Living as God Intends for Us to Live

In today's first reading, Titus 2: 1-8, 11-14, St. Paul enumerates the virtues practiced by those who are faithful to their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Such persons, men or women, are consistently true to their faith and to their marriage and religious vows.  They are men and women of integrity, "sound in faith, love, and endurance....reverent in their behavior, ....showing [themselves] as [models] of good deeds in every respect."  Living in this way is possible for all of us, "[f]or the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires, [enabling and empowering us] to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good."

What a grace to be elevated to this kind of exalted living by the grace of God within us!  God not only invites us to do what is right and reverent, He also equips us to live in this way.  Furthermore, God implants an eagerness within our deepest being "to do what is good".  By walking beside us, taking us by the hand, God guides us to complete the good we intend to do. God never leaves our side and, when we call upon Him, He answers us in our weakness, making us strong in weak places!  Praise and thanks to our God!

Respect, Reverence, Humility: Significant Elements of our Faith

Today’s Gospel, Luke 5: 12-13, a leper approaches Jesus with reverence, respect and confidence.  He truly believes that Jesus will show the compassion that is our God.  Trustingly, he says to the Lord: “…if you wish, you can make me clean.” And Jesus  stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’”  Jesus does not let the practices of His day to stop Him from touching the leper, as, in His day, anyone who touched a leper was declared unclean as well.  Jesus acts freely in accord with God’s will for this man.  He then orders him to tell no one. “Go,” He says, “and show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”

Why didn’t Jesus want him to tell anyone?  Because Jesus did not cleanse him to bring attention to himself, to pile up accolades here on earth, or for the people to fall head over heels in seeking glorious, triumphal experiences of the faith. That is not what the essence of the spiritual life is about or what co-operating with the will of God is about either.  Quietly, Jesus did what the Father asked of Him: show my compassion to those who believe, to those who are respectful and reverend of My ways and My thought, knowing that they are above those of humanity.  How do I honor Jesus’ ways and commands?

Secondly, Jesus asked the healed leper to submit to the laws of Moses. He does not want him to excuse himself from the ordinary ways and traditions of his faith nor does he want us to do that.  How obedient and humble am I in respecting the commandments and the laws of the Church?  Do I follow the traditions of my faith humbly, respectfully?

The Power of Faith

In today's Gospel, Mark 7: 24-30, a Gentile approaches Jesus asking that he heal her daughter of a demonic possession. His response to her is that the Chosen People come first. She is referred to as a "dog". She comes back with: "Even dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table." She insists. Nothing is going to deter her from getting the help for her daughter that she is seeking. She will not be turned away from the gift of healing that Jesus is capable of giving. She's heard of His miracles and she is going to be a recipient of such. Jesus sees her faith and says to her: "...[G]o [home]. The demon has gone out of your daughter." Wow! would I have that kind of faith. If I had been called "a dog," I would have felt insulted, especially coming from Jesus. I have difficulty when someone I consider older than I, more powerful than I, having more authority than I, insults me. I shy away and leave that person's presence, usually sulking and need time to think things through before I resurface with the confidence needed to address the situation in my favor. May each of us learn, however, to stand up for ourselves, as this woman did. Jesus certainly will help us become our own person and remain persistent and patiently, respectfully and kindly ask for what we need, as did this woman. She went away filled with gratitude and knowing that what she was asking of Jesus was the right thing to do. May you and I approach Jesus and others with that same confidence, that same kindness, that same persistance and patience in time of need, our own or that of others.

Mercy and Generosity

In the first reading of today’s liturgy,  1 Samuel 24: 3-21, Saul, with three thousand men is on a search for David with the intent to kill him.  Saul stops at a cave, rests and falls asleep. Further back in that cave is David and his men hiding from Saul.  David spares Saul’s life that day out of respect that Saul is the Anointed King of Israel and is also that he is like a father to him. As Saul and his men leave the cave David comes out and yells to Saul: “My lord and king!...why do you listen to those who say, ‘David is trying to harm you’?  …[T]he Lord just now delivered you into my grasp …I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead….May …[God] see this,…and grant me justice beyond your reach.” Saul  acknowledges his wrongdoing, calls upon the Lord to bless David, the future king of Israel.  His jealous rage is defused by David’s mercy and affection for him and his own repentance.

Both men, Saul and David, are blessed by the Lord! You and I, in our best and worst moments, are still precious to the Lord, our God, our Creator and Redeemer.  God’s mercy knows no bounds and His love for us is unconditional.  To communicate that message God needs you and me to be His spokesperson by how we relate to one another both in good times and in bad, when feeling threatened and when being shown mercy. As God’s communicator by my thoughts, words and actions, do I, in fact,  reflect God’s mercy and compassion, His love and forgiveness, His wisdom and fortitude?

Affirming the Dignity of Others and Ourselves, Lo

Today’s Gospel, Luke 7: 36-50, tells the story of Jesus accepting  Simon’s  invitation to dine with him. Simon is a Pharisee.  As Jesus reclines at table a woman enters.  She brought with her an alabaster flask of ointment, stands behind Jesus at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair.  Simon is thinking something like this: “How can Jesus allow this woman to do this. She is a known sinner, has done things that are a disgrace to the community.  If Jesus is truly a prophet, he would know what kind of woman this person is.”  Jesus knows what Simon is thinking and tells the story of two persons who are in debt to their master and both are forgiven, one of a larger amount than the other. He asks Simon: Which one will love his master more? And, rightly, Simon says: “The one who was forgiven more.”  He then directs Simon’s gaze to the woman at Jesus’ feet and tells him that her many sins have been forgiven; hence she is showing me great love.  “She’s washed my feet; you did not do that when I entered.”  “She’s kissed my feet; you did not kiss me when I entered your house.”  “She’s anointed my feet; you did not anoint my head when I came into your house.” 

Wow! Jesus has just taught us several things: acceptance of everyone, the danger of being judgmental and how passing judgment on others blocks us from seeing God at work in them and seeing their goodness, the significance of expressing love, of being attentive to the needs of our guests and to welcoming gestures that communicate our openness to them, our affection for them, and our respect of their dignity as a human being. Jesus expected that of Simon and He expects that of us (by treating others respectfully, we are showing respect to Jesus).

"Wooden Beams" or "Splinters"

In today’s Gospel, Luke 6: 39-42, Jesus challenges us concerning assuming the position of judging others, of noticing “the splinter” in our brothers’ or sisters’ eyes but not seeing “the wooden beam” in our own.  “You hypocrite,” Jesus says, “[r]emove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s [sister’s] eye.”
In the first reading, 1 Timothy 1: 1-2, 12-14, we hear of Paul, from whom the Lord Himself removed the wooden beam obstructing His vision of who Jesus is. Paul expresses gratitude to the Lord that he was set free from his blindness and considered worthy to be Christ’s ambassador, a bearer of the Good News of  salvation to us Gentiles.  He admits that before his conversion he was “a blasphemer,” “a persecutor” and an “arrogant man.”  God was merciful to him, he states, because he “acted out of ignorance” in “his disbelief.”   “Indeed,” he says, “the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
What “wooden beams” do I need to take out of my eye?  From what blindness do I need healing?  Who do I persecute by my arrogance? About whose “splinter” do I gossip while being blind to the huge pieces of wood blurring my vision? Like Paul, I, too, know that many times I act out of ignorance—“Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”—but at other times I know that I am being arrogant and a persecutor of other persons by my silence, perhaps, or by speaking behind their backs or simply not being honest with them in ways that would remove obstructions to our growth in love, in honesty, in respect and integrity.