Monday – 33rd Week – Ordinary Time [II]
Revelation 1:1-4;2:1-5  +  Luke 18:35-43
November 14, 2016

“When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.” 

Today we begin hearing at weekday Mass from the Book of Revelation.  We will continue to hear from this book through the last day of the Church year.  This is fitting, of course, since Revelation is the last book of the Bible, and treats of the “Last Things”, although in a highly mysterious manner. Continue reading →

The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Malachi 3:19-20  +  2 Thessalonians 3:7-12  +  Luke 21:5-19

References to the Catechism of the Catholic Church cited for today by the Vatican’s Homiletic Directory:
CCC 162-165: perseverance in faith; faith as the beginning of eternal life
CCC 675-677: the final trial of the Church
CCC 307, 531, 2427-2429: human labor as redemptive
CCC 673, 1001, 2730: the last day

“‘By your perseverance you will secure your lives.’”

On this last Sunday before the feast of Christ the King, Jesus teaches us that we can better understand when “that day” (that Malachi speaks of in our First Reading) will occur, if we think about two other days:  today and tomorrow.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus’ “today” was an ordinary day on which “some people were speaking of how the temple was adorned with precious stones.”  These people were thinking only of “today” in the secular sense:  that is, only of material things.  Such people become trapped in “today”.  They have no real future:  neither a tomorrow, nor hope for “that day.”  They are caught up in the present moment, encouraged to do so by a secular culture.

Jesus points out that while this sort of “today” may enthrall, it will not last forever:  “the day will come when not one stone will be left on another, but it will all be torn down.”  Suddenly, on “that day” these people will be shocked:  they will be taken from their “today”, from their fixation on this world.  Every secular today comes to an end.

Most of us Christians, hopefully, are not fixed solely on today.  We know, even regarding worldly concerns, that it’s important to focus on “tomorrow”.  Needs such as retirement planning, children’s education, and meetings next week all require attention to our tomorrows.

For most of us, “tomorrow” helps give focus to each “today”.  We realize soberly that we never know how many tomorrows we might get.  So there is a constant balance that we strive for between the two.  “Tomorrow” might mean many things:  next week, next year, or the year we turn 65.  Regardless, it is a time we can see in the future, and fix in our minds.  It is a secular tomorrow, which may well bear importance, but which certainly will come to an end.  It is a tomorrow that does not yet exist, but which will eventually pass away as surely as today.

Jesus points our attention, however, beyond every earthly “tomorrow” imaginable.  Jesus points our attention to “that day”.  “That day” is the day on which you will die.  “That day” is also the end of the world:  at least, the end of yours.

So many people grow fearful thinking about a cataclysmic end of the planet, even though the vast majority of us will never face such an event.  But not many seem to worry much about the end of their own personal lives, which everyone is guaranteed to face.  Many in the mass media and society draw interest from describing the end of the planet, yet these are often the same ones who hide the reality of human death, and the brevity of this world and its goods.

Ask Jesus for the courage, trust, and simplicity of heart to live today, and plan tomorrow, with “that day” always in your mind and heart.  That day is a door that opens to eternity.

St. Josaphat, Bishop & Martyr
3 John 5-8  +  Luke 18:1-8
November 12, 2016

“‘But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?’”

In the first verse of today’s Gospel passage, St. Luke the Evangelist is unusually direct in explaining the exact meaning of Jesus’ parable.  “Jesus told His disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.”  It is important to note that this parable is about one specific type of prayer to God:  prayer of petition. Continue reading →

St. Martin of Tours, Bishop
2 John 4-9  +  Luke 17:26-37
November 11, 2016

“‘Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.’”

To His disciples, Jesus speaks of “the Son of Man”.  Regarding the Son of Man, Jesus explains that His presence is elusive, like lightning that “flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other”.  Jesus downplays the desire somehow to “pin down” the Son of Man. Continue reading →

St. Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church
Philemon 7-20  +  Luke 17:20-25
November 10, 2016

“‘But first He must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.’” 

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus describes the phrases “the Kingdom of God” and “the Son of Man”.  The meanings of both are elusive, and that’s Jesus’ point. Continue reading →

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Ez 47:1-2,8-9,12  +  1 Cor 3:9-11,16-17  +  Jn 2:13-22
November 9, 2019 

“…you are the temple of God….”

Today’s Gospel passage shows us God’s passion for His temple, and for the sacrifice offered there.  Priests often hear people confess anger, and it’s usually necessary to ask questions when someone confesses “getting angry”.  In light of Jesus’ action in this passage, it’s important to remember not only that merely “getting angry” is not necessarily a sin.  Also, even acting in anger is not necessarily a sin.  Acting in anger, or fostering anger in oneself or others, certainly can be a sin.  But Jesus acts in anger in today’s Gospel passage, and with good reason.  When reflecting on a state of anger, and actions that flow from it, it’s important to ask what the object of one’s anger is.  This object can make all the difference in the morality of such an act. Continue reading →

Tuesday – 32^nd Week – Ordinary Time [II]
Titus 2:1-8,11-14  +  Luke 17:7-10
November 8, 2016

“The just shall possess the land / and dwell in it forever.” 

During the last weeks of the Church year—which more or less correspond with the month of November—the Church asks us to turn our attention to what she calls the “Last Things”.  The four most important of the “Last Things” are Heaven and Hell, death and judgment. Continue reading →

The 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
II Macc 7:1-2,9-14  +  2 Thes 2:16—3:5  + Lk 20:27-38
November 6, 2016

“‘It is for His laws that we are dying.’”

You would not have heard about their case from most secular news sources.  But an order of nuns in the United States was recently forced by the government to pay for artificial contraceptives for their members.  What the government thought these nuns were going to do with the contraceptives is anybody’s guess.  But the Little Sisters of the Poor—that’s the name of their religious order—have found themselves in much the same predicament as the seven brothers in today’s First Reading:  forced by a secular government to act against their religious principles.

At last month’s diocesan Clergy Conference, the Bishop of Wichita encouraged his priests to speak about the issues that are at stake in Tuesday’s elections.  Religious liberty is chief among these. Continue reading →

Monday – 32^nd Week – Ordinary Time [II]
Titus 1:1-9  +  Luke 17:1-6
November 7, 2016

“Such is the race that seeks for Him, that seeks the Face of the God of Jacob.”

The refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm is a good one to memorize and use throughout the day for repeated recitation and reflection.  “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your Face.” Continue reading →