Matthew Williams – Page 22 – Meditation on Daily Mass Readings

November 29, 2020November 13, 2020

Smooth Transition

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

We see a tonal shift in Scripture as we move from the last week of the liturgical year, with its cataclysmic images of the end times, into the first week of Advent, representing in a way the utter beginning of salvation history. But it is not a jolting transition. It is a smooth, nuanced shift, with some tonal aspects remaining the same, and others changing.

Today’s readings still have a focus on the end times–very much like the Gospel passages throughout the past week, Jesus admonishes us to be watchful so that the last day of our lives and of history do not catch us by surprise,

The first reading too looks toward those end days, but with a change: It is a prayer for God to hasten them, to show His face. In fact, we could do much worse than to use this particular Scripture passage from Isaiah as an ardent prayer to God for our sinful world, that He will infuse it with His grace, cleanse it, and bring it back to Him, precisely in preparation–however remote or imminent–for His return. It is a beautiful prayer, full of passion and zeal for what is good, and for conversion.

Also, though, the scriptures of this first Sunday of Advent already start to hint at what the world so long ago pined for–the first coming of the Messiah. The first reading in particular provides a beautiful meditation on the world’s deep-seated need for Him to come. And, we can use that meditation as a preparation for Christmas–begging him through that prayer in the first reading to come to us and transform our hearts like never before.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Try praying the first reading as a prayer; try putting your heart into it as you do so. You know your sins, and how sometimes your failures have a way of repeating themselves; beg of Him the grace of true conversion and healing that only He can bring. And, implore Him to visit you and transform you this Christmas like He has never done before.

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November 28, 2020November 13, 2020

Violent Transition

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

As the liturgical year ends, Scripture once again confronts us–virtually assails us–with what the end of this annual period symbolizes, that is, the end of the world and of time.

Revelation today paints a beautiful, but also powerful and striking picture. From the throne of God flows the river of life, with the tree of life on either side, bearing fruit twelve times each year.

The image is that of Christ’s Church come to full maturity in eternity. As the passage states, “Nothing accursed will be found anymore.” This is beautiful and yet “terrible,” in the sense of awe-inspiring and fearsome–for those who cling to that which is tainted will be wiped out, in a place of torment, as preceding days’ passages from Revelation have shown.

The symbol also stretches to the Christian Church here on earth, however, as an imperfect precursor to the heavenly Church. Here too, the river of life-giving water flows from the throne of God to His people through the Church. The twelvefold-fruitful tree of life, symbolizing the Church founded firmly on the twelve apostles, provides life through its sacraments–sustenance through its fruit, and medicine through its leaves–until we come to take part in the fully transformed, heavenly Church.

The transformation process in the end times, to reach this beautiful state, will be produced through great travail, like the birth of a beautiful baby. In the Gospel passage today, Jesus says that that last days arrival will “assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.”

The earth, for all its human conflicts, lives for now in an uneasy peace with God. That will not always be the case. The current compromised state of humankind and of our broken world will come to an end, and we will be wise to be ready through a vigilant and wakeful commitment to the teachings of Jesus.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to give you the courage to live with the fragile transience of the world always in mind, without, however, ever despairing or growing impatient. Ask Him for unfailing, vibrant hope in His victory, which will bring grandeur and beauty like you have never seen. Ask Him also for the gift of trusting that He will keep you in His grace if you persistently ask Him to.

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November 27, 2020November 11, 2020

The Mark of the Beast

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

The book of Revelation is full of vivid imagery, and many Scripture scholars have spent significant portions of their lives attempting to decipher that imagery precisely.

If there is one thing about Revelation that no one can dispute–and it would seem, this was in John’s heart when writing it–it is that the final victory of God will be definitive, dramatic, and unmistakable. Over and over again, with different imagery, John hammers home that those who have with their lives chosen God, and not fallen into the narcotic effect of the allurements of the world, will share in that victory. Those who have not, will not.

Some take the “mark of the beast” as signifying something physical “on their foreheads or hands” as today’s reading puts it. Maybe it’s a microchip. Maybe it’s an amusement park reentry tattoo. Regardless of what physical manifestations may or may not be involved, for those who “worship the beast,” a mark on the soul most certainly can be described.

It is not the kind of mark that imprints a distinct, discernible character onto the soul, like the character imparted with Baptism or Confirmation. If anything, the “mark” shows up as a soul less well defined: Less defined in it’s intentional free choices, and less crisp in its adherence to the truth. The mark of the beast is a mark of vagueness, ambiguity, self-contradiction, even devolving to a lesser or greater extent into madness.

In contrast, the mark of the spirit of Christ on the soul is crispness, clarity, decisiveness, security, serenity–or more precisely, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.

Sometimes we think of the mark of the beast–that is, evil in all its embodiments–as daunting, formidable, terrifying, powerful. Indeed, when it is “in charge” here on earth, it can do great damange. But more often, it manifests itself as revoltingly pitiable. And at the end of time, for those who love the Lord, it simply goes away.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Read the reading from Revelation again, without fixating on how literally true each image is. Consider and marvel at the spectacle that John paints. We can be sure that the drama that he brings into the scene will be present in all its intensity. Perhaps it is better that we have only the imagery now, as the reality will likely be so dramatic that we would have trouble assimilating it if it were available to us in written form. Ask Jesus to help you adopt a more and more pronounced imprint of His mark on your soul: The deep and enriching gifts of the Holy Spirit, by which He makes you a wondrous version of your own self.

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November 26, 2020November 11, 2020

Done Like Dinner

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

The flow of Scripture over the course of the liturgical year is rich in signification.

It is interesting how the Scriptures from final days of the liturgical year dovetail like hand in glove with those of the rebirth of the liturgical year, in Advent. In Advent, in addition to commemorating and contemplating that time in history when the world silently and breathlessly awaited the arrival of its Savior, Scripture also encourages us to contemplate and anticipate the second and final coming of Jesus.

That coming of Jesus in the end times is precisely what Scripture commemorates also at the end of the liturgical year, which symbolically represents the close of salvation history.

On days like today, we hear about the world trembling to its foundations, and the Son of Man coming upon a cloud.

There are two realities at work in our world. The first is the fundamental orientation of humankind, which is an orientation based on original sin toward a sort of mediocre fixation on personal gratification, with a modicum of virtue necessary for social relations. The second is the glorious action of Divine Providence, which, in the midst of human blunt-minded selfishness, sustains not only the workings of mortally wounded nature, but also the limited success of human endeavor.

The first reading shows us, however, that at Jesus’ final coming, the city of selfishness–Babylon–will be definitively brought down.

The current delicate balance of things will not last forever. It is destined for transformation.

Rationalists call the dramatic foretellers of an imminent apocalypse among us insane, inasmuch as these doomsayers place too much weight on catastrophes which they claim signify the end times.

In truth, these apocalyptic sorts are not mistaken because they see the signs of the end in our time–their only mistake is to fail to see them in all times. Everything about our world, with this delicate balance between benevolent, powerful, yet subtle Providence, and the catastrophic effects of sin, screams and has always screamed: “It Cannot Go On. It Is Destined to End.”

All of which turns our hearts once again to the topic of eternity. A life spent oriented toward helping as many as possible to embrace the radical demands of God’s love for the sake of their eternal welfare–such a life is a life well spent.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Imagine as vividly as you can the final coming of Jesus. Imagine it occurring right now. How abrupt it feels! Why did we not prepare for this, when we were so amply warned, not only by Scripture but by the signs all around us? Ask Jesus to help you live with a sense of the imminent end in mind, for whenever it comes, it is the world’s definitive destiny.

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November 25, 2020November 10, 2020

Battle-Weary but Faithful

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

We may grow weary of truths about the reality in which we live, as God sees it, and of pointing them out. Like the prophet Jeremiah, we may be tempted to say, “I will not mention him, I will no longer speak in his name.” (Jer. 20:9)

One such truth: Life on earth is a spiritual battle, pure and simple. A bloody, filthy, painful, life-and-death battle. Scripture is replete with this message on nearly every page. In today’s first reading from Revelation, John talks about those who have made it through the battle, victorious. Those who have come through even as humanity by and large has destroyed itself.

It would be so much nicer if the world could skate successfully upon the thin ice of superficial politeness and kindnesses. The truth that a profound battle is underway is an inconvenient one.

In the gospel, though, Jesus reminds us that the terrible rejections and persecutions we will endure because of our faithfulness to Him shall not destroy us. This is the beauty of His saving act: If we remain faithful to Him in the breach, victory truly shall be ours.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Meditate on the many martyrdoms that Christians have undergone since Christ’s prophecy in today’s gospel: The first 33 Popes were martyred, along with great portions of the Christian flock in ancient Rome. And the martyrdom of Christians has continued in age after age right up to our day, when many in the Middle East and Africa are killed because of their faith. Ask Jesus to help you to be strong in all circumstances, but especially in whatever difficulties today shall bring. Ask Him to help you to be faithful to Him no matter what life throws at you.

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November 24, 2020November 10, 2020

The Grapes of Wrath

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

Video games today are characterized by photorealism. Travel is quick and relatively painless. As for smart phones: One finds pictures on the Internet of all the things that used to require their own device, and now fit on that device in your pocket: Radios and CD players, cameras, DVD players, TVs, calculators, flash lights, etc.

We may truly marvel at these things and think that humanity has really arrived.

So it was for the Jews of Jesus’ day who felt like their nation had really arrived, as they contemplated the rich, beautiful adornments of the temple. But Jesus warned them that of that temple, stone would not be left upon stone.

Such admonitions could cause us to wonder: When will the next shoe drop? Dystopian post-apocalyptic stories are popular today, partly because there is a latent fear in many of our disproportionate reliance on our ultra-sophisticated technological advances.

But Jesus assures us that while, yes, conflicts will arise and bad things will happen, we need not fear total collapse until the true end–the time appointed by God.

Today’s first reading foretells what will occur when that end comes. It talks about the son of man reaping earth’s harvest with a sharp sickle, and an angel reaping the ripe grapes from the earth. This actually sounds somewhat positive until, in the last line, we learn that these grapes are cast into the winepress of God’s fury!

It is important to work for justice on the earth, to ensure that our systems of government are not oppressive, and even to strive for technological advances that can make people’s lives easier. Imagine, for example, an invention that ensured provision of fresh water to every human on the planet.

But we need not expect the earth to turn into a utopia, a near-ideal place to live, as the result of efforts for justice. Scripture is clear that the world has rebelled against God, and its state of rebellion will endure. At the end of time, the fruits the world produces as a whole will not be pleasing to God. And so, while striving for justice on this earth, we must above all strive to help others convert to Christ for the sake of their eternal welfare, after their earthly life.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Think about where your hopes lie. Do you hope in some way for an earthly utopia? Maybe you’ll finally find paradise on your next vacation… Maybe in retirement… Ask Jesus to help you understand if your earthly hopes for happiness are unrealistic and perhaps unbalanced, and to help you place your hope in His destiny for you in eternity.

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November 23, 2020November 9, 2020

Lifeboat

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

In the first reading from Revelation, John describes those in Heaven as numbering one hundred and forty-four thousand. Whether or not that is the exact number to be saved, the fact that he cites a concrete number can make us pause and reflect: When all is said and done, the number of the saved will be a concrete number. Maybe it will be 127,239,151. Whatever it will be, it will be concrete, never to be changed–the most important number in the history of humanity. And we have the power to influence this number, to augment it, simply through our prayer, sacrifice, and daily self-offering to the Lord for others. And our works of evangelization and works of charity.

John uses a curious word when he talks about those who have followed the Lamb, and who are present in heaven: They have been “ransomed from the world.” This conjures an image of a world that holds prisoners captive, from which they must be rescued.

And so it is. The world holds so many captive with its shackles of pride, lust for power, greed, longing for sensual pleasures and comfort. Every day we decide anew to step onto the lifeboat of grace with which Jesus rescues us from these shackles. And every day we have the opportunity to help others onto that lifeboat.

Jesus marvels in today’s gospel at the woman who gives everything that she has, in contrast to those who give their surplus. She defies the captivity of the world and its allurements, making her life instead into a gift. Gift of self to God each day in prayer, gift of self to God each day in service to others–making a gift of our lives is the way not only to step onto the lifeboat ourselves, but to bring others aboard as well, and swell the numbers of those saved. 706 were saved from the sinking of the Titanic–once you have lived your life as a gift, how many will be added to the one important human number that will last forever: the number of those who have attained Heaven for eternity?

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Only God knows the number of those who will inhabit Heaven for eternity–but it is a concrete number, one which will be smaller or larger, depending on the way we live our lives. Ask Jesus His ideal for your life. How does He call you and hope for you to help Him “draw all people to Himself” (cf. Jn. 12:32)?

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November 22, 2020November 9, 2020

King Unequaled

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

On this feast of Christ the King, we see a rich array of what Jesus’ kingship means:

In the first reading and the psalm, we see Him as merciful shepherd–a King who gathers and leads His people.

In the second reading, we see Him as destroyer and subjugator of competing powers–a King who knows no equal.

In the Gospel, we see Him as a judge who welcomes or condemns us for eternity based on our acts of charity and kindness toward others–a King who administers justice.

If there is one overall impression one can draw from these readings, it is that He is tender and kind to those who have taken up the offer of salvation He has made at the price of His own blood. As we see in the first reading, this includes those who are lost or who stray.

But He does not hesitate to cast from His sight those arrogant enough to rebuff Him with the strength of their own freedom, or who ignore His demands of kindness and mercy toward others–“the sleek and the strong” sheep of the first reading, the goats of the Gospel, “every authority and power” in the second reading.

Jesus is no milquetoast King. This should fill us with exuberant joy, hope, and confidence on the one hand, but deep concern and determination on the other: Joy in the knowledge that if we ask Him too, He will assist us in our efforts to fulfill His will and protect our eternal destiny; concern and determination to pray and sacrifice constantly that as many will be saved as possible.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Close your eyes and imagine final judgement as described by Jesus today, where He, crowned King, discerns who is to be saved, and who is to be condemned. What can you do to feed those who are hungry precisely for the salvation that He metes out in judgement? How is He asking you to participate in His merciful act of salvation? Ask Him how you can assist Him in His grand mission of bringing as many as possible to Heaven.

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November 21, 2020November 4, 2020

Hospice Cure

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

The drama in the first reading has played out over and over and over again starting in the Old Testament and continuing right up to our day, with the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ constituting the climax, and the key to understanding its meaning.

Note the symbolic names “Sodom” and “Egypt,” “where indeed their Lord was crucified.” These represent not specific places, but the world as such. The Christian is called to be a prophet that shakes the hearts of people living in the world, who by and large are asleep to eternal realities. The world as a whole generally rejects this message throughout the ages, but some accept it and find their salvation.

Given the period of Christendom–when secular and Church leadership coincided for a time–we can think that sometimes, the world is friendly to Christianity. But if we take a closer look at Christendom, we see that worldly attitudes rejecting the heart of the radical message of Jesus reigned in the world even when Europe was nominally Christian.

Today, the increase in comfort and worldly security brought to many by technology and prosperity serves as as sort of hospice-like pain-reliever for souls on the path to eternal death. Likewise, some Church leaders are asleep to the eternal drama depicted in the first reading, complacent in the midst of the flattery of their flocks. In such a situation, how much less well received is the disturbing message of true prophets.

As Christians, we do not have the luxury to wait for our leaders to act as prophets, and complaining openly about their shortcomings is counterproductive. Like the prophets in the first reading, we must offer ourselves as living sacrifices for the conversion of sinners–giving Christ willingly and joyfully every suffering that comes our way, believing wholeheartedly in the effectiveness of our gift through Him. And, we must listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His call when He asks us to be vocal signs of contradiction in our world.

To this end, we have the aid of the saints. In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that God speaks of all His followers in the present tense: The saints are very much alive and active. Only a thin veil separates us. Let us call out to them, our teammates in advancing the cause of Christ’s redemption, confident of the effectiveness of their aid.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Consider today’s world from the perspective of its sleepiness relative to the drama of eternity. Think of Jesus’ words relative to today’s world: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk. 12:49) Ask Jesus what His vision is for waking up the world, for setting it ablaze, and ask Him what part He would like you to play.

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November 20, 2020November 3, 2020

Sweet and Sour

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

How sweet was Jesus’ mission, and yet how sour.

We know from Scripture that in His humanity He experienced a deep, scraping, visceral frustration when those He was trying to save obstinately refused to understand His mission. It is the same sort of willful, obstinate rejection, cloaked as misunderstanding and ignorance, that He receives from many in the world today.

In the modern world, just as in today’s Gospel passage, people instrumentalize sacred things on the altar of greed. They even convince themselves that they are doing the Lord’s work when their only real objective is to build wealth and status.

In the first reading, the scroll–which in other passages we see is the scroll with seven seals on it, that only the Lamb can open–represents God’s providential plan for humanity. It is sweet on the tongue, but sour to the stomach.

God’s plan is the absolute ultimate drama. On the one hand, it involves every sumptuous, overflowing gift of happiness that man in his created nature is fashioned to receive. But for the complete fulfillment of this happiness, man is free, and able to choose to turn away from these ultimate goods to gain lesser goods–like the moneychangers in the temple in today’s gospel.

The combination of man’s destiny of happiness and his freedom is sweet, oh so sweet, so sweet indeed that it is the stuff that his Creator dreams of, even in His own infinite state of completeness.

But man very often uses his freedom to choose to turn away from the heights to which God has called him, for the more comfortable lows of sin. And this is sour. So sour that the invulnerable God wound up shedding blood to reopen the door to salvation from this fate. But man still needs to walk through, and many do not.

Still–and here we can only use our imagination, which falls far short, as St. Paul says (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9)–still, the exalted fulfillment to which those who choose God is so glorious, that God did not shy away from creating human freedom, despite the losses that would be incurred.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus, today and every day, for the gift never to be separated from Him; and He will answer this request, and see your heavenly destiny secured. But also contemplate all those who obstinately use their freedom to turn away from God, or more precisely, from the exalted destiny for which He created them, with all the detachment that this destiny involves. Like a general with his King, plan with Jesus what prayers and offerings you will make to Him to enable Him to push through the doors of their obstinacy and attract them irresistibly with His grace to the higher choice.

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