16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 19, 2020 Abbot Daniel, OSB
 
When I first came to the abbey, the novices had to help Brother Stephen in the garden.  That summer we had an unusual helper in a local man named Louie, who had gotten a job at the abbey that year.  It soon became apparent that Louie was not very familiar with garden work—he could not tell the difference between a weed and a regular plant.  Every so often, I could see Brother Stephen pointing to a weed and saying, “That’s a weed, Louie.  Pull it!”  Louie eventually became our main dishwasher in the cafeteria.  Today’s Gospel reading features a parable about the weeds in the field.   A man planted good seed in a field.  But an enemy sowed weeds in the field.  The wheat and the weeds came up together, and the man’s slaves wanted to pull up the weeds, but they were told to wait until harvest, as pulling up the weeds right away might do damage to the wheat.  According to the dictionary, weeds are plants that are not valued where they are growing, and they tend to have a vigorous growth that might choke out the good plants. The weeds in this parable were apparently a special type of weed that resembled wheat until the wheat and the weeds were more developed. So they were difficult to recognize.  The parable seems to refer to the need for patience.  According to the dictionary, being patient involves bearing trials or pains calmly or without complaint.  St. Benedict in his Rule for Monasteries says that those who murmur or complain should repent or be punished, as they make community life more difficult.
 
As we reflect on this parable and the other parables today, we can say that God is patient with us and we are to be patient ourselves.  We are to be patient with others, with God, and with ourselves.  So, the parable seems to tell us that God is patient with us.  We are created with intellect and free will, and we have a tendency to commit sin.  God is merciful and continually calls us to repent.  As I heard in a homily recently, we Christians have two things going for us:  time and the help of God’s grace, especially in the Eucharist and other Sacraments.  God is giving us time to repent, instead of punishing us right away.  Some of the saints, like St. Augustine of Hippo, started out living sinful lives, but they eventually repented and did a lot to help the Church and the world around them.  Our first reading today is from the Book of Wisdom, which is an Old Testament book written some 50 years or so before the birth of Jesus Christ.  The Book of Wisdom tells us that God is able to be merciful because he is all-powerful.  God guides the world with Divine Providence and gives us hope because of his mercy.  Several years ago a wealthy businessman had a conversion experience and began to put up billboards across the country that were signed “God.”  One billboard read, “Have you read my book?  There will be a test!”  It was signed “God.”  We should be thankful for God’s mercy and we should make a good effort to make use of the opportunity to repent and to grow in holiness.  
 
We also are called to be patient.  We are to be patient with others.  We may notice the faults of others quite easily, but we may overlook our own faults, which may be worse than the faults of others.   People who have some obvious faults may do a lot of good, and they may eventually reform their lives and set a good example for us.  St. Theresa of Avila, who lived in Spain in the 16^th century, said in her autobiography that she struggled for 20 years as a religious sister in regard to mental prayer or meditation.  But then she had a conversion experience and had many mystical experiences.  She became a great saint and left us some profound spiritual writings.
 
We are also called to be patient with God.  It is tempting to complain about things happening to us or things happening in the world around us.  Currently, we might complain about COVID-19, the Corona virus that is a pandemic in most of the world.  It has been with us for several months, and there doesn’t seem to be much improvement.  Yet God can draw good out of evil, and his Divine Providence is at work, even when we don’t realize it.  In the second half of the 17^th century there was a plague in England and University students had to go home for over a year.  One student was named Isaac Newton.  Isaac was sitting under an apple tree at home one day, and an apple fell on his head.  This helped him to come up with the theory of gravity.  As the parable of the weeds in the field reminds us, there will be a judgment some day, and the righteous will be rewarded.  The parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven remind us that the Kingdom of God can develop from small beginnings and have a dramatic effect.
 
Lastly, we are called to be patient with ourselves.  It takes time to overcome our sins and grow in holiness.  Sometimes it seems like we are not making any progress at all, and we may be tempted to despair or to give up.  Yet God can work in us, even if we are not aware of it.  Also, God can work through us to help others and to give other people encouragement.
 
So, today we are once again called to give thanks to God for his plan of salvation, especially for the salvation won for us by the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Let us thank God for his patience in regard to us.  We pray that God will help us to be patient with others, with God, and with ourselves.  May we persevere with our efforts and some day come to the fullness of God’s Kingdom.
 

July 12, 2020
15^th Sunday – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB
 
Puzzles are a popular item for some people.  There are different kinds of puzzles, such as crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.  I must admit that I have more difficulty with puzzles than some people.  In the past, it would take me several days to complete the Sunday paper crossword puzzle.  I am something like the ethnic joke about a married couple that had finished a twenty-three-piece jigsaw puzzle.  The husband said, “We did pretty well; the box says,’3 to 5 years’ and it only took us one year.”  Jesus himself often used puzzles himself; he taught in parables.  A parable is a story or example taken from nature or everyday life that makes a comparison between everyday life with the ways of God.  Yet, the basic point of the story is somewhat puzzling, and thus the parable gives us something to think about and gains our attention.  Today we begin hearing from Chapter 13 in the Gospel of Matthew.  According to Scripture scholars, this is the most important chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.  In Jewish writings, the most important part is usually in the middle, not at the end.  Today’s Gospel reading features the familiar parable about the sower and the seed.  He sows seed on different kinds of soil, and the seed has different results, depending on the kind of soil that it lands on.  Ancient agriculture was somewhat inefficient; for one thing, the sowing came first, and the plowing of the land later.  So, the seed could easily land on a path, or on stony ground, or in weeds.  But some would land on good soil and produce a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.  There are different ways that we could interpret this parable.  However, it seems to tell us that there is hope—some seed will land on good soil and be productive.  Secondly, this parable warns us that a lot of things can go wrong in sowing seeds or in regard to the Word of God.  Lastly, we are reminded that the best is yet to come, even if we have good fortune here on earth.
 
In the parable of the sower and the seed, the seed is something like the Word of God.  In the first reading today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we are told that God’s Word is like the rain and the snow.  The rain and the snow will have an effect in nature, and the Word of God will have an effect and help accomplish God’s will.  Some of the seed that the sower sows lands on good soil, so it produces a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.  This give us hope and encouragement.  Many people at the time of Jesus, especially religious and political leaders, did not respond well to Jesus and his message.  Others had only a superficial faith and did not become committed disciples.  This could be discouraging.  Something similar is happening today and has happened in the past.  Yet we need to have hope.  Jesus did have twelve apostles and other disciples.  At the time of Pentecost, after the Resurrection of Jesus, there were about 120 disciples.  Yet the early Church grew considerably despite opposition and persecution.  By the time of the death of the apostles Peter and Paul, there were thousands of Christians in the Roman empire.  By the 4^th century there were six million Christians.  Today there are at least two billion Christians around the world, as the Church has spread to North and South America, to Asia, Africa, and Australia.  There are still difficulties and poor example from some Christians, but we can still have hope because the Word of God will have an effect, just like seeds have power to produce under the right conditions. 
 
However, we do have to admit that there will be difficulties in regard to proclaiming the Word of God.  Just as there are different kinds of soil, there are different kinds of people.  One famous landmark in Western North Dakota is the Holstein cow at New Salem.  One Catholic deacon who had an agricultural background told me that he was impressed by that statue.  It indicates that the people in that area realized that the farm land there was not the best for producing good crops, so several farmers had dairy cattle for extra income.  Here at the abbey, much of our land is not much good for growing crops, but it can be used for grazing.  So, we had many beef cattle.
There are many countries around the world where Christianity has a difficult time because of persecution or conflict with other religions.  Some countries, such as our own, have become quite secular.  Many people are not very religious.  Perhaps the COVID-19 virus will make a difference.
 
Lastly, the second reading today from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans reminds us that even if the Word of God is producing good results in us and in others, there are better things to come.  St. Paul says that the sufferings of the present time are as nothing compared to the glory that will we revealed to us.  We have the Holy Spirit as a first fruits or down payment of future glory, but the future glory will be greater.  We need to have hope that we will someday achieve the glory of heaven in the life to come.  Our response to the Word of God is imperfect in many ways, but God has better things in store for us.  We are called to live out our faith to the best of our ability in the meantime.  In due time there will be an eternal reward.
 
So, today we once again are called to give thanks for the salvation Christ has won for us by his suffering, death, and resurrection.  We are to be thankful for the teaching and example of Jesus during his public ministry.  We pray that the Word of God will produce good fruit in us and that it someday will bring us to eternal glory in heaven.
 

July 5, 2020
14^th Sunday – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB
 
Several years ago I was substituting at a Catholic parish in the local area for the weekend Masses.  The Gospel reading for that weekend was the passage from the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus tells us that we must love our enemies and pray for them.  At one of the Masses that weekend I noticed that a young man walked out of the church during the homily.  Afterwards I asked if I had said something wrong.  I was told that the young man who walked out had fought in the Vietnam War, and he did not believe in loving one’s enemies.  Sometimes we find people who disagree with one or more of the teachings of Jesus or of the Catholic Church.  We might wonder what is asked of us if we are to be a disciple of Jesus.  Today’s liturgy speaks of at least three things that we are to do if we are to be a faithful disciple of Jesus.  First of all, we have to receptive to divine Revelation, especially in regard to what Jesus has revealed to us.  Secondly, we are to come to Jesus and form a close relationship with him.  Lastly, we are to take the yoke of Jesus upon us, that is, we are to follow he teaching and example to the best of our ability.
 
First of all, we are to accept God’s Revelation, especially what was revealed through Jesus.  Jesus says in our Gospel reading today that what his heavenly Father had hidden from the wise and the learned he has revealed to little ones.  From elsewhere in the Gospels we know that the teaching of Jesus was opposed by many Jewish religious leaders, such as the Sadducees and the Pharisees, but many of the ordinary people accepted what Jesus had to say.  Several of the “little ones” became disciples.  One thing that can prevent us from accepting Jesus and his teaching is intellectual pride, the belief that we know more than others.  There is an old saying that it is difficult to teach someone who believes that he or she has all the answers.  The lay theologian Dr. Scott Hahn started out as a Presbyterian minister, but he became interested in the Catholic teaching about the Eucharist and the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  He enrolled in a theology program at Marquette University, a Catholic University.  He said that he attended a weekday Mass on campus one day, and that this experience had a major impact on him, for he noticed that ordinary people, such as secretaries and students, had a deep faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  He began to take instructions in the Catholic faith, and joined the Catholic Church the next Easter.
 
While it is good to accept what Jesus taught and to be receptive to all that God has revealed, the second part of today’s Gospel reading calls us to take a further step.  Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”  It is important that we come to Jesus and form a relationship with him.  Jesus calls us to be his disciples, which takes a commitment on our part.  On this 4^th of July weekend, we are reminded that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.  Thomas Jefferson attended a Christian church, but he had a rather unusual version of the New Testament.  He cut out the parts that referred to miracles or to the divinity of Jesus.  He had only about 20% of the New Testament left.  Thomas Jefferson accepted the moral teaching of Jesus, but he did not seem to commit himself to Jesus   Many of us may feel anxious or worried because of the world we live in.  Jesus invites us to give our cares and burdens to him and to put our trust in him.
 
We are called to accept Jesus and his teaching and to become his disciple.  One further step is needed.  We are to follow his teaching and example.  We are to take his yoke upon us.  In recent weeks we have been reminded that some of our secular heroes, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, not to mention Confederate generals, had some serious moral flaws.   On the other hand, Jesus is the perfect model to follow.  As the first reading from the prophet Zechariah mentioned, the promised savior or messiah would not come on a horse, like a conquering hero, but on a humble beast of burden, such as an ass or donkey.  Jesus rode a beast of burden when he entered Jerusalem shortly before his suffering and death.  He is meek and humble of heart, and we will find rest by taking his yoke upon us.  We had a retreat director several years ago who said that he had taught some theology courses at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.  He had a lot of religious sisters, brothers, and priests in class.  If someone said that she or he was a Franciscan, he would ask her or him who the model Franciscan was.  And usually the person would reply that St. Francis was the model Franciscan.  The correct answer was that Jesus was the model Franciscan or Benedictine.  Jesus is the model to follow, no matter who our religious founder might be.  The yoke of Jesus is better than the yoke of the Pharisees.  The Pharisees not only stressed the 613 laws of the Old Testament, they had over 10,000 oral laws of their own, according to Scripture scholars.  The Pharisees had over 40 laws just for the observance of the Sabbath.  The yoke of the Pharisees was a heavy burden, while the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden is light.  At the same time, we have to admit that the yoke of Jesus can be demanding, as it calls us to love God with our whole self and our neighbor as ourselves.   We are to love everyone, even enemies.  We may wonder how we can carry this out.  Our second reading today from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, reminds us that in Baptism we gain new life in Christ.  We no longer are led by the flesh, that is, by our own sinful desires, but by the Holy Spirit, who is given to us in Baptism.  With the help of God’s grace, it is possible to follow the example of Jesus and live a holy life.
 
Today we give thanks that God has revealed himself to us, especially through his Son Jesus Christ.  We pray that we may be receptive to the teaching of Jesus and to accept his invitation to come to him and to be his disciple.  We pray also for the ability to follow his teaching and example in our daily life, to take his yoke upon us.  We pray that we may live as his disciples and someday enter into the fullness of the Kingdom of heaven.
 

June 28, 2020
13^th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB
 
In many cases important people get a positive welcome from others.  When Pope Francis came to the United States in the fall of 2015, he received a very positive reception by the United States Congress, by the President of the United States, and by other prominent people.  Pope Francis usually gets a good reception and a big crowd wherever he goes.  Today’s liturgy says that giving a good welcome to others can bring us a good reward.  It is important that we give a good welcome to Christ and to those who represent him in some way.  Also, we are to realize that we represent Christ in some way and should act accordingly.
 
Today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew is the conclusion of the Missionary Discourse that Jesus gave to his Twelve Apostles when he first sent them out during the time of his public ministry.  The section of the discourse that we have today seems to have two rather different aspects: the need to put Christ first in our lives and secondly, the rewards that come to the ones giving a good welcome to those who represent God in some way.  Yet, we can say that the first part of our Gospel reading can be interpreted to say that we should give a special welcome to Christ that goes beyond any other welcome we might give to others.  That is, we must put Christ first in our lives, ahead of our parents, our children, or anyone else.  We have to be willing to give up our life for Christ, if necessary.  Christ is the Son of God, who came to save us from sin, and we are to put our faith in him and give him the welcome that he deserves.  There are many stories of martyrs, especially in the early Church, who were willing to suffer torture and even death, in order to maintain their faith in Christ and confess him before others.  There was a saint by the name of St. Francis Borgia, who lived in the 16^th century.  He came from a very important and wealthy family in Spain.  He was a great-grandson of King Ferdinand of Spain and a cousin of the Austrian Emperor, Charles V.  Francis Borgia was married and had several children.  He was very devout in his Catholic faith.  His wife died when he was about forty years old.  After making provision for his children and family, he went to Rome and joined the new religious order, the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.  Francis Borgia became a priest and did much to further the cause of his religious order and the Church of his time.  He eventually became the head of the Society of Jesus.   By putting Christ before all else, Francis Borgia was able to become a saint and a person who accomplished great things for Christ. 
 
We are also to welcome those who represent Christ.  By doing so, we will receive a reward.  The first reading today from the Second Book of Kings mentions that the prophet Elisha, who lived in the 9^th century BC, went to a town called Shunem in the northern part of Israel.  There a woman of influence gave him a good welcome.  Later, Elisha used to stop at her home for meals, and the woman set up a special room for him for she knew that he was “a holy man of God.’  She was rewarded for her hospitality.  Elisha interceded for her so that she was able to have a son.  If we read the rest of the story, we find out that Elisha prayed for her son when he died, and her son was restored to life.  The Gospel reading today says that the one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.   Jesus is saying that we will receive a reward for welcoming those who come in his name.  For example, the one who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward, and one who gives only a cup of cold water to one of the little ones because he is a disciple will receive a reward.  St Benedict in Chapter 53 of his Rule for Monasteries says that all guests should be received as Christ, especially those who are members of our faith or the poor.  We should realize that many people represent Christ in some way, and so we should show hospitality to them.
 
Lastly, we should realize that we represent Christ ourselves, and so we should act accordingly and set a good example for others.  In the second reading today from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we are reminded that in our Baptism we died with Christ and rose with him to new life.  We are dead to sin and now live for God in Christ Jesus.  Through our Baptism we become a child of God and share in the life of the Blessed Trinity.  Through the grace of God, we are able to overcome our tendency to sin to some extent and become able to live a holy life.  Whether we realize it or not, we represent Christ to others.  Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  Indeed, others often give us a special welcome because of our faith.  We need to set a good example to others.  Unfortunately, several people who represent Christ in a special way set a bad example, and this makes the mission of the Church more difficult.
 
So, today we are to give thanks that Jesus, the Son of God, came to bring us salvation and died to bring us new life.  We also should be thankful that Jesus sent his apostles and others to continue his mission.  We are to welcome that who come in the name of Jesus.  We also give thanks that Jesus has chosen us to be his disciples and has sent us forth to bring the good news of the Gospel to others by word and example.  We ask for the Lord’s help to carry out the mission given to us and we pray that someday we will be welcomed by Christ into his eternal Kingdom.