Friday

22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds us that traditions are good, but that sometimes we have to begin new traditions as well. The process of fermentation in a wine skin produces pressure, which is why new wine in an old wine skin would burst the skin, just as patching an old wine skin is pointless, because it wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure. At the same time, the older a wine is, the better its flavor and the more it is sought after, without denying the enjoyment of newer wines.

Wine is the common denominator: in the Bible wine symbolizes joy, and both old and new traditions should be a stepping stone toward that joy, since they are means to a happy end. Our Lord today doesn’t deny the importance of prayer and fasting, but also reminds us that joy is part of the path to that ultimate joy that we’ll experience in Heaven. Christianity is characterized by joy while not denying moments of penance in expectation of that joy, which is why two of our liturgical seasons–Advent and Lent–are preparations for joyous celebrations–Christmas and Easter.

Let’s not be quick to throw out old traditions, nor shy about starting new ones, provided they help us bring ourselves and others to eternal joy.

Readings: Colossians 1:15–20; Psalm 100:1b–5; Luke 5:33–39. See also 13th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday.

21st Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds us that vigilance is not enough to be ready for that definitive encounter with him some day. Preparation is also needed to be ready for what can be a long wait. While in today’s parable preparation is necessary due to a prolonged delay, we can also see the need to simply be prepared. In the case of the foolish virgins the lack of vigilance along with a lack of preparation prevented them from doing what was expected of them when the moment came. Perhaps if they’d been more vigilant they’d have seen in time that they needed to get more oil for their lamps when the bridegroom was delayed; their initial mistake of not being prepared for a long wait would have been corrected.

Many people today have a minimalist idea of their duties toward God and toward others. They see prayer, sacramental life, and works of charity and spreading the Gospel as someone else’s job. They ask others for prayers, which is good, since we all need to pray for each other, but the parable teaches today that we have to be prepared and do our part as well. We need to pray. We need to have a sacramental life. We need to do works of charity. We need to spread the Gospel, and no one else can take our place. How much is too much? Jesus teaches us today that the real question should not be how much should we do, but how much can we do.

Let’s ask Our Lord to help us be vigilant and prepared for our definitive encounter with him one day through living a holy and generous life.

Readings: 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8; Psalm 97:1, 2b, 5–6, 10–12; Matthew 25:1–13.

20th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds the Pharisees, and us, that if we truly want to understand the ways and desires of God we need to see things through the lens of love. Love for God and love for neighbor are intimately linked, which is why extremists of any religion who claim to harm their neighbor in the name of God are about as far from the truth as can be imagined. Some people try to project themselves on God, and paint him as aloof, distant, cruel, self-absorbed. Others in the face of suffering and evil question whether God loves us at all, or why he would allow bad things to happen.

If we want to truly understand who God is, we must look at him from the perspective of love and imitate him in his love for us. If we contemplate God on the Cross, the Son nailed to the Cross, depicted on every crucifix, wounded our of love for us, as Christians we need no further answer. God loved us so much that he sent his son to save the world, and his son saved the world through submitting to the worst cruelty that evil and sin could inflict: injustice, torture, and death. He subjected himself to that out of love for us. Yet he doesn’t throw that in our face: he is silent on the cross, but he speaks volumes to our hearts: he doesn’t say, “how dare you,” but “I love you.”

Love is not just something we try to live; it is a grace–the theological virtue of charity–poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Let’s try to see things through the lens of charity today in order to grow in love for God and love for others.

Readings: Ruth 1:1, 3–6, 14b–16, 22; Psalm 146:5–10; Matthew 22:34–40.

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19th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord teaches us about marriage in response to some sticky questions posed by the Pharisees about divorce in order to trip him up.  Marriage was a complex issue back then, and in today’s society it has not grown any easier. This is one of the few Gospel passages where Our Lord sees the need to correct an interpretation that Mosaic law made; usually Our Lord exhorts a more profound observance of the Law, not a correction to it. He teaches in today’s Gospel that marriage is something established between a man and a woman, but it is also bond forged by God. As a bond forged by God the married man and woman also receive spiritual help in remaining faithful to each other. The Pharisees in Jesus’ time were debating whether divorce was allowed for either a serious reason or a less serious reasons, as two Rabbinical schools at the time were contending, trying to interpret Mosaic law’s concession of divorce in some cases.* Jesus responded that neither school was correct: divorce was not part of God’s plan “from the beginning.”

Jesus qualifies this by speaking of an exception for the marriage being “unlawful.” A lot of ink has been spilt regarding the meaning of this phrase, especially since the more literal translation of the expression is “fornication” or “sexual immorality,” so it gives the impression that divorce would be permitted in cases of adultery. Given what Our Lord had just said, it’s unlikely this is what he would have meant. “Unlawful” here could refer to a union in marriage that would be incestuous (relatives, such as cousins, marrying each other), and therefore they shouldn’t have been married due to consanguinity. Catholic teaching on this clause is that a faithful spouse can separate from an unfaithful one who has fallen into sexual immorality: it refers to separation, where the marriage bond continues but the spouses live apart, as opposed to dissolving the marriage bond through divorce.*

Let’s pray today for all marriages, for those spouses who are suffering from a separation, and that marriages experiencing difficulty may receive the grace, counseling, and insight they need in order to resolve their differences and be faithful to the bond God has forged between them until death do them part.

Readings: Joshua 24:1–13; Psalm 136:1–3, 16–18, 21–22, 24; Matthew 19:3–12.

* See Jones, A. (1953). “The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St Matthew” in B. Orchard & E. F. Sutcliffe (Eds.), A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Toronto;New York;Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson, p. 885.

18th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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Today’s First Reading from the book of Deuteronomy is part of Moses’ “last testament” before the Israelites enter the Promised Land. He reminds them that all the prosperity they have enjoyed and will enjoy is a gift from God, and that God should be acknowledged as the source of all prosperity. Through no merit of their own they were liberated from Egypt and then taken to the Promised Land. Despite all their complaining Our Lord continued to be faithful to his promises, as he had throughout their history and the history of their fathers, the Patriarchs. When they lost sight of that, they got into trouble.

In today’s Gospel Our Lord encourages his disciples to practice detachment and to remember that everything they have comes from God. All things that God has created only serve us to the degree that they help us and others draw closer to God. Sometimes we lose sight of that: we want a life that does not involved self-denial and the Cross, a life where we own everything we could possibly want, not just everything we need. We seek financial security, comfort, and control, and we convince ourselves that we’ll be satisfied with having more money, more comfort, more control. But the things of this world are fleeting and we’ve all experienced that after one bill comes another, that we can’t always enjoy the health or comfort we crave, no matter how hard we try, and that there are many things that will always be beyond our control. When we get obsessed about achieving the impossible in this world–unlimited wealth (the latest and greatest and a big nest egg), complete comfort (no aches and pains, nothing unpleasant), and total control (everything arranged to our satisfaction)–those things that God created for our good become obstacles to drawing closer to him, and throw up obstacles for others as well.

Let’s take stock today of what we want in life and what we truly need, and see how we can better use the gifts God bestows on us to draw closer to him and help others to draw closer to him as well.

Readings: Deuteronomy 4:32–40; Psalm 77:12–16, 21; Matthew 16:24–28.