10th Week: Jun 9-14
(Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church): NC Register:
One of the most recent architectural additions to Saint
Peter’s Square is the mosaic of Mary “Mother of the Church,” with
the inscription Totus Tuus, yet another sign of Pope St. John Paul
II’s great love for Our Lady. On Saturday, March 3, 2018, Pope
Francis declared that, thenceforward, the Monday after
Pentecost Sunday would be celebrated as the Memorial of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. The Memorial was to be observed annually. It
has been added to the General Roman Calendar, the Roman Missal, and
the Liturgy of the Hours with the Holy Father’s wish that this new feast
day foster Marian piety and the maternal sense of the Church. Pentecost
was the birth of the Church – the Mystical Body of Christ. As Mother of
Christ, the Head of the Church, Mary is also the Mother of the Church,
for she was with the apostles for that great event. In Catholic
Mariology, Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae) is a
title officially given to Mary at the closing of the Second
Vatican Council, by Pope St. Paul VI. The title was first used
in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan. The
same title was used by Pope Benedict IV in 1748 and then by
Pope Leo XIII in 1885. Pope St. Paul VI made the pronouncement
of the title Mother of the Church during his speech upon the closing of the
third session of the Second Vatican Council on November 21, 1964: “For
the glory of the Virgin and our consolation, we proclaim Mary the Most Holy
Mother of the Church, that is, the Mother of the whole People of God,
both the faithful and the pastors.” Later, the title was used by
Pope St. John Paul II, and is also found in the Catechism of
the Catholic Church which states that Mary joined in
bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its
Head.” (CCC #963). “At once virgin and mother, Mary is the
symbol and the most perfect realization of the Church.” (CCC #
507).
Pope St. John Paul II used the encyclical “Redemptoris
Mater” (March 25, 1987), to explain how Jesus gave
his mother into the care of John the apostle and how she became the Mother of
the whole Church. The Pope said, “in her new motherhood in the Spirit,
Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one
through the Church.” Pope Benedict XVI addressed the issue of the
relationship between Roman Catholic Mariology and ecclesiology
quoting the theologian Hugo Rahner, SJ [elder brother of Karl Rahner SJ]
that Mariology was originally ecclesiology. The Church is
like Mary. The Church is virgin and mother, she is immaculate and
carries the burdens of history. She suffers, and she is assumed into
heaven. She is carrying the mystery of the Church. That is why in 2018
Pope Francis decreed that the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church be inserted into the Roman Calendar on
the Monday after Pentecost and that it be celebrated every
year. The decree was signed on 11 February 2018, the memorial
of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the 160th anniversary of the Lourdes
apparitions. The decree was issued on 3 March 2018.
As St. Augustine once said: “Mary is more blessed because
she embraces Faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ.” As
St. Ambrose taught, “The Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order
of Faith, Charity, and the perfect union with Christ.” She serves as
the ultimate role model for all Christians in her willingness to cooperate with
God’s will. So, while we rightfully acknowledge her as the Mother of God,
the Theotokos, we also acknowledge her sanctity and her willingness
to do God’s will. This is why another ancient name attributed to her now
appears on the Church’s calendar. “The Cross, the Eucharist, and the
Mother of God are three mysteries that God gave to the world in
order to structure, fructify, and sanctify our interior life and lead us to
Jesus.” (Robert, Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; retired February 20,
2021). Let us honor Mary the Mother of the Church by imitating her
virtues of faith, humility, and total surrender.
June 9 Monday: Saint Ephrem, deacon and doctor of
the Church: Mt 5:1-12:
The context: The“Beatitudes” form the
introductory section in Mathew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. They
are the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, as the Sermon on the Mount is the
heart of the whole Gospel, or the “Compendium of Christian Doctrine.” This
sermon contains the most essential aspects of Christian behavior that we need
to live out, if we are to reach Christian perfection. In essence, the
Beatitudes both fulfill and complete the Ten Commandments.
Bombshells: In both Matthew and Luke the Beatitudes have
been called a “series of bombshells” or blinding “flashes of lightning followed
by deafening thunder of surprise and shock,” because Jesus reverses our
“natural” assumption that happiness lies in riches, power, influence, and
pleasure. We believe in personal pride: Jesus blesses poverty of spirit. We
seek pleasure: Jesus blesses those who mourn. We see the prosperity of
aggressive people: Jesus blesses the meek. We love good food and drink: Jesus blesses
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Thus, Jesus instructs his
disciples in the paradoxical blessedness of poverty, hunger, sorrow, and
persecution. In poverty, we recognize God’s reign; in hunger, His Providence;
in sorrow, true happiness; and in persecution, true joy. In other words, the blessed,
the “happy,” on Jesus’ list are the poor in spirit, the
compassionate, the meek, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, and
those who are willing even to be insulted and persecuted for their following of
Jesus in action.
Life messages: 1) We need to respond to the
challenge of the Beatitudes in daily life. The Beatitudes propose to us a way
of life, inviting us to identify with the poor, those who mourn, who are meek,
and who hunger and thirst after justice. 2) They challenge us to become
compassionate people, to become men and women who are pure in heart, and to
become peacemakers in our dealings with one another, in our families and in the
society at large, even when this approach to things exposes us to ridicule and
persecution. 3) Let us remember that each time we reach out to help the needy,
the sick and the oppressed, we share with them a foretaste of the promises of
the Beatitudes here and now. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 10 Tuesday: Mt 5:13-16; (“You are the salt of
the earth and light of the world”):
In the time of Jesus, salt was connected in people’s minds
with three special qualities. (i) Salt was connected with purity
because it was white and came from the purest of all things, the sun and the
sea. Salt was the most primitive of all offerings to the gods. Jewish
sacrifices were offered with salt. As the “salt of the earth,” the Christian
must be an example of purity, exercising absolute purity in speech, in conduct,
and even in thought. God calls His children to preserve and purify. The Church
is to preserve modesty (1 Tm 2:9), morality (Eph 5:3-12), and live lives of
honesty and integrity (Jn 8:44-47). (ii) Salt was the
commonest of all preservatives in the ancient world when people did not have
fridges and freezers. It was used to prevent the putrefaction of meat, fish,
fruits, and pickles. As the salt of the earth, the Christian must have a
certain antiseptic influence on life and society, defeating corruption and
making it easier for others to be good. Christians are to be a preserving
influence to retard moral and spiritual spoilage in the world. (iii) Salt lends
flavor to food items. One of the main functions of salt is to season food, to
give it taste and flavor. To be the “salt” of society also means that we are
deeply concerned with its well-being. We have to preserve the cultural values
and moral principles Jesus has given us, and in this way to make a contribution
to the development of a “Culture of Life” to replace the “culture of death”
currently darkening our world. Thus, we will be adding flavor to the common
life, religious and social. As salt seasoned and preserved food, and as salt
keeps a fire burning uniformly in an oven for a longer time, the disciples were
to improve the tone of society (“season” it), preserve the Faith, and extend
the fire of the Spirit through their evangelization efforts.
The four roles of Christians as Christ’s light of the
world. (1) A light is something which is meant to
be seen. Christians are a lamp stand. Jesus therefore expects His followers let
God’s light be seen by the whole world (Jn 13:35; 17:21). In addition, they
must radiate and give light. “Let your light shine before men” (Mt
5:16). By this metaphor Jesus means that our Christianity should be visible in
our ordinary activities and interactions in the world, for example, in the way
we treat a shop assistant across the counter, in the way we order a meal in a
restaurant, in the way we treat our employees or serve our employer, in the way
we play a game, or drive or park a motor car, in the daily language we use, and
in the daily literature we read. (2) A lamp or light is a
guide to make clear the way. So then, a Christian must make the way clear to
others. That is to say, a Christian must of necessity be an example, showing
the world what Jesus would do in every situation. 3) A light
can often be a warning light. A light is often the warning which tells us to
halt when there is danger ahead. It is sometimes the Christian’s duty to bring
to one’s brother/sister a necessary warning of dangers, present or ahead. If
our warnings are given, not in anger, not in irritation, not in criticism, not
in condemnation, but in love, they may be effective. 4) Light
exposes everything hidden by darkness. (Note Jn 3:19; 1 Cor 4:5; Eph 5:8–11).
Let us pause for a moment and ask ourselves how effectively we are carrying the
Light Jesus IS as we live our daily lives, allowing that Light to shine on
everyone we encounter through our Christian living — the Light Who lovingly
warms, warns and guides us all.
June 11 Wednesday: Saint Barnabas, apostle: Mt
10:7-15:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the
commissioning of the twelve apostles for the apostolic work of preparing the
towns and villages for Jesus’ coming visit to them. Sent out in pairs to preach
the coming of the Kingdom of God, repentance, the forgiveness of sins, and
liberation, they were to follow Jesus’ detailed action-plan and
bear witness to Jesus by their simple lifestyle.
Jesus’ instructions and travel tips. By his instructions, it
is clear that Jesus meant his disciples to take no supplies for the road. They
were simply to trust that God, the Provider, would open the hearts of believers
to take care of their needs. Jesus’ instructions also suggest that the apostles
should not be like the acquisitive priests of the day, interested only in
gaining riches. They should be walking examples of God’s love and providence.
The Jews supported their rabbis, and they judged doing so a privilege as well
as an obligation, seeing hospitality as an important religious tradition. The
apostles are told they should choose temporary accommodation in a reputable
household, should bless the residents with God’s peace, and should be satisfied
with the food and accommodation they received, not searching for better. They
were to preach “’the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,’ heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons.”
Life messages: 1) We, too, have a witnessing
mission:Each Christian is called not only to be a disciple, but also to be an
apostle. As apostles, we have to evangelize the world by sharing with others,
not just words, or ideas, or doctrines, but our own experience of God and His
Son, Jesus. It is through our transparent Christian lives that we must show the
love, mercy, and concern of Jesus to the people around us. 2) We also have a
liberating mission: There are many demons which can control the lives of people
around us, making them helpless slaves — the demon of nicotine & drugs, the
demon of alcohol, the demon of gambling, the demon of pornography, the demon of
promiscuous sex, the demon of materialism, and the demon of consumerism. We
need the help of Jesus to liberate ourselves and others from these things.
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 12 Thursday; Mt 5:20-26:
The context: For the Scribes and the Pharisees, the
external fulfillment of the precepts of the Mosaic Law was the guarantee of a
person’s salvation. In other words, a man saved himself through the external
works of the Law. Jesus rejects this view in today’s Gospel passage, taken from
the Sermon on the Mount. For Jesus, justification or sanctification is
a grace, a free, strengthening gift from God. Man’s role is one of cooperating
with that grace by being faithful to it, and using it as God means it
to be used. Jesus then outlines new moral standards for his disciples.
Control of anger: Anger is the rawest,
strongest, and most destructive of human emotions. Describing three stages of
anger and the punishment each deserves, Jesus advises his disciples not to get
angry in such a way that they sin.
1) Anger in the heart (“brief stage of insanity” Cicero): It
has two forms: a) a sudden, blazing flame of anger which dies suddenly. b) a
surge of anger which boils inside and lingers, so that the heart seeks revenge
and refuses to forgive or forget. Jesus prescribes trial and punishment by the
Village Court of Elders as its punishment.
2) Anger in speech: The use of words which are insulting (“raka“=“fool”),
or damaging to the reputation (“moros” = a person of loose morals).
Jesus says that such an angry (verbally abusive) person should be sent to the
Sanhedrin, the Jewish religion’s Supreme Court, for trial and punishment.
3) Anger in action: Sudden outbursts of uncontrollable
anger, which often result in physical assault or abuse. Jesus says that such
anger deserves hellfire as its punishment.
In short, Jesus teaches that long-lasting anger is bad,
contemptuous speech or destroying someone’s reputation is worse, and harming
another physically is the worst.
Life messages: 1) Let us try to forgive, forget,
and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be
angry (righteous anger), but do not sin” (Eph 4:26).
2) When we keep anger in our mind, we are inviting physical illnesses like
hypertension, and mental illnesses like depression. 3) Let us relax and keep
silence when we are angry, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and ask
Him for the grace, first to desire to forgive, and then actually to forgive,
those who have injured us Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 13 Friday: Saint Anthony of Padua, priest and
doctor of the Church: Mt 5:27-32:
The context: In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
outlines a new moral code for his followers, which is different from the Mosaic
moral code. He insists that adultery, the violation of the Sixth Commandment,
is also committed through willfully generated evil and impure looks, and evil
thoughts and desires purposely created and held in the mind.
Interpreting Jesus’ words about self-mutilation. Our hands
do not themselves sin, but are made the mind’s agents for sin according to what
we touch and how we touch, in lust or greed or violence. Our eyes become agents
of sins according to what they look at. In recommending mutilation of eyes and
hands, Jesus is not speaking literally because we have more sins than we have
body-parts. Besides, even if all offending parts were removed, our minds — the
source of all sins — would still be intact, causing us to sin by thoughts and
desires. So, Jesus teaches us that, just as a doctor might remove a limb or
some part of the body like an infected gall bladder, an inflamed appendix,
cancerous colon sections, etc., in order to preserve the life of the whole
body, so we must be ready to part with anything that causes us to commit grave
sin or which leads to spiritual death (the “near occasions of sin.”)
Hence, these warnings are actually about our attitudes, dispositions, and
inclinations. Jesus recommends that our hands become agents of compassion,
healing, and comfort, and that our eyes learn to see the truth, goodness, and
beauty that are all around us.
Clear teaching on divorce: According Matthew’s account,
adultery is the only ground in the Old Testament for sanctioning divorce. Based
on the NT teachings given in Mk 10:1-12, Mt 5:31-32; Mt 19:3-9; Lk 16:18; and 1
Cor 7:10-11, the Catholic Church teaches that Marriage is a Sacrament involving
both a sacred and legal contract between a man and a woman and, at the same
time, a special Covenant with the Lord. “Divorce is also a grave offense
against the natural law. Besides, it claims to break the contract, to which the
spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death….” Divorce is
immoral also because it introduces disorder into the family and into society”
(CCC #2384, 2385). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 14 Saturday: Mt 5:33-37: Mt 5:33-37:
The context: Jesus outlines a new moral code for
his followers in his Sermon on the Mount, different from, and superior to, the
Mosaic moral code. According to the teachings of Jewish rabbis, the world
stands fast on truth, justice, and peace; hence, liars, slanderers, scoffers,
and hypocrites will not enter Heaven. The rabbis classified two types of oaths
as offensive to God: 1) frivolous oaths using God’s name to support a false
statement, because this violates the second commandment. 2) evasive oaths using
words like Heaven, Jerusalem, my head,
because God is everywhere, and He owns everything.
Jesus’ teaching: Be righteous; be men and women of integrity
and character. If one is honest in one’s words and deeds, there is no need for
one to support one’s statements and transactions with oaths or swearing. “How
forceful are honest words”! (Job 6:25). An oath is a
solemn invocation of God (“So help me, God!”) to bear witness to the
truth of what one asserts to be the case or to the sincerity of one’s
undertakings in regard to future actions. It is necessary and admissible to ask
God’s help in the discharge of an important social duty (e.g., President’s oath
of office) or while bearing witness in a court of law (“I will tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, God”). In
other cases, Jesus teaches, “Say ‘Yes,’ when you mean ‘Yes.’ and say
‘No,’ when you mean ‘No,’ (Mt 5:37). That is, He invites us to live in
truth in every instance and to conform our thinking, our words and our deeds to
the truth.
Life messages: 1) Let us be true to
God, to ourselves and to others. 2) Let us allow God’s word of truth to
penetrate our minds and heart and to form our conscience.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
