Virtual Retreat

Daily Retreat 10/04/09

2009-10-03T16:24:00.001-07:00

2009 Oct 4 SUN:TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Gn 2:18-24/ Ps 127(128):1-2. 3. 4-5. 6/ Heb 2:9-11/ Mk 10:2-16

From today’s readings: “The LORD God said: ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.’... May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.... He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.... But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh....”

The Two of Them Become One Flesh

Clearly, the Bible espouses a sublime teaching about the matrimonial union of man and woman. Jesus Himself quotes chapter 2 of Genesis, reminding His followers that our conception of marriage must begin with God’s intention, not just human experience, for better or for worse.

But hardness of hearts has led to separating what God has united. In Holy Matrimony, God unites man and woman, but divorce separates. God unites the unitive and procreative dimensions of marital intercourse, but contraception separates. God unites the sexual and spiritual aspects of human life, but hedonism separates. God creates and unites male and female as partners, but chauvinism and militant feminism separate them as antagonists.

Those who abort and thwart God’s conception of marital unity, rebuking and rejecting the divine biblical and magisterial teaching, ultimately bear nothing in their lives but the sterile hardness of their own hearts. But those who embrace God’s design and are open to His will all the days of their lives bring forth the fertile fruits of Christ’s blessing which lead to the Kingdom of God!

As is already known, since 2002, these virtual retreat reflections have been an outreach of Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane, WA. Originally, Msgr. William Van Ommeren, in residence at IHRC, wrote the daily meditations with characteristic gentle wisdom arising from his pastoral and spiritual experience of many years. Then in August of 2003, IHRC director Deacon John Ruscheinsky asked me to take up this ministry, and so it has been my privilege to share my humble scriptural insights in this forum for the past 6 years. For the many blessings that I have shared from this work, I am grateful to God, I am grateful to Deacon Ruscheinsky and the supportive staff at IHRC, and I am grateful to all the many readers who have been a part of this ministry with prayers, donations to IHRC, and all kinds of encouragement.

Tomorrow, a new chapter in this series begins, for I will be passing on this apostolate to Deacon Ruscheinsky himself, who will start posting reflections drawn from his inspiring work as the director at IHRC. I will certainly appreciate continued prayers, both for me, as I focus on my teaching at Mt. Angel Seminary, and for Deacon John Ruscheinsky. I’ve treasured his friendship and spiritual insights - how wonderful that he will now be sharing that with more people through this e-evangelization!

Daily Retreat 10/03/09

2009-10-02T15:13:00.001-07:00

2009 Oct 3 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM
Bar 4: 5-12. 27-29/ Ps 68(69): 33-35. 36-37/ Lk 10: 17-24

From today’s readings: “As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him.... The Lord listens to the poor.... I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it....”

Jerusalem, Our Mother

Hardly anything in the Bible comes across as impersonal in any way. On the contrary, Sacred Scripture is essentially intimate and personal, so that even events that happened so long ago and words uttered so long ago seem so close and connected to us (this is one of the reasons that the God’s Word appeals even to non- believers).

In this section of the book of Baruch, Jerusalem is personified as a mother bewailing yet also consoling and encouraging her captive children. She insists that her children understand the nature and awful gravity of their sins, but she also implores that her children realize where their hope for salvation lies - in turning back to God ten times the more!

Read the entire 4th and 5th chapters to appreciate the poignancy of this "mother’s" message, and realize how much God’s Word is intimate and personal for YOU!

Daily Retreat 10/02/09

2009-10-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

2009 Oct 2 Fri:The Guardian Angels M
Bar 1:15-22/ Ps 78(79):1b-2. 3-5. 8. 9/ Mt 18:1-5. 10

From today’s readings: “We did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom He sent us, but each one of us went off after the devices of his own wicked heart, served other gods, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.... For the glory of Your Name, O Lord, deliver us.... See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in Heaven always look upon the face of My heavenly Father.”

Uncle Sarge and Angels

My Uncle Sarge was one of the persons I most looked forward to meeting when I was young. For a long time, my parents had told me about him, mentioning, for instance, that he played the violin. Since I had recently started lessons myself, I was glad to learn that we already had something in common, so I was all the more eager to meet him!

But I was even more intrigued when I found out that Uncle Sarge only had one leg! I later learned that the other one had been lost to cancer, but at the time, all that was pretty much beyond my understanding. At my age, I could hardly imagine how there could even be a person without such an essential part of his body - in that aspect, my uncle and I were certainly quite different! In fact, as time past, I even started to wonder if I really had such a strange uncle, and I began to suspect that my parents perhaps had made up those stories about him.

But in due time, my Uncle Sarge did come for a visit, bringing his violin, and yes, hopping along on his one leg! He instantly became one of my favorite relatives, so we were loyal pen pals until he died a few years later.

“That’s very interesting, ” you’re probably thinking, “but what does your Uncle Sarge have to do with today’s feast of the Guardian Angels?” Well, aren’t our protective angels likewise relatives whom we all look forward to seeing some day? And we already have some things in common - for instance, we’re both created by God with free will. But in other aspects, we’re quite different: angels have a superior intellect, and they are pure spirits, without any body at all! Because these differences are so beyond our understanding, some people even suggest that perhaps the Bible just makes up all those stories about angels.

But in due time, God’s trusting children will have a splendid reunion with their guardian angels, and then we’ll discover how they’ve always been our most loyal soulmates!

Daily Retreat 10/01/09

2009-09-30T13:41:00.001-07:00

2009 Oct 1 Thu:Thérèse of Lisieux, v, r, dr M
Neh 8: 1-4a. 5-6. 7b-12/ Ps 18(19): 8. 9. 10. 11/ Lk 10: 1-12

From today’s readings: “Ezra read out of the book from daybreak until midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.... The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.... Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom He sent ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place He intended to visit....”

Warmly Welcoming the Word of God

Imagine that you received a glowing personal letter from a Senator, or from the Pope - wouldn’t you read it eagerly, and pour over its contents carefully, so that you could share such memorable words with all your family and friends? Even if the message were lengthy or some words demanding, certainly you would do whatever was necessary to fully take to heart and understand such an important missive!

But since you and I believe that the Bible is, not just the words of some v.i.p., but the actual life-giving Word of almighty God, shouldn’t we welcome it with even more joy and enthusiasm than we would welcome a letter from anyone created by God? Sometimes when reading or listening to Sacred Scripture, we sadly lose the sense of its specialness because of its Source, and we end up just skimming or half-listening to the most important words ever written!

The scene in chapter 8 of the book of Nehemiah portrays an unforgettable picture of the people of God, so hungry to hear His Word, listening attentively for several hours, reverently receiving the revelation, and being moved profoundly by the message.... Why aren’t you and I so tuned in when God’s Word is proclaimed in out midst? In becoming so accessible to us, hasn’t the Word of God also regrettably often become trite and commonplace in our reception? What can we do about this?

When we come to realize and appreciate that the Bible is in actuality the Word of God, the collection of love letters from the Lord, personally and intimately addressed to His beloved children, then, and only then, will we be as the people in the day of Nehemiah - fully and warmly welcoming in every way the wondrous Word of God!

Daily Retreat 09/30/09

2009-09-28T10:06:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 30 Wed:Jerome, p, dr M
Neh 2: 1-8/ Ps 136(137): 1-2. 3. 4-5. 6/ Lk 9: 57-62

From today’s readings: “Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart.... Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!... No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God....”

Mission and Wherewithal

After the Babylonian captivity, around the same time that Ezra, Haggai and Zechariah were leading the people in rebuilding the Temple, a man named Nehemiah obtained royal permission to also rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Without walls, Jerusalem had no real defense, and so was scorned by all. Since God had decreed that the time had come to rebuild His Temple in Jerusalem, it followed that the city itself was also to be rebuilt to protect and worthily host the Temple.

The first chapters of the Book of Nehemiah chronicle the rebuilding of the walls, and the various obstacles that Nehemiah needed to overcome in order to complete the task. In spite of the obstacles, because God was with the builders, the wall was completed in only 52 days (cf. Neh. 6:15)!

Remember, whenever God gives anyone a mission, He also assures that the wherewithal to complete the mission will not be lacking! Nehemiah knew this well, and so was able to accomplish what many dismissed as “impossible” – and now, you and I need to realize that the same thing is true in our lives: all we need to do is discern well our mission from God (our vocation), and then have the faith to know that He is with us to empower us to loyally fulfill our mission

Daily Retreat 09/29/09

2009-09-28T10:04:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 29 Tue:Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, archangels F
Dn 7: 9-10. 13-14 or Rv 12: 7-12a/ Ps 137(138): 1-2ab. 2cde-3. 4-5/ Jn 1: 47-51

From today’s readings: “War broke out in Heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.... In the sight of the angels I will sing Your praises, Lord.... Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

All in the Name

Today we salute the three archangels mentioned by name in scripture: Michael (his name is found in the books of Daniel, Jude, and Apocalypse), Gabriel (Daniel and Luke), and Raphael (Tobit).

Michael’s name means “Who is like God?” This is the battle cry raised against the rebellious Lucifer and his minions, who, in sinful pride, thought themselves as great as God, and for that, were expelled from Heaven by Michael and all the host of good angels.

Gabriel’s name means, “the Lord is valiant” or even “the Lord is a great warrior” - in both cases, this archangel’s name reminds all of the omnipotence of God.

Raphael’s name means, “the Lord heals” - a name of great comfort, and reminder of the Lord’s ability and desire to heal our iniquities and infirmities.

Daily Retreat 09/28/09

2009-09-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 28 Mon:Ordinary Weekday/ Wenceslaus, mt/ Lawrence Ruiz, mm, mt, & co., mts
Zec 8: 1-8/ Ps 101(102): 16-18. 19-21. 29 and 22-23/ Lk 9: 46-50

From today’s readings: “I am intensely jealous for Zion.... The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all His glory.... Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me....”

God’s Jealousy

We tend to see jealousy as something sinful by definition, and yet that assumption is disproved by the scripture passages that affirm that God, who is All Good and even incapable of sin, is jealous Himself. Jealousy can indeed be sinful, but it also can be neutral or even virtuous. My dictionary defines “jealous” as meaning “fearful of loss of position or affection; positively watchful and vigilant.”

God certainly takes pains to prevent loss of our recognition of His position (as our God!) and loss of our affection. So, God’s jealousy is understandably ignited whenever we pretend that something or someone is more important to us than God, or whenever we inordinately love something or someone in the created order, instead of reserving our highest love for our Creator.

God is likewise “positively watchful and vigilant” in His solicitude for us. The whole of salvation history is the eloquent proof that God is certainly looking out for us, and doing everything He can, to the point of sending His beloved Son to die for us....

The opposite of jealousy is indifference, and God certainly can not in any way be accused of that! But, do you and I always burn with a jealous love for God, or are we too often content with virtual indifference? In this, as in all things, we need to imitate God and His jealous love!

Daily Retreat 09/27/09

2009-09-25T10:38:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 27 SUN:TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Nm 11: 25-29/ Ps 18(19): 8. 10. 12-13. 14 (9a)/ Jas 5: 1-6/ Mk 9: 38-43. 45. 47-48

From today’s readings: “Would that the LORD might bestow His Spirit on them all!... From wanton sin especially, restrain Your servant; let it not rule over me.... Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.... Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

Doing Things God’s Way

It’s natural for us to want to do things our own way. It’s even understandable (although not necessarily justifiable!) if we get annoyed when other people don’t do things our way as well. And it is downright unsettling when God doesn’t do things our way! In that case, we should realize that there’s something about US that needs to change, although it’s typical to first hope God will change and see things our way!

In the book of numbers, Joshua gets a bit perturbed to hear that Eldad and Medad were prophesying, and he implores Moses to put a halt to it. In St. Mark’s Gospel, John and the other disciples are similarly annoyed to learn that someone who wasn’t a regular part of the company of disciples had been casting out demons in Christ’s Name. Joshua and John both are then told to allow things to continue in God’s way, rather than insisting on the way they think things ought to be.

We too need to be humble enough always to allow God to take the lead, and whenever we note that His way is not our way, then, as hard as it may be at times to swallow, it’s definitely our way that needs to change!

Daily Retreat 09/26/09

2009-09-25T10:36:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 26 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Cosmas and Damian, mts
Zec 2:5-9. 14-15a/ Jer 31:10. 11-12ab. 13/ Lk 9:43b-45

From today’s readings:“See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.... The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.... Pay attention to what I am telling you!”

The Lord Remembers

The name Zechariah literally means “the Lord remembers” - it’s a beautiful name, quite common in the Bible, including, of course, as found in the book of the prophet Zechariah, who was a contemporary of the prophet Haggai.

While both prophets focused the people’s attention on the need to complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s Temple, their styles are quite different. Haggai spoke in rather simple, straight-forward language, whereas Zechariah prophesied in more complex visions, using symbols and colorful imagery.

The words of Zechariah and all the prophets, especially when difficult to understand, often contain a number of “layers” of meanings: first of all, the words as understood by those who heard the prophet speaking; second, the words as prophecy (often indirect) about the coming Messiah (Jesus); third, the words as universal message from God for all peoples and places (including us!). This concept of different “layers” of meaning (particularly evident in the prophetic books) also often applies to other words of the Bible, including the words of Christ (cf. the Gospel passage).

This does not imply, however, that the words can mean whatever we want them to! But by considering these different layers of meanings, we can (and should!) gain more from reading prophetic texts. The first reading, from chapter two of Zechariah, is an excellent example, so read it three times: First, think of yourself as a contemporary of Zechariah (living in the desolate city of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile) - how would you find comfort in his words? Second, think of the ways many of his words give us hints about the Messiah (e.g., the idea of God literally dwelling with His people). Finally, consider why God wants YOU to reflect TODAY on these words of His!

Daily Retreat 09/25/09

2009-09-23T10:53:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 25 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
Hg 2:1-9/ Ps 42(43):1. 2. 3. 4/ Lk 9:18-22

From today’s readings: “ I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.... Hope in God; I will praise Him, my savior and my God.... But who do you say that I am?”

God’s Perspective

After the Babylonian captivity, the weary deportees returned to the ruins of Jerusalem, and with the encouragement of the prophet Haggai and others, they rebuilt the Lord’s temple. The First Temple, you will recall, had been built by Solomon, and it was a truly splendid edifice - several chapters of the First Book of Kings are devoted to detailing the glories of that House of the Lord.

So the Second Temple, built in the chaotic aftermath of the Babylonian exile, had understandably only a shadow of the splendor and glory of the First Temple. But the Lord’s words through the prophet Haggai pre-empted any discouragement. Haggai’s messianic prophecies in chapter 2, although not literally fulfilled in that building, were fulfilled when Herod the Great renovated the Temple on a much grander scale just a few years before the birth of Christ and His Presentation in the Temple (when God indeed filled the house with the glory of His presence!).

Sometimes our best labors for God seem to bear rather meager fruit. But that is only from our limited perspective. God knows how things will turn out in the long run, from His eternal perspective. As long as we are doing what God wants us to do, we can rest assured that our labors contribute to God’s glory!

Daily Retreat 09/24/09

2009-09-23T10:51:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 24 Thu:Ordinary Weekday
Hg 1:1-8/ Ps 149:1b-2. 3-4. 5-6a and 9b/ Lk 9:7-9

From today’s readings: “Now thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways!... The Lord takes delight in His people.... Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”

Who was Haggai?

In the year 520BC, the prophet Haggai appeared on the scene in Judah (he was mentioned by name in Tuesday’s reading)- he too, like Ezra, strove to focus the Jewish people’s attention on the re-building of the Temple. Haggai had a blunt way of helping people realize the folly of putting anything else ahead of commitment to God:
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And whoever earned wages
earned them for a bag with holes in it!

People have long sought a direct correlation between piety and material wealth (this idea is even seen in many Old Testament readings). Faith would be such an easy thing if every time we chose God, we received a positive monetary reinforcement, and every time we turned away from God, we felt it in our pocketbooks.

But God does not bribe us to believe in Him! On the other hand though, Haggai points out one of the foundational paradoxes of faith: those who relentlessly pursue wealth will never be satisfied, whereas those who relentlessly pursue God will find Him, and all they need!

Daily Retreat 09/23/09

2009-09-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 23 Wed:Pio of Pietrelcina, p M
Ezr 9:5-9/ Tb 13:2. 3-4a. 4befghn. 7-8/ Lk 9:1-6

From today’s readings: “He has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins.... Blessed be God, who lives for ever.... Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick....”

A Second Chance

One of the most wonderful experiences in life is to be granted a “second chance” after making an awful mistake. All too often, there is no “second chance” - the damage has been done, and cannot be undone. But at times, there is indeed a marvelous opportunity to make amends, to choose anew the way we should have chosen in the first place.

After the Babylonian exile, the people of God were given such a “second chance.” It was their sins and turning away from God that brought on the calamity of their conquest by the Babylonians. Now they had the opportunity to choose anew, and put God first in their lives.

Ezra’s lament and wretchedness is due to a report he just received that so many people were now ruining their second chance by ignoring God’s guidance again and mixing themselves with the pagan peoples around them (read the first verses of chapter 9, which are not part of the lectionary reading).

Today God has given us new life and a “second chance.” How wonderful to truly learn from sins and failings of yesterday, and to choose anew this day to put God first!

Daily Retreat 09/22/09

2009-09-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 22 Tue:Ordinary Weekday
Ezr 6: 7-8. 12b. 14-20/ Ps 121(122): 1-2. 3-4ab. 4cd-5/ Lk 8: 19-21

From today’s readings: “The elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building, supported by the message of the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah.... Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.... My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it....”

The House of God

After the Babylonian exile, one of the primary goals of Ezra was keeping the people on task in re-building the Temple in Jerusalem, the House of God. For some people, it just wasn’t a priority. For others, there was a desire to re-build, but interference from hostile people around them and petty government officials kept causing holdups, until King Darius finally steps in and orders an end to the delays.

Without a doubt, the Church is more than a building - it is the family of the people of God! Yet the churches we build as places to come together and worship God should be more than just functional “gathering spaces.” Churches must be truly sacred edifices, proclaiming the presence of God both to those worshiping inside and to those passing by outside. The beauty of a church is meant to inspire transcendental thoughts of God’s own beauty, and to witness to the people’s priority in putting God first.

Since the first readings (and often psalms) of the next few days will continue to dwell on this aspect of the re-building of the House of God, perhaps sometime in the next week you can figure out a way to contribute to the building up and beautifying of your own local parish church, so that it too stands out as the House of God.

Daily Retreat 09/21/09

2009-09-20T13:30:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 21 Mon:Matthew, ap, ev F
Eph 4: 1-7. 11-13/ Ps 18(19): 2-3. 4-5/ Mt 9: 9-13

From today’s readings: “Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.... The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.... As Jesus passed by, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post, and He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’”

Matthew’s the man!

While we certainly can chew on divine biblical wisdom one proverb at a time, in general, it’s best to have a plan and commitment to read through whole books of the Bible. St. Matthew’s gospel is an ideal starting point, since it is the first book of the New Testament, and most people find his the most organized of the gospels.

Matthew’s text (with 28 chapters) is actually slightly shorter than Luke’s gospel (24 chapters). Even so, it will take several hours to read through in its entirety, especially since there’s little point in just speed-reading! Instead, set aside the time for a truly reflective reading. Perhaps you can make the time to do that today, but if that’s not feasible, read the book over the course of a week (just 4 chapters a day!) or even over the course of a month, covering one chapter a day.

In order to get through the book, you will have to be like St. Matthew - set aside your excuses of busyness and all the rest of your business in order to respond to Jesus’ invitation to closer friendship with Him! St. Matthew never regretted making Jesus his priority, and neither will we!

Daily Retreat 09/20/09

2009-09-17T09:12:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 20 SUN:TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wis 2: 12. 17-20/ Ps 53(54): 3-4. 5. 6-8 (6b)/ Jas 3: 16 – 4: 3/ Mk 9: 30-37

From today’s readings: “The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us.... Behold, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life.... The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.... The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill Him, and three days after His death, the Son of Man will rise....”

A Crucial Connection

This year, it seems autumn fell with a thud: suddenly, we wake up, and, instead of sweltering, there’s a nip in the air, a less-than-gentle breeze rising, and more than a hint of color in the treetops. The suddenness of it all can make one long to turn back the calendar to the long, lazy days of August.

And, reading and listening attentively, perhaps you have also noticed a similar cooling trend in the Gospel readings. During the summer, weren’t our hearts inflamed with Eucharistic tinder during the incomparable Bread of Life discourse, when our Lord repeated over and over, “My flesh is Real food, My Blood is Real Drink - I Myself Am the Living Bread come down from Heaven - and he who eats of this Bread will have Eternal Life!” Eternal life, a share in the Lord’s bodily Resurrection - if those thoughts don’t warm your heart, my friend, you must already be dead! All those succulent words of comfort from chapter six of the Gospel of St. John, and every Christian should be intimately familiar with those words of life from chapter six of John’s Gospel.

Yet the sweet aroma of those words seems now to have been blown away by the chilling wind of a new Gospel theme: beginning with the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, continuing through these last weeks, Jesus turns His gaze and our focus to His passion, the Cross, the Cross, the Cross! Why this chilly shift? Like the suddenness of Autumn blowing away our summer, our comfort from chewing on the idea of the Lord’s Real Presence with us in the Eucharist dissipates as He Himself, having tested the wind, begins to speak insistently about the cold reality of the cross...

And yet, my friends, the true surprise, the real shock, comes not from our musing on how different are these two themes (last month’s appealing invitation to the Eucharistic banquet, this month’s numbing prophecy of the passionate crucifixion), but rather, in the Lord’s gradual yet integral explanation that they are the same! Yes, the Lord’s gift of Himself under the appearance of Bread and Wine is one and the same with His gift of Himself immolated on the Holy Cross. For this reason, we speak rightly of that act, that great drama of our Sunday worship, as “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” For Our Lord Himself, in the Eucharistic discourse (chapter six of St. John’s Gospel), AND at the Last Supper, insisted, “The Bread I will give is My Flesh, offered for the life of the World - Take and eat, for this is My Body, Which will be given up for you!”

The Eucharist, then, truly “re-presents” the Crucifixion, yanking that holy event from the snare of time and space constraints, and making that event present at that privileged moment in your life, in my life, making us present at that singular moment in the Lord’s life. Ponder, then, nothing earthly minded, for as we worship, you and I stand at the foot of Calvalry, sorrowful for our sins, and though we are not worthy, we place our hope in the Lord, Who even now says the Word, heals our soul, and deigns to dwell within us, as Our Eucharistic Lord! And now, doesn’t that just blow you away?

Daily Retreat 09/19/09

2009-09-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 19 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Januarius, bp, mt
1 Tm 6: 13-16/ Ps 99(100): 1b-2. 3. 4. 5/ Lk 8: 4-15

From today’s readings: “Keep the commandment without stain or reproach.... Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.... A sower went out to sow his seed....”

Summing it up

Today’s first reading basically is the conclusion of Paul’s first letter to Timothy (actually, the five final verses are omitted from the lectionary, but you can also read them, a final exhortation to the rich to be generous, and to Timothy himself). Perhaps you have found this letter easier to follow because it is a personal exhortation (rather than addressed to a whole community, as are most of Paul’s letters).

The solemn tone of the closing helps us to remember and consider the majesty of God. By sending His Son among us, God became Emmanuel (the name literally means “God is with us”). However, that doesn’t mean He ceased to be the life-giving God, all-powerful, all-knowing, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” There is an occasional danger for us to start to think of Jesus as just another one of our friends who constantly places demands on our precious time. When you and I remember who God is, then it’s easier to give His commandments the priority they deserve in our lives.

Daily Retreat 09/18/09

2009-09-17T09:08:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 18 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
1 Tm 6:2c-12/ Ps 48(49):6-7. 8-10. 17-18. 19-20/ Lk 8:1-3

From today’s readings:“Pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith..... Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs....Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God....”

What’s in it for me?

Have you ever had the shocking experience of asking a “fair weather friend” for a favor, only to be met with the blunt assertion of selfishness, “What’s in it for me?”

While we’re rightfully taken aback at the frankness of such remarks, perhaps it’s a question that you and I use (albeit, perhaps, in a more nuanced form) more frequently than we’d like to admit in our private considerations about how to spend our time and money. In fact, in spite of its greedy overtones, maybe it isn’t necessarily an inappropriate criteria to examine, since, surprisingly enough, this question (and the perception of its answer) is what often forms the basis for a person’s attitude toward religion (good, bad, or indifferent).

Let me explain: Jesus promises eternal beatitude (Heaven) to His faithful followers. What’s in it for me? By definition, there is nothing greater that anyone could hope for or strive after! Timothy and all the other saints prove that a burning, overwhelming desire for the greatest good is not base selfishness, its pure selflessness! Logically then, we should “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith!” To lay hold of eternal life, it’s a relatively small thing to be willing to put up with any hardship or sacrifice in this life!

However, for those who dismiss Heaven as “Pie in the Sky”, it’s easy to see that the demands of discipleship are too high for any earthly kickback. Atheists and agnostics therefore scorn religion, because they can’t see anything in it for themselves (unless, of course, they can somehow make a buck from it!).

But there are many who fall in between those two extremes. Many believe in Heaven (or at least desperately want to believe), but it seems so far away, abstract, or uncertain. So their lukewarm religion serves mainly as a catastrophic insurance policy, and while they profess a faith, they hazard their time and energy on various forms of fame and fortune, the “sidebets” that this world has to offer.

Take an honest look at your religion, and don’t be afraid to ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” but then also ask, “How much of me is in it?”

Daily Retreat 09/17/09

2009-09-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 17 Thu:Ordinary Weekday/ Robert Bellarmine, bp, r, dr
1 Tm 4: 12-16/ Ps 110(111): 7-8. 9. 10/ Lk 7: 36-50

From today’s readings: “Set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. ... How great are the works of the Lord!... So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven....”

An example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity

Paul had great expectations of Timothy to be an exemplary Christian in all regards, and while admitting that some of his advice applies more specifically to those today, who like Timothy, hold weighty pastoral responsibilities, still, it’s plain that most of Paul’s words are meant to be an inspiration to all Christians (that’s why this letter is in the Bible, and not just tucked away in some “Bishop’s Handbook”).

Each one of us, for example, can simply ask, “Is my commitment to following Christ making an obvious difference in my speech AND conduct AND love AND faith AND purity?”

Daily Retreat 09/16/09

2009-09-15T11:27:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 16 Wed:Cornelius, pp, mt, and Cyprian, bp, mt M
1 Tm 3: 14-16/ Ps 110(111): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Lk 7: 31-35

From today’s readings: “You should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.... How great are the works of the Lord!... Wisdom is vindicated by all her children....”

The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Foundation of Truth!

Faith is by nature deeply personal, but it must also be interpersonal. When someone comes to believe in God, that person soon realizes that other people also believe in God, yet there are differences (some big, some small) in what is believed! So the person must decide: Is my faith the only right faith? OR Are all beliefs about God right, even when contradictory? OR Does this or that group of people have it right?

The first option (my faith is right, everyone else is wrong) is hopelessly subjective and idiotically arrogant. God helps anyone with a rational mind and an ounce of humility to get past this option quickly.

The second option (faith is purely personal, so you can believe one thing about God, I can believe the opposite, and yet we’re both right) is appealing on the surface because being open-minded is generally esteemed as a virtue in our culture. Yet obstinate open-mindedness can petrify into an eerie inability to commit to any truth – to paraphrase G.K. Chesterton: “We must never forget that the reason for opening the mind is the same as for opening the mouth: so that ultimately, it can clamp down on something solid (rather than stay open indefinitely)!” If one person believes that God cares about our personal morality (and that will affect our salvation) and another person believes that God has already arbitrarily decided who goes to Heaven, they can’t both be right. Certainly God has made fundamental truths about Himself (and His expectations of us!) crystal clear, or there would be no reason to believe in Him! So the second option is a dead end.

So, inevitably, in a search of faith, one must consider what groups of people believe. For all who follow Jesus Christ, Paul’s praise of the Church as “the pillar and foundation of Truth” should give us cause to think: if the Church solemnly teaches a certain doctrine, but I believe something else, which one has the Truth?

Daily Retreat 09/15/09

2009-09-14T13:42:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 15 Tue:Our Lady of Sorrows M
1 Tm 3:1-13/ Ps 100(101):1b-2ab. 2cd-3ab. 5. 6/ Sequence Stabat Mater/ Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35

From today’s readings: “ If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the Church of God?... I will walk with blameless heart.... Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”

Sharing the Cross

Yesterday’s feast of the Triumph of the Cross was a reminder of God’s presence and the victorious banner of His love even in the midst of sorrow, pain, and suffering. As Christ teaches, each one of His followers has a share in the Cross - even Mary, His beloved mother, was not spared her share of the Cross.

How true it is that, often, our heaviest crosses are born when we share in the sufferings of those closest to us. For true love, such sharing in suffering (“com-passion”) is not an option - it’s essential! Thus Mary’s wordless presence at the foot of the Cross reminds you and me of the importance of compassionately supporting with our own presence, in whatever way possible, those faced with sorrow and suffering.

While it’s not always possible to physically stand in the shadow of others’ crosses, our prayers and visits, timely help, favors, letters, phone calls, emails or whatever means of communication available can convey our loving commitment to, like Mary, share fully in the Cross for the sake of Christ.

Daily Retreat 09/14/09

2009-09-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 14 Mon:EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS F
Nm 21: 4b-9/ Ps 77(78): 1bc-2. 34-35. 36-37. 38/ Phil 2: 6-11/ Jn 3: 13-17

From today’s readings: “Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.... Do not forget the works of the Lord!... Christ Jesus, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.... Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”

The Triumph of the Cross

The Cross of Christ is such a paradox - the most barbarian instrument of torture and suffering, now converted into the Savior’s sign of hope, comfort, and ultimate victory. God, who in His omnipotence could have saved us in any number of ways, chose, in His wisdom, to unfurl His banner of victorious love in the most least likely locale. What does it all mean?

In the darkest hour, engulfed in deepest despair, amidst coldest cruelty and vilest villainy, surrounded even by heartless hearts, in such situations from which one would concede God Himself had been completely banished - there, even there, and especially there, the Cross of Christ alone can stand again triumphant, but only when those now charged with carrying a cross dare to raise it anew as the banner of God’s victorious love!

Daily Retreat 09/13/09

2009-09-12T14:13:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 13 SUN:TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 50: 5-9a/ Ps 115(116): 1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 8-9 (9)/ Jas 2: 14-18/ Mk 8: 27-35

From today’s readings: “See, the Lord GOD is My help; who will prove Me wrong?... I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living.... What good is it if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?... Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. ”

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 can, in fact, be read as 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 09/12/09

2009-09-10T13:54:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 12 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Holy Name of Mary
1 Tm 1:15-17/ Ps 112(113):1b-2. 3-4. 5a and 6-7/ Lk 6:43-49

From today’s readings:“This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.... Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.... Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,' but not do what I command? ”

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

Why did Jesus, truly divine, eternal Word of the Father, humble Himself to take on human flesh, and offer Himself on the cross? In an emphatically blunt manner, Paul insists the answer can be summed up: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!

Jesus Himself asserted this clearly (cf. Mark 2:17), so we shouldn’t forget it. Why does Paul so forcefully emphasize this point? Because there’s always been a temptation to think of Jesus merely as the champion of our favorite cause, as a political, socio-economic, intellectual, emotional, or psychological “savior,” but that misses the point. True Christianity insists that 1) Sin enslaves and 2) Christ liberates.

Many modern “empty, seductive philosophies” (cf. Col 2:8) owe their popular appeal to the denial or mitigation of the seriousness of sin, claiming, in effect, that sin does not really enslave. Paul, however, realized the reality and gravity of his own sinfulness, and so he could appreciate fully the patient mercy of God revealed in Christ Jesus.

For those of us who have fallen like Paul but now have discovered God’s mercy, there is a personal experience that sin REALLY enslaves, and Christ REALLY liberates. Even if, thanks to the mercy of God, you have not fallen as seriously as Paul, still, all are nonetheless in need of God’s mercy, and everyone can look to Paul as an example of the abundance of that mercy.

Daily Retreat 09/11/09

2009-09-08T13:49:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 11 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
1 Tm 1:1-2. 12-14/ Ps 15(16):1b-2a and 5. 7-8. 11/ Lk 6:39-42

From today’s readings:“I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord.... You are my inheritance, O Lord.... Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? ”

Time for Timothy

Timothy (his name means “he who gives honor to God”) was a beloved and faithful co-worker of Paul. For the next week (except Sunday and Monday), the first reading will come from Paul’s first letter to Timothy, so I encourage you to spend a few minutes to read through the six short chapters today.

Paul’s gratitude to God is mentioned in all his letters – his remark here is appropriate for each of us to adopt in appreciation for our own vocations: “I am grateful to Him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry.” Paul never fails to mention that his vocation is a grace from God, and not due to Paul’s own merits.

So it is with each one of us! Whatever state of life God calls us to reflects God’s trust in us, and His assurance to strengthen us to faithfully fulfill that vocation. While there is never a reason to dwell continuously on sins and failings of the past, it doesn’t hurt occasionally to bring up the past (as Paul does here) in order to recall fully how “the grace of our Lord has been abundant” in our lives as well!

Daily Retreat 09/10/09

2009-09-08T13:44:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 10 Thu:Ordinary Weekday
Col 3:12-17/ Ps 150:1b-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Lk 6:27-38

From today’s readings: “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.... Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!... To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you....”

Christian Attitude and Gratitude

Faith is intended to enlighten our perspective about everyone and everything, so Paul’s warm words to the Colossians urges them (and us!) to “put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do!”

Admittedly, there are times when putting into practice such attitudes demands heroic resolution, for living the virtue of Christian love is not easy, especially when it comes to deliberately extending that love to enemies. And yet, that is precisely what the Christian creed calls for!

For it is simply gratitude owed to God which is the basis for such saintly responses, for, as Christ and St. Paul remind us, when we remember what God has done for us - His love, mercy, compassion, and many blessings - then we cannot refuse to share likewise with others, filling our thoughts, words, and actions with Christian attitude and gratitude.

Daily Retreat 09/09/09

2009-09-05T22:57:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 9 Wed:Peter Claver, p, r, ms M
Col 3: 1-11/ Ps 144(145): 2-3. 10-11. 12-13ab/ Lk 6: 20-26

From today’s readings: “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry...anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.... The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.... Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours..... ”

Seek what is above!

The first verses of the first reading are my favorite lines of this entire epistle, and the most familiar (they are proclaimed as the second reading on Easter Sunday):
   If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
   where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
   Think of what is above, not of what is on earth!

One of the most important things about our faith is the higher viewpoint it gives us. Christ wants us to look at life from His vantage of eternity, not temporality. So St. Paul exhorts us to raise our sights to Heaven and all that is heavenly... (cf. Phil. 4:8-9).

This is not to say, however, that we become ungrounded in reality – only that we become aware of greater reality. This higher viewpoint, however, is impossible for those who are blinded by sin. Paul thus lists a number of vices which we must “put away” and even “put to death.” As we read Paul’s list of sinful attitudes and deeds, the temptation is to see ourselves in a good light (after all, we’re not guilty of all or most of those evils!), but Paul insists that we make an honest and complete examination of conscience, and ask the Lord to help us purge ourselves thoroughly of ALL immorality.

Daily Retreat 09/08/09

2009-09-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 8 Tue:Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary F
Mi 5: 1-4a or Rom 8: 28-30/ Ps 12(13): 6ab. 6c/ Mt 1: 1-16. 18-23

From today’s readings: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.... With delight I rejoice in the Lord.... She will bear a Son and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins....”

The Real Face of Mary

It's easy for Mary and the other saints to fade into abstract images in our lives - people we read about in history books, but hardly connected at all to our modern lives. The Church reminds us, however, that all members of the mystical Body of Christ are alive and united in Christ -and those in Heaven with God are more alive and united than we on earth are! So, those who denigrate the blessed Mother of Christ to the role of a superfluous appendix in the Body of Christ, are at the same time myopically missing the whole vision of the full stature of the mystical Body of Christ.

Today's feast of the Birth of Mary presents us with a motive to concretize our image of Mary, imagining the day of her birth and the mirth of her own parents, an event which actually occurred, even if omitted from every history book and excluded from any surviving archeological evidence. Was Mary actually born on September 8th? In all honesty, the calendar odds are against it, just as the odds are against December 25th as the actual, factual birthday of Christ. But the accident that those dates weren't specifically recorded in history does not preclude us from celebrating such joyful days in the history of salvation, for those days did occur, and a variety of traditional and devotional factors have established September 8th as the day for the whole world to say, "Happy Birthday Mary!"

Daily Retreat 09/07/09

2009-09-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 7 Mon:Ordinary Weekday
Col 1: 24 – 2: 3/ Ps 61(62): 6-7. 9/ Lk 6: 6-11

From today’s readings: “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.... In God is my safety and my glory.... I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”

Labor & Suffering

The mother who lovingly endures the great pains of labor to give birth, the rescue worker who risks his own life to save others, the missionary who embraces the most primitive living conditions to lead others to Christ, the doctor who painstakingly brings a critical patient through the most delicate surgery - all such examples prove that the fruits of labor can make even the most toilsome work well worthwhile.

But one of the most amazing claims of the Christian faith is that all human labor and suffering, whenever united to Christ’s labor and suffering, is valuable and salutary for that very reason, even when more concrete fruits are not apparent anywhere. Embracing the truth of this mystery, St. Paul had the audacity to write, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His Body, which is the Church....”

Quite simply, the full Gospel cannot be preached without addressing the reality of human labor and suffering. St. Paul and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (the anniversary of whose death was observed last week - see www.ewtn.com/motherteresa/life.htm) both knew this well, and that’s why their lives were inspirational echos of the answer that Christ Himself lived in confronting sin and suffering.

The loving and saving passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is thus THE answer to human pain and suffering, but that can never be reduced to a superficial or glib answer - a trite sign that reads “Jesus is the answer!” neither comforts nor converts anyone, but a humble life of love and solidarity that proclaims and reveals Jesus in big ways and small ways is the most beautiful thing on earth, and even thus eternally, something beautiful for God!

Daily Retreat 09/06/09

2009-09-03T16:11:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 6 SUN:TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 35:4-7a/ Ps 145(146):7. 8-9. 9-10 (1b)/ Jas 2:1-5/ Mk 7:31-37

From today’s readings: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.... The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.... Show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.... Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis....”

Leaving nobody out

Since I live in the small town of Mt. Angel Oregon, when people inquire where I live, when I give the answer, the one asking will frequently give a blank stare, so as not to be so rude to directly inquire “Where in the world is Mt. Angel? Why would anyone go there?”

Some places mentioned in Scripture are equally 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?

The healing of the deaf/mute man is one of the few actions of Jesus recorded on this trip. In literal fulfillment of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy mentioned in the first reading, Jesus makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. While the pagan onlookers are not so dense that they miss the miracle in their midst, being ignorant of Isaiah’s prophecy, they are likewise ignorant of the significance of its fulfillment. Their astonishment and their praise (“He has done all things well!”) are ultimately too tame of a reaction - no mention of a single person being moved to conversion and full discipleship!

Yet that doesn’t mean we can conclude that Christ’s actions were superfluous or pointless - rather, His 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!

St. James develops this theme: when we give warm welcomes only to the wealthy, we’re wallowing in worldliness! But if we deliberately share our Christian faith and love with the oppressed, the hungry, the captives, the blind, the stranger, those who are bowed down, the fatherless and the widow (leaving no one out!), then we’re doing things God’s way (as is also extolled in the Psalm)!

As surprising as it may be, Christ comes to our own insignificant towns today, and again His presence is personally purposeful and poignantly prophetic. Since we’re no longer ignorant of the significance of His fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, it would be too tame of a reaction for us to merely nod knowingly and say smugly of our Savior “He has done all things well!” Rather, His command shatters the deafening silence of our 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 - let our tongues sing His Gospel, and let no one be left out!

Daily Retreat 09/05/09

2009-09-03T16:07:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 5 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM
Col 1:21-23/ Ps 53(54):3-4. 6 and 8/ Lk 6:1-5

From today’s readings:“God has now reconciled you in the fleshly Body of Christ through His death.... God Himself is my help.... The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.... ”

Haunted by the Past?

Despair is a subtle but deadly weapon in the Devil’s backup arsenal. Even after, through God’s grace, completely turning away from evil deeds, people are often haunted by memories of the past, and can be led to discouragement and despair because of the weight of sins committed long ago.

Christ’s antidote to despair does not work by blithely dismissing or mitigating the seriousness of past sins. In fact, Scripture somberly insists on the gravity of all sin – as Paul puts it, “You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds!” Remember, if sin were no big deal, then Christ’s redemption would be no big deal.

But since sin is something sinister, then Christ’s conquest of sin is something stupendous! Paul asserts that Christ’s victory is so complete, that, in spite of the hideousness of past sin, “God has now reconciled you in the fleshly Body of Christ through His death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before Him....”

Since Christ so overcomes sin that He now presents us to God as “holy, without blemish,” then there’s no reason to be haunted by the past - despair is always caused by lack of faith and understanding of the completeness of Christ’s victory over sin. So, “persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard!”

Daily Retreat 09/04/09

2009-09-03T15:03:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 4 Fri:Ordinary Weekday
Col 1: 15-20/ Ps 99(100): 1b-2. 3. 4. 5/ Lk 5: 33-39

From today’s readings: “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.... Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.... The days will come, and when the Bridegroom is taken away from them....”

The Big Picture of Who Jesus is

We think of Jesus as Savior, Brother, Friend, Teacher, etc. Certainly, He is all these for us, but Paul reminds us that Jesus must also be considered in His universality (i.e., beyond His relationship with us). And so the first reading is a beautiful hymn extolling Jesus as the center of the universe!

Such a reflection on the majesty and grandeur of our Lord can usually help us realize we’ve definitely been undervaluing and shortchanging Him in our lives. The sun is the center of our solar system, and it’s natural that we should take it for granted, yet never to the point of thinking we can live without it! Likewise, the Son is the center of the universe - we take Him for granted, knowing that none of our actions have earned His presence in our lives, but perhaps we can in little ways and big ways recognize, honor, and love Him truly as the center of our lives!

Daily Retreat 09/03/09

2009-09-01T19:05:00.001-07:00

2009 Sep 3 Thu:Gregory the Great, pp, r, dr M
Col 1:9-14/ Ps 98:2-3ab. 3cd-4. 5-6/ Lk 5:1-11

From today’s readings: “From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.... The Lord has made known His salvation.... Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch....”

Ongoing prayer

Sometimes, we think of praying on an “ad hoc” basis - asking God for some particular help, or turning to Him for some other momentary reason. But God is more than an “on call” serviceman, and so our prayer with Him should be ongoing....

Paul, writing to the Colossians, confirmed that his prayer was continuous, for “...we do not cease praying for you....” And, far from praying for a “quick fix” for the Colossians, Paul’s prayer was for their whole lives to fit God’s plan, that they may be filled completely (through all spiritual wisdom and understanding!) with the knowledge of God’s will, so that they would live in a manner worthy of the Lord, thereby bearing the fruits of good works and growing in the knowledge of God.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with turning to God with a special intensity of prayer in time of great need, as we all can and should do, for instance, in response to the recent hurricane and other catastrophes. But our prayer for ourselves and for others needs to reflect our ongoing relationship with God, whose love and care for us is continuous!

Daily Retreat 09/02/09

2009-08-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 2 Wed:Ordinary Weekday
Col 1: 1-8/ Ps 51(52): 10. 11/ Lk 4: 38-44

From today’s readings: “We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.... I trust in the mercy of God for ever.... At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Him....”

Faith, Hope, and Charity

Since we begin today reading Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the first bit of business is to encourage you to read the whole letter! The next week and a half will take us through most of the letter, so it’s so helpful to have the big picture as we go along.

Beginning with the virtues of faith, hope, and love (v. 1:4-5), this greeting is theologically rich and one of the warmest of all Paul’s introductions, and that’s particularly interesting since Paul was not the founder of the Church there (probably founded by Epaphras mentioned in v. 1:7), and also, Paul was in prison when he wrote it (cf. 4:18).

In the opening verses, notice how grateful Paul is, and not for any personal favors from the Colossians, as for the abundant fruits of their faith! So today (and everyday!) you and I can remember to give thanks to God for those who, even if not known personally to us, nevertheless inspire us with their faith, hope, and charity. The letter will develop this insight of the transcendent unity we enjoy because of our faith - don’t overlook it!

Daily Retreat 09/01/09

2009-08-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

2009 Sep 1 Tue:Ordinary Weekday
1 Thes 5: 1-6. 9-11/ Ps 26(27): 1. 4. 13-14/ Lk 4: 31-37

From today’s readings: “But you are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief.... I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.... Jesus taught them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at His teaching because He spoke with authority....”

Afraid of the Dark

Pretty much all children go through a phase of being afraid of the dark, and even adults can find their hearts racing madly when some unknown noise is heard at night. Of course, it’s not the darkness itself that frightens, it’s what might be lurking unseen and unknown in the darkness (like a thief at night) that frightens children (and adults).

Much of the future is also unseen and unknown, particularly our own death and the end of the world. So, it’s understandable that such matters appear terrifying to us - at least until viewed with the light of faith. God has indeed illuminated our lives with His revelation - St. Paul reminds us that God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Mind you, the future still will be terrifying for those who spend their lives trying to avoid God or keep Him at bay! But for those who want nothing more than “to live together with Him,” no matter how long we have to stay alert and sober, His coming will certainly be worth the wait!

Daily Retreat 08/31/09

2009-08-27T19:52:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 31 Mon:Ordinary Weekday
1 Thes 4: 13-18/ Ps 95(96): 1 and 3. 4-5. 11-12. 13/ Lk 4: 16-30

From today’s readings: “For the Lord Himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from Heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.... The Lord comes to judge the earth.... Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing....”

A Peak at the End

An essential aspect of Christian belief is preparation for the Parousia, the Second Coming of Christ. Our Lord Himself warned us that we must “be prepared” (cf. Gospel from last Thursday), but He refused to give details about time and place. Nowadays, it’s common for us to operate under the assumption that the Parousia is too far off for us to be overly concerned about it, but such a lackadaisical attitude is never fitting for faithful followers of Christ, as the liturgies of Christ the King and Advent warn us!

Another error to avoid, though, is such an urgent preoccupation with the Parousia that it grows into a psychosis that wreaks havoc in our day-to-day life. This is what was starting to happen with some of the Thessalonians - they worried that those who had already died would miss the Parousia, and some of them even concluded that the imminent coming of the Lord was a reason to lay aside any gainful employment. Paul corrects these misconceptions, telling them to keep working (this blunt reminder appears several times throughout both letters to the Thessalonians), and don’t worry about those who have died being short-changed in any way! Good advice then, good advice now - let us console one another with these words

Daily Retreat 08/30/09

2009-08-27T19:51:00.003-07:00

2009 Aug 30 SUN:TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Dt 4: 1-2. 6-8/ Ps 14(15): 2-3. 3-4. 4-5 (1a)/ Jas 1: 17-18. 21b-22. 27/ Mk 7: 1-8. 14-15. 21-23

From today’s readings: “What great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?... He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.... Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.... This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me....”

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

It's so trite, isn't it? We've all heard this cliché a million times, and in most cases we don't think it's necessary that we be reminded again. But God thinks it is necessary to remind us again. And again. And again! In fact, all the scriptures we've heard today highlight this simple theme: Actions do speak louder than words.

In the first reading, Moses holds up the commandment of the Lord and tells the Israelites, "Behold the decrees made by God Himself. Listen to these. Don't just talk about them, but live your lives in accordance with these."

Remember, the Lord gave us these statutes, so when we live out these commandments, our actions are speaking with the wisdom of God Himself...and all peoples can't help but admire divine wisdom put into action, for that is how we are meant to live! Think about it: are we bound to obey the laws of ancient Egypt? or Greece? or Rome? Of course not! All those laws have passed away, because they were mere human precepts. Even though they were copied by thousands of scribes, even though they were proclaimed in every town square, even though the words were carved into stone, all those laws have been forgotten. And all of our laws today are doomed to oblivion except for those few that speak with the wisdom of the Lord. In a hundred years, no one will get a speeding ticket for driving faster than 55! Only the commandments of the Lord, held up by Moses, are just as much in force today as they were in ancient times. Only those laws which embody the commandments of the Lord will last through the ages, because the decrees of the Lord are proclaimed anew everyday, not so much by words, as by holy men and women putting them into practice. The Word of God is not merely spoken or written, but etched indelibly in our hearts, and meant to be incarnated in our actions.

In the psalm, it is the doing of justice, rather than the speaking of it, that is praised: He who does justice, and not just talks about it, will walk in the presence of the Lord. And in the second reading, St. James puts the matter point blank as he urges "Humbly welcome the word of God and ACT ON IT, for if all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves."

The gospel takes the matter one step further: Jesus points out to the pharisees that some actions are so hollow that they do not speak louder than words. Jesus complains that the Pharisees' actions are worthless token gestures because they go no deeper: What is the use of cleaning something on the outside, when all the dirt is on the inside? What merit is there in lip service when the heart is far from the Lord? Actions speak louder than words, but not if the actions are just as empty as mere words.

On this weekend, the Lord asks us to consider what our actions are saying: do our deeds and our labors throughout the week truly speak of a commitment to following Christ? Is our heart shining with the Word of God that is written there, or have we covered it up with the muck of wicked designs? We celebrate the Eucharist precisely so that Christ may dwell in our hearts and drive out any lurking evil and stain within us, so that all our actions, and our words, may reflect a true purity from within. We pray that the Holy Spirit enter our hearts and our minds, so that all our actions will speak loudly and in fact thunder with the Word of God!

Daily Retreat 08/29/09

2009-08-26T10:31:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 29 Sat:Martyrdom of John the Baptist M
1 Thes 4:9-11/ Ps 97(98):1. 7-8. 9/ Mk 6:17-29

From today’s readings: “You yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.... The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.... . Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison, on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.... ”

The Allure of Hard Truth

Mark 6:20 is a particularly intriguing verse, commenting on Herod Antipas’ ambivalence toward John the Baptist: “Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him..” On the one hand, Herod had been the one to imprison John in the first place because he had spoken out against his immoral union with Herodias. But on the other hand, in spite of himself, Herod undeniably felt the attraction of John’s preaching of the truth.

Herod, of course, was a thoroughly wicked man and hated tyrant, and so it’s unpleasant to think that perhaps you and I share some of his character traits. Yet I think Herod’s ambivalence toward John is mirrored in many people’s ambivalence toward any agent of conscience that dares to clearly indict one of sin. For, although the first reaction generally is to shut up or shut out the troublesome charges, yet some interior force often stalks one with haunting reminders that the truth simply should not be ignored.

Although he was once drawn by that intrinsic allure of truth, Herod eventually compounded his sins when he was driven to behead the Baptist. But you and I still can yet avail ourselves of Christ’s grace, which would embolden us to not merely listen occasionally to the hard truth, but rather, to have the courage to repent of the reality of our sins and make the changes necessary in our own lives in order to get ahead virtuously!

Daily Retreat 08/28/09

2009-08-26T10:27:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 28 Fri:Augustine, bp, dr M
1 Thes 4:1-8/ Ps 96(97):1 and 2b. 5-6. 10. 11-12/ Mt 25:1-13

From today’s readings: “ For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.... Rejoice in the Lord, you just!... Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The Next Step

As mentioned yesterday, the Christians in Thessalonika were evidently on the right track in many regards, inspiring Paul to give thanks to God for their inspirational conduct. But Paul doesn’t say the Thessalonians are “good enough” now, and there’s no longer any room for improvement! Instead, Paul writes, “We earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God– and as you are conducting yourselves– you do so even more!”

In striving to become saints, you and I need to humbly (and constantly!) admit that we each have room for improvement. When we figure that we’re basically living an overall “good” life, it’s easy to slip into a degree of spiritual smugness, but that’s the very poison that will kill spiritual progress.

Instead, we need to constantly turn to Christ to show us the next step towards Him that we can make. And coming closer to Christ always means shunning all sin, “for God did not call us to impurity, but to holiness.”

Daily Retreat 08/27/09

2009-08-25T15:47:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 27 Thu:Monica, mw M
1 Thes 3:7-13/ Ps 89(90):3-5a. 12-13. 14 and 17/ Mt 24:42-51

From today’s readings: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.... Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!... Stay awake, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come....”

Lulled into Complacency

Complacency is one of the most insidious temptations that you and I can fall into. How easy it is to decide, “Well, I may not be perfect, but I’ve more or less got my act together, especially in comparison to other people I know!” Granted, we might not be that explicit about our sense of self-satisfaction, but when we’re honest with ourselves, you and I will often be surprised to realize how often a certain sense of smugness has crept into our lives.

St. Paul was the master of giving people a nice “pat on the back” while encouraging them to keep striving for improvement. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is filled with thanksgiving, joy, and reassurance for the Thessalonians faithfulness - evidently, the young Church in Thessalonika wasn’t doing too bad! Yet Paul also warns against complacency, gently pointing out certain “deficiencies of faith,” and praying that the Lord help his friends “INCREASE and abound in love...” Jesus too, commands us to not be lulled into complacency, but rather, “Stay awake!”

Daily Retreat 08/26/09

2009-08-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

2009 Aug 26 Wed:Ordinary Weekday
1 Thes 2:9-13/ Ps 138(139):7-8. 9-10. 11-12ab/ Mt 23:27-32

From today’s readings:“In receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.... You have searched me and you know me, Lord.... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs....”

Whose Word Is It?

In general, the attention that we give to another’s words is an accurate indication of the respect and love we have for the other person, and our attention is also a measure of the importance that we attach to the message.

Thus, when a supervisor is giving a presentation, his subordinates are expected to be alert and focused, even if the material is lackluster. Or, when a newborn infant starts to babble, all those around are driven by love to a hushed anticipation, in spite of the inherent meaninglessness of the gibberish. Or, when even a complete stranger has a message of life or death urgency, people will suddenly pay attention.

When the biblical readings are proclaimed at Mass, they are followed by a clear reference to the Authorship: “the Word (or Gospel) of the Lord!” God is, of course, deserving of our highest respect and greatest love. Moreover, His message is more important than any merely human words. How is it, then, that you and I would ever dare dismiss His Word? And yet, all too often, listening to the Word of God proclaimed in our midst, or reading it on the pages of our Bibles, we fail to muster much loving attention, and thus treat it, not as the Word of God, as it truly is, but just as another annoying alien word.

Daily Retreat 08/25/09

2009-08-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 25 Tue:Ordinary Weekday/ Louis of France, mm/ Joseph Calasanz, p, rf
1 Thes 2:1-8/ Ps 138(139):1-3. 4-6/ Mt 23:23-26

From today’s readings: “ We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children.... You have searched me and you know me, Lord.... Cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean....”

The Whys and Hows

The morality of human acts depends on:
   - the object chosen;
   - the end in view or the intention;
   - the circumstances of the action.

   The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the "sources," or
   constitutive elements, of the morality of human acts. CCC§1750

Christian ethics evaluates whether an action is good or evil based on the above three criteria mentioned in The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Paul specifically addresses the issue of intention (and partially, the circumstances) in these verses from chapter two of his first letter to the Thessalonians. It is, after all, possible to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Paul says that even the noble task of spreading the Gospel can be defiled with delusion, impure motives, deception, desire to please men, flattering speech, or greed!

After reading Paul’s evaluation of his own pure and lofty motives for evangelizing, let us subject ourselves to the same scrutiny: of the things we think, say, and do, are our intentions and methods pure? If perhaps you and I find ourselves doing the right thing for the wrong reason (or in the wrong way), NOW is the time to be inspired by Paul’s example...

Daily Retreat 08/24/09

2009-08-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 24 Mon:Bartholomew, ap F
Rv 21:9b-14/ Ps 144(145):10-11. 12-13. 17-18/ Jn 1:45-51

From today’s readings: “The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.... The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.... Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Bartholomew/Nathanael

“There is no duplicity in him.” What a great compliment Jesus gave when he spoke thus about Bartholomew (also known as Nathanael). So often, sin sits in a stealth mode in the duplicity of our hearts, as we delight in our own cleverness in disguising our motives and misleading others in ways that are not “technically” dishonest.

To be sure, charity and humility demand something from us akin to duplicity, as we endeavor to focus on one aspect of a given action while downplaying another. For instance, if I were to make a generous donation to a charitable cause, but sought to stay out of the limelight, I wouldn’t necessarily be guilty of duplicity. However, if I flatly denied my contribution, or conversely, if I were motivated primarily by secret hopes to gain fame from it, then the charge of duplicity would be justified.

Too often, we excuse our lapses into duplicity, and can even convince ourselves of its necessity and inevitability, when the light of Christ’s Truth would remind us that the opposite of duplicity is sincerity and integrity, traits which shine so brightly in the life of Christ and are thus also found in the lives of those who, like Bartholomew, seek to follow Christ and model their lives on His example.

Daily Retreat 08/23/09

2009-08-20T13:15:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 23 SUN:TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Jos 24: 1-2a. 15-17. 18b/ Ps 33(34): 2-3. 16-23 (9a)/ Eph 5: 21-32/ Jn 6: 60-69

From today’s readings: “Decide today whom you will serve..... As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!... Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.... For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the Church, because we are members of His Body.... Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!”

The Last Piece

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take and eat - this is My Body!” And similarly, taking up a chalice of wine, Jesus instructed, “Take and drink - this is My Blood!” And He commanded His disciples to “Do this in memory of Me!”

At the Last Supper then, what exactly did Jesus give His disciples - His Body and His Blood, or just a morsel of bread and a sip of wine, perhaps flavored a bit with the significance of the moment? In other words, did the Son of God mean what He said, and say what He meant, or was He just using a tasteless figure of speech?

Well, from the moment that the first Eucharistic aroma started drifting into human consciousness, there were those who objected that the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist was just too much to swallow. So the Gospel recounts quite frankly that some (many, in fact!) of His disciples lost their appetite that day for the Bread of Life. They would walk no longer with Jesus as His companions, (and that word “companion” remember, means “those who share bread together”). Our Lord had spoken plainly, and they had understood Him clearly. He made no effort to call them back. They could not appreciate His promise, they would not imbibe His words of life, so He had to let them go. Though it grieved our Lord to see so many turn their backs on Him, Jesus still refused to water down the substance of His teaching. He could afford to lose followers, but He Himself could not stomach diluted Truth, and He Himself never stooped to serving half-baked verities to His disciples.

Yet since the sixteenth century, that’s exactly what some who reject the original teaching of Christ and His Church have done, by mixing up a baker’s dozen or more of stale recipes for what they imagine Jesus really meant at the Last Supper. But the common ingredients of all of those novelties boils down to putting these words on lying lips of our Lord, “This is NOT My body, this is NOT My blood - it’s just a symbol, a souvenir, a simple ritual.”

Yet the words faithfully recorded in Scripture are “This is My Body, This is My Blood! My Flesh is real food, and My Blood is real drink!” For nearly 2000 years, the Catholic Church has unswervingly maintained that the divine words of Christ were surely efficacious, for reality always necessarily conforms to His divine commands. Thus, in spite of the manifest impossibility, when He unequivocally ordered, “Lazarus, come forth!” a dead man was instantaneously changed into a living man, in order for reality to comply with the word of the Lord. So, there can be no doubts about what happened when the truth-trumpeting mouth of the Lord declared, “This is My Body.... This is My Blood!” At that instant, reality again obeyed the command of divinity, and so, despite the apparent impossibility, the lowly bread miraculously became the Body of Christ, and the common wine was likewise transubstantiated into the Blood of Christ, and the miracle is renewed daily in fulfillment of the divine command to “Do this in memory of Me!”

Just one year before the marvelously acquiescent reality of the Last Supper, Jesus taught His disciples thoroughly so that they wouldn’t miss the miracle - in Chapter Six of the Gospel of St. John, the Bread of Life discourse, Jesus unambiguously insisted, “I am the Bread of Life.... The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world.... He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has life eternal.... My Flesh is real food, and My Blood is real drink.” Sure enough, these are hard sayings, but every faithful disciple is conformed, as is reality itself, in order to accept the word of the Lord and His Bread of Life, the full and balanced diet of His divinely Real presence, which Peter and every other faithful disciple holds to, for : “Master, to whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that You are the Holy One of God!”

Daily Retreat 08/22/09

2009-08-20T13:11:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 22 Sat:Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary M
Ru 2:1-3. 8-11; 4:13-17/ Ps 127(128):1b-2. 3. 4. 5/ Mt 23:1-12

From today’s readings: “Blessed is the LORD who has not failed to provide you today with an heir.... See how the Lord blesses those who fear Him.... Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted....”

Family Ties

The mobility of our society and many other factors have contributed to an overall weakening of family ties. The Book of Ruth, however, is a reminder that such family ties are more than mere social customs that can come or go, because it was God Himself who ordained the traditional family as the unit through which He would continue the propagation of the human race.

You might recall that, in the Pentateuch, a number of actual laws were recorded that were designed specifically to strengthen and preserve family ties. Some of the laws provided for the return of family lands after being mortgaged or sold in times of dire poverty (e.g., Lev. 25:25-28). Another law stipulated that if a man died without children, his brother was expected to marry the widow and beget descendants in the name of the deceased man (cf. Deut 25:5-6; such a marriage was called a "levirate" marriage, from the Latin word levir, meaning “husband's brother”). Many of these customs were based on assumptions of primogeniture, that idea that the oldest son should be the main agent for preserving and strengthening family prestige and property over the generations.

The Book of Ruth shows how such laws, even if considered obsolete for our times, did indeed provide some basis of security for widows, for both Ruth and Naomi are rewarded with a happy ending for their faithfulness. In every age, those who defend and recognize the family as an obvious part of God’s plan continue the noble tradition recorded in the Book of Ruth, for those who cling dearly to family ties will find them to be a great blessing!

Daily Retreat 08/21/09

2009-08-20T11:55:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 21 Fri:Pius X, pp M
Ru 1:1. 3-6. 14b-16. 22/ Ps 145(146):5-6ab. 6c-7. 8-9a. 9bc-10/ Mt 22:34-40

From today’s readings:“Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.... Praise the Lord, my soul.... Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? ”

Ruth

Find 5 or 10 minutes today to read all of this delightful gem from the Old Testament - the four chapters of the book of Ruth. This narrative is set in the same time frame as the preceding book of Judges. In search of fertile land, Elimelech and Naomi moved west with their sons from their home in Bethlehem to the pagan country of Moab. After the death of her husband and sons, Naomi prepares to return to her home country, and is surprised when her daughter-in-law Ruth “clings” to her and insists “Wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God!”

Ruth had received the gift of faith - in accepting the gift, she gave up all her security (her own country, people, friends, family, home and pagan faith) to stay with Naomi, an impoverished foreign widow. What did Ruth have to gain by all this? Nothing, by worldly standards, but everything, by God’s standards! What do you and I have to gain by making a more radical commitment to our faith? The answer is the same!

Daily Retreat 08/20/09

2009-08-13T11:15:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 20 Thu:Bernard, ab, dr M
Jgs 11:29-39a/ Ps 39(40):5. 7-8a. 8b-9. 10/ Mt 22:1-14

From today’s readings: “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah.... Here I am, Lord; I come to do Your will.... Many are invited, but few are chosen....”

What does God want?

It is easy to be mistaken about what God wants - oftentimes, we figure God wants what we want. Some of the most important lessons of our life come when we realize that we don’t always know what’s best for us, but God does!

Another mistake is to assume that God wants what other people mistakenly say He wants. This was the mistake Jephthah made - he assumed God would be pleased with the same type of human sacrifices the bloodthirsty pagan idols looked for! So, to thank God for victory, he promised God, "Whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites shall belong to the LORD. I shall offer him up as a burnt offering!"

Reading the text of Jephthah’s sacrifice of his daughter curdles our blood - we wonder why the awful deed is not condemned here (human sacrifice is, of course, condemned elsewhere - see, for example, Deut. 12:29-31). There’s no question that the grisly sacrifice was not pleasing at all to God!

But here we can learn a lesson about reading scripture: isolated passages can easily be misinterpreted. Reading this passage by itself, someone could conceivably conclude that God was pleased with Jephthah’s vow, and therefore granted him the victory he sought. But reading the passage in the whole context of scripture, remembering what God tells us He wants (the psalm gives some good hints - much later, Jesus came to give some good answers!), it’s impossible to praise Jephthah’s vow, but we can reflect on it, and maybe learn an important lesson from its gruesomeness - it’s easy to make tragic mistakes in our life when we refuse to listen to what God wants for Himself, and for us!

Daily Retreat 08/19/09

2009-08-13T11:13:00.003-07:00

2009 Aug 19 Wed:Ordinary Weekday/ John Eudes, p, rf
Jgs 9:6-15/ Ps 20(21):2-3. 4-5. 6-7/ Mt 20:1-16

From today’s readings: “Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves.... Lord, in Your strength the king is glad.... The Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard....”

Settling for third rate

It is easy to follow a champion who seems invincible and is doing everything the way we think things should be done. It is harder to follow a leader who is self-effacing and asks us to do the “right thing”, even when difficult and counter-cultural.

There are many, for instance, who applaud the Pope when he stands tall for issues which they themselves see as worthwhile causes; however, the same people look for a more moderate “popular” standard-bearer when the Pope calls for peace, or social justice, or the upholding of Christian standards of morality, or realization of the uniqueness of Christ’s revelation.

At the end of his life, Gideon, God’s chosen champion, was offered the kingship, but he refused, preferring to follow the direction God had indicated rather than the popular whim (Judges 8:22-23). However, after Gideon’s death, his son Abimelech capitalized on the popular desire to be like everyone else and have a king. But to become king, Abimelech had to kill all his brothers, which he managed to do, except for Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon.

Now we can understand the strange “parable of the trees” narrated by Jotham in the first reading: The citizens of Shechem weren’t satisfied with the good reasons for which Gideon (and possibly some of his nobler sons) refused the kingship (as did the olive tree, fig, and vine). They kept asking around until they found someone who gave them the answer they wanted to hear (Abimelech, who like the buckthorn, was more than ready to be king!). Read the rest of chapter nine to see the tragic price of settling for an ignoble, sleazy third-rate leader who is ready to compromise principle in order to be popular! Then, ask yourself honestly if you’re shopping around for someone to tell you what you want to hear, or if you are up to the challenge of the many “hard sayings” of Jesus, such as His commitment to being ever-generous in His mercy, as the Gospel relates, or His insistence on the importance of actually eating His very flesh, the Bread of life, which was rejected by the majority as a “hard saying” (John 6:60-66).

Daily Retreat 08/18/09

2009-08-13T11:13:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 18 Tue:Ordinary Weekday
Jgs 6:11-24a/ Ps 84(85):9. 11-12. 13-14/ Mt 19:23-30

From today’s readings: “The LORD is with you, O champion!... The Lord speaks of peace to His people.... It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God....”

The Lord is with me???

   The deeds of Gideon are recounted in chapters 6-8 of the Book of Judges (it will take less than 5 minutes to read those chapters and thereby gain a much clearer picture of the importance of the incident in today’s first reading). Evidently, life was really tough - Gideon had to beat out wheat secretly in the wine press so the ruthless Mideonites wouldn’t confiscate the little bit of food remaining for his family.
   Understandably, then, Gideon is skeptical when an angel appears to him with the greeting, “The Lord is with you!” Like you and me at times, Gideon is tempted to see disaster and the hardships of life as “proof” that the Lord is NOT with him and his family. Nonetheless, the angel’s words have become a reality - the Lord IS with Gideon, and insists, and inspires Gideon to make an act of faith - to prepare an offering (from the tiny store of food remaining to Gideon!), which is convincingly accepted by the Lord. Gideon will go on to seek even clearer signs that the Lord is with him, and the Lord will again give those signs convincingly (see 6:36-40).
   What proof is there that the Lord is with you? The evil and tribulations which afflict our lives do not disprove the presence of God - rather, our perseverance in the face of adversity is itself only possible because of the presence of God! Gideon is completely aware of his insignificance - he knows his victories can only be attributed to the presence of God. So rather than resigning himself to being an eternal victim of injustice, Gideon allows himself to become the “champion” God wants to transform him into, a champion who will convincingly sing the Psalm that truly the Lord brings justice and “peace to His people, and to His faithful ones, and to those who put in Him their hope!”
   As soon as you and I realize that “for God, ALL things are possible," then we will stop being intimidated by evil, and we will offer all we have (however little and insignificant that might seem!) and allow ourselves to become champions of God’s righteousness!

Daily Retreat 08/17/09

2009-08-13T11:10:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 17 Mon:Ordinary Weekday
Jgs 2:11-19/ Ps 105(106):34-35. 36-37. 39-40. 43ab and 44/ Mt 19:16-22

From today’s readings: “Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt, they followed the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.... Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.... If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me....”

The Vicious Cycle

Many of us Christians have very little familiarity with the Old Testament, especially since numerous passages are difficult to understand, or are just plain ponderous reading! If you’ve never really “gotten into” reading the Old Testament, consider trying the Book of Judges - it’s juicy, dramatic, exciting, and even occasionally familiar (not to mention a bit gory at times!). Some highlights will be presented in the next few days, but since the lectionary cycle of readings skips a lot, I encourage you to read the whole book!

This book is toward the beginning of the Bible, right after the Book of Joshua, and basically starts where Joshua leaves off - after the Israelite conquest and settlement of the land of Canaan. Understandably, this was a time of “getting settled” - there wasn’t very much routine or certainty about anything. The book of Judges reports, however, that a certain routine did get established: the cycle of disobeying the Lord by turning to false gods, consequential disasters, realization of the need for repentance, and help from God in the form of a “judge.”

Today, we think of a judge as a public official who deliberates on a legal case and passes a sentence of justice, but the judges mentioned in this book of the Bible, however, have the more difficult task of doing themselves whatever it takes to restore justice and righteousness (which usually means ridding the land of an oppressive invader!).

This all makes for not only thrilling history, but also instructive history. Whether as individuals, families, or nations, we continue that same cycle: first we turn away from God, then we suffer consequential problems, finally we realize the need for repentance, and inevitably, help from God comes just when we need it the most! Ideally, reading the book of Judges will help us learn a bit from mistakes of the past....

Daily Retreat 08/16/09

2009-08-13T11:08:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 16 SUN:TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Prv 9: 1-6/ Ps 33(34): 2-3. 10-11. 12-13. 14-15/ Eph 5: 15-20/ Jn 6: 51-58

From today’s readings: “Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table.... Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.... Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.... For My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink....”

The Heart of the Bread of Life

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 08/15/09

2009-08-13T11:05:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 15 Sat:ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY S
Vigil: 1 Chr 15: 3-4. 15-16; 16: 1-2/ Ps 131(132): 6-7. 9-10. 13-14/ 1 Cor 15: 54b-57/ Lk 11: 27-28
Day: Rv 11: 19a; 12: 1-6a. 10ab/ Ps 44(45): 10. 11. 12. 16/ 1 Cor 15: 20-27/ Lk 1: 39-56

From today’s readings: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.... The queen takes her place at Your right hand in gold.... For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order.... And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant....”

The Assumption

When you open up the hood of a car, you’re faced with a formidable but carefully engineered and coordinated jumble of parts which everyone finds a bit overwhelming, except, perhaps, an expert mechanic, although even he probably is occasionally stumped by an unfamiliar make or model year. While even the uninitiated can point out a few obvious components - that’s the engine block, this here is the battery, that’s the steering column, etc. - most of us would have to admit that we might have a vague idea, at best, of what purpose is served by many of those elaborate contraptions under the hood.

But, just because we don't know what something does, doesn't mean we should start pulling out and discarding all of those parts which surpass our own expertise. For, there might be a tangle of wires that appear to go nowhere, but then turns out to be essential for the starting mechanism - if we take it out, a short-circuit prevents the ignition from turning over. Or, some hose that seems superfluous, but in reality is integral to the cooling system - if it's removed, the engine quickly overheats. But even if we were to remove something purely ancillary, such as the horn or windshield wiper motor, the car itself might still run, albeit with some real handicap, since everything under the hood is there for a reason.

When you open up the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you’re faced with a formidable but divinely inspired and coherent body of dogmas and doctrines which everyone finds a bit overwhelming, except, perhaps, a well-studied, monkish priest, although even he (believe me!) probably is occasionally bedazzled by less familiar points of theology or Church history. While even the unbaptized can point out a few credal components of the Christian faith - Jesus Christ, the Son of the Virgin Mary, is true God and true man; He was crucified, but rose from the dead and now reigns in Heaven, etc. - still, most Christians would have to admit to having only a vague idea, at best, of the meaning and history of many of the elaborate tenets of the Faith.

But, just because we don’t completely understand a teaching of the Church, doesn’t mean we should start ignoring and denying all of those parts which surpass our own expertise. For, there are those extraordinary assertions, for instance, about the Immaculate Conception, and about the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into Heaven, declarations which appear to be biblically unfounded, but then turn out to be inescapable consequences of a number of solid scriptural convictions, for “what the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.”

How so? Well, for starters, the Book of Genesis, echoed by St. Paul, teaches that death is the wages of sin, whether it be the Original sin of Adam and Eve or the personal sins of the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve. But Jesus, who knew no sin, was nonetheless still truly human, having been incarnated of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the human nature which Mary possessed and passed on to her divine Son fittingly was free itself of sin, and that’s the kernel of the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

But since preserved from the stain of sin, she was also blessed with a singular, more immediate participation in the fruits of her Son’s Resurrection, so that Mary, “when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord ....”

But suppose that just seems too complicated, and I decide I’m going to dispense with that unwieldy conglomeration of the dogma of Mary’s corporeal assumption. Oh, I’m sure she’s in Heaven with Jesus, but why can’t her bodily remains still be just buried somewhere on Earth, like everyone else’s?

Well, first of all, there’s the giant historical objection that the early Church, which so devoutly venerated the graves of St. Peter and other saints who had known Jesus personally, has no record of the death and burial place of Mary. And yet, from the beginning, Mary’s exalted role in God’s plan of salvation was explicitly recognized by the Church - why then would there be no acknowledgment of her tomb?

But, just like stripping a car of complicated parts leads to big problems, so does dismissing dogmas! Because, fundamentally, if Mary’s bodily Assumption is denied, then there is a concomitant denial that all faithful Christians are to share fully in Christ’s Resurrection. For Jesus conquered sin and death in His body and soul. And God created us body AND soul; He redeemed us body AND soul; and His eternal plan is to take us up, body AND soul, to be with Him forever in Heaven!

But as St. Paul teaches in his first letter to the Corinthians:
“For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at His coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end.... the last enemy to be destroyed is death....” So first, those who belong to Christ are brought to life - by this Paul means eternal life in Heaven. But then, afterwards, comes the end, and “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Now, Christ’s resurrection already vanquished and conquered death, but the definitive, utter destruction of death still awaits the general resurrection of the body at the end of time, for until then, death is obviously still among us.

But death, remember, entered the world through the envy of the Devil - death is the wages of sin! However, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, knew no sin, either in His human or divine nature. Since His human nature was uncorrupted by sin from the beginning, the maternal origin of His human nature fittingly also was free from the stain of sin. So, death has no claim on the body of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, spared as she was of the corruption of sin.

If Mary were not bodily in Heaven, that would mean that death still has a temporary claim on her. But if death has a claim on Mary, that would mean that Christ’s Resurrection, while perhaps cheating death, is insufficient to destroy death for those to whom He has promised a share in His Resurrection.

In short, if you disregard the bodily Assumption of Mary, you short-circuit the full effects of Christ's Resurrection and sever the integral biblical connection between sin and death. Everything under the hood of a car is there for a reason, as any bona fide grease monkey could explain. Everything under the cover of the Church's Catechism is taught by the Church for a reason, as any bona fide priest "monkie" will likewise do his best to explain!

Daily Retreat 08/14/09

2009-08-12T14:25:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 14 Fri:Maximilian Mary Kolbe, p, mt M
Jos 24:1-13/ Ps 135(136):1-3. 16-18. 21-22 and 24/ Mt 19:3-12

From today’s readings: “Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges and their officers.... His mercy endures forever.... Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate....”

Don’t Forget!

The first half of chapter 24 of Joshua is a quick summary of salvation history from the time of Abraham (chapters 12-24 of Genesis) to the end of the Book of Joshua. By presenting this overview of God’s continuous intervention on behalf of His chosen people, Joshua hopes to inspire the people to respond by whole-heartedly choosing God (that choice, and the Israelites’ response, will be presented in tomorrow’s reading of the second half of Joshua 24).

By now, it should be apparent that one of the most basic recurring themes in Sacred Scripture is “Don’t forget what God has done for you and your ancestors!” Most of us are probably guilty of not thanking God enough for the many blessings we’ve received from Him in our own lives, but all of us are certainly neglectful too often of thanking God for the blessings He’s given to those who came before us - all that we’ve spiritually inherited should certainly inspire us to turn in gratitude to Him through whom all blessings come....

Daily Retreat 08/13/09

2009-08-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 13 Thu:Ordinary Weekday/ Pontian, pp, mt, and Hippolytus, p, mt
Jos 3:7-10a. 11. 13-17/ Ps 113(114):1-2. 3-4. 5-6/ Mt 18:21 – 19:1

From today’s readings: “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD, your God.... When Israel came forth from Egypt.... Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? ”

Joshua

For many people, the ruthless military campaigns recorded in the Book of Joshua make its 24 chapters among the least edifying scripture readings. Nevertheless, the book is indisputably part of the Bible, and so, part of the divine revelation God has given us to ground our faith. We thus ignore or discard this text at our own peril!

The name “Joshua” is a Hebrew word meaning “the Lord saves.” When the Hebrew scriptures were translated intro Greek, “Joshua” was rendered “Jesus,” so our Savior’s Name was actually derived from the name of the hero of this book of the Bible, who was the assistant and eventual successor of Moses. For this reason, a number of the Church Fathers commented on how Joshua pre-figured Jesus as Savior.

The Book of Joshua can be divided in three parts. Chapters 1-12 give the account of the Israelite conquest and settlement of the Promised Land, including the miraculous crossing of the Jordan (chapter 3 - today’s reading) and fall of Jericho (chapter 6). Chapters 13-21 relate details of the division of the land among the Israelite tribes. Finally, chapters 22-24 recount Joshua’s last words and deeds, including the renewal of the covenant. While the lectionary only covers a small portion of Joshua, the book is a fairly easy read (particularly the first half), and so we should take up the book and follow Joshua’s invitation to “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD, your God.”

Daily Retreat 08/12/09

2009-08-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

2009 Aug 12 Wed:Ordinary Weekday/ Jane Frances de Chantal, mw, rf
Dt 34:1-12/ Ps 65(66):1-3a. 5 and 8. 16-17/ Mt 18:15-20

From today’s readings:“So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said.... Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!... For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them ”

Fraternal Correction

The Christian faith is not so much a package of beliefs as it is a personal relationship of love with Jesus Christ. But although we Christians are disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, and He is at the center of our faith, our Lord Himself taught that faith can never be limited to just “Jesus and me” - our relationship with Christ is intimately integrated with our relationships with others, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, for instance, Jesus draws up a very practical and charitable program of fraternal correction, beginning with, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Our fallen human nature prefers to gossip or brood about grievances, but those approaches tend to merely multiply the faults - how much more constructive is Jesus’s method, which squarely seeks to address the faults in kindness. Most of us, I hope, can recall a time when someone we had wronged treated us in this way, making it much easier and more appealing for us to be reconciled.

Jesus outlines additional steps that can be taken if needed, but if the first step is only followed faithfully, there will be fewer occasions when recourse must be made to those additional steps. This very day, then, is the golden opportunity for you and me to prayerfully consider any case in which another has veritably sinned against us, and rather than gossiping or brooding about it, with lavish sincerity of charity, to simply do what Jesus tells us to do.

Daily Retreat 08/11/09

2009-07-25T14:50:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:49:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:35:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:33:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:30:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:23:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:15:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:05:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T14:00:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T13:58:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-25T13:55:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-22T15:54:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-18T13:02:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T12:59:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-18T12:56:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-11T13:38:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-11T13:36:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-11T13:32:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-11T13:27:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-11T13:26:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-11T13:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-07T07:25:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-07T07:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-07T07:20:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-06T07:37:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-06T07:33:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-03T09:35:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-02T15:13:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-02T14:29:00.001-07:00

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....

Daily Retreat 07/03/09

2009-06-23T14:05:00.001-07:00

2009 Jul 3 Fri:Thomas, ap F
Eph 2: 19-22/ Ps 116(117): 1bc. 2/ Jn 20: 24-29

From today’s readings: “You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the capstone.... Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.... Have you come to believe because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed!”

Doubting Thomas

St. Thomas the Apostle is popularly known as “Doubting Thomas” because he refused to believe the testimony of the other ten apostles to whom Jesus had appeared on the evening of Easter Sunday. Even though the “doubting” appellative generally evokes a negative connotation (the chastisement for lack of faith), we shouldn’t overlook the positive aspects of Thomas’ incredulity.

In fact, his initial disbelief established a firm anchor for our own belief! You may have heard of those imbecilic biblical interpreters who deny the historicity of Christ’s resurrection, claiming instead that the apostles merely suffered the delusion of “wishing thinking” and therefore had some fantasy or psychotic experience of Jesus as “living again” in their own minds and hearts.

But the irrationality of such a fabrication is exposed by the very rationality of the doubt raised by Thomas! The death of Jesus was a crushing blow for all of the apostles - none of them possessed such an unrealistic obstinate optimism that they needed to, or would have even been able to, somehow collectively dream up the resurrection to “prove” that their messianic hopes were not unfounded.

On the contrary, when Mary Magdalene and the other woman witnesses initially reported the empty tomb and the angelic testimony, the apostles completely dismissed their account and refused to believe. In fact, in addition to Thomas’ doubt recorded in the gospel of St. John, the natural initial skepticism of all the apostles is also clearly attested to in the other three gospels: Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:11-14; Luke 24:11,37. Such doubt could only be overcome by the most convincing of proofs! While the details are given only about what Thomas demanded (and received) in order to believe, in His resurrected glory, Christ evidently provided each apostle with the undoubtable evidence needed to establish the redoubtable faith that gave birth to the indubitable, irrefutable testimony of martyrdom!

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!

Daily Retreat 07/02/09

2009-06-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

2009 Jul 2 Thu:Ordinary Weekday
Gn 22:1b-19/ Ps 114(115):1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 8-9/ Mt 9:1-8

From today’s readings:“God put Abraham to the test.... I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.... But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....”

Abraham’s Test

Of the twelve chapters of Genesis which recount the life of Abraham, today’s verses from chapter 22 are the most poignant and most memorable, when God put Abraham to the test, and called upon him to sacrifice his son Isaac, for whom he had waited so many years.

At first glance, the incident gives rise to a legitimate objection to God’s way of doing things: how can He, the God who is all good, ask Abraham for human sacrifice? According to other scripture passages, such a custom is abominable to God (e.g., Deut. 12:31, Psalm 105:37-40). Even with the realization that God, who knows all things, already knew how Isaac’s sacrifice would be averted, it still seems God’s command has inexcusably inflicted Abraham with great mental anguish.

And yet, to be the stalwart father in faith, Abraham needed to prove to himself and to his descendants that God ALWAYS comes first, no matter what. Moreover, the test and lesson for Abraham is just a variation of the teaching of Jesus (cf. Matt. 10:37ff), “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.” And, far from condoning child sacrifice, the incident conclusively illustrates that God does not want that - indeed, the gripping pathos of this chapter made that message clear enough to even the most primitive peoples. And finally, God knew that Abraham’s example would help his descendants one day understand the significance of His own Son’s sacrifice....

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!

Daily Retreat 07/01/09

2009-06-23T14:02:00.001-07:00

2009 Jul 1 Wed:Ordinary Weekday/ Bl Junipero Serra, p, r, ms
Gn 21:5. 8-20a/ Ps 33(34):7-8. 10-11. 12-13/ Mt 8:28-34

From today’s readings: “On the day of the child’s weaning, Abraham held a great feast..... The Lord hears the cry of the poor.... When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met Him.”

Pigs or Persons?

When Jesus exorcized the demoniacs in the territory of the Gadarenes, the demons, at their own request, were sent into a herd of pigs, which were then driven to drowning by the mad monsters. But when the townsmen heard of the miracle, they frowned on it as a catastrophe, for the Gospel mentions that they came out en masse to beg Jesus to leave their district.

Presumably some of the townsfolk had stock in the herd, and so, they were naturally upset at their loss. However, any herd of pigs, which Jews consider “unclean,” would have been an unwelcome aberration even in the Hebrew hinterlands. One would have expected the majority of the people to have appreciated Jesus both for curing the demoniacs and for getting rid of the pigs!

But rather than recognizing any good that Jesus had done, the residents resented Jesus, for whatever reasons, and so begged Him to leave their district (and more importantly, to leave them alone!). The same annoyed attitude can certainly be found in our own times, probably even in our own communities, and possibly even in our own hearts. For, in order to fully welcome Jesus, one must evict evil entirely - and that always entails a cost! For some people, the attachment and concern for the unclean things of life outweighs the grace that Jesus brings, so they tragically continue to beg Him to just leave them alone.

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!

Daily Retreat 06/30/09

2009-06-23T13:59:00.001-07:00

2009 Jun 30 Tue:Ordinary Weekday/ First Martyrs of the Church of Rome
Gn 19:15-29/ Ps 25(26):2-3. 9-10. 11-12/ Mt 8:23-27

From today’s readings:“Lot's wife looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.... O Lord, Your mercy is before my eyes.... Lord, save us - we are perishing!”

Rescue!

God is in the rescue business - the whole mission of His Son should be recognized as the greatest rescue operation of all time, when God redeemed humanity and drew all to Himself in order to rescue us from the doom of sin. We can think of this rescue operation as occurring in two phases: deployment and implementation. Through the incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection of His Son, God deployed His grace so completely into the human condition, that there was no time or place or person or situation beyond the ready reach of the Redeemer.

In the implementation phase, the Rescuer calls out instructions to those imperilled and needing to be rescued. If those who are stranded then follow the Rescuer’s instructions and cooperate with His efforts to save them, they will indeed reach safety. However, if they were to turn their back on the Rescuer and disdain His redemptive instructions , they would perish needlessly.

All those alive today are living the real drama of God’s efforts to implement His rescue operation in our lives. Already, all of us have had “close calls,” times when we just barely managed to escape from grave physical or moral dangers. However, as relieved as we were to have reached temporary havens, so often there follows an almost irresistible urge to look back, and as the example of Lot’s wife proves, that look back can be tragic!

For instance, after God’s grace leads a person to turn away from sin with contrition and the firm resolution to sin no more, the Devil is often successful in tempting the person to look back once more at the sin, and thus the forbidden fruit again catches the eye and awakens the appetite, and soon the person is too often lost again to the mesmerizing allure of wickedness.

So, the moral is: follow the instructions of the Divine Rescuer, cooperate with His efforts, and don’t even look back at sin!

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!

Daily Retreat 06/29/09

2009-06-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

2009 Jun 29 Mon:PETER AND PAUL, APS S
Vigil:Acts 3:1-10/Ps 18(19):2-3. 4-5/Gal 1:11-20/Jn 21:15-19.
Day:Acts 12:1-11/Ps 33(34):2-3. 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/2 Tm 4:6-8. 17-18/Mt 16:13-19

From today’s readings: “Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.... The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear Him.... I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.... You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church....”

Stumbling to Success

Peter and Paul were certainly the most noteworthy apostles - Peter, that chosen rock providing stability, direction, and leadership for the Church; and Paul, that teacher of the nations in faith and truth. And yet, in spite of their glorious and indispensable roles in the Church, these two were also the ones with the most glaring failings among all the faithful apostles.

Both Peter and Paul were keenly aware of their sins - not just Peter’s denials of Jesus and Paul’s persecution of Him, but also their day-to-day struggles and their evident character flaws and lapses. So no wonder both of them rightly recognized where the credit belonged - that it was God Himself who rescued them from peril (as Peter insisted, “Now I know for certain that the Lord sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod”) and strengthened them in their weakness (as Paul maintained, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength”) and worked marvels through them.

So the examples of Peter and Paul remind us that the decision to welcome Christ as our Savior does not make us impervious to temptation and incapable of sin. Like those apostolic princes, each of us must struggle constantly with our own character flaws and lapses. And yet even the most glaring failing can’t prevent us from turning to God so He can rescue us from peril, strengthen us in weakness, and even work marvels through us to the glory of His Name!

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!

Daily Retreat 06/28/09

2009-06-23T13:52:00.001-07:00

2009 Jun 28 SUN:THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24/ Ps 29(30):2. 4. 5-6. 11. 12. 13 (2a)/ 2 Cor 8:7. 9. 13-15/ Mk 5:21-43

From today’s readings: “By the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.... Sing praise to the LORD, you His faithful ones, and give thanks to His holy name.... May you excel in this gracious act also.... Do not be afraid; just have faith!”

Doing Our Part

In general, our noisy and hectic world can make it hard to think straight sometimes, and thus peace and quiet are rare and prized commodities in our day. And yet, even so, there are times when stillness can be alarming, as when a pulse is so faint it can hardly be felt.

The same dangerous extremes can be observed in the spiritual life. Consider first the detriment of noise and commotion: In the Gospel reading, as Jesus makes His way to Jairus’ house, He is surrounded by a chaotic crowd. Now we can presume these were good people, for they evidently wanted to be close to Jesus and follow Him. But, by and large, they were meshed in a mob mentality, and they were caught up in the emotion of the moment, and probably just looking for a little excitement - that’s why they were pressing on Jesus! Not because they sought to know Him personally, not because they were listening much to His words of life, not because they were open to His sacrificial love for each of them, not because they had any intention of following Him for more than a few blocks - none of those good reasons were driving the throng to follow Jesus, but simply because there was a crowd, and the rabble wanted to be part of the crowd, and hang out with the crowd, and so that particular day, they happened to crowd around Jesus.

But in the midst of the multitude, there’s one person who manages to tune out the din and think and act clearly and deliberately. So the woman with the hemorrhage approaches Jesus, not just to be in the “in” crowd, but because she recognizes His saving power, and so she touches Him in faith. Streams of people are physically brushing against Jesus, but just in the non-personal way that you or I might unintentionally bump into another in a crowded concourse. Only one elevates the encounter to the level of personal contact. As St. Augustine said, “Multitudes are they who throng about Him, but few are they who by faith touch Him.” And yet what a difference it made for that woman, and for all who want to do more than just crowd around Jesus, those who recognize His saving power, and touch Him in faith!

And it’s the same story with the next miracle: Jesus arrives at the official’s house, and there’s this commotion of weeping and wailing, people too caught up in their own sorrow to even listen to the Lord’s good news, “She’s just asleep!” So Jesus puts them all out, so that finally His own words can be clearly heard and felt: “Talitha koum!” In our lives too, Jesus insists that you and I take action, and put out the distractions of our lives, especially on Sunday and in our daily prayers, so that His words of life can be clearly heard and felt....

Yes, we need to do our part too, and that insight returns us to the second danger, for not only do people fail in Christian discipleship when misled by chaotic distractions, but also when paralyzed with morbid inaction. This is a form of the sin of presumption, and the heresy of quietism, which perhaps is more prevalent in our day than most realize. “I’ll just let God do it all. If I don’t get around to daily prayers, if I miss going to Church on Sunday, if I don’t bother to read the Bible or study my faith, if I just ignore my pastors, if I worry more about sports scores than I do about eternal salvation, well, God’s big enough to handle all that stuff without my help.”

But, quoting St. Augustine again, “God who made you without your cooperation, will not save you without your cooperation.” The Lord is too polite to bodily force us to be with Him, so if we decide to crowd Him out of our lives, He doesn’t compel us to make room for Him. Are you content with crass “Crowd Christianity,” following Jesus every once in a while for a short distance when you’re in the mood and there’s promise of a little excitement? But that’s not enough! You can’t just drift with the crowd that hangs out occasionally with Jesus - you need to make a personal commitment, and hang on religiously to Jesus, like the woman who touched the Lord in fullness of faith!

When we hang on faithfully to Jesus, His power touches us, and transforms us. And then there’s so much we learn from His words and actions. Did you ever consider, for instance, that if Jesus could raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead, He certainly could have raised her with a full stomach as well? And yet, after the miracle, Jesus told her parents to give her something to eat, saying, in effect, “I will do My part, but you still need to do your part!” That’s what Jesus tells each of us today: He will do His part, but you and I also need to do our parts!

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!

Daily Retreat 06/27/09

2009-06-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

2009 Jun 27 Sat:Ordinary Weekday/ BVM/ Cyril of Alexandria, bp, dr
Gn 18:1-15/ Lk 1:46-47. 48-49. 50 and 53. 54-55/ Mt 8:5-17

From today’s readings: “The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre, as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.... The Lord has remembered His mercy.... Lord, I am not worthy to have You enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed..... ”

Abraham’s Hospitality

Hospitality was one of Abraham’s standout virtues, so it’s no wonder that the New Testament invokes his example (cf. Hebrews 13:2): “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

In ancient times and even today, hospitality is highly valued in hostile environments, in climates and locales where one’s survival, especially during travels, often depends on whether or not another person can be prevailed upon to provide water, food, clothing, and shelter when needed the most.

But Abraham goes beyond the nomad’s code of reciprocal hospitality - the lavish reception he offers the three strangers is more than most of us would provide for even a best friend! So his example can be a practical inspiration for you and me: in our earthly pilgrimage, since we certainly rely often enough on the generosity of others (particularly God!), it follows that, whenever we have an opportunity to be hospitable to others (whether known or unknown to us), we should follow Abraham’s lead, thereby doing our own part in welcoming angels!

Especially throughout this Year for Priests, consider the ways God will use you to strengthen the holiness of priests - please pray for priests and future priestly vocations every day, and do your part in this Year for Priests!