2020/06/28 — 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A

First Reading — 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Second Reading — Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Gospel — Matthew 10:37-42



I see two messages in last Sunday's readings. One is in the first part of the gospel and it goes along with the second reading. The other message is in the second part of the gospel, and the first reading illustrates it.


A Prophet’s Reward

Jesus tells us that those who receive us receive him and the Father, and since our baptism makes us prophets, those who receive us will have their reward. The story from Second Kings gives an example. The woman of Shunem was hospitable toward Elisha. She knew he was a man of God, and she wanted to be generous toward him. She wasn’t expecting anything in return. But she received a reward. And it was not just a small token of gratitude. It was probably the greatest thing a woman could hope for in that culture and that time: a baby son.

This reminds us of what Jesus says in the parable of the Judgment of the Gentiles: any good deed done to the least of his brothers is done to him and will obtain eternal blessedness for the benefactor. Not only does this encourage us to imitate the kindness of the woman of Shunem; it also gives us a reason to expect that God will give his reward to everybody who shows kindness to us.



Losing One’s Life for Jesus’ Sake

The second reading begins by reminding us that baptism unites us with the death of Jesus in order that we might also have a share in his new, glorified life. That new life isn’t just for the next life, after we die. St. Paul tells us it has already begun: we must be dead to sin and live for God here and now.

When Jesus tells us we must lose our lives for his sake in order to find them, it means the same thing. There are places where persecution of Christians is so bad that people are literally losing their lives for Christ. But for us, it is more metaphorical. We take up our cross and lose our life when we live the life of holiness to which we are called by our baptism. And if the words about not loving parents or family more than Jesus seem startling, demanding, and almost impossible, let’s remember that love is not a zero-sum game. To love Jesus more does not mean loving parents or family less. And we aren’t talking about emotion. We are talking about a conscious choice. If our family members are somehow leading us into a sinful way of life, we need to refuse to follow their lead. If we don't follow the example of others — whether it's smoking, having another drink, playing a sport, or anything else, sinful or not — they can feel rebuked, and they can resent it. But we mustn't let them draw us into bad behavior. Because we still love them, this can feel like carrying a cross. What Jesus is telling us is simply that we don’t give up our Christian way of holiness even if someone we love wants us to.


Conclusion

We should want to be people who are received as representatives of Jesus, as righteous men and women, so that kindness to us is kindness to God. We don’t let others lead us away from Jesus, we lead them to Jesus.

2020/03/29 — 5th Sunday of Lent — Year A

First Reading — Ezekiel 37:12-14
Second Reading — Romans 8:8-11
Gospel — John 11:1-45

These readings are all about resurrection.

While the passage from Ezekiel used the image of the graves and resurrection as a metaphor for the restoration of Israel with a return from exile, in the context of the other readings, we are led to understand it also as promising actual bodily resurrection to God's people, with the land of Israel symbolizing eternal existence in the presence of God,

The reading from Romans is largely an exhortation to the hearers to live in the spirit, rather than in the flesh. It concludes with the promise that if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, our bodies will be raised like Jesus'.

With these promises of resurrection fresh in our minds, we come to the raising of Lazarus. There is a twofold significance here. At the literal level, it is a miracle. Jesus uses his power — obviously divine — to restore a dead man to life.

Martha and Mary complain in turn that if Jesus had come before Lazarus died, he could have restored Lazarus to health. But Jesus does not always intervene in the normal course of events with a miracle. Every time something bad happens, we can ask why, but there is usually no direct answer. We do know, as this gospel passage reminds us, that God always loves us, even when bad things are happening, even when tragedy surrounds us. Jesus is deeply saddened by the death of Lazarus. God's promise to us is not earthly happiness, but eternal joy in his presence.

In this instance, Jesus responds to the situation by raising Lazarus from death, restoring him to life. This leads many, beyond Martha and Mary, to place their faith in him. The raising of Lazarus tells us, obviously, that Jesus has the power to raise us also, and thus gives us confidence in the promise contained in the first two readings. But our faith also tells us that the promised resurrection goes beyond the restoration of earthly life. It is a promise of a glorified life like that of Jesus after his resurrection.

As I've noted, Lent is the time of preparation for baptism. Especially in Year A, the readings instruct the catechumens about the meaning of their anticipated baptism. Last week, it was the end of spiritual blindness that was the focus. This week, it is being raised from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life. The Holy Spirit gives us the life of grace, a share in God's own eternal life. We are freed from our bondage to sin and walk in the freedom of God's children. As the catechumens look forward to this effect of the sacrament, we reflect on our own spiritual life, begun in baptism and containing a promise for eternity.

2020/03/22 — 4th Sunday of Lent — Year A

First Reading — 2 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Second Reading — Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel — John 9:1-41

Today's gospel passage calls to mind the line in the hymn "Amazing Grace" which says "I  once … was blind, but now I see." We understand the healing of blindness from birth in the context of Lent: the preparation of catechumens for baptism. They understand themselves as having been born spiritually blind in a pagan culture. Now they are ready to receive spiritual sight in the light of Christ. Some scholars believe that St. Paul is quoting a very early baptismal hymn with the words, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

The Easter Vigil, during which the catechumens are baptized, begins with the blessing and lighting of the Paschal Candle, which is then carried in procession to a place near the altar, during which the deacon chants three times, "Christ, our light," and the people respond, "Thanks be to God." The candle — which is lit at Masses throughout Eastertide and at baptisms and funerals — represents Christ risen, the light of the world.

After the healing, and the man's controversy with the Pharisees, Jesus reveals himself to the healed man as the messianic Son of Man, and the man believes in him. St Paul draws out the implication for all who have been baptized. We must all "live as children of light" and always avoid the "works of darkness.

While Samuel's anointing of David to be King of Israel does not seem to be directly related to the spiritual enlightenment and baptism of the catechumens, there are a couple of points. One is that our merely human sight and estimation don't necessarily correspond to how God sees and evaluates things. We need to see things in the light God gives us. Also, when Samuel anointed Davis, the Holy Spirit came upon him to enable him to fulfill the office of king. At baptism, we are anointed as a symbol of the Holy Spirit coming upon us to enable us to live the life to which we are called as children of light.

2020/03/15 — 3rd Sunday of Lent — Year A

Third Sunday – March 15

First Reading — Exodus 17:3-7

Second Reading — Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

Gospel — John 4:5-42


An obvious theme of this Sunday's readings is water. In the first reading, Moses miraculously brings water from a rock for the thirsty Israelites. In the gospel, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water, and Jesus, apparently thirsty, asks her for a drink. But then he offers her "living water." She thinks he is speaking about physical water. Even when he clarifies that the water he gives becomes an interior spring that confers eternal life, she is still thinking of physical water. But after further conversation about authentic worship in spirit and truth, she realizes that he is the Messiah. Later, many of the townspeople come to faith in him.

The water Jesus promises is a symbol — as in other places in the scriptures — of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is promising her, and all believers, the Holy Spirit for eternal life. And here we come to the second reading. Paul says that our justification come by faith, which in turn gives us hope because the Holy Spirit pours (water metaphor) the love of God into our hearts. So, as in 1 Corinthians, he speaks of the three "theological virtues," faith, hope, and love The greatest of them comes through the Holy Spirit.

So what seemed at first to be about water turns out to be about the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Another point to note is that from early times Lent was the time of final preparation for the baptism of catechumens at Easter. Over the centuries, as infant baptism became more common, that aspect wasn't so prominent, but over the past 60 years it has been renewed. For catechumens, and by extension for all of us, these readings about water and the Holy Spirit remind us of baptism. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3 that one must be born of water and the Holy Spirit — which happens at baptism — to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus promises us the water of the Holy Spirit, springing up to eternal life.

2018/02/18 & 25 — 1st & 2nd Sundays of Lent — Year B

First Sunday – February 18

First Reading — Genesis 9:8-15
Second Reading — 1 Peter 3:18-22
Gospel — Mark 1:12-15

Every year, the gospel for the first Sunday of Lent tells of Jesus' forty days of fasting in the desert and  his temptations. The current year, Year B, features the Gospel of Mark, and Mark's account gives none of the details of the temptations we hear of in Matthew and Luke. This gives a chance for us to hear a bit of the context going forward, namely, the beginning of his public ministry: proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God. The verses preceding this selection tell of Jesus' baptism by John, and that provides a connection to the second reading, which in turn connects with the first.

The three "synoptic gospels" — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — record the same sequence of events: Jesus is baptized, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed God's son; Jesus undertakes a 40 day period of fasting and prayer in the desert, during which he undergoes temptation; Jesus begins his public ministry. (John gives us the baptism and inauguration of the ministry, but doesn't mention the desert.) This has significance for our lives. Most obviously, we have entered on a period of forty days of prayer and fasting (and almsgiving). It is a time of preparation for Easter, which is the time for adults to be baptized and begin their ministry as members of the Body of Christ, proclaiming the Kingdom of God. For those already baptized, Easter is a time for renewing our baptismal commitment to proclaim God's Kingdom by our lives, in our circumstances; and Lent is when we prepare to reinvigorate our lives of witness to the gospel, overcoming temptation and opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit through our Lenten practices of a more intense living of lives based on faith.

In the second reading, Peter sets baptism in the context of Jesus' death and resurrection, the saving act which is the culmination of the ministry which began after his baptism. Baptism incorporates the believer into this saving act of Jesus, in effect making him or her a sharer in that act, a recipient of its benefits. The water of the flood destroyed the sinfulness of the world in the time of Noah, just as baptism takes away our sins and puts us in a covenant relationship with God.


Second Sunday – February 25

First Reading — Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Second Reading — Romans 8:31b-34
Gospel — Mark 9:2-10

The gospel for the second Sunday of Lent presents an account of the transfiguration of Jesus — this year from Mark. First though, we hear the harrowing account of Abraham and the uncompleted sacrifice of Isaac. (For the people of ancient Israel, this was at least an implicit rejection of the practice of human sacrifice.) Some of the detail* is omitted from the reading, to concentrate on the essentials. We hear of Abraham's obedience to God, and God's promises in response to Abraham's faithfulness. God spares Abraham's son, but, as Paul points out, he does not spare his own son. That sacrifice acquits us of our sins.
* Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice, making him a "type," a prefiguring, of Jesus, who carried the wood of his cross to the hill of sacrifice. In response to Isaac's question, "Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" Abraham promises that God will provide, which he dies.

Paul tells us that Jesus not only died but was raised for us and is at the right hand of the Father. The transfiguration gives the apostles a vision of Jesus in the glory of his resurrection. The presence of Moses and Elijah — representing the Law and the Prophets — shows the continuity of the revelation of the Old and New Testaments. Jesus fulfills that revelation.

The voice from the cloud repeats the proclamation that was made at Jesus' baptism: he is God's son. This resonates with the baptismal facet of Lent. As a result of our baptism, we have the promise of a like glory when we are resurrected. The Jews of Jesus' time knew that there would be a resurrection at the end of time, but they didn't expect anybody to rise before that general resurrection. Jesus' resurrection promises ours.

Our baptism makes us spiritual descendants of Abraham, so that in us, along with the Jews, "all the nations of the earth shall find blessing."

Easter Vigil — 2017/04/15

The Easter Vigil is the central liturgy of the Church's year. It is a Mass, with the regular elements of liturgy of the Word, which is what I concentrate in in my posts for Sundays and major feast days, and liturgy of the Eucharist — with presentation of the people's gifts of bread and wine, and themselves; consecration of the bread and wine, making them the Body and Blood of Jesus; and Holy Communion. But at the Easter Vigil, some secondary parts are expanded into major rites, and the readings are more extensive.


Mass usually begins with a procession and introductory rite leading into the liturgy of the Word. At the Easter Vigil this rite is vastly expanded. First, a fire is lit; a large candle, adorned with various symbols of Christ, is lit from the fire; and the candle is carried in procession to a tall stand in the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people's candles are lit with candles lit from the Easter candle. The Easter candle represents the risen Christ, and its flame the light he gives to the world. When the clergy and ministers have arrived in the sanctuary, an ancient chant, called "Exsultet" ("Rejoice") from its opening word in Latin, proclaims the praise of the candle as representing Jesus' work of our salvation.


Normally, the liturgy of the Word consists of three readings, with a responsorial psalm after the first and an acclamation before the gospel. At the Vigil, there are seven Old Testament readings before the (non-gospel) New Testament reading, acclamation, and gospel. Not all seven O.T. readings are required to be read, but Exodus 14:15-15:1, which tells of the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea, is required. Not only does, it remind us of Passover, with the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb (a type of Christ), which immediately preceded the Exodus, but it also foreshadows baptism, which liberates us from slavery to sin by our passage through the water.

The first reading is the account of creation in Genesis 1:1-2-2. God creates the universe and it is very good. In Jesus, God recreates humanity, making it very, very good, and ultimately he will recreate the universe — a new heavens and new earth promised in Revelation.

Second is Genesis 22:1-18, the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. At the end, God stops Abraham from killing his son, but God did not spare his own son in order to reconcile humanity to himself.

Third is the reading from Exodus.

Next is Isaiah 54:5-13, in which God presents himself as the redeemer of Israel, promising reconciliation, "enduring love," glory, and peace. We see Jesus as the one who brings these about, beginning in time, and fulfilled in eternity.

The fifth reading is also from Isaiah — 55:1-11. There is a promise of abundance. Gentiles will come to the Lord. God is forgiving, and his word — Jesus, in our understanding — sent to the earth, will accomplish his mission.

The sixth reading is Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4. God, the creator of the stars that rejoice before him, calls Israel back to his wisdom, his peace, which we understand are in Jesus.

Seventh is Ezekiel 35:16-17a, 16-28. Our sinfulness has caused our exile among the nations. For the sake of his own glory God will bring us back to the promised land. He will cleanse us of our sins by sprinkling clean water (baptism) on us and putting his spirit in us, enabling us to live according to his will.

In an ordinary Mass, the first reading is followed by a psalm, and then the second reading. In the Vigil, each of these readings has its psalm, but then there is a prayer recited by the priest before the next reading. It alludes to the preceding reading, asking God to deal kindly with us as indicated by the reading.


When the Old Testament readings, with their psalms and prayers are completed, the hymn "Glory to God in the Highest" is sung. This usually concludes the entrance rite, before the liturgy of the Word, so we might expect it to be placed before the first reading, rather than in the middle of the liturgy of the word. I suspect the reason for its current placement is that when Pope Pius XII revised the Vigil into its current form, Sunday Mass had only two readings, epistle and gospel. The Gloria came immediately before the first of the two readings, so the idea was that epistle and gospel were a separate unit and the Gloria should precede them. The Old Testament readings were probably seen as separate, not part of a continuum with the final two readings. At any rate the Gloria is sung, and then the prayer which would normally follow it to conclude the opening rite is said.


The epistle — Romans 6:3-11 — tells us that our baptism is a baptism into the death of Jesus, bringing us newness of life in union with his resurrection. Our baptism is thus also a death to sin.

The gospel this year, Year A, is Matthew's account of the resurrection — Matthew 28:1-10. As the women approach Jesus' tomb on that first Easter morning, there is an earthquake and an angel rolls the stone from to stone covering the entrance to the tomb. The angel tells the women that Jesus has risen. They are to tell the disciples to go to Galilee to meet Jesus. On their way, the women see Jesus, who gives them the same message for the disciples.

It was only this time hearing that gospel that I realized that Matthew implies that Jesus had already risen before the angel rolled back the stone. Possibly the earthquake was the moment he rose and left the tomb, or possible it had happened earlier, but in any case, Jesus (unlike Lazarus) doesn't have to wait for the stone to be removed before he can leave the tomb. Just as he can enter the upper room through locked doors, in his glorified body, he leaves the tomb while it is still sealed.

Another point that occurs to me is that the reason for the angel's message is that it prepares the women for encountering Jesus himself. Without that preparation, they would have been overwhelmed by meeting the resurrected Jesus, but ow they could accept it.


It may be expected that the liturgy would focus on Jesus' death and resurrection. The heavy additional emphasis on baptism in this liturgy is because in ancient times, the Easter Vigil was the occasion on which people were baptized. This leads to the next difference from normal Sunday Masses. In place of the recitation of the Nicene Creed, which normally follows the gospel, there is a blessing of water for baptisms (or for sprinkling the people if there are no baptisms). Adults are then baptized, and then the people renew their baptismal renunciation of sin and profession of faith, following which they are sprinkled with the water, in  commemoration and renewal of their own baptism.

After this, the Mass continues as usual.

2017/03/19 & 26 — 3rd & 4th Sundays of Lent — Year A

In the early centuries of Christianity, Baptisms normally took place at Easter, and Lent was the time for the final preparation of the catechumens who were to be baptized that year. Gradually it came to serve as a season for the rest of the faithful to prepare spiritually for their celebration of Easter. Over time, as infant baptism became the most common way for people to enter the Church,the formal catechumenate as the process of preparation for baptism fell out of use. Following the Second Vatican Council, the catechumenate was restored as the means of preparing adults and older children for baptism, and the Mass readings for the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent in Year A in the revised liturgy were chosen for their connection to baptism.


On the 3rd Sunday water is a unifying theme in the first reading and the gospel. In the pre-Vatican II liturgy, these readings were assigned to the Friday of the third week of Lent.

The first reading — Exodus 17:3-7 — tells of Moses providing water from a rock in the desert for the thirsty Israelites. This physical water is understood as a type of the water which Jesus promises the Samaritan woman in the gospel — John 4:5-42. The water in the desert sustained physical life. The water Jesus provides sustains eternal life. Water is, in scripture and in at least some Jewish tradition, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit to those who believe in him. He told Nicodemus that entry into the kingdom of God required being born of water and the Holy Spirit (John 3:5), and at his own baptism the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. The offer of the life-giving water to the Samaritan women, and subsequently to her fellow villagers, tells the catechumens and us that this grace of baptism is available to all, not just to the Jews.

The responsorial psalm — verses of Psalm 95 — includes a reference to the incident of the water in the desert.

In the second reading — Romans 5:1-2, 7-8 — we find a reference to the three "theological virtues:" faith, hope, and love. Paul reminds us that faith in Jesus has brought us justification and hope of glory because of God's love for us, made effective in Jesus' saving death. There is also an allusion to the other readings: Paul says that God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.


The 4th Sunday has images of light and vision. On the first reading — 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a — tells of Samuel's anointing of David as king to replace Saul. Although Jesse's son Eliab looks like a king to Samuel, God sees the heart, not just outward appearances and chooses David. The anointing of David brings the Holy Spirit powerfully upon him. We too, receive the Spirit at our baptism.

The responsorial psalm — Psalm 23 — attributed to David gives us the image of God as the good shepherd, with its allusion to David's having been a shepherd.

The second reading — Ephesians 5:8-14 — exhorts us to live in the light. Formerly we were in darkness, but Christ has enlightened us. The final lines, "Awake, O sleeper … and Christ will give you light," are thought to be from an extremely early baptismal hymn. The light of Christ comes to the catechumens and us through baptism.

The gospel — John 9:1-41 – formerly read on Wednesday of the fourth week of Lent, the day of an important examination of catechumens in early times, tells of Jesus' cure of a man born blind. He comes into physical light, just as baptism brings spiritual light. We can think of Jesus' making of clay with the earth and his saliva and putting it on the eyes of the blind man as a sort of "anointing." The pool of Siloam, where the man washed, in a prefiguring of baptism, was the source of water for libations in the temple on the first seven days of the feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles, or Booths). The healing of the blind man was apparently on the eighth day of the feast, when the water was no longer brought from Siloam to the temple. Perhaps this timing has significance for understanding Jesus as "greater than the temple" (Matthew 12:6). Certainly, the fact that Jesus earlier on that day had promised "rivers of living water" that is the Spirit, flowing from within those who believe in him (John 7:38-39) establishes the baptismal meaning of the healing of the blind man, and recalls the promise to the Samaritan woman of living water.

The blind man has been given light, not just physically, but also spiritually, and he professes his faith in Jesus, whereas Jesus' opponents among the Pharisees have blinded themselves to the truth about him.

2015/05/31 — Trinity Sunday

The readings assigned to Trinity Sunday this year illuminate different aspects of the doctrine.


The gospel —Matthew 28:16-20 (often referred to as the Great Commission) — contains a direct mention of the three persons of the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all involved in Baptism, and thus in the life of the Church. Although the doctrine was clarified over the years and the word Trinity was eventually developed to denote it, it was present from the beginning.


The second reading is Romans 8:14-17. It also mentions Spirit, Father, and Christ (in that order). As with last Sunday's second reading, it speaks of being led by the Spirit. It also speaks of our being children of God by adoption. We understand baptism (which is commanded in today's gospel) as being the occasion on which this adoption occurs. When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan, a voice from heaven proclaimed him God's Son, and the Holy Spirit was seen descending on him in the form of a dove. This tells us what happens in our Baptism: the Father declares us his (adoptive) sons and daughters, and the Holy Spirit anoints us for our mission as Christians.


The reading from Deuteronomy (Dt 4:32-34, 39-40) presents two points. First is the uniqueness of what God did for the Israelites in the Exodus. Second is the call to keep the commandments of the Lord. Just as the Israelites would not have known the Lord or the Law without the Lord's intervention, so we would not know of the Trinity without God's revelation of the mystery. And we too have a call to follow God's law: "led by the Spirit" (Romans) "to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew).


Genesis teaches us that God made us in his image and likeness. We bear the likeness of the Trinity. Pope John Paul II has developed this point in his Theology of the Body. As the Divine Persons are in a loving, self-giving relationship of communion with each other, so we are called to relationship, to self-giving communion. And as the divine communion of persons creates in love, our communions should also be loving and lovingly creative. The highest gift is that of life. Therefore the highest form of human communion, the fullest bodily image of God, is the union of husband and wife in the loving embrace which is for the procreation of new life. But love and communion are not just lived within marriage. All of us are called to love one another as the Lord loves us and to live in communion as members of one family, God's children, led by the Spirit, images of God for the world.