Ordinary 7 Friday

Married life can be hard. It can be hard for 21^st century Americans, and it could be hard for 1^st century Judeans. If it weren’t, the Pharisees wouldn’t have pressed Jesus on the subject of divorce, as they did in today’s gospel. In response, Jesus explained that marriage was intended by God to be permanent. Yet to some then and to some now, this seems to be an unreasonable standard, because marriage can indeed be so hard.

Jesus spoke of husband and wife becoming one flesh. This refers to much more than a physical union. Instead, it’s a call to an intimate union of two persons which requires personal change, self-sacrifice, honest communication, openness to new life, and a desire to meet one another’s needs, heal each other’s hurts, and help one’s spouse become the person God intended him or her to be.

To do this is hard, and God knows it. He knows our selfishness, our neediness, and our fear of conflict. And God knows that it’s tempting for us to run away from problems instead of facing them head on, and to imagine that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

This is precisely why God designed marriage in the way he did. Because it takes a permanent commitment in order for marriage to flourish and grow, instead of it being crushed by our "hardness of heart."

Ordinary 7 Thursday

When Jesus tells us to cut off offending hands and feet and pluck out sinful eyes, he’s using the exaggeration that was characteristic of Jewish speech in his day. It isn’t meant to be taken literally. It is, however, an effective means of communication, as it sure wakes us up and grabs our attention!

Jesus’ point is that we’re to be absolutely ruthless in eradicating sin from our lives, because he knows our tendency to become too comfortable with them.

Sometimes we rationalize our behavior, saying things like, "Everybody does it" or "I’m not really hurting anyone!" or "I’m too set in my ways to change" or "God has bigger things to worry about" or "C’mon! This was the only fun I had all week!"

At other times, we blame our actions on others. We complain: "It’s my job that’s driving me to drink" or "My parents made me the way I am" or "I’m not cheating on my taxes- the government’s stealing my money or the classic, "The devil made me do it."

All such excuses are masks for laziness, a fear to change or accept responsibility, or a presumption of God’s mercy. And it’s precisely these attitudes Jesus challenges in today’s gospel. He doesn’t expect that we’ll completely change overnight, or that we’ll ever completely eliminate sin from our lives. But he does expect us to struggle- a struggle demanded by love, and the fruit of which is holiness and peace.

"Christian holiness does not mean being sinless," wrote Pope John Paul II, but rather it means struggling not to give in, and always getting up after every fall."

Ordinary 7 Monday

A busy bishop wrote of a time in his ministry when he gave greater priority to work than to prayer. He would often speak to others about the importance of prayer, but he didn’t practice what he preached. It wasn’t until fellow priests challenged him about this that he made "quality time" for prayer a daily priority.

Today’s gospel speaks of the importance of prayer. The apostles had been trying very hard to cast out a demon- but they had failed. When they asked why, Jesus said, "This kind can only come out through prayer." The apostles had seemingly placed prayer on the back burner because they had been so preoccupied with their "work." Ironically, their work suffered as a result.

We fall into the same trap, whenever we become so focused on getting the job done that prayer becomes an afterthought. When this happens, we might take a cue from Mother Teresa. As we all know, she could move mountains. But only because she was a woman of constant prayer.

"Because I cannot depend on my own strength," she confessed, "I rely on him twenty-four hours a day. My secret is simple: I pray."

Solemnity of Pentecost

High in the Andes Mountains, 14,000 feet above sea level, stands a majestic statue of Jesus on the border of Argentina and Chile. It was constructed to celebrate the peaceful resolution of a border dispute between the two countries. In fact, the metal for the statue comes from guns the two nations had intended to use against each other. An inscription at the base of the statue reads: "He is our peace who has made both one." This famous statue serves as a sign of the peace that the Son of God came to bring. In today’s gospel, the risen Jesus greeted his friends by saying, "Peace be with you!" We might understand his words, however, as being intended for the whole world.

The truth is, Jesus wants peace amongst nations, within societies, and between people. Conflict, warfare, and division were not part of his Father’s plans for us. God created us to live in harmony with him and with each other. But when sin entered the picture, everything got fouled up.

That’s one lesson we take away from the Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel. People, acting with sinful pride, attempted to displace God by constructing a tower into the heavens. And the results were disastrous! Humanity became scattered and divided- a division symbolized by the confusion of their language. Because they couldn’t understand each other anymore, chaos ensued, and there was no peace.

That kind of describes the situation today, doesn’t it? Our world is divided by culture, faith, wealth, and even more by attitudes towards power, authority, and cooperation. As a result, we experience a lack of peace.

Thankfully, God hasn’t left us to flounder in the mess we’ve made. He saw the situation, and he sent us the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to bring people together in peace. Consider today’s gospel. When the disciples proclaimed the good news of Jesus, everyone understood what they were saying- regardless of what language they spoke. The curse of the Tower of Babel was undone! The Holy Spirit, then and now, heals the divisions created by human pride and sin, by allowing people to communicate and understand each other once again. This is what Pope Benedict taught us last year in his homily for Pentecost. He said, "As opposed to what occurred with the tower of Babel, when people wanted to build a way to heaven with their hands and ended up by destroying their very capacity of mutual understanding, in Pentecost the Spirit, with the gift of tongues, demonstrates that his presence unites and transforms confusion into communion."

Pentecost is traditionally referred to as the "Church’s birthday," because the outpouring of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of the Church’s mission to bring all people together in peace by being united in God. You and I participated in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and you and I are members of the Church. This means we have a responsibility to share in the Church’s mission by being agents of peace. To fulfill this mission, our recent popes have suggested several things we can do.

First of all, we can resist the pressures of our materialistic culture to possess more and more and to consume things at levels that ultimately deprive others. A world divided into "haves" and "haves not" is a world that will inevitably experience tensions and war. As Christians, we should strive to live simply, so that others may simply live. One way to do this is by being good stewards of the world’s resources and taking care of the environment. As Pope Benedict recently said, "Disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men."

Another thing we can do to be peacemakers is to learn to be good communicators. As John Paul II said, "Language is made…for uniting." We need to honestly but gently share our thoughts and feelings with others, seeking to be understood without resorting to threats or insults. At the same time, we can strive to really listen to others by giving our full attention and respect, and if they yell at us, we need to try to understand what might be the cause of their hurt.

Being a good communicator is never enough, however. The language of peace must be matched by gestures of peace. "It is the practice of peace that leads to peace," to again quote John Paul II. We can strive to be forgiving, gentle, and generous. We can reject old rivalries, hatreds, and prejudices that history or our culture may try to impose on us. We can try to build bridges between societies and nations by reaching out in friendship, learning new languages, and offering any help we might be able to give. And we can work for and promote human rights like the right to life, religious freedom, freedom of thought and expression, and the rights to decent work, housing, education, food, and health care. "If you want peace," said Pope Paul VI, "work for justice."

In addition to working for peace, we must also pray for it. Peace will never come through our efforts alone, because peace is always a gift from God. It is human sin that creates divisions and destroys peace, and it is only by the grace of God that the effects of sin are undone and peace is restored. That’s why we must pray. We can pray for an end to warfare and violence; we can pray that world leaders will strive for peace; we can pray for justice and forgiveness between enemies; we can pray for our conversion, that we may turn from sin and give our lives to Christ, the prince of peace; and we can pray that God will help us to be peacemakers. Holy Spirit of Pentecost, help us all to spread your peace.

Easter 7 Friday

"10,000 people could do a better job than you!" Sr. Briege McKenna told a gathering of priests. "But that’s beside the point. God chose you." No priests are perfect, in other words, but God calls them to service anyway. This was true for St. Peter, as we see in today’s gospel. Jesus chose Peter as his chief shepherd, the first pope. At the same time, he acknowledges Peter’s weaknesses.

The three times Jesus asked Peter to affirm his love recalls Peter’s three denials during Jesus’ trial. The first two times, as originally written in Greek, Jesus asked Peter if he gave him "agape" - sacrificial love. In response, Peter answered that he gave him "phileo" - brotherly love. So in his third question, Jesus asked Peter not for "agape" love, but brotherly love. And Peter said he could.

Peter knew that he wasn’t yet capable of "agape," and Jesus knew it too. But Jesus also knew that one day Peter would be. That’s why he said that Peter himself would die on a cross.

Jesus doesn’t wait until we’re perfect to call us to service, either. Instead, he meets us where we are, and gives us grace to grow. Jesus knows that we’re broken sinners. Yet still he loves us, and uses us to build up his kingdom. Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

Easter 7 Thursday

If someone is especially arrogant, it’s not uncommon for people to say: “He really thinks he’s God’s gift to….women/ soccer/ the sales team/ whatever.” It’s not meant as a compliment. It’s a put-down!

We don’t wish to be seen by others in this way. At the same time, Jesus does want us to see ourselves as God’s gift. “Father,” he prayed in today’s gospel, “they (meaning us!) are your gift to me.”

We are God’s gift to Jesus. And we aren’t a gift he wants to return or exchange. We’re a gift he wants. Because he prays for us, we might even say we’re a gift he asks for; he included our names in his wish list.

But as today’s gospel reminds us, Jesus does far more than pray for us. He also dwells with us and in us, shares his glory with us, reveals his name to us, guides us to perfection, unites us with our Christian brothers and sisters, and showers us with the same abundant, unconditional love he’s shared with the Father from all eternity.

Jesus tells us this, not to make us arrogant or smug, but to fill us with gratitude and hope. So hopefully no one will put us down by saying we think we’re God’s gift to something. But we can thank Jesus, that he embraces us, as God’s gift to him.

Easter 7 Wednesday

Imagine yourself as Jesus in today’s gospel. You’ll soon be betrayed, arrested, abandoned, condemned, and crucified. In circumstances such as these, most of us would be filled with anger, fear, and overwhelming sadness. Yet Jesus is concerned, not for himself, but for his friends, and he prays that they share his joy.

We might wonder how Jesus could speak of joy in such circumstances. However, his claim that his followers don’t belong to the "world" provide us with a clue. In other words, we will not find the joy of which Jesus speaks in the things of the world, but only through our union with him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

This union was at the heart of Jesus’ prayer, when he asked the Father to keep his followers in the name that he had given him. It is this union with God, it is this relationship of love, it is this very sharing in God’s life that is the source of joy which Jesus wishes for us, and which sustained him on the eve of his darkest hour. This joy the world cannot take away; this joy that can co-exist with pain; this joy will endure forever. As one songwriter puts it: "Jealousy and anger, greed and hypocrisy, the seasons of human nature- you can’t take my joy from me!"

Feast of Saint Matthias the Apostle

It was Woody Allen who once said that fifty percent of life is simply showing up. And to a certain degree, I think he’s right. In fact, just showing up seems to have been a major factor in the selection of a new apostle to fill the vacancy left by Judas.

When Peter addressed the assembly of believers, as we heard in today’s first reading, he didn’t say that candidates for the position had to be highly educated, well spoken, or have good "people skills." What he did say is that the one to be chosen had to have accompanied the band of apostles from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry until his ascension. In other words, to become an apostle, one had to have shown up and stuck with it- in good times and bad, in joy and in sorrow, come rain or sunshine.

Perhaps that’s a good reminder for us when we reflect on our own discipleship. Our journey with the Lord may include a lot of monotony. We may struggle with doubts; we might suffer for our faith; the institutional church or our brothers and sisters may let us down; and at times prayer, devotion, and celebration of the sacraments may seem like a waste of time or feel like a crashing bore.

That’s when we need to be disciplined- to stick with it- to continue to put one foot in front of the other- to keep on keeping on. In spite of our feelings; in spite of our frustrations; in spite of our fear. Such perseverance is the difference between a fair-weather friend of Jesus, and a friend to the end. And, it’s the raw material from which God could prepare Matthias to be an apostle, and fashion you and me into saints.