Your Child Says “I Hate You”, Parents July 30, 2024. 

[Jesus said], “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple”.      Luke 14:26.

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I would not mind making a tiny bet on which word you found to be the most challenging in today’s readings; there it is up there in quotes. Specifically, the world “hate”. I looked up the Greek in the original passage in Luke, 14:26, most carefully. It is definitely the word μισώ, misō, “hate” (and it’s the same word in modern Greek). And we have words in English which link to it: Misanthrope, hatred of mankind; misogyny, hatred of women. It means hate alright, even 2000 years ago when the Lord uttered it. And traditionally the opposite of hate is… love (or, possibly, indifference). So we have a real challenge here. Is Jesus really telling us to hate everyone we love? Well, clearly not. I think the Lord is, in a sense, pulling our communal leg. Do you recall these moments from the gospel:

First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye; Matthew 7:3-5.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God;  Matthew 19:24.

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off;     Mark 9:43

And we do it all the time in common everyday language:

If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times: Don’t do that!  (A million times???).

I’m so hungry I could eat a horse….

This shirt cost me an arm and a leg….

All that is done simply to hammer home a point, called hyperbole, in other words, exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. We get the word hype from the same root. And Jesus must have been doing exactly that in today’s gospel – and the other gospel passages mentioned above. It is critical, he is saying, that you hear what I say, implement what I say and remain always true to what I say. Why? Because there is eternal life in my words (and this time it is not hyperbole). But his language is extremely strong; indeed it is difficult to state it in any stronger way! There must be nothing standing in the way between each of us and him, the one who invites us to eternal life and happiness. 

The rest of today’s gospel is also a little difficult to understand. First there is a man who sets out to build a tower, and figures out ahead of time to see if he has sufficient resources to complete it. If he does not, but still goes ahead but is unable to complete it, he will be subject to ridicule and mockery. Or if a king, going out to battle an enemy, will be foolish not to carefully calculate if he has any realistic chance of defeating his enemy. If not, deal with the problem more realistically. We, for our part, are looking at life and wondering if we will end up happily – or not. And Jesus answers that question for us: if we accept and live by what he offers, we will be happy. If not, then we will allow our worries and cares, our worldly problems, to overwhelm us, dominate us and drag us down. Paul, in the second reading, was indeed dealing with the end of his life and the worries and challenges that situation presented. He dealt with them in the most charitable way possible, helping others by sending Onesimus to them, someone he treasures as his own son, yet deciding others have greater needs than he. It is just such worries, challenges and obstacles that the Book of Wisdom deals with in the first reading. We earthly creatures, weighed down by our earthly concerns, should always turn to the Lord God, whose Holy Spirit is sent to us, and then because of that, our pathway is straightened, our goal clear and God’s wisdom is available for the asking, along with the power to make it happen. And so all three readings coalesce and our choices and direction become clear and possible. That anything is possible with God! But Jesus, as always, does not hide that good news in cotton wool: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple”. So it is not a fairy tale he is giving us, quite the contrary. There will be challenges galore he seems to be saying, temptations to betray his teachings. Even your own family, he seems to suggest, might try to divert you from the true way. And remembering the early church and its persecution by the state and the terrible punishments which threatened the lives of those early Christians, he was not hiding the cost of being his follower. It is almost as if he knew what would eventually happen to those who accepted him and followed his example. Today, though, it is mostly indifference, disinterest, distraction – call it what you will – which separate his message from the lives of many people. So it is up to each one of us to display his message loud and clear in our lives, our actions, our words and our attitudes. And, in doing that fully, we might well risk ridicule and mockery. But with our Savior standing beside us, we are not alone, and will withstand the mighty gales of indifference and the earthquakes of ignorance! 

Help Club for Moms, Teaching Children that Nothing is Impossible with God.

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Pope Francis washing the feet of refugees during a Maundy Thursday Mass with Muslim, Christian, and Hindu asylum seekers at a shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome, March 24, 2016, Britannica. 

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[Jesus said] “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”         Luke 14:11.

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Last week I began with a story taken from personal experience many years ago. Today’s readings prompted another such memory. I once got a summer job in London when still a student with the Youth Employment Service. I was invited to dinner by one of the workers there, someone who lived in Chelsea, one of the wealthiest parts of the city. It was a grand apartment, way beyond my experience and rather overwhelming. I was invited to sit at the table, laid as I recall for about eight people. I sat at the head of the table, just like the poor soul in today’s gospel, and was quietly told by the host, “no, why don’t you sit there..” pointing to a lesser seat at the side. My mistake was born out of total ignorance as I guess it was the easiest seat to take (but never forgotten or repeated). That was in the 1960s, as was last week’s story, clearly a time for learning social morēs. As ever, Jesus was someone who followed his own advice to the letter, seen in the unforgettable moment when he washed the feet of the highly reluctant Peter (John 13:1-17). And as he said, it might well be that if you do take a humble place at table, you might well be mildly scolded and invited to a more prominent place.

Perhaps the key to today’s readings can be found in the first reading from the Book of Sirach: “What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not”. Sirach is a book in the school of Wisdom, meaning it contains advice on how to live properly, grounded in daily human experience. That can be seen clearly in the quotation just shown. It is a foundational principle for us all, namely to know our limits realistically and accept them. Even if we are superbly gifted in many areas, way beyond the normal, we are still human, living among humans, and each of us has the dignity of a child of God and hence deserving of respect and with the trust of being so treated. No matter how gifted we are by God, we live among God’s children, and on one essential level, we are equal in the eyes of God and should act accordingly. 

And then there is the gospel today. Jesus says quite clearly and with authority, “when you are invited, go and take the lowest place” with no ifs, ands, buts or maybes. Then there might be a correction from the host, and you be invited to a more honorable position – or not. But you will be spared the indignity of correction. On a grander sale, this same instruction can be seen in other areas too. For example, some with grand ideas of their singing or instrument-playing ability may not be quite at the level others place on it, and may open themselves to quiet – or open – ridicule. So a realistic appraisal of our abilities and skills or our place in society will save us from potential embarrassment and allow us to set appropriate self-goals of improved behavior. Remember that inappropriate pride is sinful, one of the seven deadlies in fact. And because it is self-inflicted makes it so much worse. That would suggest we are living in a self-made world of delusion and possibly incapable to making a good judgment on ourself or, indeed, anyone else. That would be a very chilly world. And note, if taken to an extreme, it leaves no room for God. And that would be the final point. Self has replaced The Other; there would be no room for anybody else. We have then condemned ourselves to ultimate loneliness and, in my opinion, eternal hell. Hell is yourself – for – ev – er. In eternal blackness, because all else is nothing compared to self. And there is only oneself to blame, despite every warning. 

They say great oaks from little acorns grow. That is certainly the case with what has been examined here. Beginning with the tiniest unjustified self-flattery, that little seed can grow into an imprisoning monster of our own creation, and we might not even know it! But others would know, and we would know it if we apply today’s readings with supreme honesty to ourselves as far as each one of us is able. So there is the point. If any of this rings true in our personal world, then we now know what we should do. And the ultimate test can be seen in the gospel: “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you”. And there you will find the complete death of pride and the birth of compassion, the importance of others, and discovering Christ in your midst. 

The Seven Deadly Sins in the Modern World, Aleiteia.

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BetterYouLiving, Instagram, October 30, 2024.

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[Jesus said], Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.            Luke 13:29-30.

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Once in a while the Sunday Scripture reminds me of incidents in my life which, in one way or another, have made a deep impression. Today’s gospel is one of them. Picture it, summer 1967. In my last year of college in London I had become aware of an organization which offered graduates of “technical” subjects an opportunity to work abroad for a few months. My London degree is based on economics and geography, which qualified. I was offered positions in France (requiring fluent French), Germany (German) and Sweden (English). Remarkably enough I chose Sweden. Tailor shop in Stockholm or bank in Gothenburg (Sweden’s second city)? Where can one hide in a tailor shop? The bank please. I was told to arrive at the bank to pick up the key to my rooming house on 24th June, a Friday. Now remember those of my age, that all suitcases at that time were hand held, heavy and quite painful. I arrived at the railway station in Gothenburg (Göteborg, sounding something like “Yūterboree” in Swedish) on midsummer day, baking hot, clear blue sky. A public holiday…. But my letter from the bank clearly said 24 June…. I found my way to the bank, which, of course, was tight shut, with no-one around anywhere. At that point the handle of my suitcase broke and I had to carry it as if embracing it… Oh my – today’s Scripture floated up in front of me “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Amen brother! Despondent, just like the people in today’s gospel, I miserably struggled down the lane alongside the bank, and there was the narrow gate! With bell door button! Of course it was pushed and behold, the door opened! There was a young man there, taking care of the bank on a holiday weekend, actually answering the doorbell (this was clearly 1967 not 2025 when that would be unthinkable). I stammered out my desperation, he calmed me down, took me in, and we looked for any rooming house key lying around (none), and so he said his family could put me up for the weekend! Thinking of all that, I wonder if the Lord had such situations in mind? Well I had obeyed the bank’s instructions to the letter (just like we try to follow Scripture), despite a (Swedish pen-) friend actually telling me (tempting me?) that it was a public holiday in Sweden, but it was there in my letter in black and white – 24 June. I had resisted all inducement to reject the word (of the bank, not Scripture in this case), and had been saved! And by Monday I had a family base in a new city!

Of course I know that all this was sheer good luck and goodwill rather than religious conversion! But in today’s gospel we are offered a road map to the gates of heaven, and we know now exactly what to have to do in order to be invited in. There is no luck there, just a life lived in accordance with God’s plan. When the gospel says “We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets” and yet we have been excluded from entry into the kingdom, clearly there is a message there. Yes, they recognized Jesus’ presence among them (as we do today) but clearly have not undertaken the responsibilities required of a true Christian on a daily basis. Yes, eat and drink with the Lord – but were you charitable with the less fortunate? Did you help others as much as you were able? Were you seen as honest and generous with your time and your skills? Did you forgive when that was necessary? And so on and on. That is what gets entrance through the narrow gate!

And then there is the second reading about the discipline needed to achieve that goal. We are born into this world brand new. We have not the slightest idea of who we are, what we are and what it is all about. We know when we are hungry and uncomfortable, and that’s it! That’s the starting point for each one of us, and then the training begins, outlined in today’s second reading, which seems to be a tad sexist – are sisters and daughters exempt from this training? Er – no. And then there are  different schools of thought when it comes to discipline, but one thing is certain – it is critical and essential. And it is from our parents that almost all of us learn the basics. Hopefully they are good. If not, then we have a lifetime to learn better and correct any faults we may have learned from them. There is an extremely scurrilous Philip Larkin poem about exactly that which I won’t even name or point you to. But bear in mind that we all come to a time when we are totally responsible for who and what we are, and that will get us through that narrow gate – or not.

The first reading seems to suggest that all people are destined for this regime. Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan being – or once were – the limits of the Mediterranean area, essentially the “world” for most biblical peoples at that time. We are all taught at the earliest age what is essential and required for peaceful, communal living on some level but once those basics have been mastered we start taking control of ourselves. It is at that point we become aware of a greater reality than even ourselves and take the first step for or against recognizing it. And that reality seems to be reflected in today’s first reading,  So in a way we are all subject to this pattern of growth and development. Today’s readings, then, seem to be a huge mirror handed to us, and we can look at it and perhaps calculate where we stand in reference to ourselves, to others and to God. And what we intend to do about it.

The Last Judgement, Jean Cousin, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.

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Todd L. Thomas Art Collections, Medford, OR, USA.

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In a time of major conflagrations throughout the world right now, Jesus’ statement is particularly ominous. Although he’s not talking about real fires that destroy everything in their path, he is clearly talking about destruction on some level! And so what exactly is the Prince of Peace saying? Today’s other readings are not comforting either. The first reading talks about the holy prophet Jeremiah being thrown down a deep, filthy cistern and being left to rot, and the second reading contains the ominous line, “you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood”. There is a clear warning we have all heard that when we meet together for any reason, that there are two subjects never to be discussed: religion and politics. It is as if Jesus was giving us that same warning from over the centuries, as it seems he means the same thing. Indeed, over the centuries down to this very day, people have fought and died over religious principles: Christians v. Christians, Christians v. non-Christians and non-Christians v. non_Christians. It seems to be never ending. Perhaps the worst example were the 16th and 17th century wars of religion in Europe precipitated by the Protestant Reformation. In other words, over the centuries, we can never say that we weren’t warned about potential conflicts over who believed what was true and unassailable. And Jesus himself was the first Christian to die for his belief, the victim of both jealousy and supposed betrayed hope, with everyone expecting a great military figure, the new David, and getting instead a man who forgave everyone! Today’s impassioned prediction of strife has come to be – and remains – a simple statement of truth. 

Fire, therefore, is a major theme today. Jeremiah warned his people of impending doom unless they changed their ways. He had an internal fire which drove him even to the point of self-sacrifice in order for God’s word to be heard. The Letter to the Hebrews talks of the internal strength, or fire, of the Lord to endure the degradation of the cross in order to fulfill his Father’s mission and achive the glory of heaven. And then there is the fiery image of the Sacred Heart, aflame with the Lord’s love for us, despite our weakness and failures. 

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, Faithful Soul Prints, Etsy.

Here is another vision of the undying fire of love Christ has for us through thick and thin, through trouble and strife, through good times and happiness. The trouble with everything I have said here is that Jesus himself did not follow this advice! He knew his message was inflammatory, yet still said it. He knew it would mean his death, yet he kept to it. If he had not, there would have been no message, no church, no salvation. So we, his faithful followers, should clearly not be shy when needed. There is no telling what a few careful words concerning our deepest beliefs when uttered in appropriate (or not) circumstances might mean to others. It could be we find ourselves in a group where souls are crying out for a gleam of hope, love, salvation which we may be able to fill. Time and again the Lord uttered words which he knew would question deeply held beliefs, such as the long-awaited Messiah being a man of military strength and conquest. He was the complete opposite of that image, and he died because of it. And he knew that would happen, hence his impassioned “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Yet he still maintained the image of a man of peace and forgiveness, true to his Father and utterly determined to keep to that message. 

So, yes, discomfort today with the readings. A clarion call to uncomfortable truths,  surrounded these days not by images of conquering heroes, but by indifference, which is possibly worse. We have to be ready for rejection based on laughter, ridicule, scoffing and ignorance. And we should be ready with words that respond not with anger or fury, but with gentle correction and hope! Always remember we are not alone at such times. We have the fiery strength of the Holy Spirit, the fire of Pentecost within us on which to draw. We are never alone!

DreamsTime, Powerful Image of the Holy Spirit, Omer Sahin.

 

Friday 15 August 2025

Holyday of Obligation

On Friday 15th of August we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary body and soul into heaven. This feast was formalized into a dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950, declaring it to be infallible truth and to be accepted by all Catholics. It recognizes the sanctity of the most holy woman who accepted God’s unique call to accept and receive the Son of God, cherish him and give him a foundation of love and early guidance which is clearly seen in his life and example. So our thanks and praise can be rightly offered to Mary on Friday. She gives each one of us the example of perfect motherhood and support from Jesus’ conception, birth childhood and throughout his mission, even to the cross.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!

The Assumption of the Virgin, El Greco 1579, Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA.

 

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Instagram, Shine-in-Jesus, December 2020.

….light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.  Luke  12:35-36.

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Time and again Jesus calls us to be ready in every sense of the word for the arrival of the master. In fact there are at least eight times in the gospels that the Lord warns us! So at the very least we cannot ever say we weren’t warned! And today’s gospel is no exception, as seen in the quotation above. No dozing off, no naps, no distractions – we must be always on the watch! But this time there is a twist: “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” Here the servants are being rewarded for doing their duty – and by the master himself! That is how high an opinion the master has for his faithful servants! But note that: his faithful servants. So there is a reward for simply obeying the master, being always watchful for his return and being ready for the happy event. I wonder if the servants’ reaction was the same as Peter’s reaction when the Lord washed his feet! At first he point blank refused, until Jesus said that this was necessary to continue fellowship with him; only then did he relent. The lesson is very powerful however, as we are all called to servant-leadership. Many of us will quite easily reject that image, saying perhaps we are not leaders, not managing directors of anything, not leaders of any industry, not presidents or prime minsters of anywhere! So how then, one might imagine, can we expect the Lord to kow-tow to us? Well now, in imitation, even holding the door open for the person behind you is an act of subservience! We don’t have to do it – but we do it with respect and as a part of civilized behavior. Helping anyone in clear distress is a measure of our Christian identity, because the Lord expects it of us. Indeed, we are called to be on the lookout for any occasion in which we might be of assistance, and perhaps that is what the Lord is asking of us. Because when we see others then perhaps we are being called to see the Lord in them. In other words, perhaps this is the way to be always on the alert, as Jesus demanded. It might well be a difficult challenge with some of our acquaintance, of course, but as I tell many in the confessional, when confronted with a challenging situation where we might be tempted to tell someone to go to hell, as it were, just think this: this person who has offended you in some way might be doing the best he or she can do! It clearly isn’t what we would do – but it might be all that poor soul can do, and so who are we to criticize? It does not lessen the challenge of having to deal with difficult people, but if might help us in handling it. Read this story which might bring that possible situation to life, and make it clearer. 

In that way, with a positive frame of mind which we are determined to maintain even in the worst situations, we are always on the watch! We will be searching for the good in others, for the presence of God even in the unlikeliest of places, even in the hearts and minds of those we might think have neither! So if we actually search for such situations with always a positive frame of mind, we will be satisfying the Lord’s insistence that we be on the watch. Couldn’t that be the meaning of this line from the first reading: For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution. And then there is the second reading, which talks of Abraham, living way beyond the normal years of child-bearing: “So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore”. Flip that meaning into our own world, where we might be dead to saying something nice, positive and constructive, suddenly we are able to do exactly that? In that way we can create a lively atmosphere – an atmosphere full of life – where before there was maybe nothing, emptiness and negativity. So a good word, a small deed of generosity, an offer of assistance – anything positive, will mean we are on the watch, always and everywhere, just as we have been ordered to do by the Lord. Our lamps will be full of oil, lit, and breaking down the darkness that was there before. 

Hand holds a large old lamp in the dark, iStock by Getty Images.

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Christ in the Home of Martha and Mary, Johannes Vermeer 1655, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK.

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The Lord said to [Martha] in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”     Luke 10:41.

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There are elements in each of this Sunday’s readings that may be taken as indications of a much broader meaning, in addition to understanding what the original intention was. That mysterious “terebinth of Mamre” in the first reading, for example. What is a terebinth? Turns out that it’s a a small tree or large shrub, very sturdy, growing where most others cannot, such as in dry, rocky, inhospitable terrane, as there is around Mamre, a small settlement in the semi-desert south of Jerusalem. It is in the same family as the cashew. The word turpentine originated with it, but the modern paint-thinning  liquid “turps” now comes from the resin of the pine tree. The terebinth has medicinal properties in addition to an edible fruit and its wood is good enough to be shaped into tools. An all around winner! Then, also in the first reading, there is an example of the well-known hospitality of the Levant, as Abraham and Sarah open their table to three total strangers. What was incredible about them is their prediction that the childless Sarah, then about 90 years old, would bear a son! Sarah overhead that and began laughing, but God rebuked her… Read all about it here, as unhappily it is not included in today’s reading. But Sarah argued with God – and even told God a fib (probably like many of us too)!

Then Paul, in the second reading, reminded me of a childhood exhortation that you rarely hear today. He clearly had plenty of health problems, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” he says. He seems to liken his sufferings to the pains associated with the growing Christian community, hence to be accepted as they are useful. For those of my age, doesn’t that sound like “offer your pain up for the souls in Purgatory”? In other words it is a positive remedy for what could well become a very negative suffering experience. And finally, in the gospel, Jesus is staying with friends Martha and Mary, where poor Martha has taken on herself all the chores of dealing with a guest, rushing around and complaining about her lot. Mary on the other hand simply sits at the feet of the Lord listening to him. Where would each one of us want to be in that situation? No mention of their brother Lazarus in this passage, which presumably took place in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem. 

Terebinth Tree, Mohand Azouze, Flickr.

So now, what were the promised points about today’s readings mentioned at the beginning of this reflection? The first passage begins, “the Lord appeared to Abraham”, but when he looked up, he saw three men, not one. Although the next chapter talks of two angels together, there is no explanation in this 18th chapter as to who they all were. Some theologians posit that this may have been a first inkling of the Trinity, reinforced by the use of the plural in Genesis 1:26:  “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness“. It’s a pretty weak argument, but quite interesting. In the second reading Paul makes much of the Gentile readers he is addressing. Remember the huge distinction the Jewish people make between themselves and us Gentiles. The Council of Jerusalem, mentioned in the reflection of the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, last 25th May, was necessary because of the crisis following the admission of Gentiles into the new Jewish/Christian, movement. Clearly Paul is at ease with that, expressing his desire that all Gentiles fully understand the meaning of the Messiah among us and that we must submit to him. And finally, the domestic fuss between Martha and Mary. Note what each is doing, and then compare that to the reality of the priesthood and the diaconate. Priesthood involves spreading the Word of God as received from Scripture, and the diaconate means service (deacon: “δεακονος deakonos” is the Greek word for servant). So Mary is doing what a priest would do, listen and absorb the Word of God, whereas Martha is being the deacon, the servant. In the present thinking about the possibility of women becoming ordained deacons, this passage almost certainly must have come under intense study. 

Therefore each reading today may point, in one way or another, to a wider reality or possibility beyond the immediate confines of the scene presented. The first reading might represent the Holy Trinity suggested centuries before the revelation in the New Testament and be seen as a preparation of that revelation. The second reading can be seen as a prayer for the universal acceptance of Christ’s message of salvation, and the gospel as a possible example of a veiled message of universal acceptance into the ordained ministry of the church! Pretty controversial in many ways, not to say inflammatory, but intriguing or at least interesting. It is very human to be challenged and having to defend one’s position, and some clarity is a possible result. We should always be ready to defend what we consider to be right and just, and still be open to listening to and judging fairly someone else’s point of view. We don’t often get a set of three Sunday readings which prompt reflection and some challenge, but today’s do seem to offer that. We should never be afraid of prayerful thought and challenge even for our deepest beliefs. The result might be even greater strength. And isn’t there something in that for us all? Don’t we, sometimes, demonstrate a greater, holier more Christian self in certain moments? Perhaps that could be a call for some reflection, on how each of us can be a truer, better child of God. We surely have moments which point to that. Then why not deepen such moments, and become ever better disciples of the Lord?

Icon of the Hospitality of Abraham, Holy Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Mount Penteli, Greece. [Theotokos is Greek for “God-bearer” or Mother of God; ΦΙΛΟΞΕΝΙΑ, Philoxenia, is Greek for hospitality]

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