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Commentary on Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus tells us here not to babble endless prayers as if somehow by so doing we can bring God round to our way of thinking (see also Elijah and the priests of Baal: 1 Kgs 18:25-29). Some religious groups, too, would keep calling their god by all his different names, hoping that by hitting on the right one he would listen. There is no need to do this because God knows our needs before we ask. Why then do we need to pray at all?

The praying is not for God’s sake, but for our own. It is important for us to become deeply aware of our needs, of our basic helplessness, and of our total dependence on God. We also need to discern just what God wants of us so that we can do what he wants.

And that is what the Lord’s Prayer is about. Strictly speaking, it is not a prayer to be recited. It is a way of praying; it is a list of the things we need to pray about. And it is less our telling God what we want him to do than making ourselves aware of the ways by which we can become more united with him. It is a very challenging prayer and, in a way, a very dangerous and daring prayer to make.

Our Father…
God is the source of all our life and all we have and are. And, if Jesus urges us to approach God as “Our Father”*, then every single person, each one without exception, is my brother or sister.

May your name be revered as holy…may your kingdom come…may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…
The three petitions are all really saying the same thing. Obviously, in one sense we cannot make God’s name more holy than it is. But we do need to respect that awesome holiness, and that is more for our sake than God’s. The petition can also be a petition that God make his name holy by showing his glory, in this case by bringing about the Kingdom in its fullness.

We want God to be loved and respected and worshipped by all—not in some future life, but here and now on earth. We want the loving and compassionate Reign of God to be fully accepted by people everywhere as part of their lives, individually and corporately. We want God’s will for this world to be also the will of people everywhere.

Clearly, all this has to begin with ourselves. The coming of the Kingdom is not just the work of God alone; it is the result of our cooperating with him in the work. What am I doing in my life now for the realisation of that Kingdom?

Give us today our daily bread…
This is a prayer that our needs be satisfied for today, a prayer that rules out excessive anxiety about the future. But how are those needs to be satisfied? Do we expect manna to drop from the skies? And what about that little word ‘our’ again? Does it just mean me, my family, our community, our town, our country—or much more? Is this not a prayer that we all work together to ensure that no one goes hungry? Yet we know that millions do go to bed hungry every night and even more suffer from an unhealthy diet. And we recognize that most of it is the result of human behaviour and neglect. This prayer reminds us that changing that situation is the responsibility of all of us—this is another dangerous prayer.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…
Yet again, we have a dangerous thing to pray for. I really should not say it unless I am ready to do it. And if I am not ready, I need to pray hard for a forgiving heart. This is the only petition which is spelled out more clearly at the end of today’s Gospel passage:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…
(also see Matt 18:21-35 about the unforgiving servant)

And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one…
A final plea that we will not fail, but that God’s help will be with us all the way. It is an admission of our basic impotence to set things right in our own lives and in the world. Given the challenges of the rest of the prayer, we need all the help we can get.

If this prayer were to really enter our hearts and minds, we would become deeply transformed people. So let us stop babbling it as we often do and really pray it, phrase by phrase—and let us live it as well.

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*As discussed in the Catechism, “God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard: no one is father as God is Father.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 239)

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Commentary on Romans 9:1-5 Read Friday of Week 30 of Ordinary Time – First Reading »

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Commentary on Mark 12:1-12

This will be our last week of readings from Mark’s Gospel. We are now in chapter 12 and fast approaching the climax of Jesus’ life and mission. This chapter is marked by a growing conflict between Jesus and the religious and political leaders of his own people. The chapter begins today with a parable (or, more accurately, allegory) directed towards that leadership. Its meaning was very clear to those who heard it.

It tells the story of a man who planted a vineyard, fitted it out with all that was necessary and then let it out to tenants to cultivate. It is clear that the owner is God, the vineyard is Israel and the tenants the people of Israel. The words of Jesus echo very closely a similar image in a poem by the prophet Isaiah:

I will sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.

In Isaiah’s image the vines only produce sour grapes.

In Jesus’ story there are evidently good harvests. The problem arises when the owner sends his servants to collect what belongs to him of the harvests. One after the other, the servants are driven away, beaten up or even killed. It is a clear reference to the way that God’s people treated the many prophets which God had sent to them.

In exasperation, the owner decides to send his only son, expecting that they will at least respect him. But no. The tenants argue that by killing the only heir, the vineyard will inevitably become their property. When the son (Jesus) arrives, they seize him, kill him and throw him out of the vineyard (a reference to Jesus being crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem).

Jesus then says:

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”

Jesus is rejected by the leaders and by many (but not all) of his own people. The Gentiles will be invited to take their place and will be more than happy to fill it.

The words Jesus quoted from Psalm 118 can apply either to himself or the Gentiles. Jesus, the rejected and crucified one, becomes the cornerstone. Or, the despised Gentiles become the recipients of God’s love and grace and the cornerstone of the new Christian communities.

Clearly, this story did nothing to endear Jesus to the leaders. They would have (as foretold by the story they had just heard) seized him, but they were afraid of the crowd (also Jews) who stood in awe of Jesus, his words and works.

This is one of these stories where we can be tempted to sit in judgement on those who rejected Jesus. But we are not reading it today for that purpose. Rather we are being asked whether we are listening to the word of God as it comes to us in the various people that God sends into our lives. How much better are we than the scribes and Pharisees? How often do we rationalise ourselves out of doing what God clearly wants us to do? What welcome do we give to God’s messengers? Do we even recognise them when they come? Maybe today – right now – would be a good time to listen more carefully than we normally do.

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Commentary on Matthew 25:14-30

Today is our final weekday reading from Matthew’s Gospel and on Monday we will begin the reading of Luke’s Gospel. Today also is also our last reading from the fifth and final Eschatological Discourse of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel.

There are two great passages left—the parable of the talents and the description of the last judgement—but we will only be taking the first of these. Both deal with the final judgment and, like the parable of the bridesmaids, are warnings on how we are to prepare.

The parable speaks of a wealthy man who, before he set off on a journey, entrusted his servants (slaves) with large sums of money. He gave them different amounts according to their ability. One received five talents, a second, two, and the third just one. A ‘talent’ was an enormous amount of money in the ancient world, so five talents was a veritable fortune. Originally, the term stood for a unit of weight, about 75 pounds or 30-something kilos. Later it became a unit of coinage, the value depending on the metal used. Actually, our current meaning of ‘talent’ comes from this parable.

The amount given out indicates the generosity of the master. But the money was not for their own personal enjoyment; it was meant to be used productively.

The first two servants both traded actively with the money they had been given and doubled their original capital. The third man, however, buried his money in the ground as this was considered the most secure place in a pre-banking society.

When the master came back, the first two presented their accounts. Their master was very pleased and they were entrusted with even more responsibility. To each he said:

Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.

Then the third man came along with his one talent. He had not traded with it because he was afraid he would lose his money and said:

Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.

Ironically, he was the one who was given the least and from whom the least was expected. But even with that little responsibility he failed to produce. Perhaps he even expected to be praised for his prudence.

The master does not deny the charge of being a hard man, but he accuses the man of not having done even the least thing to increase his capital. He could have deposited or lent the money and got some interest. But he had absolutely nothing to show of his own.

The money is taken from him and given to the one who had five talents. Surprising? Unfair? Not really. This man had already shown he was a very good investment. And Jesus sums up:

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

As mentioned above, the word ‘talent’, which in biblical times referred to a huge amount of money, now denotes a particular gift or ability with which a person is endowed. “He has a great talent for music; she has a great talent for design.” In that sense, we have all been endowed with talents in varying degrees or, to use a word which Paul prefers, charisms. In either case, they indicate some distinctive ability which is to a large extent innate or God-given.

Everyone of us has been endowed in some way. And, as in the parable, some are greatly endowed and others less so. All that is asked is that we make use of that gift or those gifts to the best of our ability, and not for ourselves alone (that is to bury them in the ground), but to build up the kingdom and make a positive contribution to the community to which we belong.

At the end we will be asked, as the men in the parable were, “How did you use the gifts I gave you and how productive were they in furthering the growth of the Kingdom?”

Today then is a day for us to identify what those gifts actually are. It is possible that some people have never given it much thought. They see their Christian life in rather passive terms, just looking after themselves, living in conformity to the commandments of God and the Church, fulfilling their ‘religious duties’, making sure to die ‘in the state of grace’. But this, in effect, is to bury one’s talents.

Today’s Gospel makes it very clear that far more is expected of us. We are expected to make an active and positive contribution to the work of the Kingdom and to the Christian community as the Body of Christ. In practice, that means taking an active part in our Church, in our parish, and in making a contribution to the betterment of our society. So, it is very important for us to spend some time in reflecting on what are my unique ‘talents’ or gifts or abilities and then to ask how and to what end I am using them? The time to do that is today because, as we have been amply warned, we do not know when our Master is coming back to check his accounts with us.

The end of today’s passage indicates that if we do not move forward, or are not productive, then we go backwards. We cannot remain static or purely passive in God’s service. To do nothing is not a possible option. The more we give and share with others from the resources we have, the more we are personally enriched; on the other hand, to cling to our gifts and keep them just for ourselves is to become smaller in every way.

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Commentary on Luke 14:1, 7-11 Read Saturday of Week 30 of Ordinary Time – Gospel »

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Commentary on Zephaniah 3:9-10,14-18a; Ps 85; Matt 28:16-20

Read Saint Francis Xavier – Readings NO LONGER USED »

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Commentary on Genesis 8:6-13,20-22

We read today of the end of the Flood, as the rain stops and the waters recede.  In the meantime, every living thing on land was totally wiped out. Of course, the underwater creatures survived and perhaps even thrived in the flood conditions given there was likely so much dead carrion available! But in myth stories one does not quibble about such details.  What matters is the central meaning of the story.

After the 40 days, God remembered Noah and his family, and all the living things that were with him in the ark.  Then, a drying wind blew, the outlets for water in the earth and the “windows” in the vault of the heavens through which rain came were closed, and the waters began to recede.  But it was not until 7 months and 17 days later that the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, in present-day Turkey, and it was only in the 10th month that the tops of the mountains began to appear.

And it was not until 40 days after that (in other words, they were in the ark for the best part of a year) that Noah sent out a raven.  It flew back and forth until, eventually, the waters had dried up from the earth.  Then it never came back, possibly because it feasted on dead bodies it found everywhere.  The raven could represent one of the unclean animals on board the ark.

Then a dove (probably regarded a clean animal—and a vegetarian!) was sent out, but when the dove could not find any place to land, it returned to the ark.  After another seven days the dove was sent out again and this time it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak—a clear sign that the waters had receded a good deal.  Olive trees do not grow at high altitudes.  The dove with the olive branch has ever since become the universal sign of peace and flourishing life. 

After another seven days the dove was sent out again and this time it did not return—it had found a place to live.  Noah knew that he, his family, and all the animals could now safely leave the ark.  He opened the entrance hatch of the ark, looked out and saw that the face of the earth was drying up again.  It was only when it was completely dry that he gave the order to leave the ark.

After they had all disembarked, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings (a holocaust) from each of the clean animals that had been in the ark (this could be done because seven pairs of each kind of clean animal had been taken into the ark).  This offering was in thanksgiving to God for their being saved.  God was pleased with the “pleasing odour” of this sacrifice, and pledged never to curse the earth again because of the sins of humanity, nor would he destroy all living creatures again, although individuals might be punished.  This was because:

…the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth…

The “heart” is the centre of all religious awareness and morality—the source of both virtue and sin.  And the tendency to sin did not lessen after the Flood.

The reading ends with a verse which seems to have been a popular proverb or saying:

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night
shall not cease.

In other words, as long as our world endures, the rhythm of nature and of the seasons will never be disrupted in this way again. 

In fact, over the centuries this pledge has been kept, although from time to time there have been massive calamities which have brought death and destruction and often changed the face of a particular region forever.  Our main concern nowadays is not from natural calamities which, ironically, can sometimes also bring benefits in the long term. Rather, we should be concerned about the disasters which may arise from our misuse and abuse of the earth’s resources and the danger of irreversible damage to the delicate balance of nature.  Each one of us can play a positive role in reversing this trend.

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Commentary on Wisdom 2:1,12-22

Today’s reading comes from early on in the Book of Wisdom, in a passage describing life as seen by the godless (the “ungodly”, see chap 1). We often feel that if we are good and virtuous and, even more, because we are good and virtuous, people should be inspired to follow and imitate our good example. However, experience tells us that many times exactly the opposite happens, and people feel somehow threatened by or resentful of our good behavior.

The description of the animosity directed against those who live good and virtuous lives is well put in today’s reading, and it applies so perfectly to how Jesus was treated—so much so that some people see in this passage a prophecy about Jesus. However, it also applies to hundreds of others down the ages whose goodness has been resented, whose behaviour is seen as a condemnation and a threat to those with different values. Such individuals, as a result, have been persecuted and even killed.

In the passage, the “ungodly”, who are speaking about a prophet (called “the righteous man”) say:

Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions.

It is because the prophet’s words are felt to be true that they create feelings of guilt in those against whom they are directed.

Again, the “ungodly” say:

He [the righteous man] reproaches us for sins against the law and accuses us of sins against our training.

The reproach is not denied, but it is strongly resented:

He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
the very sight of him is a burden to us…

Of course, “the righteous man” is the very person whom Scripture says should be respected and protected. And that claim is not denied by the “ungodly”, but such a one is seen as an obstruction to how they live.

And then there follows a good description of the “righteous man”:

…his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.

How true of Jesus and of many of his most faithful followers!

Subsequently comes the justification for violent action to remove the source of criticism. If the prophet is really a spokesperson for God, then surely God will protect him against any violent attack.

Let us test him with insult and torture,
so that we may find out how reasonable he is
and make trial of his forbearance.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected.

It is exactly what happened to Jesus at the hands of his opponents as his enemies mocked him during his trial:

Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him and beat him. (Mark 14:65)

And again, on the cross:

In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him…He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to… (Matt 27:41-44)

This has happened to many down through the centuries and it will happen in our times as well—and for exactly the same reasons. We call such dedicated followers martyrs, from the Greek word for ‘witness’. They give striking witness to the values of the Kingdom.

Those who carry out these actions can convince themselves that what they are doing is right:

Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God…

Their aim is to obliterate the source of their discomfort, but the result is often the very opposite. It is a very dangerous thing to create martyrs. We remember the early Christian saying from the writings of Tertullian:

The blood of martyrs is the seed of faith.

Jesus himself has told us not to be surprised that we too will be misunderstood and treated as he was. The following of Christ involves what is called a ‘counter-witness’ to the prevailing values in our societies. Such a counter-witness will often be deeply resented, attacked, rubbished and ridiculed, and it may invite even violence and death.

Of course, we also have to be very careful that our witness is based on truth, integrity and love; we have to be careful to avoid any taint of Pharisaism or superior elitism, which we can fall into so easily. It is God we are proclaiming, not ourselves.

As we approach Holy Week, we need to reflect on these things and see how they fit into our lives. Whose side am I on? If I had been on Calvary, with whom would I have been standing? In issues of truth and justice in my own society, where am I seen?

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Commentary on Luke 11:29-32

Today’s readings are about doing penance for our sins and they are linked by the name of Jonah.

In Mark’s Gospel, the crowds are often shown as recognising God’s presence in Jesus better than the scribes and Pharisees do. In Luke, however, they are sometimes shown as people curious to see signs and wonders, but without any real commitment to following Jesus.

So today we are told that “the crowds were increasing” and Jesus spoke to them. But what he said was not very flattering:

This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

Jesus, like Jonah, is a call to repentance and radical conversion. And Jesus implies that many of his listeners are not ready or willing to hear that call. They don’t need any more signs—Jesus has been giving them an abundance of signs through his teaching and healing work.

On the judgment day, they, the chosen people of God, will be surprised to see:

The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed, something greater than Solomon is here!

As well:

The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and indeed, something greater than Jonah is here!

Jesus is far superior to either Solomon or Jonah!

We, too, who claim to be God’s people, may be surprised to see who will be called to God’s side on judgment day because they heard and followed God’s word according to their capacity. The question is, where will we be on that day? Thomas à Kempis, writer of the famous medieval treatise The Imitation of Christ, asked that very same question. He was worried about whether he would persevere in serving Christ to the very end of his life. He said he was told in answer to his prayer:

Do now what you would like to have done then, and you will have nothing to worry about.

Where will I be on the Day of Judgement? The answer to that question can be decided by me this very day and every single day from now on.

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Commentary on Luke 11:37-41

Jesus continues to highlight what is central to our relationship with God. We skip over a short passage which is about various aspects of light. In short, the Christian is to be a person full of light through and through. Not like the kind of people Jesus now goes on to describe.

He had been invited to dinner by a Pharisee. Jesus apparently went straight into the dining area and reclined at the table prepared to eat. The Pharisee was quite shocked because Jesus had not first washed his hands before eating. Of course, we are strongly recommended to wash our hands before sitting down to eat. But here we are not dealing with a question of hygiene, but of ritual washing. Jesus had omitted to perform a religious ritual which was laid down by the stricter Jews, although not actually part of the Law. The rule probably had originally a hygienic purpose. By giving it a religious sanction one made sure that it was carried out. Many other obligations, some of them contained in the Mosaic Law like from Leviticus, seem to be of the same kind.

Most probably, Jesus, in the ordinary course of events, would have had no problem about performing this ritual, but it is likely that here he is deliberately making a point. It allows him to draw attention to what he sees as false religion. A person’s virtue is not to be judged by his performance or non-performance of an external rite.

As Jesus tells this man in a graphic image, the Pharisees concentrate on making sure that the outside of the cup is clean while inside it is full of all kinds of depravity and corruption (like the judgmental thoughts in this man’s mind and the sinister plotting that the Pharisees in general were directing against Jesus). God is as much, if not much more, concerned about the inside as the outside.

Instead, Jesus says:

So give as alms those things that are within and then everything will be clean for you.

When the inside is clean, there is no need to worry about the outside. Giving alms is a positive act of kindness to another person, an act of love and compassion. It neutralises the greed and rapacity of which he accuses them. It is not, like the washing of hands, a purely empty ritual which says little and is almost totally self-directed.

It is so easy to judge people, including our fellow-Catholics, by their observance or non-observance of certain Christian customs, which of themselves are of a non-moral nature. In the past, for instance, we might have criticised a woman for not wearing a hat in church, or a priest for appearing without his Roman collar. Today, some might be scandalised because a person goes to communion having had a huge meal well within the designated one hour of fasting, or for some still, eating meat on Friday, even though the ‘law’ does not require it. Recognize that most of the passages in the Gospel attacking the Pharisees are really directed against ‘pharisees’ in our Christian communities, not to mention the pharisee in our own hearts.

Elsewhere, Jesus has told us not to judge because it is very difficult for us to know what is going on within another person’s mind. What Jesus is really emphasising here is the inner spirit and motivation. Once that is right, everything else will be taken care of.