News - July 2022 RSS Feed

“See How He Loved Them!” - Everything we know about the sisters Martha and Mary are found in the tenth chapter of Luke and the eleventh chapter of John, both of which contain the gospel passage selections we can choose for today’s memorial. These two gospel accounts tell of two entirely different events.

"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." - Matthew 13:52 - During these past weeks of unbearable heat in New Jersey, my husband Jim and I have enjoyed a late evening walk in our neighborhood to escape our air conditioned, shades-drawn cocoon. We took an alternative route the other day and came across a construction site where only recently there had been a shabby abandoned building. What new enterprise was afoot?

“I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told you.” (John 15:15) - We know from history that during Jesus’ lifetime, the Romans controlled the villages in and around Judea. At any time, soldiers could ride through and ransack homes and farms. Aware of this atrocity, people kept their prized possessions buried underground in their homes or in their fields. So, when they wanted to retrieve their possessions, they had to dig the earth for them.

"Wheat and Weeds. Parent and Child." - Today’s gospel passage (Mt. 13:36-43) is the conclusion of Jesus’ parable about the sowing of seeds of wheat by a farmer and his enemy sowing seeds of weeds in his field at night. The wheat and the weeds are allowed to grow together but are separated at the harvest. At this time the weeds are collected and thrown into a furnace to be burned. The weeds, of course, are the evildoers, the followers of the Evil One.

It’s a bit like having your friends recall every year the time you backed into and destroyed that parking meter! The gospel reading chosen for this Feast of St. James does not celebrate his most flattering moment: it tells of the time his mother, with the connivance of her sons, approached Jesus to ask preferential treatment for James and his brother John in the coming kingdom. If, on the other hand, Mark 1: 19-20 had been chosen for today’s gospel reading, we would have seen James and John leaving their nets immediately to follow Jesus at his call. A bit more flattering!

"Him Whom My Heart Loves" - On this the feast day of Mary Magdalene, I’ll make this reflection about her, since she has readings dedicated to her feast. Mary Magdalene is unique among women in the Gospels in that she alone, other than the Blessed Mother herself, is mentioned by name in every Gospel account (and prominently in most).

As we all know, there is a clear difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is rather passive – the hustle and bustle of our daily lives provides a cacophony of sounds most of which we filter out of our consciousness. Listening, on the other hand, is something very active.

“On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength.” (Ps. 71:6) - Whenever Jesus tells us parables, he doesn’t share them just to entertain us. His purpose is to pick us up and shake us—if we allow him. When he puts us back down, we are not the same. We are different, because we have digested Jesus’ words and taken to heart the message within the story.

“Who Is My Mother? Who Are My Brothers?” - These questions in today’s gospel (Mt: 12:46-50), of course, come in the context of Jesus’ mother and some relatives seeking him out and wanting to speak with him. And we all know well that Jesus goes on to say, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to me.” Strong words here, no? But not in any way a rebuke of His mother or relatives.

"Do right, Love kindness and Walk humbly" - Complaints about empty, external worship occur in several prophets and it would be easy to assume that the last verse in today’s reading from the Prophet Micah is a rejection of the earlier mentioned sacrifices and offerings. “Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God,” this is “what the Lord requires” (6:8), Micah proclaims.

"I Desire Mercy" - This is the second time in Matthew that Jesus tells the Pharisees to go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. He also told them this at the beginning of chapter 9 at the calling of Matthew when he held a dinner for Jesus and tax collectors and “sinners” were at the table with them.

Archbishop of Paris Cardinal Emmanuel Suhard (1874-1949) once observed that to be a saint means "to live in such a way that one's life would not make sense if God did not exist." The Church's lectionary invites us today to see in the life of Saint Kateri, Lily of the Mohawk

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”—Matthew 11:25 - After many years in the classroom as a teacher, I have grown to understand and appreciate the difference between childish (immature) and childlike (innocent and trusting). In today’s gospel Jesus is bursting with praise for the childlike and trusting.

“It Will Go Ill with You, Chorazin! And Just As ill with You, Bethsaida!” - In today’s gospel passage (Mt. 11:20-24) Jesus is reproaching 3 villages (He will later include Capernaum) for not converting after seeing Him perform numerous miracles. Sometimes it is very helpful to situate a given passage in its context to understand better its meaning; today’s is one of those times.

"Prophets and the Poor" - No one has ever invited a prophet home for dinner a second time. The harsh message and language of prophets is certainly not the pleasant chitchat one hopes for in a relaxed evening with friends.

“Then Your Light Will Break Forth Like the Dawn” - There is a famous line in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, that states, “Half-measures availed us nothing.” The letter of James in the first chapter tells us to ask God for this gift of full repentance, but warns us, “Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded person, unstable in all his ways.”

“Do I own my things, or do they own me?” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta - Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ discourse to his disciples. They’re to proclaim that the kingship of God is close at hand. This is true because his presence and work are the very embodiment of the Kingdom.

“Seek always the face of the Lord.” (Ps. 105) - Last summer I had cataracts removed from my eyes. What a joy to be able to see and read clearly again! As I age, I am amazed at how much I am learning about my relationship with God through my own body! Today we read from the prophet Hosea, who cautions us against injustice and idolatry.

"The Harvest Is Good... but the laborers are scarce.” - This quote ends today’s gospel (Mt: 9:32-38), which describes Jesus going through all the towns of Galilee teaching, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and curing people’s illnesses. WHO are the laborers Jesus speaks of? Many would say that only priests, nuns, and people called to vowed religious life are these laborers. Right?

Happy Independence Day - "God and the Beloved" - Many a Christian today is surprised to hear that God’s relationship to humanity is compared in Scripture a number of times to that of a lover and beloved. This first of a series of readings from the Book of Hosea speaks of God wooing back the bride of His youth who had been unfaithful. Our faith relation to God in most of its particulars is helpfully compared to such a relationship.