7th Week, Tuesday, Feb 21st; St. Peter Damian
Eccle 2:1-11 / Mark 9:30-37
Trust God; Your reward will not be lost.
An old poem describes a man walking through a field, meditating as he
goes. He came to a field of ripe pumpkins. In the field was a huge oak tree. As he studied the tiny acorns on the huge
branches and the huge pumpkins on the tiny vines, he thought to himself,
"God blundered! He should have put the acorns on the tiny vines and the
pumpkins on the huge branches." Then
the man lay down under the tree and fell asleep. A few minutes later he was
awakened by a tiny acorn bouncing off his nose. The young man rubbed his nose
and thought, "Maybe God was right after all!"
***
Do we sometimes question God's wisdom regarding some of the things in
our world? How ready are we to put total trust in whatever God asks of us in
this life? "The foolishness of God is
wiser than human wisdom." 1 Cor 1:25
***
Today, Ben Sirach speaks of
sufferings that come to people and test them as gold in the fire.
(Jesus announces his
passion and resurrection for the second time, but the disciples did not
understand him. Do we understand? We have begun this Eucharist by placing it
under the sign of the cross. Do we understand the cross, especially when it
weighs on our own shoulders?) The future leaders of the Church, the disciples,
are not free from dangerous defects like ambition; they seek the power of the
first place in the kingdom, they do not understand that Jesus – and they, too –
will have to suffer, and that service and simplicity are required to promote
the kingdom.
***
For every question that is asked, there is an answer to it. Even
for rhetoric questions, we already know what the answer is. Yet if a
question is asked, and no answer is given, then there could be a couple of
possible reasons for it. It is either that no one really knows the answer but
they will have to say so, or that the answer is so stark that it is too
embarrassing to say it.
In the gospel, when Jesus asked His disciples what were they arguing about
on the road, they said nothing. They surely knew what they were arguing about -
which of them is the greatest. But now they are like small boys hanging down
their heads and not wanting to say anything. Certainly, when grown men argue
like small boys, it is really embarrassing, and more so when they were the
disciples of Jesus, and even more so when just before that, Jesus was telling
them about the suffering and death He had to go through.
And it was here that Jesus showed those big "small boys" what greatness
really is. He set a little boy before them and gave them this profound
teaching: If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and
servant of all.
The 1st reading gave us such a startling teaching that we would rather
not hear about it. It says My son if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare
yourself for an ordeal. It continues with this: Whatever happens to you, accept
it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient since gold is
tested in the fire, and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation. So if we were
to ask what greatness is, we also know what the answer is. May we be willing
and humble enough to accept that answer.
***
Prayer
Lord our God, you know what
is in our hearts. Purify our thoughts, change our mentality and give us the
attitude of Jesus, your Son. Help us to identify with Jesus, to accept
suffering as a part of life and of our efforts to establish your kingdom. In
whatever position we are, keep us humble, trusting and simple and may we have
no other ambition than to serve your Son in our sisters and brothers. For he
was the servant of all and so you made him our Lord forever. Amen
***
Feast day February 21
Born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1007, Peter Damian knew hardship as a child.
He became a successful teacher, but only for a short time. He was ordained to
the priesthood, and in 1035, he entered a Benedictine monastery. The monks
lived in small hermitages, with two monks in each. Peter was known for his
fasting, penance, and long hours of prayer. In 1043, he was elected abbot.
Peter began reorganizing the rules of the order to return to the original
spirit and purpose of the order. Men were drawn to the monastery, and Peter
started five other foundations.
In 1057, Peter was made cardinal and bishop of Ostia. Soon he was called
upon by the Church to settle disputes, attend synods, and fight abuses. He devoted
much energy to helping the clergy, as well as the leaders of the empire. With
his letters, biographies, sermons, stories, and poems, he encouraged others to
restore discipline to their lives. Through all his diplomatic missions, Peter
Damian remained a monk at heart. He served the Church as he was asked, however,
and as best he could. He died February 22, 1072, and in 1828, was declared a
Doctor of the Church.
