First Reading Commentary
What is unveiled in this Reading is the
testimony of a soul who understands the joys and rewards of total submission to
God. What a beautiful offering this
would be for any of us but because of our blemished nature, it is likely that
most of us would experience only a partial dose of the heavenly wisdom that is
described here. We have to make room for
these precious gems in our soul but can't seem to get rid of our own version of
wisdom -- the part in us that must call our own shots, the human will that
conforms to the ways of the world perhaps with reservations but fears mockery
or a loss of stature in society by not cooperating with it. This is most visible in our times in the
political arena. There are candidates
who understand and personally believe in the heavenly pro-life command, but for
the sake of votes and/or staying in office will take a pro-choice stance.
The other obstacle to overcome in the
spiritual life is that God is not logical by human standards. Our faith provides us with brainteasers such
as the power we possess by fully surrendering to God; or being a slave for
Christ is where true freedom is found; and the greatest among us will be a
servant. While these three examples may
be at the pinnacle of heavenly truths, they do, however, defy human logic.
Growing in humility will certainly help to
weaken that which impedes the pilgrim's path to celestial treasures; but
becoming more humble could very well cause pride to rear its ugly head. Contemplating the never-ending interior
battles of being human creates a clearer picture as to the seriousness of the
epidemic of man's fall from grace. Most
of us will not overcome this plague in this lifetime which is why it is a great
mercy of God to provide purgatory.
Surely the goal of any prayerful soul is
the transforming union. It is the most
elevated condition attainable in this life. It is a ceaseless sense of the Presence of
God, a soul participating in the divine life; that is to say, an ability to
perceive a participation in God's very Nature; and usually includes an ongoing
intuitive vision of divine characteristics.
Saint Teresa of Avila, quite familiar with
this level of spirituality, called this a "spiritual betrothal." Other examples of such extraordinary spiritual
greatness would be Saints Catherine of Siena, John of the Cross, Pio of
Pietrelcina, Philip Neri, and Joseph of Cupertino. Most of us will not achieve such loftiness in
this lifetime but in the quest for heavenly wisdom, perhaps it would be most beneficial
to approach the "Seat of Wisdom."
Who better to help us form that one of a kind friendship with Christ
than His Mother? Who better to help us
break through the blockade of fears of challenging political correctness and
shunning the wisdom of this world than she who pushed all those fears aside at
the Annunciation and trusted completely in God?
Second Reading Commentary
Saint John records in his Gospel that after
Christ's death on the Cross one of the soldiers pierced His Side causing Blood
and Water to flow (cf. John 19:34). Throughout the pages of Sacred Scripture the
sword is used as a destructive tool. But
the often damaging and harmful tools known as human beings owe a debt of
gratitude to the sword because from the sword we learn from that passage in
John's Gospel that even injurious instruments are mercifully permitted to enter
into the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In order to
experience the peace of the sanctuary that is our Savior's Heart, certainly one
of the things on the "to do" list is to heed the instruction of Saint
James: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only" (James 1:22). We are hearers at Mass, bible studies, public
and private prayer; but when we are dismissed at Mass and sent out into the
world with the words: "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord," how
can we be an effective Mystical Body without being doers of the word? Jesus, the Word of God, Who is sharper than
any two-edged sword, and Who penetrates our soul with His love, fully expects
His love to flow from us.
Gospel Commentary
While Christ's physical journey on earth
may be over, He does, nonetheless, accompany us on our journey by His Holy
Spirit. In our modern day perhaps the
most admirable way to approach Jesus and kneel down before Him is to go to
Eucharistic Adoration; or if the Blessed Sacrament is not exposed, then simply
kneeling down before the Tabernacle.
It's important that we relate to Scripture
from the perspective of the here and now and not as it occurred thousands of
years ago. Having some knowledge of the
cultural practices of the time it was written may help to make Scripture more
understandable but everything about us: married or single, priest, religious or
layperson, parent or not, political views, how we earn a living, religion,
modern day influences -- these are all part of who we are. God, for reasons only He knows, has placed us
in this particular time in history.
It might be a bit shocking to read that
Jesus claims not to be good. He is, of
course, speaking from His Human Nature, in which He fully embraced humanity and
everything that goes with it, and took it upon Himself; but that is only a
small part of where our Savior is going with this. To Christians, "No one is good but God
alone" may sound like Jesus is preaching to the choir. We are, however, defective goods, a fallen
people, and are prone to patting ourselves on the back for a job well
done. Not that there is anything grievously
wrong with that but the truth is that good is not done by us but through
us. Thus what Jesus is likely doing is
reminding us to keep our eyes fixed on the Supreme Good.
The answer to how one inherits eternal life
seems to present something of a tangled mess.
Trying to unravel this with literalism will create a bigger mess. First, giving up all possessions is not necessarily
what Jesus is saying to us. The concern
is with that which takes priority over God.
What is that special something I can't give up under any circumstances? Am I really valuing something more than
God? The answer may require some deep
soul searching because it's not likely that any practicing Christian would ever
purposely place anything above God. This
is what's at the heart of Christ's answer to the man in this Gospel.
Secondly, knowing that all gifts come from
God, it could be interpreted from the man's long face that he made a practice
of hoarding those gifts. He passed the
test of following the Commandments listed which included: You shall not
steal. But it's quite possible he also
made it a practice to never give. God
freely gives and entrusts His gifts to us, whatever they may be; and there is
no greater gift than eternal life. God,
in turn, looks for us to share our gifts with the members of His Body.
Making donations to one's favorite
charities is certainly commendable but this is more about digging deeper and
discovering one's spiritual gifts, that is, one's talents. Who we share these gifts with is up to the
Holy Spirit. It is all those He places
in our lives (parents, children, family, friends, parish community, etc.). The understanding of Who the original Source
of such awe-inspiring gifts is, greatly aids in keeping one's gazed fixed on
God and therefore one's soul in unceasing prayer.
Life is an ebb and flow of contacts,
acquaintances, relationships and friendships.
We need each other. The Body of
Christ would not be necessary if Jesus had intended His followers to be selfish
and unsociable. We are, after all,
servants of Christ by being servants of each other. When all is said and done, however, it is
Christ that is the Answer of all answers as to how one inherits eternal life.
