The Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

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September 9, 2018

Isaiah 35:4-7; Psalm 146; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37

Isaiah says to the Jews whose hearts are frightened, “Fear not. Here is your God. He comes with vindication.” It is important to remember that they were in exile in Babylon (Iraq) and they wondered if God still remembered them. Isaiah assure them God remained faithful to them, but they would have to creatively look for God in new ways. These are the ways God would reveal God’s presence: the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf shall hear, and the natural ways we have come to experience God will be turned upside-down, but it is a sign that God remains among us.

With all the negative events in the church recently, many rightly feel exiled, and some of those who remain are unsettled. I too feel saddened on many levels, and yet I realize the Christ is still within his church, the sacraments, and in our daily lives. These readings help me to be very active in looking for the presence of Christ in the church. I’m happy to say that I see it.

As September begins with new energy, I’m thankful for the increased number of people who seek me out to have spiritual conversations about what God is doing in their lives. These people are aware of the church’s turmoil, but God is doing something specific in their lives that is consuming their holy desires. What matters to them is that they are experiencing joy in meeting God and learning about this developing relationship.

I’m thankful for the number of people who have significant emotional and spiritual experiences in their lives whether it is a funeral, a profound illness, a movement towards retirement, the birth of a child or grandchild, the promise of a new relationship, or movement towards religious life. I’m grateful that I am able to be there for them as they express their emotions about the meaning of their life and their gratitude for God’s work in it. I see that Christ continues to recreate all things in light of the big mess that surrounds us.

For me, the signs of God’s presence are abundant on a personal level, but I think that is only half the story. Signs of change are present in the church corporately, and the change that was introduced at the Second Vatican Council can finally take root. The Spirit is at work clearing out all that is unholy so that we can once again be the symbol of God’s comforting, consoling presence in the world. It is going to be difficult and messy until the church is reconstructed and we have to endure the pain and cooperate with the change. The church’s structure may change; the personnel may change; our way of proceeding may change, and this is where we return to the words of Isaiah when he says “Fear Not” and to the words of Jesus when he says, “Ephphatha. Be opened.”

I am convinced that Christ’s work of healing continues. Our Lord wants to heal the church, its victims, and all who suffer. He wants to touch our ears and tongues as he prays for us and he groans with us because we suffer as he asks God to open our senses so we can see God’s solidarity with us. Look, listen, use your senses. Christ is doing something new and it is for our benefit. “Be opened.” Do not let your hearts and minds be closed down. “Be opened.” It is the way to our healing, and together, we will see great things as we marvel at God’s goodness.

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Reading: 

Monday: (1 Corinthians 5) It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans–a man living with his father’s wife. And you are inflated with pride.

Tuesday: (1 Corinthians 6) How can any one of you with a case against another dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment instead of to the holy ones? Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world?
If the world is to be judged by you, are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?

Wednesday: (1 Corinthians 7) In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is.

Thursday: (1 Corinthians 8) Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him.

Friday (Numbers 21) With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water?

Saturday (1 Corinthians 10) avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 6) On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

Tuesday: (Luke 6) Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

Wednesday (Luke 6) Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: "Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.

Thursday (Luke 6) "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Friday (John 3) For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 

Saturday (John 19) When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Saints of the Week

September 9: Peter Claver, S.J. (1580-1654) became a Jesuit in 1600 and was sent to the mission in Cartegena, Colombia, a center of slave trade. For forty years, Claver ministered to the newly arrived Africans by giving them food, water, and medical care. Unfortunately, he died ostracized by his Jesuit community because he insisted on continuing the unpopular act of treating the slaves humanely.

September 10: Francis Garate, S.J. (1857-1929) was a Basque who entered the Jesuits and became a doorkeeper at the Univeristy of Deusto in Bilbao. He modeled his ministry after Alphonsus Rodriguez and became known for his innate goodness, humility, and prayerfulness.

September 12: The Name of Mary was given to the child in the octave that follow her birth on September 8th. Mary (Miriam) was a popular name for a girl because it means "beloved."

September 13: John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor (347-407) was a gifted homilist and was called "Golden Mouth" because his words inspired many. He was raised in Antioch and joined a community of austere hermits but the lifestyle damaged his health. He became the archbishop of Constantinople where he introduced many conservative and unpopular reforms. He fled to escape an uprising from the people and on the way to exile he died.

September 14: The Triumph of the Holy Cross remembers the finding of the true cross by the Emperor Constantine's mother, Helen in early 4th century. Two churches were dedicated in the name of the cross on this day in the 4th century. Therefore, the feast was applied to this day. In the 7th century, the feast was renamed, "The Triumph." The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335 was also dedicated on this day.

September 15: Our Lady of Sorrows was once called the Seven Sorrows of Mary as introduced by the Servite Friars. After suffering during his captivity in France, Pius VII renamed the devotion that encapsulates: Simeon's prophecy, the flight into Egypt, searching for Jesus at age 12 in the Temple, the road to Calvary, the crucifixion, the deposition, and the entombment.

This Week in Jesuit History

·      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.

·      Sep 12, 1744. Benedict XIV's second Bull, Omnium Sollicitudinum, forbade the Chinese Rites. Persecution followed in China.

·      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. 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.