's rather mysterious. It's one thing to do something, but how do you not do something? How do you decide that? And how do you, or anyone else, know you've decided that? You can say, "I have decided!" but we all know that doesn't make it happen. 

Apparently, at the appointed time, it happened. Perhaps I'd suffered enough remorse and humiliation. The Lord moved in my life; he heard my prayer and that of several others, and the prayers of all those long suffering souls who pray for their priests. And he made it so. 

But not without cost, "for God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." 

The sacrifice of God's Son also came at the appointed time. It could not happen at any other time or place, or to any other man. It had to be the Virgin Mary's Son, a Son of David, the only beloved Son of God the Father. In the Holy City, on that Passover weekend, in the fullness of time. 

Creatures of time, helpless in our happenstance, we pray and wait for God to act. Not knowing when he might make it so. Many of us, like Peter, would be heroes. You remember his boast,

“Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.”

Or, if not heroes, we would be different. Stronger, braver, prettier, smarter, richer, luckier. We would try harder if we tried harder. But we don't. The moment doesn't seem to come. 

Until it does, as when witnesses speak. Then they suddenly know what to say, when, and to whom. As Jesus said,

When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say. Luke 12:11

Sometimes we are silent; sometimes we speak out. Sometimes we leave the area, as when Jesus left Jerusalem, and away from those who would stone him. And sometimes we march with him to Jerusalem and Calvary and Easter. Neither retreat nor advance is courageous or heroic; they are simply obedient.  

It's not happenstance, fate, or karma. That’s hogwash. It's the moment when the Lord acts. He uses us as his tools. We might not feel welcome; we might be out of place; but that doesn't matter. We are his obedient servants, and we cannot do otherwise. 

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 Lectionary: 573

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.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

An enthusiastic woman once shouted at the Lord, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." to which he replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

The admiring woman could only imagine the thrill of being the mother of an inspired rabbi; like the crowd around her, she could not imagine the ordeal that would lead his mother from knowing Jesus according to the flesh. If she were to follow the Lord to Jerusalem and to witness his arrest, trial, scourging, and death she might imagine the shame that would fall upon Mary and all her kin. People would flee from her if they met her in the street; others would turn their back and not acknowledge her presence. Those who could not avoid her would not look her in the eye, nor say anything. But they would speak without hesitation to others, once she was out of hearing. 

Jesus's mother would come to know "Christ in a new creation," not according to the flesh, not according to her maternity of a baby boy. She would know him in the Spirit as the Son of God. Though he would always be her only begotten son; and she, his virgin mother, she would know, love, and serve him in the mysterious ways of her Immaculate Heart. 

This is the invitation that the Spirit gives to every one who belongs to Jesus. We know each other in the Church not according to the flesh, but in the Lord's Holy Spirit. This conversion usually comes slowly to us. Boys and girls attending Mass probably don't eye one another in that manner. Their flirting and flaunting rarely celebrate their Christian ideals. Nor can any adult scold them for it without remembering their own foolish youth. 

By the time they reach the altar to be married, we can hope they have begun to admire one another for their courage, integrity, and purity of heart. But the Sacrament of Marriage is also a sacrament of penance, and their purification will come through many hard discussions and disagreement, and with the inevitable disappointments, setbacks, and tragedies they might endure. Even their mutual betrayals will open their eyes to the wonder of one another as grace works its miracles. 

Celibacy also teaches us to see one another through the eyes of Christ. A gift which appears spontaneously within some individuals as they turn to the Lord, celibacy forces us to set aside the desires of the flesh to see chastely, and more clearly, the image of God in one another. 

Every human being is desirable in the eyes of God; this is why he gave his only Son for our salvation. The Lord sees our worth; and in the Lord we see it also. We no longer see ourselves as the anonymous poet of The Hell-bound Train described:

The passengers were a most motley crew—

Church member, atheist, Gentile, and Jew,

Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in rags,

Handsome young ladies, and withered old hags,

Yellow and black men, red, brown, and white,

All chained together, O God what a sight. 

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself.😁)

Today's memorial is a delight for Catholics as we celebrate our Mother Mary, and the treasure of her Immaculate Heart, a gift which she shares with us. 

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lectionary: 170

In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

Summer can be a time of rest, and the hotter summers of climate change might be more insistent that we slow down, stay out of the heat, and watch the children play in the spray of the fire hydrant. 

The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us that we don't have to save ourselves. First, he has done it for us; and secondly, we cannot do it for ourselves. So let's just slow down. Or, as he said, "Come apart and rest awhile." 

We will not see God in this world. His way might be more clear than the frantic, foolish ways of the world; but it will never be transparently obvious. The merchants, desperate for their personal salvation, would sell us arduous vacations in distant places where, after all the hassles and risks of travel, we might bask in a tropical sun on an exotic beach, with a Mai Tai or gin and tonic, for a few minutes.

But, three thousand years ago, Moses assured us, 

For this command which I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote for you. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up to the heavens to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” No, it is something very near to you, in your mouth* and in your heart, to do it.

If that's the case, we might stay at home, turn off the entertainment systems, breathe, and listen to our heart beat. And know that we are loved. Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me.

No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

Out there, it's only another Friday in a hot steamy world. In here, it's the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Let us pray...