Monday

10th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year II

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In the Beatitudes of today’s Gospel Our Lord encourages those suffering persecution for being witnesses to him, comparing their mission in adversity to that of the prophets. Even today Christians have a prophetic mission, described by the constitution Lumen Gentium (n. 35):

“Christ, the great Prophet, who proclaimed the Kingdom of His Father both by the testimony of His life and the power of His words, continually fulfills His prophetic office until the complete manifestation of glory. He does this not only through the hierarchy who teach in His name and with His authority, but also through the laity whom He made His witnesses and to whom He gave understanding of the faith and an attractiveness in speech so that the power of the Gospel might shine forth in their daily social and family life. They conduct themselves as children of the promise, and thus strong in faith and in hope they make the most of the present, and with patience await the glory that is to come. Let them not, then, hide this hope in the depths of their hearts, but even in the program of their secular life let them express it by a continual conversion and by wrestling ‘against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness.'”

Elijah in today’s First Reading prophesied a lack of rain and went into hiding at the Lord’s command with the promise of the Lord’s support. There are many Christian refugees in the world simply because they let the power of the Gospel “shine forth in their daily social and family life.” Let’s pray and work to aid our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters and also be bold in proclaiming the Gospel in our daily life.

Readings: 1 Kings 17:1–6; Psalm 121:1b–8; Matthew 5:1–12. See also All Saints and 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday.

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9th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading Peter, in the introduction to his second letter, expresses the desire that every Christian receive peace and abundance through knowledge of the Lord. He also traces out how this will happen; it is a process of faith leading to virtue, knowledge, and love. Unlike the chief priests, scribes and elders, chastised by Our Lord through the Parable of the Vineyard in today’s Gospel, believers know that through this process they are transformed into something greater than they were before, but only through grace and effort. Through Baptism and a holy life a believer gradually shares more and more in divine life, and that divine life transforms him and introduces him into a world greater than he could have ever envisioned.

This process helps us to see beyond ourselves and our world to something greater, and to understand our place within the greater scheme of things. The tenants in today’s parable tried to turn a leasing arrangement into their world, and convinced themselves that they were its owners. Wine throughout the Bible symbolizes joy; the tenants were invited and expected to help that joy be cultivated and spread, but instead they focused on using it for their own profit. Instead of the path traced out by Peter today–“faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love”–their bad faith leads them down the path of ignorance, selfishness, and hate and, as a result, the little world they’d carved out for themselves would be taken away from them.

Our Lord has promised us a greater world, a greater life. Let’s ask him, in faith, to give us the knowledge and the grace we need to start this process that leads to beautiful promises being fulfilled for ourselves and for others.

Readings: 2 Peter 1:2–7; Psalm 91:1–16; Mark 12:1–12. See also 2nd Week of Lent, Friday and 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year I.

8th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year II

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The rich young man in today’s Gospel reminds us that Heaven doesn’t accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, or Bitcoin. It’s not a question of dollars and cents, but of how much we want to be with God forever. He doesn’t want our money; he wants our love. That love implies detaching ourselves from other, fleeting, loves, and putting love for him first. In the Old Testament the Lord was described as a jealous God, but he is far from petty. He simply helps us see what we truly love and what we truly don’t.

Today’s Gospel tells us that Our Lord looked at the rich young man and “loved” him. He helped him see what he truly loved: his lifestyle and wealth. The young man left, and he didn’t leave happy. He was torn between two loves, and he opted for the love that seemed more substantial and satisfying, but lost sight of that fact that the object of his love would be gone sooner or later.

What do you have to do to gain eternal life? Ask Our Lord and be prepared to do whatever it takes. It will engender a new hope in you because you’ll know, by the grace of God, that one day you’ll have an inheritance that’s “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, [and] kept in heaven for you” just as St. Peter reminds us in today’s First Reading.

Readings: 1 Peter 1:3–9; Psalm 111:1–2, 5–6, 9–10c; Mark 10:17–27.  See also 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year I, 20th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday, and 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B.

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading James encourages us to choose the wise path and not the selfish one. The wise path starts with wisdom, an understanding of the big picture, humility, an understanding of our role and place in the grand scheme of things, and a life of good works that reflects that we’ve understood well and lived truthfully.  The selfish path starts with jealously, a resentment and bitterness over what others have and we don’t, selfish ambition, seeking our own interests with no regard for others’, and an opinion of ourselves and our accomplishments that doesn’t reflect the truth, showing our lack understanding.

We’ve all known people who’ve chosen both paths, but James encourages us today to consider which path we’re on and whether we need to be more wise, through humility, and less selfish. That requires considering which path attracts us and is truly best for us and for others. We resist humility, gentleness, and peace when we see others striving to take it all with impunity, but we know in our hearts that peace and gentleness irradiate a serenity and goodness that would make even the most jaded ambitious person reflect on what he or she truly wants out of life.

We know the path to take. Let’s ask Our Lord to help us take it today and stay on it “without inconstancy or insincerity.”

Readings: James 3:13–18; Psalm 19:8–10, 15; Mark 9:14–29. See also 18th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday.

7th Week of Easter, Monday (2)

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In today’s First Reading Paul decides to go to Ephesus while Apollos is with the faithful in Corinth. Paul’s visit today to Ephesus reminds us of the path every believer takes in the spiritual life: repentance for sins, baptism, and a life in the Spirit. This reading is an apt selection for the week that awaits us before Pentecost, because we too hope for an outpouring of the Spirit as the fruit of living a good sacramental and moral life.

Life in the Spirit is not just receiving special charisms, such as prophecies and tongues, although some do. Life in the Spirit means relying on the Spirit, who gives us life and courage to face the world’s trials. The Spirit convinces us of the truth of Our Lord’s promise in today’s Gospel: Christ has conquered the world., therefore there’s no need to fear. Paul asks the Ephesians today if they have received the Spirit; the sacraments are what confer the Spirit upon us, especially Baptism and Confirmation, just as the Eucharist nourishes us on Christ’s Body and Blood. Together these three sacraments fully initiate us into a life in the Spirit: a Christian life.

Life in the Spirit is not just something we receive; it is a commitment and a labor of love. Let’s welcome the Spirit into our lives in order to have the love of God poured into our hearts.

Readings: Acts 19:1–8; Psalm 68:2–3b, 4–5a, 5c–7b; John 16:29–33. See also 7th Week of Easter, Monday.