The Eighteenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 4, 2019
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Psalm 90; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke
12:13-21
The haunting words of the sage
Qoheleth appear pessimistic to us, as we are a people who live in hope, but these
words serve to bring balance to the illusions we hold. He says, “Vanity of
vanities. All things are vanity.” A translation of this can be, “Breath of breaths.
All things are breath.” Many things in the world are ephemeral and passing. All
things must pass, but only a few meaningful things hold. Qoheleth says that in
light of this transitory world, we might as well live as well as we can, to
care for others, and enjoy happiness when it is in front of us because life’s
events are difficult, and we are not to be a people who dwell in negativity but
find our blessings.
The Gospel tells of a rich man
who foolishly holds onto his possessions and does not enjoy them before death overtakes
him. He prized his possessions so much that they owned him and took away his
freedom, and he was, therefore, unable to focus on the riches God wanted him to
enjoy. His possession blinded him, and our lesson from this story is that the
problem was not his wealth, but his illusions about wealth. Together, these
stories provide us with an important lesson: We cannot live out of our illusions
and be happy. We have to dismantle our illusions and see that few things endure:
faith, hope, and love. These are the virtues that will bring us happiness.
To be certain, hoarding and holding
onto possessions beyond their practical use are not good for our mental health
and well-being. It is a virtue to reduce one’s belongings because every object
must have its rightful place. If we have clutter, that is a sign we have no proper
use or value for those objects. However, the potentially troublesome possessions
about which we speak are the illusions we hold onto tightly, which Ignatius of
Loyola would call “disordered attachments.”
In our youth, we are inspired by
noble ideals and values, and as we mature, we have to balance those
inspirations with reality. We develop illusions about the world that we hold
onto for far too long. For instance, we were taught to play fair as children,
and as adults we seek that fairness in the world, but the world’s ways are not
fair, and so we have to strive maturely for what is good and right in each situation.
Our task is to dismantle our illusions so we can see the world for what it is,
and not solely through our illusion-based lenses, and then we can make wisdom-filled
choices about how to proceed. But first we must take the proverbial lens off
our camera and put on a new lens in order to get a clearer perspective.
Illusions come in many forms. ‘Control’
is an illusion. Think about the relative who wants to be loved so much that she
tries to control and arrange each visit so that you enjoy your stay. She overworks
it all the time that you do everything to avoid visiting her. Her control has
backfired. ‘Security’ likewise is an illusion. We just cannot protect ourselves
in all situations no matter what security system we put in place. What else do
we hold onto tightly that may not serve us flourishing as individuals: our
views on the church or politics, the culture wars, our daily rituals and
habits, our patterns with food and drink, a poor self-image, the need to be
right, our birth-order role in the family? The list goes on. We have to be
reflective about what we believe and then ask ourselves, “Does this view
continue to serve me or my loved ones well?” We will see that with our illusions,
they are merely like breath. We cannot grasp them. We cannot hold onto them. As
Qoheleth says, “Vanity of vanities. Breath of breath. All is breath.”
Our response to this statement
determines our happiness. It allows us to diminish the drama in our day. Diminish
the drama and slow down. We can take things in stride. We don’t need to always speak.
We don’t need to rush in to fix a problem. We need to take time to respond,
rather than react. The passage of time may solve the problem. All we need to do
is take time to breath slowly and completely, and in due time, all will be resolved.
All is breath. Once we breath, we can change our lens, and look again. Perhaps,
we need to change the lens one more time. Take the time to see more clearly. We’ll
wait. Then we can see the blessings of the day. We will see that we are with
people with love and who love us back. Eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy the
blessings God wants you to see – without any illusions.
Scripture for Daily Mass
First
Reading:
Monday: (Numbers 11) The children of Israel lamented,
“Would that we had meat for food! But now we are famished; we see nothing
before us but this manna.”
Tuesday: (Daniel 7) As the visions during the night
continued, I saw: One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When
he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, The one like a Son of
man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages
serve him.
Wednesday: (Numbers 13) The LORD said to Moses [in the
desert of Paran,] "Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, which I am
giving the children of Israel. You shall send one man from each ancestral
tribe, all of them princes."
Thursday: (Numbers 20) The whole congregation of the
children of Israel arrived in the desert of Zin in the first month, and
the people settled at Kadesh. It was here that Miriam died, and here that she
was buried. As the community had no water, they held a council against Moses
and Aaron.
Friday (Deuteronomy 4) 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?
Saturday (2 Corinthians 9) Whoever sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver.
Gospel:
Monday: (Matthew 14) When Jesus heard of the death of
John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The
crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he
disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and
he cured their sick.
Tuesday: (Luke 9) Jesus took Peter, John, and
James and went up a mountain to pray. While he was praying his face
changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold,
two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory
and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Wednesday (Matthew 15) At that time Jesus withdrew to the
region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came
and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is
tormented by a demon." But he did not say a word in answer to her.
Thursday (Matthew 16) Jesus went into the region of
Caesarea Philippi and 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?"
Friday (Matthew 16) For whoever wishes to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit
would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what
can one give in exchange for his life?
Saturday (John 12) unless a grain of wheat falls to the
ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces
much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this
world will preserve it for eternal life.
Saints of the Week
August 4: John Vianney, priest (1786-1859) became the parish priest in
Ars-en-Dombes where he spent the rest of his life preaching and hearing
confessions. Hundreds of visitors and pilgrims visited him daily. He would hear
confessions 12-16 hours per day.
August 5: Dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major in Rome is celebrated
because it is the largest and oldest of the churches in honor of Mary. The
veneration began in 435 when the church was repaired after the Council of
Ephesus in 431 when Mary was proclaimed the Mother of God. This is the church
where Ignatius of Loyola said his first Mass and where Francis of Assisi
assembled the first crèche.
August 6: The Transfiguration of the Lord is an historical event captured by
the Gospels when Jesus is singled out as God's Son - ranking higher than Moses
or Elijah. In front of his disciples, Jesus becomes transfigured, thus
revealing his true nature. Ironically, the anniversary of the dropping of the
first atomic bomb occurred at Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
August 7: Sixtus, II, pope and martyr with companions (d. 258), died during
the Valerian persecutions in 258. They were killed in the catacombs where they
celebrated Mass. Sixtus was beheaded while speaking in his presidential chair
and six deacons were killed as well. Lawrence, the Deacon, is honored on August
10th. Sixtus is remembered during the 1st Eucharistic prayer at Mass.
August 7: Cajetan, priest (1480-1547), was a civil and canon lawyer who
worked in the papal chancery. He later joined the Roman Order of Divine Love
and was ordained a priest. He became aware that the church needed reform and he
teamed up with the bishop of Theate (Gian Pietro Carafa) and formed a society
of priests called the Theatines who lived in community and took monastic vows.
They owned no property.
August 8: Dominic, priest (1170-1221), was a Spaniard who was sent to
southern France to counter the heretical teachings of the Albigensians, who
held that the material world was evil and only religious asceticism could
combat those forces. Dominic begged and preached in an austere fashion and set
the foundations for the new Order of Preachers for both men and women.
August 8: Mother Mary MacKillop, religious (1842-1909), who worked in
Australia and New Zealand to assist the poor, needy, and immigrants to the
country, was canonized on October 17th 2010. August 8th is
chosen as the day in which she will be memorialized on the Roman calendar. I
offer the following prayer:
Bountiful and loving God,
You have filled the heart of Mary MacKillop
with compassionate love for those
who are in need at the margins of our society.
Deepen that love within us
that we may embrace the mystery of the Cross
which leads us through death to life.
We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus
who having broken the bonds of death
leads us to everlasting life. Amen.
August 9: Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), martyr (1891-1942), became
a Catholic convert from Judaism after reading the autobiography of Teresa of
Avila. He earned a doctorate in philosophy, but was unemployable because she
was a woman. She taught at a high school for eight years before entering the
Carmelites in 1933 where she made final vows in 1938. She moved to Holland to
escape persecution by the Nazis, but was arrested when the bishops spoke out
against the persecution of the Jews.
August 10: Lawrence, deacon and martyr (d. 258) was martyred four days after
Pope Sixtus II and six other deacons during the Valerian persecution. A
beautiful story is told about Lawrence's words. When asked to surrender the
church's treasure, Lawrence gathered the poor and presented them to the civil
authorities. For this affront, he was martyred. He is the patron of Rome.
This Week in Jesuit History
·
Aug
4, 1871. King Victor Emmanuel signed the decree that sanctioned the seizure of
all of the properties belonging to the Roman College and to S. Andrea.
·
Aug
5, 1762. The Parliament at Paris condemned the Society's Institute as opposed
to natural law. It confiscated all Jesuit property and forbade the Jesuit habit
and community life.
·
Aug
6, 1552. The death of Claude Jay, a French priest who was one of Ignatius'
original companions at the University of Paris.
·
Aug
7, 1814. The universal restoration of the Society of Jesus.
·
Aug
8, 1604. St Peter Claver takes his first vows at Tarracona.
·
Aug
9, 1762. The moving of the English College from St Omers to Liege.
·
Aug
10, 1622. Blessed Augustine Ota, a Japanese brother, was beheaded for the
faith. He had been baptized by Blessed Camillus Costanzi on the eve of the
latter's martyrdom.