September 5, 2010
The Wisdom of God may confound us. We seek it out, but it is difficult to comprehend, and yet we know we need it to stay on the straight path. Paul’s urging of Philemon, a slave owner, to accept his former slave, Onesimus, who is serving time in prison with Paul, as an equal fellow follower of Christ must have surely bent Philemon’s mind. All value in the ancient Middle Eastern world was based on status and honor. In the minds of the world, it would have been such a curiosity for a Christian to view another believer as equal in status. Such is the wisdom of God. Jesus stretches our comprehension of this wisdom when he tells us that we are to leave everything to become his disciples. We know that we want what Jesus offers us; the investment is great, but the cost is enormous and it seems difficult for many to accept. We know that we are to accept a new family of faith in which we treat everyone as a fellow equal in status, but what does he mean when he tells us to leave family, friends and loved ones, and even one’s very self?
St. Ignatius of Loyola would tell us that we are to become aware of our attachments and to allow Christ to be free of them so we can love, follow, and serve him more nearly. Jesus wants us to realize the extraordinary commitment we are making. Hearing him tell us that we must leave family is shocking when in reality he stays close to his family. What he is doing is creating a new family of faith and he is preparing us to be ready to accept strangers into the fold as if they are family. They are to be equal in status as Onesimus, the former slave, would become to his former master. Our attachment to Jesus must be greater than our attachment to our former way of life, which includes family, friends, and possessions. He wants our hearts free to grow in freedom; he wants our hearts to be able to grow in love and affection according to God’s wisdom, not the wisdom of the world. This new type of freedom is difficult to do because we have to examine those areas of our heart that closes down and inhibits growth and we have to actively work to set it right. To do this, we will undergo much pain. To do this, we will squarely hold the cross in our hands and place it on our shoulders. There is no getting around it. Yes, we will have to let go of things that have provided us comfort and security, and yes, it will hurt, and yes, we will be able to grow in charity and freedom in exponential ways.
Spend some time this weekend to ask Christ to reveal to you some of your attachments. Don’t do it on your own. Let him reveal to you those areas that inhibit your freedom. Through our upbringing, we form habits and adopt worldviews that are detrimental to our movement toward true freedom. We sometimes see ourselves as better than others; we sometimes see ourselves as inadequate and unworthy. Christ calls us to let go of all those things that detract from a spirit of free generosity where care for another is equal to care of oneself. We can trust the words of Scripture and the steadfastness of Jesus to repay us for all that we have given up. The load is lighter when we can move beyond those attachments that own us. We are healthier, happier, more loving, and we will inherit the many graces Christ longingly desires to give us. Give it up and enjoy new life! The cost is nowhere near the reward.
Quote for the Week
From Emily Dickinson
“Such good things can happen to people who learn to remember.”
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: Paul wisely counsels the Corinthians not to boast and act righteous when one of the Christians commits heinous acts of immorality, but to celebrate the Paschal feast with sincerity and truth. He takes issue with believers taking other believers to the world’s law courts because this world is a training ground for the ways believers will judge at the appointed time. Charity is the determinant of our behavior toward one another and knowledge is important for our right judgment so we must abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols because we offend those with imperfect knowledge and weaken their understanding. We are to imitate Paul who preaches the Gospel free of charge – we are to imitate the runner, one out of many, who trains diligently to win the prize. Finally, Paul urges the community to refrain from idolatry, which occurs when one participates in the rituals of the pagans.
Gospel: In Luke, Jesus cures a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, which violates Jewish customs and infuriates the Pharisees. He then calls those men who will be the special Twelve and he begins to teach and heal all who are in need. He then gives the Sermon on the Plain – asking them to follow the Golden rule and to refrain from judging. He then further explains that we judge others harshly when we cannot even see the huge flaws in our own vision. Therefore, we are in no position to judge. God will judge us and will see that good fruit comes from a good tree; therefore we must build our foundation on a solid rock so we can weather the challenges that confront our faith.
Saints of the Week
Wednesday: The Birth of Mary is set nine months after the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. No details are known of her birth, her family life, or where she lived as a young girl. Honoring Mary’s birth was first an Eastern Church tradition practice that soon caught up in popularity in the Roman Church.
Thursday: Peter Claver, S.J., priest, was from Catalonia when he joined the Jesuits in 1600. Peter was sent to the New World missions in South America and settled in Cartagena in Colombia, the seat of the slave trade. Peter ministered to the new arrivals of slaves providing them with food and medicine. In 1654, he fell ill as we wore himself out in his ministry. He died shortly afterwards. His name became acclaimed across the country when he died and many slaves and those in the slave trade paid him great honor by using his name as an intercessor in their prayers.
Saturday: The Holy Name of Mary is celebrated a few days after Mary’s birth. For a Jewish male, the giving of the name to the infant is done in conjunction with the circumcision. Mary’s name may originate from the word ‘beloved.’ Mary was a popular name for Jewish girls, mostly in memory of Miriam, the sister of Moses.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Sep 5, 1758. The French Parliament issued a decree condemning Fr. Busembaum's Medulla Theologiae Moralis.
• Sep 6, 1666. The Great Fire of London broke out on this date. There is not much the Jesuits have not been blamed for, and this was no exception. It was said to be the work of Papists and Jesuits. King Charles II banished all the fathers from England.
• Sep 7, 1773. King Louis XV wrote to Clement XIV, expressing his heartfelt joy at the suppression of the Society.
• Sep 8, 1600. Fr. Matteo Ricci set out on his journey to Peking (Beijing). He experienced enormous difficulties in reaching the royal city, being stopped on his way by one of the powerful mandarins.
• Sep 9, 1773. At Lisbon, Carvalho, acting in the king's name, ordered public prayers for the deliverance of the world from the "pestilence of Jesuitism."
• Sep 10, 1622. The martyrdom at Nagaski, Japan, of Charles Spinola and his companions.
• Sep 11, 1681. At Antwerp, the death of Fr. Geoffry Henschen (Henschenius). A man of extraordinary learning, he was Fr. Jan von Bolland's assistant in compiling the Acts of the Saints.
Happy Labor Day
In the U.S., Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer when a new academic year begins. Labor Day is a respite before the flurry of autumn activities. It is a day of rest to honor the major contributions of laborers in building the infrastructure of our society. May today be a time of celebration, renewal, and festivities with friends and loved ones. Thanks for all the hard work you provide throughout the remainder of the year. You deserve this day of rest.
Back to School
Blessings to all teachers and students who return to school for the fall semester! May it be a year when your hearts, minds, and imagination become inflamed with the love of knowledge and may that knowledge be put to good use to improve the health of our world. We rely upon you to build a new future for us.
Memorial of the 2001 Attacks on the U.S.
Saturday, September 11th marks the anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and New York City. Many of our national policies have been strengthened since that date to provide for greater security of our citizens. It is a day in which we sadly remember innocent citizens and foreign nationals who became victims of such deadly attacks. It is a day in which we can continue to pray for peace in our world – a peace that arises from people of good will coming together so that we can erase the major tensions and all sources of violence that cause such actions to occur. We need this peace so that the entire world can live in security with a respectful listening ear to those who are in need.
A test of our tolerance and good will is the proposed building of a Muslim house of worship in lower Manhattan.
Mid-East Peace Talks
Let us pray for President Obama, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Palestines’ Prime Minister Abbas as they sit down to reconcile differences so they can build peace and security for their respective nations. May they see each other’s good will and desire to live as neighbors who prosper and celebrate each other’s good humanitarian progress for their citizens!
Father’s Day in Australia and New Zealand
Happy Father’s Day to those who have been a meaningful paternal presence to someone in their lives! Father’s Day is celebrated on Sunday, September 5th in the Anzac nations of Australia and New Zealand. Good on ya, mates!
Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
Please pray for the people on the South Island on New Zealand who just experienced a 7.4 magnitude earthquake twenty miles north of Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. Fortunately, the quake occurred while most people were still sleeping so injuries are low, but many houses, shops, and building are destroyed.
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