Matthew Williams – Page 3 – Meditation on Daily Mass Readings

June 8, 2021June 4, 2021

Mm Hm

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

Heat is real; cold is not. Cold is the absence of heat. Good is real; evil is not. Evil is the absence of good, the subtraction of good.

There have been at various times in history philosophers who have posited dual, equal forces in the universe: A force of good, and a force of evil. These are like uneducated scientists, who would argue for the existence of two physical energies, heat and cold.

So it is that Paul tells us today that Jesus is not “yes” and “no.” Jesus is the eternal “yes” to the Father, which reached a special human climax in the agony in the garden, when He told His Father, “Yet, not my will, but yours be done.” (cf. Lk. 22:42) It is a “yes” that is mirrored in the “May it be done unto me according to your word” of His mother, which ushers Him into the world.

Jesus is the eternal Positive. He is not the “no” to sin; He is the “yes” to happiness, fulfillment, and love. Our “no” to sin is a double negative–“no” to “no” to God. In the end, though, once we get past our fixation with the allurements of sin, Christian life is much more about the direct path: The simple, constant “yes” to God.

This “yes,” in all its simplicity, is the salt that seasons the world and the light that illumines the world, which Jesus describes in the gospel. This “yes” is a compelling force, a saving power wielded by every Christian who makes it his or her life.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus “yes,” unconditionally. Ask Him for the gift that your “yes” be the constant definition of your life, as it was for Him.

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June 7, 2021June 4, 2021

Comfort Zone

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

In today’s readings, the persons whom St. Paul is encouraging are the very persons whom Jesus is describing in the gospel, with the Beatitudes.

St. Paul explains how the encouragement He experiences from God the Father is also transmitted to other Christians who are participating in the same sort of sufferings that he is undergoing. Those sufferings are precisely the ones described in the Beatitudes: poverty, mourning, hunger, thirst, persecution.

For those of us who live in relatively prosperous lands, it may be difficult to remember that we are called–indeed, called directly by Jesus in today’s gospel–to the same sort of hardships.

Consciously or unconsciously, we seek comfort and easy prosperity as supreme ends, whereas Jesus challenges us to see detachment, purity of heart, and the establishment of justice and peace.

There are ways, in any society, to live the Beatitudes. It is not about our circumstances. It is about our drive, that is, what we strive for. If we are looking for the will of God and the welfare of others as our top priority, we will be pure of heart and poor in spirit, and we will suffer different forms of discomfort, humiliation, and hardship. If we seek only comfort, ease, and power, we will not enjoy the blessings promised by Jesus, and we will endure perpetual unrest of spirit.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the courage to live the Beatitudes fully. Tell Him that you are not afraid of the inconveniences and sufferings that this life will bring, as long as He is with you to give you strength.

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June 6, 2021June 4, 2021

The Blood of the Covenant

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

The blood of the covenant–this is a standout theme of all three readings today, as well as the psalm.

Given the feast we are celebrating today, the theme could be different. It is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The theme could be His continued presence among us: “And behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” (cf. Mt. 28:20)

Or, the theme could be the sacrifice re-presented in the Eucharist–the sacrifice Jesus makes on the altar every time the Body and Blood are consecrated, the re-presentation of the one sacrifice of Calvary.

But repeated over and over again in today’s readings is the theme of blood poured out in establishment of a covenant.

And indeed, the whole point of Jesus’ Incarnation, life, passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension was to establish and consummate a definitive covenant with human beings collectively, and each human being individually, within the Church.

That covenant is union with Him, union with the Trinity, based on the fulfillment on a promise of a mutual gift of self.

Said differently, it is Communion. And it is paid for with a high price: Jesus’ very blood poured out, the blood of the covenant.

And indeed, when we contemplate the Eucharist, we are contemplating two closely related realities, corresponding to the two climaxes of the Mass: The sacrifice of the Body and the Blood, and the covenant of Communion.

The Eucharist is the entire effective dynamic of Jesus’ self-gift and self-sacrifice, perpetually encapsulated in two physical realities: The Body and the Blood, in the forms of bread and wine.

At every Mass we enter into a concentrated real-life presentation of the entire saving mystery, and its effect within us. We behold the blood poured out, and we enter into the Covenant.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of a deeper penetration into the mystery of the Eucharist, and more saturating experience of this saving mystery at every Mass.

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June 5, 2021June 2, 2021

I Could Eat a House

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

The scribes devour the houses of widows, says Jesus in today’s gospel. Tough phrasing. God demonstrates his tender, individual love for every human throughout Scripture by most fiercely condemning injustices to persons, especially the needy.

All the external acts of piety in the world pale in importance compared to the acts done to our fellow humans.

The archangel Rafael says as much in the first reading:

“Prayer and fasting are good,
but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.
A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.
It is better to give alms than to store up gold;
for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.”

And Raphael’s message about a little given with righteousness outweighing much given with wickedness is in turn echoed by Jesus in the gospel, when He points to the widow’s tiny gift outweighing the abundant excess given by the rich.

Raphael in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel appear to be finishing each other’s sentences. Using Gospel-like language, we may say that we are foolish if we have not ears to hear what they are saying. How often we Christians find reasons to found our duty outside of kindness and mercy to neighbor–for example, in having the “right” vote or preferred candidate in the political sphere.

While upright civic engagement is important, if we hear the words of Jesus, nothing is more important then self-sacrificing love of neighbor, particularly our neighbor in need.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to infuse into your heart the supernatural gift of charity, whereby your heart is truly moved and aroused by the need of neighbor, both on the physical and the spiritual levels.

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June 4, 2021May 28, 2021

Down and Up Again

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

A powerful theme repeated often in the Bible is that of just persons who are permitted to suffer, but who do so gracefully, humbly imploring God in prayer for help, and are ultimately brought to a situation better than the one with which they started. Job is one such person.

The narrative of Tobit reflects this theme as well. Tobit suffers under the permission of God, but he doesn’t complain or express impatience; rather, he accepts the suffering patiently, in humble submission to God’s will. Ultimately, God delivers him from this trial, and his life is better than before.

It is the pattern of Christ Himself, who takes flesh like any other human, suffers and dies in obedience to His Father’s will, and then rises with a human existence that is glorified.

It will be the pattern of our lives as well. All we need do is accept the trials that come our way with love, trust, and patience, praying to God for aid, and He will transform our lives through what we suffer into something utterly unexpected.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to teach you patience with the sufferings that His hand permits, so that your purified and, in a sense, glorified life might be of assistance to Him for the eternal welfare of others.

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June 3, 2021May 28, 2021

The Key

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

“Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose.” So says Tobiah in the first reading.

In today’s gospel, when asked which is first among all the Commandments, Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Purity of intention: It is not a nice-to-have; it is everything. Purity of intention consists of two elements: Obedience to God’s will, and zeal for the welfare of neighbor; in other words, love of God and neighbor.

Purity of intention is not to obey the minimum letter of the law while seeking pleasures, the esteem of others, and personal, worldly glory as the top priority.

In the first reading, God heard the prayer of Tobiah and Sarah because they begged mercy of Him with sincerity of heart, with purity of intention. We can be absolutely certain of God’s care and blessings if we pray with love of God and neighbor in our hearts.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you know that charity, that is, supernatural love, is a gift, something that cannot be obtained by personal effort; ask Him to gift you this gift, and do whatever it takes to purify it in you.

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June 2, 2021May 27, 2021

One Bride for Seven Brothers

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

Who knew: There are two passages about seven men marrying the same wife in sequence, each dying in his turn. And they’re both found in today’s liturgy.

Love between a man and a woman is considered by many the height of happiness. In both of today’s readings, though, there is a lesson to be learned about the fleeting and unreliable nature of what humans tend to rely on for happiness. In the first reading, poor Sarah’s husbands keep dying immediately upon wedding her, and in the gospel, the Sadducees cite a hypothetical example of a woman marrying seven men in sequence.

In both readings, we see that the ultimate bringer of reliable happiness is God. In the first reading, God remedies Sarah’s plight after she moves from despair into hope and prays to Him; and in the gospel, the source of eternal happiness in the resurrection from the dead is God.

Still, we must not divorce our view of God’s Providence from the ordinary realities of life. We are body and spirit, and God cares for us lovingly in both. Sometimes we suffer, but even this suffering is curated caringly by God, for those who trust in Him.

And He often manifests His providential love in simple details in everyday life: Unexpected blessings, positive outcomes.

Perfect trust involves detachment from any particular gift or outcome, and at the same time, certainty that God will ultimately bring about the best possible outcome.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to transform your life such that it is led by perfect trust. Aware that you cannot trust this way yourself, ask Him with confidence for the gift.

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June 1, 2021May 27, 2021

Better Than Good

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

In today’s readings, we see two just men beset by trials and tribulations.

We see a very human and relatable scene in the first reading; one we could imagine playing out in our own time, perhaps in our own homes. Poor Tobit, plagued by blindness for two years after having experienced the misfortune of taking some bird droppings in the eyes, is in an understandably bad mood–which perhaps leads him to see things in a dark light, so to speak. As such, when he hears the bleating of a goat brought in by his wife, one given to her as a bonus above her wages, he immediately suspects her of theft.

This suspicion, as one might well imagine, does not sit well with his hard-working (and no doubt exhausted) wife, who herself emits an exaggeratedly negative judgement and accuses poor Tobit of having a poor character all along, despite the charitable works he had performed when he could see.

Tobit was a good, just man. But like many just men, he was not immune to exhibiting weakness when the going got disconcertingly tough.

Then, we have Jesus in the gospel of today. Over and over again the Pharisees came after Him, and they wanted nothing short of killing Him, as Jesus Himself knew and openly pointed out (cf. Jn. 7:19). His life was continually in danger. They were continually trying to trap Him with His own words. It was enough to drive anyone mad–a little like having bird droppings in your eye.

But Jesus, the supreme Lord and Master, was more than a good, just man. He was God Himself, our indomitable Savior, and with supreme calm He fielded their questions and answered in such a way as both to lay bare their intentions, and express an important moral lesson to the listeners.

This sort of fortitude is not normal, even for good, just people. It does not come from human shrewdness or willpower. It is superhuman. This sort of spiritual stamina comes only from the Holy Spirit.

So it is that we see example after example among the saints of unbelievable virtue and fortitude–such as that of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who after unspeakable stresses and sufferings in a Nazi concentration camp, offered his own life without hesitation to save a fellow inmate.

Two of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom and Fortitude. What the Holy Spirit can bring about in souls through these two gifts, along with the other five, is literally boundless. Observe it in the life of Christ; observe it in the lives of the saints.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you know you cannot be what He wants you to be through your own effort to be good. Ask Him to fill you bountifully with the Holy Spirit, until it is no longer you, but Christ who lives in you.

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May 31, 2021May 26, 2021

Here He Is

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

“Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel,” says today’s psalm. Of all the themes upon which we may meditate on this feast of the Visitation, this one is particularly beautiful.

Mary’s Canticle, one of the most beautiful prayers in all of Scripture, full as it is of faith, trust, and gratitude, could fill many days’ meditations. Are we this certain, mindful, grateful of all that the Lord has given to us?

We might also contemplate very fruitfully the spontaneous generosity of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, after having just received word of her own unexpected pregnancy from an angel, did not hesitate to undertake a challenging journey to be present to her cousin and friend who would need her in the final months before the birth of her son.

But in the end, all of Mary’s joy, gratitude, certainty, and even generosity points back to the one fact called out by today’s psalm: “Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” As Mary walks up to Elizabeth’s front door, God Himself, Creator of the universe, is present as a child within her. He is present with the intent of bring salvation to the entire human race.

If Elizabeth bubbles over with joy and awe, she does so in response to the fact presented in today’s psalm: “Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” God Himself, powered by the feet of her cousin, approaches her very doorstep.

A thought to contemplate on this feast of the Visitation: To us, who enjoy the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, is God any less wonderfully present than on that Judean doorstep that day? Do we have any less cause for joy?

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of the fullness of Mary’s joyful faith and hope in the power of God to be present and save, such that it fills and permeates your entire psychology and every aspect of your outlook on life’s realities.

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May 30, 2021May 24, 2021

Triangulated Love

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

The richness of today’s readings, in terms of sheer revelation of God to us, is perhaps without peer in the liturgical cycle.

In the first reading we have God intervening, making a people His own, speaking to His people from within the fire, acting on their behalf to bring them out of slavery, acting among His people in a manner unprecedented in all of history.

In the second reading, we have the Spirit of God bursting into the hearts of the faithful ones, turning them into the very sons and daughters of God, adopting them into the Divinity to the point that they cry out to God, “Abba, Father!”.

And in today’s gospel, Jesus promises that He, the Son of God Most High, even after He ascends to heaven, will remain with them until the end of the ages.

These readings are not just a revelation of God; they are in the same breath a revelation of the steadfastness and, one may say, intensity of His commitment to us. We are His people, and He will take care of us; we are His children, and He will remain with us. We must remember that, in the midst of this apparently random world, His care for each of us is incredibly attentive and personal.

As today’s psalm says, “Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that union with the Blessed Trinity, your destiny, is all you want, despite the attraction of so many other things in the world. As Him to send you His Spirit, to make you and adopted child of the Most High. And to remain with you always, until the end of the age.

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