Category: Uncategorized

***

Luke 4: 16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

    The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
        because he has anointed me
            to bring glad tidings to the poor.
    He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
        and recovery of sight to the blind,
            to let the oppressed go free,
    and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Have you heard the story about the rock climber who was scaling a large mountain?

About halfway up… he slipped…barely catching himself with one hand! Dangling on the edge, he looked down, then up, and cried out, “Help! Is anybody there?”

***

There was a period of silence.

Then, a voice whispered in his ear, “I am God. Though you cannot see it, there’s a ledge beneath you. Let go and you’ll land safely.” 

The climber yells out, “Is anybody else there?”

***

This unfortunate climber prayed for an answer…and he got one! It’s just not the answer he expected.

Is there really a ledge beneath his feet? In order to find out, he’ll have to trust and let go.

***

In the Gospel, the locals from Jesus’ hometown wrestle with his identity. “Is this not the son of Joseph?” they say. 

Could he also be the answer to their prayers? Could he be the long-awaited Messiah?

Like that rock climber dangling from a cliff, God is inviting the Jews to let go of their expectations, to take the risk and follow Jesus. He will lead them to God.

But first they must trust and let go.

***

Maybe there’s a lesson in that for us.

Like that rock climber or the locals in today’s Gospel, sometimes the answer to our prayers isn’t what we expect.

“God wants me to walk through that door? He wants me to take that risk? To make that change? “

Suddenly, we’re not sure.

But our safest bet is to trust and let go.

God always places a ledge beneath our feet, even if it’s not what we’d expected.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Alex Honnold, Free Solo (2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (3) Climbing in Wyoming

***

Gospel: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 
—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace 
they do not eat without purifying themselves. 
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
    This people honors me with their lips,
        but their hearts are far from me;
    in vain do they worship me,
        teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand. 
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.

“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Over the course of history, human beings have done some of the greatest things to each other – and some of the worst things to each other – in the name of religion.

We’ve fed, clothed, and sheltered the poor. We’ve forgiven transgressions, and repaired broken relationships. 

We’ve worked for peace, even giving our lives in pursuit of it; built towering cathedrals that have stood for more than a millennium; and created musical masterpieces. 

All in the name of religion.

But human beings have also started wars, burned down houses of worship, and even oppressed and enslaved people in the name of religion. Look no further than what is unfolding in Afghanistan.

Getting religion right matters. In some cases, people’s lives depend upon it.

What, then, is “right” religion? 

***

In our second reading, Saint James says:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

This is why Jesus so often criticizes the scribes and Pharisees, as he does in today’s Gospel. Their religion does not make them better people. 

They follow hundreds of different rules – they wash their hands before meals, they clean their bowls, they do not work on the Sabbath – but all of this effort does not lead to an inner transformation.

It may sound trivial to us today, this idea of washing your hands before a meal, but rules like this were essential for the Jewish identity in the first century; it was the heart of their religion.

The Jews were an oppressed minority living under Roman rule. Ritual purity was their way of keeping their culture, their identity, and their beliefs alive.

Jesus does not criticize them for doing this. Nor does he criticize them for being Jewish; Jesus himself was Jewish. What he condemns is the fact that all of this effort is fruitless.

Clean hands mean nothing if your heart is defiled.

***

The same idea applies to every religion today. Catholics, for example, can be “religious, without being spiritual.” 

We can follow the rules, memorize the commandments, recite prayers from memory, recount a parable or two, or even attend Sunday Mass without growing in love.

It’s only when our religion changes the hundreds of small daily decisions we make – when it changes the way we speak, think, and treat each other – that it serves its purpose, becoming “real.”

***

Our religion is centered around love.

The love that God has for you and for me – and the love we must have for one another. 

How, then, has our religion made us better people, or better lovers of God and humanity?

***

The Native Americans explain religion differently, but in a way that is still relevant to us today. 

They believe there are two wolves living within all of us. One wolf feeds on things that are evil, like the sins mentioned in today’s Gospel: unchastity, theft, adultery, greed, arrogance, envy, murder, jealousy, and judgment.

The other wolf feeds on things thing that are good: peace, patience, kindness, generosity, charity, apologies, prudence, and love.

The question becomes, which wolf wins?

***

The one we feed.

***

Human beings have done some of the greatest things in history in the name of religion. But we’ve also done some of the worst things in the name of religion.

“Right” religion, no matter what yours may be, boils down to feeding that good wolf within. Doing so not only leads to inner peace; it also spreads peace around us.

Perhaps this is what God is asking us this week: how will we feed that good wolf within?

***

***

Image credits: (1) Indian Review of Advanced Legal Research (2) Fine Art America (3) Which side of ourselves will prevail? cnn

***

Gospel: Matthew 25: 1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’ 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 
The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’ 
But the wise ones replied,
‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ 
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ 
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

I’m sure we all know someone who lives without faith.

Today we lift them up to the Lord, seeking the intercession of Saint Monica.

***

Monica is the patroness of mothers, married women, and alcoholics.

She never had an easy life. Among other things, her husband was unfaithful in their marriage. Sadly, his wayward life also rubbed off on their children. 

But Monica never gave up.

***

We know the story of one of her children, in particular, Augustine of Hippo.

Like his father, Augustine was a restless youth who caused his mother to worry constantly. Although he was a towering intellect, he saw no need for faith.

For 17 years, Monica prayed for his conversion. And shortly before her death her prayer was answered.

Augustine not only became a Catholic; he was also ordained a priest and later a bishop. 

Writing extensively about the Catholic faith, Augustine became one of the most influential thinkers the Church has ever known. 

***

But on her deathbed, Monica asked only one thing of her son: “That you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.”

That’s something we can all do for our loved ones – remember them at the altar of the Lord.

Like Monica, may we never give up, trusting that one day the Lord draw them to himself. 

***

***

Image credits: (1) Amazon (2) Saint Augustine and His Mother, Monica, by Ary Scheffer (3) Catholic Faith Store.