Daily Retreat 12/01/06

2006 Dec 1 Fri: Ordinary Weekday
Rv 20: 1-4. 11 – 21: 2/ Ps 83(84): 3. 4. 5-6a and 8a/ Lk 21: 29-33

From today’s readings:  “All the dead were judged according to their deeds....  Here God lives among His people....   In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. ”

Unseasonable Conclusions

With the leaves already fallen, and the tree branches standing stark and cold, and so many other harbingers of winter all around us, the Gospel verses about budding trees and signs of summer might seem ironically unseasonable for those of us reading them at this time of the year.  Yet remember, when Jesus spoke this parable, it was actually Tuesday of Passion week, when the trees and all of nature would have been ripe with ubiquitous and unmistakable  promises of summer.  

Now, to the extent possible, the Church’s liturgical year and lectionary plan strive to follow and harmonize with the natural rhythm of the seasons.  This explains, for example, why the end of the world and human death are prominent liturgical themes in the month of November, which, at least in the northern hemisphere, is Mother Nature’s own time of preparation for the cold  lifelessness of winter.

Still, such natural concordance isn’t always possible, of course, as is illustrated today by the seemingly untimely reference  to summer in Luke’s Gospel.  So then, this simple example illustrates why scripture study must be more than merely questioning “what does this mean to me?”   Rather, only with humble prayers for guidance, and by noting the reading’s context, and being attentive to details, and diligently studying history, language, and other cultural and climatic variables, do you and I really realize that the Kingdom of God is near, here and now, especially when we strive to best hear and understand the divine Word God has spoken for all times and seasons!

Daily Retreat 11/30/06

2006 Nov 30 Thu: Andrew, ap F
Rom 10: 9-18/ Ps 18(19): 8. 9. 10. 11/ Mt 4: 18-22

From today’s readings:  “Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ....  Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life....  As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen....”

St. Andrew:  Protoklitos, the First Called

Several weeks ago, Pope Benedict XVI completed an intermittent series of audiences focusing on the Lord’s Apostles.  In keeping with today’s feastday, the Holy Father’s inspiring catechesis on St. Andrew can be found at this link:  

http://zenit.org/english/audience/visualizza.phtml?sid=90942

Daily Retreat 11/29/06

2006 Nov 29 Wed: Ordinary Weekday
Rv 15: 1-4/ Ps 97(98): 1. 2-3ab. 7-8. 9/ Lk 21: 12-19

From today’s readings:  “I, John, saw in Heaven another sign, great and awe-inspiring.... Great and wonderful are Your works, Lord God almighty....  They will seize and persecute you....”

Persecution Perspectives

Jesus speaks with eerie confidence about coming persecutions for His followers.  It’s amazing that they all didn’t throw in the towel when they heard about what was in store for them - perhaps they thought the Lord was merely exaggerating?  

Throughout the centuries, numerous martyrs have given irrefutable witness about the truth of Christ’s words.  But, as Jesus Himself observed, not all of those who give testimony for His sake are crowned with martyrdom, for the witness of Christian faithful living is just as essential as the witness of faithful dying for Christ.

Needless to mention, the present age has found new ways of persecuting and attempting to intimidate the Lord’s modern disciples.  The easy way out is to compromise our faith commitment in order to avoid persecutions - most of us would have to admit to doing that sometimes, but all of us realize that that’s always the wrong response!  For even when confronted with the literal fulfillment of these pernicious persecution prophecies, the Lord Himself and all His faithful witnesses have shown us how true it is that, “by your perseverance, you will gain your souls!”

Daily Retreat 11/28/06

2006 Nov 28 Tue: Ordinary Weekday
Rv 14: 14-19/ Ps 95(96): 10. 11-12. 13/ Lk 21: 5-11

From today’s readings:  “The one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested...  The Lord comes to judge the earth....  Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”

Wondering About The End

How much thought do you give to the end of the world?  Because the Bible has much to say on the subject, most Christians have given the matter some consideration, at least.  Jesus Himself spoke with great urgency about the end, and yet, He also clarified and cautioned that certain cataclysmic events “must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”

So, one extreme to be avoided is a dreadful surety that the end will occur in our own lifetimes - it might, but then again, it might not.  The first generations of Christians expected the end in their own lifetimes, but God had other plans (for which you and I must thank Him!).

But the other extreme to be avoided even more assiduously is the smug certainty that we needn’t be personally concerned with the end of the world, since that won’t occur for eons.  It’s true that  all scientific estimates concerning the heat death or cold death of the universe are set in the unfathomable future, and even conservative estimates about just our solar system’s life span still give us billions of years to go. 

Still, a lot will happen before then - and that must be one of the most certain understatements of all time!  And since Jesus spoke about the end, we should listen, and learn, and live what He taught!

Daily Retreat 11/27/06

2006 Nov 27 Mon: Ordinary Weekday
Rv 14: 1-3. 4b-5/ Ps 23(24): 1bc-2. 3-4ab. 5-6/ Lk 21: 1-4

From today’s readings:  “I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion....  Lord, this is the people that longs to see Your face....  This poor widow put in more than all the rest....”

2 cents rebate

Just two weeks ago, the Sunday Gospel recounted St. Mark’s slightly longer version of the incident of the widow’s mite, the subject of today’s Gospel passage.  So, there’s a natural tendency to not take these verses too seriously, since we recently heard the details before.  But, then again, we probably all can use a review of the Lord’s lesson on that occasion, because it’s certainly a most valuable lesson to learn for only 2 cents!

There are, of course, many different ways to be generous - not just with our money!  But, sometimes, the people who are quite generous in sharing time and talents use that as an excuse to be less generous in sharing monetary treasures.  Let’s not let that be true of us!  Jesus’ point, quite frankly, is that generosity is not to be measured by how much we give, but by how much we give of all that we could give.

Consider, for example, how much you gave to in bona fide charitable contributions in this past month.  With a little extra sacrifice, could you have doubled your donation?  If you had made your donation right after the widow in the Gospel, what do you imagine Jesus might have said about your contribution?  I don’t know about you, but when I take to heart this bit about the widow’s mite, I am compelled to find the heart to give a mighty bit more!

Daily Retreat 11/26/06

2006 Nov 26 SUN: CHRIST THE KING S (Thirty-fourth and Last Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Dn 7: 13-14/ Ps 92(93): 1. 1-2. 5 (1a)/ Rv 1: 5-8/ Jn 18: 33b-37

From today’s readings:  “The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve Him....  The LORD is king, He is robed in majesty....   Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.... My kingdom does not belong to this world....”

Christ the King - Absolute or Constitutional Monarch?

The few countries which today still boast a royal sovereign are, for the most part, constitutional monarchies. This means, of course, that the power of the country’s monarch is not absolute; rather, it is limited by the national constitution, the highest law in the country. And the great majority of these constitutions severely limit the power of the monarch, oftentimes to the status of a mere figurehead.

The United Kingdom is the most familiar example of this: Queen Elizabeth II is still "gloriously reigning" - she and her family live in a palace, she is honored throughout the land, has a number of official duties, is well paid, and enjoys the highest social status, but in actuality, she has very little to say about the direction of her country’s government. If she, or any other constitutional monarch would ever try to overstep their limitations, the politicians would quickly short-circuit such efforts.

This happened a number of years ago when the late King Baudouin was reigning in Belgium. As the constitutional monarch, one of his duties was to "rubber stamp" all the bills passed by parliament with his signature, thereby officially promulgating them as law. In 1990, the Belgian parliament passed a reprehensible bill that basically removed all legal sanctions against abortions. As a practicing and conscientious Catholic, King Baudouin objected to abortion vehemently, and so he could not and would not endorse the measure. But according to the constitution, he did not have a choice - as figurehead monarch, he HAD to ratify the bill, so by refusing to sign the bill into law, he was, in effect, attempting to veto the parliament, and putting his throne on the line! The parliament simply dethroned him for one day, promulgated the law on that day when there was no reigning monarch in Belgium, and then re-instated him on the next day.

In spite of King Baudouin’s noble example, and the frustration that the Belgian constitution did not empower him to provide some crucial moral leadership for the country, I’m sure we would all agree that, on the whole, it is a good thing that reigning monarchs of this world are constitutionally limited in their power. The King of Belgium could not impede the passage of a shameful law in his country, but neither could he whimsically assess taxes, confiscate property, or imprison or even execute a citizen the way that the absolute monarchs of old were known to do.  The constitution limits the monarch’s ability to use power for good, but it also limits his ability to use power for evil.

Now since most of our modern familiarity with kings and queens is only of the constitutional variety, it’s clear that many people also mentally reduce their image of Christ the King from His actual status as absolute, omnipotent King of the Universe, to a more manageable, less intrusive position as a type of constitutional monarch, who is Himself subjected to a "higher law." What is this "higher law" which many people believe even limits God’s sovereignty? It is the law of radical self-determination, the idea that autonomy and "choice" are the highest goods, and anything or anyone that impinges on absolute personal freedom must be deposed. So people think, "Yes, I believe in God, but I could choose not to," as if His existence were contingent on such people’s choice!

The notion of God as figure-head monarch is most clearly revealed in the realm of personal morality. Many, many people have a mind set that "something is right or wrong for me, only when I decide for myself if it’s right or wrong!" In other words, they usurp God's role, and set themselves up as the absolute moral authority, and then, curiously, often turn to God to ratify their conclusions, for instance, by selectively searching the Bible for verses that support their stance, but conveniently dismissing or overlooking scriptural passages that would veto their personal bias and prejudices.

But if God is thus reduced to constitutional monarch, if our God must bow to the law of radical self-determination, then He would be merely a god of our own making! As it is, though, His omnipotence is clearly set forth in Revelation: "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 prophet Daniel too saw no convenient constitutional limits to the authority of the
    "Son of man [who] received dominion, glory, and kingship;
    all peoples, nations, and languages serve Him!
    His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away,
    His kingship shall not be destroyed!"

Neither will Jesus stand for Pontius Pilate’s (or anyone else’s!) pathetic attempts to neatly cast Him as a pretender puppet king with no real power - rather, the Christ attests that only in Him, in His kingship, is found the Truth, "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice!" - the voice of the King of Kings!

Granted - earthly monarchs need constitutional limitations to prevent the abuse of power.  But, that’s NOT true for the Heavenly monarch, the all-good, all-loving God, for anytime we attempt to impede Christ’s reign in our lives, we’re just erecting an obstacle to the good that He could be in our lives.  Clearly then, there’s false comfort and perilous perdition in that illusion of ultimate self-determination: if someone on the street swears at you and says, "Go to Hell!" sure, it’s easy to invoke your autonomy then and shrug it off with the slur, "I’m free - I don’t have to go anywhere I don’t want to go!" Yet the people who declare self-determination their highest law and have thus pretended to enthrone themselves as the sovereign moral authority by dethroning in their hearts Christ the King, when HE solemnly speaks those same words as the judgment of eternal damnation, such people will discover the absolute limits of personal freedom, limits constituted by the True and Almighty King of all creation!

Daily Retreat 11/25/06

2006 Nov 25 Sat: Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Catherine of Alexandria, v, mt
Rv 11: 4-12/ Ps 143(144): 1b. 2. 9-10/ Lk 20: 27-40

From today’s readings:  “I, John, heard a voice from Heaven speak to me: Here are my two witnesses....  Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!...  He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”

The Tragedy of the Closed Book

The whole point of divine revelation is to give man the advantages of God’s perspective.  The more we know about salvation history, the more sense it makes to follow God’s plan.  The better we know the will of God, the more we can live our lives in accordance with it.  The more we listen to God’s word, the better we can understand mysteries about life and death.

The Sadducees who approached Jesus with their question about marriage and resurrection assumed a fundamental incompatibility between earthly and heavenly life.  Since they were experiencing earthly life, they knew that was real, but since the Torah said little on the matter and they hadn’t experienced life after death, they simply concluded it was impossible to do so.

But for all that, the Sadducees were not material atheists - they were actually devout Jews, who recognized the one true God as the creator of the universe, and even recognized the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, as the Word of God.  But their faith wasn’t broad enough to transcend the limits of their own experience and their narrow view of Scripture.  

That’s why Jesus directed the Sadducees’ attention to God’s self-introduction to Moses (cf. Chapter Three of Exodus), for what credit would God have had in presenting Himself as God of lifeless patriarchs of a bygone era?  Jesus was attempting to lead the Sadducees to see things from God’s perspective, as God had also once taught Moses to do.  So, far from urging the Sadducees to suspend their reasoning, Jesus was merely showing them how best to apply it!  But that meant they had to get beyond their preconceived notions and mistaken understandings.

Although no longer primarily concerned with the question about resurrection, the closed attitude of the Sadducees is actually alarmingly common today among Christians of all walks of life.  For, all too often, modern Christians have a rather stunted familiarity with Scripture and inadequate or even erroneous catechesis.  So, instead of benefitting from the full illumination of divine revelation and learning to see things from God’s perspective, they merely mix their fumbling faith with best guesses based on their limited life experience; then, like the Sadducees, they justify their conclusions with convoluted conjectures -  which sadly prove nothing except for their sorry ignorance of God’s revealed perspective!

Daily Retreat 11/24/06

2006 Nov 24 Fri: Andrew Dung-Lac, p, mt, & co., mts M
Rv 10: 8-11/ Ps 118(119): 14. 24. 72. 103. 111. 131/ Lk 19: 45-48

From today’s readings:  “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings....  How sweet to my taste is Your promise!...  My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves....”   

Observing the House of Prayer

The Temple in Jerusalem was erected as a house of prayer, and only gradually was it profaned by encroaching worldly interests.  Sadly, today, many of God’s houses of prayer have been similarly compromised - not necessarily always with commercial ventures, but at least with clearly secular influences.

For example, whether before or after Mass, whenever people get caught up chatting in church with neighbors about sports and weather, there’s something wrong - God’s house of prayer has been demoted to a public house.  For prayer means talking and listening to God, but that can be rather difficult when people are busy talking and listening to neighbors about merely mundane matters.

It comes down to how seriously the Word of God is taken.  How important are the words of Christ to you?  Is it ever possible that news and gossip and chatter from your friends is more urgent than the Lord’s Good News?  Are all His words just plain words like any other words, some striking, others superfluous?  Or, do you personally know the One speaks them, and so hang on to His every word, reverently recognizing His Real Presence in His house of prayer?

Daily Retreat 11/23/06

2006 Nov 23 Thu:  Thanksgiving Day/ Clement I, pp, mt/ Columban, ab, ms/ Bl Miguel Augustín Pro, p, r, mt
Rv 5: 1-10/ Ps 149: 1b-2. 3-4. 5-6a and 9b/ Lk 19: 41-44.
Options for Thanksgiving: Sir 50: 22-24/ 1 Chron 29:10bc, 11, 12/ Col 3:12-17/ Jn 15:9-17

From today’s readings:  “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed,
enabling Him to open the scroll with its seven seals....  The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God....  They will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Time of Visitation

Jesus Christ is true man, and true God.  Over the centuries, countless heresies have arisen that overemphasized one half of the equation, to the detriment of the other.  But the Sacred Scriptures staunchly support both sides, making that the only orthodox position.

For instance, “as Jesus drew near Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41ff) - one of His most poignantly human reactions recorded in the Gospels.  But then, as proof of His divine nature, He prophesied with phenomenal accuracy about the future destruction of the city, which occurred in 70 A.D.  

As God and as Man, Jesus had labored to awaken Jerusalem to “the time of visitation,” and yet, His revealing grace was refused.  But although nothing can change the historical rejection of the Lord’s visitation in the first century, every ensuing age, including our own, is faced with its own manner of divine visitation.  And rather than that being a cause for weeping, you and I must do our part in welcoming the Lord’s visitation, thereby making this a time of thanksgiving!

Daily Retreat 11/22/06

2006 Nov 22 Wed: Cecilia, v, mt M
Rv 4: 1-11/ Ps 150: 1b-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Lk 19: 11-28

>From today’s readings:  “Worthy are You, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; because of Your will they came to be and were created....  Praise the LORD in His sanctuary, praise Him in the firmament of His strength....  When he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading.”

Attitudes toward the King

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King.  The parable presented in Chapter Nineteen of Luke’s Gospel considers three attitudes toward Christ’s Kingdom: those who totally oppose His dominion, those who shirk their own responsibilities arising from His rule, and those who faithfully fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to them by Christ.

In the end, those who fight and protest against the kingship of Christ find themselves on the losing side.  This holds not just for atheists and those who reject Christ completely, but also for all those who, even if content to give Jesus lip service, are actually so bent on doing their own will that they effectively rebel against the rule of Christ in their lives.   In our sinfulness, we are all in this category at times.

In the end, those who shirk their God-given responsibilities find themselves totally divested of the rewards of the Kingdom, as did the wicked, lazy servant.  This holds not just for those nominal Christians who basically do nothing to invest in their faith, but also for all those who are negligent in zealously cultivating the just fruits of their living faith.  In our sloth, we are all in this category at times.

In the end, those who faithfully hearken to the Lord’s teachings and commands find themselves rewarded with more than they could even imagine, as did the diligent, industrious servants who were promoted to governors in the Gospel parable.  This holds not just for those saintly disciples who are able to give the Lord a most prodigious return (like the servant who realized a tenfold profit), but also for all those who demonstrate true but imperfect effort (like the servant who only made half as much).  In our lived faith commitment, we strive, with the Lord’s help, to reach this category!

Daily Retreat 11/21/06

2006 Nov 21 Tue: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary M
Rv 3: 1-6. 14-22/ Ps 15: 2-3a. 3bc-4ab. 5/ Lk 19: 1-10

From today’s readings:  “Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.... He who walks blamelessly and does justice...  ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he came down quickly and received Him with joy....”

Out on a limb

Zacchaeus is among the most unforgettable cameo characters in the Gospels, that squatty publican who climbed a tree just to get a good view of Jesus.  From the ground, it must have been a comical sight, the determined little rich man hanging on to a branch, literally going out on a limb in pursuit of saving faith.

When Jesus looked up, He too must have smiled, partly at the humor of the situation, but more so, at Zacchaeus’  ingenious resolution to rise above his personal limitations in order to get closer to Jesus.

Like Zacchaeus, each of us has particular personal shortcomings that have distanced and separated us from Jesus in the past.  But as He did for Zaccaeus, God will also provide us with the means to rise above our shortcomings, as soon as we’re ready to go out on a limb for Him!

Daily Retreat 11/20/06

2006 Nov 20 Mon: Ordinary Weekday
Rv 1: 1-4; 2: 1-5/ Ps 1: 1-2. 3. 4 and 6/ Lk 18: 35-43

From today’s readings:  “Blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near....  The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes....  As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening....”

Call All the More

Like the blind man in Jericho, many modern Christians are rebuked by others for any kind of public display of faith, as if one’s belief in God were merely a private, inconsequential matter of opinion.  But unlike the persistent blind beggar, who courageously called to Jesus all the more, too many Christians cowardly acquiesce to the crabby crowd’s calls for silence.

But that, of course, is the wrong response.  For Jesus rewarded the blind man with a most insightful response: “See!  Your faith has saved you!”  Because his faith was stronger than the attempts to gag it, the blind man was able to make the most of his encounter with Christ.

All of us likewise seek an insightful response from Jesus for our prayers - and how many times in the Gospels, in word and example, Jesus promises His response to persistent prayer!  So, whenever others try to muzzle our legitimate cries of faith, the Christian response is simple: call on Jesus all the more!

Daily Retreat 11/19/06

2006 Nov 19 SUN: THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Dn 12: 1-3/ Ps 15(16): 5. 8. 9-10. 11 (1)/ Heb 10: 11-14. 18/ Mk 13: 24-32

From today’s readings:  “At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time....  You are my inheritance, O Lord....  For by one offering He has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated....  Then they will see 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, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.”

“I’ll get to it later!”

It’s a deadly dismissal, a frightening phrase we all use all our lives - starting in childhood, when we’re busy playing a game or watching a TV show, and Mom says, “Time to take out the trash,” and the inevitable sassy answer is, “I’ll get to it later.”  Then we have that big project due at school, or at work, but it’s not due for another two weeks, so, no point on working on it now -  “I’ll get to it later.”  The annoying alarm clock, but it has a snooze button, so “I’ll get to it later.” There’s that one corner, attic, or room in the house with the boxes of unsorted miscellany, piling up and piling up, but no problem, because  “I’ll get to it later.”  Then there’s those issues in family life, the tensions and unresolved problems that we really need to discuss openly together as a family, but since it’s bound to be a long, drawn out matter, and it’s so hard anyway to get everyone in the house to sit down together,  “I’ll get to it later.”

Of course, each one of us has many additions to this list which  “I’ll get to it later.”  But, whether it’s the trash that doesn’t get out on time, or the project that’s slapped together at the last minute and turned in late anyway, the alarm clock defeated in its purpose by abuse of the snooze, or the junk pile that gets out of control, or the family issues that never get resolved and so fester forever —  “I’ll get to it later” is just not a safe statement, and we all know it - it’s a deadly disastrous dismissal!

What about the end of your life and the end of the world?  It’s unsettling how often and how relentlessly the Bible reminds us about “The End,” and with the reminder, the insistence: “IT is important - you need to pray about IT, think about IT, you need to prepare yourself for IT, help prepare your loved ones for IT....”  And we’re all convinced “Yes, the end of my life, and the end of the world - IT is so important, IT requires the utmost preparation....and.... I’ll get to it later....”


At that time when Michael, the great prince, arises,
in those days when the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the Heavens will be shaken,
at the moment when the Son of Man will send out the angels
and gather His elect from the four winds,
THEN, none of us will be saying, or thinking, “I’ll get to it later.” 
To their everlasting horror and disgrace, some will certainly be regretting, “Why didn’t I get to that sooner?”  

But don’t miss the Good News, because those who set the LORD ever before themselves, those who are being consecrated, made holy, by the Great High Priest (Jesus, the Son of Man), those who lead the many to justice, shall be like the stars forever, eternally relieved to have responded at this time, to have responded TODAY, to have responded at this moment to God’s Revelation with the realization that there’s just not enough time  - not enough time left for you or me to continue hitting that scriptural snooze button by perpetually postponing the Word of God with that deadly disastrous dismissal: “I’ll get to it later.”

Daily Retreat 11/18/06

2006 Nov 18 Sat:/ Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul
3 Jn 5-8/ Ps 111(112): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Lk 18: 1-8.
Or  Acts 28: 11-16. 30-31/ Ps 97(98): 1. 2-3ab. 3cd-4. 5-6/ Mt 14: 22-33

From today’s readings:  “we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth....  Blessed the man who fears the Lord....  Jesus told His disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.....”

The Excuse Mill

It’s obvious that one of the most productive factories in Hell is the Excuse Mill! The devils slaving away there crank out excuses at an amazing rate, and they’ve got an incredibly efficient delivery system that's out of this world, so whenever you or I need an excuse (particularly the "prayer procrastination" brand), POOF! - there’s our excuse, all ready to go, and it doesn’t seem to cost us anything!

But it does! Not only potentially in the long run (that "little" matter of our eternal salvation), but also every single time we blow off prayer, we’re effectively turning down and depriving ourselves immediately of whatever grace God is offering us at that moment. And that adds up to an amazing amount of grace the soul has lost!

Yes, one of the most constant temptations in life is the demotion and dismissal of prayer. It seems there’s always something more pressing to do, or that it would be better to pray later when things are calmer, or there’s some other reason why NOW so seldom turns out to be the right time to pray. And we figure since God is patient, He won’t mind too much waiting for us, and waiting for us, and waiting for us....

Actually, though, it’s really only for the devils that prayer is truthfully inconvenient!  In fact, for us, prayer could be defined as the greatest convenience of our life: a direct line to God, and an eternal lifeline, at that!  Nothing could be more convenient! So it is prayer that makes us like Jesus, and prayer that fills us with the love of Jesus.

But, if that’s still not enough to get you praying as you know you ought to be, consider this: those who are the most frequent customers at the Excuse Mill generally can count on getting a job there - so pray, pray, PRAY that that won’t happen to you!

Daily Retreat 11/17/06

2006 Nov 17 Fri: Elizabeth of Hungary, mw, r M
2 Jn 4-9/ Ps 118(119): 1. 2. 10. 11. 17. 18/ Lk 17: 26-37

From today’s readings:  “Anyone who is so progressive as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God....  Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord....  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man...”

Missing the Boat

Noah and Lot know a lot about being counter-cultural.  Each of them, in listening to and fulfilling divine commands to flee from perverse and depraved generations, was subject to derision and ridicule from all their sinful neighbors, those persons who had more important things to do than listen to God....

What was more important than listening to God?  Eating and drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building - these are all activities of daily life, and not necessarily frivolous ones, either.  All of us have spent a good portion of our own lifetimes on such pursuits - what’s so bad about doing such things that made whole generations miss the boat?

The answer, I guess, comes down to a simple question: what is life all about, anyway? Is life lost to listening, and thus to be saved only for eating and drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, building, etc.?  Or is life only to be saved by being lost in listening to God?

Daily Retreat 11/16/06

2006 Nov 16 Thu: Ordinary Weekday/ Margaret of Scotland, mw/ Gertrude the Great, v, r
Phlm 7-20/ Ps 145(146): 7. 8-9a. 9bc-10/ Lk 17: 20-25

From today’s readings:  “Beloved: I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother....  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob....  behold, the Kingdom of God is among you....”

This is It

What news can you imagine hearing that would be so compelling that you would literally drop any and all matters at hand in order to rush to the source?  Well, that would only happen, of course, if the news were truly some urgent matter of life or death.

The Pharisees who asked the Lord about the coming of the Kingdom of God at least understood the overriding urgency of that event.  They had their own ideas of what signs would portend the advent of God’s Kingdom, but they were interested to hear what Jesus had to say on the matter.  At any rate, they believed themselves ready to drop anything and everything when the moment came....

Except, as Jesus explained, “The Kingdom of God is among you.”  Although unrecognized as such, standing in their midst, Jesus was Himself, in a sense, the initial and personal incarnation of the  Kingdom of God.  Now, at first that sounds like an awkward abstraction of the very notion of “kingdom,” but in reality, Jesus is nothing less than the concrete embodiment of God’s reign, for through Him, with Him, and in Him, God’s will and rule is sovereign and absolute.

The real and present presence of Christ and His Kingdom is thus not to be missed in our midst - we can and should drop everything that keeps us from Him, the very source of life! And then arising from His present presence, Jesus Himself, however, also speaks of the future dimension: His coming in glory at the end of time, so the sacred readings in these final weeks of the year will return to this, especially on the upcoming feast of Christ the King (November 26).

Daily Retreat 11/15/06

2006 Nov 15 Wed: Ordinary Weekday/ Albert the Great, bp, r, dr
Ti 3: 1-7/ Ps 22(23): 1b-3a. 3bc-4. 5. 6/ Lk 17: 11-19

From today’s readings:  “But when the kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of His mercy, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit....  The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want....  Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? ”

Warming up Thanksgiving

Logically enough, today’s Gospel passage, the healing of the ten lepers, is one of the optional readings for Thanksgiving Day.    No doubt, all of us can remember receiving particular gifts that were so overwhelmingly wonderful that we forgot, at least initially, to express our thanks and gratitude.  

But even if we can’t ever recall ourselves being neglectful in offering gratitude to human gift givers, it certainly is true that none of us have perfect records when it comes to showing appreciation to the Divine Gift Giver.  Note that only one of the ten lepers returned to Jesus giving thanks - no surprise, really, for probably precious few of us even regularly remember to thank God for 1 out of 10 blessings He showers upon us!

But that’s a thankless situation that’s easy enough to remedy!  There’s nothing to prevent us from being like that Samaritan leper, who “returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him....”   

First, get in the habit of thanking God immediately for particular blessings received throughout the day - all that’s needed is a simple sincere prayer: “Thank you God!”  That’s something that certainly would be simple enough to do at least at every meal, wouldn’t it?  Then, at the end of your day, when making an examination of conscience, mention your gratitude again to God for all the various joys and profound moments of the day that you can call to mind.  Finally, as part of the offertory at the Sunday Eucharist, prayerfully thank God in His holy house for the whole houseful of blessings received in the past week!

Daily Retreat 11/14/06

2006 Nov 14 Tue: Ordinary Weekday
Ti 2: 1-8. 11-14/ Ps 36(37): 3-4. 18 and 23. 27 and 29/ Lk 17: 7-10

From today’s readings:  “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age....  The salvation of the just comes from the Lord....  We are unworthy servants; we have done what we were obliged to do....”

Thanks for Everything!

All servants of God are charged with doing God’s work, which is certainly demanding, and yet also rewarding.  But what is the basis of such rewards?  Is it that, once we have accomplished a set quota of the Lord’s work, we have earned and can lay claim to a certain recompense?

No, for ALL that we are, and ALL that we have comes through the bounty of God.  In the words of psalm 99 (100), “God made us - we are His!”  We belong to Him!  Every moment of our lives, every breath we take, every move we make is owing to the generosity of God.  So we can never come close to repaying Him, and doing enough for Him.

Heaven is the unmerited reward magnanimously offered to those who respond to Lord’s call to choose Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Consider that, if a king were to offer a poor traveler hospitality in his palace, the traveler can certainly accept the royal invitation, and then thank the king in every way possible, but the traveler should never complacently imagine that he has somehow earned his place in the palace.  So too do the followers of Christ pledge their grateful service to their King - not as payment for the King’s generosity, but as thankful acceptance of all that He gives!

Daily Retreat 11/13/06

2006 Nov 13 Mon: Frances Xavier Cabrini, v, r M
Ti 1: 1-9/ Ps 23(24): 1b-2. 3-4ab. 5-6/ Lk 17: 1-6

From today’s readings:  “To Titus, my true child in our common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior....  Lord, this is the people that longs to see Your face....  Scandals will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur!”

Forgiveness Both Ways

Forgiveness is a central theme of Christianity - not just the forgiveness that you and I and all other sinners beg from God, but also the forgiveness that He teaches us to extend to those who sin against us.  

The words of Jesus are quite clear: even if one’s brother should wrong a person seven times in one day, if he repents, he should be forgiven.  Most of us would naturally question the sincerity of repentance long before the seventh time, but Jesus does not specifically address such possibilities, for the Lord insists that all we do be done in God-fearing sincerity, because a person’s duplicity can cause such grave scandals, and we know what Jesus says about scandals!

Particularly when one has been deeply hurt by another more than once, it can be very difficult to forgive.  And yet the loving life of Jesus shows us, not only how such forgiveness is possible, but why it is necessary!  So, whenever you find yourself struggling to forgive another, ask the Lord to give you the grace to forgive as He forgives and teaches to forgive.  Sometimes this takes time, so it’s understandable if you need to approach God for help to do this step by step....

Daily Retreat 11/10/06

2006 Nov 10 Fri: Leo the Great, pp, dr M
Phil 3: 17 – 4: 1/ Ps 121(122): 1-2. 3-4ab. 4cd-5/ Lk 16: 1-8

From today’s readings:  “Our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ....  Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord....  For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

A Light Parable

The Lord’s parables were presented to help His listeners with specific crucial insights.  Consequently, we need to be careful about focusing on the intended insight, and not misread the parable as a divine endorsement of every detail of the story.

For example, in the parable of the dishonest steward, Jesus highlights the cunning and shrewdness of the main character, the cheating but crafty overseer who even wins the begrudging admiration of his defrauded  master - we can almost hear him muttering, “That dang steward robbed me royally, but I must admit, he sure was clever about it!”

Yes, the worldly master in the parable commends his sly but unscrupulous steward, but note that Jesus Himself does not, in any way, praise that crooked steward, for that’s not the point of the parable.  Instead, Jesus leads His listeners to an embarrassing insight: “the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

Why do worldly people have more drive, and ingenuity, and persistence in pursuing their worldly goals than those who strive to follow the light of Truth?  For not only does God promise His children much more than this world could ever give, but He also graciously provides His children with a superabundance of the means to realize His promises!  So, if a shrewd steward can manage to slither out of a no-win predicament, then zealous Christian, with determination, concentration, and imagination, can certainly overcome any worldly obstacle to the sure-win illumination of  the Lord’s light!

Daily Retreat 11/11/06

2006 Nov 11 Sat: Martin of Tours, bp M
Phil 4: 10-19/ Ps 111(112): 1b-2. 5-6. 8a and 9/ Lk 16: 9-15

From today’s readings:  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me....  Blessed the man who fears the Lord....  No man can serve two masters....”

Small Matters Matter Greatly

Most of us can distinguish between right and wrong very clearly when it comes to big issues, such as the heinous crimes that appear in the newspaper every day.  Thanks to the guiding grace of God, we literally wouldn’t be caught dead doing such deeds!

But it’s a different story when it comes to smaller issues.  There, the temptation is to lull our consciences with poor excuses such as, “I would never rob a bank, so it’s no big deal that I occasionally shortchange my customers;” or, “I tell the truth when it matters, so what if I lie about my age a bit now and then?”

In the endless hammering of these small matters, you and I are slowly forging our characters, for better or for worse.  The more we practice self-deception, the better we get at it.  Soon, the small matters start looming larger: “It won’t hurt if I miss Church this week - I went the last two weeks.”  “This isn’t adultery - I’m just enjoying some time with another person.”  “It’s just a blob of tissue - I would never kill an actual person!”

The person who is trustworthy in small matters becomes trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in small matters becomes dishonest in great ones!

Daily Retreat 11/08/06

2006 Nov 8 Wed: Ordinary Weekday
Phil 2: 12-18/ Ps 26(27): 1. 4. 13-14/ Lk 14: 25-33

From today’s readings:  “Be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation....  The Lord is my light and my salvation....  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple....”

Proper Perspective

Who can deny that life is horribly complicated?    How wonderful it would be if everything were just simply “the way it ought to be.”  Too many people underrate faith as just another major complicating  factor of life, when actually, faith is the only way one can get a hold of life and put everything in proper perspective.

Because ultimately, the only proper perspective is God's perspective, and the whole of revelation is God's invitation (and recommendation!) for us to see things His way!  The first reading, from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, reflects on the necessity to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” amid the trials and tribulations of life.  And yet, even “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,” the light of faith shines with peace and joy which transcend the complications and bitterness of life.

So it is that every word spoken by Jesus challenges us to transcend our limited perspectives on life in favor of seeing things the way God sees them.  Certainly He whose death on the Cross showed us  the meaning of “God is Love” did not command us to literally hate the closest members of our family!  That much is clear, although the wording of the Gospel is deliberately shocking so as to prod us to the  radical realignment of priorities necessary if we are truly to embrace God's perspective, which entails demoting everyone, and everything, and our very   selves, in order to truly establish God as the center of our lives.  We must take up our cross then; or, perhaps we could better say, we must suffer to be taken up in His Cross, because it is only the vantage point of the Cross which gives us God's perspective.

Daily Retreat 11/09/06

2006 Nov 9 Thu: DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA IN ROME F
Ez 47: 1-2. 8-9. 12/ Ps 45(46): 2-3. 5-6. 8-9/ 1 Cor 3: 9c-11. 16-17/ Jn 2: 13-22

From today’s readings:  “The angel brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing out....  The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!...  the temple of God, which you are, is holy....  He was speaking about the temple of His Body....”

God’s House is Our House

It can seem a bit strange to have a feastday in honor of the dedication of a great church building that is set in the heart of Rome.  Although most people are more familiar with St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, it is this older Basilica of St. John Lateran which is actually the Pope’s Cathedral (as Bishop of Rome), and for this reason bears the inscription “omnium ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis mater et caput” - “the mother and head of all churches of the City (Rome) and of the World.”

As St. Paul mentions in his letter to the Corinthians, more important and more resplendent than even the greatest basilicas, is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the heart of each believer, which makes us all Living Temples of God.  People are more important than buildings - always, and without exception.  If for some tragic reason, the destruction of the great Lateran Basilica were somehow necessary to save even one human life, then surely the building would be sacrificed to save the life!

This puts things in perspective, but that’s not to say that there is no importance or sacredness to church buildings.  Jesus Himself defended the sanctity of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.  And, in many places in scripture (such as today’s first reading from the prophet Ezekiel), God chooses to use a building as a focal point of His blessings and presence.  This is true also of your parish church - it truly is the House of God since you will find the dwelling place of God there, His tabernacle among us!  But our loving Father does not want His House just for Himself - He wants us to join Him there!  God says to us His beloved children, “My house is your house!”

Daily Retreat 11/07/06

2006 Nov 7 Tue: Ordinary Weekday
Phil 2: 5-11/ Ps 21(22): 26b-27. 28-30ab. 30e. 31-32/ Lk 14: 15-24

From today’s readings:  “God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name....  I will praise You, Lord, in the assembly of Your people....  Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God....”

Accepting the Invitation

Most people can think of a special invitation in their life that meant the world to them.  Whether it was being invited to a cool birthday party in grade school, or asked out to the prom in high school, or an opportunity to show the best of one’s work at a crucial moment, or a chance to meet a personal hero - such invitations are certainly welcomed as dreams come true, and no one could ever imagine purposely turning such solicitations down in favor of the boring day-to-day obligations of life.

And yet, in the Gospel, Christ complains that many turn down His invitation to the Heavenly Banquet.  He calls us to the fulfillment of our hearts’ desires, but so many ignore or even spurn His generous invitation.  Even those of us who, with our baptism, have formally and joyfully accepted His invitation, are too often guilty of dragging our feet, delaying in our replies and making excuses for not joining whole-heartedly in the celebration.

In fact, Holy Mass is the foretaste of the Heavenly Wedding Banquet, for it is our privileged invitation to partake of Heavenly food and revel in the real presence of the Bridegroom.  So, let our enthusiasm for the celestial “pre-party” reflect our eagerness and excitement for the Heavenly Banquet, and may our zeal and pious preparation attest to our gratitude and enthusiastic acceptance of the invitation to Life!

Daily Retreat 11/06/06

2006 Nov 6 Mon: Ordinary Weekday
Phil 2: 1-4/ Ps 130(131): 1bcde. 2. 3/ Lk 14: 12-14

From today’s readings:  “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing....  In You, O Lord, I have found my peace....  When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind....”

Advice to be practiced

Although much of what Jesus said is rather practical advice, certainly some of His teachings are hardly practical at all.  Perhaps because they weren’t intended to be such - instead of being practical advice, certain gems were offered as advice to be practiced, to try out, and then try again, until little by little, we start to get the point, and get it right.

Most likely, for instance, all those who have a say in this month’s Thanksgiving dinner are hoping to share with a full house of friends and family - now does Jesus really forbid invitations to kith and kin?  No, we all know that’s not His point (and I don’t say that just because I’m hoping to get one of those invitations myself!).

And then when it comes to His follow-up suggestion, that we invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, well, many of us could honestly wonder whom we personally know who fits that bill?  Ah! But that’s the point!

Daily Retreat 11/05/06

2006 Nov 5 SUN: THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Dt 6: 2-6/ Ps 17(18): 2-3. 3-4. 47. 51 (2)/ Heb 7: 23-28/ Mk 12: 28b-34

From today’s readings:  “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength....  I love you, Lord, my strength....  It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens....  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ”

Number One Commandment

Faithful Jews daily pray the Shema, reciting those hallowed verses from the Book of Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength....”

If the word “God” means anything, He must be recognized as numero uno in our lives, the most important of all, worthy of all our love.  And to insure the point is fully grasped, Sacred Scripture spells out the particulars: love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

How can we love God with all our heart?   Well, the heart, of course, is the core of human affectivity and charity.  So often, this is pretty messy business, as we all well know.  At the beginning of our lives, our hearts are drawn primarily to our mothers, and the other loving members of our family.  But soon the heart is tugged in other directions as well, because of friends, and a betrothed, and other people, and even other things in our lives.  Don’t these affections, some of them very noble, make it impossible for us to love God with all our heart?

But, as St. Augustine wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”  When the human heart is caught up with loving people or things for their own sakes, it can be only partially and temporarily satisfied - it remains restless, unfulfilled, simply because it was made for more.  My human thirst cannot be satisfied by any drop of even the purest, freshest water, and even a full glass or whole gallon of such water would only last so long - to truly and fully quench my thirst, I need a fountain, an endless supply of water!  So too, the human heart cannot fully be filled with finite love - no, for the heart ever thirsts for the infinite fountain of love, God Himself!

The many human loves of our hearts, then, must be tethered to our love for God, or else they will inevitably break our hearts.  A husband and wife who love each other wholeheartedly with the pure love with which God unites them and blesses them to faithfully mirror and magnify, to zealously echo and incarnate His divine love, to help and be helped on the ladder of love reaching to Heaven - such a saintly couple show how to wholly love God through holy love shared and kindled by divine design with all their heart!

How then can we love God with all our soul?  Well, the soul, of course, is the seat of human identity, spirituality, and morality.   All that is the essence of our lives:  What do we stand for?  Where do we strive to set ourselves, not just in time, but in eternity?  Where do we turn for guidance in our lives to sort through the dire dilemmas of right and wrong?

The soul-searching essentials of life are thus likewise our sanctioned avenues of love, which cannot be reduced to merely the sensual and corporeal aspect.  God created us body and soul, and yet the materialistic world would have us ignore or deny the whole second half of the equation.  But what happens then?  So many have been burned by those who love just the body, but not the soul - surely, there’s no need for hypothetic examples from me.

Like the heart, the soul was made for love - transcendent, immortal love!  But like the heart, the soul can be tragically spent and lost on less than living love, those pretenders and parodies and perversions of love, those mockeries and make-believes and mistaken identities of love - all of those soulless loves!  Only with God is there soul-animating love.  Why?  Because He is the very source of the soul, as Scripture says, “the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the spirit of life, and so man became a living soul.”

How then can we love God with all our strength?  Well,  strength, of course, is the standard of  human ability, corporality, and mortality.  These too are meaty matters of our lives.  For who needs or wants love that is merely theoretical?  What worth is there in a weak love? The only thing that counts is love that is strong, real, practical, lived out, fortified with constant exercise, and proven with deeds and actions, and not just professed with words.

Like the heart and the soul, our strength was made for love - almighty, everlasting love!  But like the heart and the soul, our strength too can be wasted and thrown away to less than love.  Lust and greed and selfish ambition, self-pride and idolatrous self-love, cynicism and sloth will all sap our strength, or tap it for the service of Hell.  Only when all our strength is exerted in love for the omnipotent God can it well carry all burdens of life and the sacrificial loads of love.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ” Already, that commands so much, yet when Jesus quoted Scripture, He saw fit to insert, “and with all your mind.” How then can we love God with all our mind?  Well, the mind, of course, is the measure of human intelligibility, sanity, and creativity. And when we meditate on the Word of God, and think about what He teaches, soon the enlightening insight will remind us of how much more you and I can love the Lord our God, when we just hear anew the command and carry it out with all our lives: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength!”

Daily Retreat 11/04/06

2006 Nov 4 Sat: Charles Borromeo, bp M
Phil 1: 18b-26/ Ps 41(42): 2. 3. 5cdef/ Lk 14: 1. 7-11

From today’s readings:  “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain....  My soul is thirsting for the living God....  Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted....”

Humility

We’ve all met people who acted with intolerable haughtiness, as if they were the greatest thing in the world.  Conversely, we’ve all come across a few admired souls who present themselves with genuine humility.  Clearly, the former are a great burden to put up with, whereas the latter are always a joy to have around.  Personally, the only times I’ve been upset by the presence of a humble man are when such a man’s humility contrasts so sharply with my own lack of that virtue, that I find myself reddening with shame (at which point the Good Lord always helps me see the grace of that foil, although sometimes I’m too vain to act on it).

Certainly, humility is a central characteristic of Jesus, who emptied Himself of divine prerogatives in order to reveal God’s merciful plan of salvation.  And so humility, true humility, reminds us of the emptying, the "kenosis" of the Incarnation.

The question then, since humility is so God-like, and appreciated when we see it in others, is why we are almost afraid to intentionally cultivate this virtue, or even talk and teach much about it.  To be sure, it’s very elusive nature makes it practically paradoxical to pursue directly even with the most fervent and focused will, for one can never pledge, “I’m going to be humble, no matter what it takes!”

On the other hand, scripture maintains that it is possible to condition ourselves for this virtue, provided that we have not only the single-minded driven dream of an Olympic athlete racing with all his might toward the finish line, but also the pure absence of self-consciousness, like a child who races to the embracing arms of his loving Father for the fulfillment of the greatest longing of his heart.

Daily Retreat 11/03/06

2006 Nov 3 Fri: Ordinary Weekday/ Martin de Porres, r
Phil 1: 1-11/ Ps 110(111): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Lk 14: 1-6

From today’s readings:  “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you....  How great are the works of the Lord!...  Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?”

The Questions of Jesus

Not only were questions asked of Him, but Jesus Himself, even from His youth (cf. Luke 2:46), posed questions to others - not, presumably, because He didn’t know the answers!  Rather, our Lord insisted that His listeners (and those reading the Gospel) engage themselves in the issues He raised, rather than just sitting passively on the sidelines of life.

Quite often, when Jesus asked a question, the answer would be simple and obvious, but with profound and personal consequences.  So, the inability or refusal to answer His questions arose from mere reluctance to face the implications, rather than any real trouble figuring out the answers.

Thus, every question posed by Jesus can be approached as a study question for each of us to examine how receptive we are to His presence in our lives with His unsettling insights.  While the temptation can arise for us to ignore His questions and dismiss them as outdated, with a bit of honest effort, their application to modern life can be easily seen.

Consider, for instance, when Jesus asked, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”  With the modern lax attentiveness to sanctifying the Lord’s Day, the question posed by Jesus will at first seem rather moot.  But, perhaps even the apparent and awkward irrelevance can itself be taken as a challenge for us to honestly examine our own excessively casual attitudes toward Sabbath observance - what does Jesus have to say to us about that area of our life?  Or, do we find ourselves, like the scribes and Pharisees, simply unable to answer His questions?

Daily Retreat 11/02/06

2006 Nov 2 Thu: ALL SOULS’ DAY
2Mac 12:43-46/Ps 129(130)/Rom 8:31-39/Mark 15:33-39
(Many options are provided for the readings today)

From today’s readings:  “Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin....      Out of the depths I call to you, LORD; Lord, hear my cry!....       For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,  nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord....  When the centurion who stood facing Him saw how He breathed His last he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’ ”

Purgatory

(Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church)

§1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven.

§1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.  The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence, we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.

§1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore Judas Maccabeus made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.  The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.