Friday, January 31, 2014

"'YOU ARE THE MAN!"



Homily for February 1st, 2014: 2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17.
          We heard yesterday about David’s grave sin. A good man, a man of great courage, but also a man of deep compassion for the old king Saul, who both admired David and deeply envied him, David has grown soft. He sends others out to fight for him, while remaining in his splendid palace in Jerusalem. There he has an affair with Bathsheba, wife of the Gentile soldier Uriah, who is fighting in David’s army. When he learns that Bathsheba is pregnant, he tries to cover his tracks by summoning Uriah from the front and encouraging him to sleep with his wife, so that when Bathsheba’s child is born, all will assume that Uriah is the father.
When Uriah says he cannot sleep with his wife while his comrades are risking their lives in battle, David is desperate. He sends Uriah back to the front with a sealed letter ordering his arranged death in battle. David breathes easier, thinking he has had a narrow escape from disaster. The chapter describing all this ends with the verse: “But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.”
          He had every reason to be displeased. David’s adultery with Bathsheba was a sin of passion. His order for her husband to be killed was cold, calculated murder.
          At this point the Lord sends the prophet Nathan to David. Rather than rebuking the king openly, which would put him on the defensive, Nathan tells him the heart rending story we have just heard, about a rich man with great flocks of sheep, and a poor man with nothing but a ewe lamb to which he is so attached that he keeps the animal with him always, like a dearly loved pet dog. When a guest visits the rich man, he is not willing to sacrifice even one sheep from his vast flock, but instead steals the poor man’s lamb to satisfy the duty of hospitality for a visitor. David is outraged. “The man who has done this merits death!” he declares.
          With those words David is convicted out of his own mouth. “You are the man!” Nathan tells David. Moreover what he has done will have consequences, Nathan says. Struck to the heart – for despite his grave double sin he remains a good man – David confesses: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan assures him of God’s forgiveness. This will remove the guilt of David’s sin -- but not its the consequences. The first consequence is the death of the child David has sinfully fathered. We shall learn next week that there are other consequences as well.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

"DAVID, HOWEVER, REMAINED IN JERUSALEM."



Homily for January 31st, 2014: 2 Samuel 11:1-41, 5-10a,13-17.
          “David sent out Joab along with his officers and the army of Israel. David, however remained in Jerusalem.” How often had he taken the field against Israel’s enemies, and emerged victorious. Now David has gone soft. He prefers to let others do the fighting for him. It proves his undoing.
          Rising from his afternoon nap, David goes out onto the roof terrace to take the sun and air. In a walled pool, but from that height clearly visible, he sees a young woman bathing. She is beautiful. Summoning a servant, he asks who that is. “That’s Bathsheba, Sir,” the young man tells him, “the wife of the Hittite Uriah, who’s off fighting for you.”
          “Shall I?” David thinks. “Uriah will never know: oh, just this once.” David is powerful now. He can have whatever he wants. He sends for Bathsheba. She comes, and David fulfills his desire.
          “That’s the end of it,” David thinks. Some weeks later, however, Bathsheba sends word that she is pregnant. “I must act fast,” David thinks. He sends orders to have Uriah return to Jerusalem to report on the siege of David’s enemies. Upon Uriah’s arrival David debriefs him, gives him a good dinner, and sends him home to his wife. “That’ll do it,” David thinks. When the baby is born, Uriah will assume that the child is his.
          At breakfast the next morning, the servants report that they’ve had an unexpected overnight visitor. “Who was that?” David asks. When they tell him it was Uriah, David knows he’s in big trouble. When Uriah comes to take his leave, David asks him why he has not slept at home. “My companions are sleeping in the open, Sir” Uriah replies. “How can I sleep with my wife when they are daily risking their lives for you?”
          David has Uriah stay the rest of that day, gives him an even more lavish dinner at which the wine flows freely, and again sends him home to his wife. Learning the next morning that Uriah has once more bedded down with the servants, David sends him back to the army carrying a sealed letter ordering Uriah’s arranged death in battle.
          In coming days we shall learn the consequences of David’s crime. For now we note three things. First, David’s adultery was a sin of passion. Uriah’s arranged death was far worse: cold, calculated murder. Second, Uriah was a Gentile. He did not have the Ten Commandments. Yet he was on a far higher moral level than David, who enjoyed all the benefits of the Jewish law. Third and finally, all this happened because David had let himself go soft. Temptation to sin is lifelong. To withstand temptation we must remain faithful in self-discipline, good works and above all in daily prayer.e did not hve the Ten Commandments. Yet
.. et he wa.., who hd all the benefits of the Jewish law. . … …. Once we let up, we’re lost

A FEAST WITH THREE NAMES



Homily for February 2nd, 2014: Luke 2:22-40.
AIM: To help the hearers better understand the meaning of this feast.

          Today’s feast has three names: the Purification of Mary, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, and Candlemas. To understand these three titles we must start with Jewish law about childbirth in Jesus’ day. This said that following the birth of a boy the mother was excluded from public worship for seven days. She was considered ritually impure. On the eighth day the boy was circumcised. This provision of the law is still observed by Jews today. Thereafter the mother remained at home for a further thirty-three days for her blood to be purified. That is why the first title for today’s feast is the Purification of Mary.
If this seems strange to us in 21st century America, it is not strange at all in other parts of the world. Even today Chinese mothers stay at home for at least a month after giving birth. After forty days of rest and seclusion, the Jewish mother presented a purification sacrifice: a lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or turtle dove for a sin offering. Poor mothers needed to offer only two turtle doves or two young pigeons. As we heard in the gospel, that is what Mary and Joseph offered. They were poor.
Mary needed no purification. The child she bore would purify the world through his sacrificial death and resurrection. But as a devout Jew, Mary observed the law of her people nonetheless. Thirty years later her Son would act similarly when he underwent baptism by his cousin John the Baptist, even though Jesus needed no baptism.
Jewish law also said that a firstborn son belonged to the Lord. This was because, in the final plague inflicted by God on the Egyptians, he had killed all their firstborn children and animals. But he spared the firstborn among his own people, the Jews. Firstborn Jewish children belonged, therefore, to the Lord. The parents could “redeem” them (take them back) by paying five shekels to any Jewish priest they chose.
Instead of paying this redemption, Mary and Joseph take their infant son to the Jerusalem Temple, to present him to the Lord. This explains the second title for today’s feast: the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. From that day Jesus belonged completely to God. By age twelve he knew this. For when his parents found him in the Temple after a frantic three-day search, he asked them: “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”         
When Mary and Joseph entered the Temple with their infant son, 40 days after his birth, they found that the Lord had two surprises for them. How often he surprises us. The first surprise was the appearance of the old man Simeon. He was “righteous and devout,” the gospel writer, Luke, tells us, “awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” God had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen “the Christ,” which means the Lord’s anointed servant, promised for so long by Israel’s prophets. When Simeon saw the child, he knew in his heart at once, that this was the one: the Lord’s anointed servant, the Messiah.
Taking the child in his arms, Simeon speaks the short hymn of praise to God that we heard in the gospel. It is called the Nunc dimittis, from its first two Latin words. From early times it has been chanted during the night prayer of the Church in both East and West. Praising God for fulfilling his promise, Simeon says he is now ready to go home to the Lord. The hymn also praises the child as Israel’s glory, and for the Gentiles a light – which helps explain why we bless candles on this feast and why it has a third name: Candlemas.
Simeon goes on to say that this child will be “a sign of contradiction.” Some will accept him, others will not. This contradiction continues today in  those who regard the whole notion of God as a limitation of human freedom, and his law a fence to hem us in. In reality, of course, God’s laws, first given to the leader of God’s people, Moses, in the Ten Commandments, are sign posts pointing the way to human happiness and flourishing.
Finally, Simeon warns Mary that the rejection of her Son by many will be a sword piercing her own heart. This prophecy would be fulfilled, according to the traditional dating, thirty-three years later on Calvary, where Mary stood beside her crucified Son, as he spoke his final words: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
The second surprise for Mary and Joseph is the appearance of the 84-year-old widow, Anna. Completely at home in the Temple, she has spent decades in fasting, adoration, and prayer – like contemplative nuns today. She now gives thanks for the child, Luke says, and speaks of him “to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Having fulfilled all the provisions of God’s law, Mary and Joseph return with their child to their home in Nazareth, where (Luke tells us) “the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” It was there, in hiddenness and silence, in faithfulness to daily work and prayer, that Jesus became the man who could say to rough workingmen, “Come, follow me,” and have them obey him on the spot; and to utter words that he is still saying to us today: “I have come that [you] might have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

[The homily draws upon the presentation by Pope Benedict XVI in Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives pp.80-88.]

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

WHO GETS MOST?



Homily for January 30th, 2014: Mark 4:231-25.
          “To the one who has, more will be given,” we heard in the gospel reading. That seems terribly unfair, doesn’t it? Jesus’ words are not a statement about social justice. He is not speaking of how things should be. He is speaking of how they actually are
          Teachers observe this all the time. Which students receive the most help from their teachers? Over time it is the so-called “good students,” those who are eager to learn. They receive most because they give most: their attention, willingness to work, gratitude for extra help. The students who think they know it all already, who are lazy or disinterested may need more help. But when their teachers discover that they don’t welcome efforts to help them, don’t really use the help offered, and are not grateful for it, teachers turn instead to those who welcome help and profit from it. Is that fair? Perhaps not. But it is the way things are.
          “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.” What is Jesus saying? He is telling us that the people who receive most are those who give most. Look at Mother Teresa, now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. During her long life she received praise and adulation from all over the world. The Missionaries of Charity which she founded – in a day when, in our country alone, a hundred thousand Sisters left the convent to embark on other careers – received so much financial support that she forbade all fund-raising. How did she do it? She tells us in her own words:
“Spread love everywhere you go, first of all in your own house. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”
“If you judge people, you’ll have no time to love them.”
Perhaps you’re thinking: That’s fine and good, Father. But we can’t all be Mother Teresas. That’s true. But every one of us can do what she tells us in these words: “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

A HOUSE FOR THE LORD?



Homily for January 29th, 2014: 2 Samuel 7:4-17.
          Yesterday’s first reading told about David bringing the ark, which contained the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, to Jerusalem, the capital of the now united kingdoms of Judah and Israel. After the transfer of the ark, David has the idea of constructing a suitable housing for the nation’s most precious possession. He confides his plan to the prophet Nathan. “Here I am, living in a house of cedar,” he says, “while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Speaking, he assumes, for God (which is what prophets are supposed to do), Nathan approves of David’s plans even before he has heard the details.
          As so often, it turns out that the Lord has other plans. That very night God tells Nathan: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build me a house for me to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day on which I led the Israelites out of Egypt to the present, but I have been going about in a tent.’” Nathan is to remind David of all that God has done for him. “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel.” David’s astonishing career has not been the result of his own efforts. It was God’s gift. And now, Nathan is to tell David, “The Lord reveals to you that he will establish a house for you.” This will not have walls and a roof. It will be a dynasty, made of human beings. 
          There is a message there for us. It is this. The initiative always lies with God. Wanting to do things for the Lord is good. But what we want is not always what the Lord wants for us. A man keenly aware of this was Cardinal Mercier of Belgium during the first World War, a great hero to his people because of the support he gave them under harsh occupation by the German army. He is the author of a beautiful prayer, which I pray every day. It goes like this: 
"O Holy Spirit, Beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do. Give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will."

Monday, January 27, 2014

"WHO ARE MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS?"



Homily for January 28th, 2014: Mark 31-35.
          “The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house,” we heard at the start of today’s gospel. His brothers? The Church has always believed and taught that Jesus had no brothers. His mother Mary had only one child; which is why she is called “ever virgin.” Why, some people ask? Others ask, what difference does it make? It makes all the difference. Here’s why.
          Having given herself completely to God, when she told the angel Gabriel, “I am the servant of the Lord – be it done to me as you say,” it was impossible that Mary could give herself completely to a human husband. That is why Mary is “ever virgin.” The Greek word used by Mark and translated “brothers” was used in biblical times to designate not only siblings, but other relatives as well.
          More significant are the words Jesus directs to those sitting with him in the house: “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus widens his family circle to include all those who try to do his will – ourselves included.
          That is part of the gospel. That is the good news.  
         

Sunday, January 26, 2014

"YOU SHALL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL"



Homily for January 27th, 2014: 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10.
          The old king Saul, whom we have been hearing about for the last ten days, has fallen in battle, and his son Jonathan with him. David has fought Saul’s battles for him, starting when David, only a teenager, slew the Philistine giant Goliath. He has also soothed Saul’s anger and jealousy by playing the harp for him.
At the old king’s death David sings a dirge for him. Though Saul has been angry at David, and out of jealousy has more than once tried to kill him, David grieves over Saul’s death; and he grieves even more for his dear friend Jonathan: “I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother,” David sings, “dear and delightful you were to me; your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.” (2 Sam. 1:26, NEB) Repeatedly his beloved friend Jonathan had saved David from the jealous anger of Jonathan’s father, Saul.
Now David is thirty. The old prophet Samuel had anointed him privately as king while he was still a boy. Now he is publicly acclaimed as king of the formerly separate nations of Judah in the south of Palestine and of Israel in the north. The words with which the people accept and acclaim David are significant. “In days past,” the people say, “when Saul was our king, it was you who led the children of Israel out and brought them back. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel.’” That word, “shepherd,” is crucial. A shepherd’s task is to serve his flock: to guide, lead, and protect them. In the ancient world most kings were like today’s dictators: exploiting the people over whom they ruled, rather than serving them.
From the day he was elected as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis has modeled this role of servant, and taught it to others. In his letter to each of the 29 new cardinals whom he appointed on January 12th he wrote: “Dear Brother: The Cardinalate does not mean a promotion, nor an honor, nor a decoration. It is simply a service that requires us to widen our gaze and enlarge our heart. … Therefore I ask you, please, to accept this appointment with a simple and humble heart. And, although you should do so with happiness and with joy, do it in such a way that this sentiment is far removed from any expression of worldliness, from any celebration alien to the evangelical spirit of austerity, simplicity and poverty.” 
   Is that just for cardinals and bishops? No, the role of servant is for all of who, in baptism, became sisters and brothers of the One who tells us that he came “not to be served, but to serve – to give his life in ransom for the many” (Mark 10:45).