Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

September 13, 2009

My heart is attuned to the effect of meaningful hearing that occurs in the readings this week. Isaiah’s passage begins with “The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear.” The Psalmist sings out “I love the Lord because he has heard my voice in supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me the day I called.” The reading from James reminds us that once we compassionately hear the voice of our neighbor, we are called to act with kindness and mercy.

Even Jesus, in Mark’s Gospel, shows that he listens deeply to his disciples and uses it as a way of leading them to deeper insights. However, once Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ, he fails to listen to the deep significance of that which Jesus is telling him. Jesus wants his disciples to share in his understanding of God’s mission for him, but Peter just does not listen well. Imagine the bond the two would have felt if Peter was able to convey that he understood what Jesus was trying to tell him. Instead, Jesus reacts angrily because Peter discounted his words.

The barebones message of Jesus is that we may be asked to take up the cross because we are his followers just as he is destined to pick up his cross. He is telling us so that we will not be afraid when it is our time to choose him. He wants us to fully understand the consequences of discipleship because they are nothing in light of the rewards. We will have to deny ourselves in our pursuit of placing Christ at the center of our lives – a choice we make out of love for Christ rather than merely for an ascetical spirituality. We can do this when we have a healthy sense of self and a wise knowledge of Christ’s love for us.

These are difficult words to really hear, but they are the words that prove our faith. As James tells us, “demonstrate your faith to me with works.” Listen to Christ’s words today. How does your heart respond?

Quote for the Week

The Stabat Mater is a Medieval hymn that reflects upon the sorrow of Mary as she watches her son die on the Cross. The hymn is sung during the Sequence prior to the proclamation of the Gospel during Mass on the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The first four stanzas are shown below.

At the Cross her station keeping,stood the mournful Mother weeping,close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,all His bitter anguish bearing,now at length the sword has passed.

O how sad and sore distressedwas that Mother, highly blest,of the sole-begotten One.
Christ above in torment hangs,she beneath beholds the pangsof her dying glorious Son.

Themes for this Week’s Masses

Paul’s letter to Timothy contains instructions about the characteristics that are to exist in bishops and deacons for they are to serve well to advance the kingdom of God. The people likewise are to respect authority and to resist greed. Everyone is to pay attention to sacred scripture so that one’s conscience can be formed well – for the Word of God is truth that leads to life. A Christian is to seek righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.

As Luke continues from his Beatitudes, he likens this generation to a fickle people that are never satisfied, but the physician-author shows a woman who depicts behavior worthy of the kingdom of heaven. This sinful woman shows her great care for Jesus by anointing his feet with alabaster oil and drying it with her hair. Jesus is moved beyond words and finally tells his hosts that her behavior proves her worth as a daughter of God. Jesus then moves onto another town to proclaim the good news and he spends time with the Twelve and with women who had been healed. He begins to tell parables about the nature of the kingdom of heaven likening it to seed that falls on fertile ground.

Saints of the Week

Monday is the celebration of The Triumph of the Holy Cross, which commemorates the find of the true cross by Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was dedicated in Jerusalem. Constantine is responsible for making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Gal 6: 14)

Our Lady of Sorrows, remembered on Tuesday, follows the Triumph of the Cross to symbolically remind us that suffering and Christ’s victory are linked together. Mary’s suffering is told in seven ways: Simeon’s prophecy, the flight into Egypt, losing the boy Jesus in the Temple, Calvary, the crucifixion, the deposition, and the entombment.

Wednesday is the memorial of Cornelius (d. 253), Pope, and Cyprian (d. 258), bishop. Both served during the Decian persecution. Novatian, a charismatic priest, tried to usurp Cornelius’ position as the Bishop of Rome, but the powerful Cyprian came to his defense. Cyprian served in the important see of Carthage where he wrote on church unity, the role of bishops, and the importance of the sacraments. He was killed during the Valerian persecution.

Thursday is Robert Bellarmine, S.J. day – a famous theologian, Jesuit priest, bishop and doctor of the church. He wrote his famous Disputations to combat heresies in the 17th century. He assisted in revising the Latin bible, is the patron saint of cathechists, was the director of the Roman College and the Vatican Library and was made Cardinal. It is rare for a Jesuit to be named bishop or Cardinal.

Saturday is the day in which Januarius is remembered. As bishop of Benevento, he was martyred during the Diocletian persecution, but his blood was captured and saved into a flask and stored in the cathedral in Naples, Italy. Several times a year, it is reported that his blood liquefies and bubbles in the vial.

This Week in Jesuit History

· Sep 13, 1773. Frederick II of Prussia informed the pope that the Jesuits would not be suppressed in Prussia and invited Jesuits to come.
· Sep 14, 1596. The death of Cardinal Francis Toledo, the first of the Society to be raised to the purple hat. He died at age 63, a cardinal for three years.
· Sep 15, 1927. Thirty-seven Jesuits arrived in Hot Springs, North Carolina, to begin tertianship. The property was given to the Jesuits by the widow of the son of President Andrew Johnson.
· Sep 16, 1883. The twenty-third General Congregation opened at Rome in the Palazzo Borromeo (via del Seminario). It elected Fr Anthony Anderledy Vicar General with the right of succession.
· Sep 17, 1621. The death of St Robert Bellarmine, bishop and doctor of the Church.
· Sep 18, 1540. At Rome, Pedro Ribadeneira, aged fourteen, was admitted into the Society by St Ignatius (nine days before official papal confirmation of the Society).
· Sep 19, 1715. At Quebec, the death of Fr Louis Andre, who for 45 years labored in the missions of Canada amid incredible hardships, often living on acorns, a kind of moss, and the rind of fruits.

Prayers

Let us take some time this week to remember all those who are sick and in need of healing. Many need our prayers. Please add your prayers to the comment line on the blog so that our friends in our online community may pray with you.

Let us also remember all students who return to school and their teachers and professors who try their best to reach deep into the lives of students. May all of us gain more knowledge and wisdom about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.