Mt 5:38-42 Offer No Resistance

Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
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Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil...."

 

In today's first reading, we are introduced to the influences of Jezebel, the bible's wicked witch of the Middle East.   An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was her motto.  She coerced, seduced, and murdered her victims all for power and revenge.  She is the pinnacle of unholiness and evil.  A protagonist of ill will, many books and songs have been composed in her name.

Jezebel represents a rotting soul filled with greed, jealousy, hate, and revenge.  By contrast, Jesus represents a blooming soul filled with love, compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.

Our Lord desires for us to offer no resistance toward one who is evil. In fact, the fruits of the Holy Spirit can help us.  Saint Paul writes:

....The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)

How can we handle the nastiness of the Jezebels in our lives?  How can we "keep calm and carry on" when so much evil lurks around us? 

Here are some examples of how to offer no resistance under the guidance of the fruits of the Holy Spirit:

Turn the other cheek   (Fruits: peace, self-control)  When a person strikes our right cheek with criticisms, insults, and negativity, the best thing is to remain self-controlled. Don't return the venom.  Turn the other cheek straight in their direction as if to say, "I know you're angry with me.  I've offended you even though I may not have meant to. You can say what you wish. I'm sorry for harm."  Many times people are ready for the brawl; however, simply acting in a passive manner throws them off guard.

Self-control allows peace to enter our hearts and minds in ways that are pleasing to the Lord.

Hand over your cloak  (Fruits: gentleness, faithfulness)  Many lawsuits, along with hefty legal fees, can be prevented if people settled their disagreements.  Faith and trust have been violated. One party feels as if they have been cheated by another.  When we acknowledge our guilt, and make amends for what we have done wrong, we demonstrate good character and judgment.  Symbolically, we hand over to the prosecutor our own cloak saying, "I wish to obey the law from now on.  Here is a token of my commitment."

When we have faith in one another, we become more gentle and caring.

Walk another two miles  (Fruits: patience, kindness)  When we volunteer to help others in need, sometimes we are asked to commit more time than planned.  Perhaps an elderly person wants to chat at the nursing home a while longer.  A child asks to be read a second or third story before going to sleep. The fruit of patience encourages us to walk that extra mile.  Service to others is a  rewarding experience that should never be taken for granted.

Patience allows us to love and appreciate others as children of God.

Give to one who asks  (Fruits: joy, generosity)  When driving down the street, we may notice a homeless person holding a sign requesting a handout.  A co-worker may ask to borrow $20  to fill up the gas tank. In each one of these cases, a person is asking for another's help.  We should never turn our back to others in need regardless of our dislikes or pre-conceived notions. When we wipe away our prejudices, and help others with kindness and compassion, we are filled with an inner joy.

The inner joy as a result of our generosity is truly liberating.

Life's Jezebels  Those who are evil (the Jezebels of life) will try every trick in the playbook to get us to lose our tempers, fight, argue, manipulate and hate.  Don't give into sinful temptations.  Allow God to handle difficult matters in his own way and on his own time frame.  The Jezebels in our lives can serve a meaningful purpose: to teach us a valuable lesson.  We can learn good behavior by observing the bad deeds in others, determined not to repeat them.  Best of all, we see God in action when justice is served.  The wicked will not stand a chance again the Almighty power of God.  

Always remember that the greatest fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love.  When we love one another, including our enemies, we put on the mind of Christ.  Offer no resistance and keep the Sacred Heart of Jesus nestled close to your own heart!

He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely. (Saint Catherine of Siena)

This meditation was written by Jennifer Burgin.  Please visit her blog:  Jennifer's Spectrum of Spirituality

Mt 5:33-37 Of Course!

Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Jesus said to his disciples:  "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes' and your 'No' mean 'No.'  Anything more is from the Evil One."

Say what you mean and just do it.  Sounds simple.  And yet we all know it is not.  It is not because whenever we say what we mean, then it demands we follow through, we commit; and commitment to anything today is just too old fashion, like a handshake, right?  Wrong.

Commitment is beautiful, for it is certain.

While I was in the seminary, we seminarians were taught an interesting saying:  "Do what you say or die trying."  Okay, I know this may sound a bit extreme or NAVY SEAL to some, but it was music to my ears.  It meant I could count on the men around me, and this was very reassuring to me and to all of us.  I knew that if someone promised something, then it was set in stone.  No contracts or signatures were required. 

Sure, commitment means sacrifice, but life without commitments would be like the sun not rising, or a day with more or less than 24 hours, or the moon escaping earth's gravity.  On the downside there is a certain sacrifice associated with being, but it allows all things to be defined, for better or worse.

Anything more is from the Evil One.  Really?  Is lying really that bad, especially when you are trying not to hurt someone's feelings??? 

I don't know about you, but I don't like to hurt people's feelings.  Unfortunately, when our "yes" does not mean "yes" but "no," then we end up hurting those we love.   God knows this is so true. 

So why do I say "Sure!" or "Yes!" when I should be saying "Are you crazy!" or "No!"?  It's because it comes from the Evil One who loves to bend the truth and twist love.

Let your "yes" mean "yes" and your "no" mean "no" and your life (and the lives of those around you) will be filled with understanding, certainty and joy. 

Count on it.

Mt 5:27-32 Chopping Ourselves, Not Others

Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Jesus said to his disciples: "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. 

Strong words.  Tough actions.  Deep meanings.

Brazil and the World Cup.  That's why I was a bit surprised when my thoughts immediately turned to Brazil, the World Cup, the thousands of workers protesting and striking, and the hundreds of thousands of fans suffering.  How horrible.  How regrettable.  How disgusting!  How does this relate to today's Gospel passage? 

It's clear the protestors and strikers are taking advantage of all the spectators (most of them poor people) who are traveling great distances (and at great cost) to enjoy the World Cup, a once-every-four-year event.  I find this simply appalling.  They should have done this four years ago.  Not now.  This is entirely selfish and wrong.  Now I'm not saying these poor workers don't have a case.  They do.  But they should not be infuriating guests from all over the world.  This is wrong. 

Even if our own life is miserable, why do we love to make other people's lives miserable?  What is it about us that makes us like that?  Why is it that if I am upset, then I need to make everyone around me upset?  I know.  Original sin.  

Christ did not suffer so that we could learn how to make other people suffer.  No!  On the contrary, He suffered so that we could learn how to suffer patiently, lovingly, compassionately and mercifully. 

Which brought me to my next thought.

Iraq and the Islamists.  Almost immediately my thoughts went from Brazil to Iraq, and to the Islamists and the four thousand American soldiers who died there in vain(?).

Well, from all the news services, it appears as though Iraq is lost, lost to Islamist fighters, who have already begun to persecute Christians, enforce Sharia and behead their enemies and leave their heads on street corners.  Of course, these terrorists are not aware of Christ's words (let alone the meaning of His words), but I find it amazing how Christ's words for today relate to current events!  After all, how can some people think to behead others in the name of God if they themselves are full of sin? 

If you notice, Christ only told his followers to cut their own appendages (if it causes them to sin); not those of others.  What a difference in style and substance! 

I don't hear it anymore, but once upon a time there were some folks who would often say that there was no "real" difference between the major religions.  Clearly, they did not know what they were talking about. 

Lets keep in our prayers the poor people in Iraq, especially the Christians who have no protection against the on-going genocide. 

Mt 5:20-26 Taking The High Road

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Jesus said his disciples:  "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven."

Taking the high road.  So what is this righteousness?  What must I do in order to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees?  Answer:  I must do what the Lord has done.  I must take the initiative and seek reconciliation.

This is the high road (righteousness), especially when I know I am right! :) 

Christ came into the world to save, not to destroy. He came to love, not to gloat.  He came to forgive, not to condemn.  He came show us the way, not to keep it a mystery.

Each morning we begin.  A new day as dawned.  A new me has risen.  Today does not need to be like yesterday. I can right a wrong.  I can make a correction.  I can fix a fault.  I can reach out a little further.  I can show a little bit more compassion and love.  I can speak a little less.  I can listen a little more.  I can be much slower to judge and much faster to help. 

This is the life of a hard working Christian.  This is the vision of an early morning saint.  Every day is another opportunity to growth.

As St. Paul once wrote:  "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (cf. Phil 4:8).

What a wonderful thought.  I plan on reading this scripture verse every morning during the summer months.

What is your early morning read?

Mt 5:17-19 Change and Continuity

Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

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By Benedict Augustine

 

“Jesus said to his disciples:
'Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.'”

 

In all periods, societies have always divided themselves on the issue of time: some people would place their hopes in the ideas of the future, and some would cling to the ideas of the past. In the times of the gospel, the Pharisees instructed their communities to follow the ideals of the past, recalling the brave deeds of the Maccabees who fought and died for the Law in the 2^nd century BC. Opposing this emphasis on tradition, the Sadducees pledged their support to the kingdoms of the future, like Greece and Rome, who ironically fought against those same Maccabees. After the resurrection of Christ, Christians throughout the ages would debate on whether to maintain the practices of the past or embrace the practices of the future. When these sides could not come to an agreement, schisms would occur: in the first millennium, the Eastern Orthodox church broke away; in the second millennium, Protestant churches broke away, resulting in a cascade of innumerable denominations breaking off forever afterward. For most societies today, these two sides take on a more political character, with conservatives on side and liberals on the other; the former usually tries to 'conserve' the past while the latter tries to 'liberate' the future.

 

Although most people usually identify themselves as somewhere in between the conservative and liberal positions, their circumstances will usually force them to choose one or the other. This choice usually comes down to self-interest: those who profited from past systems usually want to keep it that way, and those who lost in those past systems will want to change it. Until “all things have taken place,” until Christ returns at the end of the world to redeem the rest of humanity, this tussle will rage on and on, leaving everyone dissatisfied and often tiring out the parties involved.

 

Only in Jesus will all men find rest, particularly in the quarrel between past and present. Because Jesus transcends time—His sacrifice at Calvary happens for all time, past, present and future—He allows his followers to do the same. This does not only happen on a metaphysical level, when souls pass into eternity, outside time, but also on a practical level in regards to history, inside time. Jesus states that He has “come not to abolish but to fulfill [the law and the prophets].” He does not come with some brand new idea that would supplant the old one, like a false messiah, nor does He come to repeat the old ideas, as the prophets did; He comes to make new sense of the old idea. The Old Testament makes little sense without Jesus, and Jesus makes little sense without the Old Testament. He does not represent the past, as the Pharisees, nor did he advocate the future, as the Sadducees. He stood for the present, the unobservable continuation of time between past and future. Hence, both the Sadducees and Pharisees could find the will to come together to condemn Him to crucifixion.

 

Continuity defines Jesus' ministry, and it defines His Church. Continuity allowed Jesus to conserve the law while liberating it. It allowed Jesus to unite the old Jewish communities with the new Gentile communities to form the new church which would realize the hopes of the old one. When Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to the Church, He allowed this continuity to empower the church in spreading the gospel to “all the ends of the earth.” Like a vine, the early Church spread throughout the Roman Empire, with all the branches united to the stems, the stems connected to the trunk, the whole organism sustained by the continuity of Christ. Barnabas and Paul did not make new churches, but enlarged the same Church that started with Jesus. When some of their communities opted for the old ways, like the converted Pharisees requiring circumcision (Acts 15:1-5), or the new ways, like the Greeks thinking Paul and Barnabas were new gods (Acts 14:8-18), Paul had to redirect them to continuity of Christ, which transcended these misconceptions. Hence, the people in Antioch simply started calling themselves “Christians,” people who took in all time as Christ did.

 

The very life of the Church depends on this continuity. Movements that espouse a complete break from the past will often leave the world in flames; consider the carnage of the thirty year war, the French Revolution, the World Wars, and Totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century. In a similar way, movements to preserve the past also exact a price on peoples; consider the slavery of New World colonies, or the archaic tribalism of the developing world keeping the majority their populations in bondage and ignorance. Despite their gleaming rhetoric, history has shown that hoping in future utopias or trying to restore past glory inevitably leaves the world fractured and in the dark.

 

Even the Catholic Church wrestles with this issue. On one side, some liberal Catholics hope in a utopian Church embracing all new ideas indiscriminately; on the other side, some traditional Catholics try desperately to restore the Church that existed before Vatican II, dismissing all new ideas indiscriminately. Neither side should hold sway: the liberal vision would lead to a church without Christ, and thus reason to exist; the conservative vision would lead to legalistic church incapable carrying out Christ's mission to all peoples. Rather, Catholics today should recognize the wisdom of the past while acknowledging the challenges of the future—they can take their cue from the popes, including Francis, who nearly all embody this approach.

 

Sometimes the continuity of Christ is a narrow way between polarizing divisions that grow as the world grows more and more uncertain. Fortunately, Christ Himself will help navigate through this path, since He Himself is the path and the guide all in one. At the end of this lies mankind's salvation.

Mt 5:1-12 The Blessed

Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
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When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."

The Beatitudes are the Magna Charta of Christian perfection.  Therefore, from time to time we should closely examine each one of them to see how well we are doing. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Notice:  the Lord did not say "Blessed are the poor."  He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."  In other words, "Blessed are the humble."   Humility does to the Christian Faith what sugar does to fruit:  it makes it more attractive and digestible.  It sweetens her message.  It makes the Cross more digestible.  It revitalizes the brokenhearted and surprises the conceited.  It brings paupers and emperors to their knees.  It forgives sinners and opens the heart of skeptics.  It brings honesty to conversation and prayer.  Humility is the truth. 

Blessed are they who mourn.  To have mourned means to have loved.  Hence, the mourning process is an opportunity to finally give thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives.  It is a necessary process to ensure closure on earth and eagerness for heaven. 

Mourning does not lead to goodbye but until we meet again.

Blessed are the meek.  Meekness means simplicity.  The call to meekness is an open invitation to unclutter our lives from all our possessions and to make room to inherit the Promised Land.  The simple life is truly a blessed life.  To have only what you need is to be blessed.  To live according to the Lord's Commandments is to be blessed.  Do you believe this?  If so, then the peace of Christ is with you.  Blessed are you!

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  There is so much the world has to offer:  money, power, careers, titles, toys, servants, security and comforts.  And we could easily spend our entire life seeking all that is below.  So before we do that, we should take a good look and seek what is above.  "Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (cf. Mt 6:33).
 
There are no substitutes for God (i.e. love).  There are no comforts or titles or privileges that could ever compare to the dignity and honor of being created in the image and likeness of God.  There is not enough money in the world that could ever purchase His love or our holiness.  So seek what can only be purchased by His blood, and all other things will be swept under the carpet.

Blessed are the merciful.  We know there are many things about us that are easily recognizable in the animal kingdom.  We also know there are many things we do as human beings that are distinctly human in nature.  But there are some things we do that give light to the divine, and mercy is one of them. 

Forgiveness and mercy are divine, especially when applied to one's enemies.  Unconditional love is another.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  In other words, they will see God face to face. 

Mercy comes from above, not from below.  It comes from the Holy Spirit and is the most recognizable feature of Christianity and of our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Blessed are the clean of heart.  A pure heart, O Lord, create in me.  All that I am and all that I do originates from my heart.  So the question is:  to whom does my heart belong?  To me?  Not good.  To others?  Not good at all.  To God?  Now we are speaking.  And there is still some hope left for me.

"Our hearts are restless, until they can rest in you."  There is a constant battle waging inside of us.  Will we yield to the Holy Trinity or to the unholy trinity:  me, myself and I?  The battle for my heart, mind and body will continue to wage on until I see God face to face.  Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers.  Without knees bending in prayer there will never be peace over the earth.  There can be no peace without justice and no justice without forgiveness and no forgiveness without prayer.

Yesterday at the Vatican, Pope Francis prayed with the President of Israel and the President of Palestine for reconciliation and peace.  Peace has eluded much of this part of the world for many reasons, especially for because world leaders have never really taken prayer or forgiveness seriously.  The Holy Father's invitation was a great first step towards peace.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.  This morning I met someone who was truly being persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and it was eating her up.  She couldn't sleep at night; could hardly eat anything during the day.  In the end, she was wondering why God was making her life miserable.  What did I do to get God upset with me?

I asked her if she had read today's Gospel passage.  She had not.  I opened up my Magnificat and read to her the beatitudes.   "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad"...for you are imitating me.

Pray!  Pray!  Pray!

Jn 20:19-23 Pentecost: Happy Birthday Church

Pentecost Sunday
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On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked,...Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."  ...And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven..."

Happy Birthday to you.  Today we celebrate the Church's birthday, and as we all know, the Church does not consist of brick and mortar but of flesh and blood - billions of people, living on earth and in heaven.   

On this day, the most intimate followers of Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit and went straight to work, evangelizing strange civilizations and baptizing even stranger people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, millions of people converted and the course of world history forever changed.  All the glory and honor goes to God. 

What a difference the Holy Spirit has made in our lives and in the lives of so many others!

Now most of us have little difficulty in giving credit to the Holy Spirit for countless blessings received, countless inspirations conceived and countless decisions arranged.  But I believe most of us may have forgotten to give credit to the Holy Spirit where credit is most desired:  in bringing about unity.

It's no longer I who live in me.  One of the most difficult things in life is not being able to be someone else.  I am I and you are you and together you and I are we.  But the truth of the matter is:  I will never be able to be you. 

Sure, I can cry with you, laugh with you, hug you, understand you, and even love you, but I will never be able to be you.  And if I decide to try, I risk ruining my life.

When people come into my office and tell me their problems, I can understand them and even relate to them.  But when it comes to what they are going through...I cannot go through them.  I cannot penetrate them.  I can only imagine what they are going through, for there is a wall that separates me from all others. 

So watch out, especially if you are a parent who is eager to live through their kid.  You are on a collision course with your child, for you were never meant to be in your child!   Parents should guide their kids, help their kids, encourage their kids and support their kids, but they should never attempt to live through them.

We were never meant to be someone else. 

UNTIL TODAY...

With the gift of the Holy Spirit, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (cf. Gal 2:20). 

I can be another person!  I can be another Christ!  I can enter into communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Everything that is His can be mine and vice-versa.  Every word I speak and every act I commit can be through Him, with Him and in Him.  My life can be lived through Him, with Him and in Him.  Even my death can be experienced through Him, with Him and in Him. 

For this reason, the Church is known as the mystical body of Christ.  Sure, it is made up of billions of members, but it remains one body.  The Church is not simply a corporation.  It is the incarnation of Him.  

Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and do the first thing the Lord commanded His Apostles to do:  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.

To live in Christ means to love.  To love means to forgive.  It's that simple. 

The temptation has always been to be someone we are not.  The challenge today, and since the time of Pentecost, is to be the one we were always meant to be, since the very beginning of time.

Happy Birthday Church!