Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jan 14 2025

God Is Trustworthy

I am writing this in the aftermath of the earthquake that shattered Haiti. The devastation has been beyond words. Newspapers and telecasts were filled with pictures of the dead and heart-breaking stories. As of this writing over 150,000 are presumed dead—perhaps many more—and thousands upon thousands are wounded. There is little food, water, or shelter, and few medical supplies. Yet even in the face of this tragic event, an evening news program two nights after the earthquake had footage of a large group in Port au Prince lifting their voices and hands in prayer, praising God.

This radical faith in God is what Jesus calls his disciples to have. The Father did not intervene to save his Son from death, but neither did he allow death to have the final word. He raised his Son from the dead. This saving death has remained the sign above all signs that God wills us to have eternal life. It can seem impossible at times not to worry about tomorrow. But Jesus assures us that the Father does not abandon us—ever!

We are all called to be stewards of the mysteries of the faith that is centered in the person and saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to hand on what has been handed down to us: that Jesus is God’s only Son, who suffered and died and was raised for our salvation, and by our baptism we are brought into this mystery of living, dying, and rising in Christ.

Consider/Discuss

Has your faith in God’s care been tested?
How do you respond to Jesus’ words about God as a loving father and to Isaiah’s words about God as a loving mother?
Do you need to ask God to restore your trust in God?

Responding to the Word

Today’s psalm response is a wonderful prayer of the heart to carry through the week: “Rest in God alone, my soul” (Psalm 62:6a). We can pray with the psalmist that we find our peace in God who is our rock and our salvation, our stronghold. Let us trust in God at all times and pour out our hearts to our loving God.

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

The metaphor that Isaiah uses to characterize the love that God has for the people is extraordinary. It compares this love to the relationship between a mother and the nursing child of her womb. Such a metaphor could have been considered presumptuous had it not been placed by the prophet in the mouth of God. It is improbable, though possible, that a woman would forget the child of her flesh. However, God will never forget this people. Therefore, though Zion may feel abandoned and forgotten, it is only a feeling; it is not a fact. God’s attachment to the people will never be severed.

Paul speaks about ministerial accountability and judgment. Stewards were responsible for the goods of the household of another. Paul claims that as such a steward he is indeed trustworthy. He has committed himself wholeheartedly to the proclamation of the gospel, to the distribution of the mysteries of God, and he stands by this claim regardless of what others might think. Acknowledging that he is obliged to give an account of his stewardship, he insists that it is the Lord who will be his judge. Such judgment is bound to be much more demanding than mere human judgment. Human beings can be wrong, but the Lord knows the motives of the heart.

Jesus is not naive about the human need for food and clothing and shelter and material support. Nor does he advocate passivity or laziness in the face of hard work. He is talking about setting one’s priorities straight, appreciating humankind’s place in the natural world, trusting in the goodness and providence of God. He uses two examples from nature to demonstrate what he means: God’s care for birds and God’s artistry in clothing the lilies. The point of this teaching is confidence in God. People prone to anxiety need to be reminded that they are precious in God’s eyes and they must learn to trust in God’s providence.

Dec 10 2024

The Life of an Apprentice

We don’t know much about St. Joseph the carpenter. He is quiet in the scriptures. But in the collection of the maxims in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, we might hear his voice and feel his influence: sound trees, rotten trees, splinters, logs, measures, judgment . . . sounds like lessons from a carpenter shop, doesn’t it?

Imagine Jesus as a three-year-old. He wants to do everything his daddy does. As Joseph planes a board, a shaving falls into the little guy’s eye. The splinter irritates and waters for days before the tears flush it out. He cannot see. Does he learn what it is like to be temporarily blind? Does he worry about falling into a pit?

Imagine Jesus at ten. He is excited about the cedar log that looks so solid, so promising on the outside. It will make a fine bench. Joseph cautions him, “Hold your judgment until you see what’s inside.” When the boy splits into it, is there heart-rot in the core?

Imagine Jesus at thirteen. He wants to rush ahead on his own with a project that he is working on. Joseph slows him down, steadies his hand: “Wait for me. Measure carefully. An apprentice is no greater than his teacher. Listen and learn. One day you will be like me.”

Imagine when Joseph is dying. In his behind-the-scenes way, Joseph had borne good fruit. From the abounding love in his heart, his mouth had quietly spoken. Did the young man recognize the store of goodness in his father’s heart?

Jesus uses the word “Father” a lot. When he prays in the hills at night, he calls on his Father. When he teaches us to pray “Abba, Daddy, our Father,” he begins with an expression of deep tenderness. Did that too come from the carpenter shop?

Consider/Discuss

In the old days, a father taught his son a trade, showing him how to do as he did. Jesus says, “A fully trained disciple will be like his teacher.” The early church fathers suggest we take up that apprenticeship model as we grow in faith. The ultimate holiness is to become like Jesus, to be “divinized.” The saints help to show us how; some are very quiet about it. To whom would you like to apprentice yourself today?
Our world is full of noise. Lots of people are saying a lot of things. How do we know what is true? How do we know what is wise? Sometimes, like Joseph, it is the quiet ones, who live the life and walk the walk, who embody the sayings in today’s scriptures. This week look for “a silent one,” someone you would like to get to know better who could help you toward holiness.

Living and Praying with the Word

Jesus, you don’t want us to live a barren and empty life. You want our hearts to be abundant in kindness and care for others, to keep on giving. You want us to bear good fruit, to keep on loving. You ask us to become like you, to keep on trying. St. Paul tells us to be firm and steadfast, recognizing that our labor for you is not in vain. We surrender our hearts and our lives to you this day. Make us your own, the saints that you call us to be. St.Joseph, quiet and loving, pray for us this day!

Dec 10 2024

Scripture Study for

A key motif of the book of Sirach is the role of adversity and trial both in forming character and revealing it, a notion expressed here through the image of pottery, which is both tested and strengthened in the fire of a kiln. It is only in being tested that our true character is revealed, which is why we should be careful to assess the character of others (and also of ourselves) before times of trial reveal it. Speech, too, reveals character. Those who are garrulous and imprudent in their speech run the risk of making their own faults manifest to others; one cannot speak for long without revealing who one really is and what one really thinks.

Paul has been arguing that because Christians bear the image of Christ, they will experience resurrection. This means that, although our current bodies will in fact die, death itself has no final hold on us. Christ has won victory over death and will give to each of us the fruits of that victory if only we will hold firm to faith in him, trusting that all we have taken on for the sake of Christ will not have been in vain. Thus Paul concludes his Letter to the Corinthians by assuring them that although the Christian life is difficult and requires much of us, the hope of final victory remains sure for those who endure in steadfast faith.

Jesus has been teaching that everyone must put aside their notions of how good they are and how bad others are, recognizing instead that everyone receives much more from God than they deserve. Jesus continues this lesson by pointing out that we are much better at recognizing others’ faults than our own, and that in fact we tend to be most blind to our most serious faults. We have to do the hard work of submitting to the teaching of Jesus and the mercy of God before we can presume to teach or correct others. Just as only a good tree can produce good fruit, only those who have allowed Jesus to fundamentally transform them have the true “goodness of heart” necessary to guide others.