Monday

27th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord teaches us, through the story of the Good Samaritan, that compassion should be the driving force behind all our actions, a compassion that cuts through enmities, cultural differences , and feuds. Samaritans and Jews were at odds with each other: the Jews considered them culturally and cultually corrupted. The Samaritans defended their Old Testament roots and believed that Jerusalem was an upstart of the southern part of Palestine trying to claim an importance it didn’t merit. How many cultures at odds with each other can we think of throughout history and even today?

When Our Lord tells the scribe in today’s Gospel that a Samaritan was a neighbor for showing more compassion to a man robbed and left for dead than two socially important Jews, he was using a shocking example for his listeners, who considered themselves superior to the Samaritans. The priest and the Levite made ritual propriety a priority: if the beaten man was dead they would have been ritually contaminated and unable to participate in Temple worship if they’d drawn near him. It didn’t make them question their ritual propriety–were they really loving God if they weren’t loving man? The Samaritan didn’t have to do any legal or mental gymnastics: he was overwhelmed with pity for what he saw, and didn’t just drop the poor man off at a hospital, but cared for him and provided for him, resolving to follow up until he was sure that he was okay. That’s the commitment and concern of a neighbor. Our Lord teaches us today that neighbors are not only our “buddies,” but anyone who is in need, whether there is good or bad blood between us.

Let’s ask Our Lord today to foster in us the compassion that moves us to be good neighbors to everyone.

Readings: Jonah 1:1–2:2, 2:11; Jonah 2:3–5, 8; Luke 10:25–37.

26th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday

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In the second part of today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds us that God’s designs are mysterious, but always for the good. The disciples catch someone invoking Christ’s name to cast out demons who is not currently in the company of the disciples. Yet God blesses that someone because anyone who is for God is for God’s followers.

Even today among Christians there exist sad divisions that prevent us from living a full and visible communion, but Our Lord blesses everyone who believes in him to some degree and enables him to do good. The important thing is to praise the good being done and pray for the greater good: full and visible Christian unity.

Let’s thank Our Lord today for all the good he does through all believers who identify themselves as Christian, and let’s pray for the restoration of full visible unity between all Christ’s followers.

Readings: Zechariah 8:1–8; Psalm 102:16–23, 29; Luke 9:46–50. See also 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B and 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.

23rd Week in Ordinary Time, Monday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds us that the Gospel is not something to live quietly or behind closed doors. He knew he was being observed by the scribes and Pharisees to see if he would perform a miracle on the Sabbath and give them ammunition. That didn’t make him heal the withered hand out in the back after teaching in the synagogue away from prying eyes. He didn’t just perform the miracle, he performed it publicly and in a synagogue on the Sabbath. It’s interesting that the scribes and Pharisees didn’t haul him off and accuse him right there; they knew in the eyes of people who still possessed common sense that Jesus had done something good on the Sabbath, just as he’d said. If only they too had understood.

As a result they saw Our Lord as a threat to be dealt with, but not directly and openly. That should already put us on our guard against whatever “gospel” they’re following. The works of God are meant to be signs to the world: signs to the goodness, power, and mercy of God. We shouldn’t be shy about getting the Word out, and also praying and working so that in countries where Christians are persecuted they receive the freedom to exercise their religion without threats or fear.

Let’s examine ourselves today and see whether there’s anyone in our lives who make us shy about sharing the Gospel and living our faith openly. And, as Our Lord did in today’s Gospel, let’s be loud about doing good works in his name.

Readings: Colossians 1:24–2:3; Psalm 62:6–7, 9; Luke 6:6–11.

22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Monday

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord, by explaining that the prophecy of Isaiah that he had just read for them refers to him, tells his family and friends in the synagogue of his home town that he is the Christ (which literally means “the anointed one”). They weren’t just impressed by his eloquence; they were amazed, and they had heard of the signs that he had performed away from home. In the end they wanted to rely on seeing a miracle to really believe it: they remembered that he is Joseph’s son, therefore descended from the line of David (an important characteristic of the Messiah), but, as the Gospel of John recalls, people were also confused that the Messiah should come from Nazareth instead of Bethlehem (see John 7:42). They didn’t seek to understand and take Jesus’ words on faith; they wanted some flashy proof, or maybe just something to gossip about.

Jesus, using the model with which they were the most familiar, explains in terms of the prophets. He mentions two of the most flashy prophets in terms of miracles–Elijah and Elisha–but he also reminds them that those prophets worked their miracles far from home, when Israel was in dire need and also being punished for its sins. Gauging from their reaction they interpreted Jesus’ words as saying that they weren’t entitled to a miracle, that they weren’t in bad enough a shape to deserve it, and possibly that they needed to repent if they really wanted to improve their situation. As the account goes, they were not happy.

Our Lord reminds us today that faith is always the first step. He is free to affirm our faith however he wishes, because he reveals himself when and how he wishes. Let’s not get locked into expecting a certain thing from him in order to believe; rather, let’s listen in faith to whatever he wants to reveal to us and be grateful that he has revealed himself.

Readings: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Psalm 96:1, 3–5, 11–13; Luke 4:16–30. See also 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B.

20th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday

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Today’s Gospel reminds us that if we try to please God and seek eternal life a moment will come when we ask a potentially scary question, like the young man did today, “What do I still lack?” It’s no coincidence that today’s First Reading speaks of idolatry and the misfortunes of Israel when they chose other gods and, when God delivered them through the judges, lapsed back into their old ways. If the spiritual life is easy, it’s a moment to ask, like the young man, what we are lacking. We know Our Lord teaches us that we must lose our life in order to save it, and take up our cross every day and follow him. The cross implies that tough choices for the sake of Our Lord have to be made.

The young man today made the wrong choice. He had tried to live the commandments, but he was attached to his possessions. Our Lord made him choose, and that revealed an idolatry we can suffer from today: putting people, situations, and things before God. If something separates us from God, it separates us from eternal life and any true happiness we could have achieved. Under the weight of this idolatry it’s no wonder that the young man went off sad when he didn’t opt for Christ: deep down he knew eternal life was at stake, and he blew it.

Don’t be afraid to ask Our Lord the question today in your own spiritual life: “Lord, what do I lack?” No matter how costly it appears, it will lead to eternal happiness for you and for others. Take the next step and trust in Our Lord’s help.

Readings: Judges 2:11–19; Psalm 106:34–37, 39–40, 43ab, 44; Matthew 19:16–22. See also 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year I