Hear!

Hear the word of the LORD!

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.  Isaiah 1:16-17

Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  Matthew 10:38-39

Piety

Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! (Be gone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!)

 Let us all pray through the intercession of St. Benedict of Nursia that our “ora et labora” (prayer and work) will grow in holiness and simplicity! 

St. Benedict, pray for us!

Study

Today, on the Memorial of Saint Benedict, our first reading from Isaiah begins with words that form the basis for the opening of his infamous Rule: 

Isaiah:  Hear the word of the LORD!

Benedict:  Listen carefully, my child, to my instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.[i]

Isiah’s delivered a stinging indictment of hypocrisy to the religious rulers of his day.  Those leaders thought that they could please God with another meaningless sacrifice or another external form of worship while ignoring the needs of the “anawim” (the weakest who need help including widows, orphans and the poor). Benedict echoed Isaiah’s warnings and proposed a new way forward to the same end – through a school of study, piety, and action which denied the self in favor of holy humility and hospitality to whoever knocked at the gate.

The end desire of both prophets and saints is the same:  If we wish to dwell in God's tent, we will never arrive unless we run there by doing good deeds.[ii]  Isaiah reproaches us to wash clean and do good.  Benedict also tells us to make justice the aim of our piety, study, and action. 

Action

The conditions of discipleship do not get any easier as time passes.  Not in 742 BC when Isaiah got his call to purification.  Not in the sixth century of the Christian era when Benedict laid down his Rule.  Not in the 21^st Century when we remain indicted with the same words: “Your hands are full of blood!”

We seem to be engaged and/or enraged in a debate about lives. The bottom line is that all lives matter.  Some – like the widows and orphans singled out by Isaiah – demanded special consideration of the leaders because they could not fare for themselves the same way as others with more money, strength, or options.

For all the debate, we do not seem to be making any progress in the mission.  The streets of Detroit and Watts and Newark ran with blood in the summer of 1967.  Nearly 50 years later, the people on the streets of Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, and Dallas face the same fate.  Let us pause today for a dose of the peace sought by St. Benedict from the poison all around him, and heed the first word of our readings.  Listen!  Hear!  Let us not rush to judgment but instead, let us humbly put ourselves into the shoes of the carpenter and those whom he touched by losing our life for His sake.

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[i] References to the Rule are based upon the translation by St. Joan Chittister, OSB, in Rule of St. Benedict: Insight for the Ages.

[ii] Ibid.

And Who Is My Neighbor?

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, 'Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?' Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?' No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."  Deuteronomy 30:11-14

For in him, all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven. Colossians 1:19-20

"But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29

Piety

“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  Luke 10:21-24

Study

There is much happening in the tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel. First, Jesus sends out 72 disciples on a mission from God.  They work wonders in far off lands and return and report on their mission.  This is the high point of the chapter and maybe of the entire Good News. The Spirit of the Lord was not only upon Jesus at this juncture but also upon those surrounding him.  

We share in the privilege of discipleship, too.  The rest of chapter ten explains how we are to exercise those rights and responsibilities.  First, we must follow the Parable of Unexpected Mercy (aka the Good Samaritan).  Then, Jesus stops by to visit his friends Martha and Mary in Bethany and makes a monumental revelation.  It is not only that we must focus on our study and action.  We cannot leave out the better part.   

(Note that Mary’s action is not the BEST part.  Integrating piety, study, AND action is the best part. Pious reverence for the Lord is better than study and action standing alone.)

What did the 72 accomplish?  If they were half as effective as the Good Samaritan and Mary of Bethany, they had a very good, wonderful, miraculous day.

Action

There is much happening today on the pages of the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News, the Baton Rouge Starr, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

It sure does not feel like the spirit of the Lord is upon us.  We are drowning in blood-soaked grief. The demons we face do not seem to be subject to our God.   

Do not let the headlines or TV news stop you from your appointed task.  Have you tried to answer the title question yet?   Keep that question with you and ponder it with EVERY person you encounter today.  Your family.  Your neighbors on your street.  The cashier at Safeway.  The attendant at the gas station.  The guy driving the bleeping beeping Mercedes who cut you off on I-95 North.  (Or Lord, won’t you buy ME a Mercedes-Benz, too?).   The waitress at the restaurant.    

"And who is my neighbor?" He goes by many names.  He wears many different clothes and uniforms.  His skin is different colors.  His gender is different than yours even though this list is all male…

David Francis Michel, Jr.

Alton Sterling

Lorne Ahrens 

Freddie Grey

Patrick Zamarripa 

Trayvon Martin

Michael Krol 

Mike Brown

Brent Thompson

Philando Castile

Michael Smith

Eric Garner

Everyone.  Even those you least expect to serve will serve to fulfill your discipleship. Your neighbor is someone very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry out love.  

Send Me

Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”  Isaiah 6:7-8

Therefore, do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Matthew 10:26-28A

Piety

Love this pic! There's so much heaviness weighing on our society and I believe our world and all of us in it are in need of prayer. Regardless of your religious affiliation, we can all pray for love, peace, and harmony. "At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #loveoneanother #peace #lovenotwar #instagram #photoftheday #nomorekilling (Posted by Tamara Bibby on Facebook)

Study

Courage in the face of the odds. Isaiah needs a heap of it to attempt to convert the people.  Even though he knows he is a sinner, once purified, he sets about the task the Lord intended for him.

Likewise, we find the disciples in need of an ample dose of courage.  Jesus attempts to inspire them with the message delivered to us via St. Matthew today.  Go out.  Do not be afraid.  Proclaim.  Reveal.  Speak.  Light. 

Yet, Isaiah did not find people willing to cultivate the Word of God. He found:

Gross is the heart of this people; they will not hear with their ears; they have closed their eyes, so they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’

Yet….yet…yet the Lord continues to heal and purify.

In continuing to weave together various inspiring and provocative posts from social media, my cousin Mary Downes shared an image quoting Dr. King. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” said the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Still, others shared his line: “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.” Isaiah was not.  We cannot.

Action

Send me?  Yes!

Today the Lectionary (or the Internet Machine version of the Lectionary) serves up a very active message.  The Lord purifies the lips of His servant Isaiah for the work ahead.  He also will purify us for His work. Jesus does not ask us to sit at home watching EWTN (or worse ESPN).

When the blood of the law and the blood of the innocent run together in the streets we may need a healthy dose of the same courage needed by Isaiah to face the odds as well. We all know the message of love.  Yet people instill hate and fear. 

This morning, fellow blogger and Cursillista Melanie Rigney posted a Gordon Lightfoot tune in her Summer of Song series.  She explained that it was Lightfoot's indictment of the 1967 Detroit riot that began on July 23. On this, another horrific July morning, his words ring just as true: "And you say, 'How did it happen?' And you say, 'How did it start? Why can't we all be brothers, why can't we live in peace?' But the hands of the have-nots keep falling out of reach."

The image of the hands of the “have-nots” keep failing to reach…to reach justice, to reach truth, to reach equality, to reach respect.  Just two hours later, friend Tamara Bibby shared the image and words reprinted above. 

Our hands continue to reach out to purify our sense of indifference. Isaiah faced the same deaf ears. Isaiah’s words give evidence that he attempted in every way, through admonition, threat, and promise, to bring the people to conversion.  The hardening that he faced reflects the refusal of the people, more particularly the leaders, who were supposed to “see,” “hear,” and “understand,” a refusal which would then lead to a disastrous outcome. 

Can our outcome be any different unless we heed this word and bring it to life? The privilege of the disciple/Cursillista is “blessed are our eyes, because we see, and our ears because we hear.”  Where will you take his message today?  

How will you bring it to life?  It’s on us. Not our politicians or police.  Not our prophets or priests.  Us.  Do you believe that we can?  Here I am.  Send me. 

Come Back to Me

Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Colleen O'Sullivan

I will heal their defection, says the Lord, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them.  I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots.  His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.  (Hosea 14:5-7)

Piety

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

(Psalm 51:14 and 17)

Study

What a frenetic, crazy culture we live in!  Busy, busy, busy.  Gotta keep up with all those emails, texts, and tweets.  And don’t forget Instagram and Facebook.  Thanks to our smart phones, now our workplaces can keep in touch 24/7.  But even the most ardent advocates and users of social media among us find ourselves stopping once in a while to take stock of how our lives are going.

So, you do an excellent job in your career.  You got a great review, even a big bonus.  But sometimes you have to wonder if all the time you put into your work is worth the collateral damage.  You’d like to shut out the memory of your son’s face when you announced you would have to miss yet another ball game because you were “stuck” at work.  You can’t remember the last time you hired a babysitter, went out with your spouse and talked about something other than the family’s schedule or your job?  You’re becoming like a stranger to your family, you realize.

You start to ponder all your accomplishments.  Perhaps you come to the realization that they don’t give you the satisfaction they used to.  They seem kind of empty.  Is this all there is to life? you wonder.

You realize other things in your life have gotten off-kilter, too.  You used to say blessings at meals and pray before you went to sleep at night.  Somehow that’s all gone by the wayside.  Your family hardly ever all sits down to meals together anymore.  Sunday mornings used to be time for the family to go to church together, but that’s your only time all week to sleep in.  Now that you’re pondering all this, when was the last time you ever had a deep conversation with God, anyway?

What has happened?  How did I get to be this exhausted, dried-up shell of a human being? you ask yourself.  How did I get so off track?

At the very moment, you have this thought, God calls to you.  Come back to me.  I will restore true joy to your life.   Don’t worship the works of your hands as though they are the gods in your life.  Even if you had never done a thing of note, I would still be here saying this to you.  I love you.  Let me take care of you.

The people Hosea preached to were, in general, prosperous.  They, too, idolized their own works.  They were faithless.  Some of them were bedazzled by the Assyrians and even went so far as to offer sacrifices to Assyrian gods.  Still, God sang love songs to them, wooing them back, inviting them to put aside these idols and return to the Lord.

No matter that we may have turned our backs on the God who breathed life into us and put us on this earth, our sins are never the last word.  God promises healing and forgiveness.  God is merciful.  God doesn’t want us to feel used up and worn out from our frenetic attempts to be our own gods.  God promises to refresh us like dew.  God wants us to bloom.  He wants us to have roots like Lebanon cedars, roots that are centered in the Lord.

No matter what we have done or failed to do, God is always running after us, inviting us to come home, to be his children, to feel his arms around us.

Action

Spend some time contemplating our God, the God who never stops loving us, the One who pursues us with mercy and forgiveness when our every inclination is to hide in shame. 

“Behold God beholding you…and smiling.” (Anthony de Mello, S.J., Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits, p.8)

Without Cost, Give

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

Burst, mosaic by Plamen Petrov

http://plamensart.com/?gallery=burst

Thus says the LORD: When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me, sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. … My heart is overwhelmed; my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not a man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you. (Hosea 11:1-2, 8-9)

Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost, you are to give. (Matthew 10:7-8)

Piety

“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.”  Elie Wiesel

Study

Jesus’ words in Matthew echo His first proclamation in the temple that He fulfills the words of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) He passed on to his followers specific actions inspired by the Spirit of the Lord.  God tasked the Chosen People and now Jesus tasks his friends.  To carry on in accord with God’s tasks means they are fulfilling and continuing the covenant in a new way.  God has gifted each of them, each of us, and we are to share Gods presence with others.

This week I also think of Elie Wiesel as I read these beautiful words.  In the New Testament, we hear a new command.  In Hosea, we hear God’s loving and forgiving mercy upon people who did not follow His tasks but whom He still loves desperately.  Wiesel survived a time of hate-in-action which, I am sure, brought God and the heavenly host to tears.  Wiesel dedicated his life to growing beyond the hate and finding meaning in his – and human – existence.  He proclaimed liberty, fought against oppression and tried to bring sight to the blindness which allowed such hate to be expressed by the Nazis.  He is famously quoted as saying “I believe in man in spite of men” which I am also certain made God smile and nod in understanding.  Wiesel became a man of peace, courage filled and aware of God’s presence in spite of hatred and evil.  He gave without counting the cost for the rest of his life.

Action

In his acceptance speech for the Nobel peace prize, Wiesel said: “We know that every moment is a moment of grace, every hour an offering; not to share them would mean to betray them. Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us desperately.” 

In what way am I sharing without counting the cost?  In what way am I offering to someone who needs desperately?  Take some dedicated time today in silence to experience gratitude in God’s loving embrace of you.  Share it forward as you go.

Seek the Lord

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the LORD, till he comes and rains down justice upon you.”  Hosea 10:12

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”  Matthew 10:5-7

Piety

Father, help us to seek out the Lord before the Good Shepherd seeks us.  Jesus, when you find me, let me see your face of mercy and reconciling love.  Holy Spirit, give me the gifts to shed the weeds that clutter my life so that when the Lord shows me His holy face, I will see and recognize him. Amen.

Study

If there is a more beautifully poetic version of the Cursillo Tripod than Hosea 10:12 in all of the sacred scripture, I have not yet found it. 

“Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the LORD, till he comes and rains down justice upon you.”  Hosea 10:12

This week is the ONLY time in the two-year weekday liturgical cycle of daily readings when you can taste and see the poetry of this book. (There are two annual selections on Friday and Saturday in the Third Week of Lent when we get a reading from this first of the minor prophets.)

If you are like me, you will cherish the week because this has become one of my favorite books in the Hebrew Bible. (Of course, we can break open the Book of Hosea anytime we choose.  We do not need to wait only for the Magisterium to offer up a few selections.)

The poetic writing of Hosea about God’s unending love comes at a very incongruous time.  These were the dark days of the decline and fall of Israel – about 800 years before Christ came on the scene.  Yet Hosea rises above the news of the day to describe the relationship of Israel to the Lord as if it was a marriage.  This analogy was picked up by later prophets and in the New Testament where Paul compares Christ and the church as a bride and bridegroom.  However, Hosea notes that Israel strays from a faithful relationship. Yet, in the end, the relationship is restored through the mercy and reconciling love of God.   

Who is wise enough to understand these things?

Who is intelligent enough to know them?

Straight are the paths of the LORD,

the just walk in them,

but sinners stumble in them. Hos 14:10

The “Seek-the-Lord” command in Hosea 10:12 echoes in the Psalm selected today (Seek the Lord) and that is exactly what the 72 disciples are doing as they venture out to visit the Lost Sheep.  They are seeking to embody the Spirit of the Lord inside each pair of disciples.  In essence, the Good Shepherd knows that it is he -- himself -- who does the seeking as the lost sheep may not even realize they are lost.

Action

As we seek out the lost sheep and bring Christ (back) into their lives, we build the Kingdom brick by mortal soul brick.  We go out with our holy roto-tiller breaking up a new field so that the shoots of the tree of life can unfold into the world.  Hosea reminds us that we reap what we sow. If we are a luxuriant vine, then we bear great fruit.  If not, we will be overgrown with thorns.

We are not always the shepherd. We also are the lost sheep trying to graze in a field of weeds and thorns.  When we are not about the Lord’s work, vines and thistles overtake us.  What are the vines and thistles in your life?  What weeds do you need to get under control?  

The Master of the Harvest

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind; the stalk of grain that forms no ear can yield no flour; even if it could, strangers would swallow it. (Hosea 8:7)

Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does. Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of men. (Psalm 115:3-4)

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are

By Aleksander Mroczkowski (1850-1927)
[Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Piety

Lord, still my soul and the busyness of my life. Help me to see that all I need is You.

Study

At some level, we all need something more than the day-to-day joys and aggravations life on earth offers us. We know it. But even when we know precisely what it is we need, we have a tendency to be a little restless.

And so, we set up idols. They’re not always bad or dangerous on the surface the way narcotics or overeating are. Sometimes they’re far more subtle. We want a nice house or a nice car or nice clothes, and we set them… or the money we need to buy them or the job we need to make the money to buy them… up as idols. We love our family so much that we can’t imagine life without them, and we invest all we have in those relationships, setting them up as idols. Indeed, we can even get so wrapped up in service to the Lord that our pride in a job well done and need for recognition become idols.

Idols take up space in our lives. If we’re not mindful, they can crowd out God. Let’s be careful with our time, talent, and treasure that the master of the harvest always is pleased with our labors.

Action

Identify one activity or appointment you can set aside, just for today, to spend more time with God.

Arise!

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.  Hosea 10:21-22

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. Matthew 9:23-25

Piety

We lift up our hearts, O God, on this day of celebration in gratitude for the gift of being Americans.

We rejoice with all those who share in the great dream of freedom and dignity for all.

With flags and feasting, with family and friends, we salute those who have sacrificed that we might have the opportunity to bring to fulfillment our many God-given gifts.

As we deny all prejudice a place in our hearts, may we also clearly declare our intention to work for the time when all people…will be granted equal dignity and worth.

Come, O gracious God, who led your children Israel from slavery, keep us free from all that might hold us in bondage.

Blass our country and join our simple celebration that we may praise you, our Source of freedom, the one in whom we place our trust. (Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, July 4)

Study

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we read the line about Jesus: “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.”  However, is Jesus really the “first born from the dead?”  Not exactly.

Not including several cases detailed in the Hebrew Bible, Jesus was not the first to be brought back from the dead.  We know that Lazarus was raised from the dead before Jesus entered Jerusalem.  We hear today’s story about the official’s daughter.  In addition, in Luke, we encounter the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-17) and Jairus’ only daughter (Luke 8:52-56).  

The widow of Nain’s only son is the first of the three resurrections that Jesus performed.  Just as he celebrated Eucharistic-type feasts feeding the multitudes, he also foreshadowed his own resurrection.  Perhaps these three miracles were all part of the way Jesus prepared his followers for the Easter miracle.  Jesus also showed His power over death by raising the young daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader (the same story recounted here in Matthew’s Gospel as well as in Mark 5:21 and following).  

In Mark, the official report is that the daughter is at the point of death.  In Matthew’s account, she has already died.  In Luke’s story, she dies while Jesus is delayed healing the unclean woman.   

One of the main points to these stories – and as they are told in the context of the 12-year illness of the woman with the hemorrhages – is that "faith can exist in seemingly hopeless situations."  Not only did his daughter’s illness and death challenge the faith of Jairus, but the delay caused by Jesus taking the time to heal the woman was an additional test to see if Jairus would be constant. Jesus woke the girl up from the sleep of death, the Lord has conquered the night.

Action

Awake from your slumber
arise from your sleep
a new day is dawning
for all those who weep.

(“City of God” by Dan Schutte)

Let’s arise from our sleep.  Maybe the fireworks of the holiday will wake us up to what is happening in our surroundings and the wider world.  While we are celebrating freedom today, many people around the world do not share in the same life, liberty and happiness which was won for us.

We are challenged to put our faith into action to help the world’s poorest create the kind of lasting change that was created when our forefather’s pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for freedom, for history and ultimately, for our sake.

According to Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org), the war in Syria has entered its sixth year.[i] In Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, more than 4 million Syrian refugees—mostly women and children—are struggling to survive daily life.  Host countries' economies, social services, and basic infrastructure are strained to the breaking point. In addition to providing basic services, CRS focuses on education, care, and trauma counseling for Syrian children, many of whom have been out of school for most of their childhoods.

CRS provides resources so that you can pray, learn and act in solidarity with the Syrian refugees.  http://www.crs.org/resource-center/nourishing-hope-refugees.  

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[i] By contrast, the American Revolutionary War lasted from 1775-1783 (eight years). 

Lambs Among Wolves

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem, you shall find your comfort.  Isaiah 66:12-13

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.  Luke 10:2-3

Piety

At that very moment, he rejoiced [in] the holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  (Luke 10:21-22)[i]

Study

Just as Jesus transfers his parenthood over the children of God, he also shares with us his lamb-ship. The poet in Isaiah addresses the children born of Jerusalem, their mother. In v. 13, the metaphor switches to the Lord as a mother (cf. 49:15), comforting her charges but destroying the enemies.

Our journey is His journey.  The 72 disciples were sent out to the places where Jesus planned to visit.  They were making the way just like imitators of John the Baptist. Our message is his message:  The kingdom of God is at hand for you.  And that kingdom is made manifest when people eat and break bread together.  Thus the image of the Mother-God is one who feeds her children all that is good.

When we get to the Gospel, the Lord is now mother to adults.  Rather than feeding the disciples as if they were babies in need of breastmilk, the Lord sends them out to earn their supper through work at building the Kingdom – encounter by encounter. 

Chapter 10 in Luke’s Gospel builds up to two apocryphal stories:  1) the Good Samaritan and 2) the Dinner Encounter with Martha and Mary.  Both are counted among the many “meal stories” we come across as related by Luke.  But, before we get to those shared meals, we see the disciples sent out without ANY food because the Lord will provide for them through the people they encounter. The food is NOT what is important in any of these stories.  The encounter, the relationship is what really matters.

The Good Samaritan and the Dinner in Bethany teach important lessons.  First, pay more attention to those around you than the business around you.  The Samaritan preached by his actions helping the man mugged by the robber. Second, care for each other but make sure to spend time with the Lord as well.  Both are good but one is the better option.   

The commandment given to the disciples at the conclusion of the Parable of the Good Samaritan sums it all up.  “Go and do likewise.”  We are to go like the Lamb of God and act as the Lamb of God would act even when we are among the wolves of sin.

Today, we see the disciples do exactly that.  They leave the comfort zone of innocence, mother and family to proclaim the kingdom in unchartered territory.  They go out two-by-two to preach, heal and drive out demons based upon the experience they have had with Jesus. They are warned not to do anything out of a spirit of self-pride but out of the humility in knowing that their names are already engraved on the walls of heaven. Jesus reveals the Father to His disciples just as he said in the prayer that is central to Chapter 10. 

Action

Coming from a family with Italian, Irish and German roots, holidays meant two things – parties and food. The summer holidays would be back yard cook outs with plenty of water games in the pool, sun, and food.  When the winter chill returned, the family parties moved indoors.   

Who can you help find comfort today?  On this busy holiday weekend, perhaps you will be preparing meals to share with others.  Or maybe when you have some extra time off, you can go through some closets or shelves to find items to donate to charity. Maybe others will be helping to comfort you.  Accept their gift willingly.

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[i] This prayer falls in exactly the center of Luke 10.  The book is 42 verses long and this prayer is recited starting at verse 21. The mission builds to the prayer which is offered by Jesus upon the return of the 72.  It also precedes the Parable of the Samaritan and the real-life Parable of Dinner with Mary and Martha. 

New Wine into Fresh Wineskins

Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”  Matthew 9:16-17

Piety

Love and truth will meet;

justice and peace will kiss.

Truth will spring from the earth;

justice will look down from heaven.

Yes, the LORD will grant his bounty;

our land will yield its produce.   Psalm 85:11-13

Study

Leading into today’s passage from the book of Amos is a very dark and gloomy prediction.  All sinners among my people shall die by the sword, those who say, “Disaster will not reach or overtake us.”  (Amos 5:10).  What then do we make of the uplifting ending to this chapter?  The notes in the trusty NAB help put this passage into historical context: 

These verses are most likely an editorial supplement to Amos, added to bring the book into harmony with the positive thrust of the prophetic books in general, especially those written after the exile, when the final edition of Amos was probably completed. The editors would have seen the destruction of Samaria in 722/721 B.C. as the fulfillment of Amos’s prophecies, but in this epilogue, they express the view that destruction was not the Lord’s final word for Israel. In Acts 15:15–17, James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. The fallen hut of David: the Davidic kingdom, which included what later became the divided Northern and Southern Kingdoms. All nations claimed in my name: lit., “all nations over whom my name has been pronounced.” This idiom denotes ownership.[i]

The notes further explain the sequence of verbs (Rebuild, inhabit, plant and drink) point to an era of restoration. Through these prophecies, the Lord nullifies the curse of Amos 5:11, which uses these same four verbs, and turns it into a blessing for the future of Israel.

Amos is not predicting that Israel will be restored to its former (sin-filled) vestiges.  Rather, after the destruction, it would be rebuilt as a new city just as Christ predicted the temple would be rebuilt after the Resurrection. 

These stories follow the Great Biblical Narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.  All those prophets in the Hebrew Bible needed the failings and sins of the people to preach about because, without those sermons, there would be no place for the story arcs of redemption and restoration to play out.

Such themes of restoration play out in life as well as in the movies.  In the

original Star Wars movie (now known as Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope), the misfit band of Luke, Han, and others rescue the young Princess Leia who was held prisoner by the Empire and its devilish leader Darth Vader.  They ultimately lead an attack by the Rebellion against the Death Star before it can annihilate all hope of restoring freedom to the galaxy.  As the stories play out, they overcome their personal weaknesses and jealousies along with the loss of innocence and others that they love in order to finally restore the Galaxy to a state of personal and galactic happiness.  Setting relationships right also is the theme of The Shawshank Redemption.  Two imprisoned men – Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding -- bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through small acts of common decency despite the setting that

thrust their friendship together.  Despite wearing the grey prison garb, random acts of kindness helped Andy and Red make life bearable for each other until Andy helped lead Red to buried treasure under the tree of "new life" and the "promised land" in Mexico.

Action

Save the Galaxy this weekend but do it the Shawshank way with little acts of kindness.  What buried treasure can you leave for another to discover?

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[i] http://www.usccb.org/bible/amos/9:11#38009011-1

I Desire Mercy

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Colleen O’Sullivan

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!  “When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?  We will diminish the containers for measuring, add to the weights, and fix our scales for cheating!  We will buy the lowly man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”  (Amos 8:4-6)

The Pharisees saw (that Jesus was at table with Matthew, many other tax collectors and sinners) and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.  Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”  (Matthew 9:10-13)

Piety

Lord, open my eyes to the plight of your neediest children.  Open my heart in love.  Show me how to give of my abundance.

Study

Once, when I was in high school and had just gotten my driver’s license, my mother asked me to go to the grocery store and pick up a few things for her.  I was excited about this new privilege and responsibility.  I proudly walked into the store with my list and headed to the aisle my mom had marked for Spam.  (Yes, she and my father truly liked Spam.)  Found it!  Just as I was reaching for the can, an elderly man came up behind me and started yelling at me.  It is people like you who make it hard for me to eat, he bellowed.  That can of Spam has gone up such-and-such percent in the last week.  You shouldn’t buy it. Because you are going along with the increase in price is making it hard for me to afford to eat!  I almost dropped the can I was so startled!  I’d never before been yelled at by a complete stranger in a store.  I felt scared until I thought about what he had just said.  I was looking at Spam as undesirable food, but here was someone who couldn’t even afford what I was spurning.  He was yelling out of desperation and frustration.  Was I really doing something wrong?  I wondered.  Was I unknowingly part of something preventing people from being able to buy groceries? From the vantage point of many decades later, I think my sin was my blindness.  I took my middle-class, suburban lifestyle for granted.  My family wasn’t wealthy, but we never lacked for anything we needed.  Had my eyes been open, I might have noticed that not everyone in my town or my school was so fortunate.  Then I could have done something about it.

The prophet Amos takes this one step further in his preaching to the people in the Northern Kingdom, a very prosperous nation in his day.  He doesn’t accuse them of blindness to poverty and need.  He says, “You know the poor are in your midst, and you are deliberately exploiting them!  You are short-changing them when it comes to measuring the food you sell.  You are putting inedible refuse in the wares you hawk.  You are cheating the needy and laughing about it!  It still goes on today.” 

I’ve lived in several different places over the years, and I’ve noticed the same thing in each place.  A grocery store chain may charge the same prices in every store in a given geographical area, but if you go to that chain’s stores in lower income neighborhoods in that area, you discover that consumers don’t get the same bang for their buck.  Those stores often stock second-rate produce, while charging first-rate prices.  Maybe that goes for all the rest of what they sell, as well.  I’ve only ever taken note of the lower quality produce, but that was enough for me to realize what inequities there are in this world.

Jesus Christ Eats With Sinners

Engraved after artwork 

of Alexander Bida (1813-1895)

It’s no wonder Jesus is drawn to those the world tosses aside.  If he weren’t, who would love them?  Who would heal their illnesses?  Who would forgive their sins?

Jesus enjoyed eating with tax collectors and sinners who knew they were nobodies in their society.  They knew they needed a Savior.  Jesus didn’t waste time on people who were sure they had everything right; he went straight to those who were honest about their condition.

Action

The man who yelled at me in the grocery store has long since departed this world.  But there are millions of others today who are hungry or starving.  And Jesus is asking us to take up his ministry of seeking the lost and forgotten.

Why not make a contribution this week to an organization that will feed the hungry? 

Here are a few suggestions:

SOME:  So Others Might Eat - http://some.org/

Catholic Charities, Arlington Diocese, Christ House Food Pantry - http://www.ccda.net/programs_christhouse.php

Food for the Poor - http://www.foodforthepoor.org/

Catholic Relief Services - http://www.crs.org/