27th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - The turn toward Christ

 For almost the rest of the liturgical year, save for the week or so before Advent begins, the first readings for weekday Mass will be taken from the letters of Saint Paul.  We started his letter to the Galatians yesterday.  In two weeks we will read his letter to the Ephesians.  We’ll have a few days of his letter to the Philippians in November, followed by his letter to Titus and then Philemon.  

To call the letters of Saint Paul “foundational to our Christian faith” is an understatement.  They shape our understanding of who Jesus is; they shape our liturgical prayers, they give us insight into the life of the early Church before the Gospels were even written.  

In today’s reading, Saint Paul gives us a little biographical information.  He says, “You heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.”  We are reminded that this great missionary once put Christians to death—he considered himself an enemy of the Church. But on the road to Damascus, in the middle of his fury, all that changed.  The Risen Christ appeared to Paul, Jesus spoke a word to his heart and let a ray of his divine light into the darkness of Paul’s mind.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”.  

From then on, Paul became an ambassador of God’s saving grace, a light of hope and mercy for sinners of all nations and races, a faithful messenger of God’s unconditional goodness.  He goes from being an extreme persecutor of the faith, to an extreme evangelist.  

As we read from the Pauline Epistles over the next few weeks, we do well to consider how God calls us to open our hearts more deeply to his divine Word and to his service.

In the Gospel we hear about another type of conversion—Martha is called away from something good to something better. The Lord points out that there is something more important than her domestic busyness. Martha’s focus on worldly matters have kept her from the deeper sharing in the Lord’s presence.

Both Paul and Martha challenge us to consider what we must turn away from in order to turn more deeply to the Lord. Our own preconceptions, our own habits, our prejudices can keep us from the fullness of life that God wants for each of us. 

May we allow the Word of God to shape us, form us, and lead us more deeply into the life of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That hearing the call to conversion preached by the Church, all men may turn away from their sins to the mercy of Christ.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ, especially victims of the hurricanes and flooding, and victims of war. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

July 29 2024 - Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus - Sibling Saints

 

We honor today three sibling saints who honored and served the Lord during his earthly ministry. In the household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus, who promptly emerged from the tomb at the Jesus’ command, no doubt offered gratitude and friendship during Jesus’ later stay at Bethany.

These three saints offer several lessons in growing in sanctity. Like St. Martha, we are to serve others in practical ways, including generous hospitality. Like St. Mary, we are to listen attentively to the Lord, pondering his words, taking them to heart, spending time in his presence, particularly in Eucharistic adoration. And like St. Lazarus, we are to obey the Lord to come out of our metaphorical tombs and live in a state of gratitude.

St. Martha is a patron saints of homemakers and domestic workers. St. Lazarus is the patron of gravediggers. And St. Mary of Bethany, a model of listening to the Lord, is patron of spiritual studies.

In the Gospels, Jesus himself foretold a time when families and households would be divided over him. “From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. Father against son . …daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law” and so on. 

So many families in our modern-day experience division due to rejecting Jesus and his teachings. So we do well to, invoke Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus for our divided families. For these sibling saints show us that family unity is possible when there is mutual love and faith in Jesus. 

These sibling saints, enjoyed a real, personal, and human friendship with Jesus. In so many ways, this is exactly what Jesus wants with each of us. He wants us to know the sound of his voice, to spend time with Him, converse with Him, and trust Him in good times and bad. His light fills our lives when we draw close to him in prayer, service, and trust.

We grow in friendship with the Lord by inviting Him into the home of your souls every day and throughout the day. May these three sibling saints help us to deepen our Love for the Lord for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that like Martha, we may serve others generously and offer hospitality to those in need. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who seek truth, that like Mary, we may listen attentively to God's word and spend time in His presence. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those struggling with doubt or despair, that like Lazarus, we may respond to Christ's call to come out of our tombs and live lives of gratitude. Lord, hear our prayer.

For families divided by disagreements over faith, that through the intercession of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, they may find unity in Christ's love. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all of us, that we may cultivate a deep and personal friendship with Jesus, inviting Him into our hearts and homes each day. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of human trafficking, natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for the unborn, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Loving Father, we thank you for the example of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, who showed us different ways to love and serve your Son. Grant us what we need to know the benefit of their heavenly intercession and follow their holy example. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

27th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Ordinary Spiritual Growth

Every year we hear this passage from the prophet Jonah on the first week of Lent, 7 days after Ash Wednesday.  It’s one of the most dramatic responses to the call to repentance in the entire old testament: a city of about 120,000 people all come to repent the nobility, the peasantry, show signs of their repentance by fasting, covering themselves with sackcloth, and sitting in ashes.

We begin Lent on Ash Wednesday doing the exact same thing—with fasting and the imposition of ashes on our foreheads.  And throughout Lent we undertake practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—visible and external signs of our internal sorrow for our sins.

Repentance is a pre-requisite for new spiritual life.  Repentance seeks to end the cycle of sin by acknowledging it with heartfelt sorrow and firmly resolving to sin no more.  Repentance ends the illusion that independence from God and his commandments brings the fulfillment we long for.

I’ve spoken before of the order of monks who take as their motto: “Semper Quadragesima”— “Always Lent”.  They seek to live, all year round, in that penitential Lenten Spirit because it is so effective in disposing us to the new spiritual life God wants to bring forth in us. If we are not actively seeking to be free from selfishness and to grow in generosity and charity, then we are in trouble.

Penitential Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, are taken up, particularly during Lent, but they are meant to be part of our normal spiritual growth—our Ordinary Time spiritual growth.

In the Gospel, Jesus rebuked Martha for being anxious about many things and not focusing on the one thing that really matters, namely, Himself, his presence in her life.  So what are the modes of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that perhaps we need to commit to or recommit to, in order to be more centered on Christ, more serious about becoming liberated from selfishness.

Semper Quadragesima—always Lent.  May we be generous in surrendering all the different parts of our life to God’s transforming mercy, and allow God to reform, reshape, and renew us today and every day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That hearing the call to repentance preached by the Church, all men may turn away from their sins to the mercy of Christ.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

16th Sunday in OT 2019 - Prayerful Service or Godless Activism

Last week, from Luke’s Gospel we heard the parable of the Good Samaritan: an instruction from Our Lord to go beyond our comfort zones to help others.  Immediately following the parable of the Good Samaritan Saint Luke gives the account of our Lord’s visit to Martha and Mary which we heard today.

It’s not a coincidence that Saint Luke puts these two stories side by side.  On the one hand we are taught in the Good Samaritan Story how disciples of Jesus Christ are to go out into the highways, and go and pick up and care for the wounded and those in need.

On the other hand, what do we learn about discipleship from Mary and Martha?  Martha was busy with all the details of hospitality and Mary was sitting at the feet of Our Lord, listening to his word.  And it was Mary who was praised by the Lord,  He said, “Mary has chosen the better part”.
Saint Luke emphasizing a very important lesson in discipleship; yes, we have to care for those in need, yes we have to lift up the wounded, but we cannot lose sight of the one most necessary thing, we must remain grounded by sitting at the feet of Christ—nurturing that close, personal, intimate relationship with Him through prayer, meditation, and contemplation.

I’m reminded of a story from the Missionary Sisters of Charity, the order of sisters founded by St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta.  I got to work with the Missionary Sisters in Rome at a homeless shelter every week for about 5 months, and also at an orphanage in Madagascar.  One of the charisms of the Missionary Sisters of Charity is to take care of the poorest of the poor.  They literally lift starving people out of the gutter and give them food and shelter.  Every day, the Missionary Sisters of Charity make a holy hour, they pray for an hour every day, usually around 6am, in front of the blessed Sacrament.

One day, a young novice goes to Mother Theresa, and says how she thinks the holy hour is a waste of time; there are people starving to death on the streets while the sisters are in the chapel praying.  “Sister, you seem very troubled” Mother said.  “I am, Mother, this holy hour is a waste of time.”  “Because you are so troubled,” said mother Theresa to the young novice, “you need two hours.”
St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church, would remarked similarly, “"Everyone of us needs half an hour of prayer each day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour."

Francis de Sales and Mother Theresa would likely agree that it is so easy to become burnt out and disconnected from God without the daily prayer that sustains us.

Martha was no doubt doing good work in the Gospel today. But the Lord corrects her—reorients her. Why? For one, she comes into the room complaining. Never a good way to enter a room and begin a conversation. Martha complains: Lord, don’t you care that my sister isn’t helping me? Jesus, don’t you care about the same things I care about? Already, we detect, a misalignment of Martha’s will and Jesus’ will. And this misalignment has brought her unhappiness and resentment. She then seeks to force her will upon Jesus and upon her sister: “tell her to help me.”

 Had Martha spent quality time with the Lord, would she be making this complaint and this demand? I think not. If we aren’t praying, “Thy will be done” we are likely seeking that “my will be done”. And this will always bring exhaustion and unhappiness.

Thinking that OUR earthly priorities, our earthly pursuits, are more important than spending time with Jesus is among the greatest mistakes we can make in the Christian life. It makes an idol of our work. Martha is preoccupied with the earthly and missing out on the heavenly.  Martha has her priorities backwards. As so many of us do. Rather. The Lord calls us to holy work, but holy work flows from the living relationship with Christ.

And we might want to defend Martha here, “someone had to do the work. Someone had to serve the meal.” No. That is not the point of the story. Seek first the kingdom of God. Mary has chosen the better part because she has first looked upon Jesus Christ with eyes of faith and a heart of love. She has taken the time to meditate upon the meaning of his presence and to contemplate his face.
Pope Benedict XVI took up this lesson in his first encyclical titled, Deus Caritas Est, God is love.  He teaches that no Christian can be exempt from practicing charity; care for those in need is part of our Christian identity.  But, what makes Christian service different from mere secular service agencies, is that our love of neighbor flows from our love of God.  We prioritize the nurturing of that Holy Relationship with God.

Pope Benedict writes: “It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays does not claim to be able to change God's plans or correct what he has foreseen. Rather, he seeks an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ, asking God to be present with the consolation of the Spirit to him and his work. A personal relationship with God and an abandonment to his will can prevent man from being demeaned and save him from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism.”

Ok. Activism, Fanaticism and terrorism being the result of not praying, this sounds extreme. But who of us are immune from becoming activists for non-essentials, fanatical about our own plans, and terrible in imposing those plans on others. Prayer, meditation upon the word of God, studying the example of the saints, attending the school of the saints, as we say, will help us remain rooted in what matters most.

Ah but when, we do answer the call to prayer. We become charged and changed by God’s presence. His peace calms us, his joy radiates from us, his wisdom guides us, and his love burns within us. Our work can then become transformed into an encounter with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Every day we are faced with the choice to be more like Martha or more like Mary— Busy about all of our worldly pursuits, or drawn deeper into the life and love of God.  Let us renew our commitment today to daily prayer, to seeking the one thing that really matters, Jesus Christ Our Lord, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Tuesday - 27th Week of OT 2017 - Anxiety keeps us from encountering Christ

October began with the feast of the Little Flower, St. Therese. St. Therese teaches us that power of doing little things with great love—doing the ordinary, day-to-day chores and responsibility mindful of God’s presence with us, embracing the little inconveniences with greater and greater patience.
In the little, ordinary events of the day, there are opportunities to grow in grace and focus on God, but that means there is also the temptation to turn away from him. If you can become a saint through these small events, why aren’t we all saints?

So often, it is our anxious thoughts and our impatience which keep us from knowing the peace of God. Like Martha in the Gospel today, who misses the whole point of Jesus’ visit, we miss out on opportunities to grow in grace because we are consumed with the spirit of busyness, worldliness. You just know that Martha was cursing Mary the whole time she was doing her chores, “why is she just sitting there, doesn’t she know how much work there is to do?”

Psalm 139 says that God searches us and knows our hearts, he tests us and knows our anxious thoughts. And Jesus shows himself to be keenly aware that Martha was not doing her work with peace in her heart. Jesus in this Gospel isn’t condemning housework, but he is certainly teaching that we must let go of our anxieties, worrying what everybody else is doing all the time, if it keeps us from being at peace.

Proverbs says, “Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down”, it causes us to sink from grace to bitterness.

Yesterday, we heard how Jonah was anxious and worried about how he would be treated by the Ninevites, to whom God was calling him to preach repentance. His anxiety and fear had disastrous results, storms, shipwreck, lives were put in danger because he anxiously resisted God’s will.

But today, we get the second part of the story: Jonah surrenders to the plan of God in his life, he preaches repentance, and he witnesses one of the most dramatic responses to the call to repentance in the entire old testament: a city of about 120,000 people all come to repent—the nobility, the peasantry, show signs of their repentance by fasting, covering themselves with sackcloth, and sitting in ashes.

Amazing things happen when we relinquish our fears and anxieties and trust in God. Jonah was no doubt able to rejoice with the words of Psalm 94: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

May we relinquish our misguided thoughts and anxious attitudes, and surrender and trust in the Lord’s Holy Will for our lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That hearing the call to repentance preached by the Church, all men may turn away from their sins to the mercy of Christ.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.