October 23, 2011
Exodus 22:2-26; Psalm
18; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40
It
is too bad we do not get to know the Old Testament better. These are the Hebrew
Scriptures Jesus enjoyed reading. The social justice efforts of the church rise
right out of the first few books of the bible. In Exodus, we hear a strong
command by God to respect the alien and to treat the widow and orphan
judiciously. In economic matters, we are not to exact harsh judgments on those
poorer than we are. We are to be considerate of others' boundaries just as we
want them to honor ours.
My
best guess is that we think themes of the Old Testament as too remote for us
and intended for a more primitive people. For instance, when we hear that God
has preferential love for the poor, I suspect we believe this reality. Our
hearts goes out to the poor as well. I wonder though if we have properly
imagined who the poor are. In our intercessory prayers, we remember the
starving, the homeless, those with addictions, and all those we consider at the
bottom of society. We know we have a responsibility to look out for them.
Do
we have to re-imagine who God is talking about when we think of the poor?
Perhaps our categories will expand to include your neighbor who is just hanging
on paycheck to paycheck or the person who goes to McDonald's to get her
favorite meal. Those in the middle too often become neglected or are made
invisible. To us, poverty means destitute, homeless, moneyless, and without
adequate clothing. While we think of only the poorest of the poor, God
remembers the various layers of those in poverty.
Our
social systems today obscure the plight of widows and orphans. We hardly use
those terms now. Perhaps in today's world, these are the single parents and
their children whether through personal tragedy or divorce. Their livelihood
may be at great peril as they have to depend upon the goodwill of their
divorced bitter partner or the state's efficient and effective bureaucracy.
These people are hurting and deserve to be 'seen' and 'heard' by their
neighbors. Too often we assume that most people are like us.
The
author of Exodus tells us 'we shall not molest or oppress an alien' because we
were once aliens and we know how it feels to be on the outside.' However, we
use 'alien' to refer to a being from another planet. Once upon a time, a family
bought a house and lived in it forever. Today, many people move from house to
house, city to city, and country to country, and some have few problems
adjusting. Too often we assume that most people are like us. We overlook the
fact that many people live in fear, do not feel welcomed or valued, are not
made to feel as if they fit in, or do not receive the subtle invitations that
tell them they are included. A smile or gesture of kindness communicates far
more than we imagine. It is right for us to see that most of us, including ourselves,
are foreigners and are different in some qualitative capacity from others at
most times in our day.
Once
again, we are to expand our imagination and worldview. Today's alien might be
the illegal immigrant many in our nation hate, especially if skin color,
language, or class doesn't match what we want as normative. She could be a
person who holds a different position from a Roman Catholic church bishop.
Muslims and Mormons are suspected as deviants because of our own lack of
understanding. A schoolboy who is bullied because others suspect he is gay or
because his parents are in a same-sex marriage has become an alien to many. ~
We have a responsibility to encounter the 'alien' and treat him or her with
great nobility - because we know what it feels like to be different. We were
once in their situation. Do not let yourselves become too remote from the world
around you. Do not "alien-ate" yourself from them. God doesn't want
that.
With
this in mind, we read the Gospel passage about the law's summation as a
personal matter. If we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, we
turn to our neighbors and love them as we love ourselves. The foundational
element is that God loves each of us first and we return our gratitude to God
by caring for our neighbor - even those we do not want to consider our
neighbor. Real love begets more genuine love. Far too many who are on the
margins, far too many who are in the middle, hope and depend upon this love
from us.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First
Reading: Paul continues in Romans to say if you live
according to the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body and you will
live. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God and we can
call out, "Abba, Father." The
present sufferings are nothing compared with the glory that will be revealed to
us for creation awaits with eager expectation the full revelation of God's
children. The Spirit of God is groaning within us, and within all creation, for
the redemption of our bodies. We hope for that which is not seen. The Spirit
comes to our aid and intercedes in our prayers. We need to relax so we can know
that all things work for good for those who love God. We can realize that God
is on our side; therefore we have no enemies that can separate us from Christ's
love. We are inextricably bound. God has not rejected his people; even the
Gentiles are included in God's plan of salvation. God's mystery is always
coming more completely into its fullness.
Gospel:
Jesus encounters a cripple woman who suffered for eighteen years. He heals her
immediately to glorify God, but the leader of the synagogue protests that he
did it on the Sabbath. Jesus begins to talk about the kingdom of God. He
compares it to a mustard seed that is tiny but blossoms into a large tree. He
passes through towns while instructing the people. When asked about who will be
saved he replies that the way is difficult. Intimately knowing God through
Jesus will aid a person's path to salvation. Friendly Pharisees tell Jesus to
flee because Herod wants to kill him. Jesus remains undeterred. He will do the
will of the Father - against all odds. He then has dinner at a leading
Pharisees' house and he insults the invited guests by revealing to them that
they seek places of honor and human glory rather than the glory of God.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Anthony
Claret, bishop (1807-1870) adopted his father's weaving career as a young
man, but continued to study Latin and printing. After entering seminary, he
began preaching retreats and giving missions. He published and distributed
religious literature and founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. He was appointed archbishop of Cuba but was called back to Spain to be
Queen Isabella II's confessor. He resumed publishing until the revolution of
1868 sent him into exile.
Friday: Simon
and Jude, apostles (first century) were two of the Twelve Disciples called
by Jesus, but little is known about them. We think they are Simon the Zealot
and Judas, the son of James. Simon was most likely a Zealot sympathizer who
would have desired revolution against Rome; Jude is also called Thaddeus, and
is patron saint of hopeless causes. Both apostles suffered martyrdom.
This Week in Jesuit History
·
October 23, 1767: The Jesuits who had
been kept prisoners in their college in Santiago, Chile, for almost two months
were led forth to exile. In all 360 Jesuits of the Chile Province were shipped
to Europe as exiles.
·
October 24, 1759: 133 members of the Society,
banished from Portugal and put ashore at Civita
Vecchia, were most kindly received by Clement XIII and by the religious
communities, especially the Dominicans.
·
Oct 25, 1567. St Stanislaus Kostka
arrived in Rome and was admitted into the Society by St Francis Borgia.
·
Oct 26, 1546. The Province of Portugal
was established as the first province in the Society, with Simao Rodriguez as
its first provincial superior.
·
Oct 27, 1610. The initial entrance of
the Jesuits into Canada. The mission had been recommended to the Society by
Henry IV.
·
Oct 28, 1958. The death of Wilfrid
Parsons, founder of Thought magazine
and editor of America from 1925 to
1936.
·
Oct 29, 1645. In the General Chapter of
the Benedictines in Portugal, a statement published by one of their order, that
said St Ignatius had borrowed the matter in his Spiritual Exercises from a
Benedictine author, was indignantly repudiated.
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