Surrendering when surrounded - Sunday's reading reflection

"There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud."

He sank into the mud.  Jeremiah has been at it again. There is a war going on and Jerusalem is surrounded with the army of Babylon.  He has been telling everybody to surrender and all will go well.  Jerusalem does not surrender.  And all does not go well.  In fact, it goes very badly.

In the second reading, the listeners are "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses".  Surrounded by these holy ones, martyrs, Christians are encouraged to surrender "every burden and sin that clings to us".   "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood." Jesus did.  The martyrs did. We have not yet surrendered that fully, as the writer says; most of us won't have to shed blood.  But we still have more to give to God.

The Gospel is the conclusion to the chapter from which we have been listening these past few weekends. We have heard about the dangers of greed and about the followers of Jesus who must stay awake, attentive, and responsive as servants of the serving-Lord. These verses have been dramatic and hard to hear. Well, get set for the dramatic climax.

Jesus, again speaking to his disciples with the crowd hanging around, tells them that he, who proclaimed the blessedness of the peacemaker, has come “not to establish peace on earth.” “Division” is his blazing, heart-driven desire. He refers to this as a “baptism” with which he wishes to immerse the earth.

Our reading concludes with examples of family unity which will be split. This does not sound very appealing and who would want to follow such a prophet as Jesus. As with Jeremiah, Jesus is calling for a decision to surrender which might —no will— cause separation, even within loving families.

King Zedekiah had to make such a decision and the followers of Jesus have all had to do the same.  Making decisions is the natural process for us humans; we make thousands of them each day.  We are invited to live lives less dominated by greed and possessiveness.  We are invited to surrender that in us which is bad to that/He which is Good. Surrendering to the unknown future is not easy.  We may end up sinking in the mud for a time.  We may end up on a cross of sorts.  But both Jeremiah and Jesus were lifted up in their own ways.  And with a surrender to God will always come an eventual victory.

This was a lesson not learned by Jerusalem, surrounded by Babylon. Jerusalem did not surrender and so was destroyed.  Will you learn the lesson of surrender that leads to victory- over and over again?

(adapted from Fr. Larry Gillis, SJ)

Our Lady of Knock new feast day, August 17th, tomorrow!

New Feast Day for Knock

The Vatican has approved a new Feast Day of Our Lady of Knock and this is the 17th August every year.  It will be listed in the new Roman Missal and has it’s own new Memorial Mass.

The reason why the 17th August was chosen is that the 21st August is already assigned to St. Pius X, the Pope of the Eucharist.

As the 21st August is the Anniversary of the Apparition of 1879, this will continue to be the local feast day in Knock and for Pilgrims visiting Knock on that day.

Source

God's side of the bargain pulls us through - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant."

The reading and the gospel for today are about commitments. The former is about God’s commitment to the Israelites from the time of Abraham’s father, Terah, to the time of Joshua. Despite their many transgressions, God saved them from innumerable armies and rulers who were determined to conquer and enslave the Jewish people. They were God’s chosen people and His commitment and mercy endures forever.

The gospel reading from Matthew is the story of the Pharisees’ attempt to trap Jesus by asking if a man can divorce his wife. Jesus defends the commitment of marriage as originally intended and explains that divorce was allowed in the time of Moses only because of the “hardness of the hearts” of the Jewish people at the time. Jesus is very straightforward in his expectation that marriage is a permanent commitment.

As God told the Israelites, “…it was not your sword or your bow. I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” For those who have been married for a long time, it is totally evident that we have not accomplished that long-term commitment on our own. At times, it is only with awareness of and reliance on God’s presence, providence and commitment to us that we are able to meet the commitment to each other.

(adapted from Susan Tinley)

Fulton Sheen on the Assumption - Tomorrow's reading reflection

Once, while on a Holy Land pilgrimage, a "Christian" tour guide instructed the sheep-like pilgrims, eager to soak in the history of the Holy Land, that "Yes, this is the site where Mary's bones were thought to have been found."  That's would be the same as saying the Apostles walked into the not-so-empty tomb and found the body of Jesus.  The Assumption, a belief of Catholics long before the Church proclaimed it an official dogma- a belief from the beginning, because it actually happened- proves that the bones of Mary have not, nor ever will be found.  Why?  Because she was assumed into heaven; taken into the glory of heaven by her resurrected son.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said this of Mary and we connect to the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven.  

"How could we fail to love her whom our Lord loved so much?  It is impossible to love Christ adequately without also loving the Mother who gave Him to us. Those who begin by ignoring her soon end by ignoring him, for the two are inseparable in the great drama of redemption."

And the Church says, "Amen!" 

St. Maximilian Kolbe's view of Marian devotion - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!"

"Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did." (St. Maximilian Kolbe)  What a great quote huh?

Tomorrow we celebrate a holy day of obligation, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. How to prepare?

The Psalm from today says,

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”

How truly this applies to not only the virginal birth but also the glorious assumption of Mary into heaven.  It's almost as if the words of the Psalmist could be spoken my Mary herself when he hear, 

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare 
what he has done for me.

So to prepare for this Holy Day, why not meditate on these words from the Psalm today?  Mary is worth every bit of time you spend in preparation of her feast.

Avoid popularity if you would have peace. (Abraham Lincoln) - Tomorrow's reading reflection

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”

Imagine Joshua's popularity rating when, in the first reading, Moses hands over the reigns before all of Israel. "Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him, 'Be brave and steadfast, for you must bring this people into the land which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them...'"  Here was his trusted servant now being put in charge of leading the people into the promised land.  But as we saw with Moses and Aaron, popularity came and went as quickly as day turned into night.

So too, the disciples are interested to a degree in popularity. “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” they ask.  Many seek out the great ones so as to imitate them.  Some seek out the great ones to be like them. Unfortunately human weakness raises its ugly head and those who seek to be like the great, rather than imitate the great, do so because they lust popularity.

Being like a little child, humble, honest and free is Jesus' answer to them. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Avoid popularity if you would have peace." Popularity is a very dangerous status because it is so fragile and draws so much from the beholder for sustenance.  Without warning it can shatter and break, leaving the beholder with exhausted and empty hands.  Heaven can seem far away at the point.  And yet it is never closer for no longer is popularity or greatness the goal.  Holiness is.  Plain and simple.  Just like a child. "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven."