11th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - Sins of parents and leaders and seeking perfection

 Yesterday, from the first book of Kings, we read of the many sins of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in conspiring to have the vineyard owner Naboth killed, so they could steal his land. Today, we read how they even denied Naboth proper burial—truly despicable behavior for a king and queen.

Then we read how God sent Elijah to confront Ahab to pronounce God’s great displeasure and judgment upon him. Now, Elijah was not some stranger to Ahab. By this time Ahab knew Elijah's credentials. Ahab had enough wisdom to recognize that this was very serious, and so he humbles himself and repents. And God judged Ahab’s repentance sincere, and extended his mercy.

No sin is too great that it cannot be forgiven. God’s acknowledgement of Ahab's repentance is one of many signs throughout the Old Testament of God's mercy to a repentant sinner—even a covetous, idolatrous, conspiring, murderous, thieving king like Ahab. 

However, Elijah announces that there will still be earthly consequences for Ahab and Jezebel’s sins. Although Ahab's repentance was genuine, repentance does not erase the temporal consequences of our actions. The sins of parents can have long-lasting consequences on their progeny and the actions of leaders can have long-lasting consequences on their nation. This story serves as a lesson about the importance of righteous parenting, leadership and the enduring impact of sin.

The Word of God emphasizes the need for future generations to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and strive for righteousness. 

In light of the first reading, the Lord’s teaching in the Gospel today carries an interesting lesson. Jesus teaches, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Oftentimes, children learn terrible habits from their parents. The sins of parents, the fractures in their marriage, their personal vices, their acts of selfishness can have terrible ripple effects in the lives of their children—effecting how their children relate to the world, to others, and to God. 

And so the Lord’s teaching, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” means that children should strive to break the familial cycles of sin—to unlearn the sinful habits of their parents. Don’t simply imitate your biological Father, strive for the perfection of your Heavenly Father. 

The teachings of Jesus are to supersede, replace, and perfect our family’s ways of doing things, especially those behaviors which contradict the commandments of God. 

Thank God for the good holy example of good parents. But we know that there are some Ahab’s and Jezebel’s out with kids. May we set good Christian example for those children and for those Ahab’s and Jezebel’s because they can repent too. May we all seek the perfection of soul God desires for each of us through Christ, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people on summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials

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

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

11th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Monday - The sins of Ahab and Jezebel

Along with our readings from the Sermon on the Mount, we have been reading lately from the Old Testament book of Kings. Last week we heard how Elijah condemned King Ahab’s promotion of pagan worship through Israel.  King Ahab, influenced by his pagan wife Jezebel, actively promoted the worship of Baal in Israel, building pagan altars and temples in direct violation of the command to have no other gods before the God of Israel.

Today, we read of the twisted morals of this corrupt royal couple. 

First we heard of King Ahab’s covetousness. In violation of the 10th commandment Ahab coveted his neighbor’s property. When Naboth refused to sell or trade his ancestral land to Ahab, the king became sullen and angry. Almost comically, 1st Kings describes Ahab whining from his bed and refusing to eat when he didn't get what he wanted.  His wife, Jezebel, enabled and encouraged his sinful attitude, and then enacted a corrupt plan to obtain the object of Ahab’s covetousness. 

Jezebel orchestrated false accusations of blasphemy against Naboth by recruiting two scoundrels to serve as false witnesses, in violation of the 8th prohibiting bearing false witness.

Then, based on the false charges, Jezebel arranges for Naboth to be stoned to death. This violates the 5th commandment, "You shall not murder".

Then, after Naboth's death, Jezebel tells Ahab to take possession of the vineyard he wanted, stealing his neighbor’s property, breaking the 7th commandment.

All in all, the royal couple used their authority to pervert justice, oppress the innocent, and facilitate sin. 

Ahab and Jezebel’s actions reveal hearts hardened against God and a willingness to use deceit, injustice and violence to gratify selfish desires. Here is a cautionary tale of how sin perverts and destroys.

Don’t be like Ahab and Jezebel. Don’t rationalize sin. Don’t give yourself license to violate the commandments. Don’t think yourself so high, mighty, or educated that the commandments of God don’t apply to you. Sin is destructive no matter who you are.

Rather, our continued reading of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel, illuminates the way of life God wants for us: a life of radical interiorization of God’s love and mercy—charity that goes beyond social conventions. Instead of returning “evil for evil”, we are to return “good for evil”. We must be zealous, not in seeking selfish pursuits, but in cultivating holiness within ourselves, and helping others to do the same.

During this month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray that following the Lord’s teachings, imitating his example, through prayer and reception of the sacraments, our hearts may be filled with truly charity like his, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people on summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials

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

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

10th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Wednesday - The Choice between God and Baal

 

“If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.”

In the first reading, Elijah challenges the people of Israel to choose between the Lord and Baal—between the one true God and the pagan idol. The subsequent dramatic demonstration of God's power through the prophet Elijah compared to the impotence of the false god Baal and his prophets is a powerful illustration of the need to make the right choice. Choosing God over the false idols of the world is the most important choice we can make in this life. 

False gods abound in our modern day. They might not have names like Baal, but we know that false gods—like prestige, pleasure, and prosperity—are promoted by internet celebrities and worshipped by the masses. 

Consider how Baal worship became prominent in the northern kingdom of Israel. It was promoted by the King, who should have known better. King Ahab, influenced by his pagan wife Jezebel, actively promoted the worship of Baal in Israel, building pagan altars and temples in direct violation of the command to have no other gods before Yahweh, not to mention his duties as king spelled out in the Scriptures. 

And Israel’s descent into error was quick. They had gone from a united kingdom a hundred fifty years earlier, with David dancing before the ark of God, and Solomon building God a temple, to a divided kingdom and the erection of pagan altars and human sacrifices. And how did this fall into idolatry occur? Rejection of God’s commands, the failure of parents to drill into their children the need to love God with their whole hearts, minds, souls, and strength, rejection of right religion on the national and individual levels. The Lord has strong words in the Gospel today for those who “whoever break the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so.”

This passage certainly serves as a reminder to the Church, of the need to hold fast to the Lord and His Word, to make no allowances for pagan idols in our lives, to guard our children from the errors of the culture, to ensure that we are choosing God over those pagan idols in every decision we make.

And again, in a world with so many false Gods, we do well to pray assiduously for deliverance of those who fall sway to the many forms of modern paganism, that they can come to acknowledge the exhaustion, unhappiness, and futility of worshipping false gods, and the truth, goodness, and life of worshipping the One True God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials

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

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord