February 14, 1999Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Liturgy this weekend presents us with a series of readings that are challneging, and which will probably make us a little uncomfortable, especially if we know that in our own lives, for whatever reason, we have fallen short of Jesus' teaching.
Matthew's Gospel reminds us that the teaching of Jesus (as taught by the Church in St. Matthew's time), is not a break with what had gone before, but rather a continuation, a flowing of the fullness of God's revelation in His Son.
The Gospel is also a strong reminder that Christianity is not always a religion of warm feelings or highs but one of real demands, which frankly, can be tough. We need to rely on the grace of God to live up to the demands of the Gospel, and what is unknown as the moral life. The Gospel quite frankly also teaches that our exterior actions must match our interior dispositions, and that worship needs to be accompanied by reconciliation and being right before God. Certainly, we all fail, and some things are beyond control, and there can be hurt and alienation, especially regarding family life and marriage. But, we need to hear the teaching of Christ on these matters and rely on His grace to respond to His words. I would like to offer the following quotation from A Guide for the Study of Veritatis Splendor:
Jesus is challenging us to grow in the moral life by moving from merely observing the Commandments to a deeper commitment, mainly to follow Him. Such a commitment to follow Jesus can only be carried out in mature freedom. At the same time, when we follow Jesus in love, we observe all the Commandments. To truly love Jesus means that we also love our neighbor. We do not commit adultery, murder, or steal. We seek what is really good for our brothers and sisters.
1. SIRACH 15:15-20.
One of Sirach's main lessons is that the law of Moses is the source of wisdom for the pious Jew. Sirach personifies Wisdom and identifies Wisdom with the law of Moses. Our first reading thus spells out the responsibility we have to choose life or death.
APPLICATION: Although God knows what people are doing, this knowledge is not causative; God does not cause anyone to sin. He or she is always free to choose good, not evil.
2. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-10.
In this passage St. Paul helps us to realize the mystery of God and the wonderful things he has prepared for those who love him. What makes us truly wise is the revelation God has given us of the divine love in Jesus Christ.
APPLICATION: The message seems clear. Either we can try to go it on our own heeding only the wise people of our times; or we can submit to god in faith, and be led by his wisdom.
3. MATTHEW 5:17-37.
The Gospel continues the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus completes the Law of Moses, showing his followers a way that surpasses every other. On his own authority he reinterprets those laws to include not only action, but even thought which leads to action. He radicalizes the Law moving towards the original intent of the Old Testament.
APPLICATION: Some human choices isolate people from each other. God's love, however, can break through those barriers and bring people together. That love shatters obstacles and breaks down walls.
Fr. Eugene R. Sinz
1. By the law of God and the custom of the Church, all Christians are required to do penance.
2. The season of Lent retains its penitential character. The days of penance to be observed under obligation are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
3. Abstinence from meat is to be observed on all Fridays of Lent. The law of abstinence and fast is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
4. The law of abstinence forbids the consumption of meat. The law of fasting permits only one meal a day.
5. The law of abstinence binds those who have celebrated their 14th birthday. The law of fasting binds those who have celebrated their 18th birthday, and continues until they have celebrated their 59th birthday.
6. Pastors and parents should take particular care to educate the young to a true sense of penance and self-discipline. More frequent use of the sacrament of Penance and attendance at daily Mass should be encouraged during Lent, as well as other practices of penance and self-sacrifice.
7. The Fridays of the year outside Lent remain days of penance, but each individual may substitute traditional abstinence from meat with some other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance: this may be physical mortification, act of religion, charity or Christian witness.
8. All priests and confessors are delegated to grant dispensations to individuals and to families.
Our Lenten observance begins on Ash Wednesday this week. As we start this journey let us remember that the Lenten season is tied to the Easter season and Pentecost. We seek deeper conversion during Lent that we might come to new life during Easter and, in turn, that we might go forth with the power of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) to change the world. All three form one unit in our Church's liturgical year.
Lent has been much misunderstood in recent generations. For some, Lent has degenerated into a period for private spiritual growth, marked by personal penances and efforts at strengthening willpower. While there is clearly a place for such efforts during Lent and in the Christian life in general, in Lent we are called to much more than a self-focused, personal spiritual work-out. Lent is meant to be a communal experience or renewal and recommitment to mission.
The two words that should quickly come to mind when Lent is mentioned are baptism and conversion.
During Lent those who seek to join the Catholic faith are making their final, immediate preparations. Those who have not yet been baptized (catechumens) prepare for Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist (First Communion). Those who have been baptized in another Christian denomination (candidates) prepare for Confirmation and First Eucharist. During Lent, special ritual ceremonies will join the catechumens and candidates with the worshiping assembly. We pray for those who wish to join us, recall our own baptism, and renew our baptismal commitment to Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations.
For all those who are already baptized, the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) plays a key role in continuing conversion. Sin is not a private matter; it always has social consequences. During Lent, penance should be not only inward and individual, but also outward and social. Come as a family to one of the Family Reconciliation Services offered during Lent.
Finally, (for now!), Ash Wednesday and the next three days form a solemn prelude to the season of Lent; they are not reckoned as part of the Forty Days. Put another way, Ash Wednesday begins the fasting, the First Sunday of Lent begins the Forty Days. Some have thought that in counting the forty days of Lent the Sundays don't count, and, consequently, Sundays are days to take a break from the penitential practices of the season. As with certain other things, this is ultimately a personal choice, but just to set the record straight; the Sundays of Lent are part of the Forty Days and are intended as times to continue Lenten observances.
This Sunday happens to also be Valentine's Day - a day wherein expressions of heart felt love are given to those with whom we experience close bonds of love and belonging. In a book titled the The Awakened Heart, the author Gerald May, M.D. states there is a desire within each of us, in the deep center of ourselves that we call our heart. We were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake. It is the human desire for love. Every person on this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know love. Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in this desire.
In the Gospel this Sunday Jesus speaks about his mission to bring the Law (Torah) to full circle by revealing its original and true intent. By fulfilling the law, Jesus called believers to live on a plane that is above the stated limits of the law. He invites his own to go beyond the call of duty, in order to hear and respond to the call of love.
This coming Wednesday we begin the very special season of Lent. Pope John Paul II and the Church leaders encourage us to go deeper than ever this Lent in putting into practice the traditional Lenten exercises of prayer, penance (fasting, etc.), and almsgiving, since this is the final year before the Jubilee Year 2000. So our Parish theme this Lent is Come to the Depth of our Faith. Experience the Heart of Lent.
Beneath the Ashes
Ashes,
where once stood
a building tall,
now almost nothing,
just soft silt beneath our feet.
Then you, Lord, rising tall,
up from the dead,
giving us all the dream
of rising again,
a rising building tall,
church
the hope of all for all,
beneath the ashes.
Andrew Costello
The Lenten practices of fasting, abstinence began as voluntary practices. Gradually they became very strict and were enforced by Church law. During the years from 400 through the 800s only one meal a day was permitted. This was usually eaten in the evening. Flesh meat, fish, alcohol, and in some places even eggs and milk products were forbidden. Beginning in the 10th it became customary to eat this meal at noon. In the Middle Ages the prohibition against fish and dairy products was lifted. Fasting and abstinence were required on all days during Lent except Sundays. Only one main meal was allowed for all parishioners between the ages of 21 and 59. Two other meatless meals were permitted but were not to equal a main meal. Abstinence from flesh meats, gravies and condiments was required on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent for all parishioners' seven years of age and older. On weekdays meat was allowed only at the main meal except on days of abstinence. This remained in force until 1966. Today the days of fasting and abstinence are limited to Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent but some form of spiritual discipline is encouraged during the rest of the year.
I was standing at the check-out counter of a local Hallmark store with a handful of Valentines when a woman recognized me. She took one look at the Valentines, gave me a horrified look, and walked away! (They do make Valentines for mothers and sisters, you know!)
As you tell people you love them this Valentine's Day, don't forget to tell the Lord you love Him, too! Making a good Lent is the best Valentine of all. Don't wait until Ash Wednesday! Decide today on your plan of action to "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."
THE JOURNEY OF CONVERSION - The Sunday readings this Lent call us to make a journey, to convert again to living our Catholic Christian faith given us in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. We will be called to let go of sins, to obey God's will for us in our life, to re-commit to the life-giving water of baptism; to see how we will live our baptism every day, to die to sin and live in the New Life of Christ. What is our sinfulness? What changes do we have to make in order to live up to our baptism? What will help us re-convert our lives so that everyone will see Christ in us?
Notes from Joe Pearce: Ash Wednesday is a non-obligatory feast day in the Church. Yet, it is a day that has a higher turnout for Eucharist than most holy days. Why? A cynic might say because the Church is giving away something (Ashes) for nothing. I believe that Ash Wednesday touches the hearts of the American faithful in a special way. Ashes, since the day of Christianity, have been seen by the church as a sign of penance, the admitting that something is not right in one's own life, with others or in one's relationship with God. Ashes remind us of our own mortality-that death will someday claim us as well.
Ashes remind us that each of us needs to repent and be forgiven, that no one is free from some failing. Either we have been guilty of personal sin or share in the sins of society. Ash Wednesday is a day that we can symbolically and ritually admit these needs and feel some solace. The participation in the distribution of the ashes speaks to our fears, guilt, and qualms while at the same time healing those feelings and moments that disturb us. The ashes remind us that even though we are in need of forgiveness and repentance that we are loved deeply by God, a love so deep that God sent his only Son so we may have eternal life.
As we celebrate the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we once again become "full of grace and truth" in our attempt to experience and proclaim the Incarnation of Jesus Christ the Son of God. The Word offers us this challenge:
If you want to fulfill the reign of God within yourselves and around you, then you must embrace righteousness, loyalty, and sincerity in a level above what is expected by the lowest common denominator of society. This choice, moreover, is demonstrated by a pursuit of honesty and a quest for wisdom.
These characteristics identify a person or community who stands heads above others in the arena of moral choices and ethical decisions.
Righteousness: This means choosing the standard of doing the "right" thing according to -- not just civil law or majority opinion or accepted practice -- but the "law of God" as unfolded in the Word of God and Tradition of the Church. It is acknowledging that the right of choice is not just dependent on human consequences but more importantly on the revelation of God.
Loyalty: Here we have that precious commodity of staying unswervingly faithful to the ones we love and respect, standing by one's word, being dependable and reliable in living our faith, hope, and charity. It is the fulfillment of Jesus' words: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you; remain in my love."
Sincerity: This is that attribute of enlightening and warming transparency whereby a person's actions really reflect the heart and one's true mind is captured in corresponding behavior. It's living without a mask, without a "smoke screen," without hidden agendas and ulterior motives. What you see is what you get!
Honesty: We are talking about that priceless quality of exhibiting genuine truthfulness and a freedom from deception. It is both a concrete decision and a habitual life-style of inner integrity and outer candidness, especially when it comes to faith and morals.
Wisdom: This is that uncanny ability to see and understand life from God's point of view which is built up through prayer, through meditation on the Word of God, through compassionate and other-centered sensitivity to others, and through a choice to make God's way one's own.
The exercise of these virtues in one's life brings a person both to stand open to the presence of the Word made flesh and to proclaim boldly the presence of our Incarnated Lord.
How do you identify these characteristics in your life today?
-- Father Benet OFM
If we recall that Jesus came to "preach the good news to the poor" (Mt 1:5; Lk 7:22), how can we fail to lay greater emphasis on the Church's preferential option for the poor and the outcast? Indeed, it has to be said that a commitment to justice and peace in a world like ours, marked by so many conflicts and intolerable social and economic inequalities, is a necessary condition for the preparation and celebration of the Jubilee. Thus, in the spirit of the Book of Leviticus (25:8-12), Christians will have to raise their voice on behalf of all the poor of the world, proposing the Jubilee as an appropriate time to give thought, among other things, to reducing substantially, if not canceling outright, the international debt which seriously threatens the future of many nations. The Jubilee can also offer an opportunity for reflecting on other challenges of our time, such as the difficulties of dialogue between different cultures and the problems connected with respect for women's rights and the promotion of the family and marriage.
Recalling the words of Vatican II that "Christ ... by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear," two commitments should characterize in a special way the third preparatory year: meeting the challenge of secularism and dialogue with the great religions.
With regard to the former, it will be fitting to broach the vast subject of the crisis of civilization [which] must be countered by the civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice and liberty, which find their full attainment in Christ.
On the other hand, as far as the field of religious awareness is concerned, the eve of the Year 2000 will provide a great opportunity, especially in view of the events of recent decades, for inter-religious dialogue, in accordance with the Second Vatican Council.
-- Pope John Paul II
Lord of heaven,
You are known as the God of Love,
and today we are celebrating St. Valentine
one of the human patrons of love.
Teach me how to make use of the gift of love
that You have given us,
and how to combine it with the supernatural virtue
that You infuse into us.
Let me love You above all
and others in and for You.
Make me faithful to my loved ones,
loyal, dedicated, compassionate, and concerned.
Let me overlook their human failings
and dwell on their good points.
Enable me to love them
not so much for what they can do for me
but for what I can do for them.
FROM THE PASTOR: The rippling affect of the Holy Father continues to touch us all and challenges us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In speaking to thousands of young people at Kiel Auditorium, Pope John Paul II, quoting what St. Paul said to his young fellow evangelizer, Timothy, Train yourself for devotion (1:Timothy 4-7)-These words are especially important for you, the young people of the church. And so you need to ask yourselves: WHAT TRAINING AM I DOING IN ORDER TO LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE? The Pope speaks to our youth not of the training for sports, but rather, THE TRAINING IN DEVOTION that St. Paul is referring tothe training that makes it possible for you TO GIVE YOURSELVES WITHOUT RESERVATION TO THE LORD AND TO THE WORK THAT HE CALLS YOU TO DO.
The Pope spoke about the great excitement when he said during the recent baseball season, when two great baseball players, Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa were competing to break the home run record. You can feel the same great enthusiasm as you train for a different goal: THE GOAL OF FOLLOWING CHRIST, THE GOAL OF BRINGING HIS MESSAGE TO THE WORLD. The Holy Father spoke to our young people when he said EACH ONE OF YOU BELONGS TO CHRIST, AND CHRIST BELONGS TO YOU. YOUR BELONGING TO THE CHURCH CAN FIND NO GREATER EXPRESSION OR SUPPORT THAN BY SHARING IN THE EUCHARIST EVERY SUNDAY IN YOUR PARISH. Christ gives us the gift of His body and blood to make us one body, one spirit in Him, to bring us more deeply into communion with Him and with all the members of His body, the church. MAKE THE SUNDAY CELEBRATION IN YOUR PARISH A REAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS IN THE COMMUNITY OF HIS FOLLOWERS: THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF YOUR 'TRAINING IN DEVOTION' TO THE LORD.
Even though you are young, THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW. You are ready for what Christ wants of you now. He wants you all of you TO BE LIGHT TO THE WORLD, AS ONLY YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BE LIGHT. IT IS TIME TO LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! Wherever I go I challenge YOUNG PEOPLE AS A FRIENDTO LIVE IN THE LIGHT AND TRUTH OF JESUS CHRIST, said the Holy Father.
I urge you to let his word enter your hearts to tell him: HERE I AM LORD, I COME TO DO YOUR WILL! More of the Holy Fathers message to us will continue in the next few weeks.
THEME: CHOICE: On a driveway on a busy street, a resident posted a sign that read, "don't even think of parking here." He meant business, clearly. He also knew that the thought was father to the action. The driver who might have been tempted was free to choose of course, but he or she would have to bear the consequences. Today we consider the spirit and letter of laws and our freedom to choose.
Reflections on Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and the Father,
by Pope John Paul II.
Mary's Loving And Urgent Invitation...Mary Most Holy, the highly favored daughter of the Father,[appears] before the eyes of believers as the perfect model of love towards both God and neighbor. As she herself says in the Canticle of the Magnificat, great things were done for her by the Almighty, whose name is holy (see Luke 1:49). The Father chose her for a unique mission in the history of salvation: that of being the Mother of the long-awaited savior.
The Virgin responded to God's call with complete openness: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord (Lk 1:38, RSV). Her motherhood, which began in Nazareth and was lived most intensely in Jerusalem at the foot of the Cross, will be felt during this year [of preparation] as a loving and urgent invitation addressed to all the children of God, so that they will return to the house of the father when they hear her maternal voice: Do whatever Christ tells you (see John 2:5). [TMA n. 54]
