September 28, 2009
Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Thus says the LORD: I will return to Zion, and I will dwell within Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. Zechariah 8:3
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest." Luke 9:47-48
Piety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vq2yZ7wdnI&feature=related
Refrain: Deep within, I will plant my law, not on stone, but in your heart.
Follow me; I will bring you back. You will be my own, and I will be your God.
1. I will give you a new heart, a new spirit within you, for I will be your strength.
2. See my face, and see your God, for I will be your hope.
3. Return to me, with all your heart, and I will bring you back.
("Deep Within," by David Haas)
Study
If one theme of Luke’s Gospel in this liturgical year is the proper behavioral response to hearing the word of God (“act on it”), then the other prominent theme is the rationale why that behavior is required. We must act on the Word because it dwells within us. To do otherwise is counter to our very nature.
On the historical level, Zechariah preaches about the return of the Jewish exiles to the Holy City and the rebuilding of the temple. However, on a higher level, we experience the Lord’s promise to dwell with each of us and what that requires of us.
It was a fabulous occurrence for God to dwell with and within humanity. It was as unlikely to happen in the traditions of ancient Judaism as would exalting a powerless child. Yet that is exactly what the Christmas story revealed in its Epiphany. Jesus extends that Epiphany today not to just the Child of God bit to every child of God.
The scriptures are getting across an important point about authenticity. Aside from the pride shown by the arguing disciples, Jesus points to a compelling example of humility. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest. Jesus by his very life shows us that he is not afraid to take on the posture of the least among us. First, though he is God, he takes on the frailest human existence in the womb of his mother. Then he takes on the posture of a criminal with no one to Advocate for his cause accepting the fate meted out by the court.
Today, he dwells in each of us through faith and through the sacraments. He becomes part of our whole being spiritually, intellectually and emotionally. With the Jesus-nature within us, we are compelled to act on that very essence. To deny it would be to deny Him and our selves (sin). To cultivate that essence is to make ourselves the baby in that manger, the criminal at that trial, the condemned man executed on that cross and the risen priest, prophet and king.
After Resurrection, that is when his Advocate takes center stage. In our humanity, we may think he most needed a lawyer/defender/advocate when he faced off with Herod and Pilate and the Pharisees in those final Good Friday hours. Instead, we have learned through His teaching that Jesus needed his Advocate to stand in for him against all the evil/temporal forces of the world when he was no longer here to lead us into battle himself.
So he encourages us to take on the same humble posture that he was never hesitant to put on. When we put on Christ in Baptism, we receive the child in [His] name, we receive the indwelling Jesus and we receive the one who sent Jesus into our midst. That is the path to greatness.
Action
Jesus does not discriminate and that is why as a Church we stand for social justice for all. Last week, a delegation of Catholic bishops met political leaders of both parties to advocate for policy issues that are consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.
According to a release by the USCCB, Archbishop José Gomez of San Antonio, Texas, led the September 17 delegation, representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“We met with our political leaders of both parties to re-affirm the principles of Catholic social teaching about the dignity of all human beings from conception to natural death and the centrality of the common good. We offered these principles grounded in social ethics and our religious heritage as constructive guidelines for achieving a just and equitable resolution of the public policy debates around these key issues,” he said.
The topics raised by the bishops with legislators are:
Health Care and Immigration. The U.S. Bishops have for decades been in favor of health care reform that is truly universal and respects the life and dignity of all, including the poor and legal immigrants. Health care legislation must allow all legal immigrants, regardless of income level, to participate in any new health care system and oppose any ban that would prevent them from participating for five years. Such legislation must also support the inclusion of pregnant women and children, regardless of their legal status.
Just Immigration Reform. The U.S. Bishops support just immigration reform, which contains several core elements. This would include broad-based legalization through a program that provides an opportunity for “earned” permanent residency and a new worker program that includes a living wage. The U.S. Bishops support family-based immigration reform and a restoration of due process protections lost in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The U.S. Bishops also support addressing the root causes of migration and the inclusion of the DREAM Act and AgJOBS in reform legislation.
Hispanics and Poverty (Housing). The U.S. Bishops support a national housing policy that includes preservation and production of quality housing for low income families, the elderly and other vulnerable people. The U.S. Bishops also call for an end to abusive lending penalties and urge Congress to fund the National Housing Trust Fund, which will preserve or produce 1.5 million rental homes in the next ten years and 200,000 new housing choice vouchers annually for ten years.
Hispanics and Education. The U.S. Bishops encourage the federal government to promote programs that keep students in school, include Catholic students and teachers in federal education program, especially reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, reauthorize the D.C. Scholarship program to assist low income students in the District of Columbia to receive financial assistance to attend private schools, and support funding for students to attend community colleges where many Hispanic youth are educated.
