Be a Dreamer (Mt 1:18-24)

An angel appearing to Joseph in dream would not have seemed unusual to him, or to the ancient Israelites (Mt. 1:20).  Scripture records many such dreams as a means of divine communication and prophecy.  For example, the First Book of Kings records the dream of Solomon wherein he receives wisdom from God (1 Kings 3:12).  Genesis describes the dream of Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, whose dream was about his own fate and that of his family before being sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen 37:5-11).  Matthew records the dream of the wise men who are warned to take a different route home to avoid the danger posed by Herod (Mt 2:12).  

Foiled by the Magi, Herod does not let up.  For that reason, soon after the birth of Jesus, Joseph receives a second dream instructing him to flee with his family to Egypt to avoid the violence of Herod.  Yes, Mary, Joseph and Jesus were indeed refugees like the many refugees of today who must flee their homes for safety reasons.  In any case, the dreams recorded in scripture were meant to prepare the dreamer for action, and preparation is the heart of every Advent season.

Before Joseph has his first dream, however, he becomes aware that Mary is pregnant.  How he becomes aware of that the story does not reveal, but his awareness brings about a difficult dilemma for him.  The Mosaic Law requires that he now renounce his promise of marriage to Mary because of her apparent infidelity.  He has two options in that regard.  He can do so in a very public manner that exposes Mary to public scorn, humiliation, and possibly even death by stoning as prescribed by the Law.  Or, the alternative provides that Joseph give Mary a discreet bill of divorce that avoids such dreadful consequences.  Because he is compassionate and merciful, Joseph chooses the latter option and plans to divorce Mary in a private manner.  

Mary also faces a difficult time of decision.  Because she is an unmarried woman and pregnant, she is aware of the likely threatening consequences that will come about by accepting the proposal delivered by Gabriel.  Such consequences include a humiliating bill of divorce from Joseph and the ultimate possibility of death by stoning.  We know how Mary courageously faced these adverse consequences to become the mother of Jesus.  Her consent expresses her profound faith and trust in the Lord.

Ironically, the way Joseph initially chooses to resolve his own dilemma would have helped Mary resolve her situation in a satisfactory manner as well.  Before Joseph carries out his decision, however, lo and behold, an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream.  The angel reassures him about his original marriage plans with Mary, which is enough for Joseph.  Although he cannot foresee the full consequences of following the inspiration of the Lord, Joseph sets aside his personal judgement and fear to comply with the angel’s instruction.  

Like Mary, Joseph places his trust in the Lord and goes against the grain of public opinion to do the right thing—follow the right road—despite the hardship that such a choice will bring about for him.  His response mirrors the faith and trust that Mary places in the Lord.  Their story of faith and trust in the Lord despite the consequences is an ancient story that we commemorate and celebrate in a special way on Christmas day and throughout the season.

Given the way we have idealized and romanticized their story, however, we tend to overlook the difficult challenges Mary and Joseph had to endure and resolve.  For one, at serious stake for both is their intimate relationships and reputation with family and friends.  These relationships could easily deteriorate and turn ugly, or cease altogether, depending on how others viewed their decisions.  The same holds true with respect to their standing in their faith community.  Indeed, their personal identities—how they saw themselves and how others understood them—could, and most likely would be altered forever by the decisions they made.  Indeed, their entire spiritual fate is at stake.  The unavoidable degree of fear and unimaginable difficulty Mary and Joseph must have endured in their situation are important but often overlooked aspects of their story that offer inspiration for us today.

In fact, Mary and Joseph are iconic examples of how to resolve any conflict and do the right thing.  How they faced the fear and anxiety of unexpected challenges with family, friends, and community offers inspiration to all those in difficult situations.  This is especially true for those who are poor, homeless, refugees, immigrants, and those who must flee their homes for safety reasons.  Mary and Joseph also offer support and encouragement for those who must deal with painful stress and unavoidable disruptions in family life.  

Most of us find inspiration in the story of Mary and Joseph because we see ourselves as independent agents willing to go against the grain of public opinion to do the right thing.  We pride ourselves on our determination to live by our humanitarian values in helping the poor and homeless, for example, despite the fact that we too can be a fearful people.  But, sometimes our fear leads us instead to protect ourselves by rejecting, shunning, and ostracizing those who are different from us—any person or group that does not fit our view of the world and our purpose in it.  

Sometimes, we add ridicule and condemnation to further separate ourselves from those who are different.  The many recent violent attacks against minority groups of one kind or another is one hideous example of how fear sometimes ignites a violent response to that which is different.  This contradiction in values and the underlying fear that often motivates a distasteful and dreadful response is what the dream of Joseph is all about.

For that reason, the way in which Joseph ultimately resolves his conflict provides a message of hope and guidance for us today.  Although Joseph’s first response is to let public opinion and fear drive his choice to quietly divorce Mary, he ultimately puts his total trust in the Lord.  With courage, he follows a new path of love and compassion.  If he looks like a sinner, so be it.  Joseph had a conflict of values that he resolved by placing his trust in the Lord; likewise for Mary.

We can do the same.  We can hand ourselves over to the Holy Spirit.  We can place our trust in the Lord and allow him to guide and inspire our choices, especially those choices that are difficult and possibly disruptive to our daily routines.  And, like Joseph and Mary, we can be sure of the outcome.  Joseph’s dream and his decisions echo the ancient proverb, “Trust in the Lord in all things” (Prov 3:5).  Like Joseph and Mary, we can be confident that the Lord works all things to the good for those who love him (Rm 8:28).  Let their inspiration and trust in the Lord be the heart of our Advent and Christmas celebration.

Faith and Trust is the Way (Lk 1:5-25

Luke uses an interesting strategy with his back-to-back positioning of the two annunciation stories—the birth of John the Baptist immediately followed by the birth of Jesus story.  These two stories invite a comparison that reveals some lessons for us today.  For one, such a comparison shows that no matter how bleak things may appear or how confused we may be, we have every reason to trust that God will show us the way (Ps 28:7).  God yearns for our trust such that faith in God calls for trust in God (Prov 3:5; Ps 62:9).

Luke demonstrates this point with the questions that Zechariah and Mary raise in their encounters with Gabriel.  Each asks Gabriel, in a similar but slightly different way, how the message he delivers will come about.  The similarity in their questions, however, conceals a difference in their motives.  

Zechariah’s question—how shall I know this—asks for proof.  Zechariah already knows how because Gabriel has just explained that Zechariah’s prayer has been answered.  His wife, Elizabeth, is pregnant.  Gabriel adds details of the child’s name, how joyful the event will be, and the many great things John will accomplish.  Zechariah still wants to know why he should believe Gabriel since he and his wife are beyond childbearing years.  His question thus reveals a lack of trust in God.  It’s as though he doesn’t believe God would, or perhaps even could, make such a thing happen in his and Elizabeth’s old age.

Gabriel’s response shows disappointment in Zechariah.  Gabriel responds that he comes as a messenger from God, and therefore, Zechariah has no reason to question his authority or the message.  Because Zechariah does not trust God, he will be unable to speak until the naming of John.  He does not understand that faith in God calls for trust in God.   

Mary, on the other hand, has the opposite reaction in her encounter with Gabriel.  After Gabriel explains all that is about to happen, he waits for her response, for apparently none of what he predicts will unfold without her consent.  Mary’s first response, however, is not to consent, but to ask for more information.  Her question to Gabriel—how can this be—reveals surprise and confusion.  She does not understand because she is not having relations with a man.  Her current marital status alone justifies her wanting to know how all this will come about.  She is not asking for proof.  She just wants to know how.  

Gabriel honors her request with further explanation.  He even goes further with an offer of proof by revealing that Elizabeth is now pregnant with John.  At this point, Mary does indeed consent, but her consent does not reflect understanding on her part.  Rather, her consent—be it done unto me according to your word—expresses a profound belief and trust that things will work out for the best.  Mary shows that faith in God calls for trust in God.

Mary’s reaction and consent is a daring example of trusting in God despite the risks involved, known and unknown.  Mary has everything to lose in this situation.  She is a young, single woman with no social status or independent means of support.  Giving her consent therefore would seriously jeopardize her reputation and continued good standing in the community.  Exposure of her pregnancy might even lead to death by stoning.  Mary is aware of this and more, and yet, she places her trust in God.  She shows that, sometimes, trusting in God means that we follow our heart no matter the possible consequences.

In contrast, Zechariah’s lack of trust is an example of how fear and doubt can lead us away from the right road.  Zechariah had devoted his life to serving God as prophet and priest.  He had been favored with visions from God, and for that, was held in high esteem by his faith community (Lk 1:8-9).  Placing his trust in God at this crucial moment would have reaffirmed the authenticity of his religious role and leadership in the community.  God’s answer to his persistent prayer would offer additional evidence in that regard.  Apparently, the risk stemming from doubt is too great for Zechariah, and he cannot express hope and trust.  He does not realize that faith in God calls for trust in God.      

One final point from these stories is that God looks to our hearts for our true motives.  We cannot fool God.  The way we live in response to his inspiration and grace is proof positive of what is in our hearts.  Our lives always reflect our true motives.  As Proverbs puts it, "Every way of a man seems right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart" (Prov 21:2).  For, the Lord sees not as we humans see.  We go by appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7).  In the end, these annunciation stories show that God yearns for our trust.  No matter how bleak things may appear or how confused we may be, we have every reason to trust that God will show us the way.  Faith in God calls for trust in God.

Just Ask (Mt 9:27-31)

The story about Jesus healing the two blind men is a story that reveals our need for the light of Christ and the way to receive that light.  The irony in this story is that, in a spiritual sense, the two men have no need of healing.  They already see with the eyes of faith.  They clearly see and understand that Jesus has the power to do just that, heal them of their blindness.  They demonstrate their belief in answer to his question, do you believe that I can do this.  When they answer yes, Jesus affirms their steadfast faith and spiritual vision by restoring their physical sight.  They simply ask and Jesus responds.

This story highlights a common need for spiritual light as the way to be healed of spiritual blindness.  Jesus highlights this need when he says that “the lamp of the body is the eye.  It follows that if your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light.  But if your eye is bad, your entire body will be in darkness,” and that darkness is great indeed (Mt 6:22-23).  In putting it this way, Jesus describes the need for light in both a physical and a spiritual sense. 

Scripture reveals this dual function of light in at least three ways.  The first is the way light functions in the creation story.  On the first day of creation, the earth was covered with darkness and God created light that he called day and the darkness he called night (1:1-5).  On the fourth day, God created the sun to illuminate the day and the moon and stars to illuminate the night (1:14-17).  God was not the light itself.  Rather, the light was merely a manifestation of His presence (Ps 4:6).  Today, the light of God allows us to see his creation in all its plenitude, beauty and variety.

The second role for light is the spiritual function it has for us.  Jesus reveals this role in his claim that he is “…the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8-12).  With this claim, Jesus declares himself to be light in a spiritual sense.  Jesus is the light that gives life to the soul, for all things were created in and through him, including life itself.  His light “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 1:1-5).

This is why Jesus tells his disciples, “The light is with you for a little longer.  Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you.  If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light” (Mt 11:35–36).  To be a child of light through faith in Jesus, therefore, is the third role of light. 

The children of light believe in Jesus and follow his way.  Their faith enables them to become light for the world and salt for the earth.  As children of the light, the followers of Jesus do not to hide their light under a bushel basket.  Rather, they let others see the good deeds they carry out with his light in imitation of his good deeds.  In fact, we are made for good deeds born of the light of Christ (Mt 5:13-16; Ep 2:10). 

The challenge for us today is how to access the light of Christ.  How can we see with the eyes of faith?  We need the light of Christ here in the physical world as much as we need his light in the spiritual realm.  The blind men who were healed by Jesus show us the answer.  They simply ask for his light.  Their faith motivates their search for healing, and their search born of faith leads them to Jesus, who is eager to comply. 

Jesus wants to give that same light to everyone.  This is the very reason he came into the world (Jn 1:9).  Jesus is light itself (1 Jn 1-7).  He is the new dawn that brings “light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 1:78-79).  He gives us light to heal our spiritual darkness, and that healing brings us peace.  All we have to do is ask for his light.  Why else would he say to us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you” (Mt 7:7-8).  There is simply no better way to put it.    

 

Connection and Transformation (Presentation of Mary)

 

Faith and gratitude are at the heart of the feast of the Presentation of Mary.  This ancient feast commemorates Mary’s presentation in the Temple by her parents, Anne and Joachim.  As legend has it, Anne and Joachim were a childless couple who longed for a child.  Their faith in God inspired their prayer for the gift of a child (see Protoevangelium of James).  Soon after, Anne became pregnant with Mary, and after her birth, brought Mary to the Temple for consecration to God as an expression of gratitude.  Although scripture does not record this event, there is ample evidence in the Old Testament that shows such consecration to God was common place (e.g. 1 Sam 2:22; Ex 8:38; 13:2; 13:13; Lk 2:22-24). 

The presentation of Mary reveals two aspects of faith that we often overlook: connection and transformation.  This event shows that faith connects us to each other and transforms our lives.  We are all children of God and members of the same divine family.  We therefore share a divine purpose of loving service to each other in imitation of Christ.  For this reason, our connection through faith allows us to do more together than we can do alone.  There is a touching story in Luke that illustrates this kind of faith in poignant detail. 

The story is about a paralyzed man who wants to be healed, but is unable on his own to present himself to Jesus for that purpose.  Coming to his aid is a group of friends from his faith community, who carry him to the roof and lower him down in front of Jesus.  Neither the paralytic nor his friends ask anything of Jesus.  Rather, with unspoken hope and trust, they simply take bold action in faith for their neighbor. They force their way through the crowd, up to the roof, and down into the presence of Jesus.  Right away, Jesus acknowledges their combined show of faith and immediately heals the man in a complete sense—first from his sins and then from his paralysis (Lk 5:17-26).

Obviously, the paralytic had his own faith in the healing power of Jesus.  Otherwise, he would not have sought his help.  The man could not act alone, however.  He needed others to help him realize the full expression of his faith.  Those from his faith community who provided the needed assistance shared the same faith in Jesus.  Otherwise, they would not have brought him to Jesus for healing.

This combined effort demonstrates that faith is more than a solo, private experience of God.  This is true because “Christ is not simply the one in whom we believe...Christ is the one with whom we are united precisely in order to believe” (Lumen Fidei, 18, 22).  By this definition, faith does not function in isolation.  Faith by its nature is meant to be lived in and through a community of believers.  Faith connects us to each other.

For this reason, faith is not a passive experience born of rational analysis and mere assent of mind and heart.  Rather, faith finds expression in words and deeds based on the love of Christ.  Faith transforms us.  Because Christ lives in complete and constant union with the Father, Christ is the supreme manifestation of God’s love, and the one who makes God known to us (cf. Jn 1:18).  As a result, when we live in union with Jesus, our faith allows us to see things as Christ sees them, with the eyes of love (1 Jn 4:7-9; LF 18).

Faith working through love inspires and motivates us to imitate the deeds of Jesus.  In fact, Jesus declares that those who believe in him will do the works that he does and even greater ones (Jn 14:12).  This is the transformative difference that faith can make in our lives.  When we open our hearts to the faith and love offered by Jesus, we become his love in action. Faith and love working together then enlarge and expand our lives in ways that we could never achieve on our own (LF21).

St. Paul describes what happens when faith connects and transforms us when he says "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2:20).  In this same spirit and in honor of our Holy Mother’s presentation, we pray that our faith will always keep us connected to each other and transform our hearts into willing acts of love (Eph 3:17).

 

Love and Wisdom are the Tools (Mal 3:19-20a; 2 Thes 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19)

 

The readings for today show us that love and wisdom are the sure tools for dealing with the fear that comes with uncertainty.  Such fear often intensifies when the uncertainty stems from an impending bad outcome brought about by our own hand.  In other words, fear of uncertainty increases when any accounting would show that we are responsible for the doom and gloom we are about to experience, especially when it’s too late to change the outcome.

Malachi relies on exactly this scenario in the first reading to predict the fate of the proud and the evildoers.  He predicts an inescapable day of reckoning for them that will result in their total obliteration, leaving them with neither root nor branch for their posterity.  Oddly enough, there is an offer of hope in Malachi’s prediction.  That hope comes with the exception he provides for those who follow the right path based on fear of the Lord. 

Those who follow the path of respect and honor for God are the wise ones whose path is made clear by God (Prov 3:6).  They know which way to go because they seek what God wants above all else (Mt 6:33).  Their wisdom allows for a better outcome as determined by the healing rays of justice.  Those who fear the Lord and live by His Word will be spared the inevitable doom and gloom that Malachi predicts for those who follow a different path.

Jesus offers this same hope when he predicts the total destruction of the temple.  Despite its beauty and the many offerings made there, Jesus predicts an impending and inevitable end to its existence.  No stone will be left unturned.  Someone asks for a sign to know when this is about to happen, and Jesus responds with a list of signs, rather than just one.  He understands our need for signs.  Signs are useful because they always point to something beyond.  Good signs always point to the truth.

There are many such signs in the New Testament.  These signs always point to the wisdom that those who believe in Jesus and follow his way will have a new life in him.  Jesus is therefore the cause of our hope and the source of our wisdom.  In this sense, the kind of wisdom revealed in the New Testament is different from worldly wisdom.  The New Testament speaks about spiritual wisdom. 

Spiritual wisdom is not something we acquire by our own work alone.  Spiritual wisdom is not simply the product of our study, learning, and experience.  Spiritual wisdom in essence is a generous and loving gift from the Holy Spirit (1Cor.12:8; Eph.1:17).  When we pray for this gift, the Holy Spirit honors our request and enables us to know the right thing to do in particular circumstances; to do what God wants, to take the right path.  The wisdom of the Holy Spirit is thus our sure guide to a life filled with hope for a good outcome.

All of us receive the essence of this wisdom from the first moment of our existence.  This gift of wisdom is none other than the light of Christ.  Because all things are made through Christ, and without him nothing is made, Christ is the life and the light of everyone, the true light that enlightens every person coming into this world (Jn 1:3-4, 9; Kasper, p. 529).  In this sense, spiritual wisdom is not a state of mind, but the light of Christ that stands ready at every moment to show us what direction to take.  We simply have to want to see with His light.

For that reason, the light that we receive from the beginning to find our way through the darkness is a seed.  As with any seed, it must be protected and nourished to blossom into a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  For the Christian, the first and most fundamental way of protecting and nurturing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is through baptism. The liturgical rite of Baptism inaugurates our life in Christ and formally incorporates us into the body of Christ, our faith community.

Baptism is not only a sacrament of rebirth and initiation into the body of Christ, however.  Baptism is also a call to live as a disciple of Christ.  Through baptism, we receive a mission to be witnesses to Christ (Matt. 28:19; Kasper, p.530).  We are baptized to be Christ to others, to be a sacrament of love, both for ourselves and for others.  Indeed, the baptized are called to proclaim the mighty acts of God, both in attitude and in conduct (1 Pet. 2:5, 9).

What enables us to live out our call to discipleship is the wisdom of God, the light of Christ that we receive from the Holy Spirit.  The wisdom of the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must be solicitous in protecting our baptismal call (2 Peter 1:10-11).  This is why St. Paul urges us many times to put on the heart and mind of Christ and live in the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14).  Only in this way will our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh.  Only with the heart and mind of Christ can we love others as He loves us (1 Jn4:9-11).

St. Paul describes the life of one who lives in the Spirit in terms of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).  These are the fruits of living in the Spirit.  Fruit is an interesting metaphor that Paul uses to describe the results of this way of life.  Fruit is something that we take in, we eat it, and we are nourished by it, though we may not know how.  Paul uses this metaphor to show that the Holy Spirit works in the same way. 

As we are willing to open our hearts and accept the grace of the Holy Spirit, especially through sacrament, prayer and good works, we receive the light of Christ.  We take in the light of Christ, the wisdom of God, as an interior guide and teacher that transforms our lives and way of thinking.  How the Holy Spirit does this is not clear, but the results are evident in our attitude and conduct.  Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us a spirit of power and love and self-control that eradicates all fear (2 Tim 1:7).

We know we have cooperated with the wisdom of God and live in the Spirit of Christ when we are peacemakers, when we are patient, when we are kind, loving, and understanding.  The wisdom of God shows us that we can become peacemakers by seeking peace; we become patient by resisting impatience; we become understanding when we seek to understand; we become loving the more we love. 

Living in the Spirit is thus more than showing a respectful tolerance of each other.  The Holy Spirit motivates us to take an active regard for the welfare of others, especially those in need.  As Paul puts it in the second reading for today, we are to earn our keep—mind our own business—and do the work of God (2 Thes 3:12).  When we live this way, we live by the love and wisdom of God.  In that case, we have nothing to fear in the outcome.

 

One or the Other, but Not Both (Lk 16:1-8)

 

The parables are timeless stories that continue to help us in our troubled times even today.  The parable about the dishonest steward is an example.  This clever steward saves his own skin through manipulation and exploitation of his master’s wealth.  Rather than express outrage over being swindled, however, the master praises the steward’s unscrupulous behavior.  More surprising is the lesson that Jesus claims the parable offers. 

Rather than warn against imitating the behavior of the dishonest steward, as we might expect, Jesus encourages the children of the light to be equally clever.  He claims that doing so proves they are trustworthy with true wealth!  All of which leads to his final point that we cannot serve both God and mammon.  One or the other, but not both (Lk 16:13).

In those days and in our own, mammon includes more than money.  Mammon includes many things of this world—material wealth of all kinds, also status, control, and a myriad of things that give us a sense of security.  If we take our eyes off Jesus, however, we risk turning any of those things into a god.  For that reason, Jesus says to the children of the light, be clever with the things of this world.  Be on guard not only with money, but all those things that do not last.  Jesus wants us to focus on things with lasting value.  For, where our treasure is, there also is our heart, our destiny (Lk 12:34).    

The question is, how are we to use the things of this world in a spiritually wise manner?  Which master do we serve?  This is a question each of us must answer.  Jesus shows us through his own life and mission that our calling is to serve the God of love, mercy, and justice by caring for those who are in need (Lk 6:36; Is 58:7-10). 

There is a passage in the first letter of Timothy that makes this point in a more persuasive manner.  Timothy says in his letter: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”  For Timothy, this is how we prepare ourselves to take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Tim 6:17-19).  Timothy encourages us to grow rich with good deeds, if for no other reason, than as a show of gratitude for all that God has done for each of us. 

Timothy’s advice reminds us that Jesus called the people of his day—as much as he calls us—to follow the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 2:4-6).  Doing so is a matter of living in a vibrant, dynamic, trusting relationship with God.  The stories that Jesus tells always point to the God of Love as the only master to serve.  And, because Jesus loves us, he allows each of us to choose for ourselves, hoping that we will choose wisely. 

 

Love is the Law (Lk 14:1-6)

 

Jesus and the Pharisees clearly lived in two different worlds.  The Pharisees lived in a black and white world controlled by rules, while Jesus lived in a more nuanced world guided by the principle of love.  These are contrasting and incompatible views. The Pharisees were the educated scholars of both the Torah and their oral tradition.  That tradition included many rules developed over time as a guide for the daily practice of Judaism (Ex 31:15).  These rules eventually grew to the point of being cumbersome, with many bordering on the absurd (Mt 23:4).  Although the Pharisees professed faithfulness to God in terms of strict obedience to these rules, they interpreted and applied them in ways that often oppressed the ordinary person (Mt 23:23).  Even worse, they often found it more convenient to ignore and nullify the Word of God in favor of their own tradition (Mk 7:9-13).

Jesus had a very different perspective on faithfulness to God.  He best reveals his take on faithfulness in summarizing the entire Law and the Prophets with the dual commandments to love God and neighbor, including one’s enemies.  Jesus is not being a naive romantic in speaking this way.  He aims to show that love is the heart of the Mosaic Law, in contrast to the burdensome extension of the Law by the Pharisees.  For Jesus, following the principle of love is the only way to live in harmony with the Law and remain faithful to God.

Ironically, the Pharisees’ insisted on following the rules, and yet, they did not follow their own teaching (Mt 23:13-33).  They stopped practicing what they preached.  Their greed for status, money, and control made them spiritually blind.  Because of their inability to perceive spiritual truth, they felt threatened by Jesus and often accused him of deliberately violating the Law, especially the commandment to keep holy the Sabbath.  The encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees in today’s gospel is an example in that regard. 

On this occasion, the Pharisees question Jesus about healing a man on the Sabbath.  Their interpretation of the commandment strictly prohibited work of any kind, including healing (cf. Ex 20:8).  Their objection has no basis, however, for Jesus lived as a faithful observant of the Law.  He makes this plain when he declares that he did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Mt 5:17). 

He provides further evidence of his faithfulness to the Law by teaching in the synagogues, especially on the Sabbath (Lk 4:16).  He observes Passover with his disciples (Mt 26:17-19).  He celebrates the feast of Tabernacles as well as the feast of Lights (Jn 7:2-10; 10:22).  He even followed his own admonition to pray often and with persistence (Lk 18:1; 5:16).  All of which shows that Jesus followed the Law, and in so doing, always honored the Sabbath as a day reserved by God for rest and holiness (Ex 20:8-11).

As a result, Jesus gives a more authentic interpretation of this commandment by describing the Sabbath as a day for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing (Mk 3:4).  Jesus puts this point in sharp relief when he asks the Pharisees whether even they would work to save their own sons or livestock from harm on the Sabbath (Lk 14:5).  Jesus asked because he knew they had lost sight of the guiding principle that "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath" (Mk 2:27).  Because of their blindness, however, the Pharisees remain silent and do not answer his question.

What are the implications of this encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees for us today?  What does Jesus want us to take away?  At the very least, the implication of his question about working to prevent harm on the Sabbath is significant.  We do not live in a black and white moral world.  At times, we do not know how to love others in the right way, and resolving our doubt requires careful consideration.  The more complex the situation, the more careful the consideration needed.  We also have the example of Jesus. 

Jesus solved the Pharisees’ question by choosing to act in favor of doing good, of doing what is merciful and just on the Sabbath.  Jesus chose the person over the rule.  At times, the moral dilemma we face also requires a decision born of a clear conscience (Summa, I-II, q. 94).  Our calling is to remain faithful to a loving God with both our heart and our mind, not just our mind.  From this perspective, love and faithfulness go hand in hand as the sure guideposts for an authentic relationship with God.

In his encyclical, “Love in the Family,” Pope Francis perhaps best summarizes this point.  In that encyclical, Francis puts emphasis on the virtues of faith, hope, love, mercy, wisdom, and prudence in guiding the process of moral discernment and decision-making.  For him, the best moral decisions are the ones that promote human dignity and development of the whole person.  In other words, a living faith in God seeks and promotes a just human community in Christ1.  Honoring and respecting the whole human person as a reflection of our love for God is the whole point of the Mosaic Law itself.  Even today, this remains the perfect justification for celebrating the Sabbath as a day of holiness.

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1 Populorum progression, 21; see also “Pope Francis and His Predecessors: A Remarkable and Unremarked Continuity” by Michael G. Lawler and Todd A. Salzman, The Furrow 68 (11), Nov 2017, pp. 579-589.

 

Reconcile Before Reckoning (Lk 12:54-59)

 

The story about settling with an opponent on the way to the magistrate’s court yields advice as sound today as when Jesus first told the story.  Although Jesus puts the story in a legal context, he is not talking about legal wrongs.  Rather, Jesus is talking about the moral wrongs that arise in our relationships with others.  In that sense, the magistrate is a symbol for God, while the idea of going to court symbolizes our journey through life to that day of final reckoning before God.  For, everything has a time and a season (Ecc 3:1).  This gives the story its spiritual significance. 

The advice itself seems clear.  As Jesus puts it, if each of us settles our moral wrongs prior to our final reckoning before God, things will go much better for us.  If, on the other hand, we refuse to reconcile with our moral opponents and force God to settle the matter, we might not like the final outcome.  The better option therefore is to settle with our moral opponents on this side of life, if at all possible.  This advice raises some interesting questions.

For one, what counts as a moral wrong, and who are our moral opponents?  A moral wrong is any intentional and unjust harm done to others.  The greater the harm, the greater the wrong.  Our moral opponent, therefore, is anyone we have harmed in that way, or on the other hand, anyone who has harmed us in that way.    Sometimes, we need to be forgiven, and sometimes we need to forgive.  The story says nothing, however, about what to do if the wounded party declines our attempt at reconciliation.  Nor does it say anything about those relationships that ought to be left alone.  From a practical standpoint, attempts to reconcile with some persons might not be warranted.

In any case, another question concerns the reason we are on our way to court, to God’s court?  Why is that?  Because life is a journey to our spiritual home, and sooner or later, each of us will give an account of ourselves before God (Mt. 12:36; Rm 14:12).  God has the final say on how well we lived our lives.  Apparently, things will not go well for us if we knowingly force God to do our moral dirty work.  Thus, Jesus urges us to prepare our best case ahead of time by resolving all moral wrongs before we get to that final court of appeal.  Better yet, we ought to avoid getting morally sideways in the first place.

More than once, Jesus revealed the right path to follow in that regard by making the principle of love our sure guide in life.  Love one another as I have loved you, he tells his disciples (Jn 13:34).  Jesus made the commandment to love God and our neighbor the cornerstone of his life and mission, and therefore, the cornerstone of ours as well.  Defining love as an obligation, however, seems inconsistent with an ordinary understanding of love. 

Ordinarily, we understand love not as an obligation, but as something we freely give to others, especially to those who most deserve and need our love.  Jesus, on the other hand, means that love is our natural state of being.  We have a natural ability to love because God loved us first.  In fact, God’s love for us is the reason we exist in the first place (Gen 1:26-28; Eph 1:3-5).  Because we are made in the image of God, we are therefore made for love.  Not that we love everyone in the same way, or to the same degree.  The point is, our natural ability to love is a gift from God and the lifeblood of our very being. 

It follows that our calling is to imitate Christ in loving service to others (Dt 10:12; Eph 5:1-2).  As the Evangelist John tells us, we ought to live just as Jesus lived (1 Jn 5:6).  Not only is this the best way to avoid intentional moral wrongs.  Loving others in imitation of Christ is also the best way to set the record straight when we go astray (Lk 11:41).  We can present our best case to God by loving his children and his creation with all sincerity.  This is what matters to God.  This is how Christ treated others, both friend and foe.  We can do no better than to follow his example.

Friend or Foe? (Lk 11:37-41)

 

Jesus and the Pharisees are not friends.  Not only do the Pharisees constantly find fault with whatever Jesus says and does.  Through their many encounters with Jesus, the Pharisees prove themselves to be self-righteous religious leaders, full of pretense and deceit (Lk 18:10-13).  They readily boast of their service and obedience to God, all the while concealing their extortion and cruel treatment of others (Lk 11:39-44).  They fail to see their own need for repentance and thus do not seek forgiveness of their sins.  As a result, they have been forgiven little, and for that reason, they love little (Lk 7:47).  The Pharisees are hypocritical frauds with very little love in their hearts for God or for others.  Thus, they are not like Jesus.  No wonder they are not his friends.

In fact, Jesus and the Pharisees are so different that Jesus becomes their stern critic who eagerly calls attention to their moral failures and misguided ways.  Today’s gospel reading is an example in that regard.  Jesus goes to the home of a leading Pharisee for dinner.  The Pharisee becomes indignant over the fact that Jesus does not observe the prescribed washing before a meal.  In response, Jesus is quick to call attention to the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees.  He notes how they focus on the minutia of ritual and custom, but fail to acknowledge the embedded evil in their hearts.

Another example of the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees occurs when Jesus goes for dinner to the home of Simon, a prominent Pharisee.   A woman, who was known to be a sinner, is also there.  When she sees Jesus, she expresses profound sorrow for her sins by giving heartfelt attention to his place as an honored guest.  Jesus accepts the sincerity of her contrition and forgives her sins.  Simon rails against what he perceives to be the misplaced compassion of Jesus, and rebukes him for his response to the woman.  Undaunted by Simon’s critique, however, Jesus insists that love and mercy must take the place of self-righteous pride and the unjust condemnation of others (Lk 7:36-50).

At every turn, Jesus confronts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and challenges them to live their faith with sincerity, honesty, mercy, and love. The Pharisees, however, remained fixated on a show of complying with the Mosaic Law as evidence of their faithfulness.  Their focus was on the letter of the Law, not the Spirit of Love.

While their actions may have been technically correct, their motives were far from authentic.  This is why they castigated Jesus for not honoring the ritual of washing before meals as prescribed by the Law.  From their perspective, following the correct ritual and custom was sufficient justification under the Law.  What was in their hearts, what else may have motivated their actions, was of little concern to them.

Jesus invites the Pharisees to a new way of life, a new way of seeing things.  Jesus calls us to the same way of life.  God wants to give us a “new heart” and a “new spirit” so that we can reflect His love and holiness in our daily lives.  For, love is the genuine source of faith in action (Gal 5:6).  An authentic relationship with God and with others, therefore, stems from love rather than adherence to ritual and custom.  This way of seeing things is our sure path to becoming more like Christ every day, and the only way to be his friend.

What Does God Care About? (Lk 17:11-19)

 

The story about the ten lepers is a story about faith, gratitude, and the mercy of God.  Notice the lepers do not ask Jesus for healing.  They ask Jesus for mercy—Master, have pity on us, they say to him.  Today, we think of mercy more as a matter of kindness, a subset of justice, rather than as a principle on equal footing with justice.  In fact, we often think that the principle of justice trumps the principle of mercy.    

Yet, when God first reveals himself to Moses from the burning bush on Mt. Sinai, this is exactly how God describes himself, as a God of mercy.  From the bush, Moses hears God say, “I have seen the affliction of my people…I have heard their cry…and I intend to deliver them by your hand” (Ex 3:7-10).  Before Moses returns to carry out his role in that regard, he wants to know the name of the one who speaks.  God says, “I am Who I am…a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love and fidelity” (Ex 34:6). 

No wonder mercy is what the lepers ask of Jesus.  By law and by ritual in those days, the faith community viewed leprosy as God’s punishment for sin.  The leper was no longer holy before God.  No one could touch or even support a leper for fear that the moral impurity of the disease was as contagious as its physical defilement.  Thus, the leper was cut off from the faith community, and stood to forfeit for all time his or her relationship with God and with all other members.  The only way a leper could rejoin the faith community was to be declared cured, and therefore clean, by competent religious authority.

To that end, the leper had available two options only—to be healed through a direct intervention by God (Ex. 15:26), or through an appeal to God’s mercy by a prophet (Ex. 15:25; II Kings 2:21; II Kings 20:7–8).  The ten lepers choose the second option and ask Jesus for mercy as the more likely avenue to be made clean.  Jesus hears more in their request, however.  What Jesus hears is their faith in God. 

Jesus acknowledges their faith by responding that all ten should present themselves to the priests.  Because they trust his word, they immediately carry out his instruction.  On the way, all ten realize they have been healed.  Their trust in God has made them whole again.  Only one, however, the Samaritan, an outcast, perceives that God is the source of his healing, and only he returns to give thanks.  The Samaritan perceives the presence of God in the person of Jesus.  He sees what the Pharisees failed to see, and he gives thanks.

This show of gratitude at the feet of Jesus acknowledges Jesus as more than a prophet.  Jesus is the one who validates the Samaritan’s faith by calling attention to the end result, his salvation—Stand up and go; your faith has saved you—Jesus says (Lk 17:19).  The Samaritan’s realization that he has been “healed” by God becomes a realization that he has been “saved” by God.  His faith has made him whole in both body and spirit.

It should be noted in this encounter between Jesus and the lepers that Jesus does not require them to express any repentance or renunciation of sin before their healing.  Nor does he ask them to change their ethnic or religious identity.  Jesus goes further and ignores the idea that leprosy is punishment for sin or that Samaritans are rivals of the Israelites.  Jesus overlooks all of this.  All that Jesus looks for is faith.  The lepers’ request for mercy is enough to demonstrate their faith in God and trust in Jesus.  In response to their faith and trust, Jesus reaches out to them where they are and heals them.  

The healing of the ten lepers demonstrates God’s unconditional love for all people regardless of their social, religious, or ethnic status.  Faith and unconditional love are what God cares about.  This is why Jesus yearns for us to seek him with all boldness, without fear, and without condition.  “Come to me all you who labor and are burned, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).  Jesus does not restrict who may seek him.  Clearly, the lepers sought Jesus WHEN they were in need of healing, BEFORE they were made clean.  Jesus did not say to them:  Go get holy, and then knock on the door.  Rather, Jesus says:  Knock on the door and I will open it; seek and you will find.

This story shows that gratitude, love, and mercy are the more compelling aspects of faith.  From wherever we are on our faith journey, we can approach Jesus no matter what our circumstances might be.  Jesus simply looks for faith and is eager to respond to the faith that each of us can muster, however little or much that might be.  We can trust that Jesus will respond to our needs with compassion.  For, compassion is the natural and universal response of unconditional love, and gratitude is the natural and universal response of the one who receives such love.  As the Psalmist puts it, “Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done marvelous deeds” (Ps 98:1-4). 

What do we want from Jesus?  What do we ask for?  What do we seek?  Why do we knock?  The goodness and mercy of God are reason enough to place our trust in him for our journey through life.  Trust in God leads to wholeness of spirit.  Here I am Lord.  Tell me what to do Lord, and I will do it.  Like the lepers, we express our faith in Jesus, and Jesus responds.  In turn, we can trust Jesus.  We follow his instruction, and we are made whole (Is 55:3).  Thus, we have every reason to give thanks to God.