February 2004
Fourth Sunday Ordinary Time C
to the Eighth Sunday Ordinary Time C
4th
Sunday of Ordinary Time C
Scripture today: Jeremiah
1:4-5.17-19; Psalm 70; 1 Corinthians
12:31-13:13; Luke 4:21-30
“Jesus began to speak in the
synagogue, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’” (Luke 4:21-30)
I am not sure that history is able to tell us how long the town of
Nazareth had existed before the appearance of our Lord in their midst
as one of its townsmen. But in all of its history to that point there
was surely no event so important as the one we read in today’s Gospel.
In this event (Luke 4:21-30),
Jesus reveals to them that he is the Messiah, and that the promises of
the prophets were fulfilled there before their eyes. Our Lord’s
words and presence represented the greatest decision that the town as a
whole, and that each of the townspeople individually, had ever had to
make. And they failed. They rejected Jesus, and so he passed through
their midst and went on his way.
That is a tremendous lesson for every person of all time. A chance
in a
lifetime lost, perhaps forever. Now what, we might ask, did those
people do that led them to go wrong? Why did they make that terrible
decision to reject Jesus? There must have been many reasons, but one
very important one comes to mind. They were simply not disposed to
believe our Lord and to accept his claims. And why was this? It may
have been because they were leading lives of unrepentant religious
mediocrity. In the many little duties that made up their daily
existence at Nazareth, they may not have been doing God’s will
faithfully. Ordinary life consists of little duties, and in these they
may have been failing all too often to obey God’s will. This
repeated moral failure in little duties, going on month after
month will produce a disposition unwilling to do whatever God asks.
Everyday sanctity could not have been their ideal.
Perhaps - only perhaps - a hint of this is given in Nathanael’s
answer
when told of Jesus of Nazareth. He said, can anything good come out of
Nazareth? By contrast, let us compare the reaction of Nazareth to
Jesus’ claims with the reaction of Simeon and Anna years before when
the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple. They accepted the child
for who he was because they were open to the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. They were open in this way because their whole lives had been
lives of fidelity to their conscience. They were thus disposed to
accept God and his revelation when the critical moment came. This
readiness had been forged into something total such that when God’s
will was manifest, no matter what it was, they were ready to do it. St
Thomas says somewhere that holiness consists in the total readiness to
accept and do God’s will. This readiness is developed in the constant
doing of God’s will in the little duties of every day.
Let us learn from the rejection of Jesus by the people of
Nazareth. Let
us be ready for whatever God asks in life, whatever and whenever it
might be. We shall only be ready if every day in the seemingly ordinary
unimportant things we are trying to do his will.
(E.J.Tyler)
A
further
reflection on the fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time C
Scripture today:
Jeremiah
1:4-5.17-19; Psalm 70; 1 Corinthians
12:31-13.13; Luke 4:21-30
“When they heard this everyone in
the
synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of
the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was
built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through
the crown and walked away.” (Luke
4: 21-30)
Let us reflect on the extraordinary event that happened in
our
Lord’s home town of Nazareth, as reported in today’s Gospel. Our
Lord returned to Nazareth, and went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath day
as he usually did. He got up to read, read the passage of Scripture
that was about himself, gave the instruction which began his public
ministry, and his own townspeople were so angry at what he said that
they hustled him out of the town to throw him over the cliff (Luke
4: 21-30). They intended to murder him. These
were the ordinary people he knew and loved, his neighbours when he was
a growing boy. He had visited their sick, attended their weddings,
sorrowed at their funerals, and enjoyed their festivals. Imagine what a
good neighbour and friend our Lord himself would have been all those
years. As their carpenter he had built their houses and made their
furniture and fashioned their ploughs.
How could they have turned on him in this way? To ask that
question is to ask how the human heart can turn so completely to sin,
and to reflect on whether it is only their human heart or ours as well.
There is an old saying: but for the grace of God, there go I. We ought
not think that it would have been impossible for us had we been our
Lord’s fellow townspeople, sinners as we are, to have been among those
at Nazareth who turned so violently against our Lord. We ought never
think that we are too good for what we see others do, for there go I
but for the grace of God. Whatever we have of love and faith in Jesus
is due to God’s grace. As we consider their reaction let us consider
the reality of sin and what it can lead every human being to, including
ourselves. Sin is the worst thing in the world, as the Gospel of today
shows.
So let us consider the sinful reaction of the
people
of Nazareth to Jesus and what he said to them. Having heard the
gracious words that flowed from Jesus’ lips they marvelled at him. They
praised him. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they said. But their
praise turned to fury. It seems that their thoughts ran along these
lines: “Who does he think he is, telling us what to do and think!” Now,
isn’t this just like the attitude of many to the Church when the Church
teaches that some things are very wrong, or that we have certain very
strict moral obligations?
Our Lord preached to them the word of God which is
the
food of our salvation. But he could see that his words were not
accepted. And so he reminded them that they had better look out or they
would miss out on God’s blessings. For even the great prophet Elijah
was sent not to God’s people but to a pagan widow to work his miracle,
and the prophet Elisha cured none of the many Jewish lepers but a
foreigner. The implication of his words to them was that because they
were lacking in faith and so rejecting the message coming from God, God
would pass them by - unless they changed their attitude. Their response
to this home truth? They were furious, and proceeded to try to toss him
over the cliff the town was built near. They were in effect saying, “we
will not listen to you about our alleged shortcomings. And never you
dare to tell us that we reject God’s messengers.” They expressed
their rejection of Jesus’ message by actually trying to murder him. It
was an omen of the future and a manifestation of the sinfulness which
is at the root of the rejection of Christ.
This same drama of the acceptance or rejection of Jesus and
his
message plays itself out in all times and places, including in our own
lives. Like the Nazarenes, in all sorts of ways we too may reject our
Lord without clearly realizing who it is we are really rejecting. For
Jesus is continually speaking to us in various ways and situations in
our life. Jesus speaks to us in the Scriptures, in the pastors of
the Church - priests, bishops, in the Pope - and at times in one
another. He speaks to us at Mass. It is the teaching of the Church that
during Mass our Lord is present in the gathering of God’s people there,
in the person of the priest, in his word, and most of all in the
Eucharist. Let us remember that at Mass we gather to listen to Jesus
who speaks to us just as truly as he did in that Synagogue at Nazareth
about which we heard in the Gospel. Do we, at Mass and generally in our
religion, have listening hearts, or are we like the people of Nazareth?
In regard to Jesus and his teaching which comes to us through the
teaching of the Church, the response of some Catholics is very far from
what it should be. I refer to the dissent towards the Church’s teaching
which many have shown. Those caught up in this dissent have forgotten
that the Church that Christ founded and which he promised to remain
with till the end is the Catholic Church. He is her head and spouse. We
should listen to the Church’s teaching, especially as coming from the
Pope, knowing it is Christ’s teaching.
St Augustine had the experience of preaching a message that
was
unwelcome. He once wrote to his flock these words: “However unwelcome I
may be in what I preach, I have to say this to you: You wish to stray,
you wish to be lost, but I cannot want this. This is because I am a
shepherd and God will be angry with me if I am an unfaithful shepherd.
Shall I fear him rather than you? Remember we must all present
ourselves before the judgment seat of Christ. I am obliged to be a good
shepherd and preach the word no matter whether you like it or not.
As we think of how the Nazarenes reacted to the preaching
of our
Lord, we ought examine our own attitude towards the teaching of the
Church as it comes to us in the preaching and teaching of the Church’s
pastors, especially the Church’s chief pastor, the Pope. Today we are
invited to cultivate hearts that constantly listen to Christ. The heart
that listens to Christ is a heart that loves Christ.
(E.J.Tyler)
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Monday
of the fourth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 2) The Presentation of
the Lord Jesus in the Temple. This feast was
first observed in the Eastern Church as 'The Encounter.' In the sixth
century it began to be observed in the West: in Rome with a more
penitential character, and in Gaul with solemn blessings and
processions of candles, popularly known as 'Candlemas'. The
presentation of the Lord, we could say, concludes the Nativity and with
the prophecy of Simeon and Anna the atmosphere turns our thoughts to
Calvary and Easter.
Scripture today:
Malachi 3:
1-4; Psalm 23; Hebrews 2: 14-18;
Luke 2: 22-40
"When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of
Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him
before the Lord" (Luke 2: 22). In this Gospel scene we have surely the
grandest gathering of those who embodied the purest and highest
elements of the Old Testament: the infant Messiah, Mary, Joseph, Simeon
and Anna. Perhaps no-one else outside the little group noticed the
gathering, yet that group of five represented marvellously all that the
Holy Spirit had done up until the coming of Christ. Jesus the awaited
Messiah was being presented to the Lord God with the dawn of the new
era having now broken. The aura of Christmas over, Calvary appears in
the distance. Gathered around the infant Messiah was a group that
wondrously represented all that God had done in preparing for the
Redeemer.
The thought of this group at Christ's presentation in the temple ought
inspire in us a profound love for the Old Testament, for we see in this
group its products. The scene also teaches us what the Old Testament
points to as its own key. "It had been revealed to him that he would
not see death untill he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord." Christ
is the key, the summit and the focus of the Old Testament, and the Old
Testament helps us appreciate the resounding message of the New, that
Christ is the salvation of the nations, the light of the pagans, the
deliverer of Jerusalem, and the glory of Israel.
"Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you
promised; because my eyes have seen
the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a
light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:
29-32) "... and she spoke of the child to all who looked
forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem." (Luke 2: 38).
As we ponder the testimony of holy Simeon and the saintly Anna, as we
gaze on the still holier Mary and Joseph listening to their inspired
words, let us appreciate anew how Jesus is the centre of all history,
of all nations and of every man.
And with him comes the cross as his instrument of deliverance.
This cross will pierce the souls of those close to him.
(E.J.Tyler)
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"Just think, there are so many men and women on earth, and the Master
does not fail to call every single one. He calls them to a
Christian life, to a life of holiness, to a chosen life, to life
eternal."
(The Forge, no.13)
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Tuesday
of the fourth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 3) St
Blaise, bishop and martyr (4th Century) St
Blaise enjoyed widespread veneration in the Eastern and Western
Churches due to many cures attributed to him. According to tradition,
he was bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and was martyred under Licinius
(320-324).
St Angsar,
bishop. Born in France at the beginning of the ninth
century, he was educated in the monastery at Corbie and then in the
year 826 he set out to preach the Gospel in Denmark. Meeting with
little success he then went to Sweden. He was chosen to be bishop of
Hamburg and was confirmed in this position byh Pope Gregory IV who made
him his legate for Denmark and Sweden. He endured many difficulties in
his work of evangelisation. He died in the year 865.
Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all
men as you love them.
Today's
Scripture readings: 2 Samuel
18: 9-19: 3; Psalm 85; Mark
5: 21-43
Jesus reveals that God, the ultimate Reality, is kind
In his Apologia pro Vita Sua Cardinal Newman speaks eloquently
and poignantly of the vast scale of suffering and evil in the world,
and of how were it not for the voice of God "speaking so clearly in my
conscience and in my heart, I should be an atheist, or a pantheist, or
a polytheist when I looked into the world." He writes a little further
on that "the sight of the world is nothing else than the prophet's
scroll, full of 'lamentation, and mourning, and woe'....".
Life's sufferings and discomfort lead many to think that they are
surrounded by ultimate indifference on the part of whatever Power there
is that might truly make a difference. Without formulating it in so
many words, the hidden belief or starting point of many is that life is
not kind - that, as one teenage girl put it to me many years ago, 'life
is a bitch'. This latent (or openly expressed) view encourages a grey
stoicism and helplessness quietly to take possession, rather than hope
and joy.
Reality is thus thought to be ultimately indifferent and loveless, and
therefore meaningless.
But this is wrong. The ultimate Power is none other than the God who
dwells bodily in all his fullness in Christ. In the person of Jesus God
shows himself to be kind. Christ has revealed that God is very
accessible and desires to bring his power to bear on the evil and
suffering that grasps mankind.
"Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and
seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying,
'My little daughter is desparately sick. Do come and lay your hands on
her to make her better and save her life.' Jesus went with him and a
large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round
him." (Mark 5: 22-24)
Then there follows our Lord's curing of the woman with the
long-standing haemorrhage, and his raising the dead girl to life.
Notice in these events our Lord's accessibility and his prompt desire
to aid those who are suffering. That is what God, the ultimate reality
and Power, is like. He wishes to show his almighty power in mercy. He
has especially attacked and overcome the source of evil: sin. He asks
us to believe this, especially when suffering and evil continue.
(E.J.Tyler)
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"Christ suffered in your place and for your benefit, to tear you away
from the slavery of sin and imperfection."
(The Forge, no.14)
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Wednesday
of the fourth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 4)
Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all
men as you love them.
Through Christ in the Spirit.
Today's readings:
2
Samuel 24: 2-17; Psalm 31;
Mark 6: 1-6
Recovering a
sense of sin
We read in the second book of Samuel how David at the end of many years
of great work and achievement looked with pride and satisfaction on his
kingdom, and decided to take a census.
"King David said to Joab and to the senior army officers who were with
him, 'Now go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and
take a census of the people; I wish to know the size of the
population'..." (2 Samuel 24:2)
He wished to know the size of the population, but the context indicates
that the reason for this was his vanity: he wished to display
before himself and perhaps before many others what he had done
and the glory that was now his. For this the prophet Gad told him he
was to be punished by God.
"So Gad went to David and told him, 'Are three years of famine to come
on you in your country' he said, 'or will you flee for three months
before your pursuing enemy, or would you rather have three days'
pestilence in your country? Now think.." (2 Samuel 24: 13)
David's punishment for taking the census may cause surprise - it may
seem out of all proportion to what David did. Why was he being
punished? He was arrogating to himself the glory due to God. God had
chosen him, God had made him a king, and God had built him up. It was
God's work, and David chose to regard it as his. His action was an
offence against God. This is an instance of how reading Scripture can
give a sense of the reality and seriousness of sin as an offence
against God. Our temptation is to ignore or deny the evil of sin, and
the story of punishment for sin as described in Scripture educates us
to its evil as an offence against the all-holy God. Scripture teaches
us the great consequences of sin.
Pope Pius XII once said that the sin of the century is the loss of the
sense of sin. The story of David will help us recover it. David's sins
are recounted in Scripture, but so too is his repentance. Let us be
like David in his readiness to recognise his sinfulness, for this was
part of his greatness: 'I have committed a grave sin' David said to
Yahweh." (2 Samuel 24: 10)
(E.J.Tyler)
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"In these times of violence and of brutal, savage sexuality, we have to
be rebels: we refuse point blank to go with the tide, and become
beasts. We want to behave like children of God, like men and women who
are on intimate terms with their Father, who is in Heaven and who wants
to be very close to - inside - each one of us."
(The Forge, no.15)
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Thursday
of the fourth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 5) St
Agatha, virgin and martyr (died about 251). Agatha suffered
martyrdom at Catania in Sicily, probably during the persecution of
Decius. She was venerated throughout the Church from earliest times,
and her name appears in the Roman Canon (1st Eucharistic Prayer).
Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all
men as you love them.
Through Christ our Lord in the Holy Spirit.
Today's Scripture readings: 1 Kings 2:
1-12; 1 Chronicles 29;
Mark 6: 7-13
The world needs
the everyday holiness of the Christian
"As David's life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son
Solomon, 'I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show
yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following
his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his
decrees, as it stands written in the Law of Moses, so that you may be
successful in all you do and undertake, so that the Lord may fulfil the
promise he made me, 'If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk
loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack
for a man on the throne of Israel.'.." (1
Kings 2: 1-4).
David was giving final advice to his son Solomon while bequeathing to
him a secure kingdom. His advice was the same as that which he had been
given and which he had learnt from hard personal experience: obey God
and the kingdom will be secure, for God will be doing the building.
That is to say, goodness, morality, and sanctity are necessary for
human life in not only its private but its public aspect as well.
Solomon went on to receive great gifts from God for the government of
the kingdom, especially the gift of wisdom. But ultimately he failed in
doing the most important thing, obeying God. He was led to other idols
through being ensnared in sexual impurity. The point to be observed
here is that Solomon's infidelity to God ultimately had catastrophic
results for the kingdom. As David his father had pointed out on his
deathbed, holiness was necessary for the kingdom.
A lesson for us who live in a very secular culture is that sin is the
ruination not only of one's personal life but of the life of society
generally, be it in government, in economics, or whatever. The fight
against sin must be taken to all aspects of life. God's will is to be
the benchmark of not only one's private life but of all levels of
public and social life too. Sanctity and goodness is of critical
importance for the whole of human existence, and never ought there be
the kind of separation between personal religion and the rest of life
that results in God and his holy will being ignored in social, economic
and public life. The solemn words of David to his son as given above
show forth the dependence of the earthly kingdom on the doing of God's
holy will. God is relevant to everything.
So then, whatever be my calling in the world, I must bring to my
involvement in the world constant
obedience to God's will. It is only on this basis that the world
itself, and those institutions I serve in my daily work, will be secure.
(E.J.Tyler)
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"Meditate on this frequently: I am a Catholic, a child of Christ's
Church. He brought me to birth in a home that is his, without my doing
anything to deserve it. My God, how much I owe you."
(The Forge, no.16)
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Friday
of the fourth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 6) St
Paul Miki and his martyr companions (martyred 1597)
Paul Miki, a Japanese Jesuit, and his twenty five companions were
martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. They were the first martyrs of East Asia
to be canonised. They were killed simultaneously by being raised on
crosses and then stabbed with spears. Their executioners were astounded
upon seeing their joy at being associated to the Passion of Jesus
Christ. Every Christian is to bear witness, in life and in death, to
the Faith.
God our Father, source of strength for all your saints, you led Saint
Paul Miki and his companions
through the sufferiings of the cross to the joy of eternal life. May
their prayers give us the courage to be loyal until death in professing
our faith. Through Christ our Lord in the Holy Spirit.
Today's Scripture readings:
Ecclesiasticus
47: 2-13; Psalm 17 ; Mark 6: 14-29
Guard
carefully against the occasions of sin
Mark 6: 14-29
Consider the portrayal by St Mark of King Herod, particularly in
relation to his execution of John the Baptist (Mark 6: 14-29).
Herod, according to Mark, had some redeeming features, certainly more
than Herodias his wife. He had something of a conscience, recognising
and having some respect for holiness. 'Herod was afraid of John,
knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection.
When he had heard him speak, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked
to listen to him.' (Mark 6:20)
But consider how easily and how greatly Herod fell: he suddenly had
John executed. While a triumph for John, it was a catastrophic moral
fall for Herod. So what brought Herod down in this way? It was the fear
of what others would think. 'Herod was deeply distressed but, thinking
of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break
his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with
orders to bring John's head. The man went off and beheaded him in
prison..' (Mark
6: 26-27). That is to say, the pressure of human respect and
vanity led him to violence against a person of great holiness.
This shows dramatically that no matter what graces are offered, no
matter how near God may be, one
must be vigilant against sin. Herod had before him a person of very
high holiness. Consider the familiarity and constant company Judas was
granted with Christ himself. Sin can bring anyone down if it is
entertained. We must be constantly on guard against sin, this enemy
ever ancient and ever near. Why do we not grow in grace and holiness?
All too often it is simply because we are not vigilant against sin and
its occasions. Herod lacked all vigilance against sin, and when the
temptation came suddenly he fell catastrophically and grievously.
Every day examine your conscience. Guard against all deliberate sin,
especially the sin you are particularly prone to commit.
(E.J.Tyler)
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"Remind everyone (and especially all those farthers and mothers who
call themselves Christians) that a vocation, a call from God, is a
grace from the Lord, a choice made by the divine goodness, a motive for
holy pride, a call to serve all joyously for the love of Jesus
Christ."
(The Forge,
no. 17)
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Saturday
of the fourth week of Ordinary Time II
Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all
men as you love them.
Through Christ in the Spirit.
Today's Scripture readings:
1
Kings 3: 4-13; Psalm 118;
Mark 6: 30-34
No matter what be our gifts, we must
be vigilant against temptation
There is a most memorable event in the life of Solomon the son of King
David. It occurred at the
beginning of his reign. God appeared to him in a dream during the night
and said, 'Ask what you would like me to give to you.' Solomon's
answer was most pleasing to God. 'Give your servant a heart to
understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern
this people of yours that is so great?' God answered his prayer with
abundance. 'I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you had
and none will have after you.' (1 Kings 3: 4-13)
God endowed Solomon with immense gifts of wisdom. He was a person of
great promise.
But in the final analysis Solomon was a great disappointment. Not only
did he overburden his people, but he abandoned God, turned to the idols
of his women, and became ensnared in lust. In view of his gifts, we may
surmise that he made choices that were contrary to what he clearly saw
he should do. They were clearsighted moral failures, perhaps the
accumulated result of countless small infidelities.
This is a great lesson. Being very gifted, spiritually gifted, will not
ensure moral goodness, let alone
holiness. Even having an abundance of so important a gift as wisdom
will ensure nothing unless it it accompanied by humility, moral
vigilance and resolve. We all have our gifts, natural and supernatural.
But we must be vigilant, with a humble awareness of our weaknesses and
need of God. It is on God's power that we must rely, while putting to
good use in action the gifts we have been given.
(E.J.Tyler)
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"Please echo these words for me: it is no 'sacrifice' for parents when
God asks them for their children.
Neither, for those he calls, is it a sacrifice to follow him. It is, on
the contrary, an immense honour, a motive for a great and holy pride, a
mark of predilection, a very special affection that God has shown at a
particular time, but which has been in his mind from all eternity."
(The Forge, no.18)
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5th Sunday
Ordinary C
Scripture today: Isaiah
6:1-2.3-8; Psalm 137; 1
Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
"'Master,' Simon replied 'we
woked
hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay
out the nets.' And when they had done this they netted such a huge
number of fish.."
(Luke 5:1-11)
Man has throughout his history been very aware of his weakness and
need. We get sick and hungry, our work often lacks success, there are
so many uncertainties, and often great disappointments and tragedies.
And in all this weakness and need there is often little that he can do
about it. Man knows from hard experience that he is weak and needy. So
he characteristically looks to God for the power to attain his goals.
In today’s Gospel, Simon tells our Lord that he and his
companions had been working hard all night long and had caught nothing (Luke 5:1-11).
But at the word of Jesus, and in a spirit of faith in him, Simon cast
out the nets once again. This time it was totally different. A huge
number of fish were caught such that they needed others to help. Simon
was given a display first hand of the power of God. The rest of his
life would be lived relying on this divine power for the fulfilment of
his life’s work, which was to fish for men.
All too often we forget that it is only by God’s power that
we
can do anything, and it is to his power that we had best appeal. In
giving this sign to Simon who would be the head of his Church, Christ
wished to give to him and to all of us who are members of his Church a
great lesson: look to the power of God for good results in the work God
wants us to do. Look to God, but put our best effort in. It will be
good work if it is Christ who is doing it in and through our hard work.
Our Lord did not himself throw out Simon’s net: Simon did that. So
Simon did his work, but its good effect was due to the power of Christ.
Simon’s work was Christ’s work. Unless the Lord build the house they
labour in vain who build it.
Now there is a further point. When it comes to our work, which
should
be nothing other than the fulfilment of our daily duties, this work
should be understood and done in the light of our Catholic Faith, which
is the teaching of Christ. We read in the gospel how our Lord got into
Simon’s boat and taught from there. Surely this is a symbol of the
presence of Christ in the boat or barque of Peter, which is the Church.
Peter is the representative of the invisible Shepherd who is Christ. In
shaping our whole life according to the Church’s teachings coming to us
in the teachings of the Pope and bishops united to him, we are being
guided by Christ who teaches as invisible head of Peter’s boat. It is
there that we have constant access to the power and the grace of God
which will help us make a great if gradual catch.
So then, the power of God that we need is available in the
Church
of which Peter is head. Let us always listen to the successor of Peter,
knowing that both the power of Christ and his light come forth from him.
(E.J.Tyler)
A second
reflection on the Gospel of the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Scripture today: Isaiah
6:1-2.3-8; Psalm 137; 1
Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
"But Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be
afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.' Then bringing their
boats back to land, they left everything and followed him." (Luke 5:1-11)
The account in the Gospel of today describes the call of Simon
Peter.
From now on, our Lord told him, he would be a fisherman of souls. And
hearing these words, Simon left everything and his life as a
fisherman and followed our Lord (Luke 5:1-11).
Hearing the account of this leads us to reflect on our own calling.
Just as Simon was called to follow Christ, so we are called to
follow Christ. There are, then three question: Am I called? What is the
call like? To what am I called?
The first question, then, is “Am I called?”
Every human being feels or should feel the call to do good and to
be
good, arising from his natural conscience. The Christian feels this
same call as a call to do what God wants. All who have listening hearts
will discover their call. Christ’s call is radical and is addressed to
all who wish to come after him: ‘Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’ This general call
is to be lived out in different ways by different members of His
Church. We should all be listening for that same call in our hearts.
So then, what is that call like?
We know how to listen in to a television set, but do we know how
to
tune in to God’s call? How does it feel to experience the call? Are
there any guidelines to keep us from following something unreal? Yes,
there are. Firstly, there are examples of genuine calls from God by
those who have had them, such as those in Scripture, like the prophet
Isaiah and Simon Peter as in today’s Gospel. There are also the calls
received by the saints in the Church’s history. These concrete examples
of true calls from God can guide us in many respects. Then there are
principles to guide us in hearing our own call and making a right
decision.
One can feel a call to the priesthood or the religious
life, or
to marriage, or to the single life as being an opportunity to serve God
and man in a special way. Whatever is the call we receive from God,
when we find our call and find ourselves in the service of God in that
particular call, we have arrived for our life’s journey, just as Simon
Peter in hearing the call of Christ and accepting it had arrived for
his life’s journey.
There are different ways of hearing and responding to a
call
from God. The call of God can be so attractive that it draws on
like a magnet, as when Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow me,” and Matthew
got right up, left all, and followed. Another is when a person is torn
by different attractions, until the issue is settled by prayer and a
good life. Another again is when a person sits down calmly and
prayerfully and reasons out the meaning of his life, what he should do
with it, what he thinks would please God, and then makes a
decision which is in accord with his best lights. When he comes to what
he thinks is the right decision, he offers it to God, and if he finds a
lasting sweetness and peace of heart in this decision, he has reason to
hope that it pleases God and he has “come home”, as it were. If not, he
keeps searching.
A help to making a decision in that third way is simply to
ask
ourselves questions like these: what is the purpose of my life? What
does my life call me to do as a Christian? If I were asked to advise
another person like myself, what would I suggest? What would our Lady
do if she were in my shoes? When I am lying on my deathbed, about to go
home to God, what will I wish I had decided at this moment?
Each of us, then, has this question to answer: To
what am
I called? If we are already in a permanent state of life, whether of
marriage or the religious life or the priesthood, the answer in part is
that we are to offer to God our total service within that vocation we
know we have. For holiness is found in being faithful to the duties of
the state of life we have chosen, since that is what pleases God.
Christ and the church need the vocations of all: priests and religious
and the enormous potential of the laity, involving the whole people of
God in the work of God. Christ’s lay faithful bear witness to the
Gospel through their life of service in the spirit and manner of
Christ. In their everyday life at home and at work, wherever, by means
of their Christ-like service they are called to make the world more
what God wants it to be.
So a Christian should ask, What have I done for Christ?
What am
I doing for Christ? What shall I do for Christ? Can I do anything to
see that people have jobs and housing, or to stop the spread of
abortion, or to bring people together in friendship in my home,
workplace or parish, or to influence the political process for
family-oriented legislation? What can I do to teach Christian doctrine,
or to improve my parish spiritually by building up this or that element
in its life and making it a Eucharistic community in which Christ
reigns?
Let us ponder the call of Simon Peter and appreciate that
this
call is addressed by Christ to each one of us. What, then, have I done
for Christ to this point? What am I doing for him now? What shall I do
for him in the future?
(E.J.Tyler)
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Monday
of Fifth Week in Ordinary Time II
Father, watch over your family and keep us safe in your care, for all
our hope is in you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, in the Holy
Spirit.
Today's readings from
Scripture 1 Kings 8:
1-13; Psalm 131; Mark 6:
53-56
Christ is in
you, your hope of glory
"Having made the crossing, Jesus came to land at Gennesaret and tied
up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised
him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the
sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went,
to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open
spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And
all those who touched him were cured." (Mark 6: 53-56)
The people recognised our Lord's compassion and his power to save from
incurable suffering. He did whatever they asked of him in terms of
their suffering - all they needed to do was come to him and ask. That
was then. What about now?
St Paul says that the great reality as a result of our baptism is that
Christ is in you, your hope of glory. Our calling is to allow ourselves
to be transformed totally into Christ by his grace accompanied by our
own efforts.
One fundamental facet of this is our response to the suffering of
others. Every occasion in which we see someone suffering presents the
opportunity to allow Christ to act in and through us as if he himself
were before that suffering person. As if he were there? Rather, he
actually is before that suffering person, in our own person. Christ
dwells within us if we are in the state of grace. But is he able to act
through us bringing help and relief to that suffering person through
our own compassionate and effective response? Or do we constitute an
obstacle to his desire to help that person, because of our lack of
compassion?
A great help to growth in Christ-like kindness is the constant
remembrance of Christ's presence within us. We should have the daily
ambition to allow him to take over our whole person, such that under
the prompting of the Holy Spirit we respond to suffering with the
spirit of mercy that he constantly showed. Thus the suffering person
will recognise Christ in us, just as we should recognise the suffering
Christ in him. "If you do it to the least of these, you do it to me."
Christ in you, your hope of glory.
(E.J.Tyler)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There are many people around you, and you have no right to be an
obstacle to their spiritual good, to their eternal happiness. You are
under an obligation to be a saint. You must not let God down for having
chosen you. Neither must you let those around you down: they expect so
much from your Christian
life."
(The Forge, no.
20)
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Tuesday
of the Fifth Week of Ordinary time II
(February 10) Saint Scholastica,
virgin. The sister of Saint Benedict, born
at Norcia in Umbria (Italy) about the year 480. Together with her
brother she consecrated herself to God, and she followed Benedict to
Monte Cassino, where she died about the year 547.
Today's Scripture readings
1
Kings 8: 22-30; Psalm 83;
Mark 7: 1-13
Solomon's prayer in
respect to the Temple (1 Kings 8:
22-30)
"Yet will God really live with men on the earth? Why, the heavens and
their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house
that I have built!" Solomon is in wonderment at the thought that the
Temple would be the dwelling place of God who cannot be contained by
the heavens and the earth. It required a real act of faith on his part,
and a constant effort at realisation. He was filled with a sense of the
privilege accorded to him and to the chosen people. God had a house
among them.
Now we have a far greater reality and mystery in our midst. It is the
holy and most august Eucharist. We have the Mass and the abiding
Eucharistic presence of Jesus in our churches. Jesus is the Eucharist,
the Eucharist is Jesus. Whenever we think of Jesus, whenever we imagine
him, whenever we think of his abiding presence in the Church till the
end of time, we should in the first instance think of the Eucharistic
Jesus. It is as the Eucharist that the Lord Jesus is most fully and
intensely present in the Church. The Eucharist is the heart and soul of
every parish and Catholic community, indeed of the whole universal
Catholic Church. The Eucharistic Jesus resides in our parish church,
making it the locale of every heavenly blessing, for St Paul writes
that in Christ we have every heavenly blessing.
But we must believe this and strive daily to realise this truth such
that the Eucharist becomes truly the summit and the source of our whole
Christian life as the Church teaches us it should be. The spiritual
life of an individual and of a parish is to be measured on this point.
Solomon's prayer is a true forerunner of the marvelous reality that is
the Eucharist in each of our churches.
(E.J.Tyler)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The commandment to love our parents belongs to both natural law and to
divine positive law, and I have always called it a 'most sweet
precept'. Do not neglect your obligation to love your parents more each
day, to mortify yourself for them, to pray for them and to be grateful
to them for all the good you owe
them."
(The Forge, no.21)
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Wednesday
of the fifth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 11) Our Lady of
Lourdes In the year 1858 the Immaculate Virgin Mary
appeared to Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes in France, in the grotto
of Massabielle. Through the poor girl, Mary called sinners to
repentance, and thereby there arose in the Church a marvellous spirit
of prayer and charity, especially in helping the poor and the sick.
Today's Scripture readings:
1
Kings 10: 1-10 (The queen of Sheba's visit to
Solomon)
Psalm 36
The mouth of the just man murmurs wisdom.
Mark 7: 14-23
(on the human heart)
Our Lord's
words on the human heart: Mark 7:14-23
"For it is from within, from men's hearts, that evil intentions emerge;
fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit,
indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from
within and make a man unclean." (Mark 7: 21-23)
So then, it is from our sinful and corrupt heart that there arises so
much of the evil that afflicts human life and society. The primary
though not the only work of life is, then, the sanctification of the
human heart - our own heart in the first place, but also that of
others. The figure of Solomon as extolled by the queen of Sheba (1
Kings 10: 1-10) is instructive in this regard. To the queen of Sheba
his gifts and
accomplishments were dazzling. But despite all his wonderful promise,
the sin within him corrupted and brought him down, as his later history
showed.
What is the answer? The answer to the weakness and corruption of the
human heart lies in the power and the action of Christ. This action of
Christ's must be welcomed and actively participated in. Moreover, the
punishment for the sin flowing from the human heart is the suffering
and death that afflicts man. But due to the work of Christ our
suffering has been transformed into a principal means of
sanctification. Let us submit to it humbly and obediently, asking
Christ to make our hearts like his own.
(E.J.Tyler)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Following the Master's wishes, you are to be salt and light while
being fully immersed in this world we were made to live in, sharing in
all human activities. Light illumines the hearts and minds of men. Salt
gives flavour and preserves from corruption. That is why if you lack
apostolic zeal you will become insipid and useless. You will be letting
other people down and your life will be absurd."
(The Forge, no.22)
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Thursday
of the fifth week of Ordinary Time II
Today's Scripture
readings: 1 Kings 11:
4-13 (Solomon turns away from God)
Psalm 105
Lord remember us, for the love you bear your people.
Mark 7: 24-30
(Our Lord and the Syrophoenician woman)
Christ rewards persistent prayer
Mark 7: 24-30
St Alphonsus says somewhere in his writings that if a person will not
pray he cannot be saved. He goes on to say that the most important
prayer is the prayer of petition. For failing to ask God for benefits,
especially spiritual benefits, very many people go wanting. The more we
ask for, the better. Our Lord said that we should pray always and never
lose heart.
A common complaint is that prayer results in nothing. There are delays
- God seems to be silent and we even seem to get rebuffs. Now in the
face of what appears to be a delay, do we show our faith in God's love
and power by our persistence, or do we just give up asking because our
request does not seem to be granted? We lack faith and patience.
Consider our Lord's treatment of the Syrophoenician woman, a
pagan. To begin with, our Lord did not want to be noticed. He had
important reasons for not being available: he "did not want anyone to
know he was there". When she confronted him with her request, he gave
her a rebuff: "it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it
to the house-dogs." Our Lord seemed to be silent and unwilling.
But really he was putting her faith in him to the test. She did not
lose heart, but pressed on with her
petition, convinced of his power and his compassion. Her persistent
faith prevailed, and this is what we should remember in all our
prayers. "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your
daughter." We can imagine our Lord smiling at her as he said this.
We must never give up on Jesus, and we ought bring the good news about
him to others, including to non-believers. For they too can appeal to
Jesus for what they need. Let us remember that in this case it was a
pagan who manifested the faith that so delighted Jesus.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A reddish-blue wave of filth and corruption has set out to overcome
the world, throwing its vile spittle over the Cross of the Redeemer.
Now he wants another wave to issue forth from our souls - a wave that's
white and powerful, like the Lord's right hand - to overcome with its
purity all the rottenness of materialism and undo the corruption that
has flooded the world. It is for this, and more, that the children of
God have come."
(The Forge, no.23)
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Friday
of the fifth week of Ordinary Time II
Scripture today: 1 Kings 11:
29-32; 12: 19 Psalm 80
(I am the Lord your God: hear my voice) Mark 7: 31-37
Doing God's will in
little things Mark 7: 31-37
There is a detail about the aftermath of the healing of the deaf man
who had a speech impediment that we ought notice. It is our Lord's
insistence on silence. "And Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about
it." Why did our Lord order this? After all, on occasion he would
appeal to the works he was doing as a witness to the truth of his
claims. We can conjecture as to the reason for this prohibition, and
various scholars give their suggestions. But the reason is not given in
the text, and perhaps our Lord himself did not give his reasons to his
disciples nor to anyone else.
It was not necessary to know our Lord's reasons, but what was
necessary was obedience to his wishes. He "ordered" them not to tell
others, and repeated the order (the Greek and Latin Vulgate word
means "to order", even to give a strict order). But what
happened? His insistent order was ignored. "But the more he ordered
them not to, the more they proclaimed it." They did precisely the
opposite to what our Lord commanded. Now presumably our Lord's reasons
for ordering this were important and were part and parcel of God's plan
of salvation. But in this detail, as in so many, God's will was
disobeyed.
We must be very careful to do God's will in seemingly unimportant
things, when perhaps we spontaneously think it would be better done in
a different way. If it be God's will, no matter how small the
issue, our disobedience will be an offence against God. Our obedience
will be pleasing to him. We must assume that in the broad scheme of
things a lot will depend on our obeying God in little matters.
In any case, it is God who asks it.
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Many people ask with an air of self-justification: Why should I get
involved in the lives of others?
Because it is your Christian duty to get involved in their lives, in
order to serve them. Because Christ has got involved in your life and
in mine."
(The Forge,
no.24)
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Saturday
of the fifth week of Ordinary Time II
(14 February) Saint Cyril (Monk)
and Saint Methodius (Bishop)
Cyril was
born in Salonika and was educated at Constantinople. With his
brother Methodius he went to Moravia to preach the faith. They both
translated the liturgical books into the Slavonic language using the
Cyrillic alphabet which they invented. They were called to Rome and
here Cyril died on 14 February, in the year 869.
Methodius
was made a
bishop and went to Pannonia (Hungary) where he laboured ceaselessly in
preaching the gospel, while enduring many hardships as a result of
jealousy, though he had the support of the Holy See. He died on 6 April
in 885 at Velehrad in Czechoslovakia.
Today's Scripture
readings: 1 Kings 12:
26-32; 13: 33-34 (King Jeroboam's apostasy)
Psalm 105
Lord remember us, for the love you bear your people.
Mark 8: 1-10
The
influence we have on others (1 Kings 12:
26-32; 13: 33-34)
Consider the story of Jeroboam as narrated in the Old Testament reading
for today (above) from the first book of Kings. Solomon's kingdom had
split asunder, and Jeroboam was king of the northern half, Israel. He
flagrantly led his people to worship false gods for personal
agrandisement: "Here are your gods, Israel; these brought you up out of
the land of Egypt!". What a terrible thing it is to lead a person, let
alone many persons, astray from the truth that God has revealed. We can
surely think of so many cases in the history of the Church in which
people of influence have led people astray from revealed truth as the
Church teaches and transmits it. Jeroboam can be regarded as a type of
this.
But this is not just something involving people of wide influence which
they may have because of their gifts or position in society or the
Church. It involves all of us no matter how small we might be by
comparison, because all of us have some influence on others. God will
hold us accountable for how we influence others. And there is this:
while we must take care lest we influence others adversely, we can fail
seriously by not striving to be a very good influence. There is the old
saying that evil flourishes when good people do nothing. God will hold
us accontable for failing to be apostolic.
The whole Church, including its overwhelming component the lay
faithful, is called by God to be a positive Christ-like influence on
the world, sharing in his mission. We are called to be apostolic. We
have wonderful examples of this in Cyril and Methodius.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you are another Christ, if you behave as a son of God, you will set
things alight no matter where you are. Christ enkindles all hearts,
leaving none indifferent."
(The
Forge, no. 25)
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Sixth Sunday
Ordinary Time C
Scripture
today: Jeremiah
17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians
15:12.16-20; Luke 6:17.20-26
"Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: 'How happy are you who
are poor'..."
(Luke
6:17.20-26)
The biggest danger facing any disciple of
Christ
is not the danger of abandoning him outright. This of course can happen
- and the example of Judas shows that this can happen even to the most
favoured disciple. But no, the biggest danger is that of settling
for a mediocre love for our Lord. That is to say, it is quite likely
that we will remain all through life more attached to ourselves and to
creatures than to God. We have a lukewarm love for him. That’s the
danger which we might never overcome. It’s being a mediocre Christian.
But overcome this tendency we must if we wish to please God and be a
true disciple of our Lord. We must make a choice between two standards,
the banner of Christ, or the standard of the world, the flesh and the
devil. The two standards are very different and our Lord wants a
clear choice from us, not made just once but daily renewed with
all the struggle for God and against self that is involved in serving
him in the little duties of everyday life.
This firm choice is one of the things we are reminded of by our
Lord’s
solemn words in today’s Gospel. Happy are you, he says to some. Alas to
you, he says to others. Those who have chosen to be his disciples and
endure poverty, hunger, sufferings and rejection because of their love
for him are the blessed ones. They are fortunate, and happy. Their
reward will be great in heaven. But alas to those who prefer riches,
worldly satisfaction, pleasure and the world’s praise to a generous
following of him. Alas to them, our Lord says. The danger, as I said
earlier, is that we will tinker and fiddle with being a disciple of our
Lord, but never take the plunge, never grasp the thistle. Unless we
take resolute action, our hearts will remain profoundly divided.
I refer to those who never really take up the daily struggle
of a
spiritual life in earnest. And we must remember that mediocrity can
lead from deliberate and unrepented venial sin to mortal sin. We have
to struggle hard to attain the blessedness our Lord speaks of in the
Gospel, the blessedness of having chosen him despite the risk of
poverty, suffering, and rejection from others. And if any of
these things loom on the horizon as a result of our choice for Jesus,
our response will reveal the state of our hearts. It can be a blessed
test, refining and purifying our hearts. On the other hand, if the
threat of the loss of these things never comes our way, we could fail
to confront the mediocrity in our lives. Suffering when it comes can be
a great grace. It can help us to cleave to Jesus. This cleaving to
Jesus must become our focus lived out in our everyday duties.
Our Lord contrasts two classes of people. Let us choose to belong
to
him no matter what the cost.
(E.J.Tyler)
A second
reflection on the Gospel of the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time C
Scripture today: Jeremiah
17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians
15:12.16-20; Luke 6:17.20-26
"Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: 'How happy are you who
are poor'..."
In our Gospel today our Lord utters his well-known teaching
in
the Beatitudes, “Blessed are you poor, yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
(Luke
6:17.20-26) We Christians are guided by Christ, but
there have been even non-Christians who have known the danger that
riches can pose. The Indian leader Ghandi was one such.
So let us consider our Lord’s words about the
true
spiritual wealth that can belong to the poor, and the poverty of spirit
that can characterise the rich. “Blessed are you who are poor,” our
Lord has told us.
Have we asked ourselves whether we are convinced that
those words are true? We read in the lives of many saints how, having
resolved to follow our Lord generously, they sold their possessions and
distributed the proceeds to the poor. Then they set out on their life
of following our Lord. They regarded themselves as fortunate, for they
were now poor and possessed nothing. They had only Christ as their true
wealth. Most of us are not called to follow that particular course of
action, but those saints were convinced that the poverty our Lord is
referring to is a blessed condition. This conviction of theirs led to a
particular course of action. We could ask ourselves whether we are
convinced of what our Lord has said here about poverty of spirit. If
so, how have we acted on it? Do we take it in any way seriously our
Lord’s warning against setting our hearts on riches, and that while
wealth itself is not evil, it is a danger?
I suppose we might admit that we take our Lord’s
warning
seriously to this extent that we would not rob or kill or break the
other commandments, just to be able to get rich. And married couples
sacrifice much, and forego the wealth they might have had, so as to
have and to bring up children. A person who commits sin and crime just
to be rich, or a couple who by choice have hardly any children,
precisely in order to be rich, would be going right against our Lord’s
counsel of poverty here: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
But let’s ask: Why exactly are the poor called
blessed, and the rich said to be in a situation of danger? The danger
for the rich consists in becoming attached to material possessions and
wealth more than God. Though a poor person may not turn to God for his
support, it is easier for him to turn to God and to depend on Him,
because God is all he has. It is a great blessing to depend on God, and
anything that helps us to depend on Him is a blessing. For we were made
for God.
This is not to say that wealth is of itself evil for after
all
wealth consists of things that ultimately come from the hand of God.
Rather it is the attitude we have to it that can make of it a great
danger. Our Lord had some wealthy friends who were generous. In their
own heart and spirit they were not hanging on to wealth and making it
the desire of their life. In this sense a wealthy person can be in
spirit like a poor man who looks to God above all for all he needs,
putting God above all possessions, depending on God for his security,
intent on doing His will in all things, and ready to forego all wealth
for whatever God wants. Both the poor and the rich should be like that.
We remember that rich young man whom our Lord invited to follow him. He
asked the young man first of all to sell all he had and to give it to
the poor. The rich young man went away sad. The reason? He was a person
of great wealth. St Thomas More was a person of wealth, but he was
prepared to forego everything for the sake of Christ and became a
martyr.
This does not mean that poverty alone will make
a
person attached to Christ and to God. Just as with riches, it will
depend on one’s attitude to poverty. If a poor person depends on God
and looks to Him above all, then his poverty will have proved to be a
great advantage to Him. But poverty can easily embitter a person, and
in any case if it involves destitution it is certainly not what God
wants. Our Lord is teaching that the poor in spirit are blessed, and
that one’s heart and spirit ought not be holding on to things but on
God, and to creatures only in God. To such a one God is his wealth.
Actually, in this connection we should never be
unconcerned when others lack necessities. Many poor people forget God
precisely because of their poverty. This is one reason why we are
obliged to help the poor. Sometimes the poor person feels that God
doesn’t love him and has rejected him inasmuch as he is poor. By
sharing with the poor what they need and out of our abundance, we can
show them that God is caring for them. A person who is in need and who
receives help from another has every reason to be grateful to God and
to see that help as a sign of God’s fatherly care.
So whether we are well off or struggling we are
called to
place our hopes in God. If we are struggling, it could be a heaven-sent
chance to depend on God much more than we would have had we been rich.
If we are rich, we must be aware that there is a very special hazard
about our situation. We could be losing our sense of dependence on God
while unaware of this. If this actually comes about, it would be a
catastrophe. We are made to love God with all our heart, and to do his
will. Material possessions are meant to help us to do this. But they
can hinder it if we don’t watch out, and gradually due to material
possessions, one’s own self can take the place of God.
Our true calling is to possess not just things, but God. We are
called
to be rich, but in the true wealth which is the infinite God. What can
prevent this from happening is the all-consuming attachment to some of
the material goods of the earth that are actually meant for all. Christ
is calling us to grow in spirit like the poor person who depends
completely on God. This is the poverty of spirit which
characterized Christ himself and which he marked out as the way of his
disciples, the way leading to the Kingdom of God. All our lives
we ought be remembering what our Lord says to us in the beatutudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”
(E.J.Tyler)
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Monday
of the sixth week Ordinary Time II
Today's readings from
Scripture: St James 1:
1-11; Psalm 118;
Mark 8: 11-13.
St James 1: 2-5: "My brothers, you will
always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a
happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test
to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results
so that you will become fully developed, complete, with nothing
missing. If there is any one of you who needs wisdom, he must ask God,
who gives to all freely and ungrudgingly; it will be given to him."
Trials
are a "happy privilege" (James 1: 1-4)
One famous anthropologist (Evans-Pritchard) once wrote that one entry
into the understanding of a religion is to consider how it deals with
the problem of suffering, and what it provides as the answer to it. It
would seem that, for instance, a driving motivc in the spiritual quest
of the Buddha during his lifetime was to discover the key that provides
the escape from the roots of suffering. He finally proposed what he
considered to be that key.
Now Christ has turned all this around. By his suffering and death he
has made human suffering itself a source of inestimable blessings. It
was precisely through his passion and death that the world was
redeemed, and that the power of sin was broken. If when suffering we
unite ourselves with him in his suffering (especially in the
Eucharistic sacrifice) our sufferings are transformed into a source of
great blessings for our own sanctification and that of others. Thus
suffering is not simply a total negative, something simply to be
escaped from. That is not its entire meaning. Indeed, those most united
to Christ (the saints) while spending themselves in lessening the
sufferings of others, readily embrace suffering themselves. They assure
all those who do suffer that their trials are, mysteriously, the engine
of benefits for mankind.
The passage from St James 1: 2-4
(above) makes reference to this. He tells us that "you will always have
your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy
privilege". This is the language of great optimism and meaning in the
face of suffering. To suffer is a privilege. We can only look at it
this way if we suffer in union with Christ, and look on suffering as an
opportunity, a privilege - because it involves a special moment of
association with Christ. It will bring with it the chance of true
spiritual maturity: it will "have its practical results so that you
will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing." (James 1: 4)
Let us pray to the Lord for wisdom (as St James goes on to advise in
verse 5), especially the wisdom to know how to suffer with Christ. It
is "a happy privilege".
(E.J.Tyler)
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"I look at your Cross, my Jesus, and I rejoice in your grace, because
your Calvary has won for us the reward of the Holy Spirit. And you give
yourself to me, each day, lovingly, madly, in the Sacred Host. And you
have made me a son of God, and have given me your Mother to be mine. I
can't be satisfied with just giving thanks. My thoughts take flight:
Lord, Lord, there are so many souls who are so far from you! Foster
those yearnings for apostolate in your life, that many may get to know
him and love him and come to feel loved by him."
(The
Forge, no. 27)
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Tuesday
of the sixth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 17) The Seven holy
Founders of the Servite Order. These seven men
were born at Florence and led lives as hermits on Monte Senario,
especially venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary. They then preached
through the length and breadth of Tuscany, and founded the Order of
Servites which in 1304 received the approval of the Holy See. They are
venerated on this day which is said to be the day on which Saint Alexis
Falconieri, one of the seven, died, in the year 1310.
Today's readings from
Scripture: St James
1: 12-18; Psalm 93;
Mark 8: 14-21
"Do you not yet
understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened?" (Mark 8:
14-21)
One of the most common of misconceptions is the thought that ultimately
what is important is that a person be sincere. Now, it is obviously
very important that a person be sincere, that he act according to his
convictions, that he not be duplicitous, that his yes be a true yes and
that his no a true no. It is important too that he try sincerely to act
according to his conscience. But a person can be all of this, more or
less, and have something crucial that is missing. He may have no
perception. He may be blind.
Many have been blind, yet in all good faith and are good soil for the
action of God. St Paul prior to is conversion was an instance of this.
But in the history of the Church there have been people of considerable
influence who have been sincere and consciencious, and yet have been
blind to their errors and responsibilities. They have led themselves
and others astray. Such (the Catholic would say) was Arius, Hus,
Luther, and many others.
Cardinal Newman during his Anglican days was on intimate terms at
Oxford with an apostate Catholic priest, one Blanco White. Blanco White
ended his days having passed from Catholicism to Anglicanism on finally
to Unitarianism. He was buried in the Unitarian burial ground in
Manchester. Newman as an Anglican finally regarded him as sincere, but
blind. Reading his writings one would have to regard Blanco White's
spiritual blindness as total. Yet he was sincere, and believed firmly
that he was following his conscience. Ultimately the blindness was self
induced. It was paradoxically due to countless infidelities.
We can thus understand our Lord's frustration at the blindness he
encountered. "Do you not understand? Have you no perception? Are your
minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear?"
Our Lord was speaking to his disciples who had obvious good will and
sincerely wished to be his disciples. They were good soil for the
action of the Holy Spirit in due course. But there were other cases of
blindness our Lord was confronted with, such as his enemies who were
out to trap and do away with him. On the cross our Lord prayed that
they be forgiven, for they did not know what they were doing.
Let us pray for light from God that will overcome the blindness of our
hearts. We remember the blind man coming before our Lord, who asked him
'What do you want me to do for you?' His answer was, 'Lord, that I may
see.' Many saints have made that their prayer: Lord that I may see. St
James invites us to pray for God's gift of wisdom. He assures us that
God will give this gift if we ask for it properly.
(E.J.Tyler)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sometimes one hears love described as if it were a movement towards
self-satisfaction, or merely a means of selfishly fulfilling one's own
personality. And I have always told you that it isn't so. True love
demands getting out of oneself, giving oneself. Genuine love brings joy
in its wake, a joy that has its roots in the shape of the
Cross."
(The Forge,
no.28)
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Wednesday
of the sixth week of Ordinary Time II
Today's readings from
Scripture: St James 1:
19-27; Psalm 14; Mark 8:
22-26
Reflection on St James 1: 19-27
On remembering
It is possible to think a lot about the spiritual life, to have great
yearnings for its development, to have a persistent ambition to grow in
the love of God, and to be praying at length about it - all of which is
necessary - but to make little true progress. The reason is that a
simple thing is missing. We do not remember to put things into practice.
St James tells us we must remember to put God's law actively into
practice. "But you must do what the word tells you and not just listen
to it and deceive yourselves. .... But the man who looks steadily at
the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habit - not listening and
then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice - will be happy
in all that he does." (James 1: 22-25)
In specifically warning us against forgetting what we have listened to
in the word of God, St James is putting his finger on a simple
but fundamental matter. So much depends on it. We shall fail to make
progress in union with God and in Christian perfection if we do not
work at overcoming our defects by daily effort. We will not make
any significant effort if we do not remember to make the daily effort.
And all to often this is exactly what happens: we do not remember to do
anything about it during the day. We even forget all about our daily
examination of conscience, or do not remember to make a good job of it.
For instance, we can be impatient and angry - and St James specifically
mentions this defect. There can be other bad habits too ("the
impurities and bad habits that are still left in you"). We form a very
general desire to improve, and have a hope to do something significant
about it. But we forget to work on it in the concrete. St Ignatius
Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises proposes various techniques to help
us remember to work on our defects in his section on the paricular
examination of conscience.
The point is that, as St James says, we are deceiving ourselves if we
think we are leading a true Christian life if normally, day by day, we
forget to work on our spiritual defects such as the ones St James
mentions in the above passage. We must decide on some practical
strategy to help us remember.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My God, how is it that I do not cry out in sorrow and love whenever I
see a Crucifix?"
(The Forge, no.29)
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Wednesday
of the sixth week of Ordinary Time II
Today's readings from
Scripture: St James 2:
1-9; Psalm 33; Mark
8: 27-33
Recognising
Christ in the poor (St James 2: 1-9)
There are various tests as to whether we are living a true life of
faith, and it is very clear from the Scriptures that one of them is how
we treat the poor. So too in the letter of St James. He says that you
can't have faith in Christ and discriminate unfavourably against the
poor. "My brothers, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our
glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of
people" (James
2: 1). He is referring to the honour and respect his readers
tended to accord the rich even in the synagogue, while treating the
poor with little consideration. Our Lord treated the rich courteously
and gave them his time (consider Zachaeus), but especially made himself
available to the poor and lowly. It is clear that our Lord inculcated
in his disciples care for the poor. When Judas left the Last Supper,
some thought he was going to give alms to the poor. St Paul tells us
that Peter, James and John, 'the pillars', instructed him to have a
special concern for the poor.
Now what is behind this special consideration the Christian gives to
the poor? It is that our Lord identifies with the least, as we read in
our Lord's account of the Last Judgment in Matthew chapter 25. It is
clear there that recognising Christ in the poor is a most important
test of our faith: our judgment will depend on it. St Paul says that
this is the mystery now revealed: Christ in you your hope of glory
(Colossians 1: 27). Christ is in us, and we must act accordingly. He is
in the poorest, so we must treat that poor person accordingly. Moreover
- and St James alludes to this - the poor can show surprising spiritual
potential."Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who are poor
according to the the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to
be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. In
spite of this you have no respect for anybody who is poor." In terms of
their divine calling, they are to be respected.
This Christian attitude to the poor person has always been a hallmark
of Christian sanctity. Thus it is that we have Mother Teresa, Saint
Vincent de Paul, and so many other saints who have shown the way to the
Church and to the world. Let us then resolve to live by faith and see
Christ in the poor. Christ will be served in them, and the poor
themselves will see Christ in us and will give glory to God for his
kindness to them.
(E.J.Tyler)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Marvel at God's magnanimity: he has become Man to redeem us, so that
you and I - who are absolutely worthless, admit it! may come to know
him and trust him."
(The Forge, no.30)
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Friday
of the the sixth week of Ordinary Time II
Today's readings from
Scripture: St James 2:
14-24.26; Psalm 111;
Mark 8: 34 - 9: 1
Attend to the whole of Scripure, not just
part of it (James 2: 14-24.
26)
Those who go to Mass daily hear the word of God daily. Every day
we ought read a little of Sacred
Scripture. This ought lead to a deep love for Scripture - for all of
it, for all its parts. The different parts of Scripture provide us with
the Holy Spirit's teaching on various aspects of whatever is being
revealed. For instance, if we want to know what God has revealed about
prayer, we do not take notice simply of one passage in one book. When
our Lord says "ask and you shall receive", we also remember and take
into account his own request in the Garden that he be spared the
drinking of his cup. But it was not his Father's will that this happen.
So we take into account the whole sweep of Scripture, which means we
should read Scripture as assiduously as we can and with much love.
A case in point is today's reading from the letter of St James. He
teaches that if good works do not accompany faith, then faith is quite
dead. He explicitly says that "it is by doing something good, and not
only by believing, that a man is justified." (James 2: 24). Now this is
interesting, because St Paul in his letter to the Romans says that "a
man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him
to do." (Romans 3: 28). St Paul illustrates this teaching up by
devoting the whole of his next chapter to applying it to Abraham,
quoting Genesis that "Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was
considered as justifying him." (Rom. 4:3).
But we read in chapter 2 of St James's letter that Abraham was
justified by his deed, because he offered his son Isaac on the altar.
Faith and deeds were working together. According to James, this is the
true meaning of the statement of Scripture that Abraham put his faith
in God, and this was counted as justifying him. St James's conclusion
on the face of it appears to be almost a correction of St Pauls's. As
mentioned already, he states "that it is by doing something good, and
not only by believing, that a man is justified." (James 2: 24).
Of course, there is no contradiction between the two inspired writers.
James is insisting that a living faith must be shown in good works if
it is to justify, while St Paul is opposing a hollow faith that trusts
in one's own works. But the point here is that we should love and
reverence and attend to the whole of Scripture, drawing our spiritual
nourishment from its entire sweep as the Church places it before us
above all in the liturgy (Mass and Daily Hours). Luther in his
discovery of his doctrine of faith alone attended to St Paul as he
thought he understood him, but went wrong because he did not attend to
St James. More fundamentally, he failed to read the whole of Scripture
with the mind of the Church and her Tradition.
(E.J.Tyler)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"O Jesus, strengthen our souls, open out the way for us, and, above
all, intoxicate us with your Love. Make us into blazing fires to
enkindly the earth with the heavenly fire you brought us."
(The Forge, no.31)
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Saturday
of the the sixth week of Ordinary Time II
(February 21) Saint Peter Damien,
bishop and doctor of the Church.
Born at Ravenna in 1007. After completing his studies he taught for a
short while but then gave it up and became a hermit at Fonte Avellana.
He was elected Prior of the community and strenuously promoted
religious observance both there and in other parts of Italy. In the
difficult times in which he lived he helped the Popes by his writings
and acted as legate to reform the Church. He was made a Cardinal and
Bishop of Ostia by Pope Stephen IX. On his death in the year 1072 he
was immediately venerated as a saint.
Today's readings from
Scripture:
St James 3:
1-10; Psalm 11;
Mark 9: 2-13
God's
Simplicity in Teaching "This is my
beloved Son. Listen to him." (Mark 9:
2-13)
As we think of the stream of human history, we remember the great minds
and teachers of mankind. We think perhaps of Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, the leaders and founders of great religions such as
Zoroaster, Buddha, and so forth. Very often their teaching is profound,
yet often abstruse and difficult to follow.
But let us consider Christ, mankind's greatest and surest teacher
because he is God. Now a notable and striking feature of his teaching
is its profundity, yes, but at the same time its clarity and
simplicity. It would be difficult to think of a great teacher with the
clarity and simplicity of Christ. His teaching can be understood by
anyone who brings to it a right heart ready to be guided by the mind of
the Church. Furthermore, it is a teaching which can take anyone to the
heights of sanctity and wisdom for it is also accompanied by God's
grace. Such is the teaching of Christ. It is accessible because clear
and simple.
But in the passage above we have not only words coming from the mouth
of Christ. We have words and teaching coming from the Father, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is notable about his words as
given on the Mount during the transfiguration is their simplicity.
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." What could be simpler than
that? Yet what more redeeming and sanctifying! Those words are clear to
all and if put into effect will make of a person a saint.
What all this means is that God means to make his plan clear to all of
his children, not just the well
endowed. All of us are called to holiness, not just the especially
gifted. Let us come to him as his children, confident that he will
guide us by his teaching. It is a teaching meant for all.
(E.J.Tyler)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Coming closer to God means being ready to be converted anew, to change
direction again, to listen attentively to his inspirations - those holy
desires he places in our souls - and to put them into practice."
(The Forge, no.32)
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World
Day of the Sick (Papal
Message)
Scripture today:
Jeremiah
17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12.16-20;
Luke 6:17.20-26
"A great crowd of
people
from all parts ... who had come to hear him and to be cured.."
(Luke 6:17.20-26)
Today we celebrate the annual World
Day of the Sick, and
for today we have a special message from Pope John Paul II. So let me
place
before you what the Pope says:
‘Since I too have shared the experience of illness
several
times in recent years, I have come to understand more clearly its value
for my ministry as Pope and for the Church’s life itself. I invite all
the sick to consider in prayer Christ crucified and risen, in order to
discover God’s loving plan in their own experience of pain. Only by
looking at Jesus, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, to use
the words of Isaiah, is it possible to find serenity and trust in
illness.
'The theme of this Wold Day of the Sick is the "New
Evangelization and the Dignity of the Suffering Person". The Church
wishes to stress the need to evangelize this area of human experience.
'Every day in my own mind and heart I go on a
spiritual
pilgrimage to hospitals and treatment centres. These places are like
shrines where people participate in Christ’s paschal mystery. Everyone
there is prompted to wonder about his own life and its meaning, about
the reason for evil, suffering and death. This is why it is important
that the skilled and significant presence of believers should never be
wanting in these institutions.
'And so I make a pressing appeal to all health
professionals to learn from Christ to be authentic Good Samaritans
towards their brothers and sisters, and to tirelessly promote the needs
and health of the whole person with all his needs, be they physical,
psychological, social and spiritual. Only Jesus the divine
Samaritan is the fully satisfying answer to the deepest expectations of
every human being in search of peace and salvation. Christ is the
saviour of every person and of the whole person. And so the world of
health itself must be evangelised for it is a valuable means of
promoting the civilisation of love.
'It is particularly necessary, with regard to
medicines,
treatments and surgical operations, for clinical experimentation to be
conducted with absolute respect for the individual and with a clear
aware-ness of the risks, and, consequently of the limits. Moreover, the
persistent injustice that deprives a large part of the population of
the treatment necessary to health, especially in poor countries, must
cease once and for all. Especially for Christians, promoting health is
a duty closely connected with their witness of the Faith.
'Here I would like to praise those individuals and
religious bodies which perform a generous service in this sector by
courageously responding to the urgent needs of persons in regions or
countries of great poverty. In view of the new tragedies and diseases
which have replaced the plagues of the past, there is a pressing need
for the work of Good Samaritans who can offer the sick the treatment
they need, but at the same time provide them with spiritual support to
endure their difficult situation with faith.
'I address you, dear sick people and generous
health-care
workers. This Day is a renewed invitation to contemplate the face of
Christ, who became Man 2000 years ago to redeem man. Dear brothers and
sisters, proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel of life and hope with
generous dedication. Proclaim that Christ is the comfort of all who are
in distress or difficulty; he is the strength of those experiencing
moments of fatigue and vulnerability. He is the support of those who
work for others’ health.
'I entrust you to our Lady of Consolation and ask that she
make her motherly protection felt by all her sick and suffering
children.
(Pope John Paul II)
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7th Sunday
Ordinary Time C
Scripture today:
Isaiah
43:18-19.21-22.24-25; Psalm 40; 2 Corinthians 1:18-22; Mark
2:1-12
"Love your enemies, do good to
those
who hate you, bless those who curse you.." (Mark 2:1-12)
The words of our Lord that we have just heard direct
our minds to the duty we have of striving for the perfection of love
and compassion. “I say to you who are listening Love your enemies, do
good to those who hate you, pray for those who treat you badly.” (Mark 2:1-12) Our
Lord says in another part of the Gospel that by this will all men know
you are my disciples, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
So love and compassion to all, especially towards our enemies, is a
distinguishing feature of the Christian religion. That is the duty it
imposes on the Christian.
I invite you to consider our Lord’s words a little more
deeply, or rather where they are coming from. They are coming from the
heart of Christ, and therefore they tell us about his heart, about him
at his very core, about Jesus being love. Our Lord’s words are
inspiring and daunting words, and we ought consider the person from
whom
they flowed. For he is the model and embodiment of this exalted
teaching. They throw light, therefore, on him. To listen to his
instruction to us on the love we should have for our enemies, is to
have a glimpse of him. He is the one who loved his enemies to the
fullest, and prayed for those who treated him so badly. On the cross he
asked his Father to forgive them for they did not know what they were
doing. This is the language of someone who loves those who are causing
him unspeakable suffering. And if you see again the movie The Passion of the
Messiah,
think of the love for us that led our Lord in his passion.
But there is also this. We must remember that Jesus was
imitating perfectly what the Father does. For as St Paul says, Christ
is the image of the unseen God, and our Lord said to his disciples that
he who sees him has seen the Father. Of his Father our Lord says that
he is compassionate, and kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. So our
Lord’s words not only reveal himself and his
own sacred heart, they also reveal the heart of the Father, who is the
ultimate origin of all. The Father is the origin not only of all
created reality, but of the other two divine persons as well. The Son
is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from both. Now he,
the ultimate principle, is kind, compassionate, loving.
As his children we are called to be like our Father in
heaven. If
like him and like his son Jesus our brother we try to love our enemies
and do good, we will have a great reward, and will be sons of the Most
High.
(E.J.Tyler)
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Monday
of the seventh week of Ordinary Time II
(February 23) St Polycarp, bishop
and martyr. Martyred about the year
155. He was converted to Christianity by St John the Evangelist. He was
later ordained bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey). He was about
eighty six when the Roman pro-consul urged him to renounce Christ and
save his life. St Polycarp said, "For eighty six years I have served
him and he has never wrongedme. How can I renounce the King who has
saved me?"
Scripture readings for today:
James
3: 13-18; Psalm 18;
Mark 9: 14-29
The
wisdom that comes down from above James 3:
13-18
The Letter of St James is simple, practical, straightforward. We might
say that he writes his inspired
Letter with a view to the practical difference that the Christian life
will make if truly lived. Now one thing we do notice is his repeated
reference to wisdom. One has the impression that the Old Testament book
of Wisdom has had an influence on the spiritual outlook of James.
Wisdom will make all the difference to a man's life. But James refers
(as does the book of Wisdom) to the wisdom that comes down from above.
This is an important detail because wisdom was widely prized in the
ancient world. The philosopher was a lover of wisdom, and to have
gained a reputation for being wise and learned was important indeed.The
wisdom and learning of the ancient world was the fruit of prolonged
effort, special gifts and certain opportunities. But it had little
relation to holiness and goodness of life as such.
And so St James at the beginning of his passage (3: 13-18) says that
"If there are any wise or learned men among you, let them show it by
their good lives, with humility and wisdom in their actions." Wisdom is
to be shown in one's moral attitudes and actions. This kind of wisdom
is "the wisdom that comes down from above", and so by implication is
accessible to anyone thus favoured by God. This kind of wisdom is
"essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and
considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good".
So the wisdom that God gives those who ask for it and are properly
disposed for it has a great moral
character. Its fruit is holiness of heart and of life. It sows seeds of
holiness. To dispel the darkness of sin, we must seek this wisdom that
comes from above. Our Lord on one occasion, filled with the joy of the
Holy Spirit, blessed his heavenly Father for hiding these things from
the wise and clever, and revealing them to mere children.
Let us pray for the wisdom granted from above, and strive to live by
it. It is necessary for holiness.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What respect, veneration and affection we should feel for every single
soul when we realise that God loves it as his very own."
(The Forge, no.34)
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Tuesday
of the seventh week Ordinary Time II
Scripture readings for today: James 4:
1-10; Psalm 54;
Mark 9: 30-37
Suffering in
the plan of God Mark 9: 30-37
Occasionally we see in the Gospels our Lord manifesting a holy
frustration at the slowness of perception and understanding in his
disciples. He had much to instruct them in, for they - his apostles -
were to be the foundation of his Church. In the passage above, our Lord
was with his disciples, "but he did not want anyone to know about it",
for there was a precious and fundamental instruction he had to give
them. "He was teaching his disciples and telling them, 'The Son of Man
is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days
after his death he will rise.' But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him."
One of the most difficult things to understand is the redemptive and
sanctifying value of suffering. Our
Lord told his disciples before and after his resurrection that the
Scriptures had foretold that the Messiah had to suffer. Our Lord
repeatedly instructed his disciples to this effect, but it seems that
it was only when the Holy Spirit was given that a dawning realization
of this came to them.
To follow our Lord closely, we must be closely associated with him in
his suffering. When our suffering is united to his, it will be
immensely redemptive and sanctifying. Just as Christ embraced his
sufferings, so too the lover of Christ embraces the sufferings which in
the providence of God come his way. To understand this fundamental
aspect of the Christian religion, that suffering has been transformed
in its meaning and value, we ought gaze in prayer at Jesus and listen
to his teaching with our hearts, asking for wisdom that comes down from
above, from the Holy Spirit.
The appreciation of God's plan for suffering is a great grace to
receive and a turning point if accepted. St James speaks (ch. 4:
1-12) of the power of prayer. This is something to pray for, especially
in Lent.
(E.J.Tyler)
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"An aspiration: May we spend the days the Lord grants us only in
pleasing him."
(The Forge, no.34)
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Eighth Sunday
of Ordinary Time C
Scripture today:
Ecclesiasticus
27:5-8; Psalm 91; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58;
Luke 6:39-45
"A good man draws what is good from
the store of goodness in his heart." (Luke 6:39-45)
Our Lord in today’s Gospel refers to the words a man
uses and how they flow out from what fills his heart Luke 6:39-45.
A man's speech.
Similarly, the first reading, drawn from the Old Testament, says that a
man’s words betray what he feels. Again, a man's speech. So let us
think of the power and the glory of our tongue, that
is to say, let us consider the good or evil issuing from what we say.
God gave us Ten Commandments and two of them concern how we
use
our tongue. One is, ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God
in vain.’ So that concerns what we say of God. The other one is,
‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.’ That
concerns what we say about others. We use our tongue to glorify or
curse God and man, to save or destroy persons, marriages and even
nations. Cemetries have bodies buried there because of the way people
have used their tongues, wars have been provoked by the way people have
used their tongues, and peace has come from the use of the tongue. We
use our tongue to receive the very body of Christ, and perhaps an hour
later use our tongue to verbally abuse people who delay us in the
traffic. Martyrs have had their tongues torn out for bearing witness to
Jesus and others have gained applause and appreciation for using their
tongues to tell impure stories.
St James compares the tongue with the tiny bit
connected to the bridle of a horse. The bit is set between the horse’s
teeth and controls the horse. St James also compares it to the tiny
rudder that gives direction to ships, and to the spark of fire that
sets a whole forest ablaze. ‘From the mouth,’ he says, ‘come both
blessing and cursing.’ How do we offend God with our tongues? We can
offend God in numerous ways, but an
obvious way is by gossip and behind the scenes backchat about people.
This can affect families, communities and parishes. It can affect the
spirit and harmony within a parish organisation, and initiatives taken
for the good of the parish.
And what is a good way of using our tongues? Rather than
criticising the other person, by praising him. What good this would do
in
families, in the community, and in parishes, if praising was the norm!
Between a husband and a wife, think what the effect would be if one
compliment was given every day. It will help one to do this if one
remembers that our Lord said that what we do to the least, he regards
as having been done to him. Think of the result in families,
communities and parishes were praise to replace criticism.
Very importantly, we ought use our tongues to praise
God
and to bear witness to him before others. Our Lord once said that if
anyone is ashamed to bear witness to him before men, he will refuse to
bear witness to him before his Father in heaven. Our tongues were given
us above all to praise and thank God our Father and to ask him for what
we need. Our words and our speech, if our thoughts are rooted in God,
will be the means whereby we bear witness to him before others.
And so our speech, together with our thoughts and deeds,
ought be
holy. We ought go to Confession frequently, examining ourselves on how
we have used our tongue, how we have spoken, and on the good we
have failed to do by not using our tongues to serve God and love
others. And let us think of our Lord, our Lady, and St Joseph. Think of
their speech, the good they did by saying what they said, the words
they used. So make them our models in everything. St Paul says, let
this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Our words will be the
fruit of this Christlike mind.
(E.J.Tyler)
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