Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Scripture Readings for November 21, 2017

2 Maccabees 6: 18-31, Psalm 3:2-7 Luke 19: 1-10

Today’s Gospel is about how Zacchaeus, a very rich man, forgets about his wealthy trappings and climbs a tree just to get a look at Jesus and then is changed when Jesus comes to his house. It is a story that says if Jesus comes to stay with us anything is possible. Even rich people will become generous. It says salvation is the work of God.

So maybe we should look at the first reading to see what it might tell us and perhaps it will add something to the Gospel story. The reading from Maccabees is very focused and detailed. It tells us about one incident in the life of one man. Eleazar, an old man and a scribe, is asked to eat the pork of a pagan sacrificial offering. He is respected and a friend of the king’s officials and they give him a way to get around the king’s rules. They offer him a way out … bring some of your own meat and pretend it is from the sacrifice. Eleazar however understands how pretending to comply compromises everything he stands for. To pretend to eat the forbidden meat although not actually doing it is to say that the king’s rules are more important than what God asks.  It sounds like a clever legal maneuver. Look like you’re complying but don’t actually do what is being asked and therefore satisfy your conscience while giving the larger society what it demands, the appearance of compliance.

His friends are trying to help but they don’t understand the deeper issue. For Eleazar’s friends it’s only appearance that counts. So if you look like you’re doing the things others expect then even if you’re actually doing something else, who cares?  I think we see a lot of this today. Public figures in sports, politics, and entertainment seem to only be concerned with appearances. What records they can break, whether they are elect-able, what the press says about them, that is what counts not their actual behavior or positions or values. Each situation seems to be guided solely by how much a person can get away with. Clever words and phrases seem to do a slight of hand. They spin the facts. Public behavior like that suggests we would be foolish not to act the same way.

It is here that I think we can connect with our friend Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus the rich man was changed by having Jesus come to his house but Zacchaeus showed who he was long before Jesus actually came to his house. Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, certainly didn’t worry about what people would think when he started running ahead of the crowd and enthusiastically climbed a tree. Zacchaeus acted on something that called him to discover what was new with this Jesus. Zacchaeus, like Eleazar, wasn’t constrained by what his friends in high places would say. He wasn’t guided by appearances. He didn’t have to give up his life like Eleazar but he was abandoning any pretense of reserve or wealthy position or even ordinary decorum Zacchaeus went with his heart, his excitement. His unabashed eagerness took him to a new life. In much the same way, Eleazar’s enthusiasm for God took him to a new life.

We may never be asked to give up our life as a sacrifice to be Christian but we may have to reveal and act openly on the commitments we have and the values we hold. Let’s pray we can break from the crowd and climb whatever it takes so we will be able to see what life is asking of us.

Memorial, St. Elizabeth of Hungary

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Scripture Readings for November 17, 2017

Wisdom 13:1-9, Psalm 19: 2-5, Luke 17:26-37

It took me awhile but after working through today’s readings a couple times I came to the conclusion that they are mostly about our missing the point. The readings from Wisdom and Luke’s Gospel seem to come together around how even lovely and pleasant everyday things can distract us from our ultimate objective. Do we notice God behind the scenes or are we simply caught up in the beauty and utility of life around us?

The reading from Wisdom is quite elegant in describing how fire, wind and the luminaries of the sky were thought to be gods in and of themselves. The author names the issue explicitly, “they are distracted by what they see.” The beautiful and powerful forces of nature can be appreciated for themselves but we shouldn’t stop at a superficial analysis. We should acknowledge the even more powerful and inspiring God that created them.

The same is of course true when Jesus is talking about how we live our lives. It is easy to be so caught up with buying, selling, eating, drinking, getting married, caught up in all the good things, that we miss the point of the exercise. Doing what God put us here to do. What’s more we can’t be clever about picking and choosing our time for compliance. There’s no radar detector that will tell us when the state trooper is waiting to catch us speeding. We have to adopt an ongoing attitude of care for others, which is the way God operates, or we are likely to get caught at the most ordinary of moments with the call to eternal life.

I don’t think we should interpret this as God’s effort to catch us when we least expect it. No, Jesus is trying to restate and make it clear for human relationships what Wisdom has already said, that beneath the surface of all that happens, God is part of the picture. I think today the question could be: Are we noticing God and God’s desire for us as we go about each day’s activities, each day’s decisions. If we think we can wait until later or another time to bring God into the picture, there’s no way to go back and rescue what we have neglected. All we can ever do is deal with what is presented to us today. Are we acting now, the way we know God asks us to act? Are we paying attention to the needs to which love and justice expect us to respond? Who crosses our path that we could help? What happens in our part of the world that we could change? God may not expect us to change the whole world. However, God does expect us to live in our part of it as one who cares and sacrifices to make it better.

Let’s not miss the point of our life, let’s go below the surface and recognize all that God provides and all that God asks us to do as well.

Monday, Twenty-ninth Week, Ordinary Time

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Scripture Readings for October 23, 2017

Romans 4: 20-25, Luke 1: 69-75, Luke 12: 13-21

Luke’s Gospel today presents a story that is very straight forward. I suspect it’s not something any of us would disagree with. Life, specifically the value of our life, does not consist of our possessions. Although in Jesus’ time the common Jewish belief would have been that rich people were blessed by God and poor people suffered because of their sinfulness. Two thousand years of Christianity has helped us realize that being holy isn’t connected with wealth or possessions. St. Francis and Mother Theresa of Calcutta are easy examples of the ideal that we should, in fact, give up possessions and devote ourselves to helping others.

Clearly however, the story of the rich man building bigger barns to hold the wealth of his harvest hasn’t exactly deterred anyone from buying bigger cars or bigger homes or fancier watches. Even so I don’t think that’s a message we need to belabor today. We all know what we’re not supposed to do. We’re not supposed to put our hopes for the future, hopes for an eternal life in possessions or riches. Instead I wondered about the specifics of what we are being asked to do. That may not be so clear. The last line of the Gospel says we should be “rich in what matters to God.” The question is, what should we be rich in?

My own tendency was to think in terms of charitable works. I think we often think about doing what God’s wants in terms of giving to others, being generous, doing things for others. That’s a big part of the Catholic and Christian faith. But actively helping others is the outcome of having some treasure. I mean when you are rich you can give things away. If you have lots of money then you can give money to charity. If you have a sincere love for someone you can give that person love. If you have time you can spend more of your time with others. In order to give of ourselves we must first have something to give otherwise we’re just trying to build up another kind of treasure for ourselves. We could be trying to earn value in God’s eyes or status among our peers, instead of acting out of love. So I don’t think giving to others, certainly a good thing in itself, is actually the answer.

I think today’s other readings tell us what kind of treasure God values. In the letter to the Romans, Paul says Abraham was considered righteous because he believed that God would do what he said. It was Abraham’s trust in God that God valued. In the same way Paul says when we believe in Jesus as the one who died and has risen we are putting faith in God the same way Abraham did. Do we believe that God has come to his people? That God will save us from our enemies, from those who hate us. Do we trust that God is with us in all that life brings? Do we live our lives based on the trust that we are not alone or unsupported? That is the kind of trust that Abraham had and when we have it we are rich in what God matters to God. If we believe in God’s active presence in our lives then we will have the possibility of feeling supported and loved and cared for and therefore free to live out of that love and support. Then we will have the treasure that God values.

Day of Prayer, for Unborn Children’s Protection

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Scripture Readings for January 23, 2017

Hebrews 9: 15, 24-28, Psalm 98:1-6, Mark 3:22-30

Is the world a good place or a bad place? Some days it’s hard to tell. As Catholics our faith says it’s a good place, God’s place. People familiar with the Bible might point to the creation story in Genesis as proof that God made everything good, very good. That’s one place you can go. I think today’s readings are another.

The Psalm says it most clearly, “The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.” We believe that the person, Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and lived among us to demonstrate what salvation, joy and the kingdom of God really looked like. Everyone could see and experience him and what he did. Today even more than in his own time, the entire world knows about Jesus and what he stands for. So God certainly has revealed his justice and salvation for all to see.

However, that doesn’t mean that recognizing the Kingdom of God is obvious for everyone. It hasn’t been obvious at any point, including when Jesus was alive for all to see. That’s what the story in the Gospel today is all about.

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem had seen and heard about the miracles that Jesus was working and they came to the conclusion that what he was doing couldn’t be explained on natural grounds alone. These religious leaders who had an entire faith tradition of God’s saving actions and who were explicitly waiting for a messiah, came to the conclusion that what they were seeing was the work of the devil. That should tell us that recognizing God’s presence among us is not obvious. If seeing Jesus cure people, give people sight and drive out demons makes some people think it’s the devils work we should not be surprised that it isn’t obvious that the world is a good and holy place.

We, however, believe that Jesus is the Son of God which means we accept that God is here, in this life making a difference just as Jesus did when he was alive. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus points out that the good he does couldn’t be the devil’s work or the devil would be working against himself. More importantly, Jesus makes a remarkable statement of how the strong man of the house must be tied up. The point is that Jesus has tied up the strong man, the devil, so that Jesus can plunder his house, so that he can change what has gone on in the world. Which is to say that there are bad things, evil things in the world but that in the end God wins, whereas the devil, evil is vanquished. The only thing that stands in the way is to blaspheme against the Spirit. Meaning that if you don’t recognize the work of the Spirit you can’t enjoy the benefits of what that means. Recognizing the holiness of life means being able to see God in all of God’s creation.

The Spirit of God can change lives, heal wounds, give us new life but we have to be open enough to recognize it as God’s gift. Think of all that has changed in two thousand years: medicine to cure diseases, indoor plumbing, airplanes, phones to talk to anyone, anywhere in the world instantly, better understanding of human behavior, individual freedom, you could go on and on. The world is a more human friendly place than it was two thousand years ago. We should be able to say the world is good, we should be open enough to recognize God’s love all around us.

Monday, Second Week of Ordinary Time

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Scripture Readings for January 16, 2017

Hebrews 5:1-10, Psalm 110:1-4, Mark 2:18-22

 At first glance these two readings can appear to be pretty far removed from our experience. At least that’s what I thought when I first read them. The Hebrews reading is about Jesus as priest and few of us are priests. Second, Mark’s Gospel is talking about how Jesus life on earth creates a special situation. His disciples don’t fast because of it. Since we live 2,000 years after Jesus of Nazareth walked among us it would seem the situation is long past being useful to us.

However, closer examination reveals that the two readings are more about the kind of relationships Jesus had with God the Father and with those around him. Let me explain.

In Hebrews the relationship is identified as a priestly relationship. The reading says, priests were understood as the people’s “representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices to him.” It’s still that way today. We expect priests to be the people with a special relationship to God. Although Hebrews is about being chosen as a priest it reminds us that every priest is chosen from among the people and that Jesus too “learned” and only over time was he “made perfect.” In other words, the topic is priesthood but the subject is Jesus who came as one of us, a human being just like us. Sometimes we can be tempted to think of Jesus as God, kind of temporarily, acting as a person. But that isn’t what Catholic teaching says. It says Jesus was a human being, with two natures. Christmas wouldn’t mean what it does if God were only pretending to be a person. The wonder is that the second person of the blessed trinity became a human being, born just like the rest of us, subject to the same difficulties and in need of the same learning and discipline as the rest of us. If that is true, then Jesus can more easily be seen as a model or stand in for us as Christians and the readings as examples of the kind of relationship we can have with God.

Mark’s Gospel tells of the time of Jesus own ministry and how it was unique. Jesus identifies himself as the bridegroom and he invites us all to this feast. He is being criticized because his life was an open invitation, like the meals he and his followers enjoyed. Like the meals, he told stories about the King who invites the ordinary people out in the streets to come to the wedding feast. By doing this, Jesus is changing the way people could expect to relate to God. Jesus, the ultimate priest, in Hebrews, is extending the invitation to all us to have that same priestly relationship with God. We are to be as it says in 1 Peter, “a kingdom of priests.” It is this extravagant welcoming behavior that raises the questions among those who follow John the Baptist and the Pharisees in the Gospel.

I think Mark is trying to remind us that Jesus came to bring Good News, which is what the word Gospel means. Jesus didn’t come to ask us to fast, suffer or feel guilty about our mistakes. Jesus came to invite us to a great feast that God offers. Using the marriage analogy opens to a great wealth of interpretation. It isn’t that being married is always easy but rather that the two people are happy together, share a life together and can say over time, we are good for each other and as a result we are better individuals because of it.

This world is not a perfect place, but unless we begin by acknowledging that we are blessed just to be here, that life is a gift that opens to wonderful possibilities we will have a hard time coming to the kind of close personal relationship that God wants to have with us. Together these readings suggest that the relationship with God can have the power and wonder we have thought of in terms of priesthood, but extended to be a banquet for all. This world, this life is God’s gift to us. The first thing we should do isn’t to give up something or restrict our behavior. The first thing we should do, is say thanks.

Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

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Scripture Readings for January 12, 2017

Hebrews 3:7-14, Psalm 95:6-11, Matthew 1:40-45

Today’s readings are stories of compassion. The story from the Old Testament is familiar. God has led the Israelites out of Egypt, freeing them from oppression. This is recounted ironically in the complaints voiced both in the Hebrews reading with a quote from Psalm 95 and then using the Psalm itself as the Psalm of the day. Finally, the Gospel tells another story of how a person with leprosy asks for help and Jesus compassionately cures him. Both stories are examples of God taking care of God’s people in concrete everyday life saving situations.

I think it is important to recognize the emotional component in Jesus’ actions. Mark says Jesus was “moved with pity.” Jesus operates out of a personal concern and care for people he meets. He is not a miracle making machine out to light up the country side. Hence, the admonition to just go see the priest and perform the rituals that the Law of Moses requires. He is doing this for this person but otherwise things are expected to stay the same. He’s not trying to break the mold, or issue some kind of challenge to the religious establishment. At least not in this action for this man. It’s a personal response. I think that is very important for us to recognize. Because it opens a better way of understanding God’s relationship with us at all times. I suspect that we can think of God’s saving history with humanity as, “what God does.” As in the first reading when God may be angry but God doesn’t abandon God’s newly freed people.

I certainly don’t want to shake the idea that God acts to give us better lives as part of who God is. But I think we need to nuance it somewhat. I think we need to see God’s action, as unbelievable at this may sound, as a personal, emotional response to the one being helped. This is not about building a highway so we can all get around better. It is laying one stone in the water so this person can cross.

God’s gifts are personal, individual to each of us, heart felt offers to make a life better. That is why the Psalmist calls out, “Oh, that today you would hear his voice.” We are asked to be in conversation with this God. God is saying, “Let’s be friends.” Too often we can’t believe or accept that such an offer is real. We do what the Psalmist deplores, we “harden our hearts” like the Israelites in the desert. Having been saved from their Egyptian oppressors they complained about conditions in the desert, they tested God.

The man with leprosy offers a better model. So giddy with being cured he goes off and tells everyone. The trick is to do what the author of Hebrews advises, “hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.” If we are blessed enough to see and hear what God has given us then we must hold on to that reality in today’s world for each of today’s situations. Isn’t that was we do with a friend who cares for us?

It’s also why prayer is so important. Like a conversation with another person, prayer is specifically a time when we adopt a one-on-one stance towards God. By praying we acknowledge the personal relationship just as the leper did by asking for help and, in fact, as the Israelites did by complaining to God about their situation. God already considers the relationship personal. The issue is, will we?

Thursday, Fourth Week of Advent

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Scripture Readings for December 22, 2016

1 Samuel 1:24-28, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8, Luke 1:46-56

Both of today’s readings fit in the context of the last several days. Each day we have had women who have become pregnant only after God has intervened on their behalf. It’s important to know that at this point in history, and for the writer, a woman’s value was largely measured by her ability to produce children. To be barren was socially embarrassing because it was seen as a punishment from God. So telling a story about God enabling a woman to give birth is to validate and vindicate her in very real terms.

1 Samuel tells of Hannah giving her son Samuel to the Lord. Samuel was born only after she had prayed in the same Temple for God to give her a child. If she had a child, she promised to give him to God’s service. The idea of giving away your child even if he was understood to be a gift from God seems terrible. It raises the question of what it might mean to be dedicated to the Lord. I think the answer is found with Mary who also, even more explicitly, was given a child by God only to have her son be totally dedicated to God. That however, is to get ahead of our narrative. Today we have what Mary says about her experience of God having “done great things for” her.

What Mary says about God is modelled after what Hannah said after giving up Samuel at the Temple. In fact, much of today’s Responsorial Psalm comes from what Hannah says in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. This heightens the parallel between the two women. It helps me see more clearly the “lowly servant” aspect of Mary’s statement. I have tended to think of this phrase as merely a statement of humility. But the link to Hannah makes me realize Luke is talking about the humiliation of women and all people who are discriminated against and seen as second class. Mary is speaking as one who has no status, no power. Such a woman does not understand herself as one who could act on her own behalf. Which makes the praises Mary and Hannah sing even the more amazing. Hannah says because of God: “I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory.” Mary says, “From this day all generations will call me blessed.”

I believe both these women are describing what happens when someone experiences God’s immediate loving presence. In narrative terms, Mary has become pregnant with God’s son and Hannah has given over her son, her only claim to personhood, to the service of God. These actions have empowered them and therefore changed their entire world view. I think it makes them not just visionaries of some vague future but participants in the reign of God here and now.

They see, understand and operate in the world in a new way: the proud are scattered, the mighty are cast down and, on the opposite side, the hungry are filled and the lowly lifted up. Mary says all this is the fulfillment of God’s promises. The world is changed, the reign of God spreads, now, in this life, one person at a time.

I don’t think this suggests a mystical experience of God’s presence is required for us to change the way we live. I do think that the more we reflect on what happens in our lives, searching for and recognizing how God is present in it, the more we will be able to act with love, concern and courage. In other words, the more we try to come closer to God, the more God transforms who we are and the lives we live, until in the end it makes sense to give ourselves away.

Wednesday, Third Week of Advent

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Memorial: St. John of the Cross

December 14, 2016

Isaiah 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25, Psalm 85:9-14, Luke 7:18b-23

All our readings during Advent have had elements of what the Reign of God, the time of the Messiah’s coming, would look like. However, today’s readings step it up to the next level. Salvation and the Messiah are central to what we hear.

As a result I felt a bit overwhelmed with the myriad of images in Isaiah, the Psalm and Luke. However, let me start with Jesus’ response to John’s Messiah question of whether he is “the one who is to come?” I have often wondered why Jesus’ response wasn’t, “Yes, it’s me, you don’t have to look anywhere else.” I mean why not be plain and open about it. Of course, it’s a way for Luke to say something important about how people come to believe in Jesus. Faith isn’t a set of facts about Jesus or God for that matter. Faith is a relationship of trust and it must begin for John in the same way. Jesus message for John is to look at what he can see: the healings, the good that is being done. Those actions are out in the open, can John see what they mean? That’s the point of the last line about not taking offense. John might take them the wrong way. He could come to the conclusion that this guy isn’t bringing the fire and brimstone judgment that John expected. He might dismiss him as not the one.

All of us do the same thing each day. Not necessarily about faith questions. We see something, or someone, and come to a conclusion about its significance, its value, good or bad. We make judgments all the time about whether or not to invest ourselves in projects, ideas, people and relationships. That’s what Jesus is asking of John. Does he see something here that’s worth believing in? The point of religious faith is to ask us the same question. Not just once at a Baptism or Confirmation or at Mass when we say the Nicene Creed, but at every moment in our lives when we have to decide what something is worth.

That is where some of the other images in today’s reading come into play. Isaiah says the earth was made by God not to be wasted but to be lived in. He uses wonderful nature images of a relationship between heaven and earth. Justice falls like rain from heaven and as a result the earth sprouts with its own salvation and justice. Today’s world is, in fact, filled with terrible horrific events. It is also filled with wonderfully generous, productive and life changing events. So do we see the earth, our world, as a good place that God created for us to live in? The text says, “Turn to me and be safe.” Will we turn to God and see that “there is no other” approach that brings about salvation and justice? Or do we take offense at the idea that this world has a good factor that underwrites its very existence? Does what we see lead us to decide that the world is too dangerous and simply not safe? Are we operating out of a fearful outlook that in all likelihood and under normal conditions something will go wrong? That’s a challenge to hope. It’s a challenge we all have to face. Which world is our world?

It’s why we need to hear the Psalm, perhaps today’s strongest message of what salvation, the Christmas we’re waiting for, is all about.

“The LORD … proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.”

“Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth”

Is this something we’re willing to take to heart? Can we invest our lives in this? Can we trust that if we live as part of God’s plan God will be with us? Is Jesus the one who is to come or should we look for another?

Tuesday, Third Week of Advent

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Memorial: St. Lucy, December 13, 2016

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13, Psalm 34:2-3,6-7,17-18,19,23, Matthew 21:28-32

The readings today are very reassuring for all of us who take a while to catch on. I would suggest even those of us who were downright belligerent and destructive should rejoice in what is revealed about God’s attitude today. Jesus tells the story very clearly in Matthew. Two sons are asked to work in the vineyard. One says no but then actually does it. The other says yes, to satisfy his father, but doesn’t actually do the work. Even Jesus’ opponents the chief priests and the elders get this right. The one who actually does the work is the obedient son.

Jesus is using the obvious answer to indict the people in power. He’s demonstrating that the way to God is not through position, education or social status but rather by simply responding to God’s offer of forgiveness and love. In this case, the confrontation with John the Baptist is the offered opportunity for these officials. As I see it, the problem was, these people would have had to admit they had taken the wrong path or misjudged John at first. Jesus points out that even in the face of conversions from the destitute and outcasts of society these “smart” people wouldn’t reconsider their opinion of John based on what they saw happening and change their minds.

The key is they wouldn’t change their minds even in the face of good things. The good news for us is, there is room to change our minds, to take a different path. We don’t have to be first “to get” what’s going on in our lives or understand right away the things that have gone wrong. Our lives can develop, mature, take shape and then at some point we can make a change, we can choose what’s really best for us. Maybe that’s what the waiting of Advent is really meant to tell us. It’s OK to be uncertain for now, something better is coming. We need to pay close attention to what is going on in our lives. Then when that marvelous new thing happens, it gives us a chance to choose. That is something we can do, choose.

What is particularly wonderful about this is that God seems to absolutely expect that people and communities will have done the wrong thing. Then against what might be considered normal expectations, God turns around to help make the change happen and promptly forgets everything that’s gone before. That’s what I’m hearing in Zephaniah. Consider this:

“I will change and purify the lips of the peoples … On that day

You need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me”

This is a new start. A time when that remnant of humility within us can have a chance to come forward so we can live as one who “speaks no lies” and enjoy the pleasure of having “none to disturb them.”

I don’t think this should actually surprise us given what the Psalms say repeatedly about God saving his people. In this instance the message is strong and to the point:

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.

 The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.

 Please notice that what the voice of God points to in Zephaniah, is exactly the same problem for which Jesus is criticizing the chief priests and elders. Jerusalem is not willing to see what’s going on and refuses to change her mind as a result. Here is how Zephaniah talks about Jerusalem’s offense:

She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.

 The right course of action is to draw near to God by asking for help, not worrying about what’s gone before, taking the first step, and choosing for ourselves. After all Christmas is coming.

Wednesday, Second Week of Advent

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Memorial: St. Ambrose, December 7, 2016

Isaiah 40:25-31, Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, Matthew 11:28-30

Today’s readings are an effort to raise our personal spirits, perfect for those down in the dumps, I’d rather just stay in bed days. Isaiah is very clear that God gives strength to those who faint and energy to those who are weak. Even though the young “stagger and fall … those that trust in the Lord … will run and not grow weary.” Written originally to encourage Israel to hold on to its faith while exiled in Babylon these words are just as important today in helping us remember we are not alone when our own sense of well-being collapses. It seems to me that is the key thing religious faith does: reassures us that we are not on our own, especially in our deepest selves. When feelings and attitudes seem to turn against us, when outside support doesn’t seem to help, then we need to hear that the God, who created the entire world, is on our side and will provide the support no one else can give.

It seems we repeatedly get the message wrong. Historically, Christianity has often doubled down on human sinfulness and guilt instead of emphasizing God’s mercy and forgiveness. We are subject to the broad general attitudes that see religion as a course for moral guidance and proper behavior. That makes it easy to see God as judge and score keeper. Matthew’s gospel for today is a good antidote for that approach, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” It is a theme reinforced in the Psalm, “Merciful and gracious is the LORD … He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills.” That is what I think is meant by redemption, by salvation. God saves us from all we do wrong, from the ideas and attitudes that keep us from being open and loving to others as well as being frightened of a world intended for our happiness. We too often let people, situations and our own experiences drive us to defensive, negative attitudes and actions. Only honesty, perseverance and trust can dig us out. God’s loving presence supports that kind of behavior, that kind of thinking and the sense of well-being that underlies it.

The lesson is exactly what Jesus says in Matthew, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Jesus is meek and humble not strident and proud, not fighting for advantage in each situation but willing to take what comes as one who trusts that the world itself is good and if anything, tilted in our favor. Can we believe it is possible to be ourselves, work for what we value and actually enjoy a fulfilling life? Will we let the Word of God comfort us and support our hopes, desires and the real challenges we undertake? If we can, then the Gospel will surely be Good News for us.