Matthew Williams – Page 15 – Meditation on Daily Mass Readings

February 7, 2021January 26, 2021

Slaves and Hirelings

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Today, the second reading and the gospel appear to give answer to the first reading. In the first reading, Job laments about the drudgery of life. It is interesting that he does not mention any of the dramatic misfortunes that may befall one in life–indeed, that befall Job elsewhere in this book of the Bible. And yet, we can relate to his point of view. We kill ourselves every day, often in monotony, and what do we have to show for it? Like slaves or hirelings, we pitiably crave any wage or respite that we can get.

Jump to the Gospel. We see Jesus in a flurry of activity, responding to the immense demand that has come upon Him for His healing and mercy. Into the lives of the likes of Job, hope and meaning has come. Into the likes of your life, and of mine. For through the prism of omnipotent love, love which we can adopt and spread farther in our own lives, suddenly the drudgery is drudgery no longer; suddenly it all makes sense–glorious sense.

This is why, in the second reading, unlike the hireling described by Job, St. Paul is content to preach the Gospel for free, without any recompense. He is almost jealously protective of the gratuitous nature of his gift of self for the Gospel–because there is only one treasure that he desires, the treasure that is the key to meaning in his life: The omnipotent love, and the opportunity to love, that comes with Jesus Christ.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to make your daily prayer, undoubtedly fraught with innumerable involuntary distractions to the point that it sometimes seems you paid almost no attention at all–ask Him to make your daily contemplative prayer bear the inestimable fruit of love in your life. Ask Him to teach you love, to help you truly to perceive that pearl of great price for which it worth it to sell everything.

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February 6, 2021January 22, 2021

Heart of Gold

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

In today’s gospel, after the Twelve return from their arduous journey preaching the message of repentance, Jesus invites them to come away by themselves and rest a while. But the crowds, not particularly empathetic to their fatigue and hungry for the Good News, figure out their destination and reach it before them.

Not annoyed at all, Jesus rather takes pity on the crowds, who are like sheep without a shepherd.

We see something of this pastoral tenderness of Jesus mirrored in how the Holy Spirit inspired the closing of the letter to the Hebrews, our first reading for today. The letter ends, not with an admonition or advice, but with a prayer for the addressees, that God Himself will carry out in them what is pleasing to Him, in Jesus Christ; that God will come to their aid in their quest to be faithful Christians.

Christian life is frightfully demanding. It is not just that the Commandments are difficult to live up to, which they are; it is that Christ wants to transform us into the very embodiment of the virtue of selfless charity, and this transformation is hard.

But Christianity is not defined by its difficulty. It is defined by that tenderness, that intoxicating tenderness, with which the Sovereign of the Universe incarnate looks upon each of us.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of His intimate friendship. Ask Him also for the gift of transforming your heart into a pastoral heart, one that is continually moved to profound compassion for your fellow humans–especially those who do not possess His friendship.

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February 5, 2021January 22, 2021

Against the Current

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

How we pine for a truly Christian society, one where by and large, the powers that be favor the Christian life. So much so, that sometimes we can lose our peace when, fully or partially, we find that they do not.

It is interesting to observe the political and cultural context of today’s first reading and gospel, indeed, the overall context in which Jesus lived and died, and in which the first Christians fulfilled their vocations.

The first reading tells us, “God will judge the immoral and adulterers.” Bear in mind, the culture of the world within which this was written hardly favored this teaching. The marriage bed was not held sacred, and adultery was rampant. The Hebrews to whom the letter is addressed, in fact, had long been entirely exceptional within the surrounding world, in their striving to follow the Ten Commandments.

Nor, as we see in today’s gospel, were world powers particularly favorable to the mission of John the Baptist who, as it happens, was decrying their ongoing commission of the very same sin mentioned in the first reading: adultery. He wound up losing his head for it.

But since then, we have had a taste of a Christian society. Jesus Christ Himself, without intermediaries, converted Constantine in the fourth century. He Himself thus set in place the development of Christendom, that is, an entire European empire that espoused and favored Christian principles–even though its leaders many times strayed gravely from those principles.

Vestiges of Christendom persist until our day. But as the world around us becomes more and more secular, it recognizes those cultural pillars for what they are: They are structures based on Christian principles and philosophy. Even though ultimately they are discoverable through the natural law written on every heart, their value is difficult to discern, except with the help of Christian revelation. Thus, the secular mind feels free to dispense with them–even though they were held non-negotiable as recently as a generation ago.

It is good, even important, to work for a society that favors Christian principles, because indeed in doing so, one is working for the common good. But when their deterioration threatens our peace, we must hearken back to the cultural context of Scripture–and realize that the world at large need not favor Him, for Christ to work in it with His grace.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus how He managed to work good in the world in the midst of a society of evil. Ask Him what His plan is for grace to prevail in the hearts of people, even in the midst of evil realities in our society. Pledge to Him once again your trust in His sovereign power and loving will toward us, and offer your life to Him to help Him realize His plan of good.

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February 4, 2021January 22, 2021

Party Invitation: We Must RSVP

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The first reading from the letter to the Hebrews contrasts the experience of God in the Old Testament, which was at times terrifying, and the experience of God after Christ’s redemption, which is one of glorious rejoicing. The latter has superseded the former because, as the reading says, of “the sprinkled Blood that speaks more eloquently
than that of Abel.”

Still, we see in the Gospel that the Christian era hasn’t turned the awe-inspiring God whose sight terrified Moses into anything close to a milquetoast divinity. Jesus does not send the twelve out two by two to preach affirmation, but rather repentance. And if any town does not accept their message, they are to shake that town’s dust off their feet as a testimony against it.

Jesus’s good news about the Kingdom of God, and His own sacrifice, is a new lease on life, and opens us to an intimate, joyous, fearless relationship with our awesome God. But throughout the gospels, His response to those who do not welcome this message is not, “There, there, it does not matter. I understand that you have issues.” Rather, He meets those who reject His message with stern warnings.

Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection have utterly revolutionized the possibilities for our relationship with God, and our access to Him. His act is one of colossal mercy. But this mercy is not to be confused with indifference to human choices, or removal of all their consequences.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Pray ardently for “sinners,” that is, those who defy God, that He may penetrate the wall of their obstinacy and show them the immense treasure that they are missing. Ask Him to convert the sinner, rouse the indifferent, strengthen the weak, and enlighten the confused. Ask Him to leverage the simple gift of yourself and your life as a token allowing Him to exert influence over the freedom of your brothers and sisters.

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February 3, 2021January 21, 2021

Really?

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Jesus was amazed at people in today’s gospel, and not in a good way. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

And well He might be. It is clear from the passage that his audience in his native place (presumably, Nazareth) not only heard Him and recognized what He said to be profound and wise; they also saw marvels wrought by His hands.

And after all that, instead of excited, they’re just annoyed. They’re sour from envy: He’s “better than them” and it bothers them. He was born of the local townsfolk, just like them. Why should He be anything special.

While He acknowledges this as part of God’s plan by stating that a prophet is never welcome in his home town, Jesus remains amazed. How can people be so blind to such an incredible gift, when it is staring them in the face?

The first reading from Hebrews effectively warns us that this will be our lot as well. God’s plan for us, too, will lead us to unsavory places with very low-minded people. Perseverance is what the reading urges. Stay the course. For as unseemly as may be much of what we must pass through on earth, in imitation of our Savior, what is waiting for us will be far more than worth it.

And the reward that the reading describes as awaiting us is to “see the Lord.” Indeed, theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas define Heaven as just that, no more, no less: the Beatific Vision, that is, to see the Lord. But it is to see Him in such glory that we cannot here imagine, and to participate in that glory with Him.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of perseverance, to stick it out with Him, never to falter or flag. Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit into your heart with His gift of fortitude. Life here below is a slog, but we have sold everything to buy the pearl of great price, the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is worth every penny.

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February 2, 2021January 21, 2021

Bigger Than You Think

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The day that Mary and Joseph left with the baby Jesus to fulfill the law requiring every first born male to be presented to the Lord at the Temple–that day probably did not feel very glorious or momentous to the couple.

We see in the Gospel how Mary and Joseph had already undertaken a fair bit of travel leading up to this time, with Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth in Judea, and the difficult trip to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born in an unfamiliar stable. And then there is the difficult flight into Egypt, to escape Herod’s persecution…

Here too, for their trip to present Jesus at the Temple, Mary and Joseph needed to plan, think ahead, and provision for this journey. They needed to make sure to prepare the pack animals and everything else they needed was ready for a uncomfortable trip exposed to the elements. There was a lot of unremarkable work to be done.

And they were not traveling in order to achieve some moment of glory. They were simply making the trip to fulfill the law.

Still, as so often is the case, the Old Testament reading from today reveals that there is indeed something glorious and profound at work here. The depth of meaning is nicely summed up in the line, “And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek.”

On Palm Sunday, we see Jesus’ triumphant entry into His city, the city that belongs rightly to Him as God, the Holy City, Jerusalem. Rightly enough, He comes honored, as a king.

But the Presentation is His first entry into Jerusalem. It is the first time the King of Glory visits the Holy City. Jerusalem, which has been pining for its promised Messiah for generations, finally receives Him. “And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek.”

If at Epiphany we see Jesus’ manifestation to the gentiles poignantly represented, here we have Jesus’ gift of Himself to the original Chosen People, as His parents obediently present Him at the very center of that people to God the Father.

Their Messiah has come. The day so longed for has arrived. And Simeon and Anna the Prophetess give Him a worthy reception.

God inserts solemn, unexpected meaning into the mundane lives of those who are obedient to Him. What deeper meaning might He be gifting to the most ordinary elements of your life, when you are obedient to Him and give Him your life day by day?

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Think of your day, today. Think of the most ordinary aspects of it. Ask Jesus how He works through those events in your life to bring about His grandiose plan of salvation. Give Him your life in trust and love all over again, and ask Him to fill it with profound effectiveness in the fulfillment of His great plan.

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February 1, 2021January 21, 2021

Superheroes

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

We often think of the heroes of the Old Testament as semi-enlightened; we may think of them as stumbling and fumbling their way along, faithful at times and other times not, deprived still of the grace of Christ until He came.

And indeed, there are examples of missteps and infidelity among our heroes. King David committed a horrible double atrocity in the form of adultery and murder, before repenting deeply. And for his missteps, Moses was deprived personal entry into the Promised Land.

But the author of this morning’s reading from the letter to the Hebrews reminds us of how great and faithful, in fact, the heroes of the Old Testament really were. They endured unimaginable hardships, including gory execution, the details of which the author does not scruple to exclude. They recognized the one true God, and they were faithful to Him because He deserved their fidelity. Consider, for example, the execution, one by one, of seven brothers and their mother in 2 Maccabees (cf. 2 Mac. 7).

All of this, as the author points out, without the benefit of the grace won by Christ, and without understanding of the plan of salvation.

We Christians still undergo hardships of various sorts today, from the ordinary sufferings of everyday life, to outright persecution in some parts of the world. And, the martyrs are without doubt the heroes of our Church. Still, these had the paradigm of Christ’s crucifixion after which to model themselves.

The degree to which we as Christians are “spoiled” by ready, immediate access to the wellspring of grace is symbolized by the events of today’s gospel. The man possessed by a legion of demons, whom no one to that point had been able to subdue, much less exorcise, was rescued in a matter of moments by the overwhelming gift of the saving power of Jesus.

We have what the great heroes of the Old Testament would have longed to see: We have Jesus, whenever we need Him. We have an understanding of the narrative of salvation. No matter how constant that access, how everyday the gifts become, this immense bounty is not and never will be commonplace.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Contemplate the power of Jesus in the scene of exorcism in today’s gospel. Aware of what a privilege it is to have easy access to the grace won by Christ, boldly ask Him to pour it abundantly, without holding back, into your insecure, wounded, vulnerable, needy heart.

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January 31, 2021January 20, 2021

A Mighty God

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Today’s readings are full of the power of God: of His serene and holy fury.

The admonition in the first reading, that those who prophesy an oracle that He has not commanded them to speak will surely die, should give pause to all of us who purport to speak in God’s name. It is not that we should not speak; rather, we must take care to remain united intimately with the vine through the sacraments and daily contemplative prayer, so that the fruit we bear may not spoil. This goes not only for priests and preachers, but for parents as well.

Then, in the gospel, we see witnesses awestruck as Jesus serenely but firmly commands the demon to come out of a possessed man. The witnesses may not realize it, but they are in awe before the living God.

Because of God’s infinite mercy toward those who approach Him with weakness but love–for example, St. Peter, St. Mary Magdalene–we who approach Him daily with the full and sincere gift of ourselves need not fear Him, flawed as we are.

But for all His seemingly endless patience with the affairs on earth, and bearing in mind His mercy, we must also take seriously the admonitions throughout Scripture. He is not a God to be toyed with, or to be taken lightly.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Contemplate God’s glory and power, signs of which we see in today’s readings. Praise Him for the unfathomable combination of His omnipotence and justice, and His goodness and love. Consider those who choose a path of indifference to God, in spite of His serious warnings; tell Jesus that you are willing to undergo whatever sufferings His path may bring you, offered for the sake of their conversion.

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January 30, 2021January 20, 2021

Tempest-Tossed

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The first reading praises the faith of Abraham and puts it in context, the context of coming salvation. Regarding eternal salvation in Christ, the reading says of Abraham and his descendants, “They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.”

And well might the faith of Abraham be praised. Imagine God coming to you and telling you, like Him, to sacrifice your child. You prepare to do so, not out of servile submission to a God you fear because you consider Him brutal and bloody, but out of such faith in His goodness, that you know His plan to be good in spite of the apparent evil confronting you. It is possible that there is no faith greater than that of Abraham in the history of mankind, save perhaps that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who watched her Son slaughtered on Calvary.

In reality, though, we are all called to walk in a faith similar to Abraham’s as we sojourn through this world. The evil around us continually threatens to block the sun of God’s promise of eternal happiness. It continually threatens to block out the light of the reality of a loving God.

And, often enough, what happened to the disciples in today’s gospel likewise happens to us. The boat of our life is tossed by trials and tribulations that loom authentically threatening; stresses real, and challenges seemingly insurmountable. In all of this, Abraham’s ancient example, so eloquently cited in Hebrews, shines a beacon of light. Even as the Lord appears to sleep in the stern, the welfare of our little boat is in His capable hands; it is His course that it follows through the deep.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: The Gospel admonishes us not to give in to our worries and cares; to trust with unwavering faith. In a context of faith and trust, our stresses and worries are an ideal gift to serve up on a platter to our God, even at the height of their effect. Think of the burdens you are bearing right now. Don’t ask Jesus to eliminate them. Offer them to Him generously, in union with His cross, in union with the sufferings of Our Lady under that cross, for the spiritual welfare of many.

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January 29, 2021January 20, 2021

Farmer’s Bounty

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The addressees of the letter to the Hebrews were rather impressive. They joyfully endured the confiscation of their possessions, presumably in a moment of persecution, either from the Romans or from the Jewish authorities.

Imagine today’s Christians rejoicing in the confiscation of their property, aware that they had more lasting (eternal) possessions.

This portion of the first reading would suffice for a few days’ meditation. As Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21) Is our hope, even as it pertains to our Christian faith, in worldly victory? Do our foundations shake when the powers that be in the world prove inimical to us and our beliefs?

Special indeed are those Christians whose treasure truly lies in eternity and who, while engaging actively in the world’s betterment on every level (including political), never attach their heart to victory in worldly spheres.

For such a Christian, as for those early Hebrew Christians, today’s psalm resonates:

“The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.”

“Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.”

For such a person, the process that Jesus describes in today’s gospel is an ongoing phenomenon. Like a farmer sowing seed, such Christians give their lives to their vocation each day in utter simplicity, trusting that their gift will be the seed that the fertile ground–Divine Grace itself–will make grow disproportionately into fruits for the Kingdom of God.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Within the swirl of the world, ask Jesus to help you keep your perspective and your focus. Tell Him that you cannot keep your heart’s focus on eternity without His grace, and ask Him to infuse you with His Holy Spirit. Ask Him to make your harvest as fruitful as the farmer He had in mind when He spoke today’s parable.

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