24th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Readings: Isaiah 50:4-9  James 2:14-18  Mark 8:27-35

“Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Jesus’ harsh words to Peter in today’s gospel are a sobering reminder that the Christian Gospel does not conform to worldly standards of power and prestige.  Following Jesus leads to resurrected life, but only after we have gone with him to the cross.“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.””

In the first reading from the servant songs of Second Isaiah, the prophet/servant gives an autobiographical report of his tireless commitment to speaking a rousing word to the “weary” exiles who think that their Lord is powerless to save them from their Babylonian captors.  Because of his confidence that the Lord is his help, the prophet, like Jesus in today’s Gospel, has the courage not to turn back from his mission, even though it involves suffering and rejection. “The Lord is my help,/ therefore I am not disgraced;/ I have set my face like flint,/  knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”

The Epistle continues the sections from James and contrasts “lifeless” faith which merely professes belief and active faith which expresses itself in deeds of kindness for those in need.  James’ example is priceless.  “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and no food for the day,

and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?”  To merely wish well to a person who has neither food nor clothing is worthless.  This is not real faith at all.  James poignantly concludes by saying: “Demonstrate you faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.”

The Gospel for this Sunday is a climactic incident in Mark.  After revealing the kingdom of God in his powerful healing and preaching ministry throughout Galilee and Gentile regions north and west of Judea (Mark 1:14-8:26), Jesus now journeys toward Jerusalem (8:27-10:54).  He also begins to teach the disciples his full identity as the Son of Man who must both suffer rejection and death at the hands of the Jewish leaders and Gentiles in Jerusalem but also be raised up and return as the glorious Son of Man.  Sadly, the twelve consistently refuse to accept Jesus’ mission and the demands of following him to the cross.

Today’s story is set at a village near Caesarea Philippi in the extreme northern reaches of Jewish territory.  In this obscure place, Jesus asks his disciples the climactic question: “Who do people say that I am?”  They reply that the crowds understand him as a prophet in the tradition of John the Baptist and Elijah.  When Jesus puts the same question to his disciples, Peter, on the basis of what he has witnessed in Jesus’ ministry, is prepared to confess that he is more than a prophet and is indeed “the Christ” or “Messiah.”

Jesus’ response to Peter’s confession is consistent with his stance throughout much of the Galilean ministry.  He warns the disciples “to tell no one about him.”   Peter and the disciples cannot fully understand Jesus simply on the basis of the powerful miracles he has performed.  Now for the first time Jesus teaches them “that the Son of Man must suffer greatly, and be rejected by the elders and chief priest and scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.”  Peter refuses to accept such a destiny for the Messiah and is rebuked, in the most shocking terms, as a “Satan” who is judging by human standards rather than those of God.  Jesus follows his rebuke by insisting that willingness to follow him to the point of taking up one’s own cross in self-denial and even loss of life will be determinative to the disciples’ judgment when the Son of Man comes in glory. 

As we continue to read Mark’s account of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, let us ask ourselves if we are prepared to accept the Messiah who comes to us in the apparent weakness of the cross.

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Trinity Sunday A

"Modern icon. The Holy Trinity.," by Valentina Samoilik-Artyuschenko

 Trinity Sunday A  

Readings: Exodus 34:4‑6,8‑9  2 Corinthians 13:11‑13  John 3:16‑18 

 

            "Live in harmony and peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you."  This exhortation from the conclusion of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians captures the spirit of the Trinity Sunday readings.  God reveals himself to us as a God of love and peace who calls us to live in harmony and peace.  For this wondrous gift we can joyfully sing the verses of the Canticle from Daniel as our responsorial psalm: "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestors,/ praiseworthy and exalted above  all forever . . ." (Dan 3:52).  

            In order to appreciate the revelation of the Lord's gracious name in first reading from Exodus, we need to know the events that immediately preceded it in Exodus 32‑33. While Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the instructions for the building of the ark and tabernacle, the Israelites violate the covenant by making a golden calf and worshiping it. Their very existence as God's people has been endangered.  When Moses discovers the calf and the people's wild dancing, he angrily smashes the tablets of the covenant.  To insure the survival of the people, Moses repeatedly intercedes for them and begs the Lord to accompany this "stiff‑necked" people as they march on from Sinai toward the promise land.  Finally, the Lord promises Moses that he will reveal his sacred name, and he instructs him to cut two more stone tablets and return to  Mount Sinai.  

            The revelation that occurs on the mountain is a high point in the Biblical tradition.  We learn that the Lord is a merciful and gracious God.  When he descends in a cloud, he proclaims his sacred name, "Lord" (written YHWH in Hebrew consonants).  Then the Lord reveals the character of that name by crying out: "The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."  Despite the repeated sins of Israel and the whole human family, the Lord is ever ready to begin again in mercy and grace.  Having heard this revelation, Moses bows down in worship and says, “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.  This is indeed a stiff‑necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.”  In response the Lord promises to lead the people into the promise land and re‑establishes the covenant with the people.       

            The Second Corinthians reading is from the concluding sentences of Paul's letter, and it was chosen for Trinity Sunday because of its blessing: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!"  Paul's conclusion is closely related to the problems facing the Corinthian community.  They were badly divided into factions over the question of leadership.  Some "super-apostles" were claiming spectacular signs and wonders as credentials for their apostolic status.  In contrast, Paul has insisted that the real marks of the true apostle are sufferings in behalf of the gospel of the cross (see 2 Corinthians 11‑13).  In the conclusion Paul wants to bind the community together in harmony and peace.  He asks them to "Greet one another with a holy kiss" and concludes with the blessing, reminding them of the "grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" (the gift of forgiveness), "the love of God" and "fellowship (koinonia) of the Holy Spirit" that is the heart of the Christian gospel.  

            The Gospel reading is a theological reflection at the end of Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus in John.  In many ways it summarizes the whole message of John's Gospel. God's action in sending his only Son into the world is done out of love with the purpose of bringing believers to an eternal life which shares in the very life of God.   

                        Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only  

                        Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but  

                        may have eternal life.  

In John, the Son's moment of glory comes when he fully reveals God's love by laying down his life for his followers (see John 10:14‑18; 12:23‑26). God's intention in sending the Son into the world is not condemnation, but salvation.   

                        God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the  

                        world, but that the world might be saved through him.  

However, those who turn from the revelation of God's love have already condemned themselves by refusing to share in that love.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

 

25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Readings: Amos 8:4‑7  1 Tim 2:1‑8 Luke 16:1‑13

In today's readings Amos and Jesus remind us that we cannot serve both God and money.  Rather than vindicating worldly affluence and power, the God of Amos and Jesus rejects greed and the oppression of the poor.  Let us pray in the words of this Sunday's responsorial psalm: “Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor./ He raises up the lowly from the dust;/ from the dunghill he lifts up the poor/ to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people”  (Ps 113:7‑8). 

In God’s name, Amos threatens the greedy merchants who "trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land."  During their new moons and Sabbaths, mandated days of rest, these hypocrites calculate how long they must wait to resume their exploitation of the lowly.  Their plans to “diminish the ephah,” “add to the shekel,” and “fix . . . scales for cheating” are in direct violation of Israel's ancient laws in Deuteronomy. “You shall not keep two differing weights in your bag, one large and the other small; nor shall you keep two different measures in your house, one large and the other small.  But use a true and just weight, and a true and just measure, that you may have a long life on the land which the Lord, your God is giving you.  Everyone who is dishonest in these matters is an abomination to the Lord” (Deut 25:13‑16). Amos simply has the courage to announce the Lord's inevitable judgment against such violations of the covenant.  “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: ‘Never will I forget a thing they have done!’”  (Amos 8:7).

1 Timothy warns us not to extend Amos' strident judgment to all persons in power.  Christians, although a religious minority in the Roman Empire, are instructed to offer intercession for all "especially for kings and those in authority."  Their maintenance of public order will enable Christians "to lead undisturbed and tranquil lives in perfect piety and dignity."  The necessity of such prayer is rooted God's desire for universal salvation and knowledge of the truth: “God is one.  One also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

In Gospel Jesus uses the shocking story of a dishonest steward to warn his disciples that they cannot serve both God and money.  Although we may find the steward's financial dealings devious, the parable forces us to identify with him when he is accused of “dissipating” (maybe simply mismanaging) the rich man's property.  When asked to render an account of his service, the steward realistically assesses his bleak situation in a soliloquy, a favorite technique in the Lukan parables (see Lk  12:17‑19; 15:17‑19; 18:4‑5).‘What shall I do next?  My employer is sure to dismiss me. I cannot dig ditches.  I am ashamed to go begging. I have it!  Here is a way to make sure that people will take me into their homes when I am let go.’ Scholars debate the exact nature of steward's arrangement with his master's debtors.  Is his reduction of their debts simply cheating his master?  Or, is he getting even with the master by canceling the usurious interest charged on his loans?  Finally, some have suggested that the steward waives the commission that would have been his for negotiating the master's business.  In any case, the steward, when faced with a desperate situation, acts "prudently," and even his master has to commend him for being enterprising. 

Jesus draws several lessons from this parable by contrasting and comparing the steward's worldly behavior in connection with the ephemeral goods of this age to the disciples' other‑worldly concerns with lasting goods.  First of all, he praises the steward's shrewdness and suggests that the disciples should pursue the kingdom with such decisiveness and initiative.  “The people of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”  Three general morals follow; all are concerned with the disciples' use of and attitude toward money.  First, worldly wealth will fail; therefore it should be used to win heavenly allies who will receive you into eternal habitations.  Second, one who has not been trustworthy in handling paltry material wealth will not receive heavenly treasure.  Finally, humans are servants who must choose their master: God or mammon.  Enslavement to money precludes God from one's life.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

 23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Readings: Wisdom 9:13‑18  Philemon 9‑10,12‑17  

 Luke 14:25‑33

Our capitalist culture advocates elaborate financial planning with the promise that the right "package" will guarantee us future security.  Today's readings debase all such human calculations and offer in their stead a wisdom which challenges us to be prepared to renounce all distractions for the sake of following Jesus.   Let us pray to the Lord for this wisdom in the words of the psalm: "Teach us to number our days aright/ that we may gain wisdom of heart" (Ps 90:12). 

The first reading from the Book of Wisdom puts on Solomon's lips a prayer for the gift of wisdom to govern the people of Israel.  This section contrasts the limited perspective of humans with God's mysterious plans.  "For who knows God's counsel,/ or who can conceive what the Lord intends?" (Wis 9:13).  We who are burdened with a "corruptible body" can scarcely "guess the things on earth," to say nothing of searching out "things in heaven."   But all is not hopeless.  God gives the gift of wisdom and sends the "holy spirit from on high" to those humble enough to ask for it.  When we have this wisdom, our path on earth is "made straight."

In his moving letter to Philemon Paul is asking that Philemon receive Onesimus, his runaway slave whom Paul converted in prison, as a full brother in Christ.  Paul's petition is filled with passionate language designed to move Philemon to accede to this request and possibly even allow Onesimus to return to Paul in prison.  He describes Onesimus as "my child whom I have begotten during my imprisonment" and reminds Philemon: "I am sending my heart!"  Paul was so fond of Onesimus that he considered keeping him to serve his needs in prison, but then he decided to return him to Philemon "so that kindness might not be forced on you but freely bestowed."  Paul goes on to suggest that Onesimus was separated from Philemon for the purpose "that you might possess him forever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother . . ."   In the Christian community the deep social division between slave and master has been obliterated so that Paul can conclude by telling Philemon, "If  then you regard me as a partner (in the gospel), welcome him as  you would me."

In the Gospel Luke presents sayings of Jesus which challenge "a great crowd" to steadfast discipleship.  Following Jesus must be more important than family, self, or possessions.  The twin parables of the tower builder and the king contemplating a battle emphasize wise planning. In worldly affairs, people weigh the costs before a serious undertaking because they do not want to appear foolish when they are not able to complete it.  No man wants to begin building a tower only to run out of money and become a laughingstock "because he began to build what he could not finish."  A king going to battle considers if his forces are adequate, and if not, sues for peace "while the enemy is still at a distance."   Likewise, Jesus' would be disciples must realize that in face of persecution and worldly allurements the cost of discipleship is very high.  Worldly attachments must be jettisoned.  Jesus concludes by saying, "Likewise, none of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his possessions."

Holy Family B 2020

 

Holy Family B

 

Readings: Sirach 3:2-6,12-14   Colossians 3:12-21  Luke 2:22-40

 

During the Christmas season the Church celebrates the Incarnation by dwelling on various aspects of this mystery.  Holy Family Sunday reminds us that Jesus was both called to a unique saving mission by his Father but also fully shared our experience of living in a family with all its joy, confusion, pain and mystery.  As we struggle with the obligations of our commitments to God and family, let us pray in faith the words of this Sunday’s responsorial psalm: “Happy are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways” (Ps 128).

The Sirach reading is a wisdom instruction based on the commandment to honor father and mother (Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16).  This obligation is about caring for elderly parents when their health and minds fail. “My son, take care of your father when he is old;/ . . .  Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him;/ revile him not in the fullness of your strength” (Sir 3:12-13).According to Sirach, care for elderly parents will be reciprocated by God.  “He who honors his father atones for sins;/ he stores up riches who reveres his mother” (3:3).

Paul’s instructions to the Colossians put family obligations in a Christian context.  Christians are to divest themselves of their old lives of sin (see Col 3:5-9) and clothe themselves with Christian virtues: heartfelt mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and especially love “which binds the rest together and makes them perfect” (3:12-14).  They are to pray in joyous thankfulness to God the Father, as their words and actions are done “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Paul concludes with specific words for each member of the family.  Wives are to be submissive to their husbands; husbands are to love their wives and avoid any bitterness toward them; children are to obey their parents; fathers are not to nag their children “lest they lose heart.”

Luke’s account of Jesus’ presentation in the Temple both celebrates the surprisingly joyful fulfillment of Israel’s messianic expectations but also ominously foreshadows that this messianic child will know opposition, rejection and suffering.  Like the pious Zechariah and Elizabeth (Lk 1:6), Jesus’ parents fulfill the Jewish law by presenting Mary for purification (cf. Lev 12:2-8) and dedicating Jesus their first-born son (Ex 13:2,12).  The centerpiece of the scene is Simeon’s prayer.  As a representative of the poor of Israel who await the kingdom of God’s justice, the elderly Simeon is moved by the Holy Spirit to take Jesus in his arms and proclaim the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel of the Savior who will be “a revealing light to the Gentiles.” “Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace;/ you have fulfilled your word.  For my eyes have witnessed your saving deed/ displayed for all the peoples to see:/ A revealing light to the Gentiles,/ the glory of your people Israel.” But Simeon’s prophetic vision also foreshadows the divisive character of Jesus’ ministry.  After blessing the marveling parents, the prophet informs Mary his mother: “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed– and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword–so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.”  Jesus’ proclamation of the Father’s forgiving love will divide Israel between those who repentantly accept this message and those who self-righteously refuse it (cf. Lk 7:18-50).  We later learn that Mary’s own blessedness will also involve the challenge of following God’s call when Jesus himself announces that true blessedness “is hearing the word of God and observing it” (see Lk 1:38-45; 8:20-21; 11:27-28).

Christmas Midnight 2020

 

Christmas Midnight A B C

 

Readings: Is:9:1-6                                                Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14

 

            The readings for Christmas at midnight proclaim the joyous, yet humble, arrival of Jesus as the light of the world.  He comes to bring peace to all and calls Christians to live temperate and just lives as they await his return in glory.  Let us rejoice as we hear the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds: “’Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.’”

Isaiah’s messianic oracle expresses the hope for a king in the Davidic line who will bring peace in the aftermath of an Assyrian invasion of Israel.  The prophet prefaces his description of the king’s just rule by praising the Lord for delivering the nation from the Assyrian yoke.  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;/ Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone./ You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing./ For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder,/ And the rod of their taskmaster/ You have smashed, as on the day of Midian.”  Isaiah believes this liberation is only the initial act of a two part drama.  He expects that “the zeal of the Lord of hosts” will raise to the Davidic throne a king who will rule with wisdom, power, paternal care and peace.  Although Jesus did not assume a worldly throne, we Christians believe he is the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s oracle though his life, preaching, death and resurrection, and return in glory (see Peter’s sermon in Acts 2).  Jesus has begun the Kingdom of God that will ultimately triumph in the peace and justice Isaiah so urgently awaited.

The Titus reading presents us with the whole mystery of salvation: the appearance of God’s grace in Christ’s offering salvation to all, the challenge of the Christian life, and our hope for the final appearance of God’s glory and our savior Jesus Christ.  Even on the feast of Christmas, the Church does not lose sight of the demands of our renewed life and the urgent expectation of the second coming.  As the letter to Titus proclaims, all have been cleansed and redeemed in Christ, but we still wait in hope, as did Isaiah, for the appearance of the full glory of God’s kingdom.  In the interim, we are called to reject godless ways and to live temperately and justly.

Luke’s beautiful nativity story is best understood in relation to the major themes of his gospel, especially his insistence that Jesus is a universal savior, who was prophesied in the Scriptures and will overturn worldly expectations for greatness.  This universality is most explicit in the angel’s greeting to the shepherds which is the center piece of his entire narrative. “’I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord.’”

By dating Jesus’ birth in the reign of Caesar Augustus, Luke contrasts the powerful Roman emperor with the lowly Jesus who is born as an exile.  Luke’s initial readers were aware that Augustus had inaugurated the Pax Romana and that many entertained messianic expectations about his rule.  For Luke, however, Jesus’ humble birth is the joyous beginning of the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s promises of salvation in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Salvation and peace will not come from the emperor who has the power to order a census of the whole world, but from Jesus whose parents must obey the emperor’s commands.

Luke’s special emphasis on the fact that Jesus has come for the lowly is evident in the role of the shepherds.  In Jewish tradition, they were considered disreputable and their testimony was invalid.  Yet in Luke’s account they receive the initial annunciation of Jesus’ birth and even function as evangelists.  When they proceed to Bethlehem, they witness the truth of the angel’s message and then make it known to others.  Likewise, when they return, they glorify and praise God “for all they have heard and seen.” 

Other details of Luke’s story make symbolic allusion to Jesus as the unexpected fulfillment of the Scriptures.  The swaddling clothes recall a saying associated with King Solomon who says: “I was nurtured in swaddling clothes, with every care./  No king has known any other beginning of existence” (Wis 7:4-5).  Despite the lowly circumstances of Jesus’ birth, he is already a king like the great Solomon.  The manger (feeding trough) also has more than literal significance.  Isaiah had criticized his generation’s failure to understand the Lord in the following oracle: “An ox knows its owner,/ and an ass its master’s manger./  But Israel does not know, my people has not understood” (Is 1:2-3).  In contrast to the senseless people of Isaiah’s time, the humble shepherds, representative of a renewed people of God, go in haste to the infant lying in the manger who is food for the world.  Setting aside our pride, let us follow the shepherds to adore the Christ-child.

JANUARY 20th/2nd Sunday Ordinary Time

                                    2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

               Readings: Isaiah 62:1‑5   1 Corinthians 12:4‑11  John 2:1‑12

            During these first Sundays of Ordinary Time, the Church rejoices in Jesus' presence which brings the long-awaited Messianic Age.  Today's readings use wedding imagery to celebrate God's wondrous coming in Jesus.  The refrain of our responsorial psalm commands us to share this joyous news with the world: "Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations" (Ps 96).
            The first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah promises the restoration of Jerusalem which, because of its sins, had been leveled by the Babylonian armies.  Like a husband taking back a faithless spouse, the Lord will rebuild his beloved city.   He will change Jerusalem's names from "Forsaken" and "Desolate" to "My Delight" and "Espoused."  Because the Lord "delights" in his spouse, he forgives the sins of the past.
                        As a young man marries a virgin,
                        your Builder shall marry you;
                        and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride,
                        so shall your God rejoice in you.  (Isa 62:4‑5)
            For the next several weeks, the Epistle reading will be from the latter chapters of First Corinthians where Paul treats the problems of disunity caused by both misunderstandings of the spiritual gifts given to the Christian community and a refusal to accept the literal reality of Jesus' bodily resurrection.      
            Apparently, some Corinthian Christians were using the possession of spiritual gifts, especially tongues, as a basis for claiming superiority over those who lacked the gift.  Paul approaches the problem from several angles‑‑ all of them designed to exhort the church to unity through a considerate love that builds up the community.  In today's reading he reminds the Corinthians that, "for the common good," one and the same Spirit gives a variety of gifts: the utterance of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues.

In this Sunday's Gospel John presents Jesus' first public sign: the changing of water into choice wine at the wedding feast of Cana.  This story is John's account of the arrival of the Messianic Age with the coming of Jesus (see Mk 2:18‑22; Matt 9:14‑17; Lk 5:33‑39). Although Jesus is reluctant to act because his hour of glory (his death, resurrection and ascension) has not yet come, at the insistence of his mother, he helps to relieve the embarrassing situation of the family who has run out of wine for their wedding guests.  This simple act of consideration and kindness is transformed into a marvelous sign of the joyous arrival of the Messianic Age with its wedding feasting and abundant wine (see our first reading).  In the process, the old order, represented by the six stone water jars "prescribed for Jewish ceremonial washings," becomes the vehicle for the revelation of the Messiah's presence among his people.
            God's mode of revelation reverses our normal, human expectations.  When the head waiter tastes the water made wine, he remarks to the bridegroom:
                        “People usually serve the choice wine first;
                        then when the guests have been drinking awhile,
                        a lesser vintage.  What you have done is keep
                        the choice wine until now.”
Jesus, the Messiah, has arrived at the end of a long waiting period.  The best has been saved for last; the good wine has come after centuries of expectation.  But this sign speaks only to those who have eyes to see beyond the surface of things.  We are told "his disciples believed in him."  They see through the act of kindness to the glory of the One acting.  They are prepared to move from waiting for the arrival of God's Savior to the recognition of his presence in their midst.  May the Lord give us the same vision.