Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time [II]
Sirach 47:2-11  +  Mark 6:14-29
February 4, 2022

“When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.”

Today’s Gospel passage presents a long flashback to the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.  It’s notable that St. Mark the Evangelist, so concerned with brevity in his Gospel account, gives so much attention to this narrative.  St. John was obviously a figure of importance in relating the Good News to early Christians, even in regard to his death.

What distinguishes St. John the Baptist as a saint?  We might say that it’s his particular combination of humility and courage.  Sometimes humility (and also meekness) are seen in opposition to courage.  In this false light, humility is a form of weakness and submission, involving an inability to stand up for oneself.

In one sense, humility truly is a form of submission.  Humility truly means not seeing oneself as the center of the universe, or the king of the hill.  In turn, humility means recognizing one’s true place in life.  This truth tenders a capacity for strength that doesn’t consider earthly life as one’s purpose in life.  This truth leads to a courage willing to forfeit one’s earthly life for eternal life.  St. John the Baptist witnessed to Christ in his penitence, in his preaching, in his knowing that Jesus must increase and he must decrease, and in his acceptance of the gift of martyrdom.

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8  +  1 Corinthians 15:1-11 [or 1 Cor 15:3-8,11]  +  Luke 5:1-11

“Be not afraid.”

In the year of Our Lord 64, Saint Peter laid down his life for the Church.  Some thirty years after the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, Peter was held prisoner in the city of Rome, as was his fellow apostle Paul.  Both had been taken there in chains, to that city which was the center of the known world.  It was the capital of the greatest empire in existence, and a city which from Jerusalem appeared to be “the ends of the earth”.  Yet it was the center not only of the empire, but also of paganism.  The temples dedicated to Roman gods were numerous, scattered throughout Rome.  Within the heart of the city was the Pantheon, dedicated to all the pagan gods.

Today you can still visit the cell where Peter was imprisoned:  it’s about halfway between the Pantheon and the Colosseum.  Within that cell, Saint Peter was miraculously freed from his chains.  Then Peter made it onto the streets of Rome, and searched for the quickest way out of the city, presumably with the idea of somehow returning to his homeland.  However, just outside the city walls, on a road leading away from his prison, Peter was confronted by a figure whom he soon recognized as Christ Jesus Himself.

Jesus asked where Peter was going, which of course was a rhetorical question.  Jesus wasn’t so much interested in where Peter was taking himself.  Peter was trying to escape from his vocation.  Jesus was only interested in where God wanted Peter to go, which of course was to Heaven.  For Peter, the road to Heaven was a martyr’s death.  After that conversation with Our Lord, Peter was re-assured of his final mission in life.  He turned around, went back into the heart of pagan Rome, and re-entered his prison cell.  The next time Peter left that cell, he was taken to his martyrdom.

Peter’s earthly vocation ended on that spot where he was martyred.  In today’s Gospel passage, we hear the beginning of St. Peter’s vocation.  It might seem that the focus of this passage is the miraculous catch of fish, but Peter’s response is greater.  Reflecting on the Word of God, you yourself are challenged to allow this same dynamic to work in your own life.  Every Christian has to do this, but each in his or her own unique way, because each member of Christ’s Body is created uniquely, and meant by God to pursue his or her vocation within a unique setting in salvation history.  As each human person is unique, so is the role of each human person within God’s economy of salvation.

The problem in our lives in the twenty-first century is that we don’t want this sort of call from God.  It’s not that God is ignoring us, as we sometimes accuse Him of doing.  It’s not that God doesn’t want to have anything to do with us.  Rather, it’s that we don’t want Him in our lives.  Sure, we want to follow God, but at a distance.  Every one of our sins in effect says, “I want there to be a comfortable distance between me and God.  I don’t want Him too close to me.”  If we can admit this, then it’s a lot easier to understand how today’s Gospel passage is not just about Jesus calling Peter, but is also about Jesus calling you, each day throughout your life, not just in your youth.

The words which sum up today’s Gospel challenge are, “Be not afraid.”  The words of Peter which sum up his response are these six simple words:  “Lord, I am a sinful man.”  These six words come from a humble soul.  Each of us needs to make his or her own not just these six words, but the virtue that animates them.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us:  “Faced with God’s fascinating and mysterious presence, man discovers his own insignificance” [CCC 208].  This isn’t the last word of the Catechism, of course.  The last word is God’s love.  Despite our relative insignificance, God freely chose to sacrifice His only-begotten Son for our salvation.  God never says, “Clean up your act, and get back in touch with me when you’re worthy of my attention.”  God reaches down to us in our sinfulness, and pays His full attention to our sinfulness.  God’s care and concern for us in our sinfulness is part and parcel of our vocation.

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Mark 6:7-13

[Jesus] summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two.

The meaning of Jesus’ two-fold action of summoning and sending in today’s Gospel passage is based on the literal meaning of the word “apostle”, which is “one who is sent”.  But today’s summoning and sending, in chapter 6 of St. Mark’s Gospel account, is different from a second apostolic mission on which these men will be sent.  That latter mission occurs in the final chapter, where in fact only eleven apostles remain.

The key distinction is what the Twelve here are sent to do.  This is a preparatory mission:  to preach repentance, drive out demons, and anoint and cure the sick.  Here the Twelve turn people around from the negative, to prepare them to receive the positive.  Their mission here is something akin to the vocation of St. John the Baptist:  to prepare for something—Someone—greater.

In Mark’s final chapter, the apostles are sent to accomplish something radically different.  They are sent not just to the sick, but to “the whole world”.  They are sent not just within the Holy Land, but “to the whole world”.  They are sent not to preach repentance, but to “proclaim the Gospel” [16:15].  For each of us, in the on-going conversion of our lives to Christ, we need to listen and be receptive to the works of both of these missions:  turning away from our sins, so that we within our own vocations can proclaim the Gospel by living the Gospel.

The Presentation of the Lord
Malachi 3:1-4  +  Hebrews 2:14-18  +  Luke 2:22-40 [or Lk 2:22-32]
February 2, 2022

“… for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples ….”

The Jewish meaning of presenting one’s first-born son in the Temple is hinted at in today’s Gospel Reading.  Listen to St. Luke the Evangelist’s explanation in today’s Gospel:  “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord… and to offer the sacrifice… in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.” 

Three times in this single sentence, St. Luke refers to “the law” of the Jewish people.  There are three actions taking place:  first, the purification of mother and child before the Lord; second, the presentation of the first-born son to the Lord; and third, the sacrifice of animals to the Lord.

What are Joseph and Mary about as they take place in these Jewish rituals?  They know that this child is not the fruit of their marriage.  They know that this child was conceived through the Power of the Holy Spirit.  This child—they know—has not entered this world in order to overthrow legions of men, armed with sword and spear.  Joseph and Mary know that this child was sent by God the Father to overthrow the legions of the devil, armed with pride, envy, lies and malice.

The Law is fulfilled through Jesus Christ.  The Law that brought some measure of earthly peace to Jews who followed its prescriptions is fulfilled in Jesus Christ for you and all mankind.  Jesus Christ was conceived by the Virgin Mary through the Power of the Holy Spirit, was presented by Joseph and Mary in the Temple, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died and was buried, and on the third day rose again from the dead:  not to offer you earthly peace, but to offer you life for eternity with the Father in Heaven.

+     +     +

Joseph and Mary presenting Jesus in the Temple seems like a simple act of worship, but it foreshadows the end of Jesus’ earthly life.  Joseph and Mary are handing over the child in their care to God the Father.  Their presentation is an act of honesty and humility:  they’re admitting that this child is God the Father’s from the beginning, and they’re admitting that for them to be entrusted with this child is an honor they don’t deserve.

That’s where we can see a link between what Joseph and Mary were doing on the day they presented Jesus, and what human parents do on the day they bring their child to the baptismal font.  Each and every child is not only a gift from God, but also belongs to God, from the day of his or her conception, all the way to the day of his or her death, unto the eternal life that God wills for each of His children.

So it was with Jesus.  Jesus did not belong to Joseph and Mary.  Jesus was not entrusted to Joseph and Mary in order for Joseph and Mary to be fulfilled.  Jesus was entrusted to Joseph and Mary that they might prepare Him to fulfill the Law some thirty-three years later on Good Friday.  Joseph’s and Mary’s vocations were to prepare Jesus’ earthly path to Calvary.  We can think here of the Old Testament story of Abraham presenting Isaac, his first-born, for sacrifice on Mount Moriah.

St. Luke the Evangelist in today’s Gospel passage foreshadows for us the share that Mary will have in the Passion of the Christ.  Once Mary and Joseph have presented Jesus in the Temple, Simeon explains to Mary that “this child is destined… to be a sign of contradiction—and you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

+     +     +

If you truly believe in the consolation that Jesus offers you, it’s not morbid to imagine yourself at the end of your life, lying on your deathbed.  You know, there’s an old saying that counsels:  “Always begin with your end in mind.”  For us as Christians, our ultimate end is life with the Father in Heaven.  But how we prepare for our earthly end—or as we say in the “Hail Mary”, “the hour of our death”—directs each of our earthly days, either towards or away from our ultimate end.  So we benefit greatly if we always begin each morning with our end in mind.

During this coming week, consider all the opportunities you have to let go of pre-conceived ideas about what earthly life is meant to be about.  Jesus is not the completion of our lives on earth:  He completes our life only in Heaven.  Jesus is not the answer to all our questions.  It’s not our questions that Jesus came into this world to answer.  Jesus came into this world to answer for our sins.  Jesus didn’t come into this world to fulfill our dreams.  He came into this world to teach us how to dream about something worthy of dreams.  Jesus teaches you what life is meant for in helping you prepare to say in your old age, and on the day of your death:  “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your Word”.

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time [II]
II Samuel 18:9-10,14,24-25,30—19:3  +  Mark 5:21-43
February 1, 2022

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

In today’s Gospel passage are two people who see how God wants to be in their lives in time of need.  Each of you, no doubt, fields petition from those whom you serve.  So many people turn to Christ in need.  If it weren’t for petitionary prayer, the prayer lives of many Christians would never get off the ground!  But it’s a start.  God is content to listen to all the prayers of petition that His children wish to make.

Consider the woman in the Gospel, who had suffered for so many years.  She interrupts Christ in the midst of His trying to help someone else.  We should make that woman’s faith our own:  not simply her faith in Christ’s power, but also her faith in His patience and compassion.  There is no true need in our lives that we should not offer to God.

Is every petition answered as we wish, as are the petitions of this woman and the official?  Some Christians stop offering their petitions to God—or even stop believing in God—when He doesn’t provide the response they want.  Growth in prayer includes the experience of accepting God each time He says “No” to us, and learning through those experiences of “No” to trust His providential Will more deeply.

St. John Bosco, Priest
II Samuel 15:13-14,30;16:5-13  +  Mark 5:1-20
January 31, 2022

… they began to beg [Jesus] to leave their district.

Demonic possession is an extremely serious matter.  While some today dismiss it, suggesting that all reported cases of possession are in fact psychological disorders, the Church takes today’s Gospel passage at its word.

One striking point in this narrative is the reaction of people to the swineherds’ report:  “they began to beg [Jesus] to leave their district.”  Why do the people react this way?  One might expect the people to express gratitude to Jesus, and invite Him to stay as their protector.

Perhaps the people were in shock, never before imagining that demons might dwell among them.  However, demonic possession in the Holy Land was not uncommon in Jesus’ day.  Perhaps the reaction of the people reflects what we see in modern Western culture.  We know that evil exists, but we tend to think of it existing only “out there”.

When evil shows itself plainly in our own towns, our own homes, and our own lives, we express disbelief at how such violence could possibly happen “here”.  The sad truth is that sin, violence and death is everywhere, and in every human life.  After all, if it could exist in the earthly lives of Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother, why should we think of ourselves—who are sinners—as exempt from its power?  While each of us needs to practice prudence to deter suffering, we should have no illusions of escaping it.  In the midst of such illusions, Christ has no place.

Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time [II]
II Samuel 12:1-7,10-17  +  Mark 4:35-41
January 29, 2022

“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Is today’s lesson not to wake Jesus?  The miracle in today’s Gospel passage seems to be Jesus rebuking the wind and sea, resulting in “great calm”.  However, it’s not only the wind and sea that Jesus rebukes.  Perhaps more important is Jesus’ rebuke of His disciples.

Jesus chooses not to calm the disturbance in His disciples’ souls in the same manner that He calms the sea and wind.  But He does challenge them:  “Do you not yet have faith?”  His rebuke of the elements and of His disciples seems to have a meritorious effect on them.  “They were filled with awe” at His power over the elements.  But is this the faith He demanded of them?

It’s only natural to be impressed at the power of nature, and of God’s power over nature.  It’s something supernatural, however, to allow God to have power over oneself.  This is the sort of faith Jesus is asking for from His disciples.  Faith is a gift freely given, but it’s also a gift that must be freely accepted.  Jesus will not calm our souls without our consent, or rather, our faith in His power to do so.  The disciples marvel at Jesus as one “whom even wind and sea obey”.  Even more marvelous, however, is a disciple who obeys Jesus as His Lord.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest & Doctor of the Church
II Samuel 11:1-4,5-10,13-17  +  Mark 4:26-34
January 28, 2022

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God ….”

Jesus today proclaims two parables about the Kingdom of God.  In wanting to understand these parables, we might wonder what exactly the Kingdom of God is.  Is the Kingdom of God the realm of Heaven, or is it the Church, some measure of both, or something else entirely, such as the individual Christian’s soul?

Jesus never directly addresses this question.  But even without defining “the Kingdom of God”, we can say that the kernel of each “Kingdom parable” describes in some way the reality of Heaven, and/or the Church, and/or the Christian’s soul.

Take Jesus’ second parable in today’s Gospel passage.  The change from the “smallest of all the seeds” to “the largest of plants” seems more easily applied to the Church and the Christian soul than to Heaven.  Tertullian wrote that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”, a phrase through which we can see how this parable applies to the Church.  With God, all things are possible:  from a natural death, springs supernatural life.  Or as the Church prays to the Father in one of the prefaces for martyrs at Holy Mass:  by “your marvelous works” “in our weakness you perfect your power / and on the feeble bestow strength to bear you witness ….”

The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19  +  1 Corinthians 12:31—13:13 [or 1 Cor 13:4-13]  +  Luke 4:21-30

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

While the Scripture readings of any given Sunday’s Mass generally build up to the passage from the Gospel, this Sunday the Second Reading is more likely to grab our attention.  This passage of Saint Paul has much to teach us if we resist the tendency to interpret it according to our own standards.  Instead, we need to allow it to lead us to the heart of the Gospel, where God’s standard is far greater:  more demanding, but also more fulfilling.

In our success-oriented society, we set goals for ourselves and strive with all we’ve got to accomplish them.  If we don’t succeed, we ask what’s wrong with ourselves.  Parents fault themselves over mistakes made by their grown children.  When investments made for one’s future dissolve, it’s easy to feel as if one’s own personal value has dissolved.

Yet in truth, the only fact that finally has meaning in my life is that I am loved by others, not the fact of what I myself accomplish.  Work can be a great good, and is necessary in this world.  But love is a greater good and is necessary for this world as well as the next.  Our lives as Christians are meant to be dedicated to pursuing this greater good that St. Paul preaches about in the Second Reading.

Sometimes “love” is made into something abstract or vague, but today’s Scripture readings help us see God’s love as something very concrete.  Every one of us as a baptized Christian needs to be able to see this love as the goal of our lives.  It is our goal in two senses.  In the second and deeper sense, this love is what those in Heaven experience:  the Presence of God’s eternal love.  Yet in a primary sense, God deigns to allow us a share in this love here and now, if only fleetingly.

Most often, we experience love in the midst of a family.  Yet whether you consider the family that you grew up in, or the family that you chose and created through marriage, or the extended family into which you married, love among human beings is often very fragile.

Regarding this love that Saint Paul preaches about in 1 Corinthians 13, perhaps the most important thing for us to keep in mind is that it calls us beyond ourselves.  That is to say, this love calls us to self-transcendence.  We see the perfect example of this love on Calvary.  This “real love” is, in fact, God’s very essence—Saint John tells us in his first letter that God is love—and therefore this real love is infinite, beyond our capacity to exhaust.

The person who truly loves does not rest in the past, and does not live only for the future.  This person lives rooted in the present, even when this means living amidst distress, as Jesus is in today’s Gospel passage.  We do not seek to exhaust God’s love.  We simply seek to live within it, knowing that in its power we can survive any danger, even if we are carried by love beyond the standards we want to set for ourselves.

According to the world, every person is free to love as he or she sees fit.  But Christ and His Church teach us that there is only one real type of love, and that only this “real love” is strong enough to bind two together, whether in marriage, or in the union between a human person and God.

To live in real love is always to love by God’s standards:  that is, to seek to understand what He wants for us, and then to be willing to do what it takes to make that a reality.  This is difficult because we can so often fool ourselves into thinking that God’s Will and our own so conveniently match.

Only in consistent prayer can a person ask over and over if something is God’s will.  The more important a decision in a person’s life, the more times God should be asked about it in prayer.  The more important a decision in a person’s life, the more one should carry out some sort of penance such as fasting in order to purify one’s own mind and heart of selfish wants and desires, to purify them so that God’s Word can be recognized, be received, and take flesh in one’s life.