And Saint Charbel Makhlouf, Priest
Biographical Information about Saint Charbel Makhlouf[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 14:21—15:1
The first reading today continues the Exodus story where it was left, with Moses opening a way through the sea for the Israelites. When the Egyptians try to follow, God delays them using the same column (pillar of fire) that had been leading to Israelites to confuse and panic the armies ni pursuit.
In the end Moses closes the way through the sea while Pharaoh’s army is still in the midst of the sea and no one survives. This wonder strengthens the faith of the Israelites in God and in Moses. Moses’ response is to begin the Psalm/Prayer we see in the Psalm Response below.
Responsorial Psalm Exodus 15:8-9, 10 and 12, 17
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The Psalm/Prayer used today continues the prayer of Moses started yesterday. It gives thanks for the favor God has shown to the people and marvels at His great power.
Gospel Mt 12:46-50
In this important selection from St. Matthew’s Gospel Jesus emphasizes the importance of the family of faith over the biological family. His initial indication that the disciples are his family is clarified by the statement “…whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel focuses our reflection on the importance of the faith community to which we belong. Jesus makes a very sweeping statement. He says that his family is not limited to his biological family, “his mother and brothers”, but rather those who join him in doing the will of the Heavenly Father.
Without getting into the sociological issues surrounding the development of group structures, we look at our own sphere of friends. If we are lucky this “sphere” includes individuals who feel like extended family. They share major parts of our values and faith (lacking a faith community, that generally falls to either life experiences or shared passion (e.g. people with whom we work or play)).
Even though it is stated parenthetically above, our true passions tend to yield our closest bonds of friendship. If we are deeply committed to our faith community, we generally find our closest friends are those who share that commitment. By the same token, if our passion is golf, our closest friends will be other golfers. If work is our life’s passion, our closest friends will be our co-workers. The larger numbers of links between us, the closer the ties become.
We ask ourselves; what importance do the bonds of friendship we forge have in our faith lives? The answer is, they are huge. The outward sign of our faith is rooted in our behaviors. Our behaviors tell the world what is important to us. If we dedicate our energies to forging friendships with individuals whose behaviors are hedonistic or self-destructive, what does that say about our own passions? If we devote our energy to improving our skill at some sport and ignore other aspects of familial or spiritual duty, what does that say about our commitments?
We do not recommend, as part of our reflection, the complete and myopic focus on our spiritual pursuits unless one feels called to either the Priesthood or Religious life. In those vocations, that kind of dedication will not twist one’s commitments out of balance. However, we do recommend a close look at where our closest bonds are formed and if there is not some shared commitment to faith values, there may be room to rebalance our lives in that direction.
Pax
[1] The picture of St. Charbel Makhlouf is from a holy card, artist is UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about Saint Charbel Makhlouf[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 14:21—15:1
The first reading today continues the Exodus story where it was left, with Moses opening a way through the sea for the Israelites. When the Egyptians try to follow, God delays them using the same column (pillar of fire) that had been leading to Israelites to confuse and panic the armies ni pursuit.
In the end Moses closes the way through the sea while Pharaoh’s army is still in the midst of the sea and no one survives. This wonder strengthens the faith of the Israelites in God and in Moses. Moses’ response is to begin the Psalm/Prayer we see in the Psalm Response below.
Responsorial Psalm Exodus 15:8-9, 10 and 12, 17
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The Psalm/Prayer used today continues the prayer of Moses started yesterday. It gives thanks for the favor God has shown to the people and marvels at His great power.
Gospel Mt 12:46-50
In this important selection from St. Matthew’s Gospel Jesus emphasizes the importance of the family of faith over the biological family. His initial indication that the disciples are his family is clarified by the statement “…whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel focuses our reflection on the importance of the faith community to which we belong. Jesus makes a very sweeping statement. He says that his family is not limited to his biological family, “his mother and brothers”, but rather those who join him in doing the will of the Heavenly Father.
Without getting into the sociological issues surrounding the development of group structures, we look at our own sphere of friends. If we are lucky this “sphere” includes individuals who feel like extended family. They share major parts of our values and faith (lacking a faith community, that generally falls to either life experiences or shared passion (e.g. people with whom we work or play)).
Even though it is stated parenthetically above, our true passions tend to yield our closest bonds of friendship. If we are deeply committed to our faith community, we generally find our closest friends are those who share that commitment. By the same token, if our passion is golf, our closest friends will be other golfers. If work is our life’s passion, our closest friends will be our co-workers. The larger numbers of links between us, the closer the ties become.
We ask ourselves; what importance do the bonds of friendship we forge have in our faith lives? The answer is, they are huge. The outward sign of our faith is rooted in our behaviors. Our behaviors tell the world what is important to us. If we dedicate our energies to forging friendships with individuals whose behaviors are hedonistic or self-destructive, what does that say about our own passions? If we devote our energy to improving our skill at some sport and ignore other aspects of familial or spiritual duty, what does that say about our commitments?
We do not recommend, as part of our reflection, the complete and myopic focus on our spiritual pursuits unless one feels called to either the Priesthood or Religious life. In those vocations, that kind of dedication will not twist one’s commitments out of balance. However, we do recommend a close look at where our closest bonds are formed and if there is not some shared commitment to faith values, there may be room to rebalance our lives in that direction.
Pax
[1] The picture of St. Charbel Makhlouf is from a holy card, artist is UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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