Daily Retreat 03/07/09

2009 Mar 7 Sat: Lenten Weekday/ Perpetua and Felicity, mts
Dt 26: 16-19/ Ps 118(119): 1-2. 4-5. 7-8/ Mt 5: 43-48

From today’s readings:  “Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: He is to be your God and you are to walk in His ways and observe His statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to His voice....  You have commanded that Your precepts be diligently kept. Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping Your statutes!...  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.”

The Deal about God

God creates us, God redeems us from sin, God adopts us as His children, God sanctifies us, God showers us with His blessings, God calls us to the fullness of life with Him in Heaven.  God does a lot for us!  It's only natural that He would have some expectations on our part - not that anything we can do for God would ever entitle us to such generosity on His part, but we can at least show our appreciation and our commitment to use wisely the blessings He's given to us, and share these blessings with others.

Thousands of years ago, Moses remarked, "Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: He is to be your God, and you are to walk in His ways and observe His statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to His voice."   

Note that those who recognize the Lord as God, must, at the same time, commit themselves to living life His way.  During this season of Lent, the Scriptures remind us to examine if we've been shirking our end of the deal, and to remember: now is the time to start living up to what God expects of us!

Daily Retreat 03/06/09

2009 Mar 6 Fri: Lenten Weekday.
Ez 18: 21-28/ Ps 129(130): 1-2. 3-4. 5-7a. 7bc-8/ Mt 5: 20-26

From today’s readings:  “Hear now, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?...If You, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?...I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. ”

Who’s not fair?

“It’s not fair!” is the battle cry of those who perceive a violation of justice, and in cases of objective injustice, the iniquity should certainly be addressed.  But there are also cases of subjective unfairness, when the injustice only exists in the mind of the one raising the complaint.

All that God has decreed must be recognized as completely just and as the most objective standard, so those who would complain that God isn’t living up to their own standards of fairness are engaged in the folly of presuming to judge God, who is all-just!

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God explains His justice: to his very last breath, the sinner has the opportunity to repent of sins and be embraced by God’s forgiveness.  This is the very best of the Good News!  On the other hand, even a virtuous man can commit a mortal sin and forfeit eternal life (this is yet another warning against the sin of presumption, since this dreadful possibility must be admitted as a consequence of the reality of free will).  In other words, for better or for worse, it’s not too late to change!  May this day, and every day remaining in our lives, be recorded as days on which you and I turned away from sin and committed ourselves to keeping God’s commandments and doing what is right and just!

Daily Retreat 03/05/09

2009 Mar 5 Thu: Lenten Weekday
Est C: 12. 14-16. 23-25/ Ps 127(138): 1-2ab. 2cde-3. 7c-8/ Mt 7: 7-12

From today’s readings:  “Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD....  Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me....  If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him....”

God, Our Last Recourse

The Bible, all of history, and often enough our own lives too tell the tale of the frantic search for aid in moments of dire need, and when no other help is to be found, God is finally invoked as the last recourse. The prayer of Queen Esther, at the very heart of that book of the Bible, is such an instance of turning to God as the only hope for her and her people.

Yes, God is there when we need Him most, but, it’s good to remember too that, in truth, we always need Him!  Jesus taught that we should turn to God in prayer, not just when we’ve tried everything else, but at all times in life, even for our “daily bread.”  Prayer in our life then should not be something extraordinary - every day should be lived with its share of asking, seeking, knocking, praying to our God as our first recourse!

Daily Retreat 03/04/09

2009 Mar 4 Wed: Lenten Weekday/ Casimir
Jon 3: 1-10/ Ps 50(51): 3-4. 12-13. 18-19/ Lk 11: 29-32

From today’s readings:  “Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, ‘Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,’ when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth....   A heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn....  This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.”

Jonah and Jesus

Despite his initial reluctance to go and prophesy in Nineveh, Jonah had unmatched success in completing his mission - the king and the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and committed themselves to doing penance.  This was all the more remarkable because Nineveh was a pagan and evil city, and Jonah himself was not the most zealous of prophets, nor was his own life the most elegant example of personal holiness.

Why couldn’t Jesus, the most zealous and holy of all, match Jonah’s success?  There are always three factors involved in conversion:  God’s grace, past and immediate circumstances, and the person’s free response.  Grace is never lacking, but also is never forcefully imposed.  Circumstances are never ultimately the decisive factor, but they certainly can either enhance or inhibit the receptivity to grace.  Free will, then, is always the critical variable.  Nineveh converted, in spite of the handicap of circumstances, because its citizens chose freely to embrace the grace of Jonah’s prophetic warnings.   The evil generation hearing Jesus did not convert, in spite of the advantages of circumstances, because its citizens chose freely to reject the grace of Christ’s presence.

In our own day too, grace is never lacking.  Admittedly, the circumstances have changed drastically - on the one hand, the culture of death markedly inhibits receptivity to grace, but, in any case, it’s debatable whether this ambience is more inhospitable than that of Nineveh; and on the other hand, the culture of life engendered by Christ’s Gospel has an ascendant vitality that reaches, in some way at least, to every person on the planet.   So, free will is still the critical variable.  You and I and all our contemporaries can choose to embrace God’s call to repentance, or we can ignore it, in which case, “at the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Daily Retreat 03/03/09

2009 Mar 3 Tue: Lenten Weekday/ Katharine Drexel, v, rf
Is 55: 10-11/ Ps 33(34): 4-5. 6-7. 16-17. 18-19/ Mt 6: 7-15

From today’s readings:  “Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down ... So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth.... The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit He saves.... This is how you are to pray:  Our Father who art in Heaven....”

The Fruitful Word of God

In the first reading, God explains that His Word is like the rain and snow that come from above, irrigate the earth, and then return after completing their purpose of bringing fertility to the land.  Jesus, the Word of God, came down from Heaven and became flesh when Mary welcomed the Annunciation of the Angel.  Christ’s life, Passion, saving death, and glorious Resurrection brought the blossom of the New Covenant to the ends of the earth.   When His end on earth was achieved, Jesus ascended into Heaven, returning to the Father.

Likewise, the Word of God in Scripture is never to be barren: when we listen and read, and allow it to take root in our heart and make a difference in our lives, then we have the glorious privilege of grafting ourselves to that Word whose destiny is nothing less than to return to God in Heaven!

Daily Retreat 03/02/09

2009 Mar 2 Mon: Lenten Weekday
Lv 19: 1-2. 11-18/ Ps 18(19): 8. 9. 10. 15/ Mt 25: 31-46

From today’s readings:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself....  The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul....  Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy!

In a word, “Holiness” is the goal of Christian living, and Heaven is the home of the holy.  And God explains that the best reason to be holy is not connected with any reward for holiness - rather, God simply says, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy!”

So to be holy, is to be like God.  Now, since we were made in the image and likeness of God, holiness is not something foreign to us - it suits us best, in fact, like a tailor-made suit fits best.  Yet because of Original Sin, we all have an inclination to sin, even though that is something foreign to us.  Suited in sin, we become like the teenage boy who wears ridiculously baggy pants, or the teenage girl who wears uncomfortable skintight clothing - by all objective standards, such teenagers are poorly dressed, even if subjectively they’re convinced by their peers that such styles somehow lead to popularity.  No matter how hard they might assert that these funny fashions fit them, in truth, if they were separated from the subjective aura of their classmates, more practical fashions would prevail.

So it is with our sins - in our immaturity, we irrationally allow ourselves to become attached to things with only an illusory appeal, even though such things don’t suit our noble nature as children of God.  Lent is a time to detach ourselves from the subjective aura of worldly views and return to the objective standard of what is good for us, namely, holiness, everything that God says is good for us!

Daily Retreat 03/01/09

2009 Mar 1 SUN: FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Gn 9: 8-15/ Ps 24(25): 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/ 1 Pt 3: 18-22/ Mk 1: 12-15

From today’s readings:  “God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ‘See, I am now establishing My covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you....’  Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep Your covenant....  This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ....  This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand - Repent, and believe in the gospel!”

Even though Noah is, without a doubt, one of the most memorable characters in the whole Bible, this is, in fact, the only Sunday, out of the entire three year lectionary cycle, which features a reading from those four chapters (6-9) in Genesis that focus on Noah and the Ark, and the Flood.  Today, the Second Reading as well, from the first letter of Peter, mentions Noah by name, and even the Responsorial Psalm alludes to God’s covenant, which was first established with Noah.  

The short Gospel reading, from St. Mark’s account, attests that, at the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus taught about the imminent advance of the Kingdom of God.  In the final days of  His life, the Lord was heard teaching about the culmination of the Kingdom of God, when the Son of Man would come again in glory: “For as it was in the days of Noah,” Jesus noted, “so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.    In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.  They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.....”  

Ezekiel and Isaiah made reference to Noah in the course of their prophecies, and not surprisingly, his name also comes up in the compelling meditation of the faith of our fathers outlined in Chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews: “By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.”

Considering all this, it only seems logical to conclude that the example of this man Noah could provide some timely direction for our cruise through this penitential season of Lent, for since he was able to successfully navigate through the deluge which began with those torrential rains of 40 days and 40 nights, surely his course is a good starting point for charting our own 40 days of Lent!

The first thing we note about Noah is that he was an upright, God-serving man living in an evil age - in other words, a non-conformist of the best type!  Rather than compromising his morals as everyone else was doing at the time, Noah faithfully lived a life of righteousness, thereby “walking with God,” according to the beautiful biblical idiom.   Noah put his faith into action, and because of his commitment to prayer, even built the first altar recorded in the Bible.  Following that example, this Lent is indeed the acceptable time for you and me to do a reality check of our moral character and the extent we’ve inexcusably conformed to the prevailing immoral norms of this age or have been lax in our prayer and worship of God!  Now, note that the Bible doesn’t just say that Noah wasn’t nearly as bad as the worst men of his generation - no, Noah was positively upright and blameless, and put worship of God first!  So, it’s obviously not enough for you and me to soothe our consciences with the platitude that we’re not as bad as the worst of our generation - no, we need to strive for that standard of being positively upright and blameless, and putting God first in our lives!

Noah was also a family man - and obviously,  his whole household. was completely onboard with his high moral standards.  Evidently, Noah wasn’t the spineless kind of man who abdicated religious leadership in the family and left that all to his wife - Noah wasn’t the irresponsible type of father who always had better things to do than pray with his sons and be their role model for  walking faithfully with God.  Following that example, this Lent is the acceptable time for you and me (especially the Christian husbands and fathers among us!) to re-commit ourselves to living our faith fully in the context of our family, for God want us to embrace His salvation, not just individually, but with our whole family, gathering together around the holy altar, just as Noah and his whole family did.

Furthermore, Noah was faithful to his vocation and obedient to the will of God, in spite of all difficulties.  It wasn’t enough that Noah was an upright family man in a general sense - God specifically called upon him to build and man that ark of salvation.  We can just imagine the ribbing that Noah’s neighbors and cronies heaped on him as he set about the task of building the huge ark!  And note that, because God knew best, He spelled out specific details for the construction of the ark, and didn’t even allow Noah the unbridled freedom of doing his own thing and designing the ark according to his own human preferences.  Following that example, this Lent is the acceptable time for you and me to take a more active role in building up and manning the new ark of salvation, which is the Barque of St. Peter, Christ’s Holy Church!  God, who always knows best, has designed His Church as the infallible vessel of His redemption - left to our own unbridled freedom and imagination, we would have doubtlessly constructed a softer, laxer church.  Some, indeed, have done just that, eliminating the bothersome unbending beams of biblical ethical demands, and whittling down the hull of authentic worship of God, and thus forfeiting the true Church, the one divinely-designed, seaworthy Ship of salvation, in favor of a fallible, rickety raft of man’s own making.

How blessed and beneficial, then, can our Lent be, if we just spend these 40 days being like Noah, that memorable man sealed with God’s covenant, and decorated with the highest mettle, that of the rainbow, forever honoring Noah’s flying colors in his faith, morals, family commitment, and most prominent position in the Ark of Salvation.

Daily Retreat 02/28/09

2009 Feb 28 Sat: Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Is 58: 9b-14/ Ps 85(86): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Lk 5: 27-32

From today’s readings:  “Thus says the LORD: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday....  You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon You....  Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

The Joy of Lent

Popular parlance focuses on the somber side of Lent, as if our simple sacrifices were somehow sufficient to actually weigh heavily on us.  While a real commitment to practical penance and our serious meditation on Christ's passion is nothing light-hearted, gloominess during penance is actually forbidden by Christ in the Gospel of Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:16), and the first reading today relates how, through true Lenten practices, "gloom shall become for you like midday!"

In fact, the first Lenten preface in the missal (prayed aloud by the priest immediately before the "Holy, Holy, Holy" Sanctus prayer)actually refers to Lent as this "joyful season" of purification and self-denial!  

So Levi had it right:  our awareness and confession of our sinfulness is absolutely essential so we can hear the voice of Him who explained, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners!"  When you and I hear that voice, and give answer with our lives to His invitation to "Follow Me!", surely that is nothing to be glum about - rather, our Lenten response needs to be celebrated with the great Eucharistic banquet of joy!

Daily Retreat 02/27/09

2009 Feb 27 Fri: Friday after Ash Wednesday
Is 58: 1-9a/ Ps 50(51): 3-4. 5-6ab. 18-19/ Mt 9: 14-15

From today’s readings:  “Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high....  Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense....  Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? ”

A Humble, Contrite Heart

Just two days ago, we started the penitential season of Lent, praying the same psalm selected today, which  begins, “Have mercy on me, O God...” and is either psalm 50 or psalm 51 (for inessential reasons, two valid ways of numbering the psalms are in circulation).  Since there are 150 psalms, it might seem like the Church is lacking originality and variety in repeating the same psalm so soon.  But it’s no lack of creativity that led to the re-run of this psalm - rather, it’s the undeniable suitability of this psalm for the whole Lenten season that explains why it comes up, at one time or another, in the lectionary at least once in nearly every week of Lent.

It is, in effect, the psalm par excellence of Lent, so copy it down, and pray it everyday, and learn it by heart - a humble, contrite heart!

Daily Retreat 02/26/09

2009 Feb 26 Thu: Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Dt 30: 15-20/ Ps 1: 1-2. 3. 4 and 6/ Lk 9: 22-25

From today’s readings:  “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding His voice, and holding fast to Him....  Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked....  If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. ”

Moral Inventory

In addition to the prayer, fasting, and almsgiving recommended in the Gospel passage on Ash Wednesday, Lent is also a time for introspection, for taking an honest moral inventory of our lives.  Are we choosing God, and life, and His blessings, or are we choosing death and the curse of separating ourselves from God?

This clear theme unites the scripture readings: the first psalm, the speech of Moses recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, and Christ’s frank presentation of the demands of discipleship all outline the essential central choice of life: turning toward God, or turning away from Him.  The very first words of scripture proclaimed in Lent remind us of which choice God urges us to make:
“Even now,” says the LORD, “return to Me with your whole heart....”

Daily Retreat 02/25/09

2009 Feb 25 Wed: Ash Wednesday
Jl 2: 12-18/ Ps 50(51): 3-4. 5-6ab. 12-13. 14 and 17/ 2 Cor 5: 20 -- 6:2/ Mt 6: 1-6. 16-18

From today’s readings:  “Even now, says the LORD, return to Me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning....  Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense....  Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation....  When you give alms, when you pray, when you fast....”

Making Fast

In spite of the popularity of dieting, the concept of fasting is curiously uncommon in modern life.  And yet dieting and fasting both amount to the same basic activity - that of abstaining from certain foods.  But dieting, of course, is endured merely to enhance the health of the body, whereas fasting is undertaken precisely to strengthen the health of the soul.

Biblical fasting is thus never intended to wreak havoc on bodily health - that would be taking the discipline way too far!  Rather, the fasting the scriptures enjoin upon us today has a noble purpose: to help us harness the drive of bodily appetites as a means of assisting with spiritual progress.  For, while a wild horse is perhaps a beautiful animal, an intractable brute is inevitably either a nuisance or even a threat, whereas a tamed, harnessed horse can be every bit just as majestic, but quite helpful as well for productive labor and travel.  Likewise, our bodily appetites, if left out of control, soon become a nuisance or a threat to our overall well-being, but when properly reined in, the appetites serve us in our work and progress.

During Lent, the Church prescribes a rather mild regimen of fasting as the minimum for her members.  Today, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only days of required fast, but that does not even mean that we are forbidden to eat a single bite of food on these two days!  Rather, the Church’s discipline merely calls for moderation: one main meal of our choice during the day of more or less normal portions, but the other two meals are to be reduced more or less to half portions, and on these two days of fast, as well as on all of the Fridays of Lent, we are to abstain from meat and meat products.  And further allowances are even made for reasons of age and health.

But those regulations are meant to be merely a common starting point for fully entering the spirit of fasting!  Each one of us can and should put together a more complete Lenten program of fasting, with the understanding that this discipline of self-denial need not just be limited to foodstuff.  Many people abstain throughout Lent from desserts or favorite dishes, but one can also legitimately fast by turning off the TV, or limiting time spent on the computer, or arising earlier in the morning, or curtailing any leisure activity.  By thus taming the bodily appetites, we suddenly re-discover resources of time and resolve of the will in order to better feed the spiritual appetite, our soul’s real hunger for the Lord’s Bread of Life, and real thirst for His living water.

Daily Retreat 02/24/09

2009 Feb 24 Tue: Ordinary Weekday
Sir 2: 1-11/ Ps 36(37): 3-4. 18-19. 27-28. 39-40/ Mk 9: 30-37

From today’s readings:  “My son, when you come to serve the LORD, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials....  Commit your life to the Lord, and He will help you....  If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all”

Questions, questions

As has been mentioned, the Gospel of Mark has a simple structure: in answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?”, the first half of the Gospel, focusing on the Lord’s initial instructions to His disciples and His ministry in Galilee, leads up to Peter’s climatic confession of faith, “You are the Christ!”  (Mark 8:29).  This takes place at Caesarea Philippi, which, significantly, is the northernmost locality of the Lord’s travels mentioned in Mark’s Gospel.

From that point on, Jesus starts teaching His apostles more specifically about His messianic mission to suffer and die, and so the Lord begins His deliberate journey south to Jerusalem.  This part of the Gospel is punctuated with three very specific predictions by Jesus of His impending Passion and Resurrection: Mark 8:31, 9:31; 10:33-34.

The second prediction, highlighted in today’s Gospel passage, is the shortest of the three, and seems to hint at a particularly low point in the disciples’ sense of discipleship: they did not understand what Jesus was talking about, and not only were they afraid to question Him, but then when Jesus questioned them, they were afraid to answer!

To be sure, the teaching of Jesus about Christian discipleship is indeed demanding, and difficult to understand perfectly.  But when we find ourselves struggling with our own call to follow Christ and live His Gospel, you and I need to specifically turn to Jesus and His Gospel for answers to our questions and misunderstandings; and, furthermore, you and I need to be open, honest, and committed to the necessary soul-searching on our own parts to answer His questions to us!

Daily Retreat 02/23/09

2009 Feb 23 Mon: Polycarp, bp, mt M
Sir 1: 1-10/ Ps 92(93): 1ab. 1cd-2. 5/ Mk 9: 14-29

From today’s readings:  “All wisdom comes from the LORD and with Him it remains forever, and is before all time....  The Lord is king; He is robed in majesty....  I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Paradoxical Prayers

In addition to the “Our Father” and other beloved prayers from Sacred Scripture, there are a number of short supplications found in the Bible which so perfectly express cries of the human heart.  For instance, after His Transfiguration, Jesus encountered a man who begged Him to heal his possessed son.  When Jesus assured the man that all things are possible for the one who believes, the man cried out, “I do believe!  Help my unbelief!”

This paradoxical prayer is a simple act of faith, and simultaneously, a desperate plea to be bolstered in faith!  It’s the perfect prayer, then, for those many times in our lives when we find ourselves faced with problems, worries, preoccupations, and everything else that’s too big to handle on our own.  Assuredly, we do believe in God, but we also have occasional chinks in the armor of our faith which must be addressed.  And so, this pithy prayer:

“I do believe!  Help Thou my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Daily Retreat 02/22/09

2009 Feb 22 SUN: SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 43: 18-19. 21-22. 24b-25/ Ps 40(41): 2-3. 4-5. 13-14 (5b)/ 2 Cor 1: 18-22/ Mk 2: 1- 12

From today’s readings:  “Thus says the LORD: Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new!...  Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against You....  As God is faithful, our word to you is not “yes” and “no....”   They came bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. ”

Carrying Others to Christ

When reading the Bible, we must always strive to avoid reading “into” the sacred text our own preconceived ideas, prejudices, and assumptions, for scripture is truly the “Word of God,” what He wants to say to us.   However, since even the most detailed passages can frequently support many different insights,  more than one legitimate interpretation can often be validly argued.  As long as one respects the integrity of sacred scripture and takes into account the entire Tradition of our faith, it’s oftentimes beneficial to consider new points of view.

Consider, for example, the healing of the paralytic, recorded in today’s Gospel reading.  The focus is clearly on the man’s healing as the visible guarantee of the forgiveness of his sins when Jesus said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven!”  But that central insight shouldn’t prevent us from considering other details of this miracle.

Note, for instance, in introducing the Lord’s proclamation of the forgiveness of sins, the Gospel clearly reads, “... Jesus saw their faith.”  Not just “his” faith, but “their” faith!  In other words, what warranted Jesus’ attention was not just the faith of the paralyzed man, the one who would directly receive the blessing of forgiveness and healing, for evidently, Jesus was also touched by the faith of those who brought the man to Him.  

In fact, we can legitimately speculate a bit about the faith of the paralytic - did he himself hear about Jesus, and then beg his friends to bring him to the Lord, and insist that they promise to do everything possible to get him close to the Lord?  Or did his friends first hear about Jesus - were they the ones to initially tell the paralyzed man about Jesus, maybe even needing to overcome the sick man’s skepticism, and fear of being pulled up on top of the roof?  On this point, scripture is not clear: perhaps the entire fivesome were all strong in their faith, but then again, maybe one or more of them were weak in faith, but dragged along willy nilly by the fervent faith of the others.

And so, while each person’s faith by itself must be addressed and nurtured, the issue shouldn’t be reduced to just “your” individual faith and “my” individual faith - the Lord Himself considers (and wants us to also consider) our collective faith, which could very well be more than just the sum of its parts!

For whenever we come to Jesus in prayer, we should also bring others with us, carrying them if necessary, at least through our prayer!  We should bring all those who can not come to Jesus and His Church on their own because of illness or other handicaps - sometimes this means physically assisting those in need of transportation, or with other special considerations.  We bring them to Jesus, that He may fill their lives with hope and healing, strength and comfort!

But when we come to Jesus in prayer, we should also bring all those who do not come to Jesus and His Church on their own because of ignorance, doubt, confusion and other difficulties, those who perhaps haven’t even thought much yet of issues of faith in their lives.  We bring them to Jesus, that He may fill their lives with faith and the Sanctifying Grace of His Presence!

And when we come to Jesus in prayer, we should even bring all those who deliberately will not come to the Jesus and His Church on their own because of alienation, anger, fear, or other troubles, so that our patient God may fill their lives with charity as He draws them ever nearer to Himself and His Mystical Body, the Church!

Daily Retreat 02/21/09

2009 Feb 21 Sat: Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Peter Damian, bp, dr
Heb 11: 1-7/ Ps 144(145): 2-3. 4-5. 10-11/ Mk 9: 2-13

From today’s readings:  “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen....  I will praise Your Name for ever, Lord....  Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.”

A Superfluous Miracle?

When I was growing up, the Transfiguration of Jesus almost appeared to me as a superfluous event.  Nearly all of Jesus’ miracles were clearly worked as an intentional blessing for other people: changing water into wine, numerous healings, multiplication of the loaves, etc.  Yet the beneficiaries of Jesus’ Transfiguration are not immediately apparent, since Peter, James, and John certainly failed to grasp the significance of the moment (cf. Luke 9:33), and were even forbidden by Jesus to recount what they had seen (Mark 9:9).

Yet we must remember that Jesus’ miracles were intended not only to help and to inspire wonder, but also to provoke reflection which was in turn to lead to deeper faith and discipleship as well (cf. John 6:26).  This is especially true of the Transfiguration - everything about it invites questions: why?  how?  what does it mean?  Jesus silenced His disciples because He knew they had not reflected enough at that time to speak coherently about it - after the Resurrection, their fuller faith would enable them to proclaim and explain the Transfiguration (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18).

The same is true for you and me - through prayerful questioning and meditation, key insights about Christ can be established.  For instance, the Transfiguration occurs immediately after the first time Jesus explicitly predicts His Passion, so the timing reveals Jesus’ intention to link the glory of the Transfiguration (and Resurrection) to the suffering of the Passion.  Moreover, since Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, Jesus standing in their midst demonstrates clearly that the Old Testament is meant to lead the focus to Jesus.  His glorious aspect and the Father’s voice from Heaven confirm Jesus as the beloved Son of God, Whom we should always listen to!  You take it from here - think and pray about the Transfiguration to understand why it’s not superfluous at all, but supersaturated with revelation about the resplendent face of our faith!

Daily Retreat 02/20/09

2009 Feb 20 Fri: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 11: 1-9/ Ps 32(33): 10-11. 12-13. 14-15/ Mk 8: 34 – 9: 1

From today’s readings:  “It was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world....  Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own....  Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Self-Denial Every Friday

Next week, with the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, we will all strive to enter the penitential spirit of the season with our commitment to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  One of the best known Catholic Lenten practices is the custom of abstaining from eating meat on the Fridays of Lent (and on Ash Wednesday).

Not eating meat is a mild form of the penitential practice of fasting.  The idea is to commit ourselves to a concrete form of self-denial, thereby uniting ourselves with the Lord’s own self-denial, and His insistence that self-denial is an essential aspect of taking up one’s own cross and following Him in Christian discipleship.

Because Jesus died on a Friday, for Christians, that day of the week has ever since been colored by remembrance of that event.  In fact, although many Catholics aren’t well aware of the fact, when not coinciding with a festive solemnity (such as Christmas), every Friday of the year (not just those of Lent!) is to be observed with a spirit of penance.  


Excerpts from http://www.usccb.org/lent/2008/Penance_and_Abstinence.pdf:

22. Friday itself remains a special day of penitential observance throughout the year, a time when those who seek perfection will be mindful of their personal sins and the sins of mankind which they are called upon to help expiate in union with Christ Crucified.
23. Friday should be in each week something of what Lent is in the entire year. For this reason we urge all to prepare for that weekly Easter that comes with each Sunday by freely making of every Friday a day of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ. inward spiritual values that we cherish.
27. It would bring great glory to God and good to souls if Fridays found our people doing volunteer work in hospitals, visiting the sick, serving the needs of the aged and the lonely, instructing the young in the Faith, participating as Christians in community affairs, and meeting our obligations to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our community, including our parishes, with a special zeal born of the desire to add the merit of penance to the other virtues exercised in good works born of living faith.

Daily Retreat 02/19/09

2009 Feb 19 Thu: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 9: 1-13/ Ps 101(102): 16-18. 19-21. 29 and 22-23/ Mk 8: 27-33

From today’s readings:  “I set My bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth....  From Heaven the Lord looks down on the earth....  Jesus and His disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi....”

Who is Jesus?

The Gospel of St. Mark is the shortest (only sixteen chapters) and it also has the simplest structure. Look at the first verse of the Gospel of St. Mark. “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. the Son of God.”  Now right in the middle of the Gospel of  St. Mark is Chapter 8, beginning with verse 27, today’s familiar passage, which leads up to the Lord’s question, “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter’s great confession of faith “You are the Christ!”  is also translated “You are the Messiah” - Messiah is the Hebrew word, “Christ” is the Greek word, both meaning “the anointed one.”  So Peter declares to Jesus, “You are the Anointed One, You are the Messiah, You are the Christ.”  Remember Mark’s first verse: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

 Now let’s look at the end of the Gospel of  St. Mark - not the very end, but very near the end, as Jesus is on the cross praying from Psalm 21, and after that He dies.  This is chapter 15 verse 39, when “the centurion who stood guard over Him and had seen the matter of His death declared: Truly,  this man was the son of God!”

This was before the resurrection of Jesus and the centurion, a pagan, has this beautiful confession of faith: this man was the son of God!  Remember how the Gospel begins: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The first eight chapters lead up to Peter’s declaration “You are the Christ , the Messiah!” The second half of the Gospel of St. Mark lead up to the centurion’s declaration: “Surely this man was the son of God!” So, it’s very clear that the Gospel of St, Mark is structured around the question of “Who is Jesus?”

Who is Jesus? Start to read the Gospel of St. Mark and pretend you don’t know who Jesus is and see how Mark methodically takes you through experiences in the life of Jesus that little by little build the pieces for you, for me, and for those who are reading about who Jesus is. That’s why at the middle of the Gospel, at the center, at the focal point, Jesus Himself asks the question, not just to His disciples, but also to us who read the Gospel, “Who do you say that I am?”  And Peter, as spokesman for all the apostles, but also, at this moment for you and me, declares “Thou art the Christ, You are the Messiah!”

Now it turns out, Peter didn’t understand at that moment fully what he was talking about. Because right after that, Jesus starts to explain to him and to all disciples what that means - being the Christ, being the Messiah, when “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.   He said all this quite openly.”

Now Peter, who just had this great insight about "You are the Christ, you are the Messiah!"  doesn't get the implication at all and so starts to rebuke Jesus, and so Jesus has to reprove Peter, "Get behind me Satan - you are talking as man talks and not as God!"  The first half of the Gospel led to Peter's affirmation, "You are the Christ!" but that wasn't enough, it was a type of faith without works, because Peter and the others didn't really understand the sacrificial mission of the Messiah, in fulfillment of the words of Isaiah and the other prophets.  So the second half of the Gospel of St. Mark incarnates and draws out the implications of Peter's insight, which leads to the complementary confession and full recognition of Jesus as the Son of God.

And so the Gospel of St. Mark can be summed up as the answer to that question of: Who is Jesus?  That is, in fact, the most important question of our life!  How we answer that question sets the course both for how we live our earthly life, and ultimately, what trajectory we give for our eternal life as well!

Daily Retreat 02/18/09

2009 Feb 18 Wed: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 8: 6-13/ Ps 115(116): 12-13. 14-15. 18-19 / Mk 8: 22-26

From today’s readings:  “At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark....  To You, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise....  When Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to Him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.”

See What I Mean?

All the miracles of Jesus were worked, not just for those who clearly benefitted most directly from those miracles, but also for all of us who would hear of the miracles, and reflect on their significance.

Consider, for instance, the blind man of Bethsaida, who was cured by Jesus in stages.  For, after Jesus put spittle on his eyes and touched them, the man started to see, but his sight was still muddled, for, as he said, “I see men like walking trees!”  But then, when Jesus set His healing hands on the man’s eyes a second time, the man was able to see clearly.  

Why wasn’t the man’s sight restored fully at first?  Certainly, it was not the case that Jesus failed to do a full job of healing the first time!  Although not mentioned explicitly, it is possible that the gradual healing reflected the man’s own gradual illumination by the light of faith.  Another enlightening interpretation recognizes this miracle as a lesson for all disciples of Christ, for even after the Lord has begun to make us partially see some essential points, we still need the humble patience to allow Him to help us see what He wants us to see ever more clearly.

Daily Retreat 02/17/09

2009 Feb 17 Tue: Ordinary Weekday/ Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, rs
Gn 6: 5-8; 7: 1-5. 10/ Ps 28(29): 1a and 2. 3ac-4. 3b and 9c-10/ Mk 8: 14-21

From today’s readings:  “Then the LORD said to Noah: Go into the ark, you and all your household, for you alone in this age have I found to be truly just....  The Lord will bless His people with peace....  The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.”

Food for Thought

More than any other evangelist, St. Mark is quite candid about the disciples' slowness in understanding Christ's crucial teachings.   For instance, when warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, Christ was clearly speaking metaphorically, cautioning His disciples against hypocrisy and worldly ambitions, the principle vices of the Pharisees and King Herod.  Yet the disciples figured that Jesus was just making a veiled reference to their own oversight in packing insufficient bread for their journey.

To help the disciples open their hearts and minds and eyes and ears to the real issues at stake, Jesus asks a barrage of questions, concluding with queries about how much bread left over there was after the miraculous feedings of five thousand and four thousand.   The memory of the overflowing wicker baskets should have well reminded the disciples that the Lord was leading them to leave behind their preoccupations about such mundane things in order to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness," as He had instructed them in the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 6:33).

You and I can laugh at the comical obtuseness of the disciples who were so worried about their lack of bread when they had the very Bread of Life with them!  Yet, when we personally consider the Lord's barrage of questions, a number of parallel situations in our own lives come to light!  How often our worries and even our prayers get tangled up in such insignificant matters, all because whenever we overlook the providence of God, and start to think and act as if everything depended on us, we prove that we too still do not understand....

Daily Retreat 02/16/09

2009 Feb 16 Mon: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 4: 1-15. 25/ Ps 49(50): 1 and 8. 16bc-17. 20-21/ Mk 8: 11-13

From today’s readings:  “Am I my brother’s keeper?...  Offer to God a sacrifice of praise....  The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven to test Him.”

Sighing for Signs

The miracles worked by Jesus were irrefutable confirming signs of the presence of God, but the Pharisees, with their hardened hearts, like Pharaoh in the day of Moses, always had an excuse to dismiss the miraculous nature of His work.

To discredit Jesus, they would ask for further signs and miracles out of line with His mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God and His call to conversion.  One can well imagine the enemies of Jesus promising to believe in Him if only He would arrange for a thunderbolt to destroy a Roman garrison or effect some other terrifying sign from Heaven.  These were the same people who later put Christ on the Cross, then challenged Him to come down as a sign to prove Himself.

Jesus refused all such selfish and showy demands for signs.  But, then as now, to those with open hearts, to those who seek God and His Truth, Jesus Himself not only gives signs, but He Himself incarnates the true sign from Heaven.

Daily Retreat 02/14/09

2009 Feb 15 SUN: SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Lv 13: 1-2. 44-46/ Ps 31(32): 1-2. 5. 11 (7)/ 1 Cor 10: 31 – 11: 1/ Mk 1: 40-45

From today’s readings:  “...he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests among his descendants....  Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered....  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ....  go, show yourself to the priest.... ”

Divine Prerogatives and Human Agents

“Incarnation” is a big word, but with a little help, even a child can marvel at its central meaning, that the infinite God took on human flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit when Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary.  At that moment, nine months before His birth, the Word became flesh, God was incarnated, God became man, became one of us human beings.

The Incarnation, though, was actually the second step in the Divine Designer’s plan for ennobling humanity, for even before the Incarnation, way back “in the beginning,”God had already demonstrated His affinity for the human race when He created man in the image and likeness of God, for Genesis recounts how God created man and woman, and blessed them as the crown of His creation.

Well, since God literally invested so much of Himself in His humanity, humanity, by logical extension, is now caught up in divinity!  That doesn’t mean, of course, that you and I are gods (we need that blunt reminder every once in awhile, don’t we?).  But it does mean that our humanity is endowed with privileges beyond our mere natural order, because God actually and factually shares certain divine prerogatives with His adoptive children.

For instance, consider the creation of new human life, when a  man and a woman share in the divine privilege of creation.   Whenever a human baby is conceived, at that moment of conception, there is a new life, which certainly must be a new human life!  Obviously, the new human life is still quite dependent on the life of his or her mother at least, and by extension, the new human life is normally also dependent in a real way on the life of his or her father.  And yet the new human life is still quite distinct from the life of his or her father, and even distinct from the life of his or her mother.

Now, if this were just a matter of matter, that is, something limited to physical reality, something confined to the natural order, the new life, called a human “zygote,” would already be some “thing” to be careful with, some “thing” to treat respectfully, at the very least because of its potential.  

However, human conception is not just confined to the natural order!  For, at the moment of human conception, in every single instance of human conception, God Himself steps into the picture !  Because He has deigned to share His divine prerogative of creation with His adoptive children, God is directly involved in every act of human conception.  

As Creator of the animal world, God is certainly indirectly involved in every act of animal conception, but as Creator and Father of humankind, God is directly involved in every act of human conception, for He instantly animates every human zygote with an immortal soul at the moment of conception.  Consequently, a human zygote is not just some “thing” to treat respectfully because of its potential - rather, a human zygote is already some “one” to treat with love and reverence, because of his or her intrinsic value in God’s perspective as worthy of an immortal soul.  

Consider Mary’s love for her Son, which certainly began right at the moment of His conception!  How blasphemous to even imagine that Mary could have spent the first couple of weeks, or days or hours, or even a single moment treating the microscopic Jesus as a mere “thing,” an inanimate extension of her own body which she could dispose of, or perhaps decide to keep, however she might think fit.  No, thank God, no!  From the beginning, Mary welcomed the new Life within her with love and reverence, so much so, that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, the divine Zygote’s real presence, only a few days after conception, was already bringing joy and blessings to those ready to respond to the grace of divine visitation.

So, human parents clearly share in the divine prerogative of creation, because God always is directly involved in human procreation, and we can even note that God never does this on His own, completely without human intention!  

Now,  God shares His divine prerogatives with His adoptive children not just in the matter of natural generation, but also in the phenomenon of spiritual generation.  For, when someone is created anew with the divine life of baptism, God imparts a character on the human soul that elevates it immensely and indelibly in dignity.  

But, in accordance with Divine Revelation, God never gives the divine life of baptism on His own, completely without human intention.  And note further that neither does a person baptize himself!  Normally, of course, a priest or deacon administers this sacrament, but in an emergency, any one of us could pour water on the head of some unbaptized person and say, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”and God would step into the picture to endow that person with the divine life of baptism!  But no one of us can pour water on his own head to receive baptism, nor can a person even stand in the rain or under a waterfall and suppose that God is sanctioning and cooperating in such an “autobaptism.”

Only in the most extreme circumstance, when a person truly desires baptism but is denied it because of tragic circumstances beyond his control, is there recourse to what is known as “baptism of desire,” the guarantee that God’s grace can reach a person in an extraordinary way if  the person is deprived of the ordinary means of God’s grace.  Is this because God is stingy with His grace?  Not at all!  Rather, God is so serious, sincere and emphatic about sharing His divine prerogatives with His adoptive children, that He chooses to enlist and respect their cooperation in dispensing sanctifying grace, just as He looks to human cooperation for the matter of human procreation.

Now for my final point: all this clearly applies also to forgiveness of sins!  Non-Catholics ask why a priest is needed for sacramental absolution and, inexcusably, too many Catholics have fallen into this same sad skepticism.   Why does God involve human beings in the creation of new life?  Why does God involve human ministers in the act of baptism?  Why did God, in both the New and the Old Testaments, specify His human priests for the ministry of reconciliation of all that is unclean?  Why did Jesus, on Easter Sunday, say to certain men, His apostles, His first priests, “Receive the Holy Spirit - whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, whose sins you hold bound, they are held bound”?

Well, since God literally invested so much of Himself in His humanity, humanity, by logical extension, is now caught up in divinity!  The divine prerogative of creating human life, the divine prerogative of elevating human life with the baptismal infusion of deifying grace, the divine prerogative of reconciling human life through the forgiveness of sins - all this, (and more!) God could have chosen to ordinarily do without human intention and cooperation, but all this (and more!) God has, in His divine wisdom, decreed that He will bring about precisely through means of  human intention and cooperation, thereby showing us and all people of all times and places how serious, sincere and emphatic He is about sharing His divine prerogatives with His adoptive children!

Daily Retreat 02/14/09

2009 Feb 14 Sat: Cyril and Methodius, bps M
Gn 3: 9-24/ Ps 89(90): 2. 3-4abc. 5-6. 12-13/ Mk 8: 1-10

From today’s readings:  “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel....  In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge....  Then, taking the seven loaves He gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to His disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd.”

Bread Blessed and Broken

Chapter Six of Mark’s Gospel records the multiplication of the loaves for the feeding of five thousand, and here, at the beginning of Chapter Eight, there’s a similar miracle recounted of the feeding of four thousand hungry souls.

There are a few differences noted between the two miracles, but, on the whole, there are many more similarities of details - one could well use the two incidents (Mark 6:30-44 and 8:1-10) as the basis for a typical essay demonstrating comparison and contrast composition skills.

In His patience, Jesus must have repeated central themes of His teachings many times, and the Gospels record repeated miracles addressing similar needs of people.  This pattern continues, for every time we go to Mass, we hear the Word of the Lord repeated anew, and the miracle is likewise renewed as Jesus takes bread, gives thanks and blesses it, then entrusts It to the hands of His priestly disciples to be distributed to the crowd of souls hungry for Him!

Daily Retreat 02/13/09

2009 Feb 13 Fri: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 3: 1-8/ Ps 31(32): 1-2. 5. 6. 7/ Mk 7: 31-37

From today’s readings:  “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made....  Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven....  Ephphatha! - that is, ‘Be opened!’ ”

Ephphatha!

Some places mentioned in Scripture are quite obscure.  Not many people could point out “district of the Decapolis” on a map of the holy land.  This was a league of 10 rather insignificant non-Jewish cities in eastern Palestine.  Not much reason for anyone to go there!  Since Jesus generally confined His mission to the Jews (e.g., Matt 10:6, Mark 7:27), His brief excursions into pagan territory are remarkable.  What did He do there, and why?

Christ’s presence among pagan peoples was personally purposeful and poignantly prophetic.  Purposeful, because He brought the comfort of His presence (which caused the tongue of the mute to sing!) and thus already He was certainly sowing the seeds of stirring to faith among the Gentiles (the fruition of His work would be seen after Pentecost); prophetic, because His actions were meant to be reflected upon and interpreted in their fullest intent, viz., if even the pagan peasants of the Decapolis were open to the blessings of Christ’s presence, then surely no one is meant to be excluded from the Messianic joy of the Gospel!

His command shatters the deafening silence of our own complacency, pealing out to you and to me, “Ephphatha!”– “Be opened!”  Let our ears and hearts be opened then to the Good News Christ set out to bring us this day, and then let our tongues sing His Gospel in gratitude!

Daily Retreat 02/12/09

2009 Feb 12 Thu: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 2: 18-25/ Ps 127(128): 1-2. 3. 4-5/ Mk 7: 24-30

From today’s readings:  “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh....  Blessed are those who fear the Lord....  Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”

Children and Creatures of God

At the time of Jesus, the Jews were the only people who believed in the one true God - everyone else was pagan, including the  Syrophoenician woman who begged Jesus to help her daughter.  Jesus’ initial reply to her comes across as insulting, even though it’s an appropriate reminder of the essential distinction between God’s own people, who, by His grace, have been elevated to the status of His beloved children, contrasted with those people who reject God, but still nonetheless remain His dependent creatures.

The  Syrophoenician woman was satisfied with the children’s scraps, and Jesus did not refuse her that much.  The Gospel doesn’t mention any more about the woman, but perhaps later in her life she realized that Jesus was ready and eager to give her much more, as soon as she would respond to God’s call to be more than just His creature - to be His beloved child, through the sacramental adoption of baptism!

In addition to the clear distinction between children of God and creatures of God, there’s a parallel continuum that we can consider about the whole range of responses of faith.  For even among God’s baptized children, too many are satisfied with just the crumbs of faith, because they prefer to follow animal instincts and habits rather than live up to their sublime dignity as children of God.  Jesus is always ready and eager to give us much more, as long as we children of God just live up to our role!

Daily Retreat 02/11/09

2009 Feb 11 Wed: Ordinary Weekday/ Our Lady of Lourdes
Gn 2: 4b-9. 15-17/ Ps 103(104): 1-2a. 27-28. 29bc-30/ Mk 7: 14-23

From today’s readings:  “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil....  O bless the Lord, my soul!...  From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly....”

Catalogs of Vices

There’s a number of passages in scripture that catalog and put together lists of various vices,  lists of the different diseases of the soul and their sinful symptoms.  One such list is found in the final verses of today’s Gospel reading.  The other New Testament lists include:
Romans 1:29-31;
1 Corinthians 5:11 & 6:9-10;
Galatians 5:19-21;
Ephesians 5:3-4;
Colossians 3:5;
1 Timothy 1:9-10;
2Timothy 3:2-4;
1Peter 4:4;
Apocalypse 21:8 & 22:15.

As these lists are read, each of us will note many vices that we do not possess, and we give thanks to God for that!  But, each of us will also, if we are honest, see at least some of these sinful symptoms in our own lives, alerting us of the need  to call upon our Lord to help us address them squarely and aggressively with the help of  His grace.

Daily Retreat 02/10/09

2009 Feb 10 Tue: Scholastica, v, r M
Gn 1: 20 – 2: 4a/ Ps 8: 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/ Mk 7: 1-13

From today’s readings:  “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them....  O Lord, our God, how wonderful Your Name in all the earth!...  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites....”

God rested

The majestic account of Creation builds a mighty crescendo leading up to the sixth day, when “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them.”

Although Genesis thus presents the sixth day as the climax of God’s creative activity,  the true culmination of the entire narrative comes only with the seventh day, when “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work He had done in creation.”

We know, of course, that almighty God was not actually “tuckered out” from His work of creation - He rested and sanctified the Sabbath as an example to us, not as a favor to Himself!  Thus, when you and I rest and keep the Lord’s day holy, we share in that specific blessing from God; but when we profane the Sabbath, we thereby spurn the blessing.

Daily Retreat 02/09/09

2009 Feb 9 Mon: Ordinary Weekday
Gn 1: 1-19/ Ps 103(104): 1-2a. 5-6. 10 and 12. 24 and 35c/ Mk 6: 53-56

From today’s readings:  “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.....  May the Lord be glad in His works.....  Whatever villages or towns or countryside He entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might touch only the tassel on His cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.”

Back to the Beginning

 The opening words of Genesis resonate so beautifully as they tell us about something that happened so long ago.  In fact, by definition, there’s nothing that happened more long ago than that which happened “in the beginning.”

They happened so far away - in fact, by definition, there’s nothing that’s further away than God’s standing point (whatever we can imagine that to be!) from which He created the universe, the heavens and the earth.

Yet, in spite of the fact that these words tell us about something that happened so very long ago and so very far away, they don’t sound or feel remote at all to us.  They actually sound, they feel so familiar - and not just because we’ve heard these words before, but more so because these words speak about who we are, and they speak about what the world around us is. They help us to make sense, and they help to have a picture and understanding of how all the pieces fit together.  So even though it happened so long ago, and even though it happened so far away, it’s not remote, it’s not distant, its something that’s familiar, that’s near to us!

So these familiar words are a beautiful example and model for us about  what every word of scripture can be if we take the time and put forth the effort to allow all of the words of scripture to become familiar to us, because all the words of scripture come from the same familiar source -from God!

Daily Retreat 02/08/09

2009 Feb 8 SUN: FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Jb 7: 1-4. 6-7/ Ps 146(147): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ 1 Cor 9: 16-19. 22-23/ Mk 1: 29-39

From today’s readings:  “I am filled with restlessness until the dawn....  Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted....  Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!... Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed. ”

First Things First

What’s the first thing you do in the morning?  Clearly, whatever is first enjoys, in some sense, the highest priority, and is therefore most likely to actually get done.  For most of us, there’s some ritual of cleaning ourselves up in the morning, and making ourselves presentable.   But some start by turning on the radio to learn what’s happening in the world, or reading the newspaper.  Others get the coffee going first thing, because they’re just no good without their morning cup of coffee.  There are even those who begin their day with the somewhat illogical routine of turning off the alarm clock and simply going back to sleep!

But what did Jesus do first thing in the morning?  He prayed!  He did what you and I and all people can do and should do first thing in the morning;  He showed clearly what His priority was, and what ours should be;  before anything else, He first did the most important thing He had to do - He prayed!

How wonderful it is to let our first words of every day be sincere words of a simple prayer: “Good Morning, God!” or “Praise to You, my God!”  or “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of this new day!”  No matter how sleepy we are, no matter how busy the new day is going to be for us, there’s no reason we can’t begin in the morning with such a heartfelt greeting to God.

But remember, prayer is not just talking to God, it’s also listening to Him!  So, we need to take a moment in the morning to glance at the crucifix on our bedroom wall, and listen to how that sacramental reminds us that God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone believing in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life!  When someone needs our help in the morning, we need to hear in that cry for assistance the voice of Jesus saying, “Whatsoever you do to the least of My brothers, that you do unto Me!”  When we take a few minutes to read the daily Bible verses, we can clearly hear God speaking to us through the scriptures that remind us what our day is all about, “All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it!”

The first thing Jesus did in the morning was to pray.  Those who follow Jesus strive to be like Him and do what He did, so, from now on, what’s the first thing you’re going to do in the morning?

Daily Retreat 02/07/09

2009 Feb 7 Sat: Ordinary Weekday/ BVM
Heb 13: 15-17. 20-21/ Ps 22(23): 1-3a. 3b-4. 5. 6/ Mk 6: 30-34

From today’s readings:  “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have - God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind!...  The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want....  Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while....”

Synopsis of the Synthesis

For almost a month, the weekday first readings have followed the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book which, in a way, could be taken as a summary of the whole Bible, a brilliant synthesis of the thematic theological insights from both the Old and the New Testaments.

Few people would mention Hebrews as their favorite part of the Bible, but perhaps that’s precisely because this book is so profound and demanding!  It presumes the reader wants to go beyond a friendly basic “Introduction to Jesus” in order to explore with the eyes of faith the bigger picture of God’s eternal plan of salvation as revealed in His Son.

The most polished Greek of the New Testament is found in this epistle, as well as the most developed argumentation and exposition of Christ as the center and summit of all human history.   Clearly, it was meant to be read slowly and reflectively, for a cursory overview would likely only lead to confusion or even frustration.

Am I discouraging you from opening your Bible to the Letter to the Hebrews?  No!  In fact, I’m really hoping that your will take the time to re-read the entire epistle over the next few days, and carefully note now what a wonderful synthesis this letter is, explaining the Old Testament as the preparation for Christ, He who is the fulfillment, the great high priest, our one mediator between God and man, the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, the One who is the definitive revelation of God - Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Daily Retreat 02/06/09

2009 Feb 6 Fri: Paul Miki, p, mt, & co., mts M
Heb 13: 1-8/ Ps 26(27): 1. 3. 5. 8b-9abc/ Mk 6: 14-29

From today’s readings: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever....  The Lord is my light and my salvation.....  Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison....”

Faith Incarnate

Exhortations abound throughout the letter to the Hebrews, but as the epistle begins to wind down, a helpful sampling of blunt recommendations for putting faith into practice is offered:

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

This list is, of course, by no means exhaustive, but it does highlight some of the most obvious exigencies of our faith which we are constantly tempted to neglect or compromise.  Try posting this list on your fridge, or some other prominent spot, in order to remind yourself frequently to put faith into practice....

Daily Retreat 02/05/09

2009 Feb 5 Thu: Agatha, v, mt M
Heb 12: 18-19. 21-24/ Ps 47(48): 2-3ab. 3cd-4. 9. 10-11/ Mk 6: 7-13

From today’s readings:  “You have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem....  O God, we ponder Your mercy within Your temple....  Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two.... ”

Approaching Heaven

“What is your vision of heaven?” is a pleasant thought-provoking question periodically raised in various media eager for a wholly positive though thoroughly innocuous Polaroid portrayal of the “average Joe.”  Predictably, younger people often imagine heaven as a place of non-stop thrills, whereas  answers from older people tend to be vaguely idyllic, painting one of life’s simple pleasures being enjoyed in a pretty and peaceful place, e.g., “Heaven to me means enjoying an ice cream cone with your family as the summer sun is setting on the seashore.”

I wonder how many people’s dreams of heaven omit the little detail of specifying where God fits in the picture!  Though the Bible only offers a few glimpses of Heaven (including the cameo found in today’s first reading), the scriptural and all other credible celestial visions certainly focus on GOD, with  all the other majestic details merely serving as the Almighty’s backdrop.

Images of perpetual exhilaration and scenic sunsets and innocent joys can be useful in envisioning an earthly Eden (“heaven” with a lower case “h”) , but simply put, if we hope to approach Heaven, we need to draw near to God, allowing Him to be central in our lives!  Too often, you and I are content to paint God as the distant landscape in which direction we presume our life is more or less heading, effectively reducing Him from “personal Lord and Judge of all” to “pantheistic horizon of life.”  So, are your life choices carefully and deliberately following God’s directions to Heaven, or are you just content to see your life drifting along fast enough toward some imaginary pantheistic paradise?

Daily Retreat 02/04/09

2009 Feb 4 Wed: Ordinary Weekday
Heb 12: 4-7. 11-15/ Ps 102(103): 1-2. 13-14. 17-18a/ Mk 6: 1-6

From today’s readings:  “See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble....  The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear Him.... Where did this man get all this?”

The Nazareth Syndrome

To readers of the Gospel, the Nazareth townsmen’s rejection of Jesus comes across as particularly offensive and inexcusable.  His charisma, His wisdom, even His ability to work miracles - they saw all those good things about Jesus plainly, and yet, rather than being led by them to faith or at least an appropriate sense of town pride, “they took offense at Him.”  They were scandalized simply because Jesus had proven Himself to be more than they had initially seen in Him.

In reality, though, Jesus is forever proving Himself to be more than expected.  Faithful Christians are bolstered, inspired, and saved every day by the Lord’s charisma, wisdom, miracles, and mercy, and yet, sometimes rather than being led to greater faith and humble gratitude, you and I can all too easily undervalue the grace of the Lord’s presence, and even might resent the implications that we should be honoring Him more in our own lives with our day-to-day choices and lived convictions.

For Christ is ever eager and willing to love and comfort and help, but, in the end, lack of faith is still too often such an awful obstacle to His grace, and thus even some of the modern brothers and sisters of Christ, stuck in the Podunk of nominal Christianity,  opt to be scandalized rather than vitalized by the God who is with us.

Daily Retreat 02/03/09

2009 Feb 3 Tue: Ordinary Weekday/ Blase, bp, mt/ Ansgar, bp, ms
Heb 12: 1-4/ Ps 21(22): 26b-27. 28 and 30. 31-32/ Mk 5: 21-43

From today’s readings:  “ For the sake of the joy that lay before Him, Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God....  They will praise You, Lord, who long for You....  You see how the crowd is pressing upon You, and yet You ask, Who touched Me? ”

Getting Rid of Every Burden and Sin

Surely most of us are habitually guilty of under-using our faith - we joyfully welcome it, and apply it to “safe areas” of our life, as if it were some mild tonic or perfume for which discretion was left to us as to how often, how much, and where to use it.

For someone just beginning to explore the faith, I suppose it’s appropriate to wade into it slowly and gradually, but that’s not the way God intends it to be for one’s whole life: eventually, one should leap beyond an ankle- or knee-deep experience of faith to plunge in completely and be submerged in the fullness of the faith.

But so many Christians are content to tolerate secret sins in their lives and burdens of confusion and anxiety, effectively limiting the application of faith from their complete selves.  Yet not only does God’s Word offer more, He insists that we continue striving to reach the point of  joining so many saints, that “great cloud of witnesses,” in recognizing Him truly as “My God and my all!”