November 17, 2019
33^rd Sunday – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

In the late 20^th century, two very tall buildings were built in New York City, New York.  The building were known as the World Trade Center.  Experts claimed that these building were among the highest buildings in the world, if not the highest buildings.  On September 11, 2011, two airplanes that had been hijacked by Muslim terrorists crashed into the two buildings, leading to their destruction.  Close to three thousand people were killed by these two airplanes and by two other airplanes.  The destruction of these two buildings caused a great shock to the American people and led to major changes in the country and to at least two wars.  Sometimes the destruction of a building or city can be a symbol of an important change.  In the year 70 the Temple in Jerusalem and the city as a whole was destroyed by a Roman army.  The Temple has never been rebuilt.   For some Jewish people, all this seemed to indicate the end of the world.  While Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, he warns us that this is not the end of the world.  He tells us that while he will return in glory at the end of the world, we have to be patient in the meantime and go through many trials.  We will need perseverance to attain our heavenly goal.

A problem for religious people in both the Old Testament and New Testament eras is the fact that some evil people seem to thrive, while good people suffer.  Yet God’s justice will eventually prevail.  In the first reading today from the Book of Malachi, which was written after many Jewish people returned from exile in Babylon, the prophet Malachi declares that the day is coming when the wicked will be destroyed, and the sun of justice will arise for those who fear the Lord’s name.  Jesus in the Gospels speaks of the end of the world when the just will be rewarded, and the wicked will be punished.  We do not know when that day will come, but we know that even now there will be judgment for those who die, with the just receiving the reward of life in heaven and the wicked being punished.  We can be confident that God’s justice will prevail. 

In the meantime, we are called to be patient.  The Gospel of St. Luke stresses that the return of Jesus will be delayed for some time.  Christians will have to suffer persecution and troubles of various kinds.  There will be wars and natural disasters.  Yet these do not necessarily indicate that the end is near at hand.  Even though we as Christians will have to suffer in various ways, there are opportunities for us as Christians to bear witness to our faith and to share the Gospel message.  The early Christians often suffered persecution, but they made many converts.  By the year 400, about half of the people in the Roman Empire were Christians.  The Roman Emperors began to endorse the Christian faith in the 4^th century.  Here in the United States, we have freedom of religion, even though our culture is hostile to the Catholic faith in some ways.  We also have our own personal trials and struggles to contend with.  The dictionary tells us that to be patient we have to bear pains or trials calmly and without complaint.  We may suffer from sickness or physical pain, we may have to deal with economic problems and personal issues of various kinds.  Yet Jesus tells us that he will be with us until the end of the age.  The presence of Jesus can bring us peace and joy even in the midst of difficulties of various kinds.

It is important for us as Christians to persevere in our efforts while here on earth.  In the Gospel reading today we are told, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”  According to the dictionary, to persevere means “to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement.”  We have to continue living the Christian life to the best of our ability.  In the second reading today from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, St. Paul warns against Christians who conduct themselves in a disorderly way.  Some early Christians apparently thought that the end of the world was near at hand, and they discontinued their normal activities and had to be supported by the Christian community.  St. Paul says that they should work quietly and earn their own food.  We sometimes hear about some Christian groups that quit their jobs and wait around for the end to come.  This is not a good approach for us to take.  We are to live in a virtuous way and strive to grow in holiness as long we as live here on earth.  In due time we will receive our reward.

So, in our Eucharist today we once again give thanks that our Lord Jesus Christ has come into the world and has won salvation for us by his suffering, death, and Resurrection from the dead.  We give thanks that he has sent his Holy Spirit to help us and strengthen us.  We give thanks that Jesus continues to be in our midst to help us.  We also are thankful that Jesus will come again in glory at the end of time, although we do not know when that will happen.  We pray that in the meantime we will patiently endure the trials of life.  We pray that we will persevere in living as disciples of Jesus and that we will share our faith with others by word and example.  We pray that we someday will be found worthy to enter into our Lord’s heavenly kingdom.

 

November 10, 2019
32^nd Sunday – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

I taught at the University of Mary for many years.  One course that I frequently taught was an introduction to philosophy class.  One theme in this class was the possibility of life after death looked at from a philosophical viewpoint, such as the Greek philosopher Plato.  I once had a student in the class who wrote in one of his papers, “Where did this life after death stuff come from?  I had never heard of it before.”  Some things may seem too good to be true.  Today’s readings have a rather unusual theme, namely, the resurrection of the dead and life after death.  While some people think that this is impossible, there are many who think that it is possible.  Jesus assures us that there will be a resurrection of the dead and life after death, but he warns us that the risen life will be very different from the life we have here on earth.  Also, we are told to prepare for life after death by living a holy life.

Today’s Gospel reading comes from the time after Jesus entered Jerusalem shortly before his Passion and death.  Some of the Sadducees came forward to argue with him.  The Sadducees were the priestly party who selected the high priest and administered the Temple worship and the Temple police.  They also collaborated with the Roman government and had some political power.  They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.  It must be admitted that very few Jewish people did believe in the resurrection of the dead before the 2^nd century BC.  There was a persecution of the Jewish people by the Syrian government from about 167 to 164 BC.  The Syrian king conquered Jerusalem and the Jewish people, and he determined that the Jewish people should abandon their ancestral religion.  Those who refused to deny their faith would be tortured and killed.  Many Jewish people died as martyrs as a result of this persecution.  In this process several Jews developed a belief in the resurrection of the body, as they believed that the martyrs would be rewarded for their fidelity.  In the first reading today we hear how a woman and her seven sons were tortured and killed because of their loyalty to the Jewish faith.  As they were being tortured and killed, they professed a belief in the resurrection of the dead for those who lived a just life and were faithful to God.  Yet the Sadducees at the time of Jesus did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.  They claimed that this belief did not appear in the first five books of the Bible (the Torah or Law), which were about the only books in the Bible that the Sadducees accepted.  They argue with Jesus, using an example from the Book of Deuteronomy about the case of a man who dies before he and his wife have any children.  A brother who shared his property with his brother was required to marry the widow, so that she could have children and the property would stay in the family.  The Sadducees ask that if seven brothers end up marrying the same woman without any children, whose wife would she be at the resurrection of the body?  Jesus answered their objection by saying that when the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to Moses from the burning book, as recorded in the Book of Exodus, he described himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  This seemed to indicate that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were still alive in some way, even though they had died a long time before that.  Thus, the Lord is the God of the living, and all are alive for him.  As Christians we have the Resurrection of Jesus and the teaching of Jesus to strengthen our belief in the resurrection of the dead.  While the resurrection of the dead does not happen for us until the second coming of Christ at the end of time, we do continue to live on after we pass from this life.  In the month of November, we honor and pray for those who have died, confident that they are still alive. 

However, Jesus warns us that life in the coming age is very different from the life we have here on earth.  There no people will marry or be given in marriage.  We will be like the angels and no longer die.  Many of the things we have here on earth will no longer exist for us or be important for us.  As the old song goes, “There is no beer in heaven.  That is why we drink it now.”  There will be no ice cream, either. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we are to believe in the resurrection of the dead.  It is part of the Christian creeds.  We also should have the hope that we will personally experience life after death. Scripture and spiritual writers tell us that we should detach ourselves from earthly possessions and pleasures and from earthly honors.  St. Thomas More, who died as a martyr in 1535, once had a very high position in the government of England and was a friend of King Henry VIII.  Thomas More received many honors and privileges.  But when King Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church, Thomas More refused to go along with this, as it was against his Catholic faith.  As a result, he was put in prison and eventually killed.  Yet, St Thomas More was cheerful to the end, for he looked forward to the joys of heaven.

The example of St. Thomas More reminds us that we who believe in the resurrection of the dead and life after death are called to live accordingly.  Entrance into heaven is not automatic.  We will be judged when we depart from this life on how well we did the will of God here on earth.  In our second reading today from St. Paul’s second Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul prays for the Thessalonians that the Lord Jesus Christ will strengthen their hearts so that they can live as they were instructed by St. Paul and his companions.  We are reminded that the Lord is faithful and that he will help us.  We should be thankful for the good hope that the Lord has given us.

So, in our Eucharist today, we are called to be thankful that Jesus has revealed God’s plan of life after death and the resurrection of the body to us by his teaching and by his own Resurrection from the dead.  We are to be thankful for the Church and for all the help and support we receive from God and others.  We pray that we will live a life in accord with our beliefs so that we can die with a clear conscience and be rewarded with everlasting life.  We pray that, with the help of God’s grace, we will live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, and that we will someday be welcomed into the fullness of his Kingdom.

 

November 3, 2019
31^st Sunday – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

One rather famous saint is Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Saint Ignatius is the founder of the religious congregation known as the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.  Saint Ignatius did not live a saintly life in his younger years.  He was born in 1491 to a noble family in Spain.  Saint Ignatius served at first in the royal court, mainly as a soldier.  He was mostly interested in seeking earthly glory.  When he was about thirty years old, his leg was injured by a cannon ball, and he needed several months to recover from his injury.  At first, he read romantic novels to pass the time.  He began to tire of those, and he began to read the lives of the saints.  Saint Ignatius realized that the lives of the saints left him with thoughts that are more positive.  He had a religious conversion, but it was a gradual process.  Saint Ignatius returned to the reception of the Sacraments, and he lived a simple and penitential life.  He began to write down his spiritual thoughts, and he gave spiritual guidance to others.  He had little education, so he decided to go back to school.  He eventually went to the University of Paris, and he prepared himself for ordination to the priesthood.   In 1534, when he was forty-three years old, he began the Society of Jesus with a few companions.  They soon moved to Rome, and they were dedicated to serving the needs of the Pope.  Before long, the Society of Jesus was approved by the Pope, and their numbers increased greatly.  Today we hear the familiar story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector.  The call of Zacchaeus tells us that God is a merciful God who seeks the conversion of everyone.  Also, the example of Zacchaeus reminds us that conversion is usually a gradual process, and a process that involves a cost on our part.

According to the Gospel story, Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in the town of Jericho.  He also was a very wealthy man.  Tax collectors tended to be dishonest and to overcharge people to gain extra wealth.  The local people considered Zacchaeus to be a public sinner and to be a lost cause.  But Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, which was not too far away.  We know that when Jesus reached Jerusalem, he would have to suffer and die there for our salvation.  We are told that Zacchaeus was seeking to see Jesus, but he was short in stature, so he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view.  When Jesus saw him, he called him to come down, since Jesus wished to stay at his house.  Zacchaeus came down quickly and received him with joy.  So, Zacchaeus was becoming a disciple of Jesus.  The people grumbled at this, as Zacchaeus was viewed as a public sinner.  But Jesus said that “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”  Jesus proclaimed the mercy of God through his teaching and through his actions.  Jesus was willing to forgive tax collectors and other public sinners.  Jesus reminds us that God is a God of mercy who seeks the salvation of all people.  The mission of the Church is to continue this mission of mercy by calling sinners to repentance.  Our first reading today from the Book of Wisdom stresses God’s power and mercy.  Because God is all-powerful, he can show mercy to sinners, and God gradually calls sinners to repentance.

But conversion usually involves a process.  Zacchaeus, at first, was interested in seeing Jesus, but when Zacchaeus was invited by Jesus to come down, Zacchaeus did so.  He also pledged to give half of his money to the poor and to repay those he had defrauded fourfold.  In our second reading today, from St. Paul’s second Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul prays that God will make them (and us) worthy of his calling to powerfully bring to fulfillment “every good purpose and every effort of faith.”  We need to bring our conversion to fulfillment and to make whatever changes are necessary.  St. Ignatius of Loyola had to make many changes in order to become a saint.

Lastly, conversion involves a cost on our part.  We have to make some sacrifices in order to follow Jesus.  St. Ignatius had to go back to school and to move to Paris, France and then to Rome. Saint Ignatius and his followers had to make religious vows, including the vow of poverty.   Zacchaeus said that he would give half of his possessions to the poor and repay fourfold anyone he had defrauded.  He would have to give up quite a bit of his wealth to do that.  Sometimes there may an even greater cost.  There is a story on the internet about a man who lives in Iraq.  He was married and had two children.  He was employed as a teacher.  He and his family were Muslims and lived in a Muslim neighborhood.  One night he was watching television and came across a program about Christianity.  He became interested in Christianity and began to talk to some Christian people that he knew.  Before very long he was baptized and became a Christian.  He tried to keep this a secret, but his wife suspected what had happened and reported him to authorities.  This man was put in prison and beaten every day.  When he was released, he found that his in-laws and taken his wife and children away, and there was a decree of divorce from his wife.  A local authority told the man that he had 48 hours to gather his possessions and leave the city.  This man went to another city and became a teacher for the Christian community there.  He is happy to be a Christian, but he had to pay a considerable cost to become a Christian.  We have to pay the cost involved to be a Christian, especially if we wish to make spiritual progress.

In our Eucharist today we once again give thanks that God is a merciful God who calls us to conversion.  We give thanks that Jesus has called us to be his disciples.  Let us pray that we can make even greater progress as a disciple of Jesus and be willing to pay whatever cost may be involved.  We pray that we will continue to live as a disciple of Jesus and someday be welcomed into his heavenly kingdom
 

October 27, 2019
30th Sunday – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

In the 1950’s and l960’s, a popular Television program was the Perry Mason mystery stories.  The TV series was based on novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner, who was a lawyer in real life.  As you may know, in the TV series, Perry Mason was a defense attorney, and he usually defended a client who seemed to be guilty of a serious crime.  By the end of the program, the client of Perry Mason was proven to be innocent, and another person, who seemed to be innocent, was the guilty person.  It was a surprise ending.  My father used to ask how the District Attorney in those cases could keep his job, since he lost every case.  The parable in today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of Luke was probably a surprise ending for the people of his time, although it probably is not for us, since we usually have a negative view of the Pharisees. However, at the time of Jesus, Pharisees were usually held in high regard by the Jewish people, since the Pharisees seemed to be very religious people and they observed the Jewish Law very carefully.  On the other hand, the Jewish people usually had a very low opinion of tax collectors, since tax collectors worked for the Roman government and were viewed as traitors.  Also, tax collectors often made extra money by overcharging people.  As long as the Romans got their money, they were not concerned about people being overcharged.  Thus, it would be a surprise for the Jewish people at the time of Jesus to hear that the tax collector went away justified, but not the Pharisee.

Jesus says that the one who humbles himself will be exalted, and the one who exalts himself will be humbled.  What must we do to be humble and thus find favor with God?  First of all, humility would call us to admit the truth, namely, that we are sinners.  Secondly, we would admit that we are in need of God’s help if are to do what is right.  So, we find the tax collector admitting that he was a sinner, both in his words and in his actions.  The Gospel reading says, “The tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’” Jesus says that the tax collector went home justified.  However, the Pharisee seems to be saying that he is better than other people, especially better than the tax collector, because he does some good things, such as fasting twice a week and paying tithes on his whole income.  Jesus says that the Pharisee did not go home justified.  He did not admit his sinfulness and did not ask for mercy from God.  Our first reading from the Book of Sirach tells us that God listens to the prayer of the lowly, such as the orphan and the widow, who sincerely turn to God.

St. Luke tells us that this parable was addressed to those “who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.”  Because of Original Sin, we are all sinners and in need of God’s help and mercy.  A second aspect of humility is to realize that we are in need of God’s forgiveness and of his help in order to do what is right.  The tax collector prayed for God’s help, while the Pharisee did not.  The Pharisee thought that he was righteous through his own efforts.  Many Americans seem to think that they can save themselves through their own efforts, and they don’t think that they need any help from God or from others.  St. Paul was an apostle, but he went through a conversion experience.  He later admitted that he had been a sinner, and
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that he needed God’s help.  He continued to seek the Lord’s help throughout his life.  In the second reading today from St. Paul’s second Letter to Timothy, St. Paul says that at the time of his first trial, no one appeared on his behalf.  But the Lord stood by him and delivered him.  St. Paul looked to the future with hope, believing that the Lord would reward him with everlasting life.

Today we once again give thanks that God sent his Son Jesus to be our savior.  Let once again be humble in our approach to God and to other people.  Let us admit that we are sinners like everyone else and that we need God’s mercy and forgiveness.  Let us also ask constantly for God’s grace and mercy in order that we may do what is right.  We pray that we will be faithful in serving God and others and someday be found worthy to receive a crown of righteousness.