JUNE 2006

June 30, 2006

Friday 12th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 KINGS 25:1-12

In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth

day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army

advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it, and built siege walls

on every side. The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year

of Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month, when famine had

gripped the city, and the people had no more bread, the city walls were

breached. Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night

through the gate between the two walls that was near the king's garden.

Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded, they went in the direction

of the Arabah. But the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him

in the desert near Jericho, abandoned by his whole army. The king was

therefore arrested and brought to Riblah to the king of Babylon, who

pronounced sentence on him. He had Zedekiah's sons slain before his

eyes. Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters, and had him

brought to Babylon. On the seventh day of the fifth month (this was in

the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan,

captain of the bodyguard, came to Jerusalem as the representative of

the king of Babylon. He burned the house of the LORD, the palace of the

king, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every large building was

destroyed by fire. Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain

of the guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. Then

Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, led into exile the last of the

people remaining in the city, and those who had deserted to the king of

Babylon, and the last of the artisans. But some of the country's poor,

Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, left behind as vinedressers and

farmers.

MATTHEW 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And

then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish,

you can make me clean." He stretched out his hand, touched him, and

said, "I will do it. Be made clean." His leprosy was cleansed

immediately. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one, but go

show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them."

REFLECTION

The new law, which Jesus has just promulgated in the Sermon on the

Mount, is far more demanding than the old law. The reason for this is

that the new law expresses the demands of love, and love is far more

demanding.

Today's Gospel passage shows Jesus living out the demands of love,

living the new law. According to Jewish law a leper was unclean, an

outcast. Jewish law absolutely banned any sort of physical contact

between lepers and those who were free of this dread disease. It was

easy for a healthy person to obey such laws.

The leper who stands before Jesus in today's Gospel has violated the

law. In such a situation any devout Jew would be expected to condemn

the leper and to put distance between the leper and himself. Jesus

neither steps back from the man nor condemns him. The leper asks Jesus

for a cure. Jesus, reaching out his hand to touch the leper says, "...

be cured." Urged by his love and compassion, on two counts Jesus

violates the law.

In the mind of the leper what was the greater gift that Jesus gave him,

the warmth of his presence and his touch or the cure? How long has it

been since this poor man has felt the warmth of a human touch? In

Jesus' mind, certainly, the leper's need to experience human warmth, a

human touch, was far more demanding than the prohibition of the Jewish

law, which forbade a healthy person to touch a leper. Love demanded

that Jesus do what the law forbade. He did what love demanded. He

touched the leper.

Does love play any significant role in the way we live our faith?

June 29, 2006

Solemnity, Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles

Thursday 12th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

ACTS 12:1-11

In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to

harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and

when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest

Peter also. -It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.- He had him taken

into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four

soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after

Passover. Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church

was fervently being made to God on his behalf. On the very night before

Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was

sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch

on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light

shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him,

saying, "Get up quickly." The chains fell from his wrists. The angel

said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals." He did so. Then he

said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me." So he followed him out,

not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he

thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the

second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened

for them by itself. They emerged and made their way down an alley, and

suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter recovered his sense and said,

"Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me

from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been

expecting."

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 17-18

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of

my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the

race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness

awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that

day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the

proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And

I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every

evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be

glory forever and ever. Amen.

MATTHEW 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his

disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied,

"Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one

of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living

God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly

Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will

build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail

against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever

you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on

earth shall be loosed in heaven."

REFLECTION

Imagine the following situation. On the one side, the Roman army

assigns four squads of soldiers to guard the prisoner. The whole

operation takes place inside a walled compound with a locked iron gate.

On the other side, the prisoner's friends pray. There's no contest. The

outcome seems to be clear. Peter hasn't got a chance!

Today's reading reveals how the conflict ended in surprise. The prayers

of the Christian community were answered. The Roman forces didn't take

one important factor into consideration: Peter's friends were praying

for him. And the result of that faith community's fervent prayers? The

power of God intervened. An angel comes and leads Peter to safety.

This Scripture story concretely illustrates the basic Christian

scriptural teaching about prayer. There is no force on earth available

to us that are more powerful than prayer. Prayer works in mysterious

ways that are beyond human expectations.

We look next at Paul, a man who never did things by half-measures. As a

youth he pursued further studies under Gamaliel to become proficient in

the Law. Later, as a Pharisee, he could claim he was an expert in it.

When he thought the followers of Jesus of Nazareth were enemies of the

Law, he persecuted them ruthlessly.

Then Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus. Paul was blinded and

had to grope his way in utter darkness. But in that darkness he groped

his way to Jesus. Was this the Jesus he had been persecuting? How wrong

then he had been! Now he will admit it and humbly ask, "Lord, what do

you want me to do?"(Act 22:10) From then on the violent persecutor

became the ardent apostle. All that he had considered gain until now;

he threw overboard as garbage in order to gain Christ.

He now professes, "For me to live is Christ."(Phil.1: 21) The old

structure is torn down; the magnificent new building is constructed on

Christ. Now, Paul becomes the apostle in the service of the word, the

strenuous fighter for the truth, the founder of churches, the inspired

writer of dynamic letters, the martyr for the sake of the Crucified.

Those long years of preaching Christ, of defending the cause of the

Master, of traveling far and wide, and undergoing all manner of

suffering and opposition blossomed into the Paul we now know, the

gallant apostle of Jesus, who lived only to make Christ known and

loved!

There is something very appealing to our weak human nature when we see

a man of such stature as Paul, humbly admitting his mistake, and

launching out with full vigor on a brand new path that he has opened

for all who would follow him. His example tells us that God can draw

good even out of our mistakes, and from one who fought against Christ,

God can make a most fervent follower of the Crucified. The example of

Paul will always lift us up when failure or mistakes weigh us down. As

the saying goes, "God can write straight with crooked line!"

Today we honor both Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and Paul, the

Apostle of the Nations. One had denied the Master, the other had

persecuted him. One failed him through weakness and cowardice. The

other failed him through ignorance and prejudice.

June 28, 2006

Wednesday 12th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 KINGS 22:8-13; 23:1-3

The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan, "I have found the

book of the law in the temple of the LORD." Hilkiah gave the book to

Shaphan, who read it. Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and

reported, "Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the

temple and have consigned them to the master workmen in the temple of

the LORD." The scribe Shaphan also informed the king that the priest

Hilkiah had given him a book, and then read it aloud to the king. When

the king heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his

garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, son of

Shaphan, Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and the king's

servant Asaiah: "Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all

Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found, for the

anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us, because our

fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our

written obligations." The king then had all the elders of Judah and of

Jerusalem summoned together before him. The king went up to the temple

of the LORD with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of

Jerusalem: priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great. He

had the entire contents of the book of the covenant that had been found

in the temple of the LORD, read out to them. Standing by the column,

the king made a covenant before the LORD that they would follow him and

observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees with their whole hearts

and souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written

in this book. And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.

MATTHEW 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you

in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their

fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or

figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a

rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can

a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit

will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will

know them."

REFLECTION

Jesus has been speaking in the Sermon on the Mount about values he's

proposing to his followers and about the practice of true religion. He

now speaks about prophets, those who will preach and teach these values

and practices that he's now proposing.

In the early Church prophets played a regular role. Some of them were

false prophets. These were more interested in gathering a personal

following, than in winning disciples for Christ. They succeeded in

attracting people to themselves by watering down the demands of

Christian discipleship. Christians had to know, therefore, how to

discern between true and false prophets.

This had been a problem also down through the ages of the Old

Testament. Undoubtedly Jesus expected that false prophets would

continue harming the Christian community after he would have left it.

In today's Gospel, therefore, he proposes to his disciples norms which

would help them to distinguish between true and false prophets.

Judge prophets by the fruit they produce, by their deeds, Jesus says,

and by the effect of their words on the lives of those to whom they

preach.

Does the prophet practice what he preaches? Does the word he preaches

resonate in his or her life? Do the prophet's words enhance our

spiritual lives? Do they draw us into deeper union with Jesus and his

Father? Do they create within us peace, do they encourage us to reach

outward, to bring Christ's peace and love to other men and women? Does

the prophet's message turn us to prayer, there to find and accept God's

will for us?

Questions such as these will enable us to recognize those prophets who

are of God and those who are not. If the tree that is the prophet bears

good fruit, eat of the fruit, otherwise reject it.

June 27, 2006

Tuesday 12th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 KINGS 19:9B-11, 14-21, 31-35A, 36

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah with this

message: "Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: 'Do not let

your God on whom you rely deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not

be handed over to the king of Assyria. You have heard what the kings of

Assyria have done to all other countries: they doomed them! Will you,

then, be saved?'" Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the

messengers and read it; then he went up to the temple of the LORD, and

spreading it out before him, he prayed in the LORD's presence: "O LORD,

God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You alone are God over all

the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.

Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!

Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.

Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and

their lands, and cast their gods into the fire; they destroyed them

because they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and

stone. Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,

that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are

God." Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: "Thus

says the LORD, the God of Israel, in answer to your prayer for help

against Sennacherib, king of Assyria: I have listened! This is the word

the LORD has spoken concerning him: "'She despises you, laughs you to

scorn, the virgin daughter Zion! Behind you she wags her head, daughter

Jerusalem. "'For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant, and from Mount

Zion, survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.'

"Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He

shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it, nor come before it

with a shield, nor cast up siege-works against it. He shall return by

the same way he came, without entering the city, says the LORD. I will

shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my

servant David.'" That night the angel of the LORD went forth and struck

down one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. So

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp, and went back home to

Nineveh.

MATTHEW 7:6, 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or

throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and

turn and tear you to pieces. "Do to others whatever you would have them

do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. "Enter through the narrow

gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to

destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the

gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it

are few."

REFLECTION

Jesus Christ says that to gain real life - eternal life - we have to

take the narrow gate. In the Gospel of John, Christ says, "I came to

give life, life in its fullness." He also says, "I am the good

shepherd, I lay down my life for my sheep." Christ gives us the answer!

Christ took the narrow gate. Christ chose a path that not only few

could take but only he could take. Only he could hang on the cross to

die for the sins of mankind, thus redeeming us, and He now wishes to

give us a taste of true Heaven.

The narrow gate is the cross of Jesus Christ! It is a very, very narrow

gate. How many of us welcome their daily crosses? To love the spouse

when he or she is unlovable? To welcome evil, to repay evil with good?

How many gladly forgive those who have insulted them? How many love

those who make their lives miserable? Christ made all these impossible

choices for our sake. He died for us when we were thankless sinners,

when we couldn't love. Christ took our place. He paid for our sins. He

bore this cross for all humanity. But having done this, Christ rose

from the dead. It was God telling us: Look, my son's attitude is right!

His love for you shows my face! Follow Him! Believe in Him! He carries

the map, the formula for eternal life! He can show you what road to

take to get meaning in life!

And Jesus Christ shows us the narrow gate that leads to Heaven. The

wide road - which is easier, more logical - is usually taken by the

others. The devil has paved this road with surfacing laced with

glamour, logic, pleasure, ease and comfort. But this road will not lead

us to true life. How then can we resist? We cannot! This is why Christ

came to the world to take the narrow path for us that we may follow in

his footsteps. No one can take the narrow path without having Christ as

his guide and center. For those who do-you can now truly cherish life

as it really is - a full life leaning on the love of God for everything

in our life.

June 26, 2006

Monday 12th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 KINGS 17:5-8, 13-15A, 18

Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land and attacked

Samaria, which he besieged for three years. In the ninth year of

Hoshea, king of Israel the king of Assyria took Samaria, and deported

the children of Israel to Assyria, setting them in Halah, at the Habor,

a river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes. This came about because

the children of Israel sinned against the LORD, their God, who had

brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the domination of

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and because they venerated other gods. They

followed the rites of the nations whom the LORD had cleared out of the

way of the children of Israel and the kings of Israel whom they set up.

And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer,

"Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in

accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and

which I sent you by my servants the prophets," they did not listen, but

were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the

LORD, their God. They rejected his statutes, the covenant which he had

made with their fathers, and the warnings which he had given them,

till, in his great anger against Israel, the LORD put them away out of

his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.

MATTHEW 7:1-5

Jesus said to his disciples: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you

measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in

your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own

eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from

your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove

the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to

remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

REFLECTION

The first reading today tells us about the Israelites who returned to

their old ways - they followed other worship and false practices, which

the Lord had warned them against. These events happened while they were

being delivered from slavery in Egypt. The Lord kept on sending them

warnings, but they ignored them. Finally, the Lord put most of them

away from his sight and left the tribe of Judah.

The first reading today reminds us to reflect on our lives. Have we

perhaps been "worshiping false gods" - ignoring our family, friends,

relatives or the needy people in our community? Perhaps the Lord is

reminding us to do something about it.

The Gospel today is a continuation of the beatitudes. It reveals and

reminds us of the attitudes and actions the "Blessed" are to have. The

Lord reminds us that before we find fault in others, we should first

examine ourselves. Perhaps when we do so, we would "judge" less and see

more clearly our own actions and the effects we have towards others.

Let us pray for a change of heart and a change of way of life so that

we can attune ourselves to what God has planned for us and that peace

may truly reign in our hearts.

June 25, 2006

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B

JOB 38:1, 8-11

Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: And who shut

within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; When I made

the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands? When I

set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, And said: Thus far

shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be

stilled!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-17

For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction

that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for

all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for

him who for their sake died and was raised. Consequently, from now on

we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ

according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is

in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold,

new things have come.

MARK 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, "Let us cross to the

other side." Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat

just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up

and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling

up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said

to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up,

rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind

ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you

terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" They were filled with great awe

and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea

obey?"

REFLECTION

Sometimes a storm arises around us or within us. And it seems that our

frail craft cannot take any more. At times we have the impression that

God is heedless of our fate. The waves are breaking over us: personal

weakness, professional or financial difficulties that are beyond our

management, illness, problems with children or parents, the menace of

calumny, a hostile environment, slander, etc. But if you live in the

presence of God, peace and calm will reign in your soul. God will never

abandon us. We must go to him, using all the means we need to employ.

At all times, tell Jesus with the confidence of one who has taken him

as his Master, and wants to follow him unconditionally, "Lord, do not

leave me." And together with him, we will be able to face up to those

trials and overcome them. They will no longer be bitter, and we will

not be dismayed by the storms that blow. This miracle of the calming of

the sea made an unforgettable impression on the apostles. It confirmed

their faith and prepared them for the harder, more testing battles that

lay ahead. The sight of a perfectly calm sea, obedient to the voice of

Christ, was engraved on their hearts.

Jesus wanted to convince those first disciples and us too, that there

is no compromise possible between him and his doctrine on the one hand,

and the world as a kingdom of sin on the other. He reminds them not be

surprised to be treated in this way. If the world hates you, know that

it has hated me before it hated you. The hostility of the wicked echoes

like praise for our way of life, because it shows that insofar as we

annoy those who do not love God, there is some uprightness in us.

Nobody can please God and the enemies of God at the same time. So if we

are faithful to God, there will be winds and storms in life.

But Jesus will say once more to the stormy sea, "Peace, be still!" At

the very beginning of the Church, the Apostles gathered abundant

fruits. But at the same time they suffered threats, insults and

persecution. They were not concerned whether opinion was favorable or

hostile towards them. They were concerned to make Christ known to all,

to take the fruits of our redemption to the furtherest corner of the

earth. They preached the doctrine of Christ, which in purely human

terms constituted a scandal for some and seemed sheer madness to

others. This doctrine entered all environments, transforming people and

customs.

Many of the circumstances within which the Apostles had to work have

changed today but others remain as they were or have become even worse.

Materialism, the excessive love of comfort and well-being, sensuality

and ignorance represent once again in many places furious winds and

stormy seas. And we can add to this the temptation of many people to

adapt the doctrine of Christ to the times, seriously deforming the

essential message of the Gospel. If we want to be apostles in the midst

of the world, we must realize that some people - at times your husband

or wife, your parents or an old friends - will not understand us. We

will have to take heart, because it is not easy to row against the

stream. We will have to work calmly and firmly. We cannot allow

ourselves to be turned aside by the attitude of those who have

compromised themselves with the new paganism of the world.

Our intimacy with God will give us calmness and strength, and we will

be a firm rock for many. We can never forget that, particularly

nowadays, the Lord needs string and courageous people who refuse to

come to terms with mediocrity, but will be able to enter all kinds of

environments with a sure step.

In parent-teacher associations, in professional bodies, in schools and

colleges, in trade unions, in informal conversation before or after

meetings. As a specific example, the influence of families is

particularly important in social and public life. They should be the

first to take steps to see that the laws not only do not transgress

against, but actually support and positively defend the rights and

duties of the family. We cannot remain inactive while the enemies of

God strive to eliminate all trace of the eternal destiny of man.

Today's Gospel gives us the opportunity to purify our intentions, to be

more attentive to the Master, to strengthen our faith. Our attitude

must always be one of calmness, because God is with us.

June 24, 2006

Solemnity, Birth of John the Baptist

ISAIAH 49:1-6

Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me

from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a

sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me

a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said

to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had

toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my

reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. For now the LORD

has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may

be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made

glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is

too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes

of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light

to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

ACTS 13:22-26

In those days, Paul said: "God raised up David as king; of him God

testified, I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;

he will carry out my every wish. From this man's descendants God,

according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. John

heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the

people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say,

'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming

after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.' "My

brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who

are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent."

LUKE 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to

a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his

great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on

the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him

Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, "No. He will

be called John." But they answered her, "There is no one among your

relatives who has this name." So they made signs, asking his father

what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John

is his name," and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened,

his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all

their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the

hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart,

saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the

Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he

was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

REFLECTION

John's conception and birth coincided with mysterious happenings. An

angel foretold his conception to his father, Zechariah. His parents

were already beyond their fertile years when he was conceived. From the

day his conception was foretold, Zechariah was struck mute. His speech

was restored to him only when he and his wife insisted that the child's

name was to be John, even though his relatives insisted otherwise. "Who

will this child be?" the people round about asked in wonder and awe.

This child will be lauded by his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth, as "the

greatest born of woman." He will be, as Jesus will put it, Elijah

returned to earth again to herald the coming of the Lord. He will be a

man of principle, who will direct his own disciples away from himself

to another Master, whom he will recognize as a greater than himself; a

man of principle who in the end will refuse to compromise the truth,

though it will earn him the enmity of Herodias, the king's wife, and

deliver him to martyrdom.

John will later send his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you really the

one who is to come, the one I was to point out to the people?" Doubts

will assault him because Jesus will not be the type of Messiah he's

expecting him to be. Jesus will not condemn sinners, will not threaten

them with dire sufferings. Instead he will eat and drink with them and

defend them against the religious leaders of Israel. In the end John

will be in anguish, "Have I failed in my mission, is my life now

unfulfilled, without meaning, did I point to the wrong man when I

pointed to Jesus?"

These doubts will assault John in Herod's dungeon. Knowing the proud

and vengeful character of Herodias and the proud but weak character of

Herod, he will be anxious also for his life.

John has been canonized by the Christian people. He rose above the

desolation that burdened him at the end. He is a saint Christians can

turn to when anxiety and anguish burden their own lives.

June 23, 2006

Feast, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus- B

HOSEA 11:1, 3-4, 8C-9

Thus says the LORD: When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I

called my son. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them

in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I

fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though

I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer.

My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my

blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not a

man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume

you.

EPHESIANS 3:8-12, 14-19

Brothers and sisters: To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this

grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of

Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery

hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the

manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to

the principalities and authorities in the heavens. This was according

to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through

faith in him. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom

every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in

accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power

through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your

hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have

strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and

length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which

surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of

God.

JOHN 19:31-37

Since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain

on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a

solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be

taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and

then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came

to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood

and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is

true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come

to believe. For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be

fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken. And again another passage

says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

REFLECTION

On this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us review the very

basic meaning of the devotion, one that is free of all the often

tedious devotions that are in danger of losing their meaning because of

routine.

The readings for today are full of tender and gentle language. Through

the prophet Hosea, God tells his people that God has loved them since

childhood, taught them how to walk, took them in his arms, leading them

with "reins of kindness" and "leading-strings of love." God is like

"someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek, stooping down"

and giving the infant food.

The psalm again has God saying to us, "Joyfully you will draw water

from the springs of salvation" because God is the God of our salvation.

The beautiful words of St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians contain

the wish that "Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then,

planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have

strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth;

until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you

are filled with the utter fullness of God." Finally, the Gospel scene

is of blood and water flowing from the pierced side of Christ.

The readings suggest that the devotion to the Heart of Jesus is all

about the triune God's unconditional love and mercy for us. There is

nothing new here, but we have to ask whether we really believe God

loves us unconditionally just as we are. God ALREADY loves us, and it

is this love that can prompt us to become better and holier. This is

the basic meaning of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. We are

constantly invited to just BE in the Lord's presence and be mindful of

God's love for us.

Anthony de Mello was a great believer in the efficacy of the devotion

to the Heart of Jesus because the experience of God's love results in

"untold benefits in the spiritual life - sinners will be given the

grace of conversion, saints will make extraordinary progress in

holiness ... The essence of this devotion ... is to accept that love

which the Father has for us in Christ. To accept the fact that Jesus

loves us unconditionally: that he is love itself. If anyone accepts

this truth in his own life and helps others to accept it, he cannot but

experience extraordinary results in his own spiritual life and in his

apostolate." (Contact with God, pp. 136-137)

Today, spend some time conscious of the Lord's presence in your life.

He loves you unconditionally, just as you are. Experience this love,

and everything else will fall into place.

June 22, 2006

Thursday 11th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

SIRACH 48:1-14

Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a

flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he

reduced them to straits; By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens and

three times brought down fire. How awesome are you, Elijah, in your

wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? You brought a dead man

back to life from the nether world, by the will of the LORD. You sent

kings down to destruction, and easily broke their power into pieces.

You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness. You heard threats

at Sinai, at Horeb avenging judgments. You anointed kings who should

inflict vengeance, and a prophet as your successor. You were taken

aloft in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses. You were

destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before

the day of the LORD, To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their

sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall

have seen you And who falls asleep in your friendship. For we live only

in our life, but after death our name will not be such. O Elijah,

enveloped in the whirlwind! Then Elisha, filled with the twofold

portion of his spirit, wrought many marvels by his mere word. During

his lifetime he feared no one, nor was any man able to intimidate his

will. Nothing was beyond his power; beneath him flesh was brought back

into life. In life he performed wonders, and after death, marvelous

deeds.

MATTHEW 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the

pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask

him. "This is how you are to pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as

it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our

trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us

not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "If you forgive others

their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you

do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your

transgressions."

REFLECTION

Do you want to have a dynamic fulfilling prayer life? Then listen to

what Jesus has to say in today's Gospel reading and take it to heart.

Jesus warns us not to use meaningless repetition when we pray. We

should not pray like the Pharisees - for public recognition. It does

not mean that we are not to be persistent in our prayers. Meaningless

repetition seems to indicate reciting memorized prayers, or multiplying

words for lengthening the prayer in an attempt to gain God's attention.

Jesus tells us that meaningless repetition does not catch God's

attention because he already knows what you need before you ask.

That begs the question: Why pray if God knows our needs? We pray so as

to genuinely communicate with God and to lay our needs before him. When

Jesus formulated the "Our Father" he did not say: "Pray this prayer."

What Jesus actually said was: "Pray then in this way." In other words

Jesus is giving us a pattern to follow, not necessarily words to

repeat. Jesus is not giving us a magic formula that will solve all our

woes if we repeat the prayer enough.

When we pray this prayer, we are not only expressing our hope that

God's will be done, but that we will be active participants in the

ushering in of his will on earth. We understand that God is the best

thing for a person and we want God to be a part of all of our lives.

When we understand whom we are praying to, it can add excitement to our

prayer lives.

In prayer Jesus would also like us to acknowledge our sinfulness and

our need for forgiveness. Our God is a God of forgiveness. When we

realize how much God has forgiven us, then we cannot help but forgive

other people.

Today, Jesus gives us a wonderful model of prayer to follow. Jesus does

not give us a magic formula to recite. He wants us to pray from the

heart. Do not neglect the great gift that God has given to us. Pray

daily, pray all the time.

June 21, 2006

Memorial, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

Wednesday 11th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 2:1, 6-14

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, he

and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha,

"Please stay here; the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan." "As the LORD

lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you," Elisha replied.

And so the two went on together. Fifty of the guild prophets followed

and when the two stopped at the Jordan, they stood facing them at a

distance. Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the water,

which divided, and both crossed over on dry ground. When they had

crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask for whatever I may do for

you, before I am taken from you." Elisha answered, "May I receive a

double portion of your spirit." "You have asked something that is not

easy," Elijah replied. "Still, if you see me taken up from you, your

wish will be granted; otherwise not." As they walked on conversing, a

flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went

up to heaven in a whirlwind. When Elisha saw it happen he cried out,

"My father! my father! Israel's chariots and drivers!" But when he

could no longer see him, Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in

two. Then he picked up Elijah's mantle that had fallen from him, and

went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the mantle that

had fallen from Elijah, Elisha struck the water in his turn and said,

"Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When Elisha struck the water it

divided and he crossed over.

MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds

in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no

recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a

trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the

streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have

received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left

hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be

secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you

pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the

synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I

say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to

your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And

your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you fast, do not

look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that

they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have

received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash

your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except

to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden

will repay you."

REFLECTION

"Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see,"

Jesus says. It should be noted that this caution does not contradict

what Jesus said earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light

shine before men so that they may see the goodness in your acts and

give praise to your heavenly Father." It's all a question of intention,

of motivation.

Whom shall we contrast with the pseudo-religious politician? Try Mother

Teresa. Every act she performed was a religious act. In every act she

performed, people recognized the purity of her motivation. Her one

motive in all she did was the praise of God. Other motives were her

love, compassion and respect for the people she served.

Fr. Bruce Vawters summarizes Jesus' teaching in this Gospel passage:

"Almsgiving, [prayer and fasting] should be for God and the sake of his

poor; their purpose should not be either to excite the admiration of

others or to induce a feeling of euphoria and self-satisfaction ...

[religious practices] which try to employ religion as a lever and as a

tool foreign to its avowed purpose, ultimately repel rather than

attract; people can ordinarily discern very well what has been staged

for their benefit and what they have merely been allowed to see."

Perhaps we ought to examine our own religious acts. Is there any trace

of hypocrisy in the religious acts we perform?

June 20, 2006

Tuesday 11th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 21:17-29

After the death of Naboth the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite: "Start

down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be in

the vineyard of Naboth, of which he has come to take possession. This

is what you shall tell him, 'The LORD says: After murdering, do you

also take possession? For this, the LORD says: In the place where the

dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood,

too.'" Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me out, my enemy?" "Yes,"

he answered. "Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the

LORD's sight, I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you and will

cut off every male in Ahab's line, whether slave or freeman, in Israel.

I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and like

that of Baasha, son of Ahijah, because of how you have provoked me by

leading Israel into sin." (Against Jezebel, too, the LORD declared,

"The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.") "When one

of Ahab's line dies in the city, dogs will devour him; when one of them

dies in the field, the birds of the sky will devour him." Indeed, no

one gave himself up to the doing of evil in the sight of the LORD as

did Ahab, urged on by his wife Jezebel. He became completely abominable

by following idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD drove

out before the children of Israel. When Ahab heard these words, he tore

his garments and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh. He fasted, slept

in the sackcloth, and went about subdued. Then the LORD said to Elijah

the Tishbite, "Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me?

Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in

his time. I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his

son."

MATTHEW 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You

shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love

your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be

children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad

and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For

if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not

the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only,

what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be

perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

REFLECTION

In Naboth's vineyard Elijah confronts Ahab with the enormity of his

crime, the murder of Naboth. Ever since the days of Exodus, the poor

were considered Yahweh's cause. Therefore it was Ahab's duty, since he

was king of Israel, to defend the rights of the poor. Yet Ahab, at the

very least, approved of Jezebel's decision to kill Naboth. He then

claimed for himself the dead man's vineyard, the heritage that this

poor man was to leave to his children. Ahab was guilty of deceit,

theft, and the murder of one whom it was his duty to protect.

The enormity of the Ahab's crime and guilt, as Yahweh saw it, is

reflected in the truly horrible punishment that God lay on him and

Jezebel. It's true that Ahab repented his sin and Yahweh, through his

prophet, shifts the punishment to the king's posterity. Nevertheless

the dreadful sentence would be accomplished, though not in Ahab's day.

Whether the brutish sentence is to be executed on Ahab or on his

descendants does not lessen the startling contrast between Yahweh's

reaction to an enemy's hostile behavior in the days of the Old

Testament and in the days of the New Testament, in the person of Jesus.

In today's Gospel Jesus makes a bold statement. He advocates and

imposes on Christians the obligation to love their enemies, to pray for

their persecutors. Behavior of this sort, of course, contradicts

everything the world affirms about what our reaction to evil done to us

should be.

It's clear that God and Christ are asking us to make of grudges things

of the past. Self-love is to have no place in the Christian life. "Pray

for your enemies." There is place in Christian life only for love, even

in the face of enemies who do us harm.

June 19, 2006

Monday 11th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 21:1-16

Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of

Ahab, king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard to

be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will

give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give

you its value in money." Naboth answered him, "The LORD forbid that I

should give you my ancestral heritage." Ahab went home disturbed and

angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: "I will not

give you my ancestral heritage." Lying down on his bed, he turned away

from food and would not eat. His wife Jezebel came to him and said to

him, "Why are you so angry that you will not eat?" He answered her,

"Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Sell me

your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in

exchange.' But he refused to let me have his vineyard." His wife

Jezebel said to him, "A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up.

Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the

Jezreelite for you." So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and, having

sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles

who lived in the same city with Naboth. This is what she wrote in the

letters: "Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.

Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed

God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death." His fellow

citizens-the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city- did as Jezebel

had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them.

They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. Two

scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, "Naboth has

cursed God and king." And they led him out of the city and stoned him

to death. Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had

been stoned to death. When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned

to death, she said to Ahab, "Go on, take possession of the vineyard of

Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you, because Naboth is

not alive, but dead." On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off

on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take

possession of it.

MATTHEW 5:38-42

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye

for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no

resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right

cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law

with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone

press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to

the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to

borrow."

REFLECTION

The first reading reminds us of what can happen when principles are

overlooked in favor of one's own selfish needs. Ahab longed for the

land of Naboth, which was next to his own land. But Naboth refused to

give up the land and as a result, lost his life. What made the

situation worse was that Jezebel, the evil wife of Ahab was the

instrument in the death of Naboth, in order for Ahab to obtain the

land. We read of Naboth's reactions though it led to his death,

nevertheless he demonstrated his trust in the Lord and endured the

punishment inflicted by other men on him. Also, we see how justice can

be misused and corrupted just for one's own selfish goals.

In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us that to cope with difficulties,

we need not use violence or revenge. To turn one's other cheek after

being slapped, to give up one's tunic or cloak when we are sued for it,

to walk two miles when we are asked to go one mile, or even to lend

whenever other wish to borrow from us, these are some actions that

Jesus advises us to do.

What if we responded with revenge when we are dealt with violence? When

will we decide that "enough is enough"? We are reminded to reflect on

each situation and to respond as such that the relationship with our

fellow human beings be governed by love and by need. We are reminded

that the love that God asks of us is the same love that he had bestowed

on us.

June 18, 2006

Solemnity, Body and Blood of Christ - B

EXODUS 24:3-8

When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances

of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything

that the LORD has told us." Moses then wrote down all the words of the

LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the

mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer

holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD,

Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half

he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it

aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will

heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people,

saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with

you in accordance with all these words of his."

HEBREWS 9:11-15

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good

things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more

perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this

creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the

blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining

eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the

sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so

that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ,

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,

cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. For

this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken

place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,

those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

MARK 14:12-16, 22-26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed

the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples said to him, "Where do you want us

to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his

disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you,

carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the

master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I

may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' Then he will show you a large

upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there."

The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he

had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating,

he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said,

"Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave

it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my

blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you,

I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I

drink it new in the kingdom of God." Then, after singing a hymn, they

went out to the Mount of Olives.

REFLECTION

Is the Eucharist meant to be kept and adored, or is it meant to be a

celebration to be shared among the followers of Jesus?

Two articles published in America magazine present two views on the

meaning of today's Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The title of the first article - "Adoro Te Devote" ( Devoutly I Adore

Thee)- was taken from the hymn Thomas Aquinas composed in honor of this

feast when it was instituted in the 13th century. Writer Amy Florian

asks what happened in history? Eucharistic adoration developed in the

13th century. And it has continued to the present day. Sometimes it

means silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. At

other times it means the benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, or a

solemn procession, where incense is used, hymns are sung.

How did this adoration of the Sacred Host begin? It was the result of

disputes (from the 8th to the 13th century) as to the real nature of

Christ's divine presence.

What else was going on during these seven centuries of dispute? The

separation of people from clergy in celebration of the Mass, the

language of Latin prevailed, while more people were speaking vernacular

tongues, communion became rare. Florian says that "rather than the

meal, or the reception of the Sacrament, the ultimate moment of the

Mass became the Elevation of the Host." She sums it up by saying, "The

host thus became objectified, a thing separate from the context of the

meal and the community, an untouchable sacred object to be worshipped."

The author summarizes: "Thus Christ's body is not only on the table,

but at the table. Christ is to be worshipped. But Christ is also to be

received, broken and shared for the salvation of the world."

In the second article - "Changing Elements or People?" - writer F.

Gerard Martin insists that "Jesus did not institute the Eucharist to

change bread and wine into his body and blood, but to change us into

his body. The Mass is not meant to transform elements but to transform

people. When Jesus said, 'Behold I am with you always, until the end of

the world,' Jesus was not referring to his real presence in the

Eucharist; he was referring to his real presence in his people, the

members of his body."

Both authors agree strongly on the social dimension or "people" of the

Eucharist. Florian writes: "A Christian who is intensely concerned that

the consecrated host not be left alone in the chapel must, therefore,

also be concerned about the homeless people alone in the streets. Those

who reverence Christ's presence in the host must also reverence

Christ's presence in human bodies." Even so, she is far more willing

than the other critic to accept the place of adoration and piety that

surrounds the Blessed Sacrament, considering it both genuine and

needed.

Perhaps both approaches to the Eucharist should be preserved; one

should lead to the other. Thus Christ in the tabernacle, or the Blessed

Sacrament, represents Christ in us, and through us in the world. This

history of Corpus Christi indicates our attempt to understand the

loving God, who has become present to us in Jesus Christ. May the fruit

of that presence shine forth through us for the salvation of the world.

June 17, 2006

Saturday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 19:19-21

Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing

with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went

over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran

after Elijah, and said, "Please, let me kiss my father and mother

goodbye, and I will follow you." Elijah answered, "Go back! Have I done

anything to you?" Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen,

slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their

flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then he left and followed

Elijah as his attendant.

MATTHEW 5:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said to your

ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that

you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it

is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by

Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your

head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes'

mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil

One."

REFLECTION

As we follow the trials of prophet Elijah facing the shift of the

people's worship of the true God to idols, we see that he was left all

alone after the other prophets were killed by Jezebel. Today he was

instructed by God to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, and Nimshi as king

of Israel, as well as making Shaphat of Abel his successor as prophet.

How comforting it must have been for Elijah to be able to return to the

full trust of the Lord and to have the Lord guide him on what he must

do.

How many times in our lives do we face a task, contemplate on what to

do, how to do it and whether we are doing the right thing? Do we

remember to return to the Lord and ask him to show us the way? In doing

so, do we fully trust in the guiding hand of the Lord?

The Gospel today reminds us of the hollowness of taking oaths without

fully realizing what we promise. Some of us take an oath of fulfilling

some of our worldly endeavors, i.e. when we are accepted as a member of

an organization, when we became citizen of a country, or even when we

get married. We are reminded to be truthful to ourselves and give a

simple "yes" or "no" to our endeavors. For some, they tend to swear to

and promise solemnly, often times without realizing that what we had

promised to do is something more than what we are able to fulfill.

The Lord tells us to remember and reflect on our integrity and nothing

more whenever we say an oath. In doing so, we will be reminded of the

truthfulness of what we have promised.

June 16, 2006

Friday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 19:9,11-16

And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of

the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here,

Elijah?" And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the

LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent

the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the

LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the

LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but

the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went

out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a

voice to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He said, "I

have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the people

of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain

thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek

my life, to take it away." And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on

your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall

anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you

shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of

Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

MATTHEW 5:27-32

"You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery. But I

say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already

committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you

to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one

of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if

your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is

better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go

into hell. "It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give

her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that every one who

divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an

adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

REFLECTION

The prophet Elijah was struggling to promote the worship of Yahweh,

doing all he could to wean the people away from the false idol, Baal.

Queen Jezebel, a devotee of Baal and a woman who got what she wanted,

vowed to kill him. Elijah fled, terrified. So exhausted was he by his

fear that he asked God to take his life. God instead prodded him to eat

and drink food that God himself provided, and then directed him to hike

forty days to Mt. Horeb. There Elijah hid in a cave.

Yahweh told Elijah that he would come to him and allow him to feel his

presence. Elijah was a master showman. Remember how he stage-managed

the confrontation between Yahweh and Baal. Apparently he had the idea

that God would manifest himself only in a spectacular way -a storm

perhaps, a massive fire, or an earthquake.

But in none of nature's cataclysmic disturbances did God manifest

himself to Elijah. Then Elijah heard a tiny whispering sound, a gentle

breeze stirring the trees. He immediately went to the entrance of the

cave, hid his head in his cloak, and was aware that he was in God's

presence. His depression dissolved.

Why does God not manifest himself in spectacular circumstances? The

answer isn't all that important. What is important is to realize that

God's presence is always available to us. All we need do is to wrap

ourselves in quiet and in the quiet we will find God.

June 15, 2006

Thursday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 18:41-46

Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a

heavy rain." So Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to

the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head between

his knees. "Climb up and look out to sea," he directed his servant, who

went up and looked, but reported, "There is nothing." Seven times he

said, "Go, look again!" And the seventh time the youth reported, "There

is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea." Elijah said,

"Go and say to Ahab, 'Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain

stops you.'" In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a

heavy rain fell. Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel. But the

hand of the LORD was on Elijah, who girded up his clothing and ran

before Ahab as far as the approaches to Jezreel.

MATTHEW 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness

surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into

the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your

ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to

judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be

liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be

answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be

liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the

altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with

your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your

opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your

opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you

over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to

you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

REFLECTION

We have always been told to put God first in our lives. But sometimes

it seems that even in scripture, God comes second. Notice the order of

things? Jesus said that before you make your offering to God, first be

reconciled with someone who has something against you. That seems a bit

odd. We have always been taught that God come first in a Christian's

life. We do not give God the leftovers and scraps of our crops or

flocks or money or time.

When it comes to worship, our heart, mind, and soul should be focused

only on God and on giving God honor and glory. God comes first,

especially in worship. But Jesus is saying that there is at least one

circumstance, even during worship, when God comes second. The

circumstance is simple. When anger drives a wedge between you and

someone else, it is more important for you to be reconciled with that

person than for you to present your offering to God. Jesus says that

reconciliation is more important than any offering.

But what if we are the injured party? It works the same way. Either

way, reconciliation between two people who are at odds with each other

is more important to God than any amount of offering because

reconciliation cuts off the path that leads to bitter anger and

violence. This should not really surprise us. God is all about

reconciliation and so is Jesus.

So, when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that

your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift

before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister,

and then come and offer your gift. This is when God comes second.

June 14, 2006

Wednesday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 18:20-39

Ahab sent to all the children of Israel and had the prophets assemble

on Mount Carmel. Elijah appealed to all the people and said, "How long

will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal,

follow him." The people, however, did not answer him. So Elijah said to

the people, "I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD, and there are

four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let

them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but

start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but

shall start no fire. You shall call on your gods, and I will call on

the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God." All the people

answered, "Agreed!" Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose

one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call

upon your gods, but do not start the fire." Taking the young bull that

was turned over to them, they prepared it and called on Baal from

morning to noon, saying, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no sound, and

no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.

When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: "Call louder, for he is a god

and may be meditating, or may have retired, or may be on a journey.

Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." They called out louder and

slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until

blood gushed over them. Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic

state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was not a sound;

no one answered, and no one was listening. Then Elijah said to all the

people, "Come here to me." When the people had done so, he repaired the

altar of the LORD that had been destroyed. He took twelve stones, for

the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said,

"Your name shall be Israel." He built an altar in honor of the LORD

with the stones, and made a trench around the altar large enough for

two measures of grain. When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the

young bull and laid it on the wood. "Fill four jars with water," he

said, "and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood." "Do it

again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he said,

and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar, and

the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering

sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, "LORD, God of

Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God

in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by

your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know

that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their

senses." The LORD's fire came down and consumed the burnt offering,

wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench.

Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, "The LORD is God!

The LORD is God!"

MATTHEW 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish

the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest

letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until

all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least

of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least

in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these

commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

REFLECTION

Matthew writes about a statement by Jesus that might well have

astonished the Jewish people: "Do not think that I have come to destroy

the law and the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to

fulfill them ... As long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest

letter or stroke of the law will change until all is fulfilled."

Matthew in his Gospel was addressing Jewish-Christians. He had a

difficult row to hoe. On one hand he had to show that Jesus' teaching

and behavior were in continuity with the Sacred Scripture of the Jews.

On the other hand he had to be faithful to what Jesus taught; he had to

show Jesus radically reinterpreting the Scriptures. With his

reinterpretation Jesus was in fact drawing from the law the full truth,

goodness and beauty that always lay within it. He was, as he says in

today's Gospel, fulfilling the law, bringing it to completion.

Over and over again Jesus violated the laws of the Pharisees, and

defended his disciples when they were accused of disregarding them.

Jesus, for instance, paid no attention to the laws prescribing ritual

washing of hands before meals; he also healed sick people on the

Sabbath although this was clearly forbidden by the law.

Following today's Gospel passage are six citations drawn from the

Mosaic law. These are set in contrast to the same laws as interpreted

by Jesus. Jesus abandons the narrow, legalistic approach of the

Pharisees and calls for an internalization of values and traditions.

His approach to law flows from his vision of God who is love, relating

to the human person who is made in God's image.

June 13, 2006

Memorial, St. Anthony of Padua, priest & doctor

Tuesday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 17:7-16

The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry, because no rain had

fallen in the land. So the LORD said to Elijah: "Move on to Zarephath

of Sidon and stay there. I have designated a widow there to provide for

you." He left and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of

the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,

"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink." She left to get it,

and he called out after her, "Please bring along a bit of bread." She

answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives, I have nothing baked; there is

only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now

I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for

myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die." Elijah said to

her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first make me a

little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for

yourself and your son. For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'The jar

of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day

when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'" She left and did as Elijah

had said. She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as

well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as

the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

MATTHEW 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if

salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer

good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are

the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor

do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set

on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your

light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and

glorify your heavenly Father."

REFLECTION

In today's Gospel Jesus suggests, "Such as these (the poor, the hungry,

those who mourn, who are merciful, etc.) they are light to the world,

salt of the earth." Jesus here uses light and salt as symbols

indicating two of the primary services Christians offer to the world.

Light brightens something other than itself. Salt seasons and preserves

something other than itself. The Christian's life throw light not upon

him or herself, but upon the values of Christ so that the world can see

them, and seasons these values so that the world will recognize how

attractive they are.

The great danger, however, is that Christians will be corrupted by the

values that the world loves and pursues. Capitalism, materialism,

consumerism - are values the world extols and propagates and insinuate

themselves into Christian living. Christians, perhaps without realizing

it, assimilate popular cultural values. Gradually their lives focus on

the acquisition of more and more wealth and the latest status symbols.

Their lives can no longer be identified as Christian except in terms of

vocabulary and ceremony.

But you, "your light must shine before others, that they may see your

good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

June 12, 2006

Monday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

1 KINGS 17:1-6

Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: "As the LORD,

the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall

be no dew or rain except at my word." The LORD then said to Elijah:

"Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.

You shall drink of the stream, and I have commanded ravens to feed you

there." So he left and did as the LORD had commanded. He went and

remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. Ravens brought him

bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and

he drank from the stream.

MATTHEW 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had

sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the

meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and

thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the

merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be

called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the

sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are

you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil

against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward

will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were

before you."

REFLECTION

The function of prophets, we usually think, is to foretell the future.

Elijah, for instance, exercises this function. He foretells the

three-year drought that God intends to impose on Israel due to the

nation's sinfulness.

There is, however, another function that prophets perform. When a

people is living a way of life that defies God's values, he may send

prophets to them who will urge them to repent and to change their way

of life. Elijah performs this function also.

As Christians all of us are called to be prophets. We are called to

speak out whenever God's word is known but ignored. The late Cardinal

Hume of England forcefully described the Church's prophetic call:

"Whenever the poor are afflicted or neglected, or whenever human

dignity is not respected, then the church has a duty to sound the

prophets' note, and it must be prepared to be unpopular on matters

which concern politicians as well."

Every country in the world can provide Christians with current

injustices that need a prophetic voice to explain and condemn the evil

that festers within its boundaries. In some countries, the horror that

is abortion is widely practiced. Indeed, given certain conditions, it

is legal. In many developing countries, the poverty afflicting the

majority of the nation's citizens, along with its consequent evils -

sickness, early death, malnutrition, and crime - is a sin that cries

out to God for vengeance. Christians must, along with the Church, or

even in spite of a particular Church's silence, sound a prophet's note,

as Cardinal Hume puts it, must speak out in God's name, condemning the

evil that does injustice to so many of its citizens.

June 11, 2006

Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity - B

DEUTERONOMY 4:32-34, 39-40

Moses said to the people: "Ask now of the days of old, before your

time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of

the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it

ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from

the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go

and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by

testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and

outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your

God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must

now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens

above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his

statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your

children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the

land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."

ROMANS 8:14-17

Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are

sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back

into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry,

"Abba, Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that

we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and

joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also

be glorified with him.

MATTHEW 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus

had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they

doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven

and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have

commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the

age."

REFLECTION

Today, the Feast of the Holy Trinity is the first Sunday after

Pentecost, the Great Fifty Days of Easter. We are back to what is

called Ordinary Time of the Church calendar. It's not really so

"ordinary." Every Sunday is a Sunday celebrating the Blessed Trinity.

The readings during this cycle are devoted to the mystery of Christ in

all its aspects. We begin on Trinity Sunday by contemplating the

mystery of God.

Simply stated, the mystery of the Holy Trinity states that there is one

God in three Divine Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the

Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God,

yet there is only one God, one nature in three distinct divine Persons.

It is a mystery - not to be solved and explained, but to be professed

and lived.

It is the mystery of the God who created us and our world out of a love

so perfect and complete that we cannot begin to understand it; the God

who continues to re-create us and our world in the gift of his Son, the

very love of God made man and real for us.

Out of the same mysterious love, God calls us back again and again, not

as a all-powerful Creator demanding homage from the lowly subjects he

created, but as a compassionate Parent welcoming back his own children

and loving them unconditionally. God invites us to a relationship with

him centered in love, mercy and trust.

Fr. James McKearns relates beautifully the Holy Trinity to the Sign of

the Cross that we make at the beginning and end of every prayer. He

points out that making the sign of the cross is more than a routine

procedure. It is a prayer in itself, a very profound one. This visible

sign is a powerful profession of our faith in the existence of the Holy

Trinity. In fact, it is a mini-liturgy, doing and saying something that

is distinctively religious.

One of the ways to deepen the meaning of today's celebration of the

Feast of the Holy Trinity is to concentrate on the reverent use of this

sacred sign.

We touch our heads showing our assent of faith, as we pronounce the

name of the Father, our divine Creator. It's a dedication of our minds

to God.

Our fingertips next come to rest at the base of our hearts, symbol of

love. We speak the name of the great Lover, the Second Person of the

Blessed Trinity, God-Man and Savior.

The sign is concluded as the fingers move from one shoulder to the

other, signifying eagerness to give our arms and hands to good works

under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, the hands interlock showing we are united and single-minded in

our efforts. With this conclusive gesture we say "Amen" - so be it.

In the name of the Trinity we were signed in baptism, have had our sins

forgiven and received many blessings. Although basic to our faith, the

Trinity is not to be understood but professed and admired, because

Jesus talks about the Father and the Advocate, the Holy Spirit in the

Gospels.

We believe God is one nature but three persons, but the full meaning of

those words is far beyond our comprehension. However, the Trinity is a

unique model and sign of harmonious unity - a unity God expects to see

in the daily lives of His children.

Every blessing of the Church flows from the Trinity, traced out through

the Sign of the Cross. Under that sign you sealed your wedding vows.

And that same familiar sign will bid you safe passage to the eternal

Kingdom.

Today's celebration of the Trinity confronts us with our response to

God's invitation, and our worthiness to be called God's children.

May Trinity Sunday inspire each of us to manifest faith with our minds,

love with our hearts, service with our hands, in the name of the Father

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

June 10, 2006

Saturday 9th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 TIMOTHY 4:1-8

Beloved: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who

will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly

power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or

inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and

teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound

doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,

will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will

be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;

put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your

ministry. For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the

time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished

the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness

awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that

day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

MARK 12:38-44

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who

like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the

marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at

banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite

lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat

down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into

the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also

came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his

disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor

widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For

they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her

poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

REFLECTION

We live in a society in which values that are contrary to the Gospel

message are canonized. The cornerstone is not Christ but economics. A

person's value is measured more often than not in terms of his economic

status.

Today's Gospel reading is heavy with irony. Here, the scribes, the

self-appointed hope of Israel, parade about-Jesus' own words-in their

robes, accepting marks of respect in public, front seats in the

synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the savings of

widows and recite long prayers for the sake of appearance.

In contrast is the humble, quiet faith of the poor widow. She is the

authentic hope of Israel and represents everything Israel could have

been. With a single gesture, dropping a few small coins in the poor

box, this woman captures the heart of the message of the classic

prophets, of the wisdom writings and of Jesus' teaching about the Law.

Here in the middle of the highly politicized city of Jerusalem, the

center of hostility to Jesus, comes this woman at the very end of

Jesus' ministry, who stands for the best and the richest spirituality

which the Old Testament and Jerusalem have to offer.

Jesus says of her, "She gives from her want, all that she has to live

on." It's her generosity that Jesus admires.

We ourselves are called by Jesus not merely to make donations to the

Church and to the poor. We're called to be generous people, unselfish

people in all of our relations with others. God does not value us for

our money, but for our generosity.

June 9, 2006

Friday 9th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 TIMOTHY 3:10-17

You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience,

love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me

in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, persecutions that I endured. Yet from

all these things the Lord delivered me. In fact, all who want to live

religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and

charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But you,

remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know

from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the

sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is

useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training

in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent,

equipped for every good work.

MARK 12:35-37

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, "How do the scribes

claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by

the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand

until I place your enemies under your feet.' David himself calls him

'lord'; so how is he his son?" The great crowd heard this with delight.

REFLECTION

In the Gospel passages these last three days, the Pharisees and

Herodians, Sadducees and finally a lawyer hostilely question Jesus.

They were hoping to catch him in a statement that would make him seem

foolish in the eyes of the people. The lawyer found Jesus' answer

admirable. However, the hostility of the others because they would see

no wisdom or good in Jesus, grew into real enmity toward him. In all

three incidents this week, it was Jesus' opponents who carried the

dispute to him. In today's Gospel, Jesus decides to take the offensive,

to carry the argument to them.

Jesus points out that in the psalms the Messiah is called "son of

David". Yet in Psalm 110 David calls the Messiah "my Lord." Then Jesus

asks, "How can the Messiah be the "son of David" if David calls him "my

Lord?"

What's Jesus trying to do here? Well, perhaps he's trying in the eyes

of the people to put the Pharisees and the scribes in their place.

After all, they were constantly attempting to destroy his credibility

with the people.

But there's something more to Jesus' behavior. Jesus knew himself to be

a descendant of David, therefore, "David's son." He was also coming to

believe himself to be the Son of God.

So Jesus is hinting, "You're waiting for the Son of David to come and

to restore Israel to a place of honor among the nations. But I come

among you, the Son of God, not to establish an earthly kingdom, but to

bring to humankind the love of God."

This is God's great revelation in Jesus: God so loved the world that he

sent his only son into it to take up our human nature in its fullness.

God wanted to make his love for us incarnate in our world. He wanted

God's love for us to be manifested in an sublimely attractive human

person whom we can see and hear and touch, with whom we can speak, whom we can love.

June 8 2006

Thursday 9th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 TIMOTHY 2:8-15

Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of

David: such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point

of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.

Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,

so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,

together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have

died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall

also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are

unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. Remind

people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing

about words. This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who

listen. Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman

who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation.

MARK 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of

all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O

Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your

God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and

with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your

neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than

these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in

saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with

all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength,

and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt

offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with

understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of

God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

REFLECTION

The segments of Mark's Gospel we read in the liturgies of the first

half of this week tell of the tensions that existed between Jesus and

Israel's religious and secular leaders. Some of Jesus' enemies wanted

him arrested, others ridiculed him and his teaching, and still others

sought to entrap him in a verbal contradiction.

In today's reading, a scribe questions Jesus. Anyone familiar with the

various groups that populate the Gospels, given the context, would

expect the scribe to launch into another attack on Jesus. All scribes,

after all, are Pharisees' men. Along with the priests and the Herodians

and the Pharisee all scribes are hostile to Jesus.

And so we might tend to classify a person and judge him as we would

judge the group in which he belongs. But this is unjust and unfair. The

scribe in today's Gospel is there not to entrap Jesus but to ask a

sincere religious question of him.

Jesus recognizes this and treats the scribe with respect. He even

praises him, indicating that his comment on Jesus' response to his

question shows him to be a sincere person who is not far from the

kingdom of God.

Jesus could have assumed, as we might well have done, that the scribe

should be classified as his enemy. But Jesus doesn't believe in

stereotypes and prejudices.

Jim Auer suggests that we ask ourselves a series of questions: "Whose

goodness am I unable to see simply because of who or what they are,

what they belong to or believe in, where they live or what they look

like." The response we give to these questions, he suggests, will tell

us how close we are to the reign of God.

June 7, 2006

Wednesday 9th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 TIMOTHY 1:1-3, 6-12

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of

life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and

peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to

God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I

remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. For this reason,

I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through

the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of

cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be

ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his

sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength

that comes from God. He saved us and called us to a holy life, not

according to our works but according to his own design and the grace

bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest

through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death

and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, for which

I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher. On this account I am

suffering these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know him in whom I

have believed and am confident that he is able to guard what has been

entrusted to me until that day.

MARK 12:18-27

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put

this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If

someone's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must

take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were

seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no

descendants. So the second brother married her and died, leaving no

descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants.

Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection when they arise

whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus

said to them, "Are you not misled because you do not know the

Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they

neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels

in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book

of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God

of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of

the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled."

REFLECTION

There was a Jewish law, which stated that should a man die childless,

the next oldest brother was to marry the widow. The first child of this

union would legally be considered the child of the brother who had

died. The Sadducees, the priests of Jesus'day, use this law to build a

fantastic story about a woman who married the oldest of seven brothers.

The first brother died childless; the woman was taken as wife by the

second brother, but he also died before she could conceive. And so with

the rest of the seven, each of them died childless, after the woman had

married each in turn.

Why did they construct this story? The Sadducees didn't believe in the

resurrection, in life after death. Jesus did. So they figure that if

they spring this story on Jesus and then ask him, "If there is a

resurrection, which of the seven brothers will be the woman's husband?"

Everyone, especially the people, will see how ridiculous the ideas of

resurrection and immortality are.

To this, Jesus answers quite seriously, "When God spoke to Moses, he

identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, even though

the three patriarchs had long been dead," Jesus continues, "God,

however, is the God of the living, not of the dead. If God is the God

of the patriarchs, though they have died, they must still be living."

June 6, 2006

Tuesday 9th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II

2 PETER 3:12-15A, 17-18

Beloved: Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of

which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted

by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new

earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you

await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before

him, at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to

be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own

stability. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and

savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity.

Amen.

MARK 12:13-17

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his

speech. They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are a

truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You

do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance

with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?

Should we pay or should we not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy he said to

them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at." They

brought one to him and he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is

this?" They replied to him, "Caesar's." So Jesus said to them, "Repay

to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." They

were utterly amazed at him.

REFLECTION

Taxation of the Jewish people by the Roman colonizer-state was a

burning issueamong the Jews of Jesus' day. The Pharisees were bitterly

opposed to taxation by Rome and they bring the subject up to Jesus.

Jesus points out to the Pharisees that the coin bears the head of the

Roman emperor, Tiberius Caesar. "Give to Caesar what belongs to

Caesar," he tells the Pharisees, "and to God what belongs to God." He's

telling them in effect: The Romans are here because originally you

invited them. You've benefited from their protection and rule and

peace. You use their coinage. You have an obligation to pay taxes to

Rome.

Jesus' answer, however, is not absolute, in the sense that it's not

applicable to all such situations. For example, a few years later it

definitely would not be applicable. For the Roman emperors would begin

to think of themselves as gods and would demand worship. Therefore,

Christians could no longer give to the emperor what the emperor

claimed. Giving to the emperor what belongs to him does not therefore

mean that Christians should isolate their political and civic lives

from their faith.

Every political act has a moral dimension. The Christian has to judge

the morality of these acts.

June 4, 2006

Pentecost Sunday - B

ACTS 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place

together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong

driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then

there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to

rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to

proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven

staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,

but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own

language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, "Are not

all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us

hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and

Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and

Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near

Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to

Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own

tongues of the mighty acts of God."

1 CORINTHIANS 12:3B-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters: No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the

Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same

Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there

are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in

everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given

for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all

the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For

in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or

Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one

Spirit.

JOHN 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were

locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and

stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had

said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples

rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be

with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had

said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy

Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you

retain are retained."

REFLECTION

The Feast of the Pentecost, which we celebrate today, marks the moment

when God began to dwell among his people in a totally new form. But

Pentecost marks more than the change in the form of God's presence

among us. He now resides among us, not as someone dwelling alongside

us, but as someone dwelling inside us.

The personal experience of Leonard LeSourd, former editor of Guideposts

magazine illustrates what we mean. LeSourd explains that he knew five

Christs in the course of his lifetime. He first met Jesus in a Sunday

school. His introduction to Jesus came in the form of a stern-looking

person. This Jesus failed to impress a nine year old, who was more

interested in playing basketball than he was in learning about a man

who lived 2,000 years ago.

LeSourd met his second Christ in college. This was the Christ of

history. It was the Christ, whose impact on history has been so immense

that even non-Christians call him "history's greatest person." But the

historical Christ didn't touch him personally. He was just another

great man. "Putting Christ in this setting," he says, "was a simple

solution during college and four years as an Army Air Corps pilot. The

historical Jesus did not interfere with anything I wanted to do."

LeSourd met his third Christ after completing his military service. He

got a job with Guideposts magazine interviewing people about their

faith. In the course of doing the interviews, he was surprised to learn

that many successful people lived their lives by the teachings of

Jesus. Soon he found himself reading the Gospels to learn more about

these teachings. And thus he met his third Christ: the "teacher

Christ."

LeSourd met his fourth Christ while on retreat. The theme of the

retreat was commitment to Jesus. During the retreat, a young man got up

and told others how he had gone into the chapel, knelt down, and

committed his life to Jesus.

LeSourd found himself wanting what that young man had found in the

chapel. So before the retreat ended, LeSourd went into the chapel,

knelt down, and committed his life to Jesus. He recalls the

unforgettable moment this way: "I found myself in this chapel, on my

knees before the altar, saying a simple prayer, 'Lord, I don't know how

I happen to be here, but I want to give my life to you. I do so now.'"

And so LeSourd met his fourth Christ. It was the "Savior Christ." It

was the Christ who loved him in a deep personal way. From that day on,

Jesus became the center and focus of his life.

This brings us to the fifth and final Christ. One day LeSourd found

himself being severely tempted, LeSourd felt himself falling. He

reached out frantically for something to hold on to. He found it in the

commitment he had made to Jesus years before during the retreat. He

found something more. He found his most meaningful relationship yet

with Jesus. It was contact with the "indwelling Christ." It was contact

with the Risen Christ, who began to dwell in his followers, when the

Holy Spirit descended upon them on Pentecost Sunday over 2,000 years

ago.

This brings us to another important point about Pentecost. Besides

being the birthday of God's new presence among us individually, it is

also the birthday of God's new presence among us collectively. Because

Jesus dwells inside us, we are united with him in a new way. Jesus said

in his farewell talk to his disciples, "On that day [when the Holy

Spirit comes] you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me

and I in you."

June 3, 2006

Memorial, St. Charles Lwanga & companions, martyrs

Saturday 7th Week of Easter - Yr II

ACTS 28:16-20, 30-31

When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the

soldier who was guarding him. Three days later he called together the

leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, "My

brothers, although I had done nothing against our people or our

ancestral customs, I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from

Jerusalem. After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,

because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty. But

when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar, even though

I had no accusation to make against my own nation. This is the reason,

then, I have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on

account of the hope of Israel that I wear these chains." He remained

for two full years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him,

and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the

Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

JOHN 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one

who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said,

"Master, who is the one who will betray you?" When Peter saw him, he

said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I

want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You

follow me." So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple

would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just

"What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of

yours?" It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has

written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also

many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described

individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books

that would be written.

REFLECTION

Just before the beginning of today's Gospel, Jesus says to Peter,

"Follow me." Peter starts walking behind Jesus. His mind should be

focused on "follow me," on discipleship, but it's wandering. Jesus had

just confirmed Peter's appointment as chief shepherd of his flock and

had hinted Peter would die a martyr. So as he's walking behind Jesus,

Peter looks back at John and asks Jesus, "What about John? What's going

to happen to him?" Jesus is a bit short-tempered with Peter, "That's

none of your business, Peter, your business is to follow me."

Peter has fallen into a very common human failing: not looking at

oneself to find worth and value, but looking to another person as a

point of comparison against which to measure one's own worth.

It didn't matter that Peter and John were to die different types of

death. That one was to die a violent death and the other was to live a

long life and come to his end in peace, did not make the two apostles

rivals in honor or prestige nor did it make the one greater or less

than the other. If each of them followed the path Jesus assigned to

him, both would be his servants, his disciples.

This is the source of our glory: not being greater than other men or

women, but being in the service of the Lord in whatever capacity he has

allotted to each of us.

Let's ask ourselves today: Do we find our glory in the service of

Christ, or do we insist that our worth can be determined only by how we

measure up against the success of others in Christ's service?

June 2, 2006

Friday 7th Week of Easter - Yr II

ACTS 25:13B-21

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus.

Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul's case to the

king, saying, "There is a man here left in custody by Felix. When I was

in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought

charges against him and demanded his condemnation. I answered them that

it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has

faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against

their charge. So when they came together here, I made no delay; the

next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be

brought in. His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with

any of the crimes I suspected. Instead they had some issues with him

about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who

Paul claimed was alive. Since I was at a loss how to investigate this

controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there

stand trial on these charges. And when Paul appealed that he be held in

custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could

send him to Caesar."

JOHN 21:15-19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast

with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me

more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I

love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon

Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter

answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him,

"Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do

you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third

time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything;

you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen,

amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself

and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out

your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do

not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would

glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

REFLECTION

We have often read about this poignant episode between our Lord Jesus

and his disciple Peter in the light of the subtle shifts in the use of

the Greek word for love. In the first two times that Jesus asks Peter,

"Do you love me?" he uses the Greek word for the purest form of love -

the love of God. To each of these, Peter replies, "Yes, Lord, you know

that I love you" using a different Greek word for love, one which

refers to a lower form of love - that between friends or brothers. It

was as if Peter, humbled after denying Jesus three times, were saying,

"Lord, you know I do love you, but only so much." So when Jesus asks

Peter for the third time, "Do you love me?" he shifts to the fraternal

form, as if to say, "Okay, Peter, I accept even the imperfect love that

you are ready to give."

Jesus now predicts that Peter will suffer and die, presumably in the

fulfillment of his newly received mission and responsibility. Despite

Peter's profession of an imperfect love, and his admission and display

of weakness, Jesus still deems him ready to take on what mere mortals

can only contemplate with fear. Jesus sees something in Peter which

Peter himself fails to see, something greater than meets the eye,

something that makes God pursue us with seemingly foolish persistence.

"God loves us just the way we are." So we often hear this. But this is

just the first half of the truth. We must never forget to complete the

statement: "... and he loves us into who we are meant to be."

June 1, 2006

Memorial, St. Justin, martyr

Thursday 7th Week of Easter - Yr II

ACTS 22:30; 23:6-11

Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the

Jews, the commander freed him and ordered the chief priests and the

whole Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and made him

stand before them. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some

Pharisees, so he called out before the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a

Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the

resurrection of the dead." When he said this, a dispute broke out

between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. For

the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits,

while the Pharisees acknowledge all three. A great uproar occurred, and

some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party stood up and sharply

argued, "We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or an

angel has spoken to him?" The dispute was so serious that the

commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered

his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst and take him

into the compound. The following night the Lord stood by him and said,

"Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in

Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome."

JOHN 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: "I pray not only

for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their

word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in

you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you

sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may

be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be

brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your

gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they

may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the

foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know

you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to

them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you

loved me may be in them and I in them."

REFLECTION

When John the evangelist wrote his Gospel, the Church was already

divided into factions and different groups. Today, John presents

Christ's moving prayer for unity.

Was there ever unity in the world? Too many forces pull apart families,

communities, religions and nations. Such divisions are always

destructive. The worst is when this division occurs because of

different beliefs in God. No wonder the climax of Jesus' prayer is his

urgent plea for unity among his disciples and among future Christians.

For he sees in disunity one of the greatest temptations and one of the

greatest victories of the evil one.

What is the root of disunity? Usually, it is pride, selfishness,

stubbornness, the refusal to compromise or to sit down together and

dialogue. The prayer of Jesus makes us aware of how dear the issue of

unity is to his heart. The last popes took up this issue and worked

hard to bring the different Christian groups together, especially Pope

John Paul II, who went out of his way like no other Church leader

before him to reach out to other Christian Churches and non-Christian

religions. We have seen him embracing Patriarchs of the Orthodox

Churches.

It would be good to ask ourselves today: How do I contribute to unity

in my own surroundings, my family, my community, my parish? May we

continue to do in our own little way, in our own limited environment

what Pope John Paul II did on a large scale. May the Spirit of unity

encourage us and give us the strength to be instruments of unity

wherever we are and in this way contribute our share in bringing to

fulfillment Christ's greatest desire: that all may be one.