A Willingness To Be Of Help To "A Leper" In Need Of A Compassionate Hand

In today's Gospel, Matthew 8: 1-4, a leper approaches Jesus, does Him homage, and said to him: "'Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.'  He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I will do it. Be made clean.' His leprosy was cleansed immediately."

Lepers were considered unclean and had to warn people of their approach, so as to avoid contact of this highly contagious disease.  Lepers were social outcasts, separated from their families and all of society.  To push through a crowd and kneel prostrate before Jesus was an extremely courageous act on the leper's part. But there was no way that this man was not going to approach Jesus and ask for mercy: "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."  Jesus stretches out his hand, touches him and says: "I will do it. Be made clean."  Jesus risks becoming a leper! And without hesitation, says to the man: "Be made clean."

At every Eucharist, when Catholics receive the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, Jesus becomes one with each one of us and says to you and me: "Be made clean." 

To whom, today, have I, have you, stretched out a hand of comfort, of caring, of hope, of faith, and thus restored that person's hope and faith in themselves and in humanity in general? As I reflect upon my past work in the community in which I live, to which persons shunned and ostracized by social prejudice and discrimination have I reached out?   To whom in my own family have I stretched out my hands to help in particular struggles, be those emotional, psychological, financial, marital  problems that have caused them to be ostracized by family members? Is there someone in my life who has said, or is now saying, to me: "If you wish, you could help me!" Am I listening? Am I hearing? Am I responding?'

Weeping, Mourning and Rejoicing

In today's Gospel, John 16: 20-23, we are again reminded that here on earth we will have times when we "will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; [we] will grieve but [our] grief will become joy. When a woman is labor,"  Jesus says to us, "she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world."   The sufferings of this life that cause us anguish, I believe,  are "birthing" us, if you will,  into the persons God intends us to be.  We might think of suffering as a means of  being "born" into holiness, a way in which God is "birthing" us into the self that resembles God and molds us into our Christ-self!  And if a natural birth is painful, and it is, then, too, is being "born" into our best selves, our God-self.  Suffering could be perceived, I believe, as the "birth canal" into a new self according to God's holy will.

Wanting life to be easy would be as unreasonable as wanting the birth of a child to be easy.  It is not and neither is life lived for and with and through God.  Jesus models for us how to deal with life's difficulties. He shows us how to deal with the traumas of life: being betrayed, being rejected, being ridiculed, being condemned, being impoverished, being bullied,  being a refugee or a stranger in a foreign land, being misunderstood. He even shows us how to deal with death and those causing us "death": "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."  And throughout His life up to and including the crucifixion on the cross, I believe, that Jesus often forgave his persecutors, his detractors, and those who scoffed at His teaching, those who hated Him.  Jesus kept His eyes on His Father and spent time each day in communication with Him. May we do the same so that we, too, are able to put things in their right perspective, especially when they cause us to weep and mourn.

"To Do Your Will, O My God, Is My Delight" (Psalm 40)

In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 40,  we pray: "Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will....To do your will, O my God, is my delight..."  In the second reading, Hebrews 10: 4-10, St. Paul reminds us that Jesus became a human being "to do [God's] will"  because that is what God desired of Him, not ""[s]acrifice and offering" and that God takes "no delight in holocausts and sin offerings."  St. Paul restates Jesus' response, saying:  "Sacrifices and offerings,  holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delight in. These are offered according to the law....Behold, I come to do you will." In doing do, St. Paul explains, Jesus "takes away the first to establish the second. By this 'will,' we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all."  In the Gospel, Luke 1: 26-38, Mary responds to the angel announcing the Incarnation, namely, that the Son of God will take on human nature in  her womb, by saying: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to  your will."

Each of those Scriptures state clearly our call to carry out God's will. He desires nothing less of us! How often, however, do I not choose my will above God's will. How often do I not forget that, like Mary, I am God's handmaid and that God does not desire sacrifices or offerings,  holocaust and sin offering from me. He wants me to surrender my will to Him, nothing short of that sacrifice!  And that challenge to surrender my will to His comes in ordinary, mundane ways:  right now, social distancing and limiting going out of my home in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, cooperating with my spouse or with the leadership of my religious community, my government, my employer in responding to this call to do our part in efforts to stop the spread of this disease.  Surrendering to God's will may also  mean sacrificing my convenience to help another person in need, letting go of my way and accepting the way of another person, or changing the time that I do something in order to to assist another person to complete a different chore. 

"To do your will, O Lord, is my  delight" (Psalm 40) or is it really?

The Power of Prayer

In today's first reading,  Esther C: 12, 14,-16, 23-25,  Queen Esther, an orphaned Jew, feels obligated to intervene for her fellow Israelites, whom her husband, the King, has given orders to be put to death.  Seized with incredible fear, Esther, with her handmaidens, prostrate themselves in prayer day and night begging for help.  Esther begs for the courage to approach the King, praying: "Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion and turn  his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish. Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness." And God grants her request and the Israelites are spared execution. Obviously, without God's intervention and help, Queen Esther, in no way, would have had the courage to approach her husband. He was bent on getting rid of all the Israelites who dwelt in his land.  On the other hand, her faith in Yahweh was solid.  She was convinced that God would give her the courage she needed to stand up to the King. And He did not disappoint her.

Queen Esther reminds me of King David, who has a little boy, possibly an adolescent, approached Goliath with the same faith. We see this same faith lived out by Jesus, a human being like us in all things but sin.  When faced with incredible evil, he did not flinch. He confronted demons, raised the dead to life, cast out diseases of all kinds, including leprosy, and challenged the Pharisees and scribes who plotted to kill him. Evil forces did not stop Jesus from carrying out the mission God had given Him, as was so evident when He told His apostles that He was going up to Jerusalem, where He knew He would be put to death.  Jesus did not hide from life's difficulties, not even death. He showed us that the powers of evil do not have the last say. He triumphed over death and all other evils that plagued Him during His active ministry.

Lord, we need the courage of Queen Esther, King David and You Yourself, so as to confront evil in our day.  How many times do I not cower in fear and do nothing.  How often do I not pretend that the evil is not happening around me or, worse, join others in doing what is absolutely wrong and against Your holy will.  Have mercy, Lord!  Please give me the courage that you gave Queen Esther to do what I know you are calling me to do for the welfare of others.

Following Jesus Example of Confronting Satan

In today's first reading, Gen 2: 7-9,; 3: 1-7. we reread the story of Adam and Eve being told by the Lord that they could eat the fruit of all of the trees in Paradise except the one in the middle of the garden, which was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  They weren't even to touch it, "lest you die!"  Along comes Satan hidden in the snake. He tempts Eve, asking her:  "Did God really tell you  not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"  Eve repeats God's instructions and Satan replies:  "You certainly certainly will not die!  No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil."

What a temptation! To be like gods and to know good from evil!  Who does not want to be godlike and to discern good from evil. Anyone would want that!  and what is wrong with that desire!  So, sure enough, Eve falls for Satan's lies and invites her husband to also give in to the temptation!  Consequently, both feel naked, ashamed of having disobeyed God's directions!  Both hide from God as He comes to looking for them. "Adam/Eve, where are you? And Adam steps up and takes responsibility this time and says: "I was hiding!" God says to him: "You must have eaten of the fruit that I forbade you to eat!"

Temptation always involves a temptation to something that looks good, feels good, is "advertised" as something we must have because it will make us happy, increase our security, render us mature!  We'd have no problem staying away from something that is evil, unpleasant, dangerous.  But, good? Pleasant? Pleasing to the eye and to the taste; something that will enhance our well-being, decrease our gloominess, fill our emptiness! We are right there, chopping at the bit to participate in such a "good"!

Satan even tempts Jesus, as we are told in today's Gospel:  Mt 4: 1-11.  "You'll never go hungry, Jesus, if you turn these stones into bread!  You won't hurt yourself if you throw yourself off this building; you are the Son of God. Come on, use your power to  your advantage! And, if you worship me, I will give you all of the kingdoms of the world.  What more could you want, Jesus? Satan seems to ask! And Jesus replies: One does not live  by bread alone, is not to test the Lord, his God, and is to worship only God, nothing or no one else!  Get away, Satan!"

Lord, please help us recognize Satan's cunning lies and resist his temptations to abuse power, to live on bread alone, to worship him, and to want more and more and more of this world's "kingdoms" when I already have all I need!s

The Way of the Messiah and Our Way

In today's Gospel, Mark 8: 27-33, Jesus and his disciples are traveling to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way, He asked his disciples:"Who do you say that I am?" And Peter answers: "You are the Christ,"   that is, the Messiah, the one sent to set the people free.  The people were hoping that Jesus would free the people from Roman rule and occupation of their country.  So when, later on this journey, He tells them that he "must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days," Peter vehemently rebuked Jesus. "Get behind me Satan. You are thinking, not as God does, but as human beings do."

First of all, who do I say that Jesus is?  Do I truly believe that He is the Son of God, the One sent by the Trinity to save me personally, to set me free from the evil that is capable of separating me from God forever, that has the power to destroy me spiritually? Do I believe that Jesus is the One who will raise me to eternal life with Him following the end of my mission here on earth? Do I believe that Jesus is the One who created the universe and all that is in it for the glory of God, that He is the One who created me and all human beings in the image and likeness of God Himself for the same purpose, that is, to give glory to God here on earth and in heaven itself?

What do I believe? And how strong is my belief? When Jesus says to me: "Dorothy Ann, I am going to be rejected. I am going to suffer greatly. In fact, Dorothy Ann, I am going to be put to death!" The One who is sent to free me will Himself be brutally killed? Do I say with Peter: "No, Lord! Never! You're crazy! No way! You are the Messiah. You cannot be killed by the rulers of this age! You don't know what you are talking about!"  End of conversation! 

When I look around and see good people killed by others, dying prematurely, evil people taking over the world, good people rejected, suffering greatly at the hands of others, do I rise up in protest and say: "No way, Lord!  This is not to be!"  Do I repel? Perhaps I did not hear the rest of Jesus' statement "And rise after three days"! Life involves great suffering, death and rising to new life forever following our sojourn here on earth.  That is what life is about and Jesus was not spared that. He was no exception to being a human being! At times, we are baffled by what happens to  us and to family members and all others! At times life is simply incredible,  a mystery to be lived, not solved.  Life treats us no differently that it treated Jesus and Jesus teaches us to believe in what he taught us: Death is not the end! Suffering will not destroy us. We have immortality within us. We have the power of the Spirit to raise us up beyond the cross, as the Spirit did for the Incarnate God, God made human for us.

Putting on the Attitude of Jesus

In today's first reading, Phil 2: 5-11, S.Paul users us to put on the attitude of Jesus, who, "though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in  human likeness; and  found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross."

Jesus took on humanity, our humanity!  Jesus left heaven, emptying Himself and becoming our slave.  He worked Himself to the bone, so to speak, taking on and destroying death for our sakes.  Nothing was too much for Jesus to show us the depth, the breadth, the height and the length of God's love for us.  As St. Paul says to the Philippians, Jesus, the second person of the Blessed Trinity,  did "not regard equality with God" something to which He had to cling! He chooses humility. He chooses littleness. He chooses total dependence, as any infant, upon His mother and foster father Joseph! God, the Creator of heaven and earth, totally dependent for all of His needs upon a teenage mother, whom He Himself created and sustained in her existence!  He did not bulk. He did not sulk! He did not rebel! He humbly submitted to Mary and Joseph! Not only that! At the age of 33, He humbly submitted to those who rebelled against Him and had Him crucified like a notorious, despised criminal!

St. Paul begins this passage to the Philippians by asking each of us to have "the same attitude" that is ours "in Christ Jesus."  What attitude? A humble, obedient one by which we do not consider it necessary to cling to glory or significant positions of honor and power, being above others! We are asked to let go of entitlements, as Jesus did, and assume positions of humility, submission, and obedience to a High Power at work within our lives!

Blessed by the Lord, my Rock

In today's first reading, 1 Sam 17: 32-33, 37, 40-51, David goes to Saul, proposing that he go and fight Goliath.  Saul is initially appalled. "You can't do that. You are merely a youth; Goliath "has been a warrior since his youth."  In other words, Saul belittles David, puts him down, and discourages him strongly!  David does not back down. "The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,  will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine."

If you and I, in the face of opposition from others, are relying only upon ourselves, arrogantly believing in our strength and have not gone to the Lord, knowing that only in God will we be successful in overcoming "Goliath" situations that we encounter, we are likely to crumble both under others' disbelief in us and in handling difficulties beyond our native strength.  It is in God, with God and through God that we are strong and no other way!  In it is humility, not pride, that we are armed with grace!

Jesus, whose aim here on earth was "to do not [His] own will, but the will of him who sent [Him]", tells us in John's Gospel that He "can do nothing by myself" (John 5:30). Relying on His Father, one with His Father, Jesus confidently went about His Father's work. In today's Gospel, Mark 3: 1-6, Jesus enters the synagogue and is met by scheming Pharisees, who look upon Jesus with the same contempt that Goliath looked upon David.  Strong in the Father, Jesus calls up the man with a withered hand and, in the front of those plotting to kill him, heals the man of his disability.

How strong is your faith? my faith?  What happens to me/you when we face opposition, when people treat us with contempt? Do we continue to carry out the command we know is coming to us from the Father, from God, the Rock of our Salvation?  If we believe that that Rock will destroy any "Goliath" that threatens us, we shall be unafraid to do what God is calling us to do!

Active Faith and Jesus' Response

In today’s Gospel, Mark 5: 21-43, a woman who has been ill for 12 years,  exhausted her savings and experienced painful treatments to no avail, approaches Jesus quietly, hoping to simply touch the hem of His garment, knowing in faith, that she will be healed. And she is!  Jesus turns around and asks: Who touched me?  The disciples think he’s crazy to ask such a question when they were surrounded by a crowd of people so “thick” it was impossible not to rub against one another. Yet, Jesus knew that healing  power had flowed out of Him.  The woman who was healed and who would have been considered unclean because of her condition comes forward and acknowledges that she is the one who touched Him.  In love and compassion, Jesus commends her for her faith, saying to her: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

Jesus waits, also, for you and I to approach Him in faith, unafraid to come forward. Jesus will not shame us, as others might do for being “unclean,” for being considered unworthy by some, by being ostracized and excluded by many. We may have even been treated badly, such as being told to “get outta here. You don’t belong here.”  This woman knew that she was considered unclean and that anyone who touched her would also be labeled unclean and would need to submit to the legal ramifications of ignoring the Mosaic laws that applied to such individuals. Yet she approached Jesus!

To Jesus, what mattered were love, compassion, understanding and mercy. God is a loving God, a compassionate God, a kind God, a God of understanding and mercy.  Legalism was not part of Jesus’ vocabulary or behaviors. Over and over again, Jesus challenged people of His day who adhered rigidly  to ritual and laws at the expense of responding lovingly to human need. He does so today, also.

How do you and I relate to others? Are we slaves to rigid boundaries? Are we legalistic, denying others the compassion, the mercy, the love of God that dwells within us? Or do we, like Jesus, rise above legalism and challenge the rigid application of set rules/structures, playing it safe to look good in the eyes of authority outside of ourselves?

"Be Not Afraid"--God is with You

In today’s Gospel, some Pharisees approach Jesus and say to Him: “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”  Jesus replies:  “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow , and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.”  Jesus then addresses Jerusalem, saying: “…Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

In the thick of a dangerous world, Jesus trusts His Father. He knows that people are plotting to kill Him. His faith in His Father does not waver. He does not flinch in the midst of threats on His life.  He continues doing the work that His Father has given Him to do as He approaches Jerusalem where He will be put to death but rise again in triumph to secure our salvation.

The world today is no different than in Jesus’ times. People are plotting to kill other people, to put Christians to death, to kill those they disdain or whose beliefs differ from their own.  To people whose lives are in danger, Jesus says:  “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Mt 10: 28-31).

  We live in a dangerous world. That is true! But it is no more dangerous than the world in which Jesus lived. In faith, let us, like Jesus, continue “today, tomorrow, and the following day” performing the works God has given us to do in building God's Kingdom of love, justice, truth, mercy and forgiveness. And no matter what danger approaches the horizon of our lives, may we anchor our faith in the Lord, who alone will save us and give us the strength we need to continue trusting God, our Father.  May we walk in the Light, seek the Light and be the Light in the darkness that surrounds us!

"Take up Your Cross and Follow Me" (Mt. 16: 24)

In today’s Gospel, Matthew 16: 24-28, Jesus says to his disciples, that is to you and me:  “ If ..[you] wish to come after me [you] must deny [yourself], take up [your] cross, and follow me. For [if you wish]  to save[your] life, [you] will lose it, but [if you lose] your life for my sake, [you] will find it.”

Am I willing to take up a cross that is repulsive to me, that I would never choose for myself?  How would I treat someone who treats me coldly, for instance? How would I respond to persons who avoid eye  contact with me, who would walk away when  I am approaching? How would I respond to people who seems to be ignoring me, whose attitude toward me seems filled with hostility and disdain? 

If I am carrying such a cross, I need to think of Jesus. He was treated with hostility.  People treated Him disdainfully, coldly, walked away from Him. They yelled “Crucify Him,” “Crucify Him!” Whom am I crucifying by my coldness, my attitudes of disdain and hatred? I may hate being treated coldly. I may hate it when I am not treated respectfully and kindly.  Jesus says to me: Remember, people hated me and they will hate you as well (John  15:18). We all stand before our God as sinners. We all stand before God needing God’s mercy. No one is exempt from this position. God says to His Father: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” to one another. And when we turn to Him in our dying to urges to retaliate, to return evil for evil, and acknowledge our need for mercy and forgiveness,  Jesus says to us: “This day you will be with me in Paradise.”

Discipleship: Being of Service, Not being Served

In today’s Gospel,  Mark 10: 32-45, Jesus is on His way up to Jerusalem.  Jesus knows what awaits Him there, as voiced by Him when he says to the disciples:  “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed  over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.”

Walking with Jesus, James and John approach Him wanting favors in His Kingdom.  And the other ten apostles are indignant with them. Jesus rebukes all of them and reminds them that they are off track:   “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” I came, He says, “not to be served but to serve and to give [my] life as a ransom for many.”

Are you a “James,” a “John” or one of the other ten angry at James and John, wanting to be first yourselves and wanting to secure a place of honor? Or, are you another Christ, serving others quietly, being obedient to God even to death on a cross—not necessarily physical death but death to the ego, to pride, to selfishness?

At times in our lives, even at times each day, I believe, we are any one of those persons: James, John, one of the indignant ten or Jesus Himself, serving others quietly, sacrificing our pride, disciplining our selfish tendencies to be of service to others.  That is human nature, taken up by Jesus who shows us the way to the Father, who lives an other worldly life in accord with the Father's will.  What choices are you willing to make today?

Jesus' Example of Doing Good

In today's Gospel, Mt. 9: 32-32, Jesus casts out a demon who had silenced a man--he was unable to speak, to enter into conversation, to take part in a normal life with his family, friends, synagogue-goers.  Some Pharisees, looking on and seeing what Jesus did do not join those who are astounded by Jesus' compassionate response to the mute man but belittle Him, saying: "He drives out demons by the prince of demons." They are threatened by Jesus but Jesus is not threatened by them.  Notice, that Jesus pays no attention to them. He does not internalize their message. He is strong in His self-identity. His confidence in Himself, His acceptance of Himself and the responsibilities God the Father has given Him to do do not waver. He knows who He is, moves on and becomes involved in the lives of ordinary individuals, continuing to show God's compassion to them: casting out "demons" that take away their voices, that alienate them from others, that deny them a normal life with family, friends, fellow worshippers and the civic community.  He heals their illnesses, calms their fears, teaches them about the reign of God in their midst; in short, goes about doing good.

What do you and I do when others oppose us, speak ill of us? Do we move on and continue doing what God has called us to do here on earth?  Or to we get caught up in their disparaging words, take them on, internalize their message for whatever reason? Or have we developed an inner strength, know who we are and what we are about and what our responsibilities are in building the kingdom of love and mercy and understanding and compassion?

Revealing our Wisdom and our Intelligence

In today’s first reading, Dt. 4: 5-9, Moses is instructing the people to observe God’s commandments, His statues and decrees “that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your…[ancestors], is giving you….Observe them carefully, for thus you will give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that He has come to fulfill the law, not to destroy it.  Jesus, who carries out the spirit of the Law, challenges us to more than the externals of the law.  Jesus teaches that fulfilling the law means loving one’s neighbor as oneself, responding to  persons “left to die” by the side of our “roads” even when that means breaking a letter of the law in some way;  or choosing to be authentic when others  fear disapproval of their “friends”.   It means giving two tunics and turning the cheek when charity invites us to give of the more, not just what the letter of the law requires. It means withholding “throwing the first stone” when others are caught in serious sin, though the law has certainly been violated.  If we keep the commandments, Jesus promises,  we will have life and have it to the full. That is why He has come to this earth. That is why he will gave His life for our ransom. He wants to enter the Promised Land, to take full possession of ourselves, to know wisdom and to be intelligent in how we live our lives.

Do people, we might ask ourselves,  perceive us as “wise and intelligent” or do we simply blend in with the majority of folks who are swept away by the demands of the world, of secularism, materialism, consumerism, hedonism and all the other false gods of this world.  Are we persons who simply take the easy way out by following the crowd wherever it goes? “Everyone is doing it!” “What’s the big deal—no one else observes the commandments.” “Aren’t those outdated,” we might ask when reminded to refrain from sexual intercourse outside of marriage, when challenged to be honest in our dealings with others, when reminded to keep holy the Lord’s day and so on.

How wise and intelligent are we?  

 

Salvation from the Pursuing Enemy

In today’s first reading, Exodus 14: 21-15:1, we read about the mighty hand of God protecting the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptian army.  The Israelites, who just passed through the Red Sea on dry land, see the Egyptian warriors coming to take them back into slavery.  As they panic, God says to Moses:  “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.”  Moses does so and the Egyptians  die in the rushing waters. 

 In the Gospel of today, Matthew 12: 46-50, Jesus is told that his mother and brothers are outside wanting to speak to him.  Jesus stretches out his hand toward his disciples and proclaims that all who do the will of His Father is His newly formed, close-knit family of mothers, brothers and sisters, a family as significant to Him as His Mother Mary and his biological “brothers”.

You and I entered this family at our baptism, entering the “Red Sea,” of baptismal waters, in which God becomes a powerful warrior in our lives, warding off the “Egyptians” of our lives that want to enslave us to a life of sin and selfishness, slaves of evil forces that lure us into doing our own wills over the will of God, following our own plans and ignoring God’s plans, as did Adam and Eve, as did the people gathered at the Tower of Babel, and the Israelites worshipping pagan gods.

As then, so now, God does not abandon us.  He sent His only begotten Son, who is obedient to His Father throughout His life, death and resurrection, modeling for us perfect trust in the Father’s will for our salvation.    In whom do I trust? To whom am I obedient?  Am I mother, brother, sister to Jesus? Am I included in Jesus’ proclamation:  “Here are my mother and brothers [and sisters]. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Glorifying God on Earth

Today is a Friday and the mantra that is resounding over and over again in my mind are the words of Jesus on the cross: “It is finished.” Also coming to mind is the proclamation in His priestly prayer:  “I have glorified You on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with the glory I had with You before ever the world was” (Jn 17:4-5).

Jesus finished His work. Now it is our turn to finish the work that we have been given when sent here by the Father.  We know from the Scriptures that our work is this: to know Jesus Christ, to proclaim the presence of the Kingdom here on earth and to do even greater work than Jesus did here on earth: “I tell you solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same work as I do myself; he [she] will perform even greater works” (Jn 14: 12). 

In what ways today will I meet this challenge?  How, to this point in my life, have I carried on the work Jesus did while here: not crushing the broken reed, not quenching the smoldering wick, being just and caring toward the poor and needy, welcoming the little children, healing the leper within and without, tending the lame, casting out demons (within myself and elsewhere); preaching the gospel, not so much by my words as by my actions? 

When others observe me, do I give them reason to proclaim: “The Kingdom of God is here in our midst"? If yes, what am I doing/saying? If not, why not?

Walking with "Lady Wisdom"

Wisdom, Sirach tells us in the first reading of today’s liturgy, “walks with…[us] as a stranger and at first …puts …[us] to the test. Fear and dread she brings upon…[us] and tries…[us] with her discipline” (Sirach 4: 11-19).

The choices that take us into Wisdom’s abode are challenging ones.  One of the reflections I pondered during my morning’s meditation made the comment that “Sirach compares ‘Lady Wisdom’ to a teacher who is more concerned about teaching us valuable lessons and less concerned about being our friend. She teaches us that the way of wisdom is not always an easy road. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a narrow, rocky, even dangerous path (Mt. 7:14),” as it was for Jesus (The Word Among Us, I May 2013, p. 41).

The ever-present temptation is to choose being popular or being another person’s friend or to blend in with the crowd at the expense of embracing Wisdom,  disciplining ourselves in her ways, embracing opportunities to teach valuable lessons that lead to oneness with our Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus teaches us the Way. His mission was to be obedient to the Father’s will by teaching wisdom to all who would listen.  He will teach you and me to do the same.  And if we ask for the grace to choose Wisdom’s way, He will give it to us, as He promises in Jn 14:13:  “…ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

May we have the courage to 1) ask and 2) to follow through, disciplining ourselves to follow in obedience to God’s holy will.