Reflections on the Gospel Reading for the Day
What treasure lies beneath if we are willing to look?
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Mt 13:44).
God is hiding in plain sight. He is in our midst, present to all of us, a wonderful treasure just waiting to be found. God’s eternal love and grace is ever reaching out to us. Our soul hungers, yearns, and seeks for that love, whether we know it or not. It is when we seek satisfaction, filling this deepest of our desires in material and finite pursuits alone, that we miss the mark. When we sin, create idols, seek the allure of apparent goods, we block our access to the very union we seek. Our desire increases. God acts in the everyday events of our lives, but we limit those experiences by waving them off as just coincidences. In doing so, we have missed the opportunity to find a great treasure.
The saints and the mystics are those who have found the treasure of God’s will in their lives, they have experienced his love and mercy. They have encountered the living God in the midst of their everyday and given all to be immersed in his communion. They “are amplifiers of every person’s more hidden life of faith, hope, and love. Their lives help us to hear the interior whispers and see the faint flickers of divine truth and love in ourselves and others. The Christian mystics point the way to fully authentic human life by illustrating what it means to be a human being, what life means: eternal union (which begins here) with the God of love” (Egan 1996, ix-xx).
Today, may we set aside some time to be still so to hear God’s whisperings. May we open our hearts and minds to recognize his presence, the faint flickers, the God-incidents present in daily our experiences and those we encounter today. May we seek Christ by reading and meditating on his Word. May we also read the lives of the mystics and the saints who are our mentors, who have found the treasure of Jesus’ presence and want to share it with us: St Francis of Assisi, St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, St Ignatius of Loyola, or St Therese of Lisieux; so many leading us and urging us on to experience the rich encounter of the loving God of Jesus Christ.
One who found this great treasure, St. Alphonsus Liguouri (1696-1787), whose memorial we celebrate today, shared: “All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ our God, who is our Redeemer and our supreme good” (The Liturgy of the Hours, vol III, 1975, 1568). May we experience the love of God in the depths of our soul, and love as Jesus loves us. St. Alphonsus, Pray for us!
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Photo: Hiking in California a few years back.
Egan, Harvey D. An Anthology of Christian Mysticism, Second Edition. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1996.
Link for the Mass Readings for, Wednesday, August 1, 2017:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080118.cfm
Why does God allow suffering and pain?
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.” (Mt 13:36-39).
In this parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus is addressing the ancient question of why does God allow evil and how are we to deal with it? Why do bad things happen to good people? As a starting point, we need to recognize that God is God and we are not; meaning we are not capable of reading the mind of God. Any answer to justify how and why God allows suffering then will be insufficient. A second reality is that the Devil exists, though he is a created being. An angelic being, yes, but not equal in a genus with God.
Ultimately, there is no genus of God, because God is not a being. At best we can say he is Infinite Act of Existence, he is, or as God told Moses, “I am who am” (Exodus 3:14). God did not create evil, he only created good. “God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good” (Genesis 1:31). The Devil, Satan, the one who opposes, was created good also, as a high arch angel, Lucifer, yet he chose to turn away from the will of God, those angels who followed him are demons. God is greater than the Devil and his demons, and his good is greater than evil they sow.
Evil is not so much a created thing, but a deprivation, or distortion of the good. God does not create evil, but he allows it, and even though we cannot understand the reasons why God allows or permits evil or suffering, it is not a sufficient reason to say that God does not exist. This is especially true if we are seeking to grasp spiritual realities and truths from purely physical and rational means alone. We are indeed rational beings, who seek to know and understand, but we are so much more. As human beings, we are physical AND spiritual, so need not limit ourselves to the merely sensate and empirical realm.
To better be guided by God, to hear his voice in the silence of our soul, to be fulfilled, our hearts and minds need to be open to the will of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are called to be people of prayer. As we mature spiritually and deepen our relationship with God we will come to experience God as did Job: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful to me, which I cannot know” (Job 42: 2-3). In essence, Job acknowledged and accepted that God was in control and he was not, and though he could not grasp everything, he trusted in the will of God for his ultimate good.
How do we deal with evil then? We need to surrender our pride and control over to God and acknowledge that he is in control and knows what is best for us. We need to choose to put God first above ourselves and everything. Our fundamental option, our telos, our end goal, is to be above all an embrace of the reality that we are striving to be in relationship with him. From the moment of our conception, we are a living, craving, hunger, and desire to be one with God and one another. This is true of the atheist and the mystic alike, whether we believe it or not. As we embrace this reality, put God first and focus on him, no matter what arises, we will begin to experience his presence in not only our everyday lives, but begin to feel his presence with us in the midst of our suffering. We will come to know that he is stronger than any pain or evil, and he will guide us through and give us what we need to endure.
Our loving God and Father has given us the means to understand suffering and evil especially in sending his Son to enter into our humanity, to suffer with us, even unto his unjust death on the cross. Our deepest prayer is when we willingly offer up our suffering, and enter into the Mystery of the Passion of Jesus. Jesus, the pure and innocent one, beaten and crucified, understands our pain and agony, our cry for the horrors of injustice, and he understands the presence of evil. Jesus himself, asked not to be crucified, though he relinquished in saying, “Not my will but yours be done” (Lk 22:42).
In that acknowledgement, Jesus faced the utter evil, horror, betrayal, and injustice of humanity his crucifixion. In taking on the whole sin of the world on the Cross, he even felt his separation from the Father. Through his complete surrender into God forsakenness, into his death, and descent into hell, his willingness to die for us, Jesus made the Resurrection possible. He conquered suffering, evil, and death forever, he brought about a greater good, through the evil. No matter what trials we face, the Father has the last word over sin, suffering and even our death.
We can deal with suffering and evil in our lives with our hope intact because we can trust that God hears our prayers and is present in our trials and tribulations. For our part, may we be willing to be honest with him, even if we are angry, afraid, or doubtful. We will not find Jesus when we deny or run from our challenges, but we will find him with his arms wide open waiting for us when we are willing to enter into and face of our suffering and pain. “Suffering is never the last word. Life is stronger than death, love is stronger that hatred, hope is stronger than despair, nothing is impossible with God” (Fr. James Martin, S.J.).
When we struggle or suffer, we are not alone. Let us resist running from our pain and instead bring our challenges to Jesus on the Cross. The strength of our faith is that we can trust in the knowledge that Jesus is present in the midst of our suffering. Jesus understands our pain because he experienced it on the Cross and experiences it with us now. Our hope is assured in that Jesus has already won the battle and he will give us the strength to endure.
May we call on the Love of the Holy Spirit who will be a light for us that shines in the darkness. No darkness can or will overcome his Love. God the Father has the last word on the matter and aligned with him, and willing to call on the name of his Son Jesus, we will be victorious even in the face of the purest evil. Let us face whatever rises before us today with confidence and courage, as did Jesus, when he set his face toward Jerusalem. Hand in hand with Jesus, we shall overcome.
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Photo by Johannes Plenio from Pexels
Mass Readings for today, Tuesday, July 31, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/073118.cfm
The quote above, inspiration, and key points I shared regarding dealing with suffering come from Fr. James Martin, S.J. who answered a question on how we deal with suffering. You may access his answer on the You Tube video On Pilgrimage With James Martin SJ Fordham University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVtA_d7NwKE&t=5s His response on dealing with suffering begins around the 1:30:00 mark. The whole video is well worth watching as well!
A Mustardseed of Grace
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.” (Mt 13:31-32).
God can do so much with so little. This is so because even the smallest detail is important to God. Just think of the immensity, not only of our solar system and galaxy, but the whole universe. Despite the grandiosity and massive expanse of all creation, not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without the notice of God. Even all the hairs of our head can be counted (cf Mt 10:29-30). Our life, who we are, and who we are becoming matters to God.
God sows his seeds of divine grace, a movement of his love, reaching out to us in a joyful way. He watches us, his children, and shares his life with us. We can accept or reject this Love that falls afresh upon us. Our first step is to accept the reality that God loves us as we are. Then we are in a position to receive his love and share his love.
Our smallest thought, word or deed makes a difference, because they reflect our yes or no to the invitation of God. May we think, speak and act today as children of our loving God and Father. May we share a smile, a word of encouragement, a hug, or attentive presence with someone today, for no matter how small a sharing of God’s love with another we offer, it can do more than we can ever imagine.
Photo accessed from pexels.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sky-space-dark-galaxy-2162/
Link for the Mass reading for Monday, July 30, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/073018.cfm
Looking at Jesus, as he looks at me.
The Gospel passage from John today recounts the multiplication of the loaves. Instead of reflecting today on the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand with just “five barley loaves and two fish”, I wanted to focus on one verse that illumined the page as I read it.
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him (Jn 6 3-5).
People were approaching Jesus because of the signs they saw him perform. Jesus raised his eyes and saw the large crowd coming, but he also saw their need. He could see that they were tired, they were wounded, they were hungry. Jesus would provide for the vast multitude from the meager five barley loaves and one fish that a young boy had with him. The people sought Jesus, he recognized their need, came down from the mountain and met them on their level, and provided for their need.
The same is true today. Though Jesus has ascended from our day to day existence of our three dimensional world, he has not left us orphaned. Just as Jesus went up on the mountain in today’s reading, Jesus ascended to a greater height, a higher plane or pitch of existence in his ascendance, so to better see us and to see our need.
How often do we find ourselves hungry for we know not what, how often may we feel adrift, confused, not quite sure of the direction we ought to take? How often are we hurting or ill, know of someone else who is in pain, suffering, or dealing with a chronic physical or mental situation? How often do we feel alone, not understood, anxious, or afraid? If you are feeling any of the above or something else not listed, may we, like the people in today’s Gospel come to Jesus.
How do we do that? How do we come to him? Because of the fact that Jesus has ascended, he has greater accessibility to us now than he did the day he fed the multitude. One way Jesus is present to us is in the sacraments. For just as he received the loaves and fish and multiplied them for those reclining on the grass, in the Mass through the priest he receives the matter, bread and wine, and he offers the prayer to his Father, the form, or words of institution. In each sacrament, there is a particular matter and form, such that Jesus is present. He raises his eyes to see us when we come to participate in the sacraments of the Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.
We can also come to Jesus when we read the Scripture prayerfully and place ourselves in his word through our imagination, meditation, and contemplation; we can come to Jesus in our service and acts of love and generosity offered; any time we open our hearts and mind to Jesus in prayer individually, in a small group, or during our worship as a community of faith, Jesus is in our midst. We can come to Jesus in the wonders of creation, on a mountaintop, at the ocean, sitting in a tree, or watching a sunrise or sunset.
There are so many ways to experience Jesus in our lives, we just need to come to Jesus and as we draw near to him, he will raise his eyes and see us approaching. We can rest assured that he will welcome us, be present, and accompany us in our need. One of the simplest of encounters that best exemplifies how we can experience Jesus was told by St. John Vianney (1786-1859), also known as the Curé de Ars, French for the Pastor of Ars, a small village in France.
St. John would come into the church sanctuary early each day to prepare for Mass, and each day he witnessed a man sitting in the front pew gazing at the tabernacle. After some days of observing this daily practice, the Curé de Ars approached the man and asked him what he was doing so early in the church each day. The man replied that he was sitting, looking at Jesus, while Jesus was looking at him.
Let us do likewise, approach Jesus today in the way that suits us best, thank him for the gift of his presence in our lives, share with him our needs, and allow him to help us to make our burdens a little lighter. As we go through our day, may we carry Jesus within us and be open for opportunities to share him with others.
Photo: Tabernacle in the sanctuary at St Peter Catholic Church, view from the chapel side. Come and spend some time with Jesus!
Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, July 29, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072918.cfm
Maples do grow in Florida!
“’Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest” (Mt 13:27-30).
One of my favorite trees is the Maple. When JoAnn, the kids, and I moved to Florida twenty years ago, the thought did not cross my mind that Maples grew in Southern Florida. A few years after we moved into our home, I was walking in our backyard and thought I saw a maple leaf. I squatted down for a closer look and found that not only was it a maple leaf but a sapling with three leaves! I carefully cleared some of the weeds and grass growing among and around it, but otherwise let it be because it was so fragile. As it grew I cleared more around it. Today it is a fully mature Swamp Maple!
About a year ago, I saw a new Maple sapling emerging, though this time, some poison ivy was growing around it. I sprayed poison ivy killer, thinking I was carefully avoiding the Maple. Unfortunately, I must have gotten some of the poison on the Maple leaves because the sapling also shriveled up and died.
I related well to Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel. The master warned his servants to let the wheat and weeds grow together until they were more mature at the time of the harvest, so as not to pull up the wheat with the weeds. Weeds in this verse is translated from the original “Greek [as] zizanion [which] refers to a noxious weed that in its early stages closely resembles wheat and cannot be readily distinguished from it” (Harrington 2007, 204). Both, in their immature state, were indistinguishable.
We may resist the temptation to be quick to judge another. Even when there are those who commit heinous acts of evil, we may feel justified in our judgment and condemnation. Jesus says no. We may convict the person of their action and we are certainly to hold each other accountable, but judge and condemn, no. The Father is the ultimate arbiter and judge.
All of humanity has been created in the image and likeness of God, each of us are a unique gift to this world, we have been created good, yet all of us fall short of the glory and grace of God. God the Father will judge at the end of time and only he knows the time or the hour. Let us leave the judgment to God, and let us rather to be about following the teachings of Jesus, repenting, and encouraging each other in the maturation process which can include, convicting others when needed, but condemning, no. As St Paul wrote: “We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not please ourselves” (Romans 15:1).
May we resist the temptation to spread the poison of judgment, gossip and condemnation, otherwise we are promoting division and a culture of death. Let us instead welcome, nurture and care for one another, promoting unity and a culture of life. May we pray for patience, understanding, and the ability to seek forgiveness in our interactions, as well as be willing to forgive each other. Life, even when going well, is hard. We need the encouragement and support of each other if we are to mature and actualize the fullness of who God calls us to be. “Encourage each other while it is still today” (Hebrews 3:13).
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Photo: Our Maple tree enjoying the sunrise this morning, much more mature than the little sapling I discovered about twenty years ago (As to why I picked this picture, you may read the full reflection by clicking the link to my blog below).
Mass readings for today, Sunday, July 28, 2017: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072818.cfm
Harrington SJ, Daniel J. “The Gospel of Matthew”. In vol. 1, Sacra Pagina Series, edited by Daniel J. Harrington. Minnesota, Liturgical Press, 2007.
Not choked by vines, and thorns, but maturing in Jesus!
In the Gospel today, Jesus shares with us his Parable of the Sower. Their are four settings in which seeds are sown. Some fall on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on rich soil. I would like to primarily focus on the seed sown among thorns today.
From this perspective, our hearts, minds and souls are open to know him more. We have some understanding of our faith, it has not been stolen away because our hearts are not completely hardened like those on the well trod path. Nor have we allowed a hyper sense of cynicism, scientism, secularism, or relativism to steal our joy away completely. We have endured some times of stress and trial and our faith has not diminished but endured. Jesus has taken root in our heart, unlike those suffering from rocky soil.
Most of us would fall into the third category: “The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit” (Mt 13:22). Jesus is a part of our life, we are growing in our faith, but our maturation, and bearing of mature fruit is diminished. We are limited because Jesus is only a part of our life, not the core foundation. This is because we look to the world and its false promises to be our security and support.
Pope Francis questioned in his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel: “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality” (Francis 2013, 53). How often is it that the top voting issue in our national elections has to do with concern about the economy?
If we are placing our hope and focus, if our primary source of building for ourselves a secure foundation is in the political and economic realm, we are going to be consistently anxious and stressed. Our faith is going to be choked, and worse our politics will be shaping the Gospel instead of the Gospel shaping our politics. We will justify and rationalize behaviors from our leaders that are contrary to living our life aligned with the teachings of Jesus as long as the economy is going well.
These subtle vines of false security also promote a privatization of our faith. If we seek to counter and challenge injustice, if we call for an awareness of those who are vulnerable and suffering, if we call out actions that are immoral, we can face the backlash of being accused of stamping on an individual’s personal rights, regarding speaking out for the rights of the unborn; being unpatriotic, when protesting by taking a knee for the inconceivable number of unjust killing for people of color by police; a socialist or a leftist, by seeking to keep migrant families together, to provide safe haven for asylum seekers or refugees. We become anxious and stressed because we want to belong, to be liked, to be a part of. Taking the risk to be “God’s microphone”, to speak the Gospel publicly, is challenging today because: “The process of secularization tends to reduce the faith and the Church to the sphere of the private and personal” (Francis 2013, 64).
To live our faith means more than just doing so in our own home. This is certainly a good start. But if we are to mature as disciples of Jesus, we are going to need to resist the false lures of riches and material security, we are going to need to be willing to face the anxieties of criticism and hostility for speaking the truth of our faith. The unfortunate part is that we may face a lot of push back from those of our brothers and sisters within our own churches, the Body of Christ.
We can mature as disciples when we are willing to commit daily to reading the Bible, seeking resources to better understand his word, praying and meditating, pondering on the teachings of Jesus, and so better have the eyes to see and ears to hear his Word and guidance. As we build our foundation on Jesus and his teachings, build a support group of those of like mind and support, we can share with others the trials and successes of our journey of faith. These small acts will make a tremendous difference.
Courage is a mark of feeling the fear and doing what we are inspired to do. Let us call on the name of Jesus when we are tempted to place our trust in anything other than our loving God and Father, may we call on the love of the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak and the actions to impart, with understanding, and kindness, when we are in the midst of unjust, disrespectful, or dehumanizing words or actions.
We need to trust in Jesus’ invitation. He is calling all of us to deepen our relationship with him and to invite others to do the same. The road ahead, and the trials we will face will not be easy. But as we face them, with Jesus and one another, we become stronger. We begin to mature and bear fruit when we allow Jesus to be our constant source, our foundation. Sustained by his power we can then act with courage and put into practice what we learn.
When we are choked by vines of temptation from apparent goods and false senses of material security that seek to lull us into complacency and indifference, when the tendrils of anxiety and fear squeeze at our heart and throat to keep us indecisive and unresponsive to God’s call for us to act beyond our comfort zone, to step out in love, we need to remember that we are not alone. May we call on Jesus, trust in him, reach out to our brothers and sisters in faith, so to cut away the vines and thorns, all that is not of God, that attempt to choke us. Over time our soil will become richer, the Love of the Holy Spirit will increase in our hearts, minds, and souls, we will begin to see others through God’s eyes, we will become more human, more open to a maturing relationship of communion with our loving God and Father and each other, that bears mature fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.
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Photo: Plant in our backyard, like us who place our trust and build our foundation in Jesus, growing and maturing free of the vines that attempt to choke it.
Pope Francis. Evanglelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us, 2013. Link for online access:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html
Link for Mass readings for today, Friday, July 29, 2018 http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072718.cfm
Jesus, soften our hearts and open our minds to you.
The root of the message offered in today’s Gospel is what is foundational to beginning and continuing as a disciple of Jesus. This is the disposition of our heart. Are we closed to receiving the message of the Gospel, or are we open to embrace the invitation of Jesus to become more active in living our faith in our everyday life?
The exchange of Jesus with his disciples in today’s reading from Matthew comes after his sharing of the Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1-9). In this parable Jesus offers scenarios regarding the conditions of seeds sown. Some fell on a hardened path, some on rocky ground, some fell among thorns, and some fell on the rich soil. The seeds in the first three settings were not able either to germinate or come to full maturity. The seed that was sown in rich soil was able to germinate, sprout, mature and bear fruit.
As disciples we are meant to bear fruit. That means our beginning step to preparing rich soil is to have an open heart and mind to the message of the Gospel. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we can quickly assess when our hearts are hardened and our minds are closed. When someone makes a statement, do we immediately judge it before the sentence is even completed? If we are in touch with our emotions, are we aware of the tenseness of our body and our shortening of breath. Think back to some times when we have reacted in this way, think of some times when we have had similar reactions in prayer, or when we feel God leading us to serve in a particular way, or when a scriptural passage peaks our interest and we ignore it, read on, or close our Bible. How about times when a person interrupts us with an issue, or we see someone in need and keep walking and while we walk away with feel the angst of guilt.
The good news presented in the above examples is that we are alive and our conscience is somewhat intact. Our soil may be on rocky ground, but at least there is some soil. The worst state, and the one Jesus addressed in today’s Gospel is the heart of indifference that is closed, the seed falling on the well trod path, that is hard and packed down so nothing gets through. For these people, “they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand” (Mt 13:13). Yet, even this soil can be broken open and tilled. Even the hardest heart can be softened, if one is willing to turn to Jesus.
Jesus, in his explanation of why he spoke in parables, returned to the inaugural message of his ministry: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). To be a disciple of Jesus we need to be willing to repent, to acknowledge the hardness of our heart, the closing of our mind, the turning in on our self, and to begin again. We need to turn to Jesus in our brokenness and pain, to seek healing for the wounds that tempt to separate us and keep us isolated.
We need to be willing to risk, to care, to hope, and to love. As we go through the day, as we seek to grow as disciples, we will make mistakes, we will not be perfect, we will be hurt, betrayed, we will fall and sometimes feel we can’t get up. But if we trust in Jesus, are willing to learn from our mistakes, go to him for healing and confession, our hearts will soften, our minds will open, we will have eyes to see and ears to hear. We will come to experience that we are not alone, that we have not been abandoned, that there is hope because there is a way forward, there is a goal we have to attain, which is to be perfected in Christ, to be one with our loving God and Father.
Jesus, soften our hearts and open our minds to you and your Father’s will that we may experience the transforming love of the Holy Spirit.
Photo: Autumn Heart Leaf from pexels.com
Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, July 25, 2018:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072618.cfm
Listen up!
“The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She answered him, ‘Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom’” (Mt 20:21-22).
The context of this request from the mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, comes from reading a few verses before the quote above. Start reading at Matthew 20:17 and you will see that Jesus and his twelve apostles are heading toward Jerusalem. Jesus stops to share with them, for the third time, that he will be condemned and crucified.
Jesus’ statement of his imminent suffering and death appears to be ignored by the mother of James and John. The other ten are indignant, not because of the apparent lack of acknowledging Jesus’ statement, but about who is the greatest among them! It is easy to imagine how the chaotic scene ensues! As Saint John Chrysostom wrote: “See how imperfect they all are: the two who tried to get ahead of the other ten, and the ten who were jealous of the two” (Chrysostom 1975, 1552)!
This event is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Mark has James and John speaking for themselves, not their mother, as in Matthew. Luke does not even record the initial request of James and John at all, but comes in at the point of the apostle’s dispute. What all record, including the Gospel of John, is Jesus’ interjection where he made it clear to his apostles that he came to serve, not to be served. To follow Jesus meant, not that James and John would be given positions of honor, the sitting at his right or his left, but that they were to serve as he served, to love as he loved.
As disciples of Jesus, one of the most powerful ways we can serve, the most powerful ways we can love, is to be truly present, done most effectively when we actively listen. This is done when we look at each other, resist the temptation of thinking about our own needs or thinking about what we are to say. We need to, in my case, put the book down, set the work aside, we need to turn off the tv, put away the cell phone, disengage our thoughts, and instead look at and listen to what the person in our midst has to say.
Today, may we make the time to stop and listen to Jesus, to our family, our children, our parents, friends, colleagues, and those to whom, in the past, we may not have given the time of day. Jesus came to serve, to love, to listen. May we too give of ourselves with our time and undivided attention directed toward another. If you are in need of a little help on the this memorial of St. James, ask for his intercession, “St. James… pray for us.”
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Photo: Laughing along with friends, a fruit and gift of listening 🙂 photo credit Jack McKee
Chrysostom, St John. Homily. The Liturgy of the Hours: According to the Roman Rite. Vol. 3. NY: Catholic Book Publishing, 1975.
Parallel Gospel passages to review:
Mark 10:35-45; Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 22:24-27 and John 13:12-17
Mass readings for today, Wednesday, July 25, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072518.cfm
We grow closer in relationship with one another as we grow closer with God!
What Jesus proposes is not an either/or statement, but is meant to be a both/and statement. The end goal of our life is to be in communion with God. To attain that goal, we need to not only acknowledge that God exists but also come to know and follow his will. As Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:50). The challenge is that there is so much that pulls at us for our attention, so much that reaches out to us, people, activities, material pursuits are all vying for first place for our minds, hearts, and souls.
The challenge and demands of family life are tremendous. We often read, hear, and experience ourselves, how much the family is being challenged in our modern age.
Many of us strive to put family first in our lives. That ought to and needs to be a priority as healthy relationships require commitment, love, sacrifice, and persistence. What Jesus offers then seems to be counter intuitive. Jesus is approached, in the midst of is teaching, and told that his mothers and brothers were there wanting to see him. We would think he would say, “Great! Bring them right in, I have a place reserved for them front and center!” Yet, his comment, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers” (Mt 12:49), raised a few eyebrows and hackles.
Jesus was not choosing his disciples over his family, he was clarifying that the primacy of place of God his Father is to be first and foremost. “For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mt 12:50). Families come in many different shapes and sizes, one size indeed does not fit all. Building our relationship with our heavenly Father is the foundation toward striving toward healthier relationships.
This means that we become less and his Son becomes more in our life, this means we come to truly experience what love is: sacrifice, willing to give of ourselves to each other, willing the good of each other, and making time for each other. As we deepen our relationship with God, balance will come into better focus. This is even truer for those in our family who say no to the invitation of building a relationship with Jesus. We need to resist the temptation of becoming defensive, imposing our will and God’s will on others. Instead, we continually invite, but ultimately live our faith authentically, and others will see the transformation in us. Just as important, is that we will be able to be more present to our loved ones, be better equipped to accompany them, encourage and support them as they need us.
As we grow closer and deepen our relationship with God, we mature and begin to experience the fruits of our relationship with him, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control (cf. Galatians 5:22-23). As we are putting these values into practice toward one another, we will be more present to and develop deeper relationships with our own family, while at the same time coming to experience a larger extended family, the Church, the Body of Christ.
Who was the closest relationship Jesus had? Mary. Not because she gave birth to him, but because she was the premier model of discipleship. Would you like to deepen your relationship with your family? May we follow Jesus’ invitation and with Mary begin our day today and often throughout by saying, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).
Photo: Last Christmas, altogether at the Grove, LA!
Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, July 24, 2018:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072418.cfm
