WHAT IS PURE AND UNSPOILT RELIGION?

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - James 1:17-18,21-22,27

Religion has been abused by all those in power and then it is accused of countless crimes, leading many people to think that we would be better off without religion. Religion has been blamed for many situations of oppression and for many wars fought in the name of religion.

In old times, religion was all embracing, being an essential part of the social, political and cultural texture of society. It was an essential part of the identity of a tribe or a nation, and each nation had her own guiding and protecting gods. Wars were conducted in their name and in obedience to their command. We may get scandalised reading many passages of the Old Testament, where God is presented as the Chief-in-command of the army, leading the people into battle. However, we must realise that the writers of the Bible shared the mentality and the beliefs of the surrounding nations. But, if we read the Bible attentively, we notice that God is leading the people through a long journey, in which he teaches them and guides them to a higher understanding of his will and his plan, putting higher moral demands on his people.

In the first reading of this Sunday’s liturgy, we can hear Moses warning the people and telling them:

“So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe” (Dt 4:1)

The commandments, the statutes and ordinances, which form the basis of the Law, are the foundation of a society built upon fairness, justice, truth and solidarity. A society according to God’s will cannot be based on violence and oppression, and cannot ignore the plight of the poor. Jesus would put it just in few words:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled

… …

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Mt 5:6,9).

Throughout history, many times, Christians have been unfaithful to Jesus’ Gospel, fighting among themselves and fighting the outsiders perceived as their enemies. There have been wars in the name of religion, whenever people abandoned the great religious ideals and transformed religion into a tool to serve their thirst for power and domination.

Nowadays, we hear daily reports about the atrocities committed in the name of God. There are people who have taken up arms and kill in the most barbaric way, claiming to do it in submission to God. Which god is that god who is filled with unquenchable thirst for blood? The actions of IS (Islamic State) are criminal and reach the point of madness. They are crimes against humanity and cannot be justified by any god.

In the letter of St. James, a faithful apostle of the Lord, we find a rule by which we can measure true religion:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27)

Attitudes and actions of mercy and compassion that lead us to take care of the poor and the vulnerable come from a true relationship with God and express true religion. We may ask ourselves how much of this true religion can be found in Europe, when we close our doors to thousands of refugees running away from war and poverty. We live in an egotistic and selfish society, unable to share and to see our brothers and sisters starving in from of us. We grab everything with both hands and cross our arms over our chest, afraid of loosing our wellbeing and our ability to enjoy life.

James tells us that, in order to achieve the true religion, we must “do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you – accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.”

The truth of our faith is proven through our deeds.  We cannot deceive ourselves and we cannot put our trust in empty words, saying one thing and doing the opposite. Moses reminded the people of Israel that they are different from others, because the Lord revealed to them the way of life. Where is our difference? If we are like everybody else, then we are no more the salt of the earth; and if we are not the salt of the earth, then we are useless, good only to be thrown away.

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue. (Ps 15:1-3)

WE MUST CHOOSE

XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Jn 6:60-69

In life, we are continuously faced with choices, and the happiness of our future depends on the choices we make. In the book of Deuteronomy, we find Moses putting it bluntly: 

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.” (Dt 30:15)

The outcome of our lives will depend on the choices we make now. Sure, everybody wants life and prosperity and everybody struggles and works hard in order to achieve it. But which means are we going to use or what paths are we going to follow in order to achieve happiness and peace? If we choose the wrong path, we may end up very far away from the desired goal, and instead of life, we will face death. Moses indicated the right path that will lead us to life: 

“by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live” (Dt 30:16)

In his old age, Joshua gathered all the tribes at Shechem and called for the renewal of the Covenant, while presenting the people with a choice: Are you ready to serve the Lord, or do you prefer to serve someone else? As a leader, he puts forward his own choice as an example: “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Jos 24:15). But the people have to make their own free choice; they cannot be forced to serve the Lord, and they chose: “We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (Jos 24:18).

The renewal of the covenant implies a free choice and demands a commitment to faithfulness. However, time and again, people went back on their word, betraying the covenant and putting themselves at the service of other gods. The theme of disobedience, betrayal and revolt is a recurrent theme throughout the Scriptures. In spite of that, God goes on with his offering of a covenant of love, which will lead us to life, happiness and peace, and he will not change the terms of the covenant to please us or to satisfy our desires.

The Eucharist is a celebration and a renewal of the new covenant made in Jesus Christ, a covenant sealed and ratified in his blood. When the disciples heard Jesus proposing himself as the bread of life and inviting them to sit at his table to eat his flesh and drink his blood, they were horrified and abandoned Jesus saying: This is intolerable language. Although the reaction must have been painful to Jesus, he did not change his message in order to get them back. Instead, he challenged the remaining ones saying: “Do you also wish to go away?” (Jn 6:67).

Jesus’ message is not an easy message to hear and to understand. Mainly the message about the Eucharist. That’s why most of the Churches that left the Catholic Church reject the teaching of the Eucharist, or interpret it in a demeaning way, depriving it of its deep meaning. Speaking in name of the remaining disciples, Peter answered back: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68).

It is only in Jesus Christ that we can find life and salvation, and we cannot accept Jesus half-way. His word is clear and straightforward: we must sit at his table and be fed with the food that he gives us: his body and blood. With Peter we say: To whom can we go? Only you, Lord, have words of eternal life.

JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

The discourse of Jesus on the bread of life presents the teaching on the mystery of the Eucharist and indicates the beliefs of the first century Christians on the Eucharist.

There is no doubt that from apostolic times the Christians celebrated the Eucharist and this practice differentiated them from the Jews. In Jerusalem, they used to go to the Temple and everywhere else to the synagogue, but then they would meet in their houses to break the bread (Act 2:42). And we have an account of the celebration of the Eucharist by Paul at Troas (Act 20:7-11), in which we find the basic structure of the Eucharist with the celebration of the word and the breaking of the bread (the Supper of the Lord).

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives us the liturgical setting of the Eucharist (1 Co 11:23-25) and the doctrine about the Eucharist, in which he affirms the fundamental belief that in the Eucharist we receive the body and the blood of Christ: 

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Co 10:16).

The Gospel of John in chapter 6 deals at length with the same basic truth: the bread of life is the body of Christ, his flesh and his blood. Most of the disciples were unable to accept such doctrine and abandoned Jesus, asking themselves: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52). During the first centuries, the Christians were accused of cannibalism, due to false ideas about their beliefs in the Eucharist.

Jesus makes it very clear that he is the bread of life, and that we must eat this bread to have eternal life. And the bread of life which he was going to give is his body, his flesh and his blood. Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, obeying Jesus’ command, we repeat his words and we receive his body, the food that gives us the strength to walk towards God’s own dwelling. Receiving his body, we are transformed, becoming one with Christ.

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” (Jn 6:56-57).

BLESSED AMONG WOMEN

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION - Rev 11:19,12:1-6,10

Mary of Nazareth was an exceptional woman, who played a very important role in God’s plan of salvation, by God’s own choosing. Time and again, we hear discordant voices and accusing the Catholic Church of overemphasising her importance and her dignity, but the ones uttering disparaging words about Mary must ask themselves what right do they have to question God’s decision to choose Mary and make her most blessed. Elizabeth recognised the blessing bestowed upon Mary, exclaiming “with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42).

And how was she blessed? She is the woman “adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown.” (Rev 12:1). She is the chosen of the Lord. She was elected and called, and she was entrusted with a great mission, the mission of bringing forth the Messiah.

She is blessed because she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, who came upon her and in her made a new creation. In her, the new people of God came forth, since she gave birth to the one who is the Head of that people.

She is blessed, because she was a woman of faith, who believed, being ready to obey and to carry out the mission entrusted to her.

She is blessed, because she shared the pain and the passion of the cross, and filled with the Holy Spirit, she was with the first community, helping them to be prepared for the outpouring of the Spirit.

Finally she is blessed, because salvation has been fulfilled in her. And that is the meaning of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The assumption means that Mary has been saved, body and soul, because salvation to be salvation has to be holistic, that is salvation of the whole person. What we believe about Mary, the mother of the Lord, is what we hope for: being one with Christ and sharing in his resurrection, we will be a new creation.

Let us praise God, our Father, for the gift of Mary, the mother of the Lord, who has become our mother, a caring mother, who asks Jesus to give us the joy of salvation. Following in her footsteps, we learn the obedience of faith and become one with Christ.

STRENGTHENED WITH THE BREAD OF LIFE

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Kings 19:4-8

While Moses stands for the Law, which made of Israel a Nation and established them apart as the People of God, Elijah stands for the prophets, who were God’s spokesmen, denouncing the people’s betrayal, calling on them to faithfulness and leading them back to God, reconciled and obedient. Elijah was the first great prophet and the role model for all the prophets. He was bold and courageous, outspoken and fearless. He was ready to challenge everybody, be it the political or the religious power and the common people. He faced the king and denounced his murderous action in order to take over someone’s property. He challenged Baal’s priests and exterminated them and pointed the way of faithfulness to the people. Looking back to his prophetic actions, legend and history considered him as a superman with divine powers, who was taken into heavens in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). However, Elijah was just a human being and as a prophet he had his ups and downs. After moments of boldness and courage, he felt back into discouragement and fear. He ran away from the queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19), in fear of his life; then alone, in the forest, exhausted and depressed, he considered his life unworthy of living and asked God for his death. He was more like an outcast and a run-away than a man of God. It was then that God intervened and transformed him. We should remember Paul’s reflection on his own experience, when he says: 

“God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Co 1:27). “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong”. (2 Co 12:10).

Feeling depressed and exhausted, Elijah decided to sleep and wait for death to relieve him of all his troubles. It was then that God came to his rescue feeding him with bread brought by an angel. It was bread from heaven, a bread that gave him the strength to walk for forty days up to God’s mountain (1 Kings 19:8). And it was there that he had an extraordinary experience of God, which enabled him to carry out the mission received from God.

In the Gospel, Jesus presents himself as the bread of life. It is the bread that gives us the strength to continue the journey to the mountain of God and his kingdom. Without that bread, like Elijah, we will remain stranded, alone, exhausted and depressed, with a sense of emptiness, like strangers before ourselves in our own houses. Surely, in life, there are moments or even long stretches, when we seem to be lost, with a feeling of having wasted our time and put our hopes where there is no hope. In such moments, feeling abandoned by God, many try to forget about him and stop praying altogether. But it is in such moments that we most need the bread of life, to be able to get up and proceed with our journey. Jesus offers us this bread of life. He offers himself to become the food of our souls, calling us to his table and serving us with this bread, which is his body and blood. Seated at his table and rejoicing in his banquet, we have a foretaste of the great banquet in the Kingdom of God, and being one with Christ, we are prepared to share in the great feast that celebrates the victory of redemption. 

GUIDED BY CHRIST, WE PUT ON A NEW SELF

XVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ephesians 4:17,20-24

This Sunday’s readings present three main themes, which we must reflect upon.

1. PEOPLE ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE AND THEY COMPLAIN.

They complain, because they are starving, and they do not know anymore what to do. They are in a situation of despair, unable to plan for the future, worried solely about their survival. There is a saying in Portuguese that starvation is a bad counsellor, and it may lead to social unrest and violence. In this case, they blamed their leaders for their lack of foresight and for their irresponsibility: “you have brought us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to death!” (Ex 16:3). They compared their life in slavery to the present status and found it better. For them, freedom with starvation was meaningless. We cannot forget that our physical needs, the ones that lead us in the struggle for survival, are the most basic needs that must be satisfied.

Moses, like many leaders today, did not know what to do. However, God told him to listen to the complaints of the people. In fact, that is God’s attitude towards his people: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings” (Ex 3:7).

God always allows his children to complain, whenever the suffering crushes them down and leaves them hopeless. In the books of Moses, we see that God only became angry with his people when their complaints became revolt and disobedience and when they turned their backs on him and put their trust in somebody or something else.

The book of Exodus, singing the extraordinary liberation of a small group of people from the might of a powerful nation, is full of extraordinary events and miracles. However, most probably the miracle consisted  in the wisdom of making good use of whatever the environment provides, like the coming of the quails in great quantities and the appearance of what was called manna. The desert dwellers are experts in survival, and Moses had a big experience as a shepherd in the desert.

1. THE BREAD OF LIFE

The Gospel makes us understand that people were unable to understand the signs given by Jesus. Like the people of Israel, they were only concerned with how to fill their bellies; they could not look up to heavenly things, being dominated by earthly concerns. They looked for an easy way out to improve their economic and social situation.

Jesus directed their minds and their hearts to the bread of life, but they could not understand that. When Jesus spoke of the bread of life, they pleaded with him: “Sir, give us this bread always” (Jn 6:34), but their minds remained closed, thinking only of a good life here on earth.

1. AIMLESS KIND OF LIFE

Paul never beats about the bush, but goes straight to the point.To the Ephesians and to us he says: Do not be like the pagans, “living the aimless kind of life” that they live.

Paul was referring to the Graeco-Roman society in which he lived. It was a society with great achievements, but those achievements were obtained upon the blood of countless people. It was a society dominated by violence, where people enjoyed and played with violence. It was a society built upon slavery, in which the State was all powerful, with the lives of the citizens at the mercy of the whims of their rulers. It was a society where the rich and the powerful enjoyed life, spending their time in games, dinners and orgies. Everybody had to fight for life, and the weakest were crushed, thrown away and forgotten. Most of the great people of the past, the ones history talks about, were blood thirsty tyrants.

Looking at that society, Paul saw it as an empty and aimless society, without values and without ideals. It was a rotten society, “corrupt and deluded by its lusts”. “They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.” (Ep 4:19-22). 

In many aspects, Paul’s critique can be applied to our modern, post-Christian society. People have created idols for themselves, gods made on their own image: Money, profit, wealth, power, lust, self-indulgence, that represent no more than our own inner urgings for self-satisfaction and dominance.

We have lost the sense of family and community. Our society is an individualistic society, which ignores the neighbour and the poor; it is selfish, concerned only with one’s life and well-being. 

We need to change. We must be guided by Christ. He is the teacher, and he is the way, the truth and the life. We must get rid of our old self and put on Christ, becoming a new creation. We must allow ourselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and “created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ep 4:24).