Thursday

2nd Week of Lent, Thursday

by

As today’s First Reading reminds us, those who turn from God and put their trust in men and things of the flesh are spiritually like a scraggly bush in a dry and burning desert. The Rich Man in today’s Gospel doesn’t even have a name; after living the high life, maybe not at the expense of Lazarus, but certainly indifferent to him, he found himself a dry bush in the spiritual desert in which he’d planted himself, far from the fleeting comforts of his life that faded away. If our thirst for the things of this life at the expense of our concern for God and for others remains, we know that someday we’ll never be able to slake it again as a consequence of our actions: we’ll have planted ourselves in a desert and let our roots go deep.

Today’s First Reading also reminds us that those who trust and hope in the Lord have a source of life that will survive every adversity and continue to be full of life in eternity. Today’s Gospel describes Lazarus, infirm, poor, and so alone that he only had dogs for company. Yet he persevered in hope, simply by not lamenting his situation and also not deciding to take matters into his own hands by robbing, maybe even murdering, the unjust man on whose doorstep he was languishing. The moral of the story is to place your hope and trust in the things that really last. God lasts forever, and sooner or or later shows himself to be worthy of our trust, but only after it is tested. Health, riches, and power don’t last forever, so we shouldn’t act as if they will, or else we too will find ourselves in a desert thirsting for what was and lamenting what could have been.

Ask Our Lord to help you see where your trust is placed today, and to help you firmly root your life in him, the only lasting thing worthy of trust.

Readings: Jeremiah 17:5–10; Psalm 1:1–4, 6; Luke 16:19–31.

1st Week of Lent, Thursday

by

Queen Esther in today’s First Reading is working up the courage to face death for the sake of her people after living in the lap of luxury. Her pagan king has issued a decree, due to the selfish machinations of a member of his court, to destroy all the Jews in his realm, and Esther is the only one who can convince the king otherwise. However, she is not allowed to enter the king’s presence under pain of death unless he chooses to summon her. The king may pardon her, but due to the laws and the workings of the court he may just as well have her killed, and then not only will her people die, but she will die as well. The stakes are big not just for her people, but for herself. Therefore it’s understandable that her prayer is filled with angst, but it also reminds us, as Our Lord reminds us today in the Gospel, that the angst in our prayer should not be self-inflicted.

Angst is normal when we are facing something dramatic and the outcome is unclear, but we can suffer a lot of needless angst if we lose sight of the fact that we are asking something from Our Father and not a king in the style of the king Esther is about to risk her life trying to see. In today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds us, just as he did last Tuesday, that God is Our Father. He knows what we need, and he’s not some fickle and cruel despot. A father wants to give good things to his children. Our Father wants to give us good things, all we have to do is ask.

Why at times do we inflict more angst on ourselves? Because we examine our hearts and don’t think we deserve good things or a good Father. Because the deals and promises we try to make in exchange for God’s favors are so big that not even we believe we’ll keep them. Because he’s helped us in the past and we’ve been ungrateful. Because we want to work things out on our own. That’s not a relationship of Father-child; that’s deal brokering with nothing to bring to the table. In short, we know we don’t merit Our Father’s help, yet we need it and can’t offer much in return.

Our Lord tells us in today’s Gospel not to worry. Esther’s prayer was heard; ours will be as well. Ask for what you need with the trust and simplicity of a child.

Readings: Esther C:12, 14–16, 23–25; Psalm 138:1–3, 7c–8; Matthew 7:7–12. See also 27th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday.

4th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday

by

In today’s readings we see two examples of successors receiving their marching orders: Solomon and the Twelve. In Solomon’s case it is parting advice from his dying father. In the Twelve’s case Our Lord is preparing them to be his successors when his work on earth is finished. David was returning to his fathers; Our Lord had to eventually return to his Father, since, as David described, he had to also go “the way of all flesh.” The important difference was that David’s reign ended but, as the Lord promised him, his descendant Jesus’ reign endures forever. Our Lord is forever King.

Solomon received all the power that was his father’s. The Twelve received power and authority from Our Lord, but as participants and custodians. Just as Solomon would succeed if he observed and watched over the Law, the Twelve would accomplish their mission if they observed the Gospel entrusted to them by Jesus and lived as he lived. In the end the Twelve had much better results than Solomon, who didn’t remain completely faithful to the Law until the end.

We too have inherited the Gospel. Let’s strive to be worthy bearers of it, under the guidance of our bishops and the Holy Father, and to exercise a spiritual leadership wherever our path of life leads us.

Readings: 1 Kings 2:1–4, 10–12; 1 Chronicles 29:10–11b, 11d–12d; Mark 6:7–13. See also 14th Week In Ordinary Time, Thursday, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, and 25th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.

3rd Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday

by

Today’s First Reading shows the difference between how David lived his mission as king of Israel (and succeeded) and how Saul did (and failed): David sought to make the Lord shine in the presence of Israel by building a Temple for him, and Saul tried to make himself shine at the Lord’s expense by disobeying the Lord to score political points with Israel and giving the impression that the Lord approved. David was rewarded, as we saw yesterday, with the Lord’s promise of a house that would endure forever, in contrast the Saul being told by Samuel that his house was to end (and so it did).

David in today’s First Reading shows that he realizes his purpose is to second whatever the Lord asks of him as the key to a successful and happy life for him and for Israel. The Lord sees whether our hearts shine or not; appearances can only go skin deep. David realizes that the Lord took him from being nobody and made him king for the benefit of Israel, in service to the Lord; Saul became enslaved to public opinion and in so doing did not serve the Lord or Israel. In David’s prayer today he acknowledges how blessed Israel is to be the Lord’s people, not how lucky they are to have king David. If David asks that his house endure forever, it is only because the Lord promised it first; he would never have asked for it out of ambition. David didn’t seek for his house to endure forever, but the Lord promised it to him. Saul did a lot of bad things to try and make his house endure, and his house ended.

Let’s learn today from David’s prayer and attitude. Sometimes Our Lord in prayer helps to see what we should pray for and what we should not. That requires not just speaking in prayer, but listening as well. If we ask him to help us do whatever makes him shine in the eyes of men in service to them we know we’re on the right track. Let’s examine our lives today and see if there’s anything in them where we’re making ourselves shine at the Lord’s expense and to the disservice of our brothers and sisters. If we make him shine, if we give glory to him through our life, we will shine as well and serve others.

Readings: 2 Samuel 7:18–19, 24–29; Psalm 132:1–5, 11–14; Mark 4:21–25.

2nd Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday

by

Today’s Gospel shows the rapid spread of news about Our Lord and his power and teaching. We’re far from an age of viral videos or social media: people are hearing about Our Lord by word of mouth from the lips of someone they know who has seen and experienced Our Lord. A few chapters into Mark we see the rapid rise of interest raised by this Rabbi from Nazareth, probably because of testimony to what he has taught and done. People are coming to see miracles and to beg for miracles for themselves or for those they love. They come to him wherever he goes, and now he must go out on the water to keep people from mobbing him, people hoping that just to touch him would bring the healing they need.

Even the unclean spirits, fallen angels, are thunderstruck by the thought of the Son of God becoming flesh and walking among his creation again. They probably never imagined they’d see their Creator in person until the Last Judgment, but here he was, walking the earth. If they’re shouting out what he is it’s probably as much out of fear as of a desire to spread that fear among the crowd by making them realize who Jesus really is. But Our Lord only wants to spread good news, and for now the healing and teaching are enough.

Our Lord does not silence those who spread word of him to those in need. Let’s bear that news to everyone we know.

Readings: 1 Samuel 18:6–9, 19:1–7; Psalm 56:2–3, 9–13; Mark 3:7–12. See also Monday after Epiphany.