Tuesday

2nd Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, Year I

by

In today’s First Reading the Letter to the Hebrews encourages believers who have served the Lord, seemingly with few results, to continue with an enthusiastic hope, faith, and patience, because when the Lord promises something, he delivers. Abraham received a promise from the Lord of blessings if he had faith, and the Lord kept his promise. The Lord could swear by nothing greater than himself when reminding Abraham of his promise, because there was nothing greater; if Abraham didn’t already believe that the Lord was “the greatest” that oath would have meant nothing.

Abraham’s example reminds us today that we are inheritors of the same promise, and to claim those blessings we not only need faith that the Lord can deliver, but the patience to persevere in faith when the inheritance is not soon to come. Abraham suffered trials and tests, and so will we. The key to moving forward in faith and patience is to trust in the Lord and the good that he has promised will come: our hope needs to light the way, even in the darkest moments.

We are not slaves of a promise, but heirs to it. Let’s live that way.

Readings: Hebrews 6:10–20; Psalm 111:1–2, 4–5, 9, 10c; Mark 2:23–28. See also 22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday and 15th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday.

1st Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, Year I

by

In today’s First Reading the letter to the Hebrews teaches us the heights and the depths to which Our Lord is willing to go through referring to two psalms. Psalm 8 is a psalm exulting in the wonders of creations and especially that the Lord has made man the noblest of his visible creations, only second to angels. The brief reference to Psalm 22 is the moment where the psalmist promises to glorify the Lord among his brethren after he has been delivered from his suffering, the psalm Our Lord said on the Cross.

We see Psalm 8 fulfilled in Christ: “You made him for a little while lower than the angels” refers to Our Lord’s Incarnation, and soon after speaks of his glorification, a glorification that we know comes through his suffering on the Cross and is not complete until the end of time. The reference to Psalm 22, when Our Lord glorifies his Father along will all of his brethren, refers to his heavenly glory, a glory in which we’ll share if we believe in him and entrust our lives to him.

Today’s Gospel shows that Our Lord is greater than the fallen angels as well. He casts out the unclean spirit and lends more credence to the power and authority his Father has given him. He also wants to rejoice with you from here to eternity. Help him to help you.

Readings: Hebrews 2:5–12; Psalm 8:2ab, 5–9; Mark 1:21–28. See also 22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.

2nd Week of Advent, Tuesday

by

In today’s First Reading Isaiah describes the Lord not only coming, but caring for his people as a sheep cares for its flock. The Lord is powerful, but so tender that he imagines us as his lambs and ewes. Despite this idyllic portrait of pastoral life sheep can also be smelly, filthy, and ill-tempered. Just like those shepherds will be the night of Our Lord’s nativity, the life of a shepherd often means time out in the dark and cold caring for his flock, who don’t follow a schedule of 9 to 5 and, like a curious child, often obliviously go wandering into trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.

That is a perfect portrait of the Incarnation. Our Heavenly Father does not want to write off one single soul. Not one. Our Lord in his Incarnation has opted to leave aside the bright joy of eternal glory in order to come into the dark and cold night of our sin and seek out each one of us. Not just all of us; every single one of us. Sin scatters, and Our Lord has come to gather us together again. In the end he’ll chase down a fleeing soul all the way to the brink of death, as he did the Good Thief being crucified alongside him at Calvary. He spares no effort.

Our Lord is coming this Christmas to bring you out of the cold. Don’t hide from him.

Readings: Isaiah 40:1–11; Psalm 96:1–3, 10–13; Matthew 18:12–14. See also 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C,  4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle C, 2nd Week of Lent, Saturday, and 31st Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday.

icon-liturgy-purple

34th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, Year II

by

In today’s First Reading John shares a vision of the Last Judgment. Christ the King comes on a cloud, reminiscent of the prophecy of the Book of Daniel regarding a son of man (see Daniel 7:13). He bears a sickle because the time of harvest is at hand; Our Lord preached about the need for a grain of wheat to fall into the ground and die in order to bear fruit, and now all those grains of wheat have grown to maturity and are ready to be harvested. This is the gathering of the chosen.

At the same time an angel harvests grapes with a sickle to press for making the wine of God’s fury. This wine is an image taken from the prophets (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-16, 49:12, 51:7; Ezekiel 23:31-34), the reaping and pressing represent the doom of the ungodly: wines in a press are trampled underfoot.

Do you see the Bread of Life in your future or the wine of wrath? It’s up to you.

Readings: Revelation 14:14–19; Psalm 96:10–13; Luke 21:5–11. See also 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C and 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.

 

33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, Year II

by

In today’s First Reading Our Lord puts the churches of Sardis and Laodicea on guard against the dangers of complacency and mediocrity. In some way the believers at Sardis believe they’re living their lives in accordance with what the Lord expects of them: maybe it’s a Christianity that wants to remain comfortable, or an attitude of just doing the minimum necessary as insurance. Our Lord warns them that they’re not doing enough. The imagery of the garments and being dressed in white refer to the sanctifying gift of their baptism, which for many has become soiled for their actions. A white and clean garment not only signifies fidelity to baptismal grace, but remaining in a state of grace, striving for holiness.

If the church at Sardis is doing the wrong things, the danger for the church at Laodicea is that they’re not doing anything at all. Like a swig of lukewarm beverage that doesn’t refresh whether the weather is hot or cold, and has all the flavor of a plain tofu, the Lord expects something, but doesn’t receive it. They think they have all they need, but they don’t. Our Lord describes himself as standing at the door, knocking. Both Sardis and Laodicea are leaving him out on the porch, not welcoming him into their home.

Does Our Lord have a home in your heart? If you listen quietly, in prayer, and try to live as he wishes, you’ll open the door to him. Accept no substitutes.

Readings: Revelation 3:1–6, 14–22; Psalm 15:2–4b, 5; Luke 19:1–10. See also 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C and 33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.