1 Tim 3:1-13, Ps 101:1-3,5,6, Lk 7:11-17

Do you remember about a month ago when the readings were about Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi? One of the circumstances in that reading from the Old Testament was that the women were particularly vulnerable because they had no men to stand for them in a patriarchal society.

In today’s Gospel the same situation occurs because a widow loses her only son. Jesus, “moved by pity” becomes involved when he steps forward to touch the casket breaking Jewish purity laws in the process. He then brings the son back to life and gives him to his mother. It is an amazingly straightforward story of God stepping in to rescue the life of a woman completely alone in the world. I think it is crucial to acknowledge why Jesus acts. Jesus does this because he was “moved with pity” for her.

Personally, I have always felt drawn to these statements of emotion on Jesus’ part. I think they are little windows into the long ago reality of what happened. I think these little asides, if you will, are there because people at the time were so touched by Jesus genuine human outreach that it became an integral part of the story. They couldn’t tell the story about this unbelievable miracle without including the emotion they saw in Jesus. It is important because in the history of the Church there was a long tradition that emphasized Jesus’ divinity over his humanity. For me it is the humanity of Jesus that helps me sense what God is all about. This story says that God is touched by the fragility of human life, by one woman’s need. God hurts when we hurt, God acts out of a deep personal attachment to each of us. Too often we have not come to see God’s love in those kinds of personal terms and, I think, we are the poorer for it. Perhaps we need to think and pray more about what God’s care, personal, deeply felt care, is and how we can recognize it today? Can we see how God still visits his people today?

1Thes 5:1-6,9-11, Ps 27:1 4,13-14, Lk 4:31-37

Today’s readings remind us that we can be confident of God’s power to overcome evil. We should not be afraid of the unknown. The scripture says don’t be afraid of the dark or the boogey man. Of course, as adults we aren’t afraid of boogey men anymore and probably not the dark as such. But that doesn’t mean we have succeeded in putting aside all our fears.

The Thessalonians were worried that they would die before Jesus returned and therefore not be part of the glory to come. Remember this is still soon enough after Jesus died that Christians were thinking Jesus was returning in their lifetime to begin the kingdom of God. They saw it as a kingdom in this life and they didn’t want to miss it. Paul is saying no matter when Jesus comes believers will be part of God’s Kingdom. He reminds them to continue doing what they have done, encouraging one another and being good people.

In the Gospel we are given a story of how Jesus literally frees a person from the grip of the devil. Everyone is amazed except the evil spirit. He knows exactly who is in charge … God, which is the point of the story. The story tells us in no uncertain terms that God is in charge and can vanquish any evil and not injure us in the process.

Generally, these days we don’t run into people possessed by evil spirits anymore than we are afraid of boogey men. However, the question is what are we afraid of? Are we like the Thessalonians overly concerned about being left out? Trying to figure every angle so we aren’t caught off guard? Afraid that no matter what we do life will somehow sneak up and steal away what is ours? Perhaps we have encountered nasty people or been hurt by others to the point where pulling away and resisting new connections has become part of who we are? Do we simply think the world is a dangerous place keep our guard up all the time?

Perhaps in these cases the crucial question is, if we’re the one who is afraid where does that evil spirit live? I think it is a question of how we react to the world around us. Does the world shape who we are and mold us into fearful, possessed people? Or do we decide that God has given us a life that has beauty and grace. Even though there are challenges will we continue to create in His image? I think we can caste out the unclean spirits from our lives by knowing that God is with us. We have the freedom and authority to act as Jesus did. Because to believe in Jesus is to recognize we are not alone and that God’s presence is always giving us the freedom to act in our own lives. That is the authority that the people of Capernaum saw in Jesus. A person who knew he was free to make the world a better place by what he decided to do in each moment of his life.

1 Cor 1:17-25, Ps 33:1-2,4-5,10-11, Mt 25:1-13

The memorial of St. Monica happens this week. Usually, I talk just about the readings and not a particular saints memorial. But today Monica is a perfect example of what our readings are trying to tell us.

St. Monica, as you all probably know, was the mother of St. Augustine who is one of the most influential Bishops and Doctors of the Church. He lived from 354 to 430. His mother Monica is important because Augustine was a real playboy of his time. He drank, partied, carried on with women and wouldn’t have anything to do with the religious faith of his mother. All of which shows life hasn’t changed so much in 1,600 years. Augustine even had a son but was never married.

I point all this out because like most mothers Monica never gave up on her son. She was deeply wounded but for all Augustine’s bad behavior she continued to pray and fast and appeal to God that her son would mend his ways and be converted to Christianity. She stayed with him as he moved from Algiers in North Africa to Rome and Milan. Finally, with the influence of St. Ambrose, Augustine was converted and returned to North Africa giving away all he had and living a life of prayer and later leadership in the Church. It was his mother Monica who stayed the course and never gave up praying and working for her son’s conversion.

Today’s readings are about that kind of devotion. The kind of connection that doesn’t waver even when it doesn’t seem to make sense. For Matthew, the parable of the ten virgins is that story of perseverance. Will they do what is needed to be ready even though they have no idea when the bridegroom is coming? Monica would have had no way to know if her son, Augustine, would ever change yet her prayer and life of example was consistent. She was there doing what she could do until Augustine was touched by the word of God. We can say she came prepared with enough oil for the long wait. The oil in Matthew is not something the wise virgins could have shared with their foolish companions. The wise virgins were wise because they had the kind of resources to be ready, to keep going while others, we would say, “ran out of gas.” When we use that phrase don’t mean people are actually fueled by gas but rather the source of their energy and willingness to keep going gave out. That’s Matthew’s point too. The question of the gospel is will we “run out of gas” in our practice of faith? Will the energy behind our devotion to Christ sustain us or not?

The reading from Paul isn’t talking about long term readiness, rather Paul is concerned about whether the source of our devotion or commitment is authentic. If we hope to have the kind of perseverance that Monica had, Paul is arguing it can’t be based on some normal rational argument. It is not head knowledge or analysis that convinces people to be Christian. It is devotion to a person. It is the felt experience of a relationship with Jesus. That’s what sustained Monica. It is what converted Augustine. Seeking to be close to Jesus and knowing what it means to have a friend is the kind of experience that brings us to faith, sustains us in difficult times and gives us enough oil for our lamps.

1 Thes 4:1-8, Ps 97: 1,2,5-6,10-12, Mt 25:1-13

Today’s Gospel could give the wrong impression. Because some of the virgins have to leave to get oil, they miss entrance to kingdom and are denied access when they come back. A person could get the impression that one wrong move, one poorly timed action could cost you entrance to the kingdom of heaven. That is not the point of the story of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. This is about being admitted to the Kingdom of Heaven and it is about taking responsibility for what we do and therefore who we are.

At times, I have gotten distracted by the interchange between the virgins with the oil and the ones who didn’t have extra oil with them. It seems that the ones with oil ought to share. Isn’t that the Christian thing to do? But the story is told that way to emphasize the point that our decisions have consequences, ultimate consequences. We need to pay attention to what has been asked of us and do the best we can to respond. In this Gospel story that means being prepared for a bridegroom that ends up being late. To not bring extra oil is to ignore what is being asked of them, to ignore the task at hand. Both the wise and the foolish virgins fall asleep for a while during the wait so this isn’t about being perfect. It’s about doing what is needed in light of the situation. The wise virgins have made provisions in case they have to wait. They have acted in line with what was asked of them, to greet the bridegroom when, that is, whenever he arrives.

This is a story of paying attention to what is needed for the work we are asked to do. Call it being ready, being prepared. It says there are consequences if you ignore what life is asking of you. It means to me that life matters, decisions matter. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians he is reminding them that being a lustful rogue doesn’t just offend other people it disregards what God wants. How we live affects our relationship with God as well as those around us. The consequences of poor behavior have far reaching effects.

This is not a big insight for us. We have lived our lives more than a little aware that bad behavior could keep us from heaven. In some ways the Church often overemphasized the don’t do this, don’t do that aspect of Catholic doctrine. It’s one reason why I get a little uneasy with the Gospel since the virgins who have to go off to buy oil are later refused entrance to the kingdom. But I think the point it is trying to make, is a good one. The life we live matters. Paying attention to what is needed isn’t a meaningless exercise. What we do counts for something and will be rewarded with a feast that brings God and us together for all eternity. Every time we picked up a crying baby, lovingly corrected an obstinate teenager, made dinner for our spouse, cared enough to visit a friend … every time we did what was needed at the moment. We were ready for the bridegroom. We weren’t off catching up from some other missed opportunity or preoccupied with what might happen in the future, we were present to what was needed in the here and now. By being right there in the midst of our current situation, the possibility of the kingdom was also present. Each time we are ready for what is being asked, we are ready for the bridegroom and the feast whenever that happens.

1 Th 3:7-13, Ps 90:3-4,12-14,17, Mt 24:42-51

This part of Matthew’s Gospel is all about the Parousia, the time when Jesus will return to establish God’s kingdom. The earliest Christian communities thought Jesus would be returning soon. In the beginning everyone thought that Jesus would be back in their lifetime, only as time passed did it become apparent that Jesus’ return wasn’t when they expected. By the time the Gospel of  Matthew is being written, probably between the years 80 and 90, it has to address issues that surround a community that is trying to keep up the ideals of Christian living when nobody is quite sure when Jesus will return.

This can be seen as bearing almost directly on us as well. Because by now we know that the end of the world as we know it and Jesus’ return is not something we’re marking on our calendars. So then what happens to these stories about guarding the house and waiting for the master’s return? I suspect for most of us we have thought of these stories in terms of our own death. We begin to think of the time we will meet Jesus or the time we will be held to account for our life as the time after we die. That is certainly one good way of hearing these stories. We all need a reminder that leading an honorable, forthright, generous life is not something we can put aside until later when maybe we could play catch-up. There was a time in the Church, before the 6^th century, when you could only go to confession and be forgiven for serious sins once in your life. People in those dark ages would put off going to confession until as late as possible to help clear the way for a heavenly assent.

However, thinking of these stories in terms of our own death and coming before God isn’t the only way to hear this Gospel. Consider that it has been over 2,000 years since Jesus walked this earth. There is very little in our culture that reinforces the idea that discipline, sacrifice, generosity, and happiness are why we were created. Even in the Church, the things that happen and in many cases the things that don’t happen, can cause us to wonder, where God is these days. I want to suggest to you that we are experiencing another kind of waiting. We are in another time when we have to be vigilant and keep our good behavior even though there are no signs that this is reasonable much less worthwhile behavior. The waiting time in which we find ourselves is not because we expect Jesus to return anytime soon. It is not because of our certain death some day in the future. It is because Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit can be part of our lives at any moment and in any circumstance and we have to be alert enough to see and feel it.

The kind of waiting, vigilance and wisdom we have to have is so that we can spot the very presence of God in this life. It is too easy to let our alertness slip into humdrum routine. It is too easy to engage in activities or conversations that undermine our integrity or chip away at our appreciation of the real gifts God has given us.

Instead, we must know that God is here, with us and persevere in what we know is right because at any moment our God may reveal the power, mercy and graciousness that will lift our spirits to new heights and new joy. This too, is the unexpected hour, the unexpected moment that Matthew is talking about. The peaceful moment, the inner sense of calm, the joy of life’s many moments of surprise these are sacred moments of grace and God’s presence.

In our first reading Paul said, “may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all,” and the Psalm asked that God, “fill us with your kindness that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.” That joy, love and gladness is the hour we wait for. If we are alert, it is an hour of joy that can come again and again. Jesus told us, “you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Are we standing ready? Are we still alert and waiting?

Ru 1:1,3-6,14b-16,22, Ps 146:5-10, Mt 22:34-40

Today’s readings are about love and commitment. In the Gospel, Jesus summarizes the whole of the Jewish law and the prophets as love of God and neighbor. But I think we might get a better idea of what loving God and neighbor looks like if we focus on the story from Ruth.

The portion of Ruth that we have is a story of disappointment and extreme loss. Naomi, her husband and two sons had come to Moab because of a famine. Now ten years later Naomi finds herself without a husband or sons. Notice there are no grandchildren either. At this time, a woman without a relationship with a man has no status and is helpless. This is perhaps the ultimate Biblical definition of a powerless person: An old woman, no husband, no sons. Living in a foreign land, she is not even among her own people. She recognizes that she needs to go back to her people. At least, at this point, they have food.

Ruth however does have a choice. Her sister-in-law Orpah sees the same issues as Naomi and like Naomi, goes back to her people. Ruth, however, is committed to her mother-in-law. She chooses a connection that would seem foolhardy. Leave the land of her people and go with an elderly woman to, what for her, is a foreign land. She will be the one who is at even greater risk than Naomi in that setting. But Ruth makes a statement that rings with the same love that Jesus proposes in the Gospel. Ruth says, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God.” I suggest to you that this is exactly what Jesus is saying in the Gospel when he talks about loving God “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is a statement of heartfelt commitment. It has the added beauty of wrapping the commitment to a person in terms of both their human and religious connections. Ruth is accepting everything about Naomi and saying yes. We often say that you don’t get to choose your family but in this case that is exactly what Ruth is doing. Sight unseen she is choosing Naomi’s people, her circumstances, (which are downright awful at the moment) which mean she is also choosing whatever future lies ahead of them.

To choose all this, is to choose Naomi’s God. Even though Ruth names Naomi’s God as a separate item, I would suggest to you that this kind of loving commitment has already included the divine because what is chosen is that total and that complete. There is no part of Naomi’s life that Ruth isn’t going to be part of.

This is, in fact, that kind of intimacy that is true on God’s part toward us and it is the kind of commitment God asks of us, when Jesus says, “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” It is descriptive of the intimate connection that exists between spirit and flesh in this world. That is why Jesus can connect love of God and love of neighbor as being “like each other” because human and divine relationships are fully intertwined in all of creation.

Ruth’s statement of commitment to Naomi is a little window into the great love and connection that underlies all of life. We have the same opportunity as Ruth. We can choose to commit ourselves to what Jesus offers, to go where he has gone, to live as he lived, to accept people as he accepted them and in so doing to establish His God as our God too.

Ez 28:1-10, Dt 32:26-28,30,35-36, Mt 19:23-30

I have to tell you that when I started to pray with these readings, I had real trouble sticking with what initially caught my attention. I consider preparing a homily a prayer process and my prayer said one thing and my head wanted to write something else. It was enough of a conflict that it cost me several hours off on the wrong tangent before I could hear and write about what I think God was trying to tell me. I mention this because I think it’s important to realize that sometimes what we think about and what God may be telling us clearly isn’t the same.

As you probably know, the Hebrews of New Testament times considered that a person’s success or failure was evidence of his or her relationship with God. They thought that people who were rich were favored by God while those who were poor or afflicted with disease were being punished for sins they or their ancestors had committed. That attitude is based on the great insight of the Jewish faith that God was involved in human history. However, the people of the time were rather literal in their thinking of God as the reason, rich people were rich and why the down and out were down and out.

That is why what Jesus says would have been very shocking at the time. To suggest it is hard for rich people to enter God’s Kingdom is to turn the normal way of thinking of heavenly reward upside down. It is this kind of idea that got Jesus killed.

When the Apostles ask, “Who then can be saved?” The question is coming from men who are truly shocked and confused.  Jesus gives what for me is an amazing answer, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” This is what today’s readings emphasize for me, that for God all things are possible.

Because this reading is preceded by the story of the rich young man and then questions by the apostles about how much they have given up, it can be interpreted as a lesson about self-sacrifice and whether God is the center of our lives. I think that’s true but I think there is another message here as well.

The part of the reading I heard. That spoke to me was, that exchange between Peter and Jesus, Peter wondering, “who then can be saved” and Jesus’ response, “that for men it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Jesus is actually saying that for human beings on their own salvation is impossible. And I think, really? It’s impossible for us? Haven’t we always been taught about the importance of good behavior? Somebody would say, don’t do those things because you won’t get to heaven. Jesus seems to be letting us off the hook. What happened to the narrow way, the “eye of the needle” that rich people can’t get through?” I think we all have figured we were supposed to work hard, maybe even suffer so we would earn our heavenly reward. Now Jesus in this little exchange says, “for men it is impossible.”

Now I don’t think Jesus is giving out a free pass here. He’s not suggesting we can all go out to indulge in excessive drinking, drug consumption or free love, as we used to say in the 1960’s.

But I do think he is trying to give us an honest sense of who we are. You might say Jesus is trying to keep us humble. We need to have an honest assessment of what we really accomplish in this life when it comes to heavenly aspirations. I think Jesus is letting us off the guilt-hook with a reminder of who is really in charge.

As much as I believe that God gives us a real job to do in this life. As much as I believe we are responsible for making the tough choices and are accountable for our actions. I think that God asks only that we do our best in the life we have been given. We have not been asked to be a perfect anything, to live perfectly, to make flawless judgments, or to respond correctly to everything that happens in our lives. I don’t think God expects human beings are going to perform in any of the ways we often imagine we should. The best example is right from Scripture. How often are the Apostles shown to miss the point or misunderstand what Jesus is trying to teach. They are living with the Son of God, day after day and they fail to grasp some of his best stuff. At the same time, he is saying it all clearly enough that the Pharisees and Scribes who have something to lose, end up killing him because of what he is doing.

I ask you, if you had accompanied Jesus, in person, for several years and then run away when he was arrested. How would you feel afterwards? That’s a pretty big collapse don’t you think, a failure to respond, a lack of courage, name it anyway you want. But Jesus in our Gospel today says, Yup, you’re not always going to do what might be considered the right thing. However, the truth is, that for God all things are possible. Therefore, we can mess up and God can make it right anyway. We don’t have to be perfect because as we just heard in yesterday’s Gospel, “there is only One who is good.” We need to stay close to that One and let the rest go.

Jgs 11-24a, Ps 85:9,11-14, Mt 19:23-30

When I sat down to pray with today’s Scriptures the line that struck me most was, “Go with the strength you have.” It’s an encouraging thought but I have to say I don’t like why I think it caught my attention. In the last couple years, I’ve begun to notice I’m getting older. Now it actually wasn’t a big surprise since I’ve known all along how old I was. But in the last couple years my body has begun to not do things that it used to be able to do. I’m not quite as agile as I once was. Certain joints don’t like to do what I never even used to think about. I get tired more quickly and don’t have as much energy as I once did. So now I’m beginning to feel older and I’m pretty convinced that these new physical limitations are not going away. I suspect many of you know exactly what I mean. So when a reading says, “Go with the strength you have,” it has a stronger impact on me than it might have had a few of years ago.

I am more aware of my limitations. In terms of faith that is a good thing. Too often we try to ignore our limitations and operate as if we didn’t have any. God is always trying to get us to be ourselves, as we are. Instead of trying to escape our limits, God asks us to embrace them because it’s only when we are honest with ourselves about who we are that God can really be the close transforming friend God wants to be with us.

This part of the story of Gideon presents an encounter with God as it is often told in the Bible. God tells Gideon he loves him. Gideon’s blunt response questions how that could be since the evidence is God has brought Israel under the power of the Midianites. Gideon’s heard the stories about God’s saving action in the past but he sure doesn’t see it now. He asks for proof. Since God really does love Gideon God patiently waits while Gideon sets up his test and then God torches the whole thing to prove the point. Gideon is instantly convinced, at least for the moment.

This is a pattern in Scripture God asks somebody to do something, they argue about it, often ask for proof but eventually do as God asks and are successful against huge odds. God always asks people who are the least likely, people who no one else would think of for any important task. In this case, Gideon says his family is the lowliest and he is the most insignificant in the family. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the Apostles that it will be difficult for rich people to enter heaven. The Apostles then wonder if the rich can’t make it who can be saved? Jesus tells them the key, the key we don’t like to hear, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

There is a pattern here! Gideon’s too insignificant, riches often get in the way, remember Moses couldn’t speak well enough, Mary hadn’t even been with a man, Paul had some thorn in his side, there were only five loaves and two fish, and I can’t do what I used to be able to do. But … for God, all things are possible. If each of us can be brutally honest about what our limits are and go with the strength we have, that will be enough. That will be enough to overcome what oppresses us, that will be enough to bring us peace and joy, that will be enough to do what needs doing because we are not living alone, we are loved and gifted with God at our side. But we have to “go with the strength we have” and not pretend otherwise.

Dt. 31:1-8, Dt. 32: 3-4,7-9,12, Mt 18:1-5,10,12-14

The Old Testament story about the Israelites going down to Egypt to find food emphasizes how God promises to stay with Israel on its journey and can be read as how God will stay with us on our journey too. Today’s readings are even more explicit about God being our protector no matter where we go.

Today, Moses has brought Israel to the edge of a new land. A new beginning. In this reading from Deuteronomy the message seems very clear. God will never fail or forsake you. So do not be afraid or dismayed. Do not be afraid or dismayed.

I think that’s a big issue these days. I think we are often afraid and more often dismayed. Confused about what’s happening in our lives, where life is leading us and how to protect ourselves from the danger. Being afraid can lead us to being overly cautious, timid, unwilling to decide and do what we think is right. Moses tells Joshua and all the people, Be brave and steadfast. That’s what I hear today.

For me the key challenge is to be steadfast. I am often willing to take on something but once started I can become discouraged if it doesn’t seem to be working out as easily as I imagined. As a result, I have come to realize that in almost any project there is a time in the middle that just takes hanging in there. It takes perseverance. This is the time when it costs me something, when I have to expend the energy, hold on to the hope that all will work out right even though there is no guarantee of success. Being discouraged can take over easily. That’s why I find God’s promises so encouraging. I don’t think this just applies to religious and moral behavior. I think God’s promises are statements about big and small goals. The stuff that happens every day.

In Matthew’s Gospel the shepherd has a sheep that’s gone astray. He can play it safe and protect the 99. But he takes a risk, he decides to go after the one that has struck out on its own. Until the shepherd finds the one sheep, there’s the possibility of even greater loss. The questions are many. How long does he look, how far does he go, what directions make the most sense. The questions could be enough to paralyze a person. The possibility of failure could keep that shepherd from trying. It’s no wonder the shepherd is so joyful when he returns. It isn’t just that he has found the wayward sheep. He has made a good decision, taken the risk, gone out and done the work and it all paid off.

The great part is that this is not just a model for us to follow in our lives but a description of how our God operates. God finds us. God brings us home. We can go astray, leave the group, take actions that set us apart and God doesn’t abandon us. I think that we could go so far as to say that God crosses the river ahead of us. And if we need bringing back, God will do that too.

These readings are not about God protecting a people that stay safely hidden behind closed doors. This is about fording a river to a land that other people already occupy. It is about leaving the group that is huddled together and striking out on your own. Yet no matter what the challenge or the risk, God will be marching with us or bring us home if that’s what’s needed. Whether we make the right call or lose our way. God does not abandon us. We will not be lost.

If God guards us so completely then the only question that remains is, what is it that God is asking us to do?