Even though Jesus had fed the five thousand and they were satisfied and there was plenty more where this gift of grace came from. Even though they followed Jesus to Capernaum seeking a sign, the discourse regarding eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood was just too far of a stretch for these followers to take. In fact: Not only did many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening say, “This saying is hard; who can accept it” (Jn 6:60)?, many of his disciples walked away from Jesus at that point.

Jesus had gone too far. Even though just a day before they were ready to embrace him as the Messiah and move to make them their king, they could or would not believe because they did not fully comprehend who Jesus said he was, the One from above, who was sent by the Father. They had not yet developed a deep enough relationship with him such that, even though this teaching was unimaginable, unintelligible, as well as abhorrent, they couldn’t continue to stay with him any longer. Jesus didn’t adjust his words, recalibrate his meaning, didn’t go after them. Jesus spoke the truth with blunt force and let them accept or reject the invitation he offered.

Jesus then offered the same clear choice to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:67-69). Peter’s response is one of faith and trust. I am sure that Peter and the other eleven reacted in the same way, but their relationship was on solid enough ground such that they were able to still trust in Jesus. They believed he was who he said he was, “the Holy One of God.”

May this be our response as well. When we find some of Jesus’ teachings hard to digest, hard to put into practice, we need to resist the temptation to walk away. Instead may we follow Mary’s model of pondering, as she did when Gabriel shared she would bear the Savior of the world. She did not fully comprehend what the message meant, but she trusted God and said yes. May we follow Peter, who consistently, dealing with mixed emotions and doubts, impulsive behavior, putting his foot in his mouth on more than one occasion, remained firm in his belief in Jesus because he trusted that Jesus was the “Holy One of God”.

When we do not understand, may we dialogue with each other, read commentaries and the teachings of the Church to better understand the context, but above all, go directly to Jesus, bring our concerns and questions to him. May we consistently pray and be open for his answer, even directly from Jesus himself in the silence of our hearts. Often times we experience an aha!, or eureka moment from another person sharing an insight from a different perspective. We come to understand better the teachings of Jesus through graced moments of revelation when we remain trusting and open to God in our time of prayer.

Peter kept the lines of communication open with Jesus. He misunderstood early on more than he understood, yet, he did not leave Jesus. Peter kept coming back. The persistence of Peter and his openness, we see in today’s Gospel. Peter said: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). Peter responded in like fashion to Jesus on another occasion when Jesus asked his disicples, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter replied that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” Jesus followed with the words, “flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (cf. Mt 16:16).

That is exactly the point. In seeking to understand Jesus, his teachings and his Way, especially when they are hard, may we trust that he will accompany us each step of the way. Jesus does not give us burdens just for the sake to bear them, nor will he leave us to carry them alone. The gospels are very clear on this. Where Jesus invites us to go and what he requires us to do, he will provide the grace, strength and perseverance we need, when we are willing to trust in him and call upon his help.

The grace of God builds upon our nature, Jesus meets us where we are and leads us to actualize our potential and intellectual capacity to understand. He does not want us to be blind followers, but to be engaged critically with what he demands while at the same time trusting in the will of his Father. Our intellect and reason will take us to wonderful heights, but only so far. Jesus speaks to us in human words, but also through “spirit and life” (Jn 6:63). To come to understand the teachings of Jesus such that the Eucharist is his real presence, we need to access both our faith and reason.

Jesus is not asking us to do anything he himself has not done. Jesus requested that the cup of death his Father asked him to drink could be taken away, a hard teaching if there ever was one, but Jesus was willing to submit his human will to the will of his Father. He was able to do so because Jesus trusted his Father and knew he would bring about a greater good.

Jesus gave his life, died and in so doing conquered death, transcending the time and space of our present dimension so to be present to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist as he promised and as is recorded that he would do in John chapter 6. May we take some time to read, meditate, and pray with this chapter and ask God to reveal to us the fullness of the gift that Jesus offers to us daily, himself. Jesus lives. Jesus is the first born of the new creation, and he wants to not only lead us to eternal life, but impart his life in us that we may experience the Love and Mercy of his Father now, so to be one with him in this life and for all eternity! Let us trust and believe in the Risen One, for he has the words of eternal life. Amen?

Amen. Amen.
I’m alive, I’m alive,
Because he lives.
Amen. Amen.
Let my song join the One that never ends.
Because he lives.
– Verse from Matt Maher’s song, “Because He Lives (Amen)”.

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Photo: Serving Jesus at my first Mass after ordination

YouTube link: Because He Lives (Amen), Matt Maher, from cd: Saints and Sinners, 2015 

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 22, 2021

“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:11-12).

Jesus warns us to resist the sin of pride, where we place ourselves as the focal point instead of God. This happens when we seek to be the center of the gravitational pull within our realm of influence. Through our subtle and not so subtle actions, we can embrace this temptation to live a life of, “Look at me, look at me!” Desiring to be affirmed is not a bad thing but that ought not to be our primary motivation for our actions. Ultimately, we will be better served when we seek our affirmation from God.

Choosing our own self-determination free of God’s guidance is the height of pride. God does not seek to limit us but to inspire us so that we may actualize the fullness of who he has created us to be. St Mother Teresa often guided her sisters not to seek to do great things but to do little things with great love. I came across a cassette tape of one of her talks during my freshman year of college. Her words started to plant a seed in my soul that urged me to look out beyond myself toward others.

Growing up with an introverted and shy nature, I spent much of my youth in my own world. In my second semester of that same year, I took a psychology course and thought it would be interesting to work in a hospital. A close friend of mine, Steve, shared with me that his mother was a nurse in a nursing home in our hometown. That summer, when the semester ended, I applied for the job as a certified nursing assistant and was hired.

The first resident I assisted was named Margaret. She rolled passed me in her wheelchair and a particular odor followed. The aide I was training with caught my eye and I realized this would be my first solo attempt of service. I redirected and guided her to the toilet, which was in a small closet-sized area in between two adjoining bedrooms. It was a particularly hot day, and as I removed Margaret’s depends, I found quite the surprise. For the next fifteen minutes as I washed her midsection and perineal area, I sweat, teared up, and repeatedly fought back the urge to gag, all the while Margaret sang. Once cleaned up and in a fresh nightgown, I helped her into her bed, tucked her in, and then Margaret said, “Give me a kiss lover.”

Others may have run for the door and never looked back. I stayed, and for the next four or five years, I experienced the wonderful gift of building relationships with the many residents and coworkers who drew me out of myself and into their worlds. What started out as a job became an extended family.

God presents us with opportunities daily. Often, we are faced with a decision to choose to keep the focus on ourselves or to be present for and give of ourselves to others. May we resist the urge to remain turned in upon ourselves out of anxiety or fear and instead pray for the courage to be open to the opportunities to extend the grace God gifts us with. May we be willing to serve in little ways with great love, one person, one encounter at a time. I pray that you may encounter your Margaret! For Margaret helped me to live what St Mother Teresa taught me: “Love only can become our light and joy in cheerful service of each other” (Teresa 2010, 355).

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Mother Teresa. Where There Is Love, There is God. Edited by Brian Kolodiejchuck, M.C. NY: Doubleday, 2010.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 21, 2021

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:34-40).

Jesus, in response, was not just throwing up a cloud of theological dust into the eyes of the Pharisees. His answer to, “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” was drawn directly from the Torah. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 and merged the two verses together as one unit. His purpose was to emphasize the point that what is to be the greatest aspiration for humanity is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, not either/or. Jesus again was showing that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but that he came to fulfill them (cf. Mt 5:17).

In this statement, Jesus also revealed the foundation of reality, the Trinitarian communion of love. For the immanence of God – God within himself – has always been, always is, and always will be a communion of love. God the Father loves the Son, God the Son receives the Father’s love and in return loves God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit is the love expressed and shared between God the Father and God the Son. The overflow and abundance of this perichoresis, or divine dance of trinitarian communion, has been the loving of creation into existence.

This means that we as God’s created beings have been loved into existence too! We are loved and capable of loving him and one another in return mirroring on earth the love that is shared in Heaven. It is through our participation in the life of Jesus that we can live up to his command to love our enemies, best expressed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37).

Even in the midst of pandemic, polarization, division, war, and natural disaster, we can rejoice in the love of God, who is Love. We can thank him for giving us the gift of life. We can refuse to contribute to the chaos, we can take care of ourselves and each other by resisting the temptation of complacency, taking each other for granted, and/or division. Life, even at its best, is fragile and can slip away from us in the blink of an eye. With each opportunity that arises, say yes to sharing the love with which we have received from God and help when and where we are called to do so.

If we catch the eye of another smile. Even behind masks, our eyes still smile. If someone says, “How are you today?” say, “Better that you asked.” If someone interrupts you, choose to be  present to the invitation to engage with them. Go out of your way to do some random acts of kindness, especially for that someone who ordinarily and regularly gets under your skin. Offer aid to those organizations on the ground helping those in dire need. We need never fear that God’s supply will ever run out.

Today – Perichoresis! Participate in the dance of God’s trinitarian Love and let his Love reign free in your life to overflowing.

Picture: Sharing our smiles with you. JoAnn and me at the reception following our class’s installation as a lector during formation for the permanent diaconate about ten years ago.

Link for today’s Mass readings for Friday, August 20, 2021

“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Mt 22:2).

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus not only talked about feasts but he is recorded as often celebrating table fellowship with others. Those he ate with ranged from people who were considered sinners to the religious elite among the Pharisees.

In the parable from today’s Gospel, Jesus presented a wide range of reactions to the invitation offered by the king through his servants. Some are so caught up in their own lives, that they are not able or willing to break away and others reject the invitation outright and do so violently, by mistreating and even killing the servants of the king. Then others, the good and bad alike, welcome and say yes to the invitation.

God invites, but we must be willing to change our hearts and minds to see the invitation for what it is, an eternal gift. Those who refused were unwilling to change their plans, as well as others who, with hearts of stone, were outright hostile, willing to abuse and even kill the servants.

Near the end of the parable, Jesus presents a curious fellow that the king found present at the banquet without the proper attire. This is not a literal indictment of not having the proper clothes, but the wedding garment imagery may be a recognition of a willingness to receive the benefits of the invitation without a yes to the responsibility involved with the invitation of transformation.

We are invited to participate in the banquet of eternal life with God. The invitation is freely given, yet it requires that we dress for the occasion of participating in the banquet of a king. This dress is no material garment of fine linen and gold embroidery, but our willingness to repent, to turn away from those idols, that which we have placed or put before God, to have our heart and spirit renewed. We are invited to be a part of God’s new creation by participating in the life of his Son, the firstborn of the new creation.

God the Father offered an invitation to an eternal banquet to the judges, the prophets, the people of Israel, to be one with him that they might shine brightly before all so to make his will and glory known to the world. In God’s timing, he sent his Son to fulfill that mission of invitation and to be with us in our present moment and in our present condition in life. Jesus meets us where we are right now in our everyday experiences and tells us that “the feast is ready.”

This is an invitation to begin again, to turn away from our selfish ways, to receive a new heart and a renewed spirit. God invites us too but we need to be willing to let go, to change our hearts and minds, to be transformed and perfected through our participation in the life of Jesus and through the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.

Our yes demands accountability, we can’t just show up dressed for the part and take up space. Our ultimate attire is the transformation from within in which our posture changes from a curving in upon ourselves to an opening and willingness to devote our time, discipline, talent, and treasure to serving at the banquet and inviting others to attend.

“Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14). The first step is saying yes to the invitation. The second step is being willing to move beyond our comfort zones so to embrace the change we are invited to. We need to be willing to allow God to renew our hearts and minds, to take up our cross, be willing to serve and sacrifice by the giving up of ourselves in love, which is not easy, but we can also take comfort that we are not alone. Jesus invites, as well as guides, and empowers us all the while as he accompanies us.

Photo: Serving Thanksgiving dinner at Seton Manor, my novitiate year (about 1992) with the Franciscans. Seton Manor was one of the ministries in which I was blessed to serve people living with HIV.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, August 19, 2021

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard…” (Mt 20:1).

At dawn, nine, noon, three, and five o’clock the landowner hired day laborers to go into the field to bring in the harvest. Many, familiar with this parable, find themselves a bit bemused, bewildered, or even angry at the ending when they read or hear that the landowner had his foreman pay everyone the same pay. The immediate cry is, “That is not fair!” Those, more often than not, who respond this way are focused on the hired hands who started at dawn, worked all day, and were paid the same as the laborers who started at five o’clock.

The workers who started at dawn agreed to a certain wage and the owner paid that agreed amount. The landowner explained, “to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage” (Mt 20:13)? What is missed, if someone is feeling as perplexed as were some of the dawn laborers, is the generosity of the landowner.

We see this similar scene of generosity given and played out in some of Jesus’ other parables. The older son who refused to listen to his father’s invitation to come in to share in the celebration of the feast when his wayward brother had been lost but now was found (Lk 15:11-32); the man who was forgiven his entire debt from the king and then when he had the same opportunity to forgive one who owed him, did not (Mt. 23-35), and in the parable of the Good Samaritan the priest and Pharisee left the man on the side of the road yet the Samaritan, the despised one, was the one to provide aid (Lk 10:25-37). Each of these parables represents the generosity and mercy of God.

There is a reason Jesus shared the parable of the workers in the vineyard after warning about the dangers of riches. Jesus is inviting the disciples and us to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. He is also calling us out of our group think or tribal mentality. He is showing us that God’s invitation is for all and he is free to bestow his mercy, grace, and forgiveness on those for whom he chooses, whether we approve or not. Ideally, he seeks to bestow his mercy on others through us.

Are we aware of how generous and merciful God has been with us? If not, may we give some thought to the blessings we do have in our life, instead of focusing on what we do not have, otherwise, we will envy the generosity he shows others. Do we fall into the camp of the laborers who worked all day for their fair share but were begrudging those who received the same pay for an hour’s work, the older brother unwilling to be grateful for the return of his brother, the servant unwilling to show mercy to a debtor, and/or the priest and Pharisee that took the long way around the wounded man on the Jericho Road? Or will we rejoice today in the glory our Father shines upon us, seek opportunities to share our joy, fruit, and gifts with others, and be thankful when God bestows his generosity and grace upon others, even at the eleventh hour?

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Photo: from pexels.com

The link for the Mass reading for Wednesday, August 18, 2021

“Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:25-26).

The disciples are “greatly astonished” about Jesus’ comments about how difficult it would be for the rich to enter heaven. Their astonishment came from the belief system that those who had wealth did so because they had been blessed by God for following his commandments. Just remember the rich young man’s attitude from yesterday. He had followed God’s commands and was blessed with riches, but Jesus turned his world upside down when he asked the man to give up all he had to follow him.

Jesus attempted to help the man and his disciples to understand that what we have, all that we have, is a gift from God, starting with our very existence. He is the ground, the source, and sustenance of our life as well as our ultimate fulfillment. A problem arises when we place our security in material things instead of God who provides them for us. If our security is dependent on that which is finite, we are always going to be left unfulfilled, attached, and/or at worst addicted, and so like the rich man, unwilling to give of ourselves to those in need, because we are afraid, we won’t have enough. Also, when we look to our own effort and work ethic, we can build a reliance on our self alone. We can place ourselves as the supplier of our security instead of God. Pride then becomes a dangerous idol. We think and start to believe that we don’t need God because we can do well enough on our own thank you very much.

“Who then can be saved?” The disciple’s question can then very easily be our own. If we can’t buy, earn, or achieve our way into heaven, how will we get there? Jesus is clear. For men, this is impossible because there is no means for us to get there on our own merit. But for God, all things are possible because our salvation is a gift freely given by him.

As with any gift though, we need to be willing to receive it and accept it. One way is to be grateful for what we have and recognize that the source of this gift is God. In this way, we can share freely from what we have, because God, who is our source, is unlimited. As we give from what God has given, God will continue to supply. What is primary then is deepening our relationship with him and collaborating with him. As we do so, we will have the proper orientation to encounter one another in love.

What is essential in our life is not what we have, but that we recognize that God is the source of what we have, that he will provide for us and be present with us. Time goes fast. This life that we have been given is good, but it is also finite, and fragile. Let us not take each other for granted, let us take the time to love God and each other as he loves us. “Let us encourage one another while it is still today” (Hebrews 3:13).

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Photo: I am thankful for the walks JoAnn and I used to take together, and look forward to evening walks again soon to see friends such as this red shouldered hawk drying out after a rain. What are you thankful to God for?

Link to the Mass Readings for Tuesday, August 17, 2021

A young man approached Jesus seeking to know what he must do to attain eternal life. Jesus shared that the key was to keep the commandments. The man asked which ones he was to follow, a reasonable request as there were 613 commandments to choose from! Jesus gave him six: do not kill, commit adultery, steal or bear false witness; do honor his father and mother, and love his neighbor as himself (cf. Mt19:18-19). The man affirmed that he had followed them all. Then he asked that next question, “What do I still lack” (Mt 19:20)? I can feel the disciples wince, see the mouth of Jesus curl into a smile while his left eyebrow raises. Mark is more eloquent than me: “Jesus looked at him, and loved him…” (Mk 10:17). Matthew, in his Gospel account, does not engage in such subtleties.

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions (Mt 19:21-22). The young man was so close!

Jesus saw that which was keeping this man from following him. Jesus gave him the opportunity to renounce what he had, give to the poor, and have eternal life, which was his original request. It is what we have all been created for, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (St Augustine, Confessions). The young man knew what he needed to do but was too attached to his wealth to let go, so he walked away sad.

We do not know if the young man reconsidered Jesus’ offer and returned. I invite you to find a quiet space today, enter the stillness, and return to this scene in your imagination. Play it out again in your mind and come to the same ending, with the disciples and Jesus watching the rich man walk away sad. Continue your observation of them as they ever so slowly turn their heads and gaze at you. You then ask Jesus, “What do I still lack that is keeping me from walking a more intimate walk with you?”

What are you holding onto that is keeping you from giving yourself to the One who is truly Good? Jesus looks at you and loves you, and says, “If you wish to be perfect…” How does he fill in the blank for you?
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Painting: “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler” Heinrich Hoffman, 1889

Mass readings for Monday, August 16, 2021

There was no one on this earth closer to Jesus than Mary. She bore him, nursed him, raised him, initiated his public ministry, held him in her arms as he was taken down from the cross, and she was with the Apostles in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Mary, like Jesus, also experiencied an  Immaculate Conception. When her time came to leave this life, who better than Mary to have experienced the “singular participation in her Son’s resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1997, 966)?

Today we celebrate the official dogmatic constitution issued by Pope Pius XII in 1950, the Assumption of Mary, acknowledging what the Church has recognized from the beginning, the special grace she received from her Son. Jesus is the promise and Mary is the hope that we will live eternally with our heavenly Father, for Mary is now where we will one day be, body and soul.

Jesus and Mary have undone the sin of Adam and Eve. They, in their continual faithful life of saying yes to the will of God, opened up heaven for us. In our darkest trials, when the storm clouds of pandemic, injustice, racism, violence, division and polarization gather, when a situation or conflict does not appear to be getting any better, when death may be imminent, and/or when a loved one has died, even then, death does not have the last word becasue we are not alone.

As St. Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth, Jesus “has been raised from the dead”. He is the first born of the new creation. We are invited to join Jesus in participating in his new Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, preparing ourselves in this life for eternity in the next. How? By doing what Jesus and Mary did. We are to open our heart and mind to God, hear and observe his word, and put into practice what we receive. 

Mary was not blessed so much because she gave birth to the Son of God but because she heard the Word of God, pondered it in her heart, acted upon, and put it into practice. This is why the Church calls Mary the model of discipleship. Just as the moon does not radiate because of its own light but reflects the light from the Sun, so Mary reflects the light of her Son.

Mary encourages us, as she did the servants at the wedding feast of Cana, to do what he tells us to do. She radiates the light of Jesus in her thoughts, words, and actions and we are to do the same such that when people look at us they no longer see us but the love of Jesus radiating from us. How do we radiate Christ to others? We become deified, meaning becoming like God through our participation in the life of Jesus. This happens when we make a daily commitment to praying and meditating so as to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by the holy fire of his love.

A simple way to accomplish this is to commit to a time and place every day to meditate and pray and then show up. When we arrive, we begin by taking some deep, slow breaths, and open our minds and hearts to God who is already present and waiting for us. As we continue to be mindful of our breath, we read from the Bible or a spiritual writing. We can also focus upon a sacramental object like a crucifix, statue, picture, or a setting in God’s creation. We then choose a word, phrase, or account to meditate upon. Allow God to lead and speak to us. As our time comes to an end we then commit to putting into action what we have received.

This practice will take some time to develop. We need to be patient with God and ourselves. God begins small and slowly with us. If you have never spent any time sitting still or quiet, your first few times, even for five or ten minutes might feel like agony. Continue to show up each day and spend some time with God and you will, like Mary, come to know him more deeply and intimately and experience the joy of encountering Jesus in deeper and more profound ways. Meditation and prayer may begin with conversation but it is ordered to our transformation. 

Stain glass of the Assumption of Mary at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, CA

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 15, 2021

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14).

Again we see the disciples refusing access to Jesus. The scriptures are not clear why they consistently act this way. We see them doing so with the blind man Bartimaeus, the tax collector Zacchaeus, and the Canaanite woman. In today’s reading, they are refusing access to children. The characteristic of each of those being refused is that they are considered to be on the periphery of Jewish society.

Children, paidia in Greek, especially so. Paidia could represent a child from infancy to twelve years of age. In ancient Palestine, children were particularly vulnerable, had no status and were completely dependent on their families for survival. Luke goes even further than Mark and Matthew by using, brephē, meaning infant, to describe the children. It is to these children and infants that Jesus states the Kingdom of heaven belongs.

Just as consistent as the disciples are in turning away those in need, Jesus is just as consistent in his ministry of paying particular interest to the individual person in their particular need. He welcomes the children and blesses each one of them. Jesus continually acknowledges and affirms the dignity of each person he meets, especially those neglected and ignored. Those who have been on the other side of the glass looking in, Jesus gives admittance to. Jesus bridges the divide of separation through his presence and healing touch.

To enter the Kingdom of heaven, we must be willing to trust and place, as children, even more so, as infants, our total dependence on God alone, instead of relying on our own initiative or effort. There is nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. The entrance into the Kingdom of heaven is a free gift of God’s grace. This gift is not about our worthiness, for all of us fall short. It is about our willingness to acknowledge our utter dependence on our loving God and Father and accept the invitation he offers all of us to be in relationship with him. As we do so, we are to resist the temptation to prevent others from having access to this wonderful gift, but instead we are to share the same invitation we have received with others.

Photo: A stained glass image of Jesus with children at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 15, 2021

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever” (Mt 19:3)?

The question about divorce came from an already existing debate within Jewish circles of interpretation and schools of thought. Testing Jesus arose from time to time to better understand who he would side with. Regarding the issue of divorce, there was a range of interpretations. On one end of the spectrum, there was the School of Shammai, which permitted divorce only in the event of some sexual misconduct. At the other end, was the School of Hillel, which would allow a man to divorce his wife if she cooked a bad meal (cf. Harrington 2007, 275).

The Pharisees sought to understand the perspective of Jesus in this debate. Jesus responded: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'” (Mt 19:4-5)? This response negated both schools as well as rejected the precept that Moses set for allowing divorce, explaining that, “from the beginning it was not so” (Mt 19:8). Jesus’ defense went back to God’s original intent recorded in the Book of Genesis, which allowed no provision for divorce.

In God’s plan, marriage is a covenantal relationship, as is the relationship between God and his people. A covenant is a sacred bond that is not to be broken. In the Sacrament of Matrimony, a man and a woman who give themselves freely to one another and are open to children as the fruit of their union mirror the Trinitarian communion of Father and Son and the eternal love between them the Holy Spirit.

The ideal of marriage then is to be a lifelong commitment; for God does not break his covenant with us, nor should we. The goal is clear, yet we live in a fallen world and we do not often live up to what God has planned for us. For many reasons, there are times where a marriage does not work as intended but that does not mean we are to give up on marriage. Even though Jesus holds the standard high, he remains with us when we are wounded and in our fallibility. He reminds us: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mk 2:17).

We are to resist the temptation to settle for anything less than what God has in store for us, which is a covenant relationship with himself and each other. Relationships are not easy and we don’t naturally know what we are supposed to do. We need to learn how to develop healthy friendships. As we do so, we might be able to better help those not only preparing for marriage but also continue to mentor and guide them during their marriage. And when a relationship breaks down, we need to be present to and walk with those who suffer through the pain of such a rupture. We are not to abandon one another for Jesus does not abandon us and instead bestows his mercy upon us, which is his willingness to enter into the chaos of our lives.

Photo: JoAnn and my hand on my breviary. We dedicated our lives to God and each other, and on the inside of each of our rings is etched the word eternally.

Harrington, S.J., Daniel J. The Gospel of Matthew in Sacra Pagina, vol. 1. Edited by Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 13, 2021