Wise from the inside out

Today’s Mass Readings: 1 Kings 10:1-10; Psalms 37:5-6, 39-40; Mark 7:14-23

Wisdom above all else
King Solomon was known for his wisdom.  That is why the Book of Wisdom is also known as the Wisdom of Solomon.  Though his kingdom was incredibly wealthy and even his servants wore fine clothes and jewelry, the Queen of Sheba was most impressed with his wisdom. 

This is not unique to the Queen of Sheba, though.  Many of us find wisdom and intellect more impressive than a big house, nice car, or country club membership.  Though many of us feel this way, some people are falling away from finding this inner trait as impressive as riches.  A sad byproduct of the growing materialist tendencies of our culture is that people find what we have or wear to be more interesting or impressive than the character that makes up our soul.

Why we seek wisdom
The reason wisdom is so much more important that things, is because of the nature of wisdom.  Wisdom is more than pure intellect and impressive cognition.  Wisdom, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is, “A spiritual gift which enables one to know the purpose and plan of God…”  Through pray and discernment we can know and align ourselves with the purpose and plan of God so that we can help Him fulfill that mission.  Though He does not need our help, He loves to see us want to work with Him.

Not a new struggle
Even during Jesus’ time He was battling a mindset which believed that what people ate, such as pork, made them unclean while sinful behavior can be overlooked more easily.  The Pharisees were known for wearing beautiful garments, staying away from “unclean” foods, washing themselves properly before meals, and yet they neglect justice and the love of God.  Rather than looking into someone’s heart, they would look to see how closely they followed the law.  In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus referred to these Pharisees as “whitewashed tombs” because they look well-kept on the outside, but stunk of death and decay on the inside.

Let us pray that we align our lives with the purpose and plan God has in our lives.  Help us to live and present ourselves in the way that Christ wishes.  Amen.

Reflections: Understanding the point in traditions

Today’s Mass Readings:  1 Kings 8: 22-23, 27-30; Psalm 84: 3-5, 8-11; Mark 7:1-13

Humbly proclaiming in the LORD
1 Kings and Mark seem to be contradictory, in some respect.  Solomon is standing before the altar of the LORD and is publicly announcing how God is good and worthy.  He goes on to say that if God exists in heaven above, then how is the temple, which Solomon was told to build, a sufficient place to glorify God? 

Worship like a pro
The temple is a place where we have been told to go and worship God, in part, because that is where the leaders of the Old Testament worshipped.  But as Scripture continues, even Jesus knew that He needed to go to the temple to teach and pray.  Both as a young boy and as an adult, Jesus can be found in the temple teaching.

Why tradition?  Why not my way?
But how important are traditions like praying in a church or blessing ourselves with a sign of the cross?  Or what about the big “T” Traditions like the Eucharist or the infallibility of the Pope?  Why should we keep up these types of traditions of the past?  Many believe that we should worship the LORD in whatever way we find most pleasing.  Though there is some merit to being comfortable in glorifying the LORD, we must understand that some of these traditions are made for our benefit.  Like with any tradition, we can lose sight as to why we do what we do.

Jesus told the Pharisees, who were hassling Him about His disciples not washing their hands properly before eating, that the traditions mean nothing if the faith of the person following the tradition is not solid and rooted in love.  Jesus reaches back to Isaiah 29:13 in Mark 7:6-7 and says, “…This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”

The Point
The point in traditions, especially religious traditions, is to remember that they serve a purpose.  The reason we pray before meals, or bless ourselves with holy water when entering a church is to serve the purpose of worshiping the LORD and growing closer to Him.  We cannot allow our observance of these traditions to place barricades in our journey with God. 

We must also be thankful that Traditions like the Eucharist, infallibility of the Pope, and Confession are at our disposal.  These Traditions serve this purpose in a more direct manner.  These are not “human precepts,” rather they are essential practices of the One, True Church. 

Let us pray that one day our observance of traditions and Traditions is fulfilled by being unified with the risen LORD, in His Kingdom, Amen.

(Picture: Jim Lo Scalzo for USN&WR)

Reflections: Christ, the healer and celebrant

Today’s Mass Readings: 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13; Psalms 132:6-7, 8-10; Mark 6:53-56

Crowds of people didn’t bring their sick and dying from towns and the countryside to see Jesus because he could only offer a few kind words and let them on their way.  Those people pleaded with Jesus to heal them because they believed Jesus was the Son of God and had the ability to heal. They were right.  He has the same ability to heal now as He did when He walked the earth; especially with regard to our spiritual selves.

I wonder, at times, whether or not I believe what I preach.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I also believe that he is truly present in the Eucharist.  So, on those difficult mornings when it’s hard to get out of bed for morning mass, do I really understand how much of an impact He can have in me?  The same question of true faith can be asked whenever we let a day go by without reading Scripture or praying.  When we believe in the power of these things, and yet do not take advantage of these gifts He has given us, I wonder if it is an indication of how insufficient our faith can be at times. 

May the Lord forgive us for the times when we reject His gifts and do not recognize the need for His grace in our faith.  May we rejoice and celebrate in the Lord, because, after all, His mercy and grace are the ultimate reasons for celebration.

Reflections: John the Baptist falls, but not in faith

Today’s Mass Readings: Sir 47:2-11; Psalms 18:31, 47 and 50, 51; Mk 6:14-29

The Story
John the Baptist was beheaded because King Herod offered his daughter anything she wanted after performing a beautiful dance at a party. Because her mother, Herodias, wanted John the Baptist dead, the girl told Herod that she wanted the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Herod's corruption
This request is not only repulsive in nature, but the fact that Herod complied demonstrates how deep-seated evil can warp one’s decisions. I wonder if Herod would have been as quick to fulfill his daughter’s request if she had asked Herod to kill himself. I doubt it.

Early in the reading we learned the Herod wanted to jail John the Baptist, not kill him, because Herod feared him. Herod likely feared him because his righteousness made him favored by many and killing him would cause a disturbance amongst the people. Also, Herod enjoyed listening to John the Baptist, even though what he said often perplexed him.

Brazen in pride and delusion
So, why would Herod finally have the guts to have John the Baptist killed? The answer is simple: evil. This evil came in the form of pride and delusion. Pride, because Herod did not want to disappoint his party guests or seem as though he is not a man of his word. Delusion, because even though he respected John the Baptist and knew he was a good man, his lack of respect for God and human life left him in the delusional state of believing that killing John the Baptist was an act that he had the right to make.

Lord, lead us away from pride and do not allow our sins to desensitize us to the damage they can cause. Help us to see clearly the path you will for us, and may we never wander astray. Amen.

Reflections: Take courage and be a man

Today’s Mass Readings: 2 Kgs 2:1-4,10-12; 1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd; Mk 6:7-13

They are God's children
King David, in 2 Kings, lies on his death bed speaking with his son, Solomon. This is an important moment not only for the relationship between David and Solomon but for Israel as well. Israel is about to loose David and have his son replace him as the sovereign king of Israel.

In this conversation, David instructs Solomon to “take courage and be a man.” He then proceeds to say:

“Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the Lord may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, ‘If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.’”

Teaching the tough lessons
In today’s society young men are hardly ever told to simply “be a man.” These kind of direct mandates are important because leaders, including the leaders of a family, are meant to stand for good and do the will of God in a simple yet unyielding manner. More importantly, they must be taught how to be courageous and be a man.

Just as David instructed Solomon, the consequences of not instilling the proper biblical teachings in our children may result in a failing lineage of Christians. When we have a lacking of men acknowledging their call to the priesthood, an unprecedented number of fatherless homes, Christ being removed from Christmas and replaced with “holiday,” and abortions happening at an alarming rate, we must look to the family for the solution. Good families breed good societies.

Pray that the relationship of every parent and child grow stronger, and that the family be reinforced as the building block of society. Amen.

Reflections: No respect, no respect at all

Today’s Mass Readings: 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17; Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7; Mk 6:1-6

Anywhere but home
Today’s Gospel recounts in parallel Sunday’s reading from the Gospel of Luke. Jesus has gone back to his home town and is teaching in the synagogue. Unlike when he was found speaking in the temple in Jerusalem as a boy, when Jesus returns to Nazareth and is speaking in the synagogue He is rejected by the people there.

It is strange to think that when Jesus returns to a familiar place, where people know Him, that they would grow angry at Him. Why would this happen?

Compelled to express the faith
Whenever someone close to us grows in faith, they are compelled to help us grow in ours as well. This does not always make for an easy experience. It is uncomfortable to be corrected by people we know. This could easily explain why “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”

Interestingly, at the end of the reading we find that Jesus was only able to heal a few sick people, rather than do the mighty work of the spirit. Jesus loved to heal the sick, cured the blind, and perform other miracles, but those deeds did not rescue anyone from hell. In the end, He wants us to be spiritually cured above all else. We can choose to reject Jesus as the people in Nazareth did, but, just as with Nazareth, Jesus will not be able to perform works of spiritual healing within us.

Love is never forced
Christ will leave us if we push Him away hard enough. He is always reaching out His arm, though, to be welcomed back into our hearts. He will not storm our souls against our will, because love is never forced.

Pray that we may never find ourselves pushing Christ away as the people of Nazareth did, even when His Word is being delivered by someone we know. Pray that we have the humility to see the sin within our hearts and welcome Christ in to heal us. Amen.

Reflections: Who is this King of Glory?

Today’s Mass Readings: Mal 3:1-4; Psalms 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-32

Today’s readings embrace the fullness of Christ. The Book of Malachi foreshadows the coming of Jesus into the temple, while the reading from the Gospel of Luke speaks of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple as “it is written in the law of the Lord.” Fulfilling the prophecies and the laws of the Old Testament, Mary and Joseph are used as instruments of Jesus’ task of fulfilling the old law.

The Book of Hebrews goes beyond accounting that Jesus is fulfilling what had been foreshadowed in the Old Testament, to revealing the nature of Jesus as one who took on flesh so that he might conquer the death of sin. He came so that he could “expiate the sins of the people” and bring them into new light.

We must understand the fullness of Jesus, in that, He not only fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament and the Law of Moses, but He liberates us from the bounds of sin by offering us another way out. Through the fullness of faith we can find true joy, liberation from sin, and union with Christ.

Let us pray that we never ask in foolishness the repeated question in today’s Responsorial Psalm; “Who is this King of Glory.” Rather, help us recall the answers provided in today's reading, to comfort us in those times of doubt. And let your light shine upon us so that we may resist temptation and work for your glory. In Your Name, Amen.

Reflections: Get out of the pew!

Today’s Mass Readings: 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13; Psalms 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7; Mk 5:1-20

Jesus is able to do amazing things. This comes as no surprise—I hope. It also comes as no surprise that after He drives out demons from a man who had been possessed with Legion, the name the demons give themselves when Jesus asks their name, that this man would want to follow Jesus. We are all called to follow Christ, but in doing so we are not merely meant to sit in the pew and profit from the Word of God. We are supposed to live and proclaim His greatness.

No longer in chains
Whether I believed Jesus was the Son of God or not, if someone saved me from a life of dwelling amongst tombs, tearing chains, and living in torment, I would want to know more about this person. Thankfully, the healed man did believe that Jesus was the Son of God and did as Jesus asked him to.

His nature and our calling
There are two points in today’s Gospel that give insight into the nature of Jesus and his effect on others:
1) The demon’s knew Jesus’ name and begged him not to torment them. We learn in James that even the demons know the name of Christ, but choose not to really believe in Him because they still choose to reject His Word (Jm 2:19). There is a huge difference between knowing that Jesus and living his commands. Knowing God does not save, since it is understanding from the heart, seeing, and hearing Him that does (Mt 13: 14,15).

The demons beg Jesus not to torment them. Why would Jesus torment these demons? I would expect that Jesus would never intentionally torment, so there has to be a better explanation. Because Jesus is perfectly good, he stands in opposition to anything evil. Though Jesus did not stand in opposition to the possessed man, Jesus stood in opposition to the devil working within him.

Likewise, Jesus stands in opposition to the evil desires we have, and the evil that we allow to dwell within us. Just as the man had the demons driven out of him, we can invite Jesus to work within us and allow the saving power of the cross to bring us into new life.

2) After being saved from the demons, the man requested to be with Jesus on His journeys. Jesus responded, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19)

When Jesus has mercy on us by forgiving our sins and giving us the many gifts we all have, we should not just sit in the pews and express thanks. We are called to get out of the pews and “proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done” for us (Mark 5:20).

Pray that we may go out into the world each day, and teach with both our actions and words.