The Church is blessed to begin the Sermon on the Mount today in its daily readings.  Of course, we start with the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12), Jesus teaching to His disciples on the mountain.

It is telling that the Beatitudes conclude with this last “Blessed…” saying (above).  It is difficult enough for the secular world, and even those of strong religious convictions, to understand how poverty in spirit, mourning, and meekness are to be considered blessed.  How much more so are we challenged to believe that insults and persecution are to be blessed as well.  Yet Jesus closes with this, as if to say: “If you follow the program I just laid out, this is what is in store for you.”  Well, it certainly was in store for Jesus.  The sinless one, who practiced all the virtues perfectly, felt the stings (verbal and physical) unto His death.  So, why should we be spared if we truly desire to follow the Master?

So when we encounter insults and condemnation for being true to the Faith, as occurs more in more in a world turned upside down, let us consider ourselves to be favored.  A short earthly existence to be followed by inheritance of the Kingdom.  This is a gift and promise none of us should turn down for everything in the world.

Fortuitously, Paul affirms salvation through suffering in the first reading of the day (2 Cor 1:1-7):

“If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation; if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer.  Our hope for you is firm, for we know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement.” (vv. 6-7)

Like those instances in the Beatitudes in which it seems difficult to feel blessed, discouragement rather than encouragement is the temptation when the world seems to have gone mad and there is a sense that the numbers against us are large and growing.  Let us not be disheartened; rather we are to “Rejoice and be glad, for [our] reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt 5:12)

We have the Book and we know how the story ends.  We win in Christ!

Today marks the end of the lectionary readings from Tobit (Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20).  Shortly after saying the words above, the archangel Raphael reveals his true identity to Tobit and his son Tobiah as the one they have had dealings with in recent days.  Dark days have passed and the Lord’s blessings are apparent to them all.

Raphael’s advice is timeless.  Not only should we always be mindful of the One from whom all good things come but we should not be shy about sharing this good news (and, in turn, the Good News) with others.  There are many ways we can and should evangelize, but none is easier than simply conveying to those around us our joy in the Lord.  It is a rare person who doesn’t tell others of a great restaurant, a fantastic concert, a riveting movie, or an engaging book.  Why then should we be reticent in letting the world know about the blessings of the Holy Trinity?

By doing this we help to honor, with our witness, Jesus’ command to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)

Today’s Gospel reading (Mk 10:32-45) has Jesus taking aside the Twelve Apostles where He tells them of His imminent Passion, death, and Resurrection as they make their way to Jerusalem.  James and John immediately ask if they can sit on either side of Jesus in His glory.  Jesus tells them that it is not up to Him to grant them these places of honor, but they will drink His chalice and be baptized with Him.  The other ten are indignant at the request of the two which causes Jesus to tell them that they are to serve all others just as He already has and will do to the ultimate degree in ransoming His life.

What does Jesus wish for us?  Eternal life with Him!  So the sons of Zebedee, it seems, were not so wrong in asking for this special favor of Jesus.  Shouldn’t we want to be next to Jesus for eternity?  The problem with the other Apostles is that, instead of being upset at what apparently they perceive as the two brothers’ desire to rank ahead of the rest of them, they should have asked for the same as the duo.  Jesus later tells His closest friends, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (Jn 14:2)  So there is a beautiful place set aside for them (and us).  But how are they to be disposed when asking for favors from the Lord?  They (and we) must “be the slave of all.” (v. 44)  And what may that entail?  Drinking Christ’s “chalice” which He described a few moments earlier as being condemned, handed over, scourged, and killed.  Our lesson: “Ask and it will be given to you.” (Mt 7:7)  We just might come to realize that the “good gifts” (Mt 7:11) the Lord promises to give to us are meant for preparation for the everlasting joy of heaven.  Jesus says, two verses before this passage, that “persecutions” are a prerequisite for “eternal life in the age to come.” (v. 30)

So, what do you wish the Lord to do for you?

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 3:31-36) comes at the conclusion of a nocturnal dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisee Nicodemus that spans this entire chapter of the Bible.  Jesus tells Nicodemus that He has come down from heaven speaking the words of God and, per the excerpt at top, that He in fact is the Son of God.

Most striking about the quote at top is the contrast that Jesus makes.  The first clause in the sentence references “belief.”  One might think that the second clause, following a “but” would refer to “unbelief.”  But this is not the word Jesus uses.  Rather, He contrasts belief and disobedience.  This is something I like to point out often in my writing and in my teaching.  Following Jesus is not a matter of “easy believism”: acknowledging Jesus as Savior and Redeemer and then living life as if that dosen’t make a difference.  No, Jesus is explicit here: not obeying His commands (He is God after all!) indicates a lack of belief in Jesus being who He says He is.  Unrepentant serious sin when the Lord calls us to Himself leads to eternal death not eternal life (remember the goats in the parable [Mt 25:31-46])?.  In the Gospels, Jesus speaks more about hell than about heaven.  How we behave in this life determines our fate in the next life.  Belief entails obedience — there can be no legitimate separation of the two.  Do we live like we believe?

In today’s first reading (Gen 17:3-9), God appears to Abraham once again to make a covenant with him.  God promises to make the 99-year-old childless Abram “the father of a host of nations” (v. 4) thus changing his name to Abraham (“father of a multitude” — v. 5),  God also promises to Abraham and his descendents the land of Canaan “as a permanent possession” (v. 9).  But they must promise to keep His covenant forever.

The headline is the first line of this reading.  It is a lesson for us today.  It is when Abram takes the position of worship, total deference, and humility that God communicates with him.  Abram shows complete receptivity to his creator in what He has to say to him.  Maybe our problem is that we are not enough like Abram.  When we have a particular struggle and cannot clearly (or cannot at all) hear God’s message to us, His will for us, is it because we are not completely open to it?  Does our will block His will?  Are we confident that God is listening and will answer?  Are we sure we will understand it?  Are we afraid of what might be asked of us?

Abram models for us the proper attitude to God.  A complete submission and openness to our loving Father is the only way to approach Him.

John the Baptist’s exhortation in today’s gospel (Jn 1:35-42) is a repeat of the first recorded statement he makes in the presence of Jesus (he said it the day before as well — 1:29).  Because of this, two disciples leave John to follow Jesus.  One of the two, Andrew, then brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus.  Jesus immediately declares the latter Cephas (Rock, Peter).

It is telling that the Baptist describes Jesus in the way that he does.  He does not call Jesus Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man or any other reference to His majesty.  Rather he begins by telling of Jesus mission: that of sacrifice and redemption.  This is what John is paving the way for.  Also, this would indicate that John taught his disciples well the scripture prophecies that prepared for the messiah.  The sacrificial lamb is all over the Pentateuch, but should we imagine John did not emphasize Is 53:7: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth”?  So, with five simple words, two disciples, at least, immediately left John to follow Jesus as the one they truly awaited and that John anticipated and prepared for.

John the Baptist, as the one who made “straight the way of the Lord” (1:23), puts out for the world to hear what the mission and fate is for Jesus.  The path forward is set.

The headline from today’s gospel (Lk 5:12-16) contains the words of a leper Jesus encounters on the road.  Jesus does heal him, tells him not to tell anyone but go show the priests.  Nevertheless, word spreads rapidly.  Great crowds continue to pursue Jesus.  Even so, He does slip away to pray.

There are a number of important aspects to this short sentence of the leper:

1. Only the Lord can make us clean.  Allegorically, we immediately think of the uncleanness of sin.  We must want to eliminate sin and its effects, and we are to cooperate with grace to do so, but only God can forgive sins and through His spirit send those graces that fortify us.
2. The Lord does wish to make us clean.  This desire of His never stops until we draw our last breath.  We think of the Divine Mercy revealed to Sr. Faustina.  Yet Jesus does not force Himself upon us.  Rather, like He did on this earth with the Father, He desires that we conform our will to His.
3. We don’t need a multiplicity of words with Jesus — He knows what we need (cf. Mt 6:7-8).  Like with sacramental confession we can and should get right to the point.
4. Total trust in Jesus.  The sick man (i.e., all of us) knows Jesus can heal Him.  There is no doubt, no hesitation.  Is that the case with us?  And whether the healing happens or not are we good with that?  Jesus asks us to lay our cares upon Him and believe that whatever comes it is what is best for the situation.

Lord, make me clean.

Jesus, speaking to the crowd in today’s gospel reading (Lk 21:12-19), starts with the bad news for those who follow Him: seizure, persecution, hatred, maybe even death awaits them.  Sometimes this will even come from those closest to us: family and friends.  The good news comes in the last sentence: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” (v. 19)

What to do when defending oneself is what is Jesus tells His hearers in the headline.  Do we have faith enough in Christ to believe this when our time of trial comes?  Do we know Him well enough to give a powerful defense of our faith and a moving personal witness that cannot be resisted or refuted (which, by the way, does not mean that we will be listened to — it may simply serve to harden hearts and increase our persecutors’ vindictiveness toward us)?  Is our hope so strong that if the worst comes — and the time will come when we can no longer sit on the fence — we are confident that our lives will ultimately be secured even if they are lost here?

Let us pray that all Christians will remain steadfast in the Faith despite persecution.

remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love…”

These wonderful words from the beginning of today’s second reading from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 1:1-5b) made me think of all the wonderful persons I have encountered whose “work of faith and labor of love” have influenced me and so many others.  Just as Paul, in this his earliest letter, encourages his beloved flock in Thessalonica to stay the course in living out the gospel, so should we provide encouragement to those who have modeled the faith to us through word and deed.

So I encourage you to contact someone today who has been a strong Christian influence on you, thanking them, and affirming them in their example.

And, while we’re at it, let us continue to pray and work to be the kind of persons who model Christ to others in faith and love.

Today’s gospel reading (Mt 16:21-27) gives us Jesus’ first prediction of His death.  He tells the disciples of His impending suffering, death, and resurrection that will occur after they arrive in Jerusalem.  Peter protests leading Jesus to utter the words above and accusing Peter of being a stumbling block to Him.  Jesus goes on to tell all the disciples they must carry their crosses behind Him — to lose their lives to gain eternal life.  Ultimately, He says, all will be repaid according to each one’s conduct.

I am undoubtedly not alone in my long held perception that this scene simply portrays Peter being shocked at Jesus’ words regarding His upcoming death and thus, as chief spokesman for the disciples, and also due to him being famously impulsive, reacts as anyone might do when a close teacher, mentor, or friend (Jesus was all three to Peter and more) speaks in such a manner.

So maybe Jesus was overreacting to a legitimate concern from a close compatriot?  Well, Jesus never overreacts.  Jesus calls Peter Satan for a reason.  This is important and worth looking at more closely.  First, remember that we are told that the devil, after tempting Jesus in the desert before Jesus began His mission, “departed from him until an opportune time” (Lk 4:13 RSV).  So we know that Beelzebub continued to look for times that he felt Jesus was most vulnerable to his wiles.  It seems quite likely that this was one of those times.  Jesus, finally breaking the difficult news of his upcoming torture and death to His closest companions, is now being confronted by the leader of the disciples, a man just seconds before He named “Rock” as he would become leader of the Church.  Is it the Father speaking through Peter?  Would He be better off continuing His preaching mission and building up the Church Himself over a long lifetime?  How could He leave these followers when so much more could be done to prepare them?  The prospect of a torture and death is horrible to contemplate at any level.  These all may have been natural temptations for Jesus.  But He knew better.  He knew His mission, and His will, aligned perfectly with the Father’s will, allowed for no compromise.  Certainly, Satan had a hand in this episode.

But I don’t think we can let Peter off the hook that easily.  The old line “the devil made me do it” is too often used as an excuse by us for giving in to our fallen human nature.  The one personal quality of the prince of demons that is most prominent is pride.  Tradition tells us that Lucifer’s decision to defy God came when he discovered that the savior of mankind was to become man not angel.   We read in Genesis how the serpent played on the vice of pride with our first parents (“you will be like gods”! — Gen 3:5).  What then might be the pride element for Peter?    Jesus certainly was very popular in many precincts and Peter got to bask in that glory.  Peter was likely looked upon as somewhat of a celebrity and thus sought after.  Even in instances when Jesus was not viewed very highly, especially among the religious leaders he defied and demonized, Peter may have enjoyed being part of “putting those hypocrites in their place.”  A component of pride is selfishness.  So Peter may also have been thinking about how these events Jesus foretold would affect him.  What would happen to him with Jesus no longer around?  What would be his sense of purpose?  Might he be killed as well?  (It is interesting to consider these questions when reading the post-resurrection accounts in the gospels and Acts.)

Jesus confronted Peter harshly, getting to the root of the problem, while hoping to shake him to the core.  Like Jesus, Peter, as head of the Church, needed to align himself perfectly with the will of the Heavenly Father wherever that led in this life in order to attain everlasting life in the next (just see the second paragraph of this reading).  We must do the same.  May the Lord never have cause to liken us to Satan because we are a stumbling block to others in their relationship with God.