Daily Retreat 08/11/09

2009 Aug 11 Tue:Clare, v, rf M
Dt 31:1-8/ Dt 32:3-4ab. 7. 8. 9 and 12/ Mt 18:1-5. 10. 12-14

From today’s readings: “It is the LORD who marches before you; He will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you....  The portion of the Lord is His people....  In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost....”

The End of Moses and the Torah

The whole book of Deuteronomy is set at the end of Moses’ life, when the Israelites had finally come to the end of their wilderness wandering and were preparing to enter the Promised Land.  So, the book’s collection of Moses’ words serve as a type of last will and testament of that great servant of God, and the last chapter (34) recounts the death of Moses.

For almost two months now, the daily first readings have been from the first five books of the Bible, collectively known as the “Torah” or “Pentateuch.”  For the Jewish people, these five books are the most revered part of Sacred Scripture, so it is inexcusable for us Christians to be ignorant of the content and significance of these books!  When He was growing up, Jesus Himself would have spent many hours reading the Torah and meditating on the words we have been studying these past weeks.

The book of Deuteronomy is especially apt as the Pentateuch’s finale because its verses review and recall parts of the other books of the Torah, thereby reminding us that the words of Scripture should be read and re-read.  We should take the time to reflect on all of salvation history in order to thank God for His saving work before our own times, because we are the heirs of all the blessings of the past!  But that implies that we should also learn as much as we can from the past.

The best known verses of Deuteronomy (30:15-20) are skipped this week because they are included elsewhere in the lectionary at the start of Lent.  I encourage you to re-read them now, though, since those verses summarize the end and purpose of all Scripture, which shows us how choosing God and His life and law leads to blessings and the fulfillment of our existence, whereas turning away from God and His life and law leads to death and curses.  The right choice is so clear, yet we certainly need God’s loving help every day to choose Him every day of our lives!

Daily Retreat 08/10/09

2009 Aug 10 Mon:Lawrence, d, mt F
2 Cor 9:6-10/ Ps 111(112):1-2. 5-6. 7-8. 9/ Jn 12:24-26

From today’s readings:  “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully....  Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.”

St. Lawrence

Over the centuries, the city of Rome has been sanctified by the blood of many martyrs, and countless other saints have spent time there as well.  So, it speaks volumes that, among all those saints, a particular devotion to St. Lawrence is still quite evident even among the citizens of that city today.

Lawrence was martyred in 258 AD, and reliable historical records prove that he was actually put to death on this very day, the 10th of August.  One of his primary duties as a deacon was to care for the poor and oversee the distribution of alms.  The first reading and psalm remind us of how zealous Lawrence was in this regard: “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever!”  “Lavishly he gives to the poor, his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory!”  Such a personal commitment to charitable works is an essential component of the Christian faith, and we all need inspirational examples like Lawrence to prod us to greater giving of ourselves....

For not only did Lawrence generously exercise his care of the poor, he also literally gave himself in his martyr’s witness to his unshakeable faith.  Sentenced to be roasted alive on a giant gridiron, midway through his tortures, he reportedly quipped to his executioners, “You can turn me over now - I’m done on that side!”  Such humor, especially in the midst of torments, demonstrated the saint’s confidence that his dying to self would bear much fruit, for his own suffering was united to the redemptive sufferings of Christ, thereby securing his share in the Savior’s promise, “Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there also will My servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves Me.”

Daily Retreat 08/09/09

2009 Aug 9 SUN:NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
1 Kgs 19:4-8/ Ps 33(34):2-3. 4-5. 6-7. 8-9 (9a)/ Eph 4:30 – 5:2/ Jn 6:41-51

From today’s readings:  “Get up and eat, lest the journey be too long for you...   Taste and see the goodness of the Lord....   Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption....  I am the living bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world!”

Bread from Heaven

The Lord’s Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 has a formidably steep progression of divine Eucharistic teaching - each bite becomes more and more substantial, heartier, fleshier.  Starting with just the crowd’s renewed physical appetite, Jesus adeptly leads them to ponder how to start working for the Food that remains unto life eternal.  When the crowd first reminisces about the magnificent miracle of manna in the desert, Jesus suggests that He is leading up to something even greater than that, even linking belief in Him with eternal life, and resurrection on the last day.  

But the crowd, which had initially been eagerly devouring all the Lord’s words, suddenly started to choke on them, and have trouble stomaching how such a full meal deal could be cooked up by just Jesus.  And so they began gnawing and grumbling and murmuring at His words.   But rather than apologetically deboning His earlier servings,  Jesus actually piles on an even meatier helping, favorably contrasting His “Bread of Life” recipe with the manna of old which, however miraculous and nutritive, nonetheless simply couldn’t starve off death.   For in contrast, Jesus is prepared to fill the plate with so much more, saying “I AM the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world!”    Notice the future tense.  Earlier, speaking to the same people, Jesus attested, “My Father gives you the True Bread from Heaven.”  “Gives”, “is giving” - right at that moment, present tense!  That was the reality, that was the correct verb form for that moment, for God the Father was indeed actively engaged in giving His Son at that moment to those disciples there in Capernaum.  But that present moment was not the chosen time for Jesus to give His flesh for the life of the world - that momentous moment would come a year later, at the Last Supper.  Hence, the future tense.   

Now, of all the hard sayings Jesus serves up in His Bread of Life discourse, this Chapter Six of the Gospel of St. John, the most scandalous was that shocking climax:  the Bread of Life, of which He spoke, was His very flesh for the life of the world!  So, it’s no wonder that the Jews were a bit burned - no longer just murmuring under their breath, but militantly quarreling aloud about His incredible claim!  Had our Lord  merely been speaking metaphorically, allegorically, or figuratively, He certainly would have realized His obligation to clarify the natural “misunderstanding” that had arisen among His listeners.  
 
But instead of apologizing for stretching the poetic license, Jesus reconfirms the literalism of His words, insisting “My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink.”  And the Bread of Life is not just intended as some exotic gourmet intended only for the elite, for “unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you.”  And the word “to eat” here, in the original New Testament Greek, is bold and vivid - almost could be translated “to munch,” to literally feed on that Flesh of the Son of Man!
 
How can this Man give us His Flesh to eat?  For those who don’t believe in His divinity, the words of Jesus will forever be spit out as tasteless hyperbole.  But for those who recognize Jesus as the true Son of God, for those who eat His Body and drink His Blood, the Lord’s words of life are joyfully digested as the recipe for the Bread of Life, the Eucharist, the true Bread come down from Heaven, having within it all sweetness!

Daily Retreat 08/08/09

2009 Aug 8 Sat:Dominic, p, rf M
Dt 6:4-13/ Ps 17(18):2-3a. 3c-4. 47 and 51/ Mt 17:14-20

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....  Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed....”

Listen!

The first reading commences with what are, for the Jewish people, the best known verses of Sacred Scripture: “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....”  Faithful Jews recite these verses every day, even covering their eyes when they do so, in order to avoid any distraction.  

What then, about faithful Christians?  Jesus explicitly affirmed the overarching importance of this commandment (cf. Mark 12:29), which is why we immediately recognize it as the First and Greatest Commandment.

But have we taken these words to heart - is our recognition real and incarnate, or merely theoretical?  In other words, have you and I truly set this commandment as the cornerstone of our existence, the principle reference point to measure and evaluate every decision and action, or are they still just words to us?  Whether the eyes are opened or covered, anyone can plainly see the clear reason to listen to and pray these words every day, taking them to heart, drilling them to children, speaking of them at home and abroad, binding them close at hand, keeping them always in mind, incorporating them in our homes, and signing our very lives with their preeminent truth!

Daily Retreat 08/07/09

2009 Aug 7 Fri:Ordinary Weekday/ Sixtus II, pp, mt, & co., mts/ Cajetan, p
Dt 4:32-40/ Ps 76(77):12-13. 14-15. 16 and 21/ Mt 16:24-28

From today’s readings:“This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other....  I remember the deeds of the Lord....  Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me....”

Deuteronomy

Because of tedious details, Leviticus and Numbers are two of the more difficult books of the Bible to read from cover to cover.  But the last book of the Torah is generally considered much more “user friendly,” for that book, Deuteronomy, showcases some of the most polished rhetoric found in the Old Testament, and it also serves as a neat resume and review reflection of many of the most important incidents mentioned earlier in the Pentateuch.

The passage of the first reading is a prime example of the style of Deuteronomy.  These verses are the conclusion of a long speech by Moses (which started in Chapter One!), in which he summarized the wanderings of the Israelites from the departure of Mt. Horeb to the edge of the Promised Land.  In general, the speeches of Moses are a simple and straightforward exhortation to the Israelites: Think back on the great things God has done for us, His chosen people, in the past - if you remain faithful to God and obey His commandments, He will continue to guide you and bless you!

Such a simple but profound message is the summary of the whole Bible, so the message needs to be proclaimed anew and repeated every day, thereby fulfilling Moses’ injunction to “fix in your heart  that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other.  You must keep His statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper....”

Daily Retreat 08/06/09

2009 Aug 6 Thu:TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD F
Dn 7:9-10. 13-14/ Ps 96(97):1-2. 5-6. 9/ 2 Pt 1:16-19/ Mk 9:2-10

From today’s readings:  “As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of Heaven....  The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth....  We ourselves heard this voice come from Heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain....   Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became dazzling white....”

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 08/05/09

2009 Aug 5 Wed:Ordinary Weekday/ Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
Nm 13:1-2. 25 – 14:1. 26a-29a. 34-35/ Ps 105(106):6-7ab. 13-14. 21-22. 23/ Mt 15:21-28

From today’s readings: “Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, which I am giving the children of Israel....  Remember us, O Lord, as You favor Your people....  O woman, great is your faith! ”

The Voice of the People and the Voice of God

Those of us with the fortune (and concomitant responsibilities) of living in a democracy can fall into the temptation of  placing too much faith in majority decisions, for even when most of the people endorse a certain choice, that alone does not make it the right choice! There's a Latin phrase that expresses that mistaken mindset: Vox populi, vox Dei - the voice of the people is equivalent to the voice of God!

Without a doubt, the clear opinion of the majority on any issue needs to be taken into consideration, but what about those cases when the "voice of the people" is directly opposed to the "voice of God?" Chapters 13 and 14 of Numbers recounts one of the many times when a clear majority reached a conclusion which conflicted with Divine Revelation.  A minority report, submitted by Caleb and Joshua, advocated trust in God, who had led the Israelites out of Egypt with the specific intention of bringing them to the Promised Land.  But the majority of the Israelite spies refused to believe God would give them the necessary help to overcome the expected resistance from the Canaanites, and therefore they despaired of ever possessing the Promised Land, and they even marshaled a majority of the people to take their side.

The consequences were tragic - by following the voice of the majority, instead of the clear voice of God, the Israelites  doomed themselves to the frustration of forty years of pointless wandering in the wilderness, when they could have enjoyed the fruits of the Promised Land in their own lifetimes, if only they had listened to God, and the minority which took His side.  In our own day too, there are always tragic consequences whenever immorality is justified on the basis of majority opinion, for the voice of the people never can carry the same authority as the voice of God....

Daily Retreat 08/04/09

2009 Aug 4 Tue:John Mary Vianney, p M
Nm 12:1-13/ Ps 50(51):3-4. 5-6ab. 6cd-7. 12-13/ Mt 14:22-36 or Mt 15:1-2. 10-14

From today’s readings: “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses....  Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned....  Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water....”

Pretext of Complaints

It’s always easy enough to find something to complain about - even about the very best!  Although Moses was “by far the meekest man on the face of the earth,” some of the Israelites accused him of lording it over them, and even his own brother and sister (perhaps driven by jealousy) find a flimsy excuse for speaking out against him.

Moses, of course, was only human, and therefore, not perfect - chapter 20 of the Book of Numbers  will even mention an instance when Moses sinned and gave God Himself something to complain about!  Still, Moses was clearly the leader God Himself had chosen for His people, and by all accounts, he did a pretty good job of it.  So, the Israelites could have and should have remained focused on the good qualities of Moses, instead of exacerbating the tensions of their precarious situation by finding something to complain about Moses.

Now it’s thousands of years later, but little has changed in this matter!  Pope Benedict XVI is the leader God has chosen for His people at this time, and some people have been voicing  complaints about him - often enough, their complaints are based on misconstrued interpretations of clearly articulated positions.  Even so, admittedly, the Pope is only human, so he’s bound to make mistakes at times.  Yet, Benedict, like his predecessor John Paul the Great, is doing his “job” quite well -  enthusiastically evangelizing the whole world.  It’s always easy to find something to complain about, even about the leaders God Himself chooses!  But for those who just open their eyes to the blessings God gives through His chosen ones, the reasons for giving thanks to God far outweigh the pretexts for complaints!

Daily Retreat 08/03/09

2009 Aug 3 Mon:Ordinary Weekday
Nm 11:4b-15/ Ps 80(81):12-13. 14-15. 16-17/ Mt 14:13-21

From today’s readings:“Now we are famished; we see nothing before us but this manna....  Sing with joy to God our help....  Give them some food yourselves.... ”

The Fourth Book of the Bible

The Book of Numbers, like Leviticus, is not the easier section of Sacred Scripture to read through from the first to the last chapter.  But this fourth book of the Bible is actually more like Exodus, because the Book of Numbers combines a register of Jewish laws with a narrative of history, recounting the wandering Israelites’ trek through the desert from Mt. Sinai to the edge of the Promised Land, over a period of about 38 years!

This book of 36 chapters can be divided into three sections.  The first part, 1:1-10:10, begins with the census of the Israelites (this “numbering,” in fact, accounts for the book’s rather drab title) and includes the other final activities in the Sinai region.  The second part, 10:11-22:1, relates the departure from Sinai and some of the major subsequent events during the wanderings through the wilderness.  Finally, the third part, 22:2-36:13, recounts what took place on the plains of Moab as the Israelites finally approached the border of the Promised Land.

The complaints of the Israelites mentioned in today’s first reading probably sound a bit familiar (cf. readings and reflection for July 22).  The Israelites moaned about their slavery in Egypt, and God rescued them from their bondage.  Then they moaned about their hunger, and God gave them manna.  They grumbled about their thirst, and God gave them water from the rock.  They murmured about the monotony of their diet of manna, and God gave them more meat than they could stomach (cf. 11:20).  

Now clearly, in all these cases, the Israelites were saddled with very real hardships and sufferings, and so it was justifiable for them to turn to God for help and relief,  but that’s not what they did!  Read the texts again, and note that the Israelites were not praying to God about their needs, they were just complaining bitterly among themselves!  It was Moses who re-voiced their complaints in prayer - often, his prayer was peppered with his own complaints, but at least it was prayer, turning to God for mercy, instead of just festering in self-pity.

When you and I are faced with hardships and sufferings, we can either complain, bemoan, begrudge, and wallow in our woes, or we can turn to God in prayer, asking Him for what we truly need: strength to bear our crosses, friends to share our crosses, and most of all, our Lord to take care of our crosses....

Daily Retreat 08/02/09

2009 Aug 2 SUN:EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Ex 16:2-4. 12-15/ Ps 77(78):3-4. 23-24. 25. 54 (24b)/ Eph 4:17. 20-24/ Jn 6:24- 35

From today’s readings:“This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat....  The Lord gave them bread from Heaven....  I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do....  I am the Bread of life.... ”

The Bread of Life

After the multiplication of the loaves, the crowds chased after Jesus in hopes of another free meal.  When Jesus then explained that they should work for imperishable food, and explicitly linked that with belief in Him, the crowds grew excited, and challenged Him to match the miracle of the manna, when the Israelites were given a steady supply of bread from Heaven for forty years.

Instead of turning down the challenge, Jesus ups the ante with a triple contrast: “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from Heaven, but My Father [who] gives you the true bread from Heaven!”

While the Jews certainly believed in the one true God, their experience of Him was mainly mediated by Moses, the man who was rightly revered as their great liberator, leader,  and lawgiver.  Even though it was recognized that almighty God Himself is the actual Liberator, Leader, and Lawgiver who worked through His servant Moses, in common parlance, God’s words and works were often attributed to Moses.  Now, there’s nothing wrong in itself with that practice within common sense limits- even Jesus spoke this way at times, e.g., Mark 7:10, when He quoted one of God’s commandments, saying, “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother....’ ” But when Jesus insists here (John 6:32) that “it was not Moses...but My Father...,” He is deliberately contrasting the mediated experience of God through Moses and the Old Testament with the more immediate, that is, un-meditated, experience of God in the New Covenant.

The contrast continues, as Jesus reminisces about Moses with the past (the verb gave), but vividly presents the current work of the Heavenly Father in the present (the verb gives).  And while not denying the miraculous nature of that desert manna which was justifiably recognized as “bread from Heaven,” Jesus insists that His present discourse is about a new, more veritably celestial Food which He Himself authenticates as “the true Bread from Heaven,” that “comes down from Heaven, and gives life to the world!”

Well, that certainly excites the crowd, so that they plead, “Sir, give us this bread always!”  But, the true Bread from Heaven is then revealed as not just a treasured token, or memorial mouthful, or suitable souvenir of any sort, for Jesus quickly and clearly  identifies this true Bread from Heaven....

Daily Retreat 08/01/09

2009 Aug 1 Sat:Alphonsus Liguori, bp, rf, dr M
Lv 25:1. 8-17/ Ps 66(67):2-3. 5. 7-8/ Mt 14:1-12

From today’s readings: “Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the LORD, am your God....  O God, let all the nations praise You!...  Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip....”

Outline of Leviticus

A simple outline of the book of Leviticus will help in reading through it.  The first seven chapters specify certain forms of sacrificial worship, norms for holocausts (that is, “burnt offerings”), as well as peace offerings, and sin and guilt offerings.  From reading these pages, it becomes clear that God’s plan provides for the expiation of sins in the context of sacred liturgy (cf. the sacrament of reconciliation).

Chapters 8 through 10 present the priestly ordination of Aaron and his sons, and a close read here will uncover a number of elements that have been taken up in the Christian sacrament of priestly ordination  - although there are obvious differences too, since, for instance, there certainly was no bull or ram slaughtered and offered up when I was ordained!  

Next, chapters 11 through 15 cover the aspects of ritual purity, what makes one “clean” and “unclean.”  Here, it’s intriguing to note how many of these admonitions reflect commonsense concerns for sanitation, such as the prohibitions of contact with rotting carcasses, and the necessity of quarantine to quell the spread of contagious diseases.  

Chapter 16 specifies the solemn ceremonies for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, the crown of the Jewish liturgical year.  Part of the rite called for the procurement of two goats, both of which were to have symbolic roles in the ritual of atonement.  One of the goats was to be sacrificed, but the priest would lay his hands over the other goat’s head, confessing over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, and thus he would symbolically put the burden of all this upon the head of the goat, and then send him away into the wilderness.   This goat, which “escaped” the knife of sacrifice, thus became known in English as the “Scape” goat, and we still use this term for innocent people or things which are made to bear the guilt of others.  Chapter 9 of the Letter to the Hebrews explains how Christ, the eternal High Priest, became Himself the ultimate and definitive scapegoat when He shed His own blood in taking on the sins of all the world.  So that’s chapter 16, especially recommended!  

Now Chapter 27 is an appendix about vows and tithes, and it’s preceded by Chapters 17-26, which form the “Code of Holiness,” centering on God’s repeated command to His people, “Be Holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy!”  Chapter 23 lists the Jewish holy days, and chapter 25 outlines the idea of the sabbatical and jubilee years.  Chapter 19 is perhaps the best example of this section - note how, in that chapter, the summarized principles of the 10 commandments are applied to everyday life.  

As we note how God’s chosen people were so concerned with, and aware of, having God direct the big and little aspects of their lives, then you and I in turn can ask if there is something in our lives, big or little, for which we have not yet turned to God for His guidance, and so say, “God, come here, and help me to look at this, give me Your direction, because I need Your guidance in big and small things, in all things in my life!”   That, I believe, is the most important insight that we can lift from the book of Leviticus!

Daily Retreat 07/31/09

2009 Jul 31 Fri:Ignatius of Loyola, p, rf M
Lv 23:1. 4-11. 15-16. 27. 34b-37/ Ps 80(81):3-4. 5-6. 10-11ab/ Mt 13:54-58

From today’s readings: “These are the festivals of the LORD which you shall celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly....  Sing with joy to God our help....  Jesus came to His native place and taught the people in their synagogue....”

Leviticus

There’s a number of people I’ve met who have made the excellent resolution to read the entire Bible.  With determination in their hearts, they sit down and start reading Genesis, “In the beginning....”  After quickly reading the fifty exciting and involved chapters of that first book of the Bible, they hunger for more, and turn at once to Exodus, the second book.  Here too, they find themselves on pretty familiar holy ground: the life of Moses, and the liberation of the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt, the 10 commandments, and many other precepts of the Torah.  

And yet, after awhile, a bit past the midway point of the 40 chapters of Exodus, many readers find the wheels of their enthusiasm clogged by the tedious details recounting obsolete case law and outmoded liturgical practices.  Upon reaching the end of Exodus, and the beginning of Leviticus, readers are thrown into a panic as they find themselves hurled into the midst of a flooding sea (27 chapters!) of such minutia, with no clear way out!  And so all too often, that noble intention of reading the whole Bible gets drowned and lamentably lost in the Book of Leviticus.

Yes, Leviticus, I will admit, right offhand, is one of the hardest biblical books to read. It presents excessively detailed laws about even the smallest little things that touch upon cultic worship and daily life for the Jewish people way back then, about 33 hundred years ago, so naturally, it’s rather difficult for us to relate now to so many of those things. Does that mean we shouldn’t read the book of Leviticus at all?  Well, if it’s going to cover and wash away all the forces of your enthusiasm for reading scripture, then we’d have to admit you probably should “let it go,” and pass over the book of Leviticus.

On the other hand, if nothing else, at least the verse from Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself!”  is affirmed by Jesus as one of the greatest commandments (cf. Matthew 22:39), and so, if you figure there’s got to be some good reason that the book of Leviticus was included in Sacred Scripture, then I invite you to come closer, stretch out your hand, and open your Bible to the book of Leviticus, and then do not fear to march into the midst of this third book, and see how the Lord will part the sea of our difficulties, with every tedium like a wall to our left and our right....

Daily Retreat 07/30/09

2009 Jul 30 Thu:Ordinary Weekday/ Peter Chrysologus, bp, dr
Ex 40:16-21. 34-38/ Ps 83(84):3. 4. 5-6a and 8a. 11/ Mt 13:47-53

From today’s readings: “He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil, thus screening off the ark of the commandments, as the LORD had commanded him....  How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!...  The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind....”

The End of Exodus

The last chapter of Exodus details the definitive erection and consecration of the Tabernacle, “the Dwelling of the meeting tent,” which was a concrete expression and visible guarantee of God’s guiding presence, as well as the physical focal point for worship, prayer, and “meeting” with God.

Like it is for the Book of Genesis, the common synopsis of Exodus focuses almost exclusively on the earlier chapters.  So, many people are surprised to discover that, in addition to the historical narratives about Moses and the Israelites’ flight from Egypt, the Book of Exodus also addresses numerous detailed legal issues, and includes copious chapters introducing many of the Jewish liturgical practices.

A few prayerful hours would be well spent this week re-reading the entire Book of Exodus, since it is arguably the most foundational book in the Old Testament, tracing not just how God, through His servant Moses, led His people from the slavery of Egypt, but also how and why that historical event of the exodus emerged as the constitutional inspiration of Jewish liturgy and morality.

Daily Retreat 07/29/09

2009 Jul 29 Wed:Martha, disciple of the Lord M
Ex 34:29-35/ Ps 98(99):5. 6. 7. 9/ Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42

From today’s readings: “As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD....  Holy is the Lord our God....  The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field....”

Unveiling Revelation

After spending time talking and listening to God (which is also known as “praying”), Moses descends from Mount Sinai to the Israelites in order to share with them the fruits of his divine encounter.  Moses was not aware that his face had become radiant in reflecting God’s glory - this miracle was to show that, the more that we, God’s children, unite ourselves with Him and grow in our knowledge of Him, the more we actually become like Him.

But Moses had to veil this radiance, for it was too awesome for the rest of the people to long endure.  In the third chapter of his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul remarks how Christ wholly “unveils”  God’s glory to present us with the fullness of revelation.  However, as St. Paul goes on to point out, there are those who shrink from that awesome fullness of revelation, and are content with merely a veiled version of God’s plan of salvation.

While explicitly affirming that even a veiled version of divine revelation is in itself an awesome blessing, Paul’s point, of course, is that the fullness of revelation is immensely superior to a partial unveiling.  The desire to welcome the fullness of revelation, though, demands the fullness of personal commitment - are you ready to reach for that, or are you content with just the veiled version?

Daily Retreat 07/28/09

2009 Jul 28 Tue:Ordinary Weekday
Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9. 28/Ps 102 (103)/ Mt 13:36-43

From today’s readings:“As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.....  The Lord is kind and merciful.....  He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom....”

Tabernacles and Tents

After the exodus out of Egypt,  the Israelites were a nomadic people en route to the promised land, and so of course they had no temple, but they did still have a sacred dwelling place.  In Exodus, chapters 25-31 and 35-40, mention is made of a very special tent, “the meeting tent,” which was the physical focal point for worship, prayer, and “meeting” with God.

Hundreds of years later, at the time of King David, God’s presence was still enshrined in a sacred tent housing the ark of the covenant, but the Israelites themselves had become firmly settled in the promised land.  Finally,  Solomon built the magnificent temple in Jerusalem and transferred the ark there as the new sacred dwelling place, but the Temple’s design clearly incorporated a “tent” motif in the central sanctuary to emphasize the continuity of God’s presence with His people from their nomadic beginnings.

The Latin word tabernaculum simply means “tent.” The tabernacle of each church is thus still an essential element of continuity, for the Lord’s Real Presence dwells in the tabernacle, retaining the focus of our worship, prayer, and awareness of “meeting” with God.

Daily Retreat 07/27/09

2009 Jul 27 Mon:Ordinary Weekday
Ex 32:15-24. 30-34/ Ps 105(106):19-20. 21-22. 23/ Mt 13:31-35

From today’s readings:“As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing, and with that, Moses’ wrath flared up, so that he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain....  Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good....  All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables....”

Excuses, excuses!

When Moses asked Aaron why he had made an idol for the Israelites, Aaron could only retort with what is certainly among the most pathetic excuses in history: “The people gave me their gold jewelry, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out!”  Such a pitiful reply would be laughable, if only it were not so tragically lamentable!

In all honesty, though, too many of us would have to admit that, when it comes to fumbling to justify our own sins, we’ve often appealed to excuses every bit as lame as the one offered by Aaron.  Just as he claimed to be the victim of circumstances, so do you and I too often cast the blame for our own sins on other people and the complications of situations, when, in reality, our own guilt is just as real as Aaron’s was.

The simple fact is, excuses for sins never justify anyone - they only serve to make sins worse, by strengthening their staying power and muffling the God-given voice of conscience.  Instead of clinging to sins with lousy excuses, the only way to find atonement for sin is to turn to God in soul-cleansing confession of sin, pleading, as Moses did, for His forgiveness, and then pulverizing sins with penance....

Daily Retreat 07/26/09

2009 Jul 26 SUN:SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
2 Kgs 4: 42-44/ Ps 144(145): 10-11. 15-16. 17-18/ Eph 4: 1-6/ Jn 6: 1-15

From today’s readings:  “For thus says the LORD: They shall eat and there shall be some left over....  The hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs....  Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience....  Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted....”

Chapter Six

John 6 is one of the most crucial chapters in the entire Bible, since it provides us with the best taste of the topic which Jesus Himself saw fit to patiently preach about in savory details exactly one year before His Passion.  So, beginning today, and for the next month, the Sunday Gospel selections will progress through nearly the entire sixth chapter of John.  But for easier digestion, week by week, the chapter is broken down into smaller pieces, so that we can carefully chew on every word, to insure that not even a fragment of the Lord's loaves goes to waste....

Now, of the many miracles performed by our blessed Lord in His public life, only one of them was recorded in all four Gospels - the multiplication of the loaves, the feeding of the five thousand.  Matthew and Mark even recalled that Jesus not only fed those five thousand, but on another occasion, He again took bread, and gave thanks (that's what the word “eucharist” means, “to give thanks”), and He broke the bread, and gave it to His disciples to feed another crowd, four thousand men that time.

So the multiplication of the loaves was, in a real sense, the Lord's most popular miracle.  And why not?  Doesn't everyone love a free lunch?  But Jesus didn't work that or any other miracle to be popular - quite the contrary, for when the well-fed crowd made a move to make Him their bread-king, He withdrew again to the mountain alone.  At this point, John is a bit vague, but Matthew and Mark clearly explain that Jesus even compelled the apostles to embark and get away as well.

So Jesus wasn't seeking popularity, and He evidently wasn't too keen about letting His apostles get carried away either by popular opinions.  So why then did Jesus multiply the loaves?  Out of compassion for hungry people?  Yes, of course, but the crowds then, just like the masses today, are hungry, not just for physical food, but for solid spiritual nourishment, and Jesus came to feed all such starving souls, and not just for the moment, but for all time!

And the time then was ripe, for the Jewish feast of Passover was near.  Jesus knew that, a year later, He would celebrate His final Passover with His disciples, and He wanted them then to call to mind, not only this miraculous moment, but also, the marvelous Eucharistic teaching that He was preparing to share.

So Jesus multiplied the loaves as a sign, as a sign to lead people to have faith, complete faith in Him.  But isn’t it interesting, that at the same time Jesus offers signs and reasons for faith in Him, He also shows His degree of faith in His own followers?  For, after considering the crowd’s hunger, Jesus asks Andrew and the other Apostles to consider the immensity of the problem.  And this Sunday too, Jesus also asks you and me to consider for a moment the immensity of the problem: the worldwide hunger for the Lord’s bread of life!   What are WE going to do about it?  Not “we,” that is, you and I without Jesus, but “WE, ” you and I with Jesus, you and I joined to the Body of Christ!  

For, the Gospel recounts, as soon as one boy came forward in a spirit of self-sacrifice, ready to share with everyone his own lunch of five loaves and two fish, Jesus took action, and performed the great sign.  And at this moment too, when you and I step forward in a spirit of self-sacrifice, ready and eager to share with everyone our Eucharistic faith and all the other blessings we’ve received from God, then Jesus again does His part, multiplying even our smallest efforts in His name, so that all can eat, and there even be some left over!

Daily Retreat 07/25/09

2009 Jul 25 Sat:James, ap F
2 Cor 4:7-15/ Ps 125(126):1bc-2ab. 2cd-3. 4-5. 6/ Mt 20:20-28

From today’s readings:  “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us....  The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed....  The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many....”

St. James the Greater

Since there were two with the name “James” among the Twelve Apostles, it’s easy to get them both mixed up.  One of them is mentioned in Mark 15:40 as “James the less,” but this diminutive title most likely refers to his age or height, not his relative importance.  So in contrast, the saint commemorated today, the other James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, is often called “the greater,” but again, that flattering title probably just reflects his greater age or height in comparison to the other James.

This St. James and his brother John and St. Peter were privileged to be the closest companions of Jesus among all the apostles, for  the three of them are mentioned as alone with the Lord on a number of occasions, including the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in Gethsemane.

The Acts of the Apostles also records (12:2) that James was the first martyr among the apostles.   He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I, and since that monarch had a short reign, the year of James’ martyrdom is well established as 42 AD.

Daily Retreat 07/24/09

2009 Jul 24 Fri:Ordinary Weekday/ Sharbel Makhluf, p
Ex 20:1-17/ Ps 18(19):8. 9. 10. 11/ Mt 13:18-23

From today’s readings:“In those days: God delivered all these commandments....  Lord, You have the words of everlasting life....  Hear the parable of the sower....”

The Ten Commandments

There’s a simple mnemonic trick to remember where the Ten Commandments are found in Holy Scripture.  Everyone knows that God gave the Decalogue through Moses, who, of course, was also the man God chose to lead His people out of the slavery of Egypt.  That part of salvation  history is recounted in the Book of Exodus, which is the second book of the Bible.  Now, we’re looking for the Ten Commandments in the second book of the Bible, and 10 x 2 = 20, so by a happy coincidence, the Decalogue is found right there at the beginning of Chapter Twenty of the book of Exodus.  Pretty simple, eh?

Another list of the Ten Commandments is found in Chapter Five of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible.  At times, a bit of confusion arises because, although Jews, Catholics, and Protestants all agree that God gave His people these ten commandments, and although everyone agrees that those commandments are listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, there are slightly different approaches on how to number them.  

The Jewish tradition considers Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord, your God” by itself as the first commandment, whereas Protestants also include the next verse, “you shall not have other gods besides Me,” and Catholics count verses 2-6 all as part of the first commandment (this includes the prohibition against idols, which most Protestants count as a separate commandment).   And while Jews and Protestants usually summarize the last commandment simply as “You shall not covet,” the Catholic delineation considers coveting property a separate commandment from coveting a spouse, and the order of these prohibitions follows the order in Deuteronomy, which lists “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” before “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house...” (you might have noticed that the reverse order of those two is found in Exodus).

Of course, there’s no excuse for bickering over how to order or count the commandments - all God cares about is that we take them to heart and obey His commandments!

Daily Retreat 07/23/09

2009 Jul 23 Thu:Ordinary Weekday/ Bridget of Sweden, mw, rf
Ex 19:1-2.9-11.16-20/Dn 3:52-56/Mt 13:10-17

From today’s readings:“Go to the people and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow....  Glory and praise for ever!...  Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear....”

Preparing for the Lord

Although “preparing for the Lord” is indeed the central theme of Advent, Sacred Scripture records many times when God’s people were instructed to prepare themselves for particular revelations from God, such as Chapter Nineteen of Exodus, which details the preparations for God’s delivery of the Ten Commandments in the next chapter.

We all hate to be caught unprepared, whether that be for a visitor, a test, or some timely opportunity.  God’s self-revelation to us is all three: He visits us personally, giving rise to the greatest decisions of our life for Him or against Him, and the consequences of our decisions.   Even when warning us that His final coming will be like a thief in the night, the Lord at least does warn us to be prepared for Him!

So preparation is clearly in order for all of our encounters with God, whether He comes to us in Scripture, Sacrament, prayer, others in need, or at the end of our earthly existence.  So before reading the Word of God, for instance, we can say a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts and minds to make the most of that encounter with God.  Similarly, by arriving just a few minutes early on Sunday, we can prepare ourselves for His gift of Himself in the Eucharist.  Every time we meet the Lord, we have so much to gain by spending a little time and effort to prepare for Him...

Daily Retreat 07/22/09

2009 Jul 22 Wed:Mary Magdalene, disciple of the Lord M
Ex 16:1-5. 9-15/ Ps 77(78):18-19. 23-24. 25-26. 27-28/ Jn 20:1-2. 11-18

From today’s readings:“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat....  The Lord gave them bread from Heaven....  On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning....”

Grumble, grumble

You and I can hardly imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites in Egypt, to first endure the slavery there for so long, then to be led out of Egypt by Moses after the ten plagues, then to be pursued by Pharaoh and his army, then to be miraculously led on dry land after the parting of the Red Sea, then to see the submersion of the Egyptian army.  What an impression of God’s saving power those experiences must have left!

And yet, as soon as the Israelites resume their trek to the promised land, they forget the great things God has done for them, and they start grumbling - grumbling about lack of water, lack of food, about all their hardships.  They go so far in their despair as to find themselves longing for the fleshpots of Egypt - they start convincing themselves that mindless slavery was preferable to freedom and the burdens of responsibility.  Clearly, no one can deny that the Israelites had real needs in the wilderness, but rather than grumbling and complaining, they should have turned to God in faith, knowing that the One who had rescued them from slavery in Egypt would surely not abandon them to starvation in the desert!

I think you and I too often follow the Israelites’ bad example, because no matter how great an impression God’s grace left on us when He’s clearly come to our aid in the past, we nonetheless struggle to stand confidently in our faith that God will not abandon us in our present or future difficulties.  But that’s the best thing we can do with the fears and struggles of this day - to face them all with the confident assurance and faith that God is with us as He has promised - and as long as His saving presence is with us, what is there to grumble about?

Daily Retreat 07/21/09

2009 Jul 21 Tue:Ordinary Weekday/ Lawrence of Brindisi, p, r, dr Ex 14:21 – 15:1/ Ex 15:8-9. 10 and 12. 17/ Mt 12:46-50 From today's readings:"The children of Israel marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left..... Let us sing to the Lord; He has covered Himself in glory.... Whoever does the will of My heavenly Father is My brother, and sister, and mother" How Far Can Evil Pursue? No matter how whole-heartedly a person may reject sin and evil, and embrace Christ and His Gospel, no one on this side of the grave can expect to be free from pursuit by the temptations of the Devil. In fact, a person completely unaware of temptations would have a lot to worry about, since such a situation would suggest that the Devil had so completely deceived him with the presumption that he wasn't even being tempted! Pharaoh's army even managed to pursue the Israelites along their escape path through the Red Sea, and similarly, temptations often dare to appear even in the wake of God's saving grace, luring partially repenting sinners to despair of God's power to save, even at the moment they are being led by that very grace to safety! But even formidable temptations are merely advance scouts of the power of Evil, probing for weaknesses in character on which to unleash Evil's most vicious attacks. That's why the Bible never suggests that the power of Evil is weak - in fact, Scripture makes it clear that Evil will always get the better of mere mortals struggling on their own! But more importantly, Scripture also assures us that God's good is infinitely stronger than all the powers of Evil, so casting ourselves on the shore of God's mercy (and remaining there!) is the only safe haven from Evil's reach.

Daily Retreat 07/20/09

2009 Jul 20 Mon:Ordinary Weekday/ Apollinarius, bp, mt Ex 14:5-18/ Ex 15:1bc-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Mt 12:38-42 From today's readings:"Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.... Let us sing to the Lord; He has covered Himself in glory.... At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here...." Why Did You Bring Us Out of Egypt? Think of the joy of the Israelites as they departed the slavery of Egypt - how their hearts must have sung with exultation as they left behind their bondage! And yet, as soon as Pharaoh's army appeared on the horizon, their joy melted into dismal panic as they turned to Moses and complained, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? .... Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" We've seen how the Passover and the liberation from the slavery of Egypt foreshadowed the Passion of Jesus and His loving act of redemption which liberates us from the slavery of sin. Such liberation from sin brings incomparable joy to the human heart, and yet, at times that joy is soured and becomes a dismal panic as the Devil madly pursues a soul escaping his enslavement. As the Israelites learned, it can be so terrifying to break with the bondage of the past, that the former slavery can even start to seem more bearable than the unrelenting demand for courage to continue following Christ's way of salvation. But, as Moses answered the people, "Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today!" Turning one's back completely to sin and the Devil does require the utmost courage and unshakeable faith - but not faith in ourselves and our own weaknesses, but faith in our God and His saving power!

Daily Retreat 07/19/09

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Jer 23: 1-6/ Ps 22(23): 1-3. 3-4. 5. 6 (1)/ Eph 2: 13-18/ Mk 6: 30-34 From today's readings: "I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD.... The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.... In Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.... When [Jesus] disembarked and saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things." Sheep and Shepherds The scriptures reminded me of a day in my junior year history class when the teacher announced that we would be getting a student teacher for the rest of the semester. At first, we were excited as we joked about all the things we now could get away with: there would certainly be less homework, easier tests, and little or no discipline in the classroom. On the other hand, after thinking about the matter for awhile, we started to wonder if we were being gypped: would we learn less, and be ill-prepared for our final exams, all because a novice would now be teaching us? Well, the experience of helping to train a student teacher wasn't as traumatic as we had expected. The roles of teacher and student overlapped as she taught us while learning from us, and we learned from our student teacher, while at the same time we were teaching her. In the end, we felt rather honored to play our essential role in the education of a teacher. At times, when the scriptures touch upon the relation of student to teacher, of sheep to shepherd, there is also a certain blurring of the roles. For starters, all of us sheep also have a role to play in the shepherding of the flock. It's never safe to say, "I'm just a plain sheep - whatever happens to all the other sheep isn't my concern." Each of us by our actions either helps to scatter, or helps to gather the flock. We can help our straggling neighbors catch up, or we can drive them further away by turning our backs on them. We're bound to get lost ourselves if we do nothing but sit around complaining that we don't have enough shepherds, enough priests, or you and I can do our own part through prayer and encouragement to call forth the shepherds of tomorrow from our own community. Yes, like it or not, we all play a part in shepherding the flock. The scriptures also have something to say to those whom we recognize the Lord has appointed as our shepherds. Anyone who serves as shepherd, every student shepherd, every pastor, bishop, even the pope, must realize that he is also a sheep, a member of the Good Shepherd's flock, like all Christians of all ages. So everyone called upon to guide other sheep (and remember, that includes all of us to some extent) must never forget that there is only one Good Shepherd. We must never egotistically say, "Follow me!" Rather, we should always humbly point to the One greater than ourselves and say, "Follow Him!" In our weakness, when we see ourselves as just sheep, when we think "I have too many problems of my own to worry about others in need, and I'm too busy anyway," it is then that Jesus our Good Shepherd provides us with courage and direction. As we pass through various valleys of darkness and confront moments of loneliness and the trials of our lives, even our greatest fears can't drown out the comforting voice of this Shepherd, Who searches out all lost sheep, and calls us by name. And in our strength, seeing ourselves as shepherds of sort, when you and I are sharing our blessings and talents with others, we're reminded then that we too are mere sheep under the protection of Jesus, for even He, though Chief Shepherd, humbled Himself also to become the Lamb of God. Our Shepherd and our Lamb! Happy, blessed are we who are part of His flock. Happy, blessed are we whom the Shepherd leads to the Banquet of the Lamb!

Daily Retreat 07/18/09

2009 Jul 18 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Camillus de Lellis, p
Ex 12:37-42/ Ps 135(136):1 and 23-24. 10-12. 13-15/ Mt 12:14-21

From today’s readings:“The children of Israel set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the little ones....  Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever....  The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death.”

Passover to the Last Supper

Genesis 46:27 specifies that there was a total of 70 people in Jacob’s extended family that had migrated to Egypt at the time of Joseph.   Four hundred and thirty years later, even in spite of Pharaoh’s subjugation and cruel birth control policy, the number of Israelites had swelled considerably; according to Exodus 12:37, “The children of Israel set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the little ones.”  God had clearly blessed His chosen people, enabling them to flourish and “be fruitful and multiply,” even in spite of the Egyptian oppression!

Chapter Twelve outlines the rite of Passover, and explains how this Jewish feast was a perpetual memorial of that night of the dreadful tenth plague, when the angel of death struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians, but passed over the homes of the Israelites in preparation for their liberation from the slavery of Egypt.  As we know, it was no accident that Jesus celebrated His Last Supper during the Passover feast, for His New Covenant was established to liberate all from the death and slavery of sin.  So, having read Chapter Twelve of Exodus, it would be very appropriate to read the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper (especially Luke 22), to note how Jesus fulfills and supersedes the old Passover rite with the new rite of the Last Supper.

Daily Retreat 07/17/09

2009 Jul 17 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
Ex 11:10 – 12:14/ Ps 115(116):12-13. 15 and 16bc. 17-18/ Mt 12:1-8

From today’s readings:“Although Moses and Aaron performed various wonders in Pharaoh’s presence, the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate, and he would not let the children of Israel leave his land....  I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the Name of the Lord....  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath....”

Plagues and Passover

One of the most dramatic parts in the book of Exodus is the series of plagues detailed in chapters 7-11.  These ten plagues (bloody water, frogs, gnats, flies, plague of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and firstborn) first merely fuel Pharaoh’s obstinacy, but then he starts to crack under the pressure as the plagues get worse and worse, and Pharaoh realizes that his magicians, who initially were able to partially duplicate Moses’ miracles, have clearly been outclassed by the greater power of the God of the Hebrews.   

As always, it’s better to take the time to read all the details of those chapters, but Exodus 11:10 is used by the lectionary to summarize all of the mounting tension of the first nine plagues: “Although Moses and Aaron performed various wonders in Pharaoh's presence, the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate, and he would not let the children of Israel leave his land.”

The Bible’s insistence of God’s role in “making Pharaoh obstinate” can be misunderstood.  God did not take away Pharaoh’s free will - rather, Scripture just wants to make it clear that neither did Pharaoh’s stubbornness thwart God’s plan at all.  The explanation God provides for Pharaoh after the plague of the boils is illustrative (Exodus 9:15-16):   “For by now I would have stretched out My hand and struck you and your subjects with such pestilence as would wipe you from the earth. But this is why I have spared you: to show you My power and to make My name resound throughout the earth!”   So we must not tire of reminding ourselves (and heeding the Bible’s reminders!) that even when we can’t understand how all of the pieces can possibly fit together, God always has a plan, and He always knows best!  In Romans 9, St. Paul cites Pharaoh’s obstinacy as the Apostle offers his own reflection on the tension between God’s omnipotence, divine election, and man’s free will.  Check it out!

Daily Retreat 07/16/09

2009 Jul 16 Thu
Ex 3:13-20/ Ps 104(105):1 and 5. 8-9. 24-25. 26-27/ Mt 11:28-30

>From today’s readings:“This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: I AM sent me to you....  The Lord remembers His covenant for ever....  Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. ”

The Name of God

God revealed His Name and identity to Moses in preparation for sending him on the mission of liberating God’s people from the slavery of Egypt.  So what, then, is the Name of God?  Yahweh?  Jehovah?  The LORD?  Exodus 3:14-15 are clearly the crucial verses, but the translations of these verses vary greatly, for a number of reasons.

The Hebrew alphabet consists only of consonants, so in ancient texts, there were generally no indications of what vowels were to be pronounced.  Instead, assumptions had to be made on the basis of context, but that inherent weakness led to many ambiguities in the written Old Testament.  We can consider an English analogy to illustrate these difficulties:   although when spoken aloud there is no confusion, in purely written form, “I read the book” can be either present or past tense - generally the context will resolve the ambiguity, but not always.  Imagine, then, the difficulties in ancient written Hebrew, for which many words with the same spelling have multiple possibilities of pronunciation and meaning.

God’s Name given in Exodus 3:15 is spelled YHWH, and verse 14 explains that spelling as a unique derivative of the Hebrew verb “to be,” meaning “I am who am!”  Because this was the sacred revealed Name of God, in their humble piety, the Hebrews soon concluded it would be presumptuously disrespectful to pronounce that word aloud.   Some scholars have noted a few clues that suggest the word may have been pronounced for awhile as “Yahweh,” but in any event, the tradition quickly was established that whenever YHWH appeared in the Sacred Scriptures, the reader would conscientiously substitute the Hebrew word “edonai,” meaning “My Lord.”

In the sixth century AD, Jewish scholars known as Massoretes successfully introduced an ingenious system of indicating vowels in the written text as tiny marks inserted under the consonants.  For the Name of God, the Massoretes preserved the consonants YHWH, but they would remind the reader to pronounce “edonai” by substituting the vowel points for that word, which thus looks something like “YeHOWaH,” which in western languages is more commonly spelled “Jehovah.”  But, as it is clear, the Hebrews never mistook that for the Name of God, because “Jehovah” is merely an anachronistic and  nonsensical combination of the consonants of one word (“YHWH”) with the vowels of another word (“Edonai”).  Fittingly, then, most Christian Bibles simply translate “YHWH” as “the LORD,” often capitalizing all the letters to distinguish it as the holy Name of God.

Daily Retreat 07/15/09

2009 Jul 15 Wed:Bonaventure, bp, r, dr M
Ex 3:1-6. 9-12/ Ps 102(103):1b-2. 3-4. 6-7/ Mt 11:25-27

From today’s readings:“Moses was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed....  The Lord is kind and merciful....  I give praise to You, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, You have revealed them to the childlike....”

Appearance of God

A theophany is the technical term given to a manifestation, or appearance, of God.  In Chapter Three of Exodus, Moses experiences his first theophany when God appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush.

I have heard and read many insightful explanations for some of the details of this theophany, suggestions, for instance, about the symbolic “meaning” of the burning bush, and why Moses was commanded to remove his sandals, etc.  But I think it is better to just admit that God’s revelation was mysterious and intriguing - Moses certainly didn’t walk away from the theophany with the assumption that he had it all figured out, and so neither should we.

At the beginning of the theophany, there isn’t even a suggestion that Moses was praying or engaged in any pious thoughts or that he was preoccupied about the plight of the Israelites.  Rather, he was simply going about his work, “tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro.”  As you and I go about our own daily work, God will make Himself more known to us as well - but not in such a spectacular and heavy-handed theophany as a burning bush, because Jesus has taught us that God the Father reveals Himself even more to the childlike, to those who have faith that, as He has promised and demonstrated, the loving Father will always be with them, especially in their hour of need....

Daily Retreat 07/14/09

2009 Jul 14 Tue:Bl Kateri Tekakwitha, v M
Ex 2:1-15a/ Ps 68(69):3. 14. 30-31. 33-34/ Mt 11:20-24

From today’s readings:“When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her son and called him Moses; for she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’...  Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live....  Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of His mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented....”

Drawing Out Moses

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy - the first five books of the Bible are the most fundamental part of the Old Testament, and sometimes referred to by their Hebrew title, the Torah, meaning, “the Law,” ( or "instruction") and also collectively known as the Pentateuch.  Over the centuries, they have also been called the “Five Books of Moses,” and that title has led to confusion, because some people assume that means that Moses himself wrote those five books.  Scripture records that Moses, the great lawgiver, did, at God’s command, write laws and other words of God (e.g., Exodus 24:4) and these revelations certainly were the basis for those first books of Sacred Scripture.  

However, the Bible itself does not say that Moses himself entirely wrote those first five books (and note that the death of Moses is even recorded in Deuteronomy 34 - presumably, Moses didn’t write those verses at least).  Why then did the Torah become known as the “Books of Moses”?  Well, Moses is, in fact, the “hero” and central figure (next to God, of course) in these books, except for Genesis (but since that book ends right before Moses, his life was still a determining factor).  And, since Moses was God’s central mediator in giving the Old Testament law, it’s easy to understand why the Torah was naturally referred to as the “Law of Moses” or the “Books of Moses.”

Chapter Two of Exodus narrates the auspicious and ironic beginnings of the life of Moses.  Upset by the hard slavery of the Hebrews, he tries to right the matter on his own by killing an Egyptian, but that new wrong just makes things worse!  So in the next chapter, God starts teaching Moses that wrongs can only be made right in the right way - God’s way!  And that’s one of the most important lessons you and I must remember as we strive to right wrongs in our own day....

Daily Retreat 07/13/09

2009 Jul 13 Mon:Ordinary Weekday/ Henry, mm
Ex 1:8-14. 22/ Ps 123(124):1b-3. 4-6. 7-8/ Mt 10:34 – 11:1

From today’s readings:“There arose in Egypt a new king, who knew not Joseph....  Our help is in the name of the Lord....  Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Exodus - the Way Out!

Genesis closes with the death of Joseph, so after a genealogical recap, the next book, Exodus, begins with the well-known ominous verse, “There arose in Egypt a new king, who knew not Joseph.”  This “new king,” historically probably identified as Ramses II, is of course, the Pharaoh who started to oppress God’s chosen people and forced them into slavery until the time of their miraculous liberation by God through His servant Moses.  That deliverance out of the slavery of Egypt gave the book its name, since the Greek word “Exodus” means “Exit” or “Way Out,” and in fact, in Greece, emergency exit doors are even today posted with that same word!

Now, for our older brothers and sisters in the faith of the One True God, for the Jewish people, Exodus is the most important book of the Bible.  It’s like their Declaration of Independence,  their Constitution, and the decisions of the Supreme Court all rolled into one indispensable document for the Chosen people of God.   For Exodus explains how the Hebrews achieved their Independence, how they became a people, how they broke away from Egypt.  And the book of Exodus includes the Ten Commandments and the other constitutional parts of the Jewish law that define what it means to be a Jewish person.  Finally, Exodus also promulgates the juridical decisions that Moses made, and for the purpose of building tradition, those decisions were passed on to the next generation and were held as binding by the leaders who succeeded Moses.

But Exodus is not just a fundamental book of the Bible for the Jewish people - we Christians as well need to recognize its prominence!  No wonder that, in his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul (followed later by numerous early Church Fathers) saw that book of Exodus as prefiguring the way that Christ liberates us:  just as Moses once liberated the people of God, Christ liberates us from the slavery of sin. As Moses  lead the Israelites through the Red Sea on their “WAY OUT” of Egypt, Christ leads us through the waters of baptism, the definitive “WAY OUT” of sin.  Likewise, as the Israelites were then led through the harsh wilderness, so Christ leads His people through the bleak and often frightening desert of trial and tribulation, which is also a part of our life, for even though Christ is with us through it all, that doesn’t mean we always have an easy go of it. And ultimately, Christ leads us to the Promised Land of Heaven.  All echoes of Exodus!

Daily Retreat 07/12/09

2009 Jul 12 SUN:FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Am 7: 12-15/ Ps 84(85): 9-10. 11-12. 13-14 (8)/ Eph 1: 3-14/ Mk 6: 7-13

From today’s readings:  “The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to My people Israel....  I will hear what God proclaims....  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens....  The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”

The Divine Benefits Plan

From a worldly point of view, the Bible is not an apparent success story.  Amos, for example, is typical of many of the Old Testament prophets, and in fact, the Book of Amos is the oldest prophetic work in Scripture.  Well, not only was his prophetic message scorned, but he himself was rejected and despised.  The second reading is the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians - a beautiful and upbeat work, and one of the most profound reflections in all the Bible on the mystery of faith.  But Chapter 3 of the letter attests that it was written by Paul during one of his numerous imprisonments on account of his faith.  In the Gospel, Jesus specifically instructs His Apostles what to do when they are not welcomed or listened to - when, not i they are not welcomed, but when that happens, for Jesus evidently knows it is a sure thing!

So the Bible is not, nor never pretends to be, an infallible guide to earthly success.  In anything, there’s quite a bit of evidence that Sacred Scripture presents an amazingly reliable formula for worldly failure!  Yet paradoxically, the Bible is the best selling book of all time, so how do we account for that?  Is Scripture simply scripted for simpletons, the original Dummies’ Guide to, well, being a dumber dummy?  Or, is the Bible, in spite of its worldly worthlessness, truly the record of the divine success story, how the Celestial C.E.O. is leading His company, not from rags to riches, but from sinners to saints?

Since I never took any classes in marketing, I certainly would have no idea how to “sell” Scripture to the cynical, since it says nothing tempting about “what’s in it for me,” in this world, at least.  Nonetheless, I stake my life on the Word of God, as do all faithful followers who, as Paul says,  “were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of His glory!”  As the psalm reminds us, “The LORD Himself will give His benefits,” and the Bible does reveal quite a bit about the divine benefits package, which, as it turns out, is the only package guaranteed to be truly out of this world!

Daily Retreat 07/11/09

2009 Jul 11 Sat:Benedict, ab, rf M
Gn 49:29-32; 50:15-26a/ Ps 104(105):1-2. 3-4. 6-7/ Mt 10:24-33

From today’s readings:“Can I take the place of God?...  Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!...   Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.”

The End of the Beginning

The last few weeks have featured excerpts from the book of Genesis for the daily first reading, and now we come to the end of this book.  With fifty chapters, it’s one of the longer books of the Bible, but since it’s the first book, many people have at least a cursory familiarity with the best known parts: Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, the Tower of Babel, Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, Jacob and his ladder, Joseph and his coat of many colors.

If you can find a few free hours this weekend, consider re-reading the entire book of Genesis from the beginning to the end.  In this way, taken as a whole, Genesis offers a much fuller picture of our earliest family history than is possible from a limited reading of the highlights presented in the lectionary.  

Not only will a complete re-reading remind you of the book’s central themes of God’s providence, family solidarity, and the inevitability of being tested for one’s faith, but you’ll also come across a number of verses that reflect the messiness of our human nature - while many such verses are omitted from the lectionary in order to focus on the more edifying sections, those verses are nonetheless still part of Sacred Scripture and thus help us remember to look for God even in the messy parts of our own lives!

Daily Retreat 07/10/09

2009 Jul 10 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
Gn 46:1-7. 28-30/ Ps 36(37):3-4. 18-19. 27-28. 39-40/ Mt 10:16-23

From today’s readings:“I am God, the God of your father....  The salvation of the just comes from the Lord....  Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”

Jacob and Joseph

The book of Genesis traces our earliest family history.  As can clearly be seen in the lives of those first patriarchs, God’s initiative and providence provide the thread of continuity which holds history together, but each individual’s response to God’s grace is also an essential ingredient.

Approaching the end of his life, Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) has an unquenchable desire to see his son Joseph again - the fulfillment of a dream for which he had given up hope!  And yet, Jacob first takes the time to thank God with his sacrifices and consult Him to see if the journey to Egypt is in accord with the divine will.  Of course, God confirms this, and re-iterates the cumulative promise to the patriarchs to make of them a great nation.

In his earlier discussions with his brothers, Joseph betrays how much he missed his father Jacob and how eager he was for news of him.  And yet, rather than casting aside his responsibilities and  leaving Egypt immediately to see his father in his homeland, Joseph realizes that his current vocation as vizier in Egypt is serving God in an indispensable way.  So, instead, Joseph sends for Jacob and then has that tender reunion with him near the border of Egypt in Goshen.

And so both Jacob and Joseph clearly put their faith and God first, but still clearly affirm the importance of family, and that attitude can be summed up as one of the greatest lessons of Genesis!

Daily Retreat 07/09/09

2009 Jul 9 Thu:Ordinary Weekday/ Augustine Zhao Rong, p, & co., mts
Gn 44:18-21. 23b-29; 45:1-5/ Ps 104(105):16-17. 18-19. 20-21/ Mt 10:7-15

From today’s readings:“ It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you....  Remember the marvels the Lord has done....  Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give....”

A Plot Twisted with Providence

The story of Joseph is in many senses the climax of the whole Book of Genesis, marvelously bringing together the themes of God’s providence, family solidarity, and the inevitability of being tested for one’s faith.  Having overcome various tribulations and passed all his own tests with his characteristic flying colors, Joseph finds himself in a position to test his brothers, not out of vindictiveness for their past cruelty, but rather, from a fraternal hope for their salvation, provided that they had repented of their past evil.

And the brothers pass their test!  Twenty years ago, driven by jealousy and greed, they had sold their brother Joseph into slavery, then callously led their father Jacob to conclude that wild animals had brought about his death.  But when faced with a new crisis,  rather than selfishly abandoning Benjamin and bringing more grief to their father Jacob or cowardly seeking safety in a mask of lies, the brothers instead stand by each other in complete solidarity, acknowledging their own guilt (cf. 44:16), and committing themselves to the truth, come what may.

And so Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, also revealing to them the Providence of God, which even had brought good out of their past evil!  Of course, that’s not to say that evil may ever deliberately be done that good may come of it (something which can never be justified - cf. virtual retreat reflection for July 4).  But, as Joseph argues, and the Cross of Christ even more eloquently proves, the trademark of divine operations is clearly seen as the almighty and all-loving God continues, in our own day as well, to decree that even evil plots can be(un) twisted with Providence....

Daily Retreat 07/08/09

2009 Jul 8 Wed:Ordinary Weekday
Gn 41:55-57; 42:5-7a. 17-24a/ Ps 32(33):2-3. 10-11. 18-19/ Mt 10:1-7

From today’s readings:“When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them....  Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You....  Jesus summoned His Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness....”

Go to Joseph

As I mentioned before, of all of the patriarchs in the Book of Genesis, Joseph and Abraham stand out on the basis of the much more detailed coverage of their lives in that first book of the Bible (Abraham: chapters 12-24; Joseph: chapters 37-50, except 38 and 49).  Unfortunately, in the interest of time, the lectionary skips the majority of the Joseph story, so today’s reading only picks up the narrative in Chapter 41.  It’s safe to assume, however, that the unspoken hope and expectation is that we, the readers, understand the context immediately because we’ve read the previous chapters, so get out your Bible and read Genesis for about 10 minutes, starting with Chapter 37, so that the (previously) unspoken hope becomes a reality, and the Word of God finds more and more room to take root in your life!

Daily Retreat 07/07/09

2009 Jul 7 Tue:Ordinary Weekday
Gn 32:23-33/ Ps 16(17):1b. 2-3. 6-7ab. 8b and 15/ Mt 9:32-38

From today’s readings:“You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel....  In justice, I shall behold Your face, O Lord....  At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Wrestling with Scripture

Some, but certainly not all, of the verses of Scripture are clear enough that the meaning is quite obvious - for instance, when Jesus spoke of the coming judgment of all on the basis of concrete charity put into action (Matthew 25:31-46), so much of what long-winded preachers and commentators might find to say about those words is superfluous, because the King’s basic message can’t be missed: “Whatsoever you do to the least of My brothers, that you do unto Me!”

But the point and purpose of many passages of the Bible is ambiguous and even cryptic at times.  For instance, the account of Jacob wrestling explains how his name was changed to Israel, and how a certain locale was called “Penual,” and how a certain Jewish dietary restriction arose, but there’s obviously more to the story than all that.

But what exactly is the point of this episode?  God is almighty and Lord of all, so not even the most literal interpretation would dare to suggest that Jacob was physically stronger than God (or His angel) and so actually proved himself the victor in a hand-to-hand wrestling match.  So, in the end, we are the ones who must wrestle with the meaning of this passage!  Starting with the simple fact that these verses narrate a uniquely formative event in Jacob’s life, we’re certainly entitled and encouraged to seek the deeper significance of the event, and ask “Why?”

From the wider context, it’s evident that this moment is a clear turning point in Jacob’s life, for in the events that follow, he shows himself to be more spiritually mature, having now passed his test, even as his grandfather Abraham had to struggle through his test when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac (cf. Genesis 22).   Also, even though the Bible consistently affirms God’s omnipotence, Scripture also gives constant reminders that human initiative and response to God is an essential part of the equation of our destiny, which can be considered a form of “contending with God.”  Yet all the insights I’ve come upon, all the commentaries I’ve read and sermons I’ve heard about Jacob’s struggle still leave me feeling that there’s still much more to be learned and discovered as we continue to wrestle with Scripture - and maybe that in itself is the most important lesson for today!

Daily Retreat 07/06/09

2009 Jul 6 Mon:Ordinary Weekday/ Maria Goretti, v, mt
Gn 28:10-22a/ Ps 90(91):1-2. 3-4. 14-15ab/ Mt 9:18-26

From today’s readings:“How awesome is this plae! This is nothing else but the house of God, and the gate of Heaven!...  In You, my God, I place my trust....  The girl is not dead, but sleeping....”

Domus Dei et Porta Caeli

One of the more common inscriptions sometimes found on or above the doors of great churches and cathedrals are the words “Domus Dei et Porta Caeli,” which is the Latin translation of the phrase which so aptly captures Jacob’s sense of awe as he stands at Bethel before the “House of God and the Gate of Heaven.”

The erection of a church or shrine as a holy place does not, of course, negate the fact that God is certainly present with His people everywhere.  Likewise, when a flagpole is raised to proudly unfurl the national banner, there’s no implication that all property beyond the pole’s shadow is somehow less a part of the fatherland.  But the church and the flagpole both serve as a visible reminder of greater realities, and thus they become effective focal points to inspire and express love of God and love of country.

Neither, we might add, does the stipulation of a solemn hour of communal prayer in “God’s House” on the Lord’s Day suggest that it is impossible to talk with God and listen to Him at other times during the week.  Likewise, the observance of a national holiday is certainly not meant to imply that one should be less patriotic on other days of the year.  But sacred times and places are, like patriotic times and places, indispensable for reminding all of us of the greater realities...

Daily Retreat 07/05/09

2009 Jul 5 SUN:FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Ez 2: 2-5/ Ps 122(123): 1-2. 2. 3-4/ 2 Cor 12: 7-10/ Mk 6: 1-6

From today’s readings:  “You shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD! And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a prophet has been among them....  Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for His mercy....  My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness....  A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”

Selective Hearing

All parents have observed in their children the phenomenon of “selective hearing.”  For, when the call goes out, “Dessert time!” all the kids, no matter how far away, come running immediately, because their sharp ears have picked up the good news.  On the other hand, if the announcement is “Time to get started on chores!” or “Bedtime now!” it’s amazing how often the message simply fails to register, and if threatened with punishment for disobedience, the child will protest, “I just didn’t hear you!”

Parents have different strategies for addressing the problem of “selective hearing,” but no one seems to have yet discovered a sure remedy for that malady.  In fact, if they’re honest, parents might have the courage to admit to their own bouts of “selective hearing,” such as when a spouse voices an untimely inquiry in the middle of an engrossing TV show, or one of the kids raises a natural but embarrassing question, or the adult’s parents hint at broaching a delicate subject that was ostensibly settled long ago.

Upon investigation, it’s clear that  “selective hearing” goes all the way back to Original Sin, for after the Fall, when Adam and Eve first heard the voice of God approaching, they hid themselves, evidently hoping to just quietly lie low for awhile, so that maybe God would just pass them by without any awkward questions about what they had eaten for lunch.

But God refused to let His children get away with their “selective hearing,” and so He did get the message through to Adam and Eve about their new chores and dolors, and the definitive bedtime of their earthly life.

Unfortunately, though, all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve have inherited that tragic trait of “selective hearing,” not just when listening to one another, but especially when listening to God.  For written between the lines (or sometimes even spelled out explicitly!) on nearly every page of the Bible is the repeated message from the heavenly Father: “You know, I’ve told you this before already.  Try listening more closely this time!  Once again, I’m going to make Myself crystal clear to you.  I’m only telling you these things for your own benefit, so it’s to your own advantage to listen up and obey what I say!”  

The prophet Ezekiel, for instance, was warned that people to whom he was sent were not just hard of hearing, but “hard of face and obstinate of heart.”  But whether the rebellious house heeded or resisted, they would know that a true prophet had come among them, shouting the Word of the Lord so loudly and clearly that no one could pretend any longer not to have heard.

Even St. Paul, with his abundance of divine revelations, found it hard to hear the Lord’s answer about the thorn in his flesh.  Three times he begged the Lord about it, until finally God’s repeated reply started to sink in, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness!”

In that little town of Nazareth, when Jesus preached in the synagogue, the start of His word at least was heard: His wisdom, His miracles, His charisma.  Oh yes, the townsfolk managed to hear about all of that, but in the end, they decided that they themselves were older and wiser than that “Jesus of Nazareth,” who couldn’t possibly have anything worthwhile to teach them that they didn’t already know about.

If we’re honest, all of us, children and adults, men and women, sinners and saints,  might have the courage to admit to our own bouts of “selective hearing,” especially when it comes to the Word of the Lord.  Whenever He adverts to heavenly desserts, our ears perk up, for we presume that our own “above average” conduct in His household has surely entitled us to a permanent place at the table.  But when He mentions anything about Hell and its just deserts for those who ignore Him, our “selective hearing” assures us that such dire warnings must, of course, be intended for someone else.

Did you hear anything I just said?

Daily Retreat 07/04/09

2009 Jul 4 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Elizabeth of Portugal, mw/ Independence Day Gn 27:1-5. 15-29/ Ps 134(135):1b-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Mt 9:14-17 From today's readings:" When Esau went out into the country to hunt some game for his father, Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau that she had in the house, and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear....  Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!...  Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?" Sibling Rivalry and Biblical Morality One of the clearest biblical doctrines of morality states that the ends DO NOT justify the means, that it is wrong to chose to do evil even if motivated by good intentions (cf. Romans 3:8).  And yet, this maxim is not always followed, even by some of the biblical heros! Isaac's younger son, Jacob, succeeded in robbing his older brother, Esau, of all of his prerogatives as the firstborn son.  Thus, it is Jacob who goes on to continue the biblical line of chosen patriarchs, while Esau and his descendants fade into obscurity.  Yet even though Esau is presented in the narrative as dim-witted and uncultured, he is not totally deprived of the reader's sympathy, and later prophets would even explicitly object to Jacob's deceit  (cf. Hosea 12:4 Jeremiah  9:3). So even if there's an acceptance or even implicit endorsement of his overall cunning and craftiness, Bible does not condone the reprehensible dishonesty of Jacob (and Rebekah!).  It is in fact in consequence of their scheming that the mother and son soon are definitively separated from each other.  As shall soon be shown, however, in spite of Jacob's clear sinfulness, God's Providence is not thwarted or derailed....