The Little Way

                   16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

 

We should consider passages like today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom as a kind of reflection on what the ancient author had observed about the human condition. Wisdom teaches that despite all of the failings of humankind, God is not a God of condemnation. In this passage the author insists that God does not condemn us but that we condemn ourselves.  

 

God is the source of justice, and his power makes him not a vengeful dictator but “lenient to all.” We cannot imagine that God can be pleased when we condemn ourselves to a life of misery and suffering. We read,

 

      But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency

      And with much lenience you govern us…     

 

These words introduce us to the Kingdom of God, the subject of the three parables or stories in today’s gospel. The thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew is full of parables about the Kingdom of God. Last week the beginning of the chapter gave us the famous parable of the Sower and the Seed. Today’s three short parables immediately follow and expand on the theme of spiritual growth while giving us an idea of what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God. 

 

The first one is about a farmer who sows good seed only to find that some enemy has planted bad seed in the same field. Subsequently, weeds grow up along with the wheat. When the farmer’s servants ask him what to do, he says to let them grow together until the harvest when they will be separated.

 

Two thousand years later it is not hard to mistake the meaning of this parable, or to see its relevance in our own time when everything imaginable is growing up together. Daily the news brings us stories of bombings, massacres, violence and depravity along with stories of great heroism, decency and charity. However, for most of us in our own lives, it is often hard to tell the wheat from the weeds. 

 

In the explanation at the end of the passage we do hear that only at the end will there be a separation.

 

The Son of Man will send his angels,

And they will collect out of his kingdom

All who cause others to sin and all evildoers.

 

We notice that ejection from the kingdom is not the will of God, nor does it depend on anyone’s race, nationality, gender, social or economic status, or even religious beliefs. It depends on how we have conducted our lives. The other two parables also bear this message. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds but it grows to become the largest of plants. The least of us can accomplish great things in our own little way. The parable of the yeast that leavens the dough to make it rise and ultimately become edible is also an example of the way we all can bear much fruit.

 

St. Therese, a Carmelite nun who died in her early twenties, advocated the “little way”. Her words and life resonated through the whole Church and today she is regarded as one of a handful of Doctors of the Church. My own Italian immigrant grandparents were born just a few years after St. Therese and, while they will never be canonized, in their own little way I believe that they also bore much fruit. Like millions of other poor and hardly educated immigrants they left their homeland to build a better life for themselves and their families.

 

St. Paul says in today’s second reading that all of us are filled with the Spirit of God, and it is that Spirit that can make us accomplish great things.

 

The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness,

For we do not know how to pray as we ought…

 

So, even if we are not skilled in prayer or filled with theological knowledge, the Spirit of God will guide us in everything we do. Sometimes we feel that if we only had a little more time in our busy lives to meditate and pray, we might become closer to God’s Kingdom. However, I like to think that in these parables Jesus is teaching us that the little things we do in our ordinary lives are the things that really bring us into the Kingdom of God. All have been called to be good and faithful stewards and we have our work cut out for us. 

 

###

Reading 1. Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

Reading II. Romans 8:26-27

Gospel. Matthew 13: 24-43 (Kingdom of Heaven) 

Wisdom

  

                                    23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                    C cycle

 

 

Today's first reading is from the Book of Wisdom and naturally it's subject is wisdom. In the last few weeks the Church has been offering us the virtues as guides on our journey through life. A couple of weeks ago it was Faith. Last week Humility. This week we have Wisdom. While all the virtues are gifts of God, we have to practice them regularly to stay in spiritual shape. 

 

Wisdom is not intelligence, or book learning. We all know that sometimes the smartest people are not necessarily wise. Indeed, people with no learning at all can often be very wise. Wisdom is the virtue that helps us distinguish right from wrong in any endeavor. It will also help us in making the most important decisions in our lives. Wisdom often means looking outside of ourselves for guidance. Today we regularly turn to doctors, lawyers, and financial advisors for advice in matters of their expertise. We know, as it says in today's reading, that "the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans." 

 

St. Luke's gospel which we have been using all year deliberately follows our Lord on His journey to Jerusalem. Every week we have been urged to accompany Him on this journey. Now as we approach the end it should not surprise us that the road is getting more difficult the closer we get to our goal. It will take a different kind of wisdom for us to find happiness. How many times do the gospels remind us that our ways are not necessarily the Lord's way.

 

Two weeks ago our Lord told us to be prepared to enter by "the narrow gate." Last week we were advised to "humble ourselves." This week our Lord indicates that if we want to stay afloat, we will have to throw everything overboard:

 

            anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions

            cannot be my disciple.

 

Not just possessions but also our most dear attachments.

 

            If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,

            wife and children, brothers and sisters,

            and even his own life,

            he cannot be my disciple.

 

What can we make of statements like these? What kind of advice is this? Right before Jesus turns to the crowd to utter these statements, He told another little parable about the goal of life's journey. This parable was about a man who gave a banquet and invited many to the banquet but they all had excuses for not coming. They were preoccupied by their own affairs. One had just bought a farm and had to go see it. Another had bought some oxen and had to take them out for a test ride. The last said, "I have married a wife, and therefore cannot come."

 

These refusals angered the man and led him to invite "the poor, and the crippled, and the blind, and the lame." All these were not tied down with possessions and attachments. He even went out into the highways and byways to fill the banquet hall. Wisdom tells us that only if we get our priorities straight will we find true happiness for ourselves and our loved ones.

 

Both of the examples of practical wisdom that our Lord gives us in today's gospel are as appropriate today as ever. Instead of a man building a tower, we could talk of one taking on a load of debt which he would not be able to handle when interest rates rise. Don't we wish that our leaders and politicians would behave like the king in today's gospel who used foresight and wisdom before committing his men to battle? 

 

Is it possible that our Lord is being just as practical when He asks us to renounce all of our possessions in order to find true happiness in our journey through life? Will all our accumulated possessions prove of lasting value? Look at how many people just have to have the latest phone or electronic device. They line up to buy it only to find that it is obsolete a year later.

 

Today's second reading from the letter of St. Paul to Philemon gives us another example of Wisdom. This letter is unusual in that it is not addressed to a community of believers but to an individual. Philemon like most well to do Roman citizens was a slaveowner. Slavery was a common and totally acceptable practice in Roman society. The Romans believed that it was better after conquering a people to enslave rather than kill them. Slaves were very valuable possessions in the ancient world.

 

Apparently, Onesimus, one of Philemon's slaves, had run away. Either before or after his escape, he had converted to Christianity and somehow had managed to meet up with Paul in prison. In today's reading we see that Paul sends him back to Philemon but urges him not to punish Onesimus but to give him his freedom. In giving up his slave, Philemon will gain "more than a slave,' but a brother in Christ. 

 

It was our Lord's constant teaching that since we all have the same Father in Heaven, we are all brothers and sisters. We know that we are supposed to see Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters. Paul echoes this teaching when he says to Philemon about Onesimus, 'welcome him as you would me." From that time on it would be increasingly difficult for Christians to own slaves. It is true that there would be resistance to this "wisdom" but Paul's little letter to Philemon would be a constant reminder to Christians of the "un-wisdom" of slavery. 

###

Reading 1. Wisdom 9: 13-18b

Reading II. Philemon 9b-19, 12-17

Gospel. Luke 14: 25-33 (carry his own cross).

Note: The image above is a painting by the Venetian Renaissance artist Giorgione. It is usually called "The Three Ages of Man" but I interpret it as the Encounter of Jesus with the Rich Young Man. Jesus instructs the young man on what he must do if he wishes to attain eternal life.

The Rich Young Man

                       28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                      B cycle

 

Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom claims that wisdom is to be desired and sought after more than anything else in the world. Wisdom is regarded as more valuable than power or riches. It is even more to be desired than health or good looks. 

 

Actually, we are told that the attainment of wisdom will provide us with rewards greater than anything else in this life. Wisdom is usually referred to as a woman. The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia. But, what is wisdom?

 

I like to think that wisdom is the ability to make a decision. Sometimes, it can be a clear cut decision between right and wrong. But most times, it might just involve a decision between two courses of action that both appear to be right. Should I take this job or that one? Should I take this course or that one? 

 

It doesn’t take much to realize that wisdom is not merely a matter of brain power. It is obvious that some of the most learned and knowledgeable people often demonstrate a remarkable inability to make proper decisions for themselves or others. I’m not saying that it pays to be ignorant, but that wisdom requires experience as well as knowledge. Often, wisdom involves relying on the experience of others, not just ourselves. 

 

In today’s gospel we have the famous account of the young man of great wealth who asks Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Today, many of us, old and young, can identify with this young man. A senior citizen might look back and wonder, “What has my life been all about? Why was I put here? A young person might wonder, “What am I going to do with my life, or what will become of me?

 

Jesus initially tells the young man to trust in the wisdom that has been handed down to him.

 

You know the commandments: You shall not kill;

You shall not commit adultery;

You shall not steal;

You shall not bear false witness;

You shall not defraud;

Honor your father and your mother.

 

Jesus was telling the man that living the commandments was all an ordinary person had to do. The young man replied that he had kept these commandments all his life but there must have been something in his voice indicating that something was still lacking. Despite all of his wealth, he had not found happiness. 

 

The gospel tells us that Jesus looked upon the rich young man with love and invited him to become a disciple.

 

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor

And you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

 

Mark tells us that at the words of Jesus, the young man’s “face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” This is probably the only occasion when someone rejects a personal invitation from Jesus. It is one of the saddest passages in scripture. What are we to make of this passage?

 

It would be easy to try and explain away these words but Jesus went even further after the young man left. Turning from the departing young man, he faced the apostles and said to them:

 

“Children, how hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. 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.”

 

We are told that the Apostles were amazed at his words. They believed, as many of us do, that wealth was a sign of God’s favor. Poverty was never voluntarily chosen. At best, it was a suffering that had to be endured. There were groups of poor men like the Essenes but they were out of the mainstream of Jewish life.

 

Peter and the other disciples were shocked even though they must have been aware that Jesus often used strong words to drive home a point. They asked, “Who then can be saved?” The response of Jesus was full of hope: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

 

I have heard explanations of this hard saying of Jesus but it seems to me that Jesus is just being consistent with the teaching in the Book of Wisdom. There is something more important than the attainment of wealth. The things we possess have the power to possess us. Isn’t it true that the more we have, the more we want?

 

Jesus is not saying that we should cease to provide for ourselves and those entrusted to our care. He always told us to act like good stewards and manage our affairs wisely. Jesus told the young man that he had done well to just follow the commandments. 

 

Thank goodness that most of us are not rich and powerful. But there are still things that we value that we find it hard to give up. What child will be successful in school if they are not willing to give up their games and hit the books? What marriage will be successful if the couple is unwilling to give up their own desires for the sake of each other? How many senior citizens end their lives in bitterness and despair surrounded by the accumulated possessions of a lifetime?

 

In today’s second reading from the Book of Hebrews we are told that the word of God is “sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” The hard sayings of Jesus should make us consider what is really important in our lives, and help us decide what we must do to inherit eternal life.

 

###

Reading 1.  Wisdom 7: 7-11

Reading II. Hebrews 4: 12-13

Gospel. Mark 10:10-17 (What must I do…?)

Image note. This painting by the Venetian Renaissance master Giorgione is now in the Pitti Palace in Florence. It is labelled the Three Ages of Man but I have interpreted it as the encounter of Jesus with the rich young man of today's gospel. 

True Greatness

                      25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                      B cycle

 

       

It goes without saying that goodness is not always rewarded in this life. We like to think that people will profit from the good example of others but often people get jealous and envious to the point where they even attack the good. This can happen anywhere and at any time. It can happen in our children’s playgrounds and in the highest levels of our politics. Human nature being what it is, envy and bitterness have always been with us.

 

In today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom we see the wicked conspiring against the good. The reading speaks of a just one, a good person whose words and actions shame the wicked. They say,

 

He is obnoxious to us;

He sets himself against our doings,

Reproaches us for transgressions of the law

And charges us with violations of our training. 

 

Rather than accept criticism and change their ways, the wicked will put the good to the test. They will revile and torture, and even condemn to a shameful death. 

 

These words naturally make us think of the fate that Jesus would suffer at the hands of those who were shamed by his words and example. In today’s gospel account Mark tells us that Jesus predicted his own passion and death. As they journeyed through Galilee Jesus was teaching his disciples:

 

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.

 

We are told that the disciples did not understand these words or perhaps did not want to understand. Instead, they changed the subject and got into an argument among themselves about which of them was the greatest. It seems childish to us but are we any better? Jesus is teaching them that he must suffer and die in order to complete his mission, and they argue among themselves about their status.

 

He has to sit them down and try to explain what his suffering and death will mean for them.

 

If anyone wishes to be first,

He shall be the last of all and the servant of all.

 

They must be willing to serve, not to lord it over others. He will give up his life so that they may also give up their own lives in the service of others. He takes a helpless child in his arms and says that the care of such a child is more important than the respect and admiration they might gain from others. 

 

We know that it took time but this lesson was not lost on the apostles. After they witnessed the resurrected Lord, they devoted themselves to the service of others even to the point of suffering martyrdom. 

 

The lesson was certainly not lost on the apostle James. He understood that human nature was prone to jealously and selfish ambition. His words in today’s second reading are as appropriate now as they were in biblical times. They apply at every level of our lives today. 

 

Where do the wars

And where do the conflicts among you come from?

Is it not from your passions

that make war within your members?

You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;

You fight and wage war.

You do not possess because you do not ask.

You ask but do not receive,

Because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

 

Jesus had to work hard to make his disciples see that divine wisdom was different than human wisdom or desire. The wisdom from above is “peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy and insincerity.”

 

It’s worth a try.

 

###

Reading 1.  Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20

Reading II. James 3: 16—4:3

Gospel. Mark 9: 30-37 (who was the greatest) 

Wisdom

                       20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                      B cycle

 

       

Wisdom is not intelligence, or book learning. We all know that sometimes the smartest people are not necessarily wise. Indeed, people with no learning at all can often be very wise. Wisdom is the virtue that helps us distinguish right from wrong in any endeavor. It will also help us in making the most important decisions in our lives. You might also say that wisdom is the ability to make a decision.

 

In making decisions it is usually good to turn to others for advice. Wisdom often means looking outside of ourselves for guidance. Today we regularly turn to doctors, lawyers, and financial advisors for advice in matters of their expertise. It would be foolish to ignore their advice or suggestions.

 

In today’s first reading we hear that Wisdom’s banquet is available to all. To eat at that banquet means that we will be filled with understanding, the opposite of foolishness. 

 

Forsake foolishness that you may live;

Advance in the way of understanding.

 

In today’s gospel we continue the famous discourse on the Bread of Life from the sixth book of John's gospel. In today’s passage the words of Jesus were regarded as foolish by many of his hearers. Jesus had said,

 

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.

 

Today many still find these words hard to believe. Nevertheless, at the Last Supper Jesus said a prayer, broke the bread, and offered it and the wine to his disciples and told them that the bread and wine were his body and blood. He also washed their feet as a sign that they must dedicate themselves to serving one another. Finally, he told them to “do this in remembrance of Me.”

 

For almost two thousand years Christians have recognized the living bread, the body and blood of Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist that we celebrate at Mass. It is the central element in our faith. Even unbelievers realize it.  When they attack and persecute the Church, they inevitably attack the Mass and try to desecrate the Host. 

 

So, are we foolish to attend Mass every Sunday? Are there better things to do with the one hour it takes? Each of us will have to answer these questions in our own way. Would it be wiser to sleep in? Would it be wiser to read the Sunday comics? Would it be wiser to search the web headlines for the latest scandals and revelations of the rich and famous? Would it really be wise to add another hour of video gaming to our daily game routine?

 

Many of us have important things to do on Sunday? Family commitments make it necessary to attend to many duties that cannot be accomplished during our busy week. But everyone will admit that much of our day is involved in things that can only be called foolish. Are the innumerable texts we send and receive every day so important? Will they bring lasting happiness?

 

In every avenue of life, whether politics, business, sports or education, we all recognize that it is important to set priorities and do what is necessary to achieve our goals. 

 

In today’s second reading from the letter to the Ephesians St. Paul expressed what could be called the wisdom of the ages.

 

Watch carefully how you live,

Not as foolish persons but as wise,

Making the most of the opportunity,

Because the days are evil.

 

While ago I read that in a nearby town about 100 revelers were taken seriously ill after taking drugs spiked with some chemical. Fortunately,  none died but statistics tell us that drug overdose has become one of the leading causes of death in our very prosperous country.

 

We have so much to be thankful for in this country but that should not lead us to act foolishly and waste our time and effort on foolish things. In the Bible wisdom is represented not as an old man but as a  young woman full of life whose banquet is available to all. We just have to come to the table and eat.

 

###

Reading 1.  Proverbs 9: 1-6

Reading II. Ephesians 5: 15-20

Gospel. John 6: 51-58 (my flesh is true food).

Wisdom and Prudence

                   32ndSunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

      

Did you ever notice that in scripture wisdom is usually regarded as feminine? Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom seems to be talking about a beautiful and desirable woman.

 

Resplendent and unfading is wisdom,

And she is readily perceived by those who love her,

And found by those who seek her.

 

We know that originally the Hebrew scriptures were studied primarily by men and perhaps for that reason Wisdom was portrayed as something that should be greatly desired and sought after.

 

But what is Wisdom? It is obvious today that many extremely intelligent and learned people are not necessarily wise. Book learning and advanced degrees do not necessarily bring wisdom. The foolish or impractical professor is a standard joke in our culture. What about the politicians, lawyers, and financiers who we see regularly led off to jail for misconduct?

 

Today’s first reading gives us a clue when it calls wisdom “the perfection of prudence.” Now prudence is one of those old fashioned virtues that seem to have gone out of style. We get a lesson on prudence in today’s gospel account of the wise and foolish virgins.

 

Jesus tells a parable with a wedding background that all of his listeners would understand.

 

The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

Who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

 

The wise virgins were prudent because they were prepared and had taken precautions in the event that the bridegroom was delayed. Typically, the foolish virgins were not only unprepared but they also, when the moment came, had to beg the prudent ones for their oil.

 

Obviously, this parable is about something much more than virgins and oil. It is a call to be prepared for the day when we will meet the Lord. How can we prepare ourselves for the day of the Lord? Maybe the question should be, “how do we prepare ourselves for anything?”

 

Students of every age know the awful feeling that comes when we fail to prepare for an important exam or assignment. We leave off studying or writing until the last minute and then have to cram like crazy. Even if we pass, what have we really learned. Many years ago when I was a teacher, students who were not doing well would ask if they could do extra credit. There would have been no need for an extra-credit assignment if they had only done the ordinary work assigned to them.

 

I doubt if anyone prepares harder in our time than athletes in any sport. No football player, for example, would think of going out on the field without putting in the required hours in the weight room or on the practice field. The athletes who seem to have the greatest natural ability are also the ones who seem to spend the most time in practice. Legendary basketball stars like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird were always the first to show up for practice and the last to leave.

 

How do we prepare and practice for life itself? Prayer is important but prudence does not mean just turning up the volume or the quantity. Jesus warned us against the senseless multiplication of words. When his disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, he just gave them the simple prayer that we call the “Our Father.”

 

Jesus constantly reminded us to make use of the different gifts or talents that we have been given. In other words, we are to use those gifts constantly in our daily lives, and not bury them in the ground. He asked us to be good and faithful stewards so that when he returns, we would be able to give an accounting. 

 

Even though what we do in church is very important, Jesus always insisted that what we do outside of church is more important. Our practice for the big game consists primarily in performing the duties and fulfilling the responsibilities of our daily lives to the best of our abilities. Practice will make us perfect, and make us ready to meet our Maker when he comes. 

 

###

Reading 1. Wisdom 6: 12-16

Reading II. Thessalonians 4: 13-18

Gospel. Matthew 25: 1-13 (the wise and foolish virgins)

Pearl Of Great Price 2023

                  17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

      

A common theme in fairy stories is for someone to be given an opportunity to wish for anything. Sometimes, even three wishes are offered. Maybe all these stories derive from the story in today’s first reading about King Solomon. The name Solomon has become synonymous with wisdom, and when we usually think of Solomon we usually think of him as a wise old man.

 

In today’s reading though, he is a young man who has just come to the throne after the death of his father, King David. Unlike today’s politicians the young Solomon is not sure if he is up to the job that faces him. Nevertheless, when in a dream he hears that God will grant him one wish, he shows that he is wise beyond his years.

 

      Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart

      To judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.

 

The Lord praises Solomon for he has not asked for something silly or stupid. He has asked for Wisdom. He did not ask for personal riches or for power over his enemies. He asked for “understanding so that you may know what is right.” It is a truism that the smartest people, those with the most education or book learning, are not necessarily the wisest. Here we see that wisdom involves decision-making. It is the ability to decide between what is right and wrong—not just for ourselves but also for all those for whom we are responsible.

 

Today’s gospel reading is all about decision-making. Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure in a field; to a valuable pearl; and to a net full of fish. When he says to his followers, “Do you understand all these things?” he is speaking to us. It is clear that he is not just speaking about buried treasure, or jewels, or fish. He is speaking about the decisions we will all have to make in our lives.

 

We just have to turn on the TV or look at the newspaper headlines to see that many rich and famous people make really bad decisions. How many young, popular rock stars have had their lives cut short by drug addiction. Look at all the politicians of both parties who have been forced to leave office in disgrace because of poor moral decisions. What about the star athletes who after years of making millions in their prime, go broke a few years after their retirement?

 

It’s not just the rich and famous who make bad decisions. Everyday, ordinary people like ourselves are faced with decisions. Most are minor but some can be really significant and life changing. Very often the decision does not seem to be between right and wrong but between two equally attractive options. When making these decisions, it is not a bad idea to think of the pearl of great price.

 

In today’s gospel, Jesus used the example of a merchant who already has amassed a store of fine gems. But one day he comes across the finest one of all. To get it, he sells or trades all the rest. To achieve success in sports athletes will have to devote themselves to unremitting practice in the pursuit of excellence. Even if they excel at more than one sport, they will eventually have to decide to give up the others for the one that offers the most chance of success. In business it is much the same. Success means focusing on your goal and putting everything else aside.

 

In our lives it is not so obvious. What is our pearl of great price? Is there anything we want that is so precious that we will give up all we have for it? I suppose that ten people will give ten different answers if asked what is their pearl of great prices. If we think about it seriously, I think most of us would say that it has something to do with happiness. What wouldn’t we give or do to be really truly happy? 

 

But what is happiness? I think most of us would agree that while material possessions are important, they alone cannot provide happiness. We live in the richest nation on earth, a nation where even the poorest have cell phones and multiple TVs. Yet there is so much sadness, loneliness, and sorrow. Ultimately, happiness is a spiritual thing. Even though in our daily lives we might not think about it, I believe it has something to do with our souls. Someone once said that our bodies do not have souls, but that every individual is a soul that has a body. In a sense we have all been incarnated. 

 

St/ Augustine said that our souls would never rest or be at peace until we found God. Perhaps this is what St. Paul was getting at in today’s second reading. 

 

And those he predestined he also called;

And those he called he also justified,

And those he justified he also glorified.

 

The pearl of great price is happiness, and it can be found through wisdom, and wisdom tells us that it can be found through love, through love of God and our neighbor. 

 

###

Reading 1. I Kings 3: 5, 7-12

Reading II. Romans 8:28-30

Gospel. Matthew 13: 44-52 (Pearl of Great Price).

Road to Perfection

                   7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

 

In today’s first reading from the book of Leviticus the Lord urges Moses to tell the Israelites to by holy. Just what does “holy” mean. It certainly does not mean taking some kind of pious attitude. The Lord is not asking the Israelites to love Himself, but to love their neighbor.

 

      You shall not bear hatred for your brother and sister in your heart,…

      Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.

      You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

      

In today’s gospel our Lord seems to have Leviticus in mind as He follows up on his discussion of the beatitudes that we heard just two weeks ago. The Mosaic law of just retaliation stood for an advance in civilization and was more humane than other contemporary law-codes. The injury inflicted on a wrongdoer had to be proportional to his crime. “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

 

Still, the Pharisees interpreted the command to love one’s neighbor as applying only to Jews—the pagans need not be loved. Jesus removes all limits on charity. After all, what good does it do?

 

      For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?

      Do not tax collectors do the same?

      And if you greet your brothers only,

      What is unusual about that?

 

In Christian theology there is no difference between the words “good,” “holy,”  and “perfect.” There is also no difference between “bad,” “evil,” and “imperfect.” We don’t want to think of ourselves as bad or evil, but most of us would readily admit that we are imperfect. 

 

In today’s gospel Jesus tells his followers to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” His words today are a lesson in how to achieve perfection or holiness. He raised the ante. Where Leviticus said love your neighbor, Jesus expands the definition of what is meant by neighbor. He says “love your enemies.” 

 

      When someone strikes you on your right cheek,

      Turn the other one as well.

      If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,

      Hand over your cloak as well,

 

Sometimes the words of Jesus seem so impractical. But if we reflect on our own experience, maybe we will begin to understand. As children if we cheated on an exam or found a way to avoid doing our work, what did we learn? Cheating did not hurt our classmates or our teacher, it hurt us. It also hurt all those who trusted in us.

 

In our families do vindictive or vengeful words do any good? How do they make us perfect? These words and actions hurt us even more than the people they are directed at. I know people whose close friendships were broken over a seemingly trivial word or deed. What good did it do them to lose a friend forever?

 

We know that the world of sports, business, and politics is extremely competitive, but what good will it do us to hate our opponents? When we do so, se become less, not more perfect.

 

In today’s second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he tell us that if we only know what we are, we would look at things differently.

 

      Do you not know that you are the temple of god,

      And that the spirit of god dwells in you?

 

He says that there is a higher wisdom, a truer practicality than the world knows. Even our wisest leaders today seem to lack this wisdom. We see them being unfaithful to their loved ones. We see them cheating their friends as well as their enemies. And finally, we see them being led off to jail in handcuffs after being held up to shame and ridicule in the media and the courts.

 

      For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God…

      The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,

      That they are in vain.

 

Fortunately, most of us will not be considered among the wise of the world. In our simple lives we can fly below the radar. Yet we all have to travel the road to perfection in our own way. In these weeks before Lent, our scripture readings are providing us with a road map.

###

Reading 1 Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18

Reading II. 1 Corinthians 3: 16-23

Gospel. Matthew 5:38-48 (love your enemies).

Wisdom

                   6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

In today’s readings we literally pick up where we left off last week. In the gospel we don’t even skip a verse in Matthew’s fifth chapter, and in the second reading we just continue reading from St. Paul’s famous letter to the Corinthians. Even though our first reading is from the book of Sirach, it just continues in the same vein as last week’s reading from Isaiah. 

 

Sirach introduces us to the idea of choice. 

 

      If you trust in God, you too shall live;

      He has set before you fire and water;

      To whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.

      Before man are life and death, good and evil,

      Whichever he chooses shall be given him.

 

How do we make the choice? On what basis do we choose? So often scripture talks about wisdom and regards it as greater than silver or gold. What is wisdom. All of us know that the smartest or most educated people are not always the wisest. It is just as easy for PhDs to mess up their lives and make bad decisions as everyone else. I can honestly say that my immigrant grandparents, who never even completed grade school, were among the wisest people I have ever known. 

 

It can be said that the ability to make decisions is the mark of a wise person. In politics, business, or even sports we admire the decision makers. How often do we hear announcers say that the quarterback made a good or bad decision right before he was about to be crushed by onrushing linebackers? 

 

Whatever our age we are all going to face life’s decisions. Teenagers will sweat over which college to attend, or which career to pursue. Their parents will have to decide what steps they will take or what sacrifices to make to pay the expected costs. Many people today are facing very tough career choices, especially if they have been forced to change careers. The elderly might have to decide whether to stay in the old house or downsize.

 

Everyone will say that the wisdom to make the right decision comes more from life experience than from book learning. In films and literature the wise are often portrayed as elderly to indicate years of life experience. We often speak of “wise, old owls.” Nevertheless, we know that it is possible for even the experienced to make bad decisions, especially when they are personally involved.

 

Most of us need a mentor, a trusted advisor or counselor who can help with our decisions, especially the big ones. In today’s gospel Matthew presents Jesus in the role of advisor. It might sound like he is just issuing commands or orders, but throughout this long reading Jesus is urging us to avoid basing our lives on rigid adherence to a set of rules and regulations but to consider the spirit of the commandments.

 

This is what he meant by urging his followers to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees who were known for their strict adherence to the letter of the Law. However, Jesus calls them hypocrites because they often evade the spirit of the Law. When Jesus speaks to the Pharisees , he speaks to us.

 

We know that it is wrong to kill but anger is just as bad. We know that we must love God but how can we if we are not on speaking terms with our brother or sister. We know that it is wrong to defraud our neighbor but why wait until we’re caught to make amends. We know that adultery is wrong but why lead ourselves into temptation. The wise will avoid what used to be called temptation or occasions of sin. 

 

      If your right eye causes you to sin,

      Tear it out and throw it away…

      And if your right hand causes you to sin,

      Cut if off and throw it away.

 

Jesus uses divorce as just another example. He says that just because a man (and he is talking about men here, since women had no legal rights in those days) can find a legal way to get rid of his wife, does not mean that he can evade his responsibility. Just because of a legal technicality a man is not free to discard his wife for someone else. His wife is not a slave.

 

Perhaps nowhere in modern society do we face such difficult choices as in the area of love and marriage. Today so many people find it so difficult to make the commitment necessary to enter into marriage. Moreover, the choices become even more difficult when a marriage goes bad. Even on St. Valentine’s day we know that so many marriages that began with undying professions of love, will end in anger and bitterness.

 

Jesus calls divorce a sin because it hurts all those involved--husband, wife, children, parents etc. Nevertheless, the cure for the hurt is not to turn from God. So many Catholics believe that divorce has excommunicated them from the love of God. Yet, St. Paul, a true Pharisee and once a persecutor of the church, told us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

###

Reading 1 Sirach 15: 15-20

Reading II. 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10

Gospel. Matthew 5:17-37 (But I say to you).

Virtue of Wisdom*

  

                  23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  C cycle

 

Today's first reading is from the Book of Wisdom and naturally it's subject is wisdom. In the last few weeks the Church has been offering us the virtues as guides on our journey through life. A couple of weeks ago it was Faith. Last week Humility. This week we have Wisdom. While all the virtues are gifts of God, we have to practice them regularly to stay in spiritual shape. 

 

Wisdom is not intelligence, or book learning. We all know that sometimes the smartest people are not necessarily wise. Indeed, people with no learning at all can often be very wise. Wisdom is the virtue that helps us distinguish right from wrong in any endeavor. It will also help us in making the most important decisions in our lives. Wisdom often means looking outside of ourselves for guidance. Today we regularly turn to doctors, lawyers, and financial advisors for advice in matters of their expertise. We know, as it says in today's reading, that "the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans." 

 

St. Luke's gospel which we have been using all year deliberately follows our Lord on His journey to Jerusalem. Every week we have been urged to accompany Him on this journey. Now as we approach the end it should not surprise us that the road is getting more difficult the closer we get to our goal. It will take a different kind of wisdom for us to find happiness. How many times do the gospels remind us that our ways are not necessarily the Lord's way.

 

Two weeks ago our Lord told us to be prepared to enter by "the narrow gate." Last week we were advised to "humble ourselves." This week our Lord indicates that if we want to stay afloat, we will have to throw everything overboard:

 

      anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions

      cannot be my disciple.

 

Not just possessions but also our most dear attachments.

 

      If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,

      wife and children, brothers and sisters,

      and even his own life,

      he cannot be my disciple.

 

What can we make of statements like these? What kind of advice is this? Right before Jesus turns to the crowd to utter these statements, He told another little parable about the goal of life's journey. This parable was about a man who gave a banquet and invited many to the banquet but they all had excuses for not coming. They were preoccupied by their own affairs. One had just bought a farm and had to go see it. Another had bought some oxen and had to take them out for a test ride. The last said, "I have married a wife, and therefore cannot come."

 

These refusals angered the man and led him to invite "the poor, and the crippled, and the blind, and the lame." All these were not tied down with possessions and attachments. He even went out into the highways and byways to fill the banquet hall. Wisdom tells us that only if we get our priorities straight will we find true happiness for ourselves and our loved ones.

 

Both of the examples of practical wisdom that our Lord gives us in today's gospel are as appropriate today as ever. Instead of a man building a tower, we could talk of one taking on a load of debt which he would not be able to handle when interest rates rise. Don't we wish that our leaders and politicians would behave like the king in today's gospel who used foresight and wisdom before committing his men to battle? 

 

Is it possible that our Lord is being just as practical when He asks us to renounce all of our possessions in order to find true happiness in our journey through life? Will all our accumulated possessions prove of lasting value? Look at how many people just have to have the latest phone or electronic device. They line up to buy it only to find that it is obsolete a year later.

 

Today's second reading from the letter of St. Paul to Philemon gives us another example of Wisdom. This letter is unusual in that it is not addressed to a community of believers but to an individual. Philemon like most well to do Roman citizens was a slaveowner. Slavery was a common and totally acceptable practice in Roman society. The Romans believed that it was better after conquering a people to enslave rather than kill them. Slaves were very valuable possessions in the ancient world.

 

Apparently, Onesimus, one of Philemon's slaves, had run away. Either before or after his escape, he had converted to Christianity and somehow had managed to meet up with Paul in prison. In today's reading we see that Paul sends him back to Philemon but urges him not to punish Onesimus but to give him his freedom. In giving up his slave, Philemon will gain "more than a slave,' but a brother in Christ. 

 

It was our Lord's constant teaching that since we all have the same Father in Heaven, we are all brothers and sisters. We know that we are supposed to see Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters. Paul echoes this teaching when he says to Philemon about Onesimus, 'welcome him as you would me." From that time on it would be increasingly difficult for Christians to own slaves. It is true that there would be resistance to this "wisdom" but Paul's little letter to Philemon would be a constant reminder to Christians of the "un-wisdom" of slavery.

###

* Note: The painting above is by the Venetian Renaissance master Giorgione. It now hangs in the Pitti Palace in Florence where it is called the "Three Ages of Man." I have interpreted it as "The Encounter of Jesus with the Rich Young Man" who wanted to know what he must do to attain eternal life.

Reading 1. Wisdom 9: 13-18b

Reading II. Philemon 9b-19, 12-17

Gospel. Luke 14: 25-33 (carry his own cross).