Thursday, December 27, 2012

Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Daniel 12:1-3/Psalm 16/ Hebrews 10:11-14, 18/Mark 13:24-32 Theme: Eschatology presupposes judgment

Christianity is eschatological from beginning to end. Eschatology is that branch of theology that deals with the last or final things namely Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. The entire salvation history and our entire lives are oriented towards ultimate fulfillment in Christ who will recapitulate everything in himself. We are an eschatological people. That means we are marching towards Christ who was not only in the beginning (“In the beginning was the Word.” John 1:1), but towards Christ who awaits us in the end ("I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” Revelation 1:8). The first reading and the gospel invite us to discover the signs of the coming of a new world. The second reading compares the priesthood of Christ with that of the Old Covenant in which Jesus, the High Priest, has offered once and for all the sacrifice that has wrought our salvation. The gospel reading reminds us that the end times will be preceded by deception. So deceptive will be these miracles that even the elect will be tempted to believe their lies. Of themselves, miracles are not a proof of divine calling and approval (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). The final test is the Word of God. Jesus did not want his disciples to get involved in the prophecies of the future that they will neglect the responsibilities of the present. As Christian believers today, we are not looking for "signs" of his coming. But we depend on his unchanging "Word" the sure Word of his prophecy We end this liturgical year with gratitude towards God for all of his many blessings. It gives us confidence as we remember that as the Liturgical Year ends, so too does life. The end of earthly life means a definitive destination which can never be altered once judgment has been passed. Rather than inspire servile fear, this truth should inspire us to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that (we) will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:9-10). Such is the task of every Christian: to discover, embrace and fulfill the will of God, being moved by love for him and acting in a way that pleases him. The lot of those who tend to God’s will is union of love with God; albeit in faith in this life, and in the splendor of glory in the next. We have done nothing to merit this because it has been won for us once and for all by Christ. Christ, “having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Second Reading). Therefore, having been cleansed of our sins and clothed in grace we are invited to cooperate with his grace in such a way as to merit it. Jesus who once came in poverty and meekness will come as Judge at the end of time. He will come in power and majesty gathering the fruits of his labor and Blood. He will be our Judge and will judge us as he himself has said, according to our love: “Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35-35, 40). Love will examine us on love. If theological charity reigns in our hearts we have nothing to fear. Mary Magdalene was forgiven much because she loved much (see Luke 7:47). The greater and deeper our love, the more effective it will efface all the sins and miseries we have heaped up in this life, despite our good intentions. “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). In his beautiful book Living Flame St. John of the Cross tells us “For this reason it is a great thing for our soul to exercise itself constantly in love, so that, being perfected here below, it may not stay long, either in this world or in the next, without seeing God face to face” (I, 34). When we are ardently in love with God and his love possesses us, we suffer anxiousness for heaven and God’s face so as to love him without any veil or separation. Only an intense love such as that can prepare the way for union with God, either here or in heaven. If we take God’s precept of charity – and that means taking seriously and living the Gospel – then we have fulfilled his will and may be admitted into beatific union of heaven. If we live his will as our strongest passion and desire his glory, then we have nothing to fear on Judgment Day, for our judgment will be the eternal joy of God’s embrace. In conclusion, " No night is so long and dark that it has no dawn." In the life of the Church, of the world, of a nation, of every man or woman, no situation is so bad that it does not contain signs of hope. Not even the worst thing that can happen to us namely sin can be a cause of discouragement to us, because Christ has already overpowered it. With Christ’s resurrection, salvation history has entered its final phase, the harbinger of fulfillment. The promises God has made will be seen in their fulfillment and the new heaven and new earth will be inaugurated. In Christ, God has said his final word. In us the Holy Spirit has been poured through baptism, which is the seed of eternal life. But before eternal life can come, each of us must pass through judgment. Today’s readings treat of the universal judgment at the end of time.

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B 1 Kings 17:10-16/Psalm 146/Hebrews 9:24-28/ Mark 12:38-44 Theme: Religion that is pure

In two weeks time, the Church will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King marking the end of the Liturgical Year. Already, Holy Mother, the Church, reminds us of what is demanded of us in order for us to joyously embrace the kingship of Christ. The Church’s liturgy today, presents us with two poor widows. In the First Reading, we see an example of charity and detachment in the kind woman who gives Elijah the last of her food. She is recompensed with a miracle. The humble generosity of the second widow, unawares, receives praise without equal from Christ. Their poverty of heart and generous services are all the more moving contrasted by the pompous and self-serving example of other, far poorer souls:“the Scribes who eat up the households of widows” and seek the first places in synagogues. In the first reading of today, we encounter the story of the widow of Zarephath, an example of total self-giving so that Elijah might live. The Prophet Elijah not only demanded for a drink but the only livelihood of the widow and her son when he says, " Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me and afterwards make something for yourself and your son ( 1Kings 17:13). It is worthy of note that Elijah not only made the demand of food but assured the widow of God's providence by telling her that "For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: the jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth (1 Kings 17: 14). Faith in the words of the Prophet sends the widow off to give her all. Remember that she was a pagan and yet she believed the words of the Prophet. Therefore, in her total self-giving a miracle happens; she gets in return something that will sustain her a life time. It is this poverty of Spirit that Jesus presents to us in the gospel reading of today. Jesus begins his story by reminding us that true religion does not consists in outward show of piety like wearing beautiful clothes and wanting always to sit at places of honor at banquets. Neither is true religion being praised by people nor people bowing to us for what we have or own. True religion consists in this " ...to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James 1:27). The point of the gospel reading is that not only do the Scribes always try to appear pious and occupy places of honor at banquets, they appear rich and gorgeous because " They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers" ( Mark 12: 40). In other words, Jesus is saying that they have become rich because they keep exploiting the widows at their advantage. If you know that the Jewish was patriarchal or male dominated in nature, you will appreciate the untold hardships women go through when they lose their husbands. What truly makes us Christians? Is it our dressing; our status in society; our exploitation of the poor, susceptible and vulnerable? Jesus demonstrates to us that he is closed to the broken hearted in order to rescue them from the snares of the fowler. Like he watches those who put money in the treasury and realizes that the rich gave out of their abundance, Jesus' attention goes to the poor widow who gave out of her scarce resources. In fact, she gave her all. There is always the temptation to please people around us and in order to maintain the status quo, we do not care about how we acquire our wealth these days. Jesus invites us to please him rather than men because he is our ticket to heaven. What will make us practice true religion? This is the question the second reading seeks to answer. Jesus' death on the Cross is the only sacrifice acceptable to God his Father. Indeed, our prayers and thanksgiving add nothing to God's greatness but only makes us to grow in holiness. Jesus demonstrates on the cross that true religion consists in dying for others; sacrificing our comfort so that others can find joy and peace. It is appointed for mortals to die once and after that judgment. May the fear of the Lord work in us in such a way that it frees us from the bondage of sin by extinguishing in us the disordered desire for created things, which is the principal cause of sin. In urging us to detachment from things, it also impels us to rid ourselves of selfish desires, vain thoughts and even our worries. In our fear of the Lord, we learn to scorn worldly honors and praise. We learn to order our appreciation for human affection and see it as something which should only lead us to God. With fear of the Lord we learn to despise comfort and possessions, not because they are evil, but because God is much better and we possess him to the extent to which we dispossess ourselves of created things. Our separation from God begins when these things become ends in themselves. The Holy Spirit only spurs us on to holiness, never to mediocrity. Therefore, he urges us to material poverty: to be content with little, always curbing our desires. Further, he urges us on to poverty of spirit which means freedom from even that which we possess, without which, the former is worthless. John of the Cross says, “The lack of things implies no detachment on the part of the soul if it retains a desire for them, that is, if it is still attached to them … The things of this world neither occupy the soul nor cause it harm, since they do not enter it, but rather the will and the desire for them, for it is these that dwell within” (Ascent of Mount Carmel, I, 3, 4). The prudent man who builds his spiritual life on the solid rock of Christ has no attachments even to moral and spiritual goods such as interior consolations. Consolations are not God, for God is not a feeling. His activity in the soul might occasion consolation but we should be honest with him and ourselves remembering that his consolations are not to be confused with him. Therefore, we should be detached even from those good things he allows us. Just as we should not seek our happiness in human love alone, nor should we seek from God anything outside of him. Poverty of spirit consists of being stripped and empty of all pretensions so that we are not encumbered on our path to God. Contrary to human prudence, here lies our happiness. In sum, the beatitude promised to all who are brave enough, or better said, humble enough, to take to the road of poverty of spirit ends in full possession of God, even in this life. God has destined us for him in heaven, but we should not see it as part II of an existence begun on earth. The Holy Spirit desires to lead us to full possession of God here and now. According to the degree of our docility to his interior movements we will possess him and be possessed by him and to that degree, enjoy the beatitude promised to the poor in spirit

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Deuteronomy 6:2-6/Psalm 18/Hebrews 7:23-28/Mark 12:28-34 THEME: Love is our essence

Today’s First Reading introduces us to the beginning of the great Shemá ("Hear, o Israel"), the prayer Jews recite three times a day. This prayer contains the most basic tenets of Judaism: belief in one God (v. 4) and obedience to him in love (v. 5). For the Jewish mind, "hear" brings with it the sense of “obey!” Finally, it reminds them of the covenant God made with them (vv. 10-12). In the Old Testament, love for God and for neighbor were separate entities. Christ, however, unites them. For the love active in Christians is not simply human love, but theological charity which has two subjects, the human and the divine. In the Old Testament, loving obedience as demanded of the sons of Israel and the love expected of them was not universal. It stopped with their enemies. Certainly, Leviticus stipulates love of neighbor (see 19:18) but as has been made clear, it was not always clear who one’s neighbor was (“Who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29). Christ’s appearance brings a new reality to the fore. The love God expects of us for himself and for others is the same love. Such love is the key and the summit of the New Law. According to the New Law, love for God implies unyielding love for neighbor, and is, indeed, the proof of love’s authenticity, “since a man who does not love the brother he can see he cannot love God, whom he cannot see” (1 John 4:20). Charity in Christian life becomes the content and the realization of every moral demand (Galatians 4:14; Romans 13:8 ff.; Colossians 3:14). It is the fullness of the Law and God’s commandments (John 15:12; 1 John 5) as well as the multifaceted proof of authentic faith, for “faith without works is a dead faith” (James 2:16), and “what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love” (Galatians 5:6). It could not be clearer. True faith in God results in a flourishing of charity towards him and, subsequently, to everyone else. Christian love is not about being a philanthropist or “being nice.” It is a theological reality which has two subjects: God who dwells in the person in a state of grace, and man working together in one enterprise. Its model is God, made visible in Jesus Christ. Imitation of Christ’s love is our universal vocation and path to holiness. His love was and is universal (see Matthew 5:44; Ephesians 5:1ff; 1 John 4:11 ff.), but it is above all a theological reality in its source: God’s indwelling in our souls, which makes it possible for God to love through us. Only in God’s grace, only in communion of life with God can we realistically expect to fulfill his commandments (not suggestions, by the way) “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36), “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13: 34). One might ask if love can be “commanded.” It is a valid question answered by our Holy Father: “Love can be ‘commanded’ because it has first been given” (Deus Caritas Est., 14). The link between love for God and love for neighbor is central, therefore, to our following Christ. Just as this concept might be difficult to grasp, so it is just as difficult to put it into practice. Every epoch of Church history has shown us how we run the risk of partially veiling one love as if it were in favor of the other love. We often hear the call to “brotherly love” and sometimes the call of unyielding love – personal love – for God is understood as being included simply in the act of “brotherly love.” But if conscious love for God is not foremost, then the love for our brothers ceases to be divine. And we are capable of little more than well meaning philanthropy. Divine love unites us to God and makes us abide in him as he abides in us (see 1 John 4:16). It is the created participation in the infinite love with which God loves himself: the love which the Father gives his Son, the love which the Son returns to him, and by which each loves the other in the Holy Spirit. Divine love is our introduction into a Trinitarian existence, inserting us into God’s movement of love within the bosom of the Blessed Trinity. Having been inducted into active participation in Trinitarian life, we are enabled to share in the infinite love of the divine Persons. Friendship with God is not casual but all consuming. Charity towards neighbor is fruit of this divine dynamism within us. God’s invitation to intimacy demands reciprocal love. He has gone before us and loved us first, infusing his own life into us and thus enabling us to love infinitely. Correspondence with this grace requires purity of heart, mind and body. This purity is not limited to the area of Christian chastity – to which we are all called – but an even more subtle purity of intention. Thomas Aquinas says, “God is the motive for loving one’s neighbor, which proves that the act by which we love God is the same as that by which we love our neighbor,” (S. Th. II-II, q. 25, a. 1). In other words, love purified by grace precludes using people or self-seeking in human relations. Far from seeing others as objects we see them as objects of God’s infinite love who merit nothing less from us. In spite of his faults, in spite of the annoyance and difficulties he may cause us, our vocation calls us to look beyond all that and see the big picture: God in my neighbor. It is a good idea to ask ourselves why we do not love the people we should love. But perhaps even more telling is the question of why we love the people we profess to love. If my love for somebody is based on how he treats me, on what he thinks of me, on what he does for me, or whatever human qualities he might have that I especially appreciate, then we can be sure that this is not divine love, but merely human love. “For if you love those who love you, what rewards have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:46-48). Again St. Thomas says “Love of neighbor is not meritorious if the neighbor is not loved because of God” (S. Th. II-II, q. 27, a.8). What does it mean when a person is "not far from the kingdom of God"? It means he or she is facing truth honestly and is not interested in defending an ideology or even personal prejudices. It means the person is testing his or her faith by what the Word of God says and not by what some religious group demands. People close to the kingdom have the courage to stand up for what is true even if they lose some friends and make some new enemies. This is what love is all about. Our love of neighbor must transcend all barriers even if it means making enemies. In his encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est"' Pope Benedict XVI, says "Love of neighbour, grounded in love of God, as well as being a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, is also a responsibility for the entire Ecclesial Community, which must reflect Trinitarian love in its charitable activity." It is, of course, important that the Church's charitable activity does not lose its own identity and become just another form of social assistance, but that it maintain all the splendour of the essence of Christian and ecclesial charity. In conclusion, it is easy to deceive ourselves, thinking we have great charity because we are generous to those we naturally love. If we really want our love to be divine, we have to transcend the natural and contemplate our neighbor from the perspective of God’s love, thus loving him in relation to God and because of God. Only in this way will our love be authentically theological