Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.

Jan 30 2025

The King of Hearts

Both the Jesus who stood before Pilate on his way to a brutal death and the Jesus who will come as the firstborn of the dead and ruler of all can seem too far away to make much of an impression on our lives. But holding these two images together can speak a profound truth, offering our lives meaning and value.

In John’s Gospel Jesus is the revelation of the Father, the Word of God, communicating who God is and what God wants to do for us: to bring us eternal life. The image of Christ the king was one way of communicating that in Jesus, the Creator of all and everything began to reign in a way that “does not belong to this world.”

The use of power in our world has been an endless story of one individual, family, group, or country using its strength, wealth, and talents to hold sway over as many as possible. To do so, any and all means of force and violence were often legitimate. But this is not the way of Christ or those who follow him.

“For this was I born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). What truth? That God so loved the world that the Father gave his only Son, “so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (3:16). That’s the foundation of this kingdom and its use of power. That’s the plan. Do you want in?

Consider/Discuss

Do you think of yourself as one who “belongs to the truth” to which Jesus testifies?
What are some ways you try to listen to his voice?

Responding to the Word

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you spoke and the world came into being. You spoke in the fullness of time and the Word became flesh. You continue to speak so all who listen may be born into your kin-dom through the power of your Holy Spirit. Help us to listen for and obey your voice.

Jan 30 2025

All’s Well That Ends Well

The end of the church year directs our attention to what scripture says about the end of time. Two of the words used to describe these texts are not part of our ordinary vocabulary: apocalyptic, which refers to receiving a “revelation” in a vision of something concealed up until now, and eschatological, which points to events of the endtime or final age (the eschaton), when the evil powers make their final struggle with God and are defeated.

These readings have one important point to make: that all will be well. God is in charge, even when it seems that everything is coming to a catastrophic end. As we hear in the first reading today, God has designated the angelic guardian Michael to watch over the people. Such a time will prove that how one lives life has consequences. The book of Daniel offers a word of consolation to the wise and those leaders who championed God’s justice.

In the Gospel Mark’s Jesus speaks of the coming of the Son of Man in great power and glory. While Jesus indicates in Mark’s Gospel that this would happen soon, such was not the case. We continue to wait on the Lord.

When we pray the Our Father we always say, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Someone asked recently why we pray that God not lead us into temptation, finding it strange to think of God doing such a thing. What we pray for is that God not let us fail in the final testing that everyone has to undergo.

Consider/Discuss

Does the idea of an “endtime” have meaning for you?
Do you find comfort in the message of these texts or do they evoke another response?

Responding to the Word

Loving God, you created all that is in the heavens and on the earth; we know our future is in your hands. Help us to entrust ourselves to your mercy and care. Do not allow temptation to overwhelm us, but send your Spirit to lead us into your kingdom, where your Son reigns forever and ever.

Jan 30 2025

A Window on Widows

My earliest memory of a widow was Aunt Lizzie: white-haired, seemingly very old, but kindly. (I was four, so she was probably in her sixties then—how one’s perspective on age changes with time!) She lived with my godmother and uncle, having contributed some of her savings to help them buy a house. My second memory was of Lana Turner playing The Merry Widow in the 1952 movie of the same name. Both were light years away, historically and culturally, from the widows in today’s readings.

The widows in biblical times were imperiled. If they did not have sons who would care for them, their very lives could be endangered. The widow in the first reading has a young son; she is collecting sticks to build a fire to prepare the last of her flour so they can eat and die. When Elijah asks her to prepare a cake for him, she generously does so—which proves to be her salvation. Later he even restores her son to life.

Jesus watches a widow put in her last—literally—two cents in the temple’s coffers. He has previously warned about the scribes who “devour the houses of widows” while reciting lengthy prayers. Some say Jesus is lamenting the foolishness of this widow, like the prophets of the past who railed against the neglect of widows and orphans. But most think he is praising her generosity in giving “all she had, her whole livelihood.” Like her, Jesus will soon put all his trust in the Father.

Consider/Discuss

Do you see the widow in the Gospel as foolish, generous, or in another way?
What would it cost you to put all your trust in the Lord?

Responding to the Word

God of all, you have called to your people from the time of Moses and through your prophets past and present, but most especially through your Son, Jesus, to care for your little ones, for the poor, and the stranger. Help us today to be attentive and active doers of your word.

Jan 30 2025

Hear the Law of the Lord

As a boy I learned the Ten Commandments, the six precepts of the Church, the seven sacraments, the seven gifts and twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. Having memorized these, I felt a sense of accomplishment. But can you imagine having to memorize the 613 laws found in the Torah? The Torah was the foundation of the covenant God made with the people of Israel.

If you go on line and do a search for “613 commandments,” you will find them listed, along with a reference to the particular biblical book where each can be found. Some listings place the laws under various categories, such as God, Prayers and Blessings, Love and Brotherhood, the Poor and Unfortunate. The largest list relates to Sacrifices and Offerings—over one hundred of them.

When the scribe asked Jesus what was the first of all the commandments, he was asking a question most important to any devout Jew. Jesus looked within his own heart before giving his answer: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4–5) and love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

His answer came from his heart, recognized in the Jewish tradition as the center of the human person, the seat of all thought, choice, value, and feeling. Moses’ words to the people in today’s first reading still stand: “Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today” (Deuteronomy 6:1).

Consider/Discuss

What is the value of having a law to live by?
Take time to read the 613 commandments, and consider how love is at the heart of the law of the first covenant. Then, read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) for the same lesson.

Responding to the Word

Loving God, we thank you for the gift of your law that has been revealed in the teachings of Moses and of Jesus Christ. It offers us guidance and light for our lives. Your Holy Spirit continues to enlighten our way. May we be attentive to the direction that is offered.

Jan 30 2025

All in the Family

All Saints is the wonderful feast that reminds us how God rejoices in having a family of infinite variety, children who strive to trust in God, even in the midst of trials and difficulties, and who remain open to the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives so that Christ can be born again and again in our world.

The Beatitudes offer a profile of God’s children. They should be heard first as good news, as gospel, proclaiming where God is to be found: with the poor in spirit, the mourners, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness—that is, those concerned with living in right relationship with God, others, oneself, and all the earth. In Jesus’ day these were not the usual crowd who were declared blessed, esteemed, and honored.

Only after hearing the Beatitudes as gospel should we hear them as a summons to action so our lives mirror the divine face revealed in Jesus: the face of mercy, of cleanliness of heart (a heart open to God), of peacemaking and reconciling, and of willingly suffering rejection in order to help bring about a world of righteous relationships.

God continues to work in us by sending the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father and the Son, into our hearts to push and prod us, sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully, into a new birth, again and again, until we gradually grow up to become the divine offspring we are destined to be, God’s holy ones, the saints.

Consider/Discuss

Who are some of the saints God has brought into your life within the last year? Ten years? Your lifetime?
How do the Beatitudes speak a word of gospel to you? How do they summon you to action?

Responding to the Word

Creator God, we thank you for the multitudes from every nation, race, people, and tongue who have heard your call to live in love, and to work for peace, reconciliation, and justice in our world. Draw us into deeper kinship with them so that we might one day join them in the kin-dom of heaven.