Tuesday of the 12th week in Ordinary 
Readings may be found here
 
Whether in the school yard or in the rise and fall of empires and nations, those who embrace violence and threat to pursue their own interests over others will always try to convince their intended victims of their overwhelming power.
 
The land promised to the people of Israel falls on a geographic “highway” between regions where empires arose over the millennia: the Nile Valley, the Fertile Crescent, and Anatolia (modern day Turkey), etc. Israel found itself regularly menaced by those empires with demands for submission and tribute. We hear such menace today in the threats of the Assyrian king as he approaches Jerusalem after conquering the Northern Tribes. In that time, the Assyrians were particularly brutal in their methods and very much feared. You can imagine that those around King Hezekiah in Jerusalem pleaded with him to submit. Hezekiah, whose name means “the Lord strengthens,” made the choice to trust in the Lord. He did not believe the threats, held firm, and the Lord delivered Jerusalem that day. 
 
The arrogant Assyrians went on to see their empire overwhelmed by the Babylonians. In Judah, later and lesser kings than Hezekiah forgot his faith in the strength of the Lord. They played politics and suffered conquest and exile. Yet the Lord did not abandon His people, He accompanied them into exile and continued to be their strength.
 
Its curious that those seemingly invincible empires are now artifacts and ruins, yet the children of Abraham are a living people thousands of years on. That little people, so vulnerable to conquest and so oft oppressed, has endured while their oppressors have crumbled. That people, expanded now to include the children of Abraham by faith as well as those by birth, continues to call upon the Lord who is our strength. 
 
Bullies trust in violence and fear, but that false faith will ever plant the seeds of their oblivion. Recall that we believe in the Lord Who was violently killed by men of empire and that His “defeat” is our victory. Don’t believe the bullies, trust in the love, the grace, and the strength of the Lord.

Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings may be found here
 
Second Kings outlines the tragic fate of the break-away Northern Kingdom of Israel. The tribes there suffered conquest and exile, thereafter disappearing from history and leaving the Kingdom of Judah alone to carry on the legacy of the Chosen People. As this passage makes clear, however, the Northern Tribes really destroyed themselves long before the King of Assyria marched on their land. They had forgotten who they were as the people of God. they abandoned the Lord, ignored the warnings of the prophets, and oppressed and exploited their own people. 
 
This kind of willful ignorance – blindness to the truth – is dangerous. Jesus offers a timely warning today in the Gospel of Matthew, reminding us of the temptation for people to see the world through the prism of our own ego and self-interest. How easy and dangerous it is to condemn the other and ignore our own failures and sins. 

​Today we hear from Second Kings the beautiful story of the passing of Elijah’s Mantle to the young prophet Elisha. In the relationship between these two great prophets, we witness a model of the prophet at the end of his ministry entrusting the young Elisha with his work and legacy. The young prophet has the wisdom to understand the depth of the gift he receives. For both, this moment is not about egotism, but commitment to the mission and a willingness to trust. The mantle becomes the powerful image of a shared commitment and understanding. 
 
Human societies thrive when the young honor the wisdom of age and the old are willing to trust the next generation. I wonder if this passage might inspire us today to give thanks to and for those folks who gave taught and mentored us across the generations? The culture likes to speak of a generation gap. The scriptures today reveal a generation partnership that brought blessing to the world. 

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings may be found here
 
God is the only true Sovereign. Human beings certainly wield legitimate authority over others, but that authority is always subject to the Sovereignty of God.
 
In the First Book of Samuel, the people demand that the prophet appoint a king over them “like all the nations.” They have forgotten the truth of God’s providential care of them and Samuel warns them that earthly kings will rule with selfishness and corruption. We see that reality on display in the odious tale of corrupt Ahab and his scheming wife Jezebel. They are so entitled in their self-importance that they murder an innocent man in order to seize a vineyard – a paltry price for the ruin of their souls.
 
The exercise of human authority must always be watched and limited because of this temptation to the selfish use and abuse of authority. Above all that human authority is limited by its accountability to the Creator.
 
Jesus, the true Sovereign, exercises the power of love. As He teaches today in the Sermon on the Mount, He summons us to that same authority which does not need to win or dominate, but ever seeks the truth and the good of the other. 

Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings may be found here
​​
I really love this passage from First Kings. The Lord was not in the great wind or the earthquake or the fire, but in the “tiny whispering sound.”  In this passage Elijah has gone to the mountain of encounter with the Lord and he has been told to expect that the Lord will “pass by.” Elijah shows great insight in realizing that God does not need storm
and fury to manifest the divine presence. The voice and presence of the Lord is a whisper of a breeze that requires stillness and a listening heart. 
 
We live in an age of pundits, slogans, and a cacophony of raised voices. Everyone seems to have the answer but few appear to know how to listen. 
 
If we wish to gain insight and understanding in the midst of challenges then we must learn to be still and open. If we wish to perceive Gods presence and action then we must discern that presence as Elijah did - listening for the whisper of a breeze. 
 
God respects our freedom, God hears our cries, and God whispers to our hearts. Speak, Lord for your servant is listening…

Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings may be found here

​This passage from the Sermon on the Mount concerning the Law and the Prophets is a bit puzzling on the surface. In Matthew 15:1-20 (cf. Mark 7:1-23) Jesus appears to set aside at least some aspects of the “law.” Of course, Paul famously and passionately argues for the relaxation of aspects of the ritual law for the sake of the Gentiles.
 
It is true that each gospel has its own unique perspective and that Matthew’s Gospel understands the ministry and message of the Lord Jesus in light of the Jewish tradition. Nonetheless, there are important considerations when examining the question. For example, Pharisaical leaders in Jesus’ day took a very particular approach to the Law. They expanded the category to include the oral teachings and commentaries of the Rabbis. In doing so, they expanded and intensified the holiness codes (laws related to ritual purity). In the gospels, Jesus confronts this notion because it places undue burdens on the poor and upon rural Jews who lived far from the resources of the Temple (Matt 23:4). Jesus’ own teaching hearkens back to an earlier focus on the written Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets). We must also consider that Jesus repeatedly asserts the authority of the Holy Scriptures and that He and the text cite numerous Old Testament passages in relation to Jesus’ identity and mission. 
 
It makes perfect sense that the passage today sees Jesus speaking of the ongoing validity of the Old Testament and its close relationship to the Kingdom that He preaches. As He speaks of their eternal importance, He also asserts that He “fulfills” them. Here is the critical detail. Jesus Himself is the authoritative interpreter of the purpose and meaning of the Law and the Prophets. His dispute with Pharisaical approaches is not a rejection of the Law, but a correction of their expansion of the Law to include their own traditions. 
 
The central truth proclaimed here in this passage is the close relationship between Jesus and the Old Testament. I realize that our Christian tradition gives pride of place to the gospels, but this passage is a timely reminder that the Law and the Prophets are a gift that help us to know and understand the Lord (John 5:39). 

Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings may be found here
​
I received joyous news today from a friend concerning the birth of a baby girl to her family. This little girl, Eloise Marie was born to young parents who take their faith very seriously. They named their little girl for the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux and she will grow and thrive in a home that will be its own little church – the “domestic church” that is so essential to the building up of the kingdom of God. 
 
As I congratulate my friend and pray for the family and their little girl, I am struck by the words of Jesus in the passage today from Matthew: “you are the salt of the earth,” and “you are the light of the world!” Jesus was teaching His disciples and disciples of every age, that the gospel is best proclaimed by living its gifts: joy, hope, love, and keeping faith with the Lord and with one another. In gathering those disciples on that beautiful hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, he was forming a family of faith to live His own mission. 
 
I am so very grateful for the families of faith that give life to the Church of Christ. I am grateful for spouses who make and keep that sacramental commitment to give themselves away in love and trust in imitation of the Lord’s Own saving gift. I am grateful for families that remind us all of the heart of what it means to be human – to love and help one another, to be with and for one another. 
 
It has never been easy to live the Christian life and lately it has been feeling pretty challenging. So to all those parents who are the priests of their own little flock and to all those families that live faith hope and love every day, thank you! You are indeed the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings may be found here
 
The Beatitudes proclaimed by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew today open the famous section of this gospel known as the “Sermon on the Mount.” These verses have a poetic cast to them even as they offer a very challenging vision of discipleship.
 
From a worldly perspective, it is difficult to assert that the poor, the meek, and the mourning are all that blessed. The usual human perspective is to see those who are wealthy, influential, beautiful, and famous as the blessed. Is this passage with its surprising reversal of worldly values just a beautiful ideal or impossible vision?
 
The answer, of course is no. Jesus never offers mere ideals. He summons us in this passage to a new perspective, that of the kingdom, and a concrete new way of living. He pierces the illusion of worldly values and demands that we see the world and others from God’s perspective. God, Who is love and compassion, has a preference for those who struggle and suffer. Jesus’ teaching brings us into that kingdom where the poor and vulnerable are front and center. Jesus also reveals that this call, as impossible as it may seem on the surface, is possible. He does this by living it: read the whole of Matthew’s Gospel and you will begin to appreciate that the Beatitudes are a summary of Jesus’ own life and ministry. He does not ask of us what He will not, and has not, already done. He challenges us to real change in our perspective and in our living.
 
Yes, seriously! 

Friday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Boniface
​Readings may be found here
 
Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Boniface, “Apostle to the Germans.” This missionary monk went to central Europe at a time of great violence and war between various tribes. He worked tirelessly to overcome these hatreds and bring the tribes to unity and faith in Jesus Christ. On the day of his martyrdom, murdered by bandits, Boniface cited Romans 12:21 to his attackers: “Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.”
 
For Paul, that message was more than words. Before his conversion, Paul (Saul) believed it right to use violence and murder against others. He persecuted early Christian believers because they violated Saul’s passionate beliefs about the separation of Gentiles and Jews. Those early Christians, in accord with Jesus’ own teaching and example, formed communities that bridged ethnic and cultural divides. After his conversion, Paul embraced the beauty of the Lord’s teaching and rejected violence and coercion. In the first reading today, we hear part of Paul’s legacy to the young church leader, Timothy. Paul is speaking of enduring hardship and remaining faithful to the Lord. He suffered violence, but he never again inflicted it. 
 
Evil deeds will never be healed or overcome by more evil deeds. Violence will never satisfy broken hearts nor bring peace. The only way, the way of the Lord Jesus and His disciples, is to overcome evil with good.