Guard Ourselves Against Greed! - A Lesson from the Parable of the Rich Fool Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

The Gospel Reading of the 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, Luke 12:13-21, contains Jesus’ parable of the rich fool (vv.16-21).  The parable is about teaching against greed, which reflects at least two psychological problems: selfishness and anxiety due to a lack of faith.

The parable was given in response to someone in the crowd asking Jesus to be an arbitrator for the dispute on inheritance between this person and this person’s sibling.  And Jesus declined this request. Then, he said to the crowd:

Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions (Luke 12:15).

This statement set a tone for the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) to describe what could happen to us if we fail to guard against greed.

The rich fool did not start his life as rich. But he just got lucky to have kept having unexpectedly abundant harvests.  He was experiencing unexpected bonanza and was not able to store all the harvested grains and other goods in the storage he had. So, he began to think of tearing down the barns he had in order to build new larger ones so that he could store more grains for his easy worry-free retirement.

It sounds like what most of us would think,  as we work hard to put more money into our retirement accounts, like 401K or 403b. We call such accounts as “next eggs”. Financial advisors on such accounts often tell, “That’s not enough saving for your secure retirement! That’s not enough to sustain your retirement!”.  So, we feel anxious about our future and retirement. And we may open more retirement saving or investment accounts in our pursuit of retirement security.

Though the rich fool’s thinking was like many of us’ thinking about retirement accounts, God took everything away from him, including his life.

What was a problem with the rich fool in the eyes of God?

What does it make the rich fool “fool”?

Why was he punished by God, ending up losing everything he had accumulated, as well as, his life?

Had he trusted God, in particular, His providence, the rich fool would not have been “fool” but rather a wise rich man. By trusting Him and His providential grace, he would have had not have anxiety about his future.  This trust in God and His care is reflected in this part of the Lord’s prayer: Give us this day and our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). We ask God for His providential grace, represented with “daily bread”, one day at a time. We do not ask God to give us “loaves of bread” to make it for an entire week. Only just for another day.

Do we worry after the daily bread is consumed for the day?

It depends on the quality of faith.

If it is good, then, we know that God will provide another fresh batch for the following day. But, for those who are with feeble faith, anxiety may kick in, wondering if there would be more bread for days to follow.

Remember, in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has taught to trust and depend on God and His providence in order not to worry (Matthew 6:25-34).

So, a big problem of the rich fool is not to have trusted God for His providence, which comes as “one at a time”, represented with “our daily bread”.  Had he trusted God for His providence, then, he would not have greedily amassed all the excess harvests by demolishing the original storages and building larger ones. Rather, he could have given that to those in greater need around him. Because of this problem, the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21 was like the rich man who did not care for poor Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. And both of these rich men were punished by God.

Rich life only to be punished by God? Is this a kind of rich life you desire?

In light of the First Reading of the 18^th Sunday (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23), it is a life of vanity.  And the Second Reading (Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11),  a true rich life to be blessed by God is to seek the richness of above, not on earth.  Not to know this truth shall make us “food” as it was what made the rich fool “fool”. And God punished him for being “fool”.

Remember, Jesus has said:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.   Matthew 6:19-20

We shall not pursue richness in illusion because not only it leads to a life of vanity but condemnation by God.

This year (2022), the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time falls on the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola (July 31). In memory and honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, in regard to the Gospel Reading's teaching against greed and a life of vanity, let us turn to his "Suscipe" prayer from his Spiritual Exercises (234).

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, 

my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,

All I have and call my own.

 

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

 

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

that is enough for me.

Memorial of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus – The Love of God Manifested

An underlining theme in the readings of the Memorial of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, is the love of God. And this is addressed in the First Reading (1 John 4:7-16), and both options for the Gospel Readings (John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42) reflects this.

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are siblings, living in Bethany, and Jesus loved them (John 11:5). On one occasion, Jesus visited them, and Martha opened the house but was not able to pay attention to him as she was distracted with preparation for dinner, while her sister, Mary, was listening to him at his foot (Luke 10:38-39). Martha was frustrated as she was the only one keeping busy with the kitchen tasks but Mary was not helping her at all. So, she interrupted Jesus’ talking to Mary and asked him to tell her to help her (Luke 10:40). But, she was admonished by Jesus for being overburdening herself with preoccupation and unable to give her attention to him, as Mary did by listening to him (Luke 10:41-42).

Jesus may not have come to visit these siblings to just to eat but he definitely sought attentive companionship on his visit. And only Mary provided such companionship to Jesus. But Martha missed, because of her preoccupation with many mundane things, including preparing for dinner.  When he visited them, he brought his love, and he wanted them to receive it by his side. But only Mary received it.

Martha must have thought that preparing dinner and waiting on would mean to serve him. But it was a typical human thinking. It turned out that Martha’s such action did not serve him at all.

Lazarus fell gravely ill, and these sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, ”Lord, the one you love is ill” (John 11:3). Upon receiving the news on Lazarus’ illness, Jesus said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). And he delayed his visit to Lazarus by two days (John 11:6). Though you may wonder why Jesus did not rush to see Lazarus, delaying his visit must be Father’s will, as whatever Jesus did was commanded by the Father (John 14:31). And it had to do with glorifying Jesus for the glory of God (i.e. John 11:14), namely his death on the Cross (i.e. John 12:23-33; cf. John 3:14-15). Thus, Jesus delayed his visit to Lazarus until he would die so that he would be able to raise him from the death in order to hint his own death and resurrection in light of God’s love. It is because resurrection shows that the power of God’s love makes death powerless (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:12-58; cf. Romans 6:8-9; Ephesians 2:4-5).

Lazarus died. And Jesus began heading to see him.

When she heard that Jesus was coming, Martha came out of the house to meet him, while Mary sat at home (John 11:20). And Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you”(John 11:21).

Martha was not complaining about Jesus’ delay but expressing her trust in God’s love to Jesus. So, Jesus said to her:

Your brother will rise.    John 11:23

And Martha echoed what Jesus said about the resurrection of Lazarus with her belief in resurrection:

I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day. John 11:24

So Jesus said:

I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26

Martha responded:

Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. John11:27

Then, Martha called Mary, and she came to him quickly (John 11:28-29), and said:

Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  John 11:32

Jesus was moved by the extent of the grief and asked where Lazarus was laid and wept (John 11:33-35). And he thanked the Father for hearing him in order to make people believe that he was sent by Him (John 11:41-42) out of His love for them (i.e. John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). Then, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44).

Jesus delayed his visit to Lazarus in order to demonstrate the power of God’s love, out of which he was sent. By raising Lazarus from the dead, he hoped that more people would believe that he was sent out of God’s love. And it had an implication to his own death and resurrection so that our resurrection is made possible to affirm that the power of God’s love overcomes the power of death.

After all, God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and the First Reading (1 John 4:7-16) not only reminds us of this truth on God, whose love overcomes death through resurrection but calls us to love one another.

Jesus is the resurrection and life, as identified by himself (John 11:26), and the Son of God set by the Father, as Martha identified (John 11:27). And he himself is love, because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and he is the Son of God. This truth was demonstrated by its power to raise Lazarus from the dead. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus have their unique parts to let Jesus brings God's love, which makes resurrection possible for the glory of God. 

Invest Wholly for the Kingdom of Heaven: the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl (Matthew 13:44-46)

We seek the Kingdom first, as commanded by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:33). But its secret mystery is hidden in the Word in his Parable but can be revealed only to those who listen and understand (Matthew 13:11, 35; cf. Psalm 78:2).

The Kingdom comes, as we say in the prayer taught by Jesus (e.g. Matthew 6:10). And the coming of the Kingdom was figuratively prophesized in light of the post-exilic Davidic kingdom, more than 600 years before the coming of Christ in the human flesh (e.g. Isaiah 2:2-5; 9:6).

So, the Son was sent by the Father (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9), as the Holy Spirit was applied to the womb of the chosen virgin (Luke 1:35), Mary, the Immaculate Conception, incarnating the Theos-Logos (Word-God) in the human flesh (John 1:1, 14) of Jesus. And Jesus began his public ministry by proclaiming that the Kingdom is at hand (Matthew 4:17).

The revelation of the secret of the Kingdom is one thing. The question now is what are you going to do with your discovery of the secret mystery of the Kingdom revealed to you?

Jesus spoke a set of two parables on this matter (Matthew 13:44-46): the parable of the hidden treasure (v.44) and parable of the pearl (vv.45-46).

In the first parable (v.44), Jesus said that the Kingdom is like the treasure buried in the field, which a man finds by coincidence. He was not necessarily seeking the treasure but found it rather accidently. In contrast, the merchant in the second parable (vv.45-46) had a clear intention to find and buy a fine pearl. And he rejoiced to have found one with great value.  What is common across these two parables is that both the man in the first parable and the merchant in the second parable sold all in their possessions to buy what they found. But the man in the first parable, who accidently found the buried treasure in the field, purchased the entire field, where he found the treasure and buried it back. It means that this man was already thinking to multiply the treasure that he found in the field, suggesting that he wanted the Kingdom to grow in the field which he purchased.

Whether the Kingdom is juxtaposed to the buried treasure in the field or the pearl of great value, in this sent of parables, Jesus calls us to invest all our assets in the Kingdom and its growth. Why? Because we are called to seek the Kingdom first and above all things (Matthew 6:33). In fact, the teaching of seeking the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) by pouring out all our earthly assets, as illustrated in this set of parables (Matthew 13:44-46) is like Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the rich young man: following Jesus by selling all our assets (e.g. Luke 18:18-30).

Perhaps, the first parable (Matthew 13:44) reflects non-Christian’s accidental encounter with the gem of Jesus’ in Jesus’ words on the Kingdom leading to his conversion, And he invests not only all his assets but his whole life in his commitment to the growth of the value of the gem for the Kingdom at hand to grow where he is, as reflected in the parable of the mustard seed to grow into a large tree (Matthew 13:31-32), as well as, in the parable of the yeast to raise the dough (Matthew 13:33).

This reflects the fact that the majority of the Christians todays are offspring of Gentiles, who converted and became devout Christians, rather than Jews, though both of them encountered the words of Jesus.

The second parable (Matthew 13:45-46) reflects cradle Catholics, who seek t the Sacraments beyond the Sacrament of Baptism. The merchant’s long ardent search for the perfect pearl can be juxtaposed to Catholics’ journey of formation through the Sacraments of Initiation, upon Baptism, and other Sacraments, to grow as fruitful servants of Jesus, doing his work on the Kingdom on a greater scale (i.e. John 14:12). And ultimately, this is the journey to seeking the Kingdom first, for which they pour everything they have, including their entire lives.

Whether by accident or with a resolved intention, our encounter with the mystery of the Kingdom must result in our response to pour our all assets, including our whole lives, in committing to it. This is how Catholics should be, whether cradle Catholics or converted Catholics. It is because there is no greater treasure for us than the Kingdom at hand. 

Ss. Joachim and Anna of Enduring Faith and Love: the Grandparents of Jesus, the Parents of the Theotokos, the Most Blessed and Most Favored

According to the “Protoevangelium of James” and the “Evangelium de Nativitate Mariae”, though Joachim of the Davidic roots and Anna of the Levitical roots had tried to have a child for a long time, Anna had never conceived for many years. Because of their childlessness, Joachim was put shame by Issachar the high priest, when he and Anna tried brought their sacrificial offering in the Temple. Issachar said to Joachim that his gift was not worthy for acceptance because he was childless. Though this grieved this righteous couple so deeply, they never flag in their faith. Though it seemed hopeless for them to have a child, given their advanced age, Joachim and Anna hoped for God’s grace that they would be like Abraham and Sarah, who received a son, Isaac, at their old age.  So, while Anna prayed unceasingly at home, Joachim went to and remained in the mountain area, vowing not to return home until his wife, Anna, would conceive.

Joachim and Anna never let this hardship into a crisis of their faith. And God responded to their steadfast faith by sending Gabriel, one of the Archangels, to this couple, announcing that Anna would conceive a daughter most blessed. And this most blessed daughter is Mary, whom Gabriel directly called “most favored one”(Luke 1:28), referring to the fact that she is full of grace, giving no space for a trace of the Original Sin. Namely, she is the Immaculate Conception. And it is because God had chosen her to serve as the Theotokos.

With this announcement of conception of Anna, Joachim headed back home, greeted by Anna, who waited for his return at the city gate, as depicted by Giotto di Bondone’s 14^th century painting.

Imagine if Joachim and Anna lost their faith and hope to despair because of the insult by Issachar the high priest… Would they have conceived Mary? Then, would the world have received Christ?

The time when Joachim and Anna were during the intertestamental period, during which there was no prophet at all after Malachi until John the Baptist.  It was rather a dark period of the Israelites’ history as they were ruled by the Romans though they had a short period of national sovereignty upon the Maccabean revolt (167-141 BCE) against the Seleucid Empire, which had ruled and oppressed the Israelites. No prophet, no Messiah to guide and shepherd them. But pagan Caesar to ruled them.

It was during this dark period of the Israelites’ history that Joachim and Anna served as a vehicle to bring the Theotokos to this world so that Christ would be brought to the world of darkness as a great light (Isaiah 9:1-7), fulfilling the prophesized sign of the virgin conceiving the Son (Isaiah 7:14).

The First Reading (Jeremiah 14:17-22) parallels the situation of the intertestamental period of Joachim and Anna. When Jeremiah prophesized God’s judgement, it was the Babylonian Empire that brought hardship to the Israelites for their sinfulness.  But during the time of Joachim and Anna, it was the Roman Empire. Amidst of his dark time as the Babylonian Empire was coming to destroy Jerusalem, Jeremiah said, “Is it not you, Lord, our God, to whom we look?”(Jeremiah 14:22), showing his faith in God and hope for His care, as Joachim and Anna kept their faith and hope during their hardship with shame.

Jeremiah also said, “Let my eyes stream with tears night and day, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound”(Jeremiah 14:17). The “virgin daughter” is referred to Jerusalem, which was doomed to be destroyed by the Babylonian Empire but to be restored during the post-Exilic period. In light of Joachim and Anna, the “virgin daughter” who was to suffer with “incurable wound” is their daughter. Specifically, the virgin daughter’s incurable wound is a symbolic prophecy of Mary’s seven sorrows, which was also foresaw by Simeon when Mary and Joseph presented their Son, Jesus, in the Temple (Luke 2:25-35). And Mary’s sorrows, “incurable wound” are due to her Son, the grandson of Joachim and Anna.

Though the virgin daughter of Joachim and Anna has suffered greatly with the “incurable wound” because of her Son, it was to overcome the darkness of this world with the Kingdom of God, which is brought by her Son, as reflected in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 13:36-43). In this reading, the grandson of Joachim and Anna, the Son of Mary, Jesus, is described as the sower of seeds for the Kingdom, and the seeds are us, the faithful, who are joyfully willing to do the greater work of Jesus (i.e. John 14:11-12).

With their enduring faith and love, Ss. Joachim and Anna teach us how we persevere and overcome a dark period of hardship with steadfast love and faith, keeping hope in God’s care and grace, against despair. Such is what made them harbingers to bring the sower of the seeds for the Kingdom during the darkness of the intertestamental period of more than 400 years, through their daughter, who is the virgin who has suffered with the incurable wound.

St James the Greater : Honor of the First Martyred Apostle

July 25 is the feast day of St. James the Greater. He is the brother of St. John and a son of Zebedee. He was in his family fishing business – until he met Jesus.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, did not seem to be the average fishermen of Galilee but rather wealthier than other fishermen, because Zebedee was obviously able to afford to hire a man to assist the fishing (i.e. Mark 1:20). Perhaps, because of this, the mother of James and John wanted to make sure that her sons were not treated as “average” among the disciples by Jesus. So, she was bold enough to ask Jesus to elevate her sons’ status above the rest of the disciples, as described in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 20:20-28).

Of course, Jesus reject their mother’s such a request. The discipleship is collegial.

Nevertheless, James and John, together with Peter, had the privilege to be in the inner circle among the disciples. So, Jesus took only these three to let them witness his transfiguration (e.g. Matthew 17:1-11), Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead (e.g. Mark 5:35-43), and his prayer of agony in Gethsemane (e.g. Matthew 26:36-46).

But, James sure has his special place among the disciples with a distinct honor of sainthood. He took the first place to be martyred as a disciple of Christ (Acts 12:1-2).  And his younger brother, John, was never martyred (i.e. John 21:20-23). The rest of the twelve disciples, except for Judas Iscariot, who committed suicide after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:3-5), all followed James’ suit of martyrdom.

The First Reading (2 Corinthians 4:7-15) reflects meaning of martyrdom.

Like James, those who have been martyred, are like fragile earthly vessels carrying the treasure of the Gospel, empowered by God (2 Corinthians 4:7).

So, the apostolic life of James was “afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body” to put it in Paul’s words (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

James, as the first martyred disciple (not to be confused with Stephen, the very first martyred saint, who was a deacon), was like a fragile earthly vessel because he was put to death for carrying the Gospel – as Jesus was put to death for his Gospel. But Jesus was raised from the dead. So, in James’ martyrdom, the life of Jesus may have been manifested in his mortal flesh (i.e. 2 Corinthians 4:11).

We do not need to be elevated in regard to social and economic status or in regard to political power, just because we follow Jesus. But as followers of Jesus, God makes sure that each of us has our own distinct honor, and it can be an honor of martyrdom – as in the case of St. James the Greater, the brother of St. John, a son of Zebedee.

Prayer to Abba with Persistence for Supersubstantial Bread, Forgiveness, and Strengths to Endure Tribulation - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? (Luke 11:13)

By saying the above statement, Jesus implied that the Father knows our need best and nobody else can give us as He does, because He is El Shaddai (God almighty) (Genesis 17:1) and holy (Isaiah 6:3). generous with mercy (Psalm 36:6-11). He is, indeed, kind and merciful, keeping His love for us for generations (Exodus 34:6-7). He delivers us from all our fears as we seek Him (Psalm 34:6) and He hears cries of anawin (Psalm 34:7), who are the humble (poor in spirit) (Matthew 5:3) and poor who are blessed and bound to the Kingdom of God (Luke 6:20).And His loving-kindness mercy (chesed) endures forever, as sung in every verse of Psalm 136.

In the First Reading (Genesis 18:20-32), Abraham persistently negotiated with God for His mercy for a small number of righteous people among egregiously sinful majority of people in Sodom as He and his two angelic companions were about to head out to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their grievous sins. Why did Abraham do such a thing with God? Because, his nephew, Lot (Genesis 14:12), whom he once rescued (Genesis 14:5-16), and his family were in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-26).

Abraham really cared about Lot and his family in Sodom. He also cared about righteous minority among grievously sinful majority in this nation. But God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah as God for these nations’ sins had grown so great (Genesis 18:16-20). So, Abraham began negotiating with God for His mercy for the sake of a small number of righteous people. And he did it without compromise but with persistence until he received desired from God of His mercy for righteous people among wicked people in Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32).

Abraham himself had thought that he might annoy God for so persistently asking Him – asking six times (Genesis 18:23-24, 27-28a, 29a, 30a, 31a, 32a). Nevertheless, he pushed himself with these petitionary questions to the bottom-line of God’s mercy, because he had intimate rapport with Him, especially through his circumcision (Genesis 17:1-26). Abraham was in a right position to so boldly negotiate with God for His mercy. And he believed God is kind and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and his loving-kindness and mercy endure forever.

A lesson from the First Reading (Genesis 18:20-32) is that we must be in intimate fellowship with God in order for us to pray boldly and persistently as Abraham did for His mercy on those who are righteous among wicked people. Such a persistent and bold prayer makes sense only if we are intimate with God. And this theme is reflected in the Gospel Reading (Luke 11:1-13).

In this Gospel text (Luke 11:1-13), the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John the Baptist taught his disciples when Jesus was praying as usual, and Jesus taught his prayer to his Father and taught the importance of persistence in praying. To the disciples’ request, Jesus taught the prayer that he prayed to his Father (Luke 13:2-4), and it has been known to us, as the Lord’s prayer. Only in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 11:2-4) and Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6:9-13), we find the Lord’s prayer.

Matthew records Jesus’ teaching on humility as a right attitude for prayer – against praying like hypocrites who pray to gain favorable public attention to themselves (Matthew 6:5-6) and teaching against making a prayer like pagans’ babbling (Matthew 6:7). And Jesus reminds us that the Father already knows what we need before we ask in our prayer (Matthew 6:8) and emphasized the importance of forgiveness  (Matthew 6:14-15). In contrast, as in the Gospel Reading for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, Luke 11:1-13, Luke records Jesus’ parable discourse to emphasize the importance on persistence in our prayer (Luke 13:5-13). While Matthew puts the Lord’s prayer in light of humility and against babbling like pagans and with an emphasis on forgiveness (Matthew 6:5-15), Luke presents it with an emphasis on persistence (Luke 11:1-13). And Lucan emphasis on persistence for prayer echoes the First Reading (Genesis 18:20-32), which describes the persistence of Abraham’s negotiation with God for His mercy on a small number of righteous people among wicked majority in Sodom.

The prayer that Jesus wants us to pray persistently is his own prayer to the Father. And this is a prayer of intimacy between Jesus the Son and his Father, in which he calls “Father”(Luke 11:2), which in Aramaic, “Abba”. This is how Jesus affectionately calls his Father, knowing that He loves him (e.g. John 3:25; 5:20).  So, the Lord’s prayer – prayer of Jesus is directly addressed to the Father in heaven. And the fact that Jesus invited his disciples to pray to the Father as he does means that he wanted them to be loved by the Father as he is loved by Him. And this desire of Jesus is reflected in his prayer to the Father on the night before his death, saying to the Father for his disciples:

I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth. I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them (John 17:19-26).

For Abraham to be in an intimate communion with God, it was through circumcision as an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:1-26). But for us, it is the Sacrament of Baptism that puts us in an intimate position to the Father, as Abraham was to Yahweh (Colossians 2:11-15, from which the Second Reading (vv.12-14) is drawn). In other words, what was circumcision for Abraham to be so bold and persistent in his negotiation with God is what is the Sacrament of Baptism to us to be persistent in citing the Lord’s Prayer to the Father, as Jesus prays all the time.

So, as we pray the Lord’s prayer, we first we put our hearts to the Father, whose name is holy (Luke 1:49; Psalm 111:9; Isaiah 57:15), and acknowledge the coming of His Kingdom (Matthew 4:17) (Luke 11:2).

Then, we get to our petition to the Father, saying, “Give us each day our daily bread”(Luke 11:3).

What is the daily bread?

To understand what the daily bread is, first, we need to look into the original Greek text and St. Jerome’s Vulgate Latin text of Luke 11:3.

τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον/ton arton hemon ton epiousion dos hemîn semeron

panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie

What is translated as “daily bread” in English is “ἐπιούσιον (epiousion) ἄρτον (arton)”.  And in Vulgate Latin, “panem supersubstantialem”.

In Greek, bread (load of bread) is ἄρτος (artos). And ἐπιούσιος (epiousious), which is usually translated in English as “daily” but St. Jerome translated in Latin as “supersubstantialem”(supersubstantial), has a set of different meaning, such as, “for the coming day” and “for sufficient subsistence”. Thus, by saying “ἐπιούσιον (epiousion) ἄρτον (arton)”, we are actually asking for a loaf of bread as something essential for our sustenance for the coming day (tomorrow).

Given that the word, ἐπιούσιον (epiousion) ἄρτον (arton) is composed of epi (above) and ousia (essential substance), it also indicates the outer appearance of invisible but essential substance for our existence.

What can it be, then?

It is what ordinary bread, as visible and tangible species, transubstantiated into the very body of Christ, namely, the Eucharist, the living bread of life sent from heaven by the Father, as the Word incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus (i.e. John 6:32-58; John 1:1, 14; 3:16). And this is what St. Jerome translated as “panem supersubstantialem “(supersubstantial bread).

So, Jesus calls us to pray to the Father to provide us with his body and blood as the essential sustenance for the coming days, one day at a time. Thus, “our daily bread” is not a loaf of bread that you bake or buy from a bakery. This is not another “manna from heaven”, which does not sustain us for eternal life but the flesh of Jesus as our daily bread/ ἐπιούσιον (epiousion) ἄρτον (arton)/ panem supersubstantialem, we will enjoy eternal life.

Then, we ask the Father for His forgiveness and pledge our commitment to forgiver one another (i.e. Matthew 6:14-15; John 20:23) and ask Him to give us the strength stand for Christ’s second coming during tribulation (i.e. Revelation 7:14-17) (Luke 11:3). And this also reflects our move from Ecclesia militans (the Church that fights against evil in the world) and Ecclesia poenitens (the Church in suffering for purification) to Ecclesia triumphans (the triumphant Church upon enduring tribulation to be the bride of Christ (i.e. Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9-10)).

We need supersubstantial bread, forgiveness and strengths to stand tribulation all the way until Christ returns as the King of the Universe to take us as his bride into his Kingdom, according to the Father will. And only the Father can give all of these essentials as “ousia”(substance) through the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 14:16-21,26-27) (Luke 11:13). And “our daily bread” as supersubstantial bread, the Eucharist is of the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 6:63).

As children of God, through Jesus (i.e. Ephesians 1:5), by virtue of Baptism (i.e. Colossians 2:11), we are in a right position to pray persistently for our necessity to sustain ourselves to be the bride of Christ at the eschaton.

Jesus taught that prayer must be consistent, persistent, and insistent. It is carried out every day – all the time with joy (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and it is God’s will for us, who live in Christ – those who are in intimate communion with Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

St. Mary Magdalene Inspires Us to Deeply Fall in Love with Jesus and Remain in This Loyal Love with Him

St. Mary Magdalene the Loyal Lover of Jesus – Santa María Magdalena que se ha enamorado profundamente de Jesús

                                                        *****
The Gospel Reading for the Memorial Feast of St. Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-2, 11-18) recalls how close she had been to Jesus ever since her life was changed by him, for having seven demons taken out of her by him (Luke 8:2). She was delivered from the bonds of demons into the freedom, a new life of joy and peace in Christ by his power (i.e. Romans 5 -8; Galatians 5). In fact, Mary Magdalene was one of the women, who followed Jesus faithfully from Galilee to the foot of his cross in Jerusalem (e.g. Matthew 27:55-56), while Peter denied his relation to Jesus during Jesus’ trial by the high priest (John 18:15-27) and other male disciples denied scattered away from him out of fear, except John (John 19:25-27).

Just as his mother, Mary, Mary Magdalene remained loyal and faithful to Jesus. Yes, she really loved Jesus in ways to dedicate her whole life for him. Yes, Mary Magdalene would say to Jesus, “Totus tuus”. She loved Jesus with agape. It is because she personally experience the power of Jesus for having been made free from torments of seven demons (Luke 8:2). But the disciples who fled from Jesus did not have such a personal experience with Jesus.

It is a shame that St, Mary Magdalene had been degraded as a prostitute because of an error committed by St. Gregory the Great, who, in his homily, indicated her as such. Ever since, she has been eroticized and sexualized. Some even say that she had sexual relationship with Jesus! But, nowhere in the sacred scriptures and relevant materials, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute and had a sexual encounter with Jesus. Those who eroticize and sexualize her and espouse such an egregious view on her are projecting their own pathological sexual fantasies or sexual complex.

True Mary Magdalene was a great disciple, in whom we can find inspiration for our faith in Christ – for her agape and loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus.

There certainly is something about Mary Magdalene. It is because she is the first one to have announced the resurrection of Jesus, saying, “I have seen the (risen) Lord!”(John 20:18). She is heralded the paschal joy.

So why did Mary Magdalene go to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning while it was still dark (John 20:1a)?

Because she missed him so much? Of course, because Jesus meant so much to her – beyond words. But that was not all there was.

It is likely that Mary really did not want to believe that Jesus was dead – though she sure watched him die on the cross. Nevertheless, it is likely that she believed in the resurrection, as Martha also believed. Who would want to believe that loved one is dead – even it is true. This is a normal initial grief reaction. So, it is probably that she believed that it was possible to see him in resurrection as she had kept her eyes on his tomb

So she went to the tomb early in the morning – before sunrise.

But what she found was that the tomb’s stone cover was removed (John 20:1b).

Not being able to figure it out, she thought that someone opened the tomb and took the corpse of Jesus  - and so she reported to Peter and John (John 20:2). Then, they rushed to the tomb and inspected it (John 20:3-8). They did not understand why and how the tomb became empty (John 20:9) but John believed that it was due to the resurrection (John 20:8).

Peter and John returned home after they examined the tomb but Mary Magdalene remained by the tomb (John 20:11), because she was loyal to Jesus. But having thought that his body was stolen, she kept weeping. So two angels asked her why she was weeping (John 20:13). Mary Magdalene explained that it was because she did not know where Jesus’ corpse was moved (John 20:13). Then, it was risen Jesus standing by her, and she saw him but did not realize it was risen Jesus (John 20:14). She was like the two disciples, who saw and were with risen Jesus but did not recognize him as they were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-24). Perhaps, it was her heavy grief that prevented her eyes from recognizing him.  And the magnitude of grief corresponds to that of love, as John Bowlby asserted. Thus, because of her great agape to Jesus, still thinking that his corpse was missing kept her in heavy grief.

Then, risen Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”(John 20:15a), and Mary Magdalene answered, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him”, thinking that he was a gardener (John 20:15b). So, Jesus called her name, “Mary!”(John 20:16a), to show her that he was not a stranger to her. And Mary Magdalene called him, “Rabbouni”, which, in Hebrew, means “teacher” and with more affectionate and intimate nuance than “Rabbi” (John 20:16b). So, this was a moment of powerfully joyful eye-opening moment in making an intimate encounter with risen Jesus, as the two disciples had in Emmaus when risen Jesus broke bread for dinner, making their hearts burning with great paschal joy (Luke 24:29-32).

Perhaps, Mary Magdalene could not contain the paschal joy of being with risen Jesus to herself. So she must have tried to hug him. This way, she would also verify that the resurrection is real – what she saw was not an illusion. But Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”(John 20:17).

Why didn’t Jesus let Mary Magdalene hug him? And what did he mean by this statement to her?

Out of his love for her, risen Jesus wanted to prepare her for his ascension in order for her to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost – so that she would be able to be sent on her apostolic mission. Jesus wanted her to rather internalize him so that she would not feel anxious but remain securely attached to him even after his ascension. After his resurrection, it was no longer a time for her and other disciples to hold on to him physically. The 40 day-period from the resurrection to the ascension (Acts 1:3) was a time for her and the rest of the disciples to internalize risen Jesus (i.e. John 14:20; 15:4; 17:23) to psychologically prepare themselves with what Margaret Mahler calls “object constancy” for the ascension and receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost for apostolic missions.

So, risen Jesus already gave her a mission: to tell the rest of the disciples about his ascension. And Mary Magdalene announced her paschal joy to them, saying, “I have seen the Lord”(John 20:18), while they did not yet see him. Thus, she was, indeed, the very first herald of the paschal joy, announcing about the risen Jesus. And this earns Mary Magdalene her special place in the salvation history.

Mary Magdalene calls us to be a great lover for Jesus, as she is. Her soul is quenched only by him, as reflected by the refrain of the Responsorial Psalm (63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9): My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God (Psalm 63:2).

Is your soul thirsting for Jesus, because you love him as Mary Magdalene loves him?

She went to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning because her soul was thirsting for him. Even though she knew he was dead, Mary Magdalene still wanted to be closer to him. So, she went to where his corpse was laid. Even she found that the body was not there anymore, she remained there, because her soul was thirsting for him. And risen Jesus appeared to her and made himself known to her. So, her soul was quenched. But, he challenged her to prevent her soul from becoming thirsty again by directing her to internalize him, saying, “stop holding on to me”(John 20:17a). This was to tell her to let him be in her heart so that she is always with him though he returns to the Father in heaven, thus, keeping her soul quenched with his love.

The first reading (Song of Songs 3:1-4b) poetically reflects Mary Magdalene’s intimacy with Jesus. It was like a bride’s deeply affectionate confidence in her groom. However, this is not to say that Mary Magdalene secretly married to Jesus. Rather, because of her intimacy with and loyalty to Jesus, she typifies the Church, as the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:1-2), and he loves the Church as his bride (i.e. Ephesians 5:25–27). And love of Christ to his bride, the Church, us, who are in love with and loyal to him, as Mary Magdalene is, has been manifested on the Cross, as the optional First Reading (2 Corinthians 5:14-17). And this reading also reminds us that his love for us impels us to go on our apostolic mission to the world to bring the paschal joy and the new life, reflecting risen Jesus commanding Mar Magdalene to make announcement about knowing Christ beyond the flesh upon his resurrection and ascension (i.e. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17; John 20:17).

Perhaps, this poem of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. captures the essence of St. Mary Magdalene, as a great and loyal lover of Jesus – “!Enamorate!”

Nada puede importar más que encontrar a Dios.
Es decir, enamorarse de Él
de una manera definitiva y absoluta.
Aquello de lo que te enamoras atrapa tu imaginación,
y acaba por ir dejando su huella en todo.
Será lo que decida qué es
lo que te saca de la cama en la mañana,
qué haces con tus atardeceres,
en qué empleas tus fines de semana,
lo que lees, lo que conoces,
lo que rompe tu corazón,
y lo que te sobrecoge de alegría y gratitud.
¡Enamórate! ¡Permanece en el amor!
Todo será de otra manera.

In English,

Nothing is more practical than
finding God, than
falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

Jesus' Parable of the Sower and Jeremiah's Commissioning

 Daily Mass readings on Wednesday and Thursday of the 16^th Week in Ordinary Time, in even-number years, Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10; Matthew 13:1-9/Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Matthew 13:10-17 , are about Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) and Jeremiah’s commissioning with the word of the Lord (Jeremiah 1:1-19) and the Lord’s instruction to Jeremiah on prophesizing against God’s people who had forsaken Him and His word (Jeremiah 2:1-13).

The word (dabah) of the Lord (Yahweh) came to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4; 2:1) to install him as His prophet. It means that the Lord chose Jeremiah to carry His word to His people, the Israelites, who had abandoned His word and drifted away from Him to sin. Through Jeremiah, the Lord wanted His word to be sown to the hearts of the Israelites. But, first, the word of the Lord must be “sown” in the heart of Jeremiah.

The word of the Lord is expressed through a metaphor of a seed in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23//Mark 4:1-20//Luke 8:4-15). And its apocryphal meaning is knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven only granted to the disciples of Jesus (Matthew 13:11). Some people are able to understand this mystery through the word of the Lord while others are not. First, Jesus spoke about the word and its recipients through the Parable of the Sower to the crowd (Matthew 13:3-9). Then he explained the parable only to his disciples in regard to their mission and privilege in serving as “sowers” of the word (Matthew 13:11-23).

In this parable, Jesus put four types of recipients of the word: those whose hearts are like the path, those whose hearts are like rocky ground with shallow soil; those whose hearts are like the thorn bush, and those whose hearts are like the fertile soil.

Those whose hearts are like the path, just as a seed sown on the path is easily taken by a bird (Matthew 13:4), the word of the Lord given to those whose hearts are like the path is not received but the evil one snaps it away (Matthew 13:19). What a waste! Their hardened hearts let the word sown by the Lord be wasted.

The seed sown on the rocky ground may sprout quickly but it withers and dies fast because it cannot spread roots (Matthew 13:5-6). So, those whose hearts are like the rocky ground may hear the word with delight but they can easily lose their faith in the sower of the word, namely, the Lord, when tribulation comes to them (Matthew 13:20-21). They hear the word but not necessarily listen for its meaning.

Those whose hearts are like the thorn bush may hear the word but they are prone to anxieties and distracted by worldly materialistic affairs, thus letting the word lost to their psychological disturbance (Matthew 13:22) – just as a seed sown to the thorn bush will be choked by growing thorns (Matthew 13:7).

The fertile soil is idealistic for a seed to sprout and grow to bear manifold fruits (Matthew 13:8). Likewise, those whose hearts open to receive the word, as they listen to it and understand its meaning – mystery of the kingdom are bound to bear abundant fruits, the fruits of the effects of the word (Matthew 13:22). For this, they must be securely attached to the Lord, the sower, as the fruitful branches are connected to the vine for the complete joy shared with the Lord over abundant fruition (i.e. John 15:1-11).

The fruit of the effect of the word gown in a recipient’s heart, upon listening and understanding its meaning, is an outcome of doing the work of the Lord on apostolic mission (i.e. John 14:12).

So, when the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah – sown to the heart of Jeremiah, what was his heart like? Was it like the fertile soil?

No.

By saying, “I do not know how to speak. I am too young!”(Jeremiah 1:6).

He was too anxious to receive the word, which tells him that its sower, the Lord, had already appointed him to serve as His prophet even before he was conceived in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).

Why was Jeremiah so anxious?

Because he knew how difficult it was to serve as the Lord’s prophet. 

The initial anxiety of Jeremiah in response to the word of the Lord was making the condition of his heart like the thorn bush. But God did not let Jeremiah’s thorns (anxieties) grown and kill His word on him. He had to let the word be received into his heart and let it grow so that he would be able to serve as His prophet despite the hardship.

So, the Lord fortified Jeremiah’s heart with His word (Jeremiah 1:7-19). And His word further began to give him specific instruction as to how he would prophesize against the Israelites’ sin of being like the path for not receiving the word, being like the rocky ground for not letting the word spread its roots in their hearts, and being like the thorn bush for letting the word get lost in their obsession with secular culture of materialism and pagan devotion (Jeremiah 2:1-13).

When the word of God comes to you, in other words, when the Lord sows His word on you through His Son, Jesus, or through the Holy Spirit, as the words out of Jesus’ mouth are the Holy Spirit and life (John 6:63), how would you respond?

Do not worry. Even Mary was at first greatly troubled when the word of the Lord came to her through Gabriel, messenger of the Lord (Luke 1:29). But Mary did not close her heart to the word. She did not let her heart’s initial disturbance become the growing thorn to kill the word. She listened and accepted as it is – with her fiat to serve as the Lord’s handmaid so that the His will be done through her according the word (Luke 1:38).  So, the Word was incarnated to dwell among us (John 1:1, 14) in her womb and the Lord’s word can come to us through Jesus, who was born of her, to reveal the apocryphal meaning of His word, the mystery of the Kingdom – so that the Kingdom will be established on earth as it is in heaven.

The Lord strengthens us as He did to Jeremiah so that thorns in our hearts, namely, anxieties, are under control. And the seed sown by Him, the word, contains not only the mystery of the Kingdom but all we need to know in  serving His will. So, let us receive the word of the Lord, by listening. Let us understand and make the word the life of ours so that it grows into abundant fruition through our work of faith!