32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Jesus gives two answers to the Sadducees when they ask him about the resurrection. The first answer actually addresses marriage. It speaks of his followers being focused on heavenly realities and aspiring to live as if the next age has dawned already. Thus, being children of the resurrection in the present they do not have to worry about death or what will happen in the future. His second answer directly addresses resurrection. Jesus uses an episode from the first five books, those accepted by the Sadducees, so that there is no sense of him relying on the arguments of the Pharisees which is, perhaps, what they would have expected especially as they refer to him as "Teacher." (Lk 20: 28) This argument takes them by surprize and they are silenced while the scribes are impressed saying: "Teacher you have spoken well." (Lk 20: 39) A question for us is what party of the Jews do I resemble? Do I restrict revelation like the Sadducees? Am I obsessed with the law like the Pharisees? Am I exclusivist like the Essenes? Am I looking for a violent this worldly revolution like the Zealots? Am I stubborn and slow witted like Jesus' disciples? Hopefully, by listening to Jesus I can overcome any of these distortions and come to live the faith fully through sitting at the feet of the Master and acting according to his will in carrying out the mission he has given to the Church.

Feast of All Saints

 In the first reading today we hear of: "... a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" (Rev 7: 5). Similarly in the Letter to the Hebrews: "... since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12: 1) We do not know the true number of saints. So many are listed behind the name of a well known martyr and referred to as "companions." Yet, their sacrifice and their reward is just as great. The Beatitudes of the gospel does not refer to a discreet number. We are all call to holiness. We are all called to be saints. So much is unknown yet our destination, should we choose to accept it, is sure: "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 Jn 3: 2) To see God, as his is, will be our reward if we are able to see his beloved Son in the people we meet and choose to love as he taught us. St Paul tells us: "For this momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal." (2 Cor 4: 17-18)

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 One thing to be mindful off, when using the lectionary readings for prayer, is not to skip too hastily over the first reading which, for most of the year, come from the Old Testament. Linked to the gospel reading, these can also be reflected on as a stand alone text. Today's first reading is a good example. It comes from the wisdom literature which was written in Greek most likely in Egypt during the centuries after the conquests of Alexander the Great in about 330BC. Since they were written in a predominantly pagan context these Scriptures address the Hebrew religion in contrast to the wider world. The image we are given of God in today's reading is one of love and magnanimous creation. Rather than ruling through fear God is shown as constantly calling humanity back to himself to know his love for what it really is when he might otherwise be justified for condemning them in their sinfulness. It is something of an antidote to those who stress the wrath of God and look for reasons to wallow in the evil and tragedy of the world. So we read: "For your immortal spirit is in all things. Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and you remind and warn them of things through which they sin, so that they may be freed by wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord." (Wis 12: 2)

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 It always makes me feel sad when I read St Paul saying: "At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them" (2 Tim 4: 16) How would we have remembered St Paul if we had only his letters and not the Acts of the Apostles? St Paul was a failure and it looked as if all that he had worked for had turned to dust. We are used to thinking of Our Lord as suffering with the disaster of Good Friday but we are habituated to the glory of Easter Sunday. There was no resurrection for St Paul and the Martyrs of Rome. They died hideous and painful deaths. Yet, here we are in 2022. The Roman Empire is long gone and Nero is a byword for depravity and cruelty while millions of Christians are inspired by and continue to study the writings of St Paul. In addition, we continue to pray to the saints, St Paul included, to spur us on in our own spiritual battles. Let us, therefore, be encouraged by the sufferings and faith of the saints and commit ourselves to work faithfully for the Lord until the end.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Faith is like oxygen, water or good coffee. We do not know how much we need them until they run out or are in short supply. It has been defined as "the conviction of things not seen." (Heb 11: 1) We have a conviction of victory over sin and death in the resurrection but we do not see it yet. The conviction of ultimate vindication means that we keep fighting the good fight until the victory is realized. St Thomas Aquinas taught that the opposite of faith is not doubt rather it is certainty. If I am certain of defeat, sin and death I exclude completely the providential will of God. Why would God create in order to let it all fall into ruin, nothingness and annihilation? Christian faith refuses to put hope, trust and conviction in anything other than our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the Church because the Church is the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. Our destination is the same as his. Do we believe that enough to continue to the end?: "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18: 8)

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 I think that everyone encounters or experiences grace.  Our reality is suffused with moments in which God's goodness and love are manifested. They re so common that our tendency can be to pick and amplify, even, the moments of sin and evil. In the first reading and gospel for today we hear of two experiences of healing. Naaman and the healed Samaritan leper not only receive physical healing but also have the ability to understand the implications of their healing for how they relate to God. Naaman states: "... for your servant will no longer offer burnt offerings or sacrifice to any god except the Lord." (2 Kgs 5: 17) The Samaritan leper: "... turned back, praising God with  loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet nd thanked him" (Lk 17: 15-16) The question for us is whether we choose, like those two, to give thanks to God and testify to his mercy or like the nine Jewish lepers simply keep on walking: "Then Jesus asked, 'Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?' " (Lk 17: 17-18)