Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
(or Thirty Fourth or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King

Commentary:

Reading I Dn 7:13-14

Perhaps one of the most important features of this reading is the use of the title “Son of Man”. Jesus later borrowed it and it was the most common way he referred to himself. This vision by Daniel was the scriptural link used by Jesus to explain his role in salvation; “the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Keeping with the theme of the day, this Psalm is a hymn celebrating God’s kingship. It was he who created the world and he has dominion over all.

Reading II Rev 1:5-8

This vision of St. John of the return of Jesus as King is very straight forward. One of the more significant verses is; "I am the Alpha and the Omega, “says the Lord God, "the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." The Alpha and Omega are first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, these words are used again later in Revelations (Rev 22:13) and were predicted by Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4), a clear reference to Christ’s Kingship.

Gospel Jn 18:33b-37

In St. John’s description of Jesus being interrogated by Pontius Pilot we hear Jesus’ reluctant admission of his kinship. He clarifies that he is not a threat to civil authority, something that Pilot would have been most worried about since attempting to usurp authority from Caesar was treason. His statement; “My kingdom does not belong to this world”, changes the character of the Lord’s kingdom from one of physical monarchy to one of spiritual rule.

Reflection:

A number of years ago I was talking to a young lady from New York City who had come to Ann Arbor to study at the University of Michigan. We were talking about what she was going to day once her studies were finished and I asked her if she was planning on moving back to New York. Her response told me how different things were there – she said that if she did, she would have to be very careful for a while because her “pedestrian reflexes” had slowed down. I asked her what that meant and she told me that if she walked out in the street in “The City” the way she does around Ann Arbor, she would run down by a cabbie for sure.

People from different parts of the country and world behave differently. The rules and laws they grew up with shape the way they behave and react in different situations. The young lady I talked about just now knew that the people who drive cars in New York would not yield to a pedestrian. She told me; “You have to be quick on your feet or you’ll end up in the hospital.” She was probably exaggerating but it emphasizes my point.

Today we are reminded once more that we are subjects of a Kingdom not of this earth but eternal in heaven. As members of this kingdom we are subject to the laws of this kingdom and its ruler, Christ who is King. His law of love supersedes the temporal secular laws we live under as citizens of what ever country to which we belong. His ten commandments are binding upon us even if the legal systems under which we operate does not hold the same values.

The question we must ask ourselves as we contemplate an act of contrition is, if we were brought before the King today, would we be convicted under the laws of the heavenly kingdom? While the Lord’s Kingdom is not of this earth, his Kinship is eternal and we must never forget we are his subjects – now and forever.

Pax

Thirty third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Thirty third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Dn 12:1-3

Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Reading II Heb 10:11-14, 18

Gospel Mk 13:24-32

Commentary:

Daniel:
In Daniel we begin with an apocalyptic vision of the end times. A leader named Michael will arise and great distress will come upon the earth. Daniel describes the separation of those to be saved and those not. He does not give any attributes to them; he merely indicates that that those who are found “written in the book” will escape.

He goes on to say that those “who sleep in the dust of the earth” will awake and live forever. This is a clear reference to the afterlife and the fact that there are those who will “be an everlasting horror and disgrace” clearly references what we call heaven and hell.

Psalm:
The Psalm is one of praise. It does refer to the end times as well; “because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.” The intention of this selection is to remind us that there is a resurrection of the dead and that we should take heart in God who makes this promise.

Hebrews:
The reference here to Priests refers to Levitical priests of the Hebrews. When one of the early Jews committed an act contrary to Hebrew Law, they were required to make a “sin offering” to mitigate against the dire consequences there were likely to follow. We know that when bad things happened to individuals, it was thought that God was punishing them for an offense against him, hence the perceived need for the “sin offering” given by the priest. Jesus, through his supreme sacrifice remitted sins once and for all, something no false sacrifice could accomplish.

That is what is meant by the final line in our passage; “Where there is forgiveness of these, tere is no longer offering for sin.”

Mark:
This selection concludes Jesus’ prediction about the destruction of the Temple. Here he borrows imagery from Daniel to provide the more proofs of his divinity to the disciples he is speaking with. He warns that they should be vigilant because the time is coming and the hour and day are not known; “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Reflection:

It is fitting that as we conclude this liturgical year (next Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King – the last Sunday of this liturgical year) we are pointed at the end times, the Eschaton. The first reading from Daniel takes us there with his description of how the faithful and the unfaithful will be separated. The Psalm rejoices in the promise of the resurrection of the body. Hebrews links up with the Psalm as it speaks of Christ great sacrifice promising forgiveness to those who follow him in life.

Finally we hear the last part of Jesus’ address to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and the end times for all mankind. He provides further proofs to those rather “slow to believe” disciples in Mark’s Gospel, of the Lord’s divinity as he will come; “'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds” and lets us know that it is he who will separate those whom Daniel refers to as having their names “written in the book” – it’s his book.

Beyond the reminder that there will be a reckoning at the end, what does scripture say to us today? We can take away a couple of messages. First, we can take heart in the fact that the Lord’s mercy is there for us. He offered himself so that all might not fall into, as Daniel calls is; “an everlasting horror and disgrace”. We have chosen to follow him and know his promise of everlasting life. Clearly we can rejoice in that message along with the Psalmist who also rejoices in the resurrection.

We can also listen to the warning that the hour and day of the end is not known and that we must remain on our best behavior because of that. We do not want to procrastinate saying; “I can reconcile with the Father for my sinful acts today. After all, Jesus will forgive me if I am truly sorry.” Indeed, Jesus for gives our sins. But if we know an act is sinful and still go ahead with it, is simply saying; “I’m sorry” enough? Will we not be called to account for our actions?

Today is the Lord’s Day and we rejoice in the Eucharist we will share. Let us also recall that he has, through his saving sacrifice, brought forgiveness to us all and in that sacrifice we share again today, we are offered a new start looking for our own glorious resurrection with him.

Pax

The 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Thirty first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Dt 6:2-6

Responsorial Psalm Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Reading II Heb 7:23-28

Gospel Mk 12:28b-34

Reflection:

On Friday we asked; which is more important following the letter of the Law or the spirit of the Law? We did not go into a great deal of depth on the issue other than to say that there were few absolutes in the Law. Today, however, we receive one; in Hebrew it is called the Shema: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad). This profession of faith in the One God is repeated in the Gospel from Mark. However, where the typical prayer of the Jewish faith goes as follows:

Jesus stops after the third line above and changes the prayer, the profession, the command to one that demonstrates how significantly he came to change the world.

While the Shema originally was intended strictly as a statement that the belief in the One God is central, Jesus changes it to include the spirit of that law – that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that who ever believes in Him and follows his commands will find everlasting life.

We come back to the question from Friday; which is most important following the letter of the law or the spirit of the law? Jesus combines letter and spirit when he gives us the great commandment. He joins them in such a way that we cannot follow the letter of the Shema that tells us that; “the Lord is our God, the Lord is one (alone)” without also loving our neighbor. How can we reject that which God has made the object of such intense love?

This is a great philosophical understanding of the Christian focus, however, it is supremely difficult to accomplish on a consistent basis. How can we love those who hate us? Jesus has an answer for that as well – he tells us:

"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. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.(MT 5 43ff)

We have also said in previous posts that, as disciples, our goal is to develop the reflexes of Jesus so we always act, without thinking, in the way he would act. This Law/command/profession is the most difficult of reflexes to build. Think if you will how a parent instinctively acts to protect their child if the child were to stumble. That is how we must react toward our brothers and sisters. We have our commands today – if we accept the challenge Jesus has given us his assurance in the Gospel today – “You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Pax

Vote

Twenty sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Num 11:25-29

Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

Reading II Jas 5:1-6

Gospel Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Reflection:

As we listen to the scripture in our hearts today we hear a faint voice that tries to explain why the world is like it is today. By this we are referring to the terrible bloodshed and constant violence in the Middle East. We are at a loss to understand how this distaff set of brothers and sisters can have cultivated such hatred.

As we hear the voice of the young man say to Moses; "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, " and we hear Moses reply; "Are you jealous for my sake?" we can begin to understand. We hear the parallel passage from the Gospel of Mark as the disciples are upset, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus said the same thing Moses had said couched in different terms.

When a people feel that the will of others is being imposed upon them and a sense of helplessness comes over them, they turn to God and ask for help. Just as those servants of Moses and Jesus came to them for guidance. This was certainly the case in Palestine when the land that had been part of another country was appropriated by the world powers who had just won World War II. We understand the guilt and sympathy that drove the decision. We also understand the Judeo-Christian history that selected that part of the world to establish the Jewish Homeland. Why then can we not understand that helpless and hopeless people grasp at the hand of violence that is out-stretched from an Old Testament tradition we share (see Gen 21;9ff)?

Many of them, especially the young, must feel that the situation is unjust and if no one will listen, they will use the only weapon they have, their lives. The wound has been festering since 1947 when the state of Israel was officially recognized (few now remember the fierce fighting that took place as the Arab inhabitants tried to fight off that decision). Few of us in the United States remember the establishment of the Palestinian refugee camps as the huge influx of Hebrew refugees from all over the world were poured into the region, in many cases, displacing the people who had owned the land for generations. Is it any wonder there is hatred and violence?

What we have identified above does not mean we somehow approve of Islamic extremists. There are other less noble reasons for people to take up arms in the region and we will not go into the economics here. What we do need to do is understand the plight of the region so we can attempt to do what Christ asks us to; love one another. There is no time that is more difficult than when dealing with a people driven by hatred and ready to kill indiscriminately for an ideal that has been twisted.

Christ knew there would be attacks; he knew that there would always be resistance to the message of peace and love he preached. He told his disciples; "For whoever is not against us is for us." He also told us that we were not to sink to the level of those who corrupt the young. He pretty forcefully pointed out that what we needed to do was follow his commandments and not react to others; a very difficult task in the world today. We must try because that is what we are called to do. And we must use our democratic system to try to put leaders in place who will echo those sentiments. If we do not participate in the process then we have not right to point at others who did and complain about the elected leadership.

Pax

Who's on the Race Committee

Twenty fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Is 50:5-9a

Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Reading II Jas 2:14-18

Gospel Mk 8:27-35

Reflection:

We are constantly reminded that we are all on a journey of faith. Along the way we encounter others. Some of those we encounter are going the same way we are and we walk with them for a while (our friends). A very few are going at the same pace in the same direction and we walk with them for a very long time (our family). However, most of those we meet are either traveling at a different pace; are at a different point in the journey; or are going in the wrong direction entirely.

Those of us lucky enough to have very close friends or family traveling the same journey are like the crew of a sail boat (once in a while I need to recall the sailor part of the Deacon). While we are at the helm, steering a course, others around us, our friends and family are constantly giving us information that help us to adjust that direction so we are moving toward our destination at the best possible speed.

The Church is the like the boat builder and sail-maker. The Church gives us the means to travel on our journey. It provides safety in storms, and gives us the power to move constantly against a secular tide that always flows against us.

We have as our navigation chart the Holy Scripture. Translated by the Church into directions we can understand, It tells us where the danger areas are, the shoals and sandbars places we could run aground or even be sunk. We need to constantly rely on that chart and listen to those who are helping us navigate.

The Lord, of course, is our compass (now days He’s actually more like a GPS). He both guides us with a needle that points the way and at the same time provides the direction for us to our destination.

Now sometimes, in our boat, a person tries to misdirect us. They may say let’s go over there because the sun is shining or let’s go here because it is more fun. These people can be a danger to us because, if we forget to consult the chart, listen the rest of the crew, or consult the compass, we can run aground and sink.

This is what is happening with Jesus today in his Gospel. In his case it is his “First Mate” who is trying to turn him from his proper course. Peter, who has just led the disciples in telling Jesus they believe is the Son of God, now actually argues with him about the course of events.

We can understand Peter. He and the other disciples love Jesus and he has just told them the destination was going to break up the crew. They are worried and frightened because they don’t understand why they have to follow this course.

Frankly, Jesus himself, because he is True Man, is frightened as well. He knows the course they must sail, but also knows what lies at the way point, that is the Cross. So when Peter suggests that this is not the way to go, for the briefest of instants, Jesus is tempted to follow that advice and take an easier course. Then he realizes that the evil one, who is always trying to sell us inaccurate (uncertified) charts at discount rates, has whispered in Peter’s ear. That is why he tells Peter; “Get behind me, Satan.”

If the Apostles on Jesus’ crew can get bad information, how much more careful do we need to be, on guard against following bad advice and sailing off course? We, who are not nearly as good at sailing this journey of faith, need to be constantly consulting the compass (who is Jesus) and referring to the charts (Holy Scripture). And when the seas of our journey get rough, we need to trust our boat (the Church) and know that the party at the end of journey is one we cannot afford to miss.

Pax

He has done all things well.

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1Is 35:4-7a

Thus says the Lord: Say to those whose hearts are frightened:Be strong, fear
not!Here is your God,he comes with vindication;with divine recompensehe comes to
save you.Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,the ears of the deaf be
cleared;then will the lame leap like a stag,then the tongue of the mute will
sing.Streams will burst forth in the desert,and rivers in the steppe.The burning
sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10R. (1b)

Praise the Lord, my soul!

The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,secures justice for the
oppressed,gives food to the hungry.The Lord sets captives free.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed
down.The Lord loves the just;the Lord protects strangers.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains,but the way of the wicked he
thwarts.The Lord shall reign forever;your God, O Zion, through all generations.
Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

Reading II
Jas 2:1-5

My brothers and sisters, show no partialityas you adhere to the faith in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.For if a man with gold rings and fine
clothescomes into your assembly,and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes
in,and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothesand say, “Sit here,
please, ”while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet,
”have you not made distinctions among yourselvesand become judges with evil
designs?Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.Did not God choose those who are
poor in the worldto be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdomthat he promised to
those who love him?

Gospel
Mk 7:31-37

Again Jesus left the district of Tyreand went by way of Sidon to the Sea of
Galilee,into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man
who had a speech impedimentand begged him to lay his hand on him.He took him off
by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s earsand,
spitting, touched his tongue;then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said
to him,“Ephphatha!” -. that is, “Be opened!” --And immediately the man’s ears
were opened,his speech impediment was removed,and he spoke plainly. He ordered
them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to,the more they
proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said,“He has done all
things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Homily:

“He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

To a world in pain, these words are words of hope; words of peace. Tomorrow is September 11th, 9/11, the fifth year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. We have been reminded of that fact, as if we were likely to forget it for the past week in practically every news source available to us. We have heard it on radio, TV, the internet, and at the news stand.

When we hear or see these reminders, we invariably think of where we were and what we were doing when we first learned of the attacks. We remember our shock at hearing a plane had crashed into the first tower; our growing fear when the second tower was struck; and the pandemonium that followed as reports the strike at the Pentagon and wild speculations of up to 9 additional aircraft being taken over.

That day changed the way we live in the world. It replaced a feeling of safety and security with one on fear, uncertainty, and anger. Yes, let us not forget the anger that followed the shock. Who could, for a political agenda, kill the thousands of innocent people who died at, what we now know as “Ground Zero”? Who would dare strike at our country? We were not at war with anyone.

Yes, it changed the way we think about the world and the way we live in it. Our children’s children will see moves made before that day 5 years ago and remark at how strange it is to see people just walking into an airline terminal and saying good-by to their families at the boarding gate. They will wonder at the lack of security they see in those old films.

There was something else that happened right after those attacks five years ago. People came flooding back to Church. We came because we were afraid; we came to pray; we came because something had been taken from us and we did not know were else to go to find it. We came seeking peace and consolation, and we found it in Jesus who “… has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

As we hear today Jesus comes to fulfill the words of hope from Isaiah:

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.

We are called to remember that, while the world has turned to violence and hatred, we are called to be a people of peace, patterning our lives after the one who came to make the deaf hear and the mute speak. We are called to be a people whose greatest commandment is to love one another; because in that love, we find the peace of Christ. It is a great tonic that allows us to live in the world but be separate from it.

Does this mean we should forget what happened five years ago? No, we cannot forget that there are those who have lost their way and in their hopelessness are willing to throw away God’s greatest gift, burning it on the pyre of hatred.

We remember that history and do our best to put peace where there was once fear,
because our Lord came to bring us that peace.

We remember that history and do our best to place forgiveness in the place of hatred,
because our Lord came to forgive and taught us to do the same.

We remember that awful day, praying for the souls of the victims and praying for
healing for their families and friends.

Finally, we remember that day and pray for those who supported that heinous act and, as we still see, support it today, that they might turn from the self destruction of hate and
find the peace that comes in the arms of Him who did all things well. He makes the deaf to hear and the mute speak.

These are not easy things for us to do. It is so easy to be reminded of all the things we have lost and be angry, vindictive, and spiteful. There has been no remorse expressed by those who perpetrated the act and support continued attacks on all Christians and Jews, but the prayerful response called for by Christ, himself, is what we are called to give.

Since the very beginning, our way of life has been attached. Never did Jesus tell us to hate those who hate us. That makes us the same as them. He calls us to be a people of peace, a image of God’s love.

As we recall the anniversary of 9-11 tomorrow, let us remember as well that our best response for our selves and for our world is the forgiveness that leads to the peace of Christ who has done all things well.

Amen

Subordination

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection:

The scripture today is just big, that’s the best word for it. There is a connection between the three readings but at the 1,000 foot level. (I think we can actually use the flow of today’s scripture as sort of a courtship analogy. The first reading is like popping the question.)

Joshua asks the leaders of the people if they want to serve the Lord our God or some other religion. We can assume Christ’s soon to be fiancé was being a bit wayward so the “will you marry me” question was asked in a way that seemed to give the people options. Then we have the famous scripture passage from Joshua where the quote; “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." The passage ends with the rest of the people he gathered also swearing allegiance to the Father, recounting it was He who brought them out of Egypt and protected them on their journey. It and of itself this passage is a profession of faith and a reminder of God’s love for his people. To the question “will you marry me?” the answer is "I will."

Next we come to the Psalm where again we hear echoes of the Bead of Life discourse from last two Sundays. I the context of the flow of scripture today, we can be reminded that this is our engagement dinner. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” is our refrain. It is a life giving meal.

Do you remember a little over a week ago in a reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, we heard Jesus talking about divorce? Remember also how we talked about the sacramental nature of the bond between husband and wife and how that differs from the civil contract formed during the ceremony? Remember also, how we said many parishes avoid that reading because it is so hard to explain? Today, in what will be in our analogy of courtship the wedding vows, we are given another very difficult passage, one that is commonly pushed to the rear because it is difficult to reconcile with the secular feminist movement and can be interpreted literally as male domination. Fortunately, it is given in its entirety so we can focus on the very first line:

“Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Be subordinate to one another. That means mutual respect. Granted, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written back in the first century, just years after the death of Christ, to a male dominated society. His definition of roles is consistent with Hebrew tradition of the time. The most important element we must take away from what he writes here is that marriage is a partnership, a partnership in which husband and wife must be “subordinate to one another”. That mutual subordination is based upon the bond of love they share, love that is the very image of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church. Determining roles and views within that partnership is what is accomplished throughout the courtship process and, that it is discussed, is verified in the marriage preparation process. The roles in our analogy today,. between Christ and His Church, are codified by scripture, the magisterium, and Canon Law.

Finally we come to the Gospel. The situation we see from St. John today follows the Bread of Life discourse we have heard for the past two Sundays. Jesus has just told his followers (it appears that he was being followed by a pretty big number by this time) that “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” Then we hear today; “Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’” Does that sound familiar? Who else do we know that cannot accept that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and, because of that, have turned and gone back to their old way of belief?

Participating in the marriage between Christ and His Church is difficult. We are asked, as part of our renewed commitment, to accept that Christ is head of the Church and for us to remain faithful we must eat his flesh and drink his blood so that we might have life within us. We were adopted in Baptism, we had our Coming Out Party in Confirmation, we celebrated our marriage in Eucharist and it marks our anniversary each time we eat of the flesh of the Son of God. Today, let us renew our vows. Once more accept the Bridegroom, who is Christ, and vow to be faithful to him.

Pax

Hungry?

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection:

Last week in “Some Carbs are God” we talked about the beginning of the Eucharistic discourse on the “Bread of Life” from John. This week it continues and this time supported by a very interesting reading from Proverbs and, as is customary, a pragmatic set of instructions from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

The Gospel continues with Christ’s remarkable revelation that, what he did at the last supper in the upper room was not simply symbolic (That is what all of the protestant denominations as well as the Pentecostal and Baptist denominations believe in spite of the fact that at least the Pentecostals and Baptists believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible.). What is interesting is the different flavor it has when we first hear from Proverbs.

If you remember, last week the first reading was from the Book of First Kings and how Elijah was given food for the journey. This week we hear about Wisdom and; “…Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding. “ This passage re-focuses us from the strengthening properties (food for the journey) to the way the Eucharist changes us in our understanding of God’s will for us (Forsake foolishness that you may live).

Let’s see what would happen if we took that same short reading from the Proverbs, which sounds to me like an early attempt to understand the Holy Spirit, and insert our understanding of the Trinity. It might sound something like this:

Wisdom has built her house,
Jesus has gone before us to prepare room for us.
she has set up her seven columns;
In his Father’s house there are many mansions
she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine,
At the Last Supper, in the upper room, our Savior gave to us his Body and Blood
yes, she has spread her table.
Yes, it is a new and everlasting covenant He has prepared for us.
She has sent out her maidens; she calls
from the heights out over the city:
He left his Disciples with the charge to go our and teach all nations.
“Let whoever is simple turn in here;
He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to Guide us.
To the one who lacks understanding, she says,
Come, eat of my food,
All you who hunger, here is my body, real food.
and drink of the wine I have mixed!
All you who thirst, here is my blood, real drink
Forsake foolishness that you may live;
advance in the way of understanding.”
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever

Here we can get a sense of the great gift our Lord gave us in his Body and Blood. When he tells us that he is in us and we in Him, we begin to see how he works to conform us to his glorious image. It is through the gift of the Eucharist that the Gates of Heaven are opened and it is only through the Eucharist that we can see them. Pax

Some Carbs are God

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection:

The background of the first reading from the First Book of Kings is actually a great segue (I had never seen this word in print before although I had heard it in common usage. It is pronounced seg-way and actually is defined as performance direction. I had a heck of a time finding the spelling.) to yesterday’s main topic about violating the second commandment. Elijah was under the broom tree because he was “on the run”.

He had just finished a miraculous episode that converted or re-converted a large group to have faith in God the Father. When he had finished, he had the priests of Baal brought to him and he slit their throats (that Old Testament justice is really brutal). Jezebel was the ruler of Beer-sheba which was apparently a big Baal hot bed and she sent word that Elijah was going to get what he gave those priests of Baal. That is why he was on the run. He was trying to save the people from the trap of false gods.

The reason Elijah was under the broom tree, however, is secondary to the image we have of what happened there. We can tell the prophet is very upset (he was afraid his throat was going to be slit) and goes so far as to ask God to just end it (“This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”). But the Lord has bigger and better things in store for Elijah. God sent his own messenger to give him food for his journey and to make sure he understood that he did not give up.

While we see from our perch more than 2,500 years in his future (the 1st Book of Kings is thought to have been written between 561 BC and 538 BC) that this story is Eucharistic in its reference, it might not have appeared to have had that meaning at the time. But if we include the sound bite from Psalm 34 (“Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.”) (Tradition has it that the Psalms were, for the most part composed around the time of King David, about 1, 000 BC, well before 1st Kings, although not actually written down until about 600 BC) the link between Elijah and Jesus’ gift of His own Body and Blood in the Eucharist becomes substantial. Not only that but it is back linked (excuse the internet terminology) by the Feast of the Transfiguration we celebrated just a week ago.

So here is the big surprise; today’s scripture is about the Eucharist. Wait a minute, what about that second reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians? Paul is always practical and as we read this piece of his letter to the Church at Ephesus we see that practical advice;

All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you,
along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

This does not sound Eucharistic so are we out of step with the rest of scripture? No, look at the end of the passage; “…Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.” There is our reference, so we are consistently told of the perpetual nature of Christ’s sacrifice from before all time. His New Covenant was made clear in his sacrifice on the Cross but was foretold many times in the history of man’s encounters with God. From the time God brought the Hebrew people out of their slavery in Egypt, when he gave them manna in the desert, to when Jesus fed the multitudes with loaves and fishes we were told this timeless gift was to be given.

John’s Gospel, of course, takes away any ambiguity. There is no longer a need for symbolism or implication, Jesus is crystal clear;

I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh
for the life of the world.

If one believes that Jesus is the only Son of the Living God; if one believes that, at the Last Supper, he gave his disciples bread and wine and told them; “This is my body”, and “This is my blood.”; if one believes that the Bible is the revealed word of God, how can we deny that, in the Eucharist we receive today, Christ has once more given us His body, real food, and His blood, real drink?

I know there are some who argue that he was speaking metaphorically. How can they say that in light of the scripture we hear today? How can we not believe that he left this gift with his disciples and that they in turn passed on that gift through Peter down that long path of apostolic succession, 2000 years, to this altar on this day?

Today we thank God for the gift of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ who gave us the gift of His Body and Blood that He might be in us and we in Him and share with Him the salvation He won in His sacrifice on the Cross. Pax

High Places

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Readings for Sunday

Reflection:

I pose this question; was the physical transfiguration of Jesus (Oh, and the voice from heaven saying; “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”) the cause of the conversion experienced by Peter, James, and John or was it that their faith allowed them to understand what would otherwise have been confusing?

Of course this question is somewhat rhetorical since we cannot know the minds of the disciples at the time this event took place. But we can speculate about people in general and ourselves specifically in similar situations. If we had been blessed to have been around those 2,000 years ago and have been singularly honored to have been invited by the Lord to go up the high place (the symbolism from ancient Hebrew would have been to a “holy place”) knowing what we know today about Jesus; how he was born to the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit; baptized by John in the Jordan; how he healed the sick, walked on water, and of all the other signs he performed; having faith, as we do, that he is the only Son of God; would we have understood what was talking place as he was revealed?

I would hope that, for us with our two millennia history of faith, it would be a “no brainer”. Yet for the disciples who did not have the rest of the story, seeing Jesus suddenly changed in front of their eyes; seeing the two most important figures from Old Testament scripture, Moses and Elijah, standing with their teacher would have been mind bending. It is understandable that they would have been confused and afraid. While they were sure, at this point, Jesus was special, up to this time the final leap of faith was not solidly made. Then to hear the voice of God accompany that tableau, it must have nailed their hearts to the ground. We can only imagine the force of that revelation. The hardest part of the whole situation must have been for them to obey Jesus when he told them: “…not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

Peter was following those instructions even as he related the event again in his letter we heard as the second reading today; “’This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.” This is important because there were probably skeptics around when, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, this story was made public. Heck, there are skeptics around today who don’t believe even though they know the whole story.

So, going back to the original question, what do our reflections on this miraculous event tell us? First, we know that seen through the eyes of faith, this event serves to confirm what we, as a people of that faith, believe and it strengthens our belief and understanding. We also understand that without that lens, the event at best would be confusing and frightening. At the very least, without faith, the Transfiguration would seem like a hallucination, perhaps brought on by oxygen deprivation.

Now, knowing that the Holy Spirit is at work actively in our lives, are there times when we see an event and think, “This does not make sense.” Or “How/Why did this happen?” We need to remember the lesson of the transfiguration. We need to view the events of our lives though that same lens of faith in the Lord, God and Man, unified in the Holy Trinity. Our rational selves must be linked with our hearts of faith so the Lord can make himself known to us. That truly is a lesson learned from this blessed event.

Pax

The Search for Passion

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflection:

Once upon a time a young boy went to a city with his father on a business trip. They arrived a day early and checked into a hotel which was way cool for the boy because, in all his nine years, he had never stayed in a hotel before.

His father told him he had to go to a meeting that evening with some business associates but that the wife of one of these men was going to a concert in the opera house and had an extra ticket. When his father asked if he would like to go or would he rather stay in the hotel room, the boy decided that he would very much like to hear an opera. He had heard about the great tenors and sopranos

He got cleaned up (again, although he did not see why he had to, he had just ridden in a car for a few hours and he had washed his face just that morning AND combed his hair.). At 7:00 the lady and her husband came by their room. The boy’s dad and the other man waked off down the hall and the lady smiled at the boy and asked if he was ready.

The opera house was not too far away so they walked. The night air was cool and a little damp and the noise of the city was everywhere. They reached to opera house (the boy had seen the marquis for about two blocks) and joined a line to get in. Once seated, the lady leaned over and told the boy that he must be very quiet once the music began. She also asked him if he needed to got to the bathroom which he thought was insulting. What did she think he was, a little kid? Besides, his dad had told him to go before they left the hotel room.

The lights in the hall dimmed and the orchestra began to play. They were very good. The boy had heard bands in his town play and was taking piano lesions from Mrs. Richenbach back home and he could tell the Orchestra was really good. He vowed then and there to work harder at practicing piano.

After a while, the big velvet curtain parted and rose and on stage there was the scenery of some remote European town. The boy looked at the program the lady had handed him but the name on the front was long and foreign. Then men and women came on stage, all dressed up like they belonged in that strange village, and they began to sing. They sang like the boy had never heard before in a language he did not understand. But the music itself touched a chord in him and he was immediately drawn in.

The boy tried to follow the story the music was telling and, to some degree he succeeded, he knew that a lady had died when a tenor walked out on stage all by himself and began to sign. Again the words made no sense, the boy did not speak the language, but the clarity of that voice, the melody was so sweet and pure it gripped his heart. Before he knew it, tears were running down his face, not because he was sad (although it was a sad song), but because he had never heard anything so beautiful.

Not to long after the tenor’s solo the opera ended. It ended joyfully with throngs of signers filling the hall with sound. But the boy was still hearing the sweet melody of the tenor. That song filled him up and he could not, did not want to, let it go. If only he could sing like that.

The next day was rather uneventful. His father had meetings all day and the boy was instructed not to leave the hotel. So, he went down to the lobby and hung around the gift shop which did not make the clerk there any too happy. But the boy did not notice. He was still in something of a rapture of music, the music that tenor had sung the night before. He had tried to explain it to his dad (who by the way was tone deaf – The boy did not like to sit next to him a church because when he sang, people around them tended to stare.) but his father just smiled and said something about the first time he had ridden on a ferry boat he wanted to be a sea captain.

This was more than just a simple trip to the opera for the boy though. It turned into a life altering experience. When he returned to his home he single-mindedly looked for a way to train his voice and to learn the music he had heard. At first his parents thought, oh, this is nice, he likes to sing. But after a couple months when his zeal did not abate his mother began to take him seriously. She enrolled him with the choirmaster at the church, then with a boy’s choir in a city near-by.

They boy’s voice was a nice voice, a pleasant voice. But as hard as he worked, it would never be a great voice. Still he yearned to make that glorious sound that made his soul weep in the opera house. He completed his schooling; his passion for music won him a scholarship at a university known for its music. He knew by this time that he would never be a great tenor so he did what he thought was the next best thing, he began teaching others, always looking for that one voice that could take him back to the opera house on that business trip so many years before.

His search trained many great voices and he was, at the end of his career, hailed as one of the greatest voice coaches the opera had ever known. He never did find that sound again. Perhaps it was that tenor’s only great performance. Perhaps it was some combination of acoustics or the moment, but it was never to be repeated in his hearing. Of course, the point of his life was the search, not the finding.

I tell this story today as I reflect upon the Lord repeating the miracle of Elisha the prophet (I have to tell you, I don’t remember ever having heard that Elisha story before. I must have but I don’t remember it.) Something extraordinary happened that day on the hillside. Something that demonstrated the identity of the person called Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God. People there must surely have known what took place, yet, like me forgetting about Elisha feeding a hundred people, almost all of those he fed must have forgotten about it or not realized what had happened. We know this because, when the Lord went before Pilot, many of these same people must have been standing in the crowd that yelled “Crucify him!”

Is not this story compelling enough to make us want to tell every one we meet? Perhaps it’s because it happened so long ago and we were not there; but what about today? Today we participate in another miracle, the one He gave us, the one prefigured by the feeding of the five thousand. If we truly believe that Jesus gave us the Eucharist, His own body and blood, that is brought to the alter as simple bread and wine and there transubstantiated, is that not enough to pursue and talk about for the rest of our lives?

Ultimately, it is our passions that define who we are. It is that which we hold close to our hearts that motivates us. It is the search that people see. It is how they know us. If money, success, and power are our admissions, what do people see? If our great passion is the Lord, be sure, they will see that too.

I gave you a story about one person’s passion today, it defined his life. How will we define ours?

Pax