Sin and the mercy of God (Matthew 9: 9-13)
In our Gospel passage (Matthew 9: 9-13) Our Lord is presented to us as dealing with two groups of people. On the one hand there are Matthew his disciple and the tax collectors and sinners with whom he was dining. On the other hand there are the Pharisees who complained that he was associating with sinners. The tax collectors and those commonly regarded as sinners sought after him. Those commonly regarded as very observant of God’s law and as very religious held aloof from our Lord and criticized him. The sinners received the gift of his friendship, the others kept their distance from it.
So then, some seek our Lord’s friendship, others do not. Why do some seek it and others do not? Some feel the need for it, and others do not. Some feel the need for our Lord’s saving help, others do not. Some know and feel that they are sinners, and need the pardon and mercy of God, others do not. The tax collectors and those commonly regarded by people as the sinners of society knew and were made to feel they were sinners. They knew they needed to be reconciled with God. They knew they were not in his friendship. They knew they had all too long been living in a way very displeasing to him. They knew they needed his pardon, his mercy, and his help to rise out of that sinful situation and to live in his friendship. It seemed beyond them.
But due to the mercy of our Lord, it was not beyond them. Consider Matthew himself. He, as the Gospel passage tells us, “was sitting by the customs house” and our Lord said to him, “Follow me”, and he “got up and followed him.” He was a person in no way regarded highly or with respect by society, because of his dubious profession. But our Lord invited him into his friendship and to share in his mission. What a wonderful privilege. Our Lord was willing to welcome into his friendship anyone who wished it, even among the Pharisees. He accepted invitations from the Pharisees to dine with them. But it was those who knew they were sinners who especially appreciated our Lord’s love. Consider how when our Lord was passing through Jerico, and the leading tax collector, Zacchaeus by name, ran ahead and climbed the tree to gain a better view of him. He was genuinely interested in our Lord and revered him. Our Lord looked up and cheerily called him down, inviting himself into his house to dine with him. Zacchaeus was converted. He joyfully renounced his sinful ways and became a friend and disciple of our Lord. He knew he was a sinner, and that friendship with our Lord and the following of him was the answer to his sinful condition and all his real needs. Our Lord’s gift of friendship with him was a great gift of divine mercy. God shows his mercy to us by offering us his friendship, provided we acknowledge our sins and turn away from them.
The pharisees did not see themselves as sinners at all. They were the righteous ones as far as they were concerned, and regarded themselves as very unlike the tax collectors and the sinners. And so they had no need for our Lord, so they thought. But they did, for they were deep in sin. Our Lord described them as whitened sepulchres and as hypocrites. St John the Baptist had described them to their faces as a brood of vipers. They were indeed sinners, but they had no sense of their sinfulness, and so they were not interested in the gift of our Lord’s friendship, involving as it did the acknowledgment and renunciation of sin, and the grateful acceptance of our Lord as the Master and Friend of one’s life.
Today, as we think of our Lord calling the
tax
collector Matthew to be his disciple, and as we think of him giving his
friendship to the tax collectors and the sinners, let us resolve to be
profoundly conscious of our sinfulness. Let us acknowledge it daily to
God and regularly in the sacrament of Penance. Let us be profoundly
grateful
to God for his mercy in calling us, sinners as we are, to share in the
friendship and the mission of Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Let us turn
away
from our sins daily, and daily grow in a profound friendship with Jesus.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church: Mercy and Sin, nos. 1846-1848
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Renew your firm resolution to live your Christian life right now, at every moment and in all circumstances.(The Forge, no.396)
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Monday of the tenth week of Ordinary Time 1
God our Father (2 Corinthians 1:1-7)
There is one point that is at the heart of Christian truth and spirituality that we can easily overlook. We can easily forget God the Father. He is the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord referred to him after he had risen as “my Father and your Father, my God and your God.” God the Father was the centre and object of our Lord’s whole life. When as a child Mary and Joseph found him in the Temple, he said to them, “Did you not know I must be about my Father’s business?” Our Lord told his disciples that “he who sees me sees the Father”, and as he died on the cross he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Well, St Paul tells us about the Father at the very beginning of his second letter to the Corinthians, which we begin today in the first reading. The Father is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a gentle Father and the God of all consolations. He comforts us in our sorrows so that we can bring consolation to others. We must therefore try to be like God our Father to others.
We ought then strive to appreciate the fatherly
gentleness
of God who wishes to bring us consolation, and who wishes us to do the
same to others in their need. This is why we shall be judged on how we
treat others. We have in our Lord the model of what it means to be like
God the Father, for he in his very person reveals the love of the
Father.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“For while the law was given through Moses, this enduring love came through Jesus Christ.”
Commentary on the Gospel of today (Matthew
5:1-12):
by Chromacus of Aquilaea (? – 407), Bishop
Sermon 39; CCL 9A, 169-170 [Ephata II]
It is good that the new law is proclaimed on a mountaintop, since the law of Moses was given on a mountaintop. The one consists in ten commandments given to form people’s behaviour in the present life; the other consists in eight beatitudes, for it leads those who follow it to eternal life and the heavenly homeland.
“Blest are the lowly; they shall inherit the land.” Thus, we must be lowly people, who are peaceful in our souls and sincere in our hearts. The Lord shows clearly that the merit of such people is not small when he says: “They shall inherit the land.” Without doubt, he is talking about the land of which is written: “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13) The heritage of that land is the immortality of the body and the glory of eternal resurrection. For gentleness knows nothing of pride, of boastfulness, of ambition. And so it is not without reason that the Lord exhorts his disciples saying: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest.” (Mt 11:29)
“Blest are the sorrowing; they shall be consoled.” Not those who sorrow over the loss of what is dear to them, but those who sorrow over their sins, who wash themselves of their faults by means of tears, and without doubt those who sorrow over the iniquity of this world or who lament because of the faults of others.
------------------------------------------
Don’t place obstacles in grace’s way. You need to be
convinced
that in order to be leaven you must become a saint, and must struggle
to
identify yourself with him.
(The Forge, no.397)
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Tuesday of the tenth week of Ordinary Time 1
Today the Church celebrates : Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz and Companions
Christian optimism (2 Corinthians 1:18-22)
Recently I watched on television an extended interview with a lady who was nearly eighty years of age. She was in good health, free from depression, and engaging in her conversation. But she wanted to end her life at eighty. I think she has already done this. The reason seems to have been that she felt she had nothing more to live for. She had nothing more in life to look forward to. Incidentally, she had rejected God, and appeared to have a dislike for Christ.
The person whose faith is deep will go through many difficulties, depending on his circumstances and temperament. But even in the midst of great and final sufferings he still has very important things to look forward to. Life for him never loses its point, because it comes from God who promises so much to the one who believes in him. As St Paul says in today’s first reading, God is not yes and no, but “always yes. However many the promises God made, the yes to them all is in” Jesus. Faith in Jesus is faith in a bright and glorious future in him. It is faith in a great Yes, not a No.
This is the foundation of the optimism in the midst
of
suffering of the Christian. The foundation is the love and fidelity of
Christ. Let us bring this optimism to others.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Your light must shine before men”
Commentary on the Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) :
by Chromacus of Aquilaea (died 407), Bishop
Homilies on St. Matthew, 5
The Lord had called his disciples “salt of the earth” because by means of the taste of heavenly wisdom, they helped the hearts of those who had become tasteless through the devil. And now he calls them “light of the world” because, enlightened by him who is the eternal and true light, they in turn have become a light in darkness (Jn 1:5). Because he himself is the “Sun of justice” (Mal 3:20), he also calls his disciples “light of the world”. Through them, as with sparkling rays, he can pour out the light of his knowledge over the whole earth. They really did chase the darkness of error far from people’s hearts by showing the light of truth.
Enlightened by them, we too who were darkness have become light, as Saint Paul says: “There was a time when you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Well, then, live as children of light.” (Eph 5:8) And again: “We belong neither to darkness nor to night; [we] are children of light and of the day.” (1 Thess 5:5). Saint John was right when he asserted in his letter: “God is light”. The person who abides in God is in the light, just as he himself is in the light (1 Jn 1:5-7). Since we have the joy of being freed from the darkness of error, we must live in the light and walk in the light as true children of the light.
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Say slowly and in great earnestness - Now I begin!
Don’t
get discouraged if, unfortunately, you don’t see any great change in
yourself
brought about by the Lord’s right hand. From your lowliness you can cry
out: Help me, my Jesus, because I want to fulfil your Will - your most
loveable Will.
(The Forge, no.398)
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Wednesday of the tenth week of Ordinary Time 1
Today the Church celebrates : St. Medard & St. Gildard
The two covenants (2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Matthew 45:17-19)
St Paul in the first reading contrasts in stark fashion the covenant of Moses written on stone with the new covenant that succeeded it. That of Moses was a covenant of written letters, whereas the one he administered was a covenant of the Spirit. The covenant of Moses revealed God’s Law, which in turn revealed our sins because of our failure to live the Law of God. It can be said to bring death in the sense that of itself - of its own power - the Law written in stone and in the sacred text does not liberate man from his sin, which comes to light by means of the Law. But the new covenant of the Spirit “gives life.” The new covenant is incomparably greater than the old, and its administration brings incomparably greater blessings. The splendour it offers, St Paul tells us, “is going to last forever.”
That does not mean that the Law and the Prophets are
unimportant.
By no means. They pointed to what had to be fulfilled, but what could
not
be fulfilled, till Christ came. As our Lord tells us in the Gospel, he
came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets, “but to complete them.”
They
were completed by him in the sense that he kept them in such a way that
their purpose was achieved. He achieved in his holy life and work the
purpose
of the Law and the Prophets. The Law and the Prophets are to be read in
the light of Christ - how he lived and what he did. He then is the
model
for us all, and with Christ before him “the man who keeps them and
teaches
them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.”
(E.J.Tyler)
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“I have come, not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.”
Commentary on the Gospel of the day :
by Saint John Chrysostom (around 345-407), Bishop of Antioch, then of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church (Homilies on St. Matthew, 16)
Do you want to know how Jesus, far from abolishing the law and the prophets, comes rather to confirm and to complete them? Where the prophets are concerned, this happens first of all when he confirms through his works what they had announced. That is where the _expression comes from that is constantly repeated in St. Matthew: “That the word of the prophet might be fulfilled”…
Where the law is concerned, he fulfilled it in three ways. First of all, by not omitting any of its legal requirements. He told John the Baptist: “We must do this if we would fulfill all of God’s demands.” (Mt 3:15). To the Jews, he said: “Can any of you convict me of sin?” (Jn 8:46)…
In the second place, he fulfills it because he wanted to submit himself to it for our salvation. Oh marvel! By submitting to it, he communicated to us in turn the grace of fulfilling it. St. Paul teaches us this when he says: “Christ is the end of the law. Through him, justice comes to everyone who believes.” (Rom 10:4) He also says that the Savior condemned sin in the flesh “so that the just demands of the law might be fulfilled in us who live not according to the flesh.” (Rom 8:4) He also says: “Are we then abolishing the law by means of faith? Not at all! On the contrary, we are confirming the law.” (Rom 3:31). For the law aimed at making the person righteous, but it didn’t have the strength do so so; then Christ came, he who is the end of the law, and he showed us the way which leads to righteousness, that is to say faith. Thus he fulfilled the law’s intention. The letter of the law could not justify the sinner; faith in Jesus Christ will justify him. That is why he can say: “I have not come to abolish the law.”
If we look more closely, we can perceive a third way of fulfilling it. What is this? It consists in the very precepts, which Christ had to give; far from overturning those of Moses, they are their just consequence and their natural complement.
-----------------------------------
Agreed: your concern ought be for them. But your
first
concern must be yourself, your own interior life. Otherwise, you will
not
be able to serve them.
(The Forge, no.399)
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Thursday of the tenth week of Ordinary Time 1
Today the Church celebrates : St. Ephrem of Syria
Making up and forgiving (Matthew 5:20-26)
Perhaps the most striking phenomenon in human history is the constancy and prevalence of human strife. Man seems to be almost continually at war with his fellow man. One could not imagine the number of lives lost as a result of human conflict.
Conversely, one of the most difficult things to do - and human history bears this out - is to forgive wrongs done and to make up with those we have ourselves wronged. It is difficult because of the power and the depth of pride. Commonly, human virtue does not rise to the challenge of doing these things. It is not difficult to be regarded as a good person in the eyes of society while failing to make up and forgive.
But our Lord tells us that we must do this. We will be punished to the extent that we do not. He says, speaking of it, that “you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven”, and that “you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.” Of course too, if our virtue goes no deeper than the common level in this respect, holiness will be impossible.
Let us then resolve to take Christ as our model, and
in
all things to put on his mind.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Go first to be reconciled with your brother.”
Commentary on the Gospel of the day :
by Origen (around 185-253), Priest and Theologian
Small Treatise on Prayer, 8-9; PG 11, 442-443
Nobody will be able to obtain anything at all through prayer if he does not pray in a good frame of mind and with sincere faith… It is not a question of talking a lot… Rather, it has to do with coming to prayer with a soul that is troubled by resentment. We can’t imagine that someone comes to prayer without having prepared his heart; we also can’t imagine that the person praying might obtain forgiveness of his sins if he hasn’t first forgiven with all his heart his brother, who is asking forgiveness of him …
So first of all, the person who is preparing to pray will be at a great advantage if he adopts an attitude which helps him to place himself in the presence of God and which helps him to speak to God as to someone who sees him and is present to him. Certain images and memories of past events clutter the mind, which lets itself be invaded by them; thus, it is useful to remember that God is present and that he knows the most secret movements of our soul. Then the soul will prepare to please the one who is present, who sees it and who anticipates all its thoughts, the one who searches the heart and probes the soul (Ps 7:10)…
As the Sacred Scriptures say, the person who prays must lift up pure hands; he must forgive each one of those who have offended him, reject everything that troubles his soul and not be annoyed with anyone… Who can doubt that this state of the soul is the most favorable? Paul teaches this when he says in his first letter to Timothy: “It is my wish then, that in every place the men shall offer prayers with blameless hands held aloft, and be free from anger and dissension.” (1 Tim 2:8)
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How difficult you find that mortification suggested
to
you by the Holy Spirit! Look at a Crucifix, steadily - and you will
come
to love that expiation.
(The Forge, no.400)
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Friday of the tenth week of Ordinary Time 1
Today the Church celebrates : St. Getulius & Comp., St Ithamar
The fight against sin (Matthew 5:27-32)
It goes without saying that the first and fundamental way in which we show our love for God is by striving to avoid sin. Our Lord said, if you love me you will keep my commandments. We come across people who have a fairly relaxed attitude to a variety of sins they commit. They live with their sins while all the time considering that they have a fair degree of love for God nevertheless.
But it is obvious that Our Lord takes the commission of sin with the utmost seriousness. Further, he instructs us to do something which is at the heart of any real attempt to avoid sin. He tells us in vivid and pictorial language that we must avoid what may be called the occasions of sin - those situations that can tempt us into sin. “If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” Our Lord does not want us to mutilate ourselves, but he certainly wants us to tolerate nothing that could entice us into sin.
In the context of our passage from the Gospel today,
our
Lord specifically mentions the virtue of chastity, and chastity
of
thought. It is to be guarded by a custody of the eyes. We must not
entertain
anything that may threaten this virtue. Let us then resolve to fight
sin
in all its detail and in every one of its occasions, out of love for
Jesus.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“If your eyes are good, your body will be filled with light” (Mt 6:22)
Commentary on the Gospel:
from the Imitation of Christ, 15th Century Spiritual
Treatise II, 4
There must be simplicity in one’s intention and
purity
in one’s affection.
Simplicity seeks God; purity finds him and savours him.
No good work will be difficult for you if you are
interiorly
free of all disordered affection.
If you want only what God wants and what is useful for
your neighbour, you will enjoy interior freedom.
If your heart were straight, then every creature would
be for you a mirror of life and a book full of holy instruction.
There is no creature so small and so base that it does
not show some image of God’s goodness.
If you had enough innocence and purity within you, you
would see everything without hindrance. A pure heart penetrates heaven
and hell.
Each person judges what is outside according to what
he is within himself.
If there is any joy in the world, the pure heart
possesses
it.
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“To be nailed to the Cross!” This aspiration kept
coming
again and again, as a new light, to the mind and heart of a certain
soul.
“To be nailed to the Cross?”, he asked himself. “How hard it is!” And
yet
he knew full well the way he had to go, against himself, the way of
self-denial.
This is why he earnestly implored, “Help me, Lord!”
(The Forge, no.401)
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Saturday of the tenth week of Ordinary Time 1
(11 June:) St Barnabas the Apostle: He was a
Cypriot
Jew. It was Barnabas who introduced St Paul to the other
Apostles.
He was with Paul in the first missionary journey and in the first
Council
of Jerusalem. After having converted many souls for Christ, Barnabas is
said to have died a martyr during Nero's reign.
Reconciliation with God (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 - from Saturday of the tenth week)
It is so easy to lose all sense of wonder at what God has done, and at what has been revealed to us. In 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 St Paul is filled with this wonder. He speaks of the “love of Christ” overwhelming us when we reflect on what he puts before us. To begin with, let us dwell on this, that “for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work.” This great thought should give each of us hope, a lively hope in the real possibility of our sanctification, which is our total reconciliation with God. We are a new creation. We have been made new, and it is truly possible for the new to overcome the old.
Not only must this be brought to fruition in our own
lives,
but we are called to offer it to others. As St Paul says, “It was God
who
reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing
on this reconciliation.” That is the work, the mission of the Church,
and
as members of the Church we share in this mission. St Paul tells the
Corinthians,
“So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing
through
us...be reconciled to God.” Our whole life, our way of interacting and
dealing with others, our speech, all should be a vehicle for this work
that God wishes to effect. We ought be true instruments of the work of
reconciliation with God.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Say ‘Yes’ when you mean ‘Yes’”, like Mary.
(Comment on the Gospel of today: Matt.5:33-37)
from Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Carmelite,
Doctor
of the Church
The Interior Castle, The Third Dwelling Places, Chapter
1
His Majesty well knows that I can boast only of His
mercy,
and since I cannot cease being what I have been, I have no other remedy
than to approach His mercy and to trust in the merits of His Son and of
the Virgin, His Mother, whose habit I wear so unworthily, and you wear.
Praise Him, my daughters, for you truly belong to our Lady. Thus you
have
no reason to be ashamed of my misery since you have such a good Mother.
Imitate her and reflect that the grandeur of our Lady and the good of
having
her for your patroness must be indeed great.
But one thing I advise you: not because you have such
a Mother or Patroness should you feel secure; [don’t pride yourself on
anything!].
We seem to think that everything is done when we willingly take and wear the religious habit and abandon all worldly things and possessions for Him – even though these possessions may amount to no more than the nets St. Peter possessed, for he who gives what he has thinks he gives enough. This renunciation is a good enough preparation if one perseveres in it and doesn’t turn back …There is no doubt that if a person perseveres in this nakedness and detachment from all worldly things he will reach his goal. But this perseverance includes the condition – and note that I am advising you of this – that you consider yourselves useless servants, as St. Paul, or Christ, says; and believe that you have not put our Lord under any obligation to grant you these kinds of favors. Rather, as one who has received more, you are more indebted.
-----------------------------------
When we look upon Calvary, where Jesus died, the
realisation
of our own sins should move us to be sorry, to make a deeper and more
mature
decision not to offend him again.
(The Forge, no.402)
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Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time 1
The ministerial priesthood (Matthew 9:36-10:8)
We are created such that we derive our knowledge initially from our senses. That is to say, our knowledge springs initially from what we see, hear, smell, touch or taste. The danger, however, is that we will confine our knowledge to what we perceive by means of our senses, and not rise beyond that level. And when it comes to living a religious life, we will tend to live not by faith but by sight. And so, for instance, we will tend to forget the real Presence when we are in the church. We will tend to forget that the sacrifice of Calvary is being made present when we are at Mass. We will tend to forget that Christ our Lord is speaking to us when we hear the Readings read at Mass and the homily being preached. Why? because we do not physically see Christ in these things. We go by sight, rather than by faith.
In today’s Gospel (Matt. 9:36-10.8) Our Lord yearns for more labourers in the harvest and asks his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send them. He calls his disciples and appoints twelve of them to be his Apostles. These he sent out to do his work. As we all know, the Church teaches that those twelve Apostles were the foundation stones of the Church, the chief of whom was Peter. The successor of St Peter is the Pope, and the successors of the Apostles are the bishops who are in communion with the Pope, under his authority. They have received the fulness of the sacrament of Orders. Priests receive a share in the sacrament of Orders making them co-workers of the Bishops, under their authority. Every parish has its priest, given to it by appointment of the bishop. As we think of our Lord’s appointment of the Twelve in today’s Gospel, we have the opportunity to think of the priesthood and the great Reality behind the priesthood and acting in it.
The danger in this too is that we will live by sight and not by faith. In respect to the priesthood, we will tend to look on the priest simply for the person he is rather than the great Reality present unseen within him and acting in him in virtue of his ordination. That great Reality is the person of Christ. Because of his ordination, the priest at a profound level of his being, is made into another Christ. Christ unites the priest to himself in such a way that the priest is constantly able to make Christ present in certain fundamental ways for his body the Church. Wherever he is, the priest makes Christ present. Christ prays for people in the prayer of the priest. Christ blesses when the priest blesses. Christ forgives sins when the priest forgives sins in the sacrament of Penance. Christ makes Calvary present when the priest celebrates Mass. Christ comes to the sick and dying when the priest gives the sacrament of the anointing. Christ speaks to his people when the priest preaches at Mass. The great Reality within the Church is Christ, and Christ is made present for the Church especially (though not exclusively) through and in the ministerial priesthood.
We all should exercise our faith constantly, and not slip into living simply by sight. When we see a priest, we ought actively exercise our faith in the word of the Church and realise that there goes someone in whom Christ is present and acting. He makes Christ present, so that I can benefit from Christ himself coming to me through that priest and through his actions. Because of that priest, I can have easy access to the very person of Christ - Christ who forgives my sins, who blesses me, who prays for me, who makes his own Sacrifice of Calvary present for me, who gives himself to me in Holy Communion, and who speaks to me and to us in the homily at Mass. Because of this I can live in Christ my Lord and grow in union with him.
If I do not recognise by faith this unseen Reality
in
the person and actions of the priest, I will not be disposed and ready
to receive Christ who comes to me in and through him. But if I do, my
heart
and mind will be open to Jesus my Lord, enabling me to become more like
Christ, and then in my turn to make him present to others out there in
the world. As St Paul writes, this is the mystery now revealed: Christ
in you, your hope of glory. In God’s plan, the priest is one (though
not
the only) great key to this taking place. Let us then pray for our
priests.
Let us pray for more priests. Let every young family pray that God will
draw a priest from one of their sons. Let every young man consider such
a beautiful vocation. Christ may be calling him.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further Reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.1554-1571. Sacred Orders.
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“The harvest is good”Commentary on the Gospel of the day :
by Saint John Chrysostom (around 345-407),
Bishop
of Antioch, then of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church (Homily on the
good harvest, 10, 2-3; PG 63, 519-521)
All the farmer’s work naturally leads to the harvest. So how could Christ call a work that was still in its beginnings a harvest? Idolatry reigned over all the earth… Everywhere there was fornication, adultery, debauchery, greed, theft, wars… The earth was filled with so many evils! No seed had been sown there. The thorns, thistles and weeds that covered the ground had not yet been pulled up. The ground had not yet been plowed, no furrow had yet been drawn.
So how could Jesus say that the harvest was good? … The apostles were probably distressed and frustrated: “How will we even be able to say anything, to stand upright before so many people? How can we, the Eleven, correct all the inhabitants of the earth? Will we who are so ignorant be able to approach scholars; will we who are so stripped of everything be able to meet armed men; will we who are subordinates be able to approach people in authority? We know only one language – will we be able to argue with the Barbarians who speak foreign languages? Who will bear with us if they don’t even understand our language?”
Jesus did not want such reasoning to discourage them. So he called the Gospel a harvest. It is as if he told them: “Everything is prepared, all the preparations have been made. I am sending you out to harvest the ripe grain. You will be able to sow and reap on the same day.” When the farmer leaves his home to go and harvest, he is brimming over with joy and shining with happiness. He thinks neither of the suffering nor of the difficulties, which he might encounter… Christ says, lend me your tongue, and you will see the ripe grain going into the king’s granaries. And so he then sends them out, telling them: “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20)
----------------------------------------------------
We need to smooth off the rough edges a little more
each
day - just as if we were working in stone or wood - and get rid of the
defects in our own lives with a spirit of penance. And with small
mortifications,
which are of two types: active mortifications - the ones we ourselves
look
for, like little flowers we gather up during the course of the day -
and
passive mortifications, which come from without and we find difficult
to
accept. Jesus Christ will later make up for whatever is still lacking.
What a wonderful figure of the crucified Christ you will become if you
give your all, generously and cheerfully.
(The Forge, no.403)
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Monday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time 1
(June 13) St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Born in Lisbon, Portugal. A Franciscan, he was known for his profound knowledge of theology and for his power of convincing. His preaching carried him from the north of Africa to Italy and France. He is known as the Evangelical Doctor because he based all that he said on the text of the Gospels. He died in Padua.
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The charity of Christ (Matthew 5:38-42)
There is in the modern world a constant discussion of human rights and of justice - and this is very good, for there can be no love without justice. If love is our ideal as Christians, justice is a precondition. But for all our talk of rights, of justice and of duties to others, still, our lord expects that we go much further than that. He speaks of forgiveness, mercy, loving one’s enemies, and of our virtue being much deeper than that of the scribes and the pharisees.
An insistence on mere justice can fail to resolve conflict among men. In today’s Gospel our Lord says instead of demanding an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, that “if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer the other as well.” Of course, our Lord is making his point graphically. He himself questioned what his assailant had done when he was struck on the cheek during his appearance before Annas during his Passion. No. His point is that we are to be generous in the face of evil and to overcome evil not just with justice, but with unconquerable goodness.
St Paul says in one of his letters, “Let this mind
be
in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Let us endeavour to be like Christ in
the face of evil and unreasonable demands on us. In this way will we
overcome
evil. It will not be done simply by demanding justice.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“What I say to you is: offer no resistance to injury.”
Commentary on the Gospel of the day :
by Saint Cyprian (around 200-258), Bishop of
Carthage
and Martyr
On the Virtue of Patience
“Bear with one another lovingly and make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force.” (cf. Eph 4:2f.) It is not possible to maintain unity or peace if the brothers don’t make every effort to remain tolerant of one another and to keep the bond of harmony, which comes from patience…
How can a person succeed in accomplishing that if he is not firm in patience and tolerant? That is what Saint Stephen did when, far from crying out for revenge, he asked that his executors be forgiven, saying: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60) That is how the first martyr for Christ behaved. He was not only a preacher of the Lord’s passion, but he also imitated his extreme gentleness.
What can we say concerning anger, discord, hypocrisy? They have no place in the life of a Christian. He must have patience in his heart; thus none of the vices will be found there. The apostle Paul warned us of this: “Do nothing to sadden the Holy Spirit… Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind.” (Eph 4:30-31) If the Christian becomes established in peace, in Christ’s harbor, he must allow neither anger nor discord to enter his heart; he is neither allowed to return evil for evil nor to conceive hatred.
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Our Lord, with his arms outstretched, is continually
begging
for your love.
(The Forge, no.404)
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Tuesday of the eleventh week of Ordinary Time 1
The poverty of God (2 Corinthians 8: 1-9)
Yesterday I was reading an article in the Sydney Morning Herald which showed that there are obvious cases of talent not being used in the Federal Parliament backbenches. As an instance of this, the example is given of one backbencher who is an accomplished multimillionaire. His wealth proved his ability, and that ability was not being used.
Now, God’s wealth is unlimited and has been such from all eternity. The richness of his being is infinite. There is this, though. St Paul tells us in today’s first reading (2 Cor 8:1-9) that Christ "was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.” God made himself poor so that we might become rich. St Paul expresses it differently elsewhere, saying that Christ did not cling to his glory as one equal to God, but put it aside and became as we are, and even lowlier than that.
That, then, is the character of ultimate greatness -
not
simply having possessions. Our Lord pointed to himself: the “Son of man
did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom
for the many. Let us make that our ultimate norm. Let us understand
that
this is the mind of Christ which we are called to put on. It is to be
lived
out after the manner of Mary and Joseph, in the loving and obedient
fulfilment
of the unseen and unnoticed duties of every ordinary day.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“My command to you is: love your enemies.”
Commentary on the Gospel of the day : by Saint Silouane (1866-1938), Orthodox Monk (Writings)
God is love (1 Jn 4:8). He gave us the commandment to love one another and even our enemies. And it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us this love. Keep the peace of the Holy Spirit and never lose it for the sake of what is futile. If you hurt your brother, you are afflicting your own heart; if you make peace with your brother, the Lord will give you infinitely more…
Didn’t the Lord himself say: “The reign of God is already in your midst.” (Lk 17:21) Eternal life begins now, and it is also now that we sow the seeds of eternal torment. I beg you, my brothers, prove it! If someone offends you, calumniates you, takes away something that belongs to you, and even if he is a persecutor of the holy Church, pray to God and say: “Lord, all of us are your creatures; have mercy on your servants and bring their heart to repentance.” Then you will feel grace in your soul. Certainly, in the beginning you have to make an effort to love your enemies; but the Lord, seeing your good will, will help you in everything, and the experience itself will show you the way. On the other hand, the person who cogitates bad things against his enemies cannot possess love and thus cannot know God.
---------------------------------------
Draw close to Jesus who has died for you; draw close
to
that Cross, outlined against the sky on the summit of Golgotha.
But
draw close sincerely and with interior recollection, which is the sign
of Christian maturity. That way the divine and human events of the
Passion
will sink deep into your soul.
(The Forge, no.405)
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Wednesday of the eleventh week of Ordinary Time 1
The faith that supports charity (2 Corinthians (9:6-11)
There is a great deal of time and effort spent in our society on ensuring security for the future. And that is good. We have various forms of superannuation and life assurance. When confronted with the needs of the poor, we can think, well, how about my need to ensure my future? Trying to ensure our own security can inhibit our assistance to the poor.
In our first reading of today (2 Cor. 9:6-11) St Paul says some interesting things in regard to this. He says that God loves a cheerful giver. Furthermore, he writes that “he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something, to spare for all sorts of good works.” He insists on this point again in the same passage. “The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one”. For us to take this teaching to heart we need to have faith in God’s power and love in our regard, and, loving our brothers, put our trust in it.
On one occasion after our Lord insisted on faith, a
person
said to him, “Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief.” Let us ask our
Lord
for the grace to believe in his loving and all-powerful care, enabling
us to serve our brothers and to help them in their need without the
anxiety
for ourselves that stifles true charity.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your
door,
and pray to your Father in private.”
(Matthew 6:1-6.16-18)
Commentary on the Gospel by Saint Augustine
(354-430),
Bishop of Hippo and Doctor of the Church
2nd Discourse on Psalm 33, §§8; PL 36,312
Going to your room is to return to your heart. Blest are they who rejoice at returning to their heart and who find nothing bad there……
They are greatly to be pitied who, returning home, have to fear that they will be chased away because of bitter fights with their family. But how much unhappier are they who do not dare to return to their conscience for fear of being chased away through remorse for their sins. If you want to return to your heart with pleasure, purify it. “Blest are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” (Mt 5:8) Remove from your heart the stains of covetousness, the spots of miserliness, the ulcer of superstition; remove the sacrilege, the evil thoughts, the hatred. I’’m not only speaking of that against your friends, but even of that against your enemies. Remove all that, then return to your heart and you will be happy.
------------------------------------------------
We should accept mortification with those same
sentiments
that Jesus Christ had in his Holy Passion.
(The Forge, no.406)
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Thursday of the eleventh week of Ordinary Time 1
The Spouse of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:1-11)
How does St Paul describe the relationship the Christian has with Christ? It is a marriage. He writes to the Corinthians that “I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I may give you away to this one husband.” We are, then, Christ's spouse. Our relationship with our Lord is one of mutual undying love. And yet we can be seduced and corrupted and turned away from simple devotion to Christ by those who proclaim “a new Jesus”. That is to say, our marriage to Christ must be carefully guarded and protected against false doctrine coming from sources other than the Teaching Church.
There is a rich biblical background for understanding our relationship with Christ in marital terms. St Paul himself describes it in thus elsewhere in his own letters. Our Lord referred to himself as the bridegroom, as did St John the Baptist to his disciples. Within the Old Testament prophetical tradition, notably in Hosea, Yahweh describes himself as the husband of his people, and his people as his spouse - an unfaithful and adulterous one all too often.
Let us make this profoundly beautiful truth a living
reality
in our lives.
(E.J.Tyler)
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The Lord’s Prayer, Matt. 6:7-15 “Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Commentary on the Gospel of the day : by Saint
Cyprian (around 200-258), Bishop and Martyr
Not that God do what he wants, but that we can do what he wants. Who can prevent God from doing what he wants? But we others, we are thwarted by the devil, who prevents us from obeying the will of God in everything, both interiorly and exteriorly. So we ask that his will be done in us. So that it might be done, we need his help. Nobody is strong through his own resources, but rather, his strength lies in the goodness and mercy of God.
The will of God is what Christ did and taught: humility in his conduct, solidity in his faith, modesty in his words, justice in his acts, mercy in his works, discipline in his habits. It is the will of God not to act wrongly towards anyone, to bear the wrong that is done to us, to maintain peace with our brothers, to love God with all our heart, to love him because he is the Father, and to fear him because he is God. Not to prefer anything over Christ, since he preferred us over everything, to adhere inviolably to his love, to stay beneath the cross with courage and trust. When it is a matter of fighting for his name or his honor, to show constancy in our words; to prove that we trust in the midst of difficulties so as to bear the struggle, to be patient in death so as to obtain the crown. That is what wanting to be co-heirs with Christ means: to fulfill God’’s precept, to do God’s will.
----------------------------------------
Mortification is a necessary premise for every kind
of
apostolate, and for bringing each apostolate to perfection.
(The Forge, no.407)
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Friday of the eleventh week of Ordinary Time 1
“The lamp of the body is the eye” (Matthew 6:19-23)
Cardinal Newman often made the point in his many writings that the problem with the thinking of so many people was not their logic but their starting points, which is to say their underlying assumptions. Depending on where people were coming from, the entire light under which they viewed reality would be affected.
Our Lord uses the image of the eye as the lamp of the body. They eye lights up the body with its light - which is to say, with what it sees. It, as it were, casts light into the body, light coming in from outside. It is light the window of the body which in effect acts as a light to the room. Well then, if this lamp of the body is diseased, all will be in darkness. If the way we see things is deformed by false and sinful assumptions, then our whole life will be cast into darkness. Pope Benedict has repeatedly made the point in the past that our modern western culture is under the iron dictatorship of relativism. It is assumed that nothing can be regarded as definitive. Truth is relative to the knower. This philosophical assumption throws all into darkness.
Let our light be that of Christ, coming to us from
his
oracle the Church. Let us pray that God will give us the right starting
points.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Do not lay up for yourselves an earthly
treasure.
Rather, store up heavenly treasure.”
Comment by St Ambrose (340-397), Bishop and Doctor of
the Church (On Nabaoth, 58)
You who bury your gold in the ground (Mt 25:25), you are its servant and not its master. “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” In burying that gold, you have buried your heart. Rather, sell your gold and buy salvation; sell what is of stone and acquire the kingdom of God, sell your field and buy for yourself eternal life.
When I say that, I’m telling the truth, for I am basing my words on the very word of the one who is Truth: “If you seek perfection, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor. You will then have treasure in heaven.” (Mt 19:21) Don’t become sad when you hear these words, for fear that the same thing will be said to you as was told the rich young man: “Only with difficulty will a rich man enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mt 19:23) Even more, when you read that sentence, consider that death can tear you away from these goods, that a powerful person’s violence can take them away from you. In the end, you will only have tried for tiny goods instead of great wealth; these are only monetary treasures instead of being treasures of grace. By that very fact, they are corruptible rather than remaining forever.
--------------------------------------
A spirit of penance is to be found first of all in
taking
advantage of the many little things - deeds, renunciations, sacrifices,
services rendered and so on - which we find daily along our way and we
then convert into acts of love and contrition, into mortifications. In
this way we shall be able to gather a bouquet at the end of each day -
a fine display which we can offer to God.
(The Forge, no.408)
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Saturday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time 1
“My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:1-10)
We revel in the gifts God has bestowed on us, and look to the gifts people are endowed with as full of promise for the future. But the danger is that in the things of God we will place our hope primarily in those gifts rather than in the power of God. St Paul has some extremely instructive points to make in this regard. He makes it clear that in his spiritual gifts he is just as endowed, and more so, than others. Things have been revealed to him that they, his critics, have not imagined, and yet he does not boast of that even though he could.
No. His boast is in his weakness because Christ has told him that his grace is enough for him. “My power is at its best in weakness”, according to Jesus. Presumably at least in part this means that when a person acknowledges his or her weakness and limitations before God and before others, and places his faith in God’s grace and power, then God’s power will be most at work in him. In the midst of weakness and suffering, mysteriously the power of God will be at work in and through him. God will be glorified in his utter dependence on God.
When we discover our weakness, when we are
especially
conscious of it, that is a golden moment to acknowledge the truth about
ourselves and about God. God is all-powerful and can be trusted. Let us
then aim to obey him and he will do his work in us. When beset by
abundant
limitations, let us be content in that discontent, for God is
all-powerful
and can be trusted.
"Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong."
Let us then aim to obey him and he will do his work
in
us.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“All these things will be given you besides.” (Matthew
6:24-34)
Commentary: Saint Ignatius of Loyola
(1491-1556),
Jesuit Founder (Spiritual Exercises, 233-234)
Contemplation to obtain love:
It is good to note first of all that …… love consists
in mutual communication. That is to say, the lover gives and
communicates
what he has to the beloved……; in the same way, the beloved to the lover
in return.
As a preamble, ask what I want. Here, that will be to ask for interior knowledge of all the good I have received, so that in fully recognizing it, I might love and serve his divine Majesty in everything.
The first point is to remember the kindnesses received: creation, redemption, and particular gifts. Weigh with great love how much God our Lord has done for me, how much he has given me of what he has. Following that, how much the Lord wants to give himself to me as much as he is able, according to his divine plan. Then reflect in my heart and consider what it is right and just that I in turn offer and give to his divine Majesty, all my possessions and myself with them, like someone who, with great love, makes an offering:
“Take, Lord, and receive my liberty, my memory, my
intelligence
and my entire will, all that I have, all that I possess. You gave it to
me; to you, Lord, I give it back. Everything is yours; dispose of it
according
to your will. Give me your love and your grace; that is enough for me.”
------------------------------------------------
The best spirit of sacrifice is to persevere in the
work
you have begun, both when you find it exciting and when it proves an
uphill
struggle.
(The Forge, no.409)
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Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time 1
Today the Church celebrates : St. Romuald
"Fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell." (Matthew 10:26-33)
There is a considerable industry offering superannuation and all sorts of schemes and services for retirement after one’s working life has ended. Of course, while it is good to try to ensure these things, absolute security and contentment is impossible at any point during this life. What we should especially be thinking of is, how am I to reach final and absolute happiness, tranquility and security. This final stage can only come after I die, if it comes at all. In the final analysis there are only two alternatives for each of us. There will be either eternal happiness or eternal sorrow. There will be either heaven or hell.
We ought think of hell for its reality has been revealed. The doctrine of hell is not taken seriously by people. Saint Theresa of Avila in one of the visions she was granted by God was shown her place in hell if she were not faithful. It was horrifying to her. The children of Fatima were given a vision of hell and it was a terrible sight. They were urged by our Lady to pray for sinners, especially those most in need of God’s mercy. Any priest-chaplain to a hospital is often amazed at the number of patients he will meet there well on in years and sick who are not concerned about what will happen after death. They are not concerned about the judgment of God and how after God’s judgment there can ultimately only be either Heaven or Hell. It is one or the other. Too many do not bother to make their peace with God.
Our Lord in today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:26-33, as below) tells us that ultimately all we need be afraid of is being sent to hell. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” Our whole being longs for love and in particular the love that only God can give. This is attained finally in Heaven. Now, what is Hell? Hell is the eternal loss of this. As people look back on their lives they regret having lost various opportunities that came their way. With regret they see they have lost and squandered those opportunities, and they are the worse for it.
Now, imagine an unending eternity of having lost the company and the sight of God for whom we were made, and realizing for all eternity that we lost the opportunity of it deliberately, by preferring sinful things that pass away in life. Imagine the bitterness and the regret, the anguish of unending loneliness and hate, hatred for those in heaven and for those around us in hell. Above all hatred for God and hatred for oneself. It will be an unending living death. Our Lord said of Judas that it would have been better if he had never been born. Scripture describes it as an unending fire and the visions of hell that the saints have had have shown a great sea of fire, a burning sea that is surging with powerful fires, in which the damned are cast. Think of the pain of the touch of fire on one’s finger.
Scripture also describes hell as an eternal death. The soul is perishing forever, without actually passing out of existence. The soul is absolutely lost forever, never to be reclaimed. It is the greatest catastrophe imaginable, just as Heaven is the greatest blessing imaginable. So then, how does one end up in Hell? Hell is one's lot if one dies in the state of deliberate and unrepented mortal sin. Repentance is impossible beyond the grave, and one cannot dwell in the presence of the all-holy God in the confirmed state of mortal sin. So every day we ought make a sincere act of contrition with a firm purpose of amendment and regularly go to Confession. More than anything we should keep alive in our hearts a fervent desire for sanctity, for union with God. Moreover we should endeavour every day to save souls from the fires of hell, by conducting a personal apostolate that well lead them to love God.
Now, consider the soul that is saved. He dies
in
the state of grace, sorry for his sins. He is probably far from perfect
yet, so from death and God’s judgment he will normally go to Purgatory
where God in his mercy purifies him from the imperfections and stains
of
sin still there from the sins that have been forgiven. Purgatory is
profoundly
painful, but it is the purification of one who is saved. We can hasten
the Purgatory of others or ourselves by Masses and Indulgences. We are
lucky to know of the existence of Purgatory as we can try to expiate
and
make up for our sins here on earth, and we can depend on our friends to
pray for us and have Masses said for us after we have died and are
being
purified in Purgatory. So many people have no one to pray for them.
Thank
God it has been revealed to us that there is a Purgatory.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church no.1030-1036.
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“Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed.”Commentary by Gregory Palamas (1296-1359),
Monk,
Bishop and Orthodox Theologian
(Sermon for the Sunday of All Saints; PG 151, 322-323)
From the highest heaven, God offers the riches of his grace to all men. He is himself the source of salvation and of light, whence mercy and goodness flow eternally. But not all men make use of his strength and his grace in the perfect exercise of virtue and the realization of its marvels; only those do it who put their resolutions into practice and who prove their attachment to God through actions, those who have completely turned away from evil, who firmly adhere to God’s commandments and who fix the eyes of their spirit on Christ, the Sun of justice (Mal 3:20).
From the highest heaven, Christ offers the help of his arm to those who fight, and he exhorts them through these words of the Gospel: “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will acknowledge before my father in heaven.” As a servant of God, every one of the saints acknowledges that, in this transitory life and before mortal men, he is for Christ; he does so during a short lapse of time and in the presence of a small number of men. Whereas our Lord Jesus Christ…… will acknowledge us in the world of eternity, before God his Father, surrounded by the angels and the archangels and all the powers of heaven, in the presence of all men, from Adam to the end of time. For all will rise and will stand before Christ’s tribunal. Then, in the presence of all and visible to all, he will make known, he will glorify, and he will crown those who proved their faith to him until the end.
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Take your plan of mortifications to your spiritual
director,
for him to monitor them. But to monitor will not always mean to
diminish.
It can also mean increasing them, if he thinks fit. Either way, accept
his advice.
(The Forge, no.410)
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Monday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time 1
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-5)
On one occasion our Lord told his disciples that if their virtue went no deeper than that of the Scribes and Pharisees - to whom people looked up in matters of religion - then they would never enter the kingdom of heaven. The much higher virtue our Lord expects of us is instanced in our Gospel passage of today in which our Lord tells us that we ought not judge one another.
What our Lord means is made clear in the sentences that follow. It means that we are not to condemn. We are to judge our brother kindly and not be constantly prone to criticise him for his defects forever wanting him to eliminate these defects. For that is the tendency of our thoughts in respect to others. We ignore and forget our own defects, and condemn our brother for his. Our Lord says: take the log out of your own eye before you endeavour to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.
So then, let us think for a moment of those in our
life
we are constantly annoyed with and critical of. Let us think of what we
are annoyed with in respect to them. Then let us apply our Lord’s
teaching
to ourselves. This is necessary if we wish to put on the mind of Christ
and attain sanctity.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“The measure with which you measure will be used to measure you.”
Commentary by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), Foundress
For every illness, there are several medicines and treatments. But so long as there is no gentle hand swift to serve and no generous heart swift to cherish, I don’’t think that a person can ever be healed of that terrible illness which is lack of love.
No one among us has the right to condemn anyone. And that even when we see people foundering without understanding why. Does not Jesus invite us not to judge? Perhaps we had a part in making those people the way they are. We have to understand that they are our brothers and our sisters. That leper, that drunkard, that sick person are our brothers because they, too, were created for a greater love. We should never forget this. Jesus Christ himself identifies himself with them when he says: “As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.” (Mt 25:40) And maybe those people are in the street, deprived of all love and of every care, because we refused to give them our love and care, our affection. Be gentle, infinitely gentle towards the poor person who is suffering. We understand so little of what he is going through. The most difficult is not to be accepted.
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We can say with Saint Augustine that our evil
passions
tug at our garments, dragging us down. At the same time we are aware of
great, noble and pure ambitions within our hearts, and know that
a struggle is going on. If with the grace of God, you make use of the
ascetical
means: if you seek to have the presence of God, if you look for
mortifications
and - don’t be afraid - penance, then you will make progress, you will
find peace and victory will be yours.
(The Forge, no.411)
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Tuesday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time 1
(June 21) St Aloysius Gonzaga: Born in the year 1568 near Mantua in Lombardy, of the noble family of Castiglione. He was brought up piously by his mother and had a vocation to the religious life. He resigned his birthright to his brother and at Rome entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). While working among the sick in a hospital he was stricken by the plague and died in the year 1591.
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“Enter by the narrow gate ... it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life” (Matt 7:6.12-14)
One of the greatest dangers for the disciple of Jesus is that of falling into mediocrity. If the person of Jesus is discovered, and if love for him is real, there will be a holy ambition to be very generous. Everything will depend on this attitude growing deeper and deeper.
Our Lord tells us to “enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life.” So then, every day will involve struggle and effort to do God’s will as perfectly as possible, if we hope to gain the prize of sanctity. Struggle, ongoing daily struggle, will be essential. Mediocrity is lacking in this struggle for the best.
What leads to mediocrity, settling for anything but the best? Many things, such as giving in to deliberate venial sin and not really repenting for it. Another is failing to avoid the occasions of sin. But there is one thing we may not be conscious of which is truly fundamental. It is the danger of gradually losing faith in God’s power to get us to our goal - which is, after all, God’s goal for us. “This is the will of God,” St Paul writes, “your sanctification.” The struggle against sin can seem so unrelenting (which it is) that we can gradually think that sanctity is an impossible project - impossible for God too. So we lose faith in God's power, which is really losing faith in God.
So let us always begin again. Now I begin! Each
time,
let us renew our faith in God’s power.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough
the
road.”
Comment by John Paul II (Speech in Paris on June 3, 1980
I have come to encourage you on the road of the Gospel. It is certainly a narrow road, but it is a regal road, one that is sure, tried by generations of Christians, taught by the saints. It is the road on which, like you, your brothers in the universal Church are trying to walk. This road does not lead to resignation, to renunciation or abandonment. It does not end up in a weakening of the moral sense, and it would wish that civil law itself help to raise up the human person. It does not seek to bury itself, to remain unnoticed; on the contrary, it demands the joyful audacity of the apostles. Thus, it banishes all faintheartedness, while being perfectly respectful towards those who do not share the same ideal.
The great Pope St. Leo said, “Christian, recognize your dignity!” And I, his unworthy successor, I tell you, my brothers and sisters: Recognize your dignity! Be proud of your faith, of the gift of the Spirit whom the Father has given you. I come among you as a poor man whose only wealth is faith, a pilgrim of the Gospel. Give to the Church and the world the example of your unfailing fidelity and your missionary zeal. I want my visit to you to be …… a call to new energy before the many tasks presented to you.
------------------------------------------
Custody of the heart. That priest used to pray:
“Jesus,
may my poor heart be an enclosed garden; may my poor heart be a
paradise
wherein you dwell; may by Guardian Angel watch over it with a sword of
fire and use it to purify every affection before it comes into me.
Jesus,
seal my poor heart with the divine seal of your Cross.”
(The Forge, no.412)
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Wednesday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time 1
(June 22) Saint Paulinus of Nola, bishop: Born at Bordeaux in France in the year 355. He rose high in public service, married and had a son, but wishing to embrace a more austere life, he received baptism, gave up all his worldly goods and in 393 he began to live he monastic life at Nola in Campagna. He became Bishop of Nola where he did much to promote the veneration of Saint Felix if Nola, helping the pilgrims and doing what he could to relieve the misery of that time. He composed a number of poems which are outstanding for their literary quality. He died in 431.
--------------------------------
“Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep” (Matthew 7:15-20)
Repeatedly in the New Testament the disciples of Jesus are warned of false teachers and false prophets. St Paul insists time and again on the danger of being led astray by false teaching and St John in his letters insists on it too. It has been one of the great and constant issues down through the ages of Church history. The striking thing about Christianity is its proliferation of divisions into sects and schismatic bodies, led by this or that leader who has his message at variance with that of the Universal Catholic Church. We see it in the infant churches of the New Testament, we see it in the early centuries of the Church especially in the fourth and fifth centuries, and we see it time and again in the Middle Ages and in the Reformation period at the dawn of the modern age.
Let us take to heart this warning of our Lord and
resolve
to be distinguished by our love for the teaching Church especially as
embodied
in the successor of Peter, the vicar of Christ, the Pope. We ought seek
to know his teaching and integrate it into our lives. We happen too to
be blessed in living in an age when in Pope after Pope, the Church is
and
has been blessed with gifted and profoundly spiritual persons. That is
a great bonus coming from heaven. The Popes of our day have been of
exceptional
quality. Let us reject all false teachers, and drink instead from the
fountain-head,
from the purest waters.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“You can tell a tree by its fruit.”
Comment by Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of
Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
(On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, 24, 81-82)
The apostle Paul tells us by which fruit we will recognize the bad tree: “It is obvious what proceeds from the flesh: lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I have warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!” The same apostle then tells us by what fruit one can recognize a good tree: “In contrast, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.” (Gal 5:19-23)
It must be noted that the word joy here is meant in its literal sense; bad people in the literal sense do not know joy, but rather, pleasure… Only the good know the literal meaning of this word: “
There is no joy for the wicked, says the Lord.” (Isa 48:22) The same can be said of true faith. Bad people and impostors can pretend to have the virtues that are listed, but they cannot deceive those with a simple and pure heart that is capable of discerning… In the list of the fruits of the Spirit, the word joy is meant in its strong sense; only the righteous can savor it, whereas what the wicked enjoy is nothing but agitation of the mind.
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Each person in his own situation should lead a pure
life,
courageously lived. We have to learn to say No for the sake of that
great
Love, Love with a capital letter.
(The Forge, no.413)
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Thursday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time 1
"Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?.... Then I shall say, "I have never known you."
One of the things that can affect a person’s joy and contentment in life is the question of success, the question of what we have to show for our life. That is to say, a person can look back on the past and consider the present, and observe that there is not much that to attract anyone’s attention. As a result he can think he is a nobody, someone with no notable achievements. And indeed, this can be a correct assessment of the facts. Most of us are nobodies, with few notable achievements. Our lives are "ordinary." This consideration can make a person sad and disappointed.
But what does our Lord say? Notable achievements of themselves are not noteworthy in the sight of God. He says, speaking of the judgment, that “when that day comes many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?’ Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you, away from me you evil men.” That was because, for all their notable deeds, they were not actually doing the will of God. The sensible man is the one who hears Christ’s words and acts on them.
Our happiness and our satisfaction ought lie in doing God’s will, whatever that might mean in the providence of God, notable deeds or not. So if being noticed by others comes our way in the fulfilment of God’s will, so be it. If it means being relatively unknown and unnoticed, or in other words, if our lives are "ordinary", then let us remember that this was the path of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth - and, at Nazareth, of our Lord himself.
The doing of God’s will - let that be our joy and
our
fulfilment.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Awake, O sleeper!” (Eph 5:14)
Commentary on the Gospel by Philoxenes of
Mabbug
(? –– around 523), Bishop in Syria
(Homily 1, 4-8)
“Anyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on rock.” So according to what our Master says, we must apply ourselves not only to listening to the word of God, but also to conforming our lives to it…… Listening to the law is a good thing, for it incites us to virtuous actions. We are right when we read and meditate the Scriptures, for that is how we purify our deepest soul of bad thoughts.
But assiduously reading, listening to and meditating on the word of God without putting it into practice is a fault, which the Spirit of God condemned in advance…… He even forbade the person with such a disposition to take the holy book into his hands. God says to the wicked: “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?” (Ps 50:16-17) …… The person who assiduously reads the Scriptures without putting them into practice is accused by his reading; he deserves all the more serious condemnation because every day he despises and scorns what he hears every day. He is like a dead person, a corpse without a soul. You can blow thousands of trumpets and horns next to the ears of a dead person, he won’’t hear them. In the same way, the soul that is dead in sin, the heart which has lost the memory of God, does not hear the sound or the cries of the divine words, and the trumpet and the spiritual word make no impression on him. That soul is plunged in the sleep of death……
Thus, God’s disciple must have anchored in his soul the memory of his Master, Jesus Christ, and he must think of him day and night.
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There is a Spanish saying which speaks clearly
enough
- “Between holy man and holy maid, a wall of solid stone be laid.” We
have
to watch our hearts and our senses, and pull ourselves away from all
occasions
of sin. No matter how holy it may appear, passion must not have its way.
(The Forge, no.414)
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Friday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time 1
“Sir,” he said, “if you want to you can cure me... Of course I want to! Be cured!” (Matt.8:1-4)
We have in our Gospel passage today (Matthew 8:1-4) an example of a prayer that was heard, and heard instantaneously. It is a wonderful thing to have a prayer answered by God, but how wonderful it is to have it answered immediately! Are there any lessons to be learnt in this respect from this brief Gospel event that through the evangelist the Holy Spirit has thought fit to tell us about?
To begin with, the leper approached our Lord profoundly and earnestly desiring that he grant what he was asking for. It was not a trivial, half-hearted request. His soul was fully behind it, and he was presenting his whole being to God in his request. He was requesting a form of salvation, salvation from the scourge and death of leprosy. Moreover, he approached our Lord full of respect and humility. He came up and bowed low in front of him. In our daily prayer, is our soul manifesting a similar attitude, or de we take our acquaintance with our Lord very much for granted? Are we humble and deeply respectful to our Lord in presenting our petitions? Finally the leper really did believe our Lord could grant his request, if he chose to. Do we really believe God has the power to answer our prayers? It is clear from the Gospels that our Lord was looking for faith in granting the requests of people.
Let us take to heart the example of the leper who
had
his request immediately granted.
(E.J.Tyler)
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Dear Lord, I find beauty and charm in everything I
see!
I will guard my sight at every moment, for the sake of Love.
(The Forge, no.415)
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June 24: Solemnity of the
birth of John the
Baptist
(Vigil: Luke 1:5-17; the day: Luke 1:57-66.80 )
“He will be great in the sight of the Lord... he will bring back many to the Lord their God”
Our Lord said on one occasion that there was no one born of woman greater than John the Baptist. This statement would surely refer in part to John the Baptist’s very vocation. His calling was a very great one, and he lived up to it. The angel said that “He will be great in the sight of the Lord” (Gospel of the Vigil of today's solemnity). Let us then advert to his calling, and notice how it applies to us.
He was the forerunner of the Messiah. His calling was, in the words of the angel in our Gospel text, to bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and to prepare for the Lord a people fit for him. We ought dwell on that kind of vocation, that kind of work in life - bringing others to God.
For we were made to know, love and serve God here on earth so as to see and enjoy him forever in heaven. It is, then, the greatest possible service that can be rendered to another, to help him know, love and serve God - for that is the purpose of his existence. This kind of service ought pervade the particular work or profession by which we serve others in our daily life. Within our daily setting and service, we ought be also helping them by word, deed and example to attain God.
This is to say nothing of the grandeur of a life
given
over exclusively to “preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.”
(E.J.Tyler)
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“The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s
womb
he gave me my name.” (Isaiah 49:1)
Commentary on the Gospel: by Origen (around
185-253),
Priest and Theologian
(from his Homilies on St. Luke, no. 4, 4-6)
The birth of John the Baptist is full of miracles. An archangel announced the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus; similarly, an archangel announced the birth of John (Lk 1:13) and said: “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’’s womb.” The Jewish people did not see that our Lord did “signs and wonders” and healed their illnesses, but John leapt for joy when he was still in his mother’’s womb. It was impossible to hold him back, and when the mother of Jesus arrived, the child already tried to come out of Elizabeth’s womb. “The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy.” (Lk 1:44) Still in his mother’s womb, John had already received the Holy Spirit……
Scripture then says: “Many of the sons of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.” (Lk 1:16) John brought back “a large number”; the Lord brought back not a large number but everyone. For it is his task to bring all men back to God the Father.
I for my part think that the mystery of John is being fulfilled in the world until the present. The spirit and the power of John must first fill the soul of whoever is destined to believe in Christ Jesus, “to prepare for the Lord a people well-disposed” (Lk 1:17) and to “make ready the way of the Lord, [to] clear him a straight path” (Lk 3:5) in the roughness of their heart. Not only at that time were “the windings …… made straight and the rough ways smooth”; rather, the spirit and the power of John still go before the Lord and Saviour’s coming today. Oh greatness of the Lord’s mystery and of his plan for the world!
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You are a Christian and, as a Christian, a son of
God.
You should feel a grave responsibility for corresponding to the mercies
you have received from the Lord, showing careful vigilance and loving
firmness,
so that nothing and nobody may disfigure the distinctive features of
the
Love he has imprinted upon you soul.
(The Forge, no.416)
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Saturday of the twelfth week of Ordinary Time 1
“I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this” (Matthew 8:5-17)
Once again we have in our Gospel scene an instance of a prayer of petition that was answered and the decisive element was the presence of faith. Inasmuch as our needs are many and great, it us surely important that we learn how we ought ask Christ our Lord for what we need.
The Gospel introduces us to a centurion. The centurion would have been a “Greek” - that is to say, not of the chosen people of Israel - for our Lord at the end contrasts his faith with that of “Israel”. The centurion “pleaded” with our Lord and acknowledged that he was “not worthy” to have our Lord visiting his dwelling. He was, then, truly humble and reverent before One he recognised as great and holy. This humility surely disposed him for faith. And faith he certainly had, faith in our Lord’s power to save from death, a power he believed our Lord could exercise at a word, and from a distance.
This was a man who was outside the people of God’s
Revelation.
On our Lord’s own word, we know his faith was outstanding (“nowhere in
Israel have I found faith like this”) and he was immediately granted
his
request. Let us learn from this and ask our Lord to help us be humble
and
believing, and always so. Thus will our prayers be answered.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“He cured all who were afflicted.”
Comment by Saint John Chrysostom (around
345-407), Bishop and Doctor of the Church
“As evening drew on, they brought him many who were possessed. He expelled the spirits by a simple command and cured all who were afflicted.” Do you see how the crowd’s faith gradually grew? In spite of the late hour, they did not want to leave the Lord; they thought that in the evening it would be possible to bring him those who were afflicted. Think of the many healings of which the evangelists don’t speak. They don’t tell us about all of them, one by one; rather, in a single sentence, they let us see an infinite ocean of miracles. So that the greatness of the marvel doesn’t lead us to incredulity, so that people aren’t troubled at the thought of such a crowd who are struck with so many varying ills and all healed in one instant, the gospel brings the testimony of the prophet, which is as extraordinary and as surprising as the deeds themselves: “……thereby fulfilling what had been said through Isaiah the prophet: ‘‘It was our infirmities he bore, our sufferings he endured.” (Lk 8:17; Isa 53:4) It does not say “he destroyed”, but “he bore” and “he endured”, thus showing, in my opinion, that the prophet was speaking more of sin than of bodily illnesses. And that is in conformity with John’s words: “There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29)
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You have reached a level of real intimacy with this
God
of ours, who is so close to you, so deeply lodged in your soul. But
what
are you doing to increase and deepen this intimacy? Are you careful not
to allow silly little hindrances to creep in which would upset this
friendship?
Show courage! Don’t refuse to break with every single thing, no matter
how small, which could cause suffering to the One who loves you so much.
(The Forge, no.417)
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Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time A
The lay person in the Church
Years ago it used to be thought that all matters involving the spread of the faith and living spiritually concerned priests and religious. I remember years ago speaking to a relative of mine and he thought that priests ought work as lawyers and in other secular professions because then they would be able to attract to God and to the Church those in the world they were working with. I told him that that was a ridiculous idea. Not only would the priest have no time to practise as a lawyer, but more importantly, in the Church’s teaching the Catholic lay lawyers and lay professionals themselves should be doing the very thing he was suggesting the priest do as a lawyer. The Catholic lay person should, within his professional work context, be carrying on a discreet yet very real apostolate of attracting fellow workers to God and in God to the Church. What he was suggesting is exactly the work of the lay member of the Church. He fills his lay work and the world immediately around him with the presence of Christ and by means of his work connects the world to God. He is the presence of the Church out there in the world.
St Paul tells us in his inspired letters that the baptised person is in Christ. Every baptised lay person has a profound dignity as a member of Christ’s body the Church. What this means in the concrete is that whatever be your calling in life, in you Christ is present there where you are and where you work, and with Christ in you, the Church is there in you too. Of course, a major challenge for every lay person is simply to remember this from day to day, and to live in this reality and according to it. The likelihood is that day by day we will live by sight alone and not by faith. We will live only in view of what we see and hear and feel. We can so easily completely forget that there are far greater realities that are not seen at all, and that are beyond what our senses can grasp. These realities are those that God has revealed, and which we can appreciate and realize only on the basis of a strong faith in God’s word as it comes to us through the witness and teaching of the Church. The central reality of all that is simply unseen and which we are called to live in view of, is the very person of Christ. Christ our God is ever with us.
The lay person is called to live the lay life out there in the world with Christ at the centre of everything, Christ who cannot be actually seen in his physical form. He is to live in the world with Christ before him as if he saw him - which is to say with a constant lively faith, nourished by all the means provided by the Church for a strong spiritual life. At home in the family, at study at school, at University or Tafe, looking after the children, at work in the office or at one’s trade, wherever one may be, Christ is present there. Christ who is in us serves others through and in our service of them. Conversely, we serve Christ in others, for Christ said that whatever we do to the least we do to him. So wherever the Catholic lay person is out there in the world, be he young, middle aged, or old, Christ who is in him is serving and being served. The work of the lay person is to bring Christ to the world and to serve him in the world. In this way, through the lay member of the Church the world is brought near to Christ and is opened up to the grace and the action of Christ. The lay person must bring Christ to the world immediately around him.
So how are we to do this? Firstly by cultivating a spirit of prayer in the midst of daily work, a sense of the presence of Christ right there where we are working each day. The entire day must be sanctified, and the secret to this is to sanctify one’s daily work, whatever in God's providence it may be. We ought do our work in life in such a way that it will be holy in the sight of God, and offered up continually to him. We ought do our work also in such a way that we are sanctified in the doing of it. This will happen if we do it really well, and do it for our Lord and his interests. Furthermore, we ought do our work in such a way that others will be sanctified because of our work. The lay person should sanctify his work, should sanctify himself through his work, and should sanctify others through his work. Everything the lay person touches, as it were, ought be sanctified the more as a result, because of his continual union with our Lord. Imagine if the entire laity of the Church were doing this, or at least most of the laity! A great sleeping giant would be roused and the world would be sanctified.
Well, each person ought start with himself. This
means
me. I shall serve our Lord where I am in my ordinary everyday life out
there in the world. So then, now I begin!
(E.J.Tyler)
Further Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church: no. 897-913 (The Laity)
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“If anyone wants to follow me, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.”Comment by Saint Theresa-Benedikta of the Cross
[Edith Stein] (1891-1942), Carmelite, Martyr,
(Am Fuss des Kreuzes [At the Foot of the Cross],
November
24, 1934)
On the way of the cross, the Savior is not alone, and he is not only surrounded by enemies who harass him. People who support him are also present: the Mother of God, model for those who, in every time, follow the example of the cross; Simon of Cyrene, a symbol of those who accept a suffering that is imposed on them and who are blessed in that acceptance; and Veronica, an image of those who are pushed by love to serve the Lord. Each person who, throughout time, has carried a heavy destiny while remembering the Savior’s suffering, or who freely performed an act of penance, redeemed a little of humankind’s enormous debt and helped the Lord to carry his burden. And even more, it is Christ, the head of the mystical body, who accomplishes his work of atonement in the members who give themselves with all their being, body and soul, to his work of redemption.
We can assume that the vision of the faithful who would follow him on the path of suffering upheld the Savior in the Garden of Olives. And the support given by those who carried the cross was a help to him each time he fell. It was the righteous of the Old Covenant who accompanied him between his first fall and the second one. The disciples, men and women who rallied around him during his earthly life, were the ones who helped him from the second to the third station. The lovers of the cross, whom he awakened and whom he will continue to awaken throughout the vicissitudes of the struggling Church, are his allies until the end of time. It is to this that we, too, are called.
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If we are faithful to him, Jesus’ own life will
somehow
be repeated in the life of each one of us, both in its internal
development
(the process of sanctification) and in our outward behaviour. Give
thanks
to him for being so good.
(The Forge, no.418)
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Monday of the thirteenth week of Ordinary Time 1
(June 27) St Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor of the Church (370-444) He was the Patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt. He was a most acute and profound theologian. As bishop and doctor, he became the glory of the Church in Egypt. During the Council of Ephesis he defended the oneness of the Person of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of the divine motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary against the heresy of Nestorius.
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“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury the dead.” (Matthew 8:18-22)
Our Lord came on earth to make disciples. Throughout the pages of the Gospels he is making disciples. The mission he gave to his apostles before he ascended into heaven was to make disciples of all the nations. That is the mission of the Church, and we as members of the Church all share in that mission. We were made, created, to be the loving disciples of Jesus the Master. It is the purpose of our life.
So then, the worth of anything in our life can be assessed by applying that yardstick to it - what is its place in relation to the one thing necessary, my being a disciple of Jesus. Conversely, true and ultimate progress in life is also to be measured by that yardstick - my being a genuine disciple of our Lord.
The Gospel scene of today (Matthew 8: 18:22) reminds
us
of the fundamental issue of discipleship. Two people responded to our
Lord’s
requirement of discipleship in ways that were less than satisfactory:
the
first seems to have been shallow in his enthusiasm and resolve, and the
second hesitant and prone to second thoughts. Let us then be reminded
of
our own weakness, and pray earnestly for the grace to be a disciple of
Jesus totally and in truth. We have but one life. Let us live as
disciples
of Jesus to the full.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Commentary on the Gospel: by the Venerable
Charles
de Foucauld (1858-1916), Hermit and Missionary (Retreat in Nazareth)
So here, oh my Lord Jesus, is that divine poverty! How necessary it is that you teach me this! You loved it so much!…… During your mortal life, you made it your faithful companion. You left it as an inheritance to your saints, to all who want to follow you, to all who want to be your disciples. You taught it by the example you gave throughout your entire life. Through your words, you glorified this poverty, you beatified it, proclaimed it as necessary. You chose poor workers to be your parents. You were born in a cave that served as a stable. You were poor in the work you did when you were a child. The first ones to adore you were shepherds. At your presentation in the Temple, the gift of the poor was offered. You lived as a poor worker in Nazareth for thirty years, where I have the good fortune to walk, where I have the joy …… of picking up manure.
Then, during your public life, you lived from alms in the midst of poor fishermen whom you had taken to be your companions. “With no place to lay your head.” On Calvary, you were stripped of your clothing, your only possession, and the soldiers gambled among themselves. You died naked, and you were buried by means of alms by strangers. “How blest are the poor!” (Mt 5:3)
My Lord Jesus, how fast will the person become poor who, loving you with all his heart, cannot bear to be richer than his Beloved!
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It seems an excellent idea to me that you should
tell
the Lord often about your great and ardent desire to be a saint, even
though
you see yourself filled with wretchedness. Tell him - precisely because
of this!
(The Forge, no.419)
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Tuesday of the thirteenth week of Ordinary Time 1
(June 28) St Irenaeus, bishop and martyr
(130-202).
He was a disciple of St Polycarp of Smyrna. At a time when Gnostic
sects
threatened to undermine Christianity by a perversion of Christian
thought,
St Irenaeus vigorously denounced all heresies and safeguarded unity of
belief. He succeeded the martyred St Pothimus in the See of Lyons.
“The Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord.” (Gen 19:15-29)
The Genesis account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by God for their sins (Genesis 19:15-29) gives us plenty of food for thought. In it God reveals what our conscience suggests, that sin is very real and very great in the world, and that it brings down great punishment sooner or later. This biblical picture is very apposite for our day when the reality of sin is denied or ignored. It is assumed to be a subjective matter because God is assumed to be a subjective and private matter. But on the contrary, God and sin are real. He is holy and he does not accept sin.
But let our imaginations flow on from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to centuries later. Our gaze rests not on the two sinful cities pounded to dust for their sins. It rests on the crucified Jesus the all-holy one. Fire and brimstone had poured down on his, as it were, in the unimaginable sufferings he endured. He was not burdened in this way for his own sins but for our sins, for the sins of all mankind. What suffering that must have been! By his holy and obedient suffering he made up for the sins not just of two cities but of the whole world.
Let us unite ourselves to Jesus and benefit from his
atoning
sacrifice. The means par excellence for this is the Mass, by which
Calvary
is made present. Let us, in Jesus and in his all-sufficient and
all-perfect
redeeming sacrifice, make up for our sins and the sins of others.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Complete calm ensued.”
Commentary on the Gospel by Saint Augustine
(354-430),
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Christ’s sleep is the sign of a mystery. Those who are in the boat represent the souls that go through the life of this world on the wood of the cross. Moreover, the boat is the symbol of the Church. Yes, truly…… the heart of every faithful person is a boat sailing on the sea; it cannot sink if the mind maintains good thoughts.
You have been insulted; that is the wind whipping you. You became angry; that is the rising flood. Temptation comes; that is the wind blowing. Your soul is troubled; those are the rising waves. Awaken Christ. Let him speak to you. “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” Imitate the winds and the sea: obey the Creator. The sea heard Christ’s order, and will you remain deaf? The sea obeyed, the wind was calmed, and are you going to continue blowing? What do we mean by that? Speaking, tossing around, meditating on revenge. Doesn’t that mean continuing to blow and refuse to be calmed by Christ’s commandment? When your heart is troubled, don’t let yourself be submerged by the waves.
However, if the wind knocks us over –– for we are only human –– and if it excites the bad passions in our heart, let us not despair. Let us awaken Christ, so that we can continue our journey on a peaceful sea and reach our true homeland.
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You have seen very clearly that you are a child of
God.
Even if you were never again to see it - it won’t happen! - you should
continue along your way forever, out of a sense of faithfulness,
without
ever looking back.
(The Forge, no.420)
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(June 29) Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul
The Church founded by Christ has Saints Peter and
Paul
as its principal pillars.
Peter was chosen by Christ to be his first
Vicar on earth, endowed with powers of the keys of the Kingdom of
Heaven,
and charged with the role of Shepherd of Christ’s flock. In Peter and
his
successors, the visible sign of unity and communion in faith and
charity
has been given. Divine grace led Peter to profess Christ’s divinity.
Peter
suffered martyrdom under Nero in A.D. 66 or 67, and he was buried at
the
hill of the Vatican. His tomb was discovered on the very site of St
Peter’s
Basilica.
Paul was chosen by Christ himself on the
road to Damascus to bring his name to all the peoples. He is the
Church’s
greatest missionary, the Apostle of the Gentiles. He was beheaded in
Rome
and was buried on the spot where the Basilica of St Paul stands.
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“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.” (Matthew 16:13-19)
The Church has gradually come to see the enormous significance of these words of our Lord in Matthew’s Gospel, and enlightened by the Church’s teaching on them we in our turn are able to appreciate their significance. Not long back there was a series on television that had to do with the story of Jesus and the infant Church. True to form, our Lord was described as beginning a “movement” - it was just a “movement”, implying of course that the Church is just an outgrowth of the movement begun by Jesus. But no, Christ founded a Church of which he was to be the constant head. The Church would be his visible body till the end of time. Now, an essential element of the Church’s constitution is the office to which Simon was appointed - to be the visible rock of the Church. Just as the Apostles have their successors in the bishops, so Simon Peter has his successors in the Bishops of Rome, the Popes of the ages. The Church is built on this college.
Let us renew our awareness of the apostolic
character
of the Church of which we are members. Our Christian life should be
characterised
by communion with this one universal Church which comes from the
Apostles,
and through them from Christ. Our communion with this universal Church
is expressed and nourished by our communion with the Bishop of Rome,
the
successor of Peter the rock of the Church and bearer of the keys of the
Kingdom of Heaven. Pope St Pius X once wrote that it is not possible
for
a member of the Church to be holy if one does not love the Pope. Let us
then love the Pope, receive his teaching as coming from Christ, be
imbued
with it, and steadily put it into practice.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“On this rock I will build my church.”
Commentary on the Gospel: Paul VI, Pope 1963-1978 (Exhortation on Christian Joy, 1975)
In this Holy Year, we have invited you to make, either materially or in spirit and intention, a pilgrimage to Rome, that is, to the heart of the Catholic Church. But obviously Rome does not constitute the goal of our pilgrimage in time. No holy city here below constitutes this goal. This goal is hidden beyond this world, in the heart of God's mystery which is still invisible to us...
And so it is with Rome where the holy Apostles Peter and Paul gave with their blood their final witness. The vocation of Rome is of apostolic origin, and the ministry which it is our lot to exercise here is a service for the benefit of the entire Church and of mankind. But it is an irreplaceable service, because it has pleased the Wisdom of God to place the Rome of Peter and Paul, so to speak, on the road that leads to the eternal City, by the fact that Wisdom chose to confide to Peter——who unifies in himself the College of Bishops——the keys of the kingdom of heaven. What remains here, not through the effect of man's will but through the free and merciful benevolence of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit, is the soliditas Petri, such as our predecessor Saint Leo the Great extolled in unforgettable terms: "Saint Peter does not cease to preside over his See, and preserves an endless sharing with the Sovereign Priest. The firmness that he received from the Rock which is Christ, he himself, having become the Rock, transmits it equally to his successors.
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A resolution: to be faithful to my timetable -
heroically
faithful and without excuses - on ordinary days and on extraordinary
days.
(The Forge, no.421)
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Thursday of the thirteenth week of Ordinary Time
(30 June) The first martyrs of the Church
of
Rome (in the persecution under Nero about 64 AD)
“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic,
‘Courage,
my child, your sins are forgiven’.”
(Matthew 9:1-8)
It is very notable how so very frequently our Lord links his saving activity to the faith of those who come to him asking for his help. He usually wants to know if they believe, or seeing that they so believe, he proceeds to grant them what they need - be it sight, dispossession, or whatever. But of course this was to point to far greater saving acts, salvation from sin and sanctification. It is this which Christ came most of all to offer, and again in this he looks for faith in the one coming to him.
So too in today’s Gospel, in the episode of a paralytic being brought to him for healing. But this time “seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven’.” It seems that our Lord divined that it was the paralysed man’s consciousness of sin which was his special burden, and in the face of which he needed courage - together, of course, with his paralysis. Yet he had the faith our Lord was looking for to receive spiritual blessings.
We too in approaching our Lord for the heavenly
blessings
he wishes to give - the forgiveness of sins and sanctification - must
approach
him with a lively faith as did the paralytic and his friends. All to
often
it is this which we lack, and the upshot is that we do not ardently ask
for what we spiritually need, and do not recognise the presence and
power
of Christ before us.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Stand up and walk.”
Commentary on the Gospel by Saint Augustine
(354-430),
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(Sermon 256 for the Feast of Easter)
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will bring your mortal bodies to life also.” (Rom 8:11) Now it is a natural human body; then it will be a spiritual body. “Adam the first man, became a living soul; the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit.” (1 Cor 15:45) That is why he “will bring your mortal bodies to life…… through his Spirit dwelling in you.”
Oh, what a happy Halleluiah we will sing then! What security! No more adversary, no more enemy; we won’t lose a single friend. Here below, we sing God’s praises in the midst of our worries; in heaven, we will sing them in perfect tranquillity. Here below, we sing them as people who have to die; in heaven, it will be in a life that never ends. Here below, in hope; in heaven, in the reality. Here below, we are travellers; then we shall be in our homeland. So let us begin singing already now, brothers, not in order to savour the rest, but in order to alleviate our work. Let us sing like travellers. Sing, but without ceasing to walk; sing to console yourself in the midst of fatigue…… Sing and walk!
What does that mean, walk? Go forward; make progress in doing good…… Go forward by walking towards the good; advance in faith and in the purity of your habits. Sing and walk! Don’t lose your way; don’t turn back; don’t stand still. Let us turn towards the Lord.
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You might have thought occasionally, with holy envy,
about
the adolescent Apostle, John, whom Jesus loved. Wouldn’t you like to
deserve
to be called “the one who loves the Will of God”? Then take the
necessary
steps, day by day.
(The Forge, no.422)
Friday of the thirteenth week of Ordinary Time 1
“Tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples” (Matt 9:9-13)
It has often been said that the God of the Old Testament is a God of judgment and anger while the God of the New Testament is a God of forgiveness and love. That is an entirely superficial impression, for passage after passage could be cited from the Old Testament - especially from the Prophets - in which God reveals himself to be a God of tenderness and compassion. But this much has to be said, that God reveals himself in the Old Testament, as in the New, to be a very moral God in his judgments, as one who hates and punishes sin.
Granted this, the detached student of religion would surely be surprised at how sinners are drawn to the Son of God made man. The Pharisees complained that our Lord would “eat with tax collectors and sinners”, and how “tax collectors and sinners came to eat at the table with Jesus and his disciples.” God hates sin but sinners are powerfully drawn to him in Jesus - with this proviso that they are conscious of their sinfulness and wish to be rid of their sins. Jesus reveals that God loves them and this love is for the sinner a magnet. The call of their sinful heart is to trust God.
Let us acknowledge our sinfulness and entrust
ourselves
in faith to Jesus our Redeemer.
(E.J.Tyler)
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“Matthew got up and followed him.”
Commentary on the Gospel by John Tauler (around
1300-1361), Dominican (Sermon 64)
Our Lord told Saint Matthew: “Follow me.” This
lovable
saint is a model for everyone. He was first of all a great sinner, as
the
Gospel says, and later, he became one of the great ones among all God’s
friends. For Our Lord spoke to him in the depths of his being, and then
he left everything in order to follow the Master.
To follow God in truth –– that is everything; and in
order to do that, it is necessary to truly and completely leave all
that
is not God, whatever it might be. God is a lover of hearts. He is not
interested
in what is external; rather, he wants us to give him a living interior
devotedness. That devotedness has in itself more truth than if I said
prayers
so as to fill the whole world, or if I sang so loud that my song rose
up
to the highest heaven, more truth than everything I might do externally
in fasting, vigils and other practices.
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You can be sure of the following: the desire - shown
by
deeds - to live like a good son of God brings permanent youthfulness
and
serenity, joy and peace.
(The Forge, no.423)
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Saturday of the thirteenth week of Ordinary Time 1
“The time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them” (Matthew 9:14-17)
The most outstanding feature of Judaism in the ancient world was its high monotheism. The peoples of the ancient world believed in a multiplicity of gods, and this kind of religion shaped their cultures. But there was more to this difference. The one high God of Judaism had a unique relationship with his people that marks it out further from the religions of the time. It was a covenant which He, their God, described in terms of a marriage. He was the bridegroom and husband, Israel was his spouse. Considering the exalted uniqueness of Yahweh both in the view of his people and as compared with the gods of the time, this feature was striking indeed.
Now, Jesus our Lord described himself as the bridegroom. In our Gospel passage, his disciples were the “bridegroom’s attendants” who was “still with them”, but “the time would come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them”. He occupies the position of Yahweh in respect to the new People. St John the Baptist had described Jesus as the bridegroom, and himself as the bridegroom’s friend who must recede for the sake of the bridegroom. All of this means that we have an astonishingly privileged relationship with Jesus our redeemer and God, a relationship which being - in spiritual terms - marital, is indissoluble.
Let us then commit ourselves undyingly to the
bridegroom,
and resolve never to be unfaithful.
(E.J.Tyler)
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Love for the Bridegroom
Commentary by Saint Macarius (? –– 405), Monk in Egypt (Spiritual Homily 10,4)
The soul that really loves God and Christ, even if it has done thousands of good works, thinks it has done nothing because of its insatiable hunger for God. Even if it has exhausted the body through fasting and vigils, it believes that it has not yet begun to be virtuous. In spite of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the heavenly revelations and mysteries, it believes that it has not yet done anything because of its immense and insatiable love of the Lord. In faith and in love, it is always hungry and thirsty.
Persevering in prayer, it insatiably desires the mysteries of grace and to acquire every virtue. Wounded by love of the heavenly Spirit, animated by an ardent desire for its heavenly Spouse, it aspires to the grace of perfect, mysterious and ineffable communion with him, in the sanctification of the Spirit. It is waiting for the veils to fall before his face and that it might see its Spouse face to face in the spiritual and indescribable light, that it be united to him in all certainty, that it be transformed into the image of his death. In the soul’’s great desire to die for Christ, it awaits with certainty its deliverance from sin and from all the darkness of the passions. Thus purified by the Spirit, sanctified in body and soul……, it has been made worthy to welcome the true King, Christ himself.
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If you abandon yourself once more in God’s hands,
the
Holy Spirit will give light to your understanding and strength to your
will.
(The Forge, no.424)
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