Grace, Mercy and Peace From God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord

Today, we begin reading another letter of Saint Paul: his first Epistle to Timothy (1:1-2, 12-14).

Paul begins this letter by identifying himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus”. Timothy did not need Paul to write that he was an apostle; he knew Paul well, and had accompanied him on several of his apostolic missions. Indeed, Paul refers to Timothy as “my true son in the faith”. This indicates the closeness of their relationship, and the deep trust and affection they had for each other.

In his greeting, Paul asks God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord to bless Timothy. He asks for three gifts for him from God: grace, mercy and peace. In his letters to the churches, Paul often asks the Lord to bless them with grace and peace; here, as well as in his second letter to Timothy, he adds mercy.

Grace is a word used frequently, nearly 100 times, in Paul’s letters. It refers to the blessings God grants to those whom he loves. No one deserves God’s blessing, so grace is a free gift of blessing from God to his people, for instance, the grace to overcome temptations and the grace to remain steadfast on the road that leads to the eternal kingdom.

Mercy, like grace, is a gift from God that has nothing to do with what a person deserves. Truth be told, since God’s children so often ignore God’s grace and choose to do what we want, instead of what we know God wants, it might be said that we deserve God’s wrath, not his mercy. It is a freely given blessing of forgiveness, which is grounded in the kind and gentle love of a Father whose attitude is one of forbearance and patience with his wayward offspring.

The third favor that Paul asks from God for Timothy is the gift of peace. Paul does not ask God to remove the problems that trouble Timothy in fulfilling his own mission, but to grant him peace of mind and heart, so that the difficulties he encounters will not upset his confidence in the Lord.

To further bolster Timothy’s confidence, Paul speaks of his own mission, which he could not accomplish without God’s help. He thanks the Lord for the support he has received, and expresses gratitude because Christ Jesus considered him trustworthy in appointing him to his ministry, in spite of his history as a blasphemer, a violent man, and a persecutor of the early Church he was show mercy, because God recognized that he had acted in ignorance and unbelief. Instead, God’s grace was poured out upon him in abundance, together with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

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In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 6:39-42), Jesus teaches his disciples that they should not follow the teaching of the Pharisees, using humorous hyperbole. “Hypocrite! How can you see the splinter of wood in your neighbor’s eye, but don’t notice the wooden beam in your own eye?” [The word hypocrite is a Greek word that means an actor. It refers to stage actors, but also to people who pretend to be different from – better than – they truly are. Jesus concludes: “Remove the wooden beam from your own eye; then you will see clearly enough to remove a splinter from someone else’s eye.”

The moral of the story: Keep in mind that it is hypocritical for me to correct someone else’s error if I pay no attention to my own. It might well be that the other person’s fault is insignificant compared to mine.

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IN MEMORIAM -- September 11, 2001

Grant peace, O Lord, to all who wait for you. Listen to the prayers of your people, and guide us in the way of justice.

Lord, you guide all creation with fatherly care. As you have given your people one common origin, bring us together peacefully into one family, and keep us united in love for all of our brothers and sisters.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.

In today’s First Reading (Colossians 3:12-27), Paul reminds the Christians of Colossae that they belong to God, because of Christ. This is why they should behave as God’s chosen people, and should be kind, compassionate, gentle and patient with one another, and practice humility with regard to themselves. Then Paul changes his focus from positive to negative. There are times when Christians do not behave as they should toward one another, and they quarrel and fight. Paul urges them to be patient with other people’s faults. If a member of the community has a grievance against another, the aggrieved person should act with forbearance and forgiveness toward the offender. The model in Christ himself: Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.


The Christians at Colossae are urged to “put on” the virtues than he has enumerated as if they were clothing, and over them all, to put on love, as a cloak or coat. Then the peace of Christ will rule their hearts, that peace to which the followers of Christ have been called, as members of His mystical body.

Finally, Paul reminds the Colossians to be thankful to God, and to allow the word of Christ to dwell within them fully. Divine wisdom will allow them to teach one another, to admonish one another lovingly, to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in gratitude to God for his grace. In brief, he concludes, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Today’s gospel (Luke 6:27-38), follows the same theme:

Jesus speaks his disciples: “If you are willing to listen, I tell you to love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who harm you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone wants your coat, offer your shirt as well. Give to anyone who asks for alms. When something is taken from you don’t try to get it back. In brief: Do unto others and you would have them do unto you.”


“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do as much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners lend to other sinners for a full return.


“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.


“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured out into your lap. For the measure you measure out will be measured back to you."

This gospel is the blueprint of the life of a Christian. The message of Jesus to his disciples is not one of naïve idealism. It is realistic and practical. On the other hand, living a Christian life is more easily said than done. But, it can’t be done at all if we keep our focus on our bruises and our wounds, and on those who have inflicted them, but never on ourselves. We need to recognize and admit to the deadly devices that are lodged in our hearts and minds, and allow them to be defused by God’s grace, lest they explode and cause irreparable damage to our relationship with God and his other children, our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Jesus did not say, “Conquer your enemies, since they are God’s enemies.” Instead, he said, “Do not judge, lest you be judged”, and “Forgive your enemies, as you would yourself be forgiven”. Commenting on this, Saint Augustine wrote, “If we don’t do this, we don’t know God at all. ‘Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love’ (1 John 4:8). Jesus said that the way to God is like passing through the eye of a needle. Scripture scholars tell us that Jesus was not referring to the sort of needle used by a tailor or a seamstress, but of a very narrow gate in the walls of the Holy City, Jerusalem. “Enter through the narrow gate”, Jesus says in Luke 13:24. “There is something holding us back, which must be loosed so that our sight may break through to the light,” wrote St. Augustine.

It is not our enemies who hold us back, but ourselves, and for as long as we continue to blame our enemies, we will never find the way, or the truth, or the light.

Rejoice And Be Glad, For Your Reward Will Be Great In Heaven.

In Colossians 7-15, the First Reading for Tuesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Paul explained to the Christians at Colossae the effects of their baptism. In brief, “By baptism into Christ, you have been buried with him; and by baptism, you have been raised up with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” Now, in today’s First Reading, (Colossians 3:1-11) he explains how they should live their new life in Christ: “Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are of this earth.” The “things of earth” is a reference not only to a sinful life, but also to the tendency – the temptation – to focus on earthly things, such as pleasure, profit and power. People who have such goals are seeking to please themselves, not God. But Christians have died to the old life. We should focus on our relationship with Christ, ahead of any other goal.


It is not difficult to misunderstand the meaning of these verses, as some –even teachers – are wont to do. They claim that the world and our earthly life are evil. They urge Christians to avoid deriving pleasure in the things, and joy in the people, of this world. But that is not what Paul means here. Remember that God created this world and all that is in it, and because it is his creation, all of it is good.

Yet, this world and our physical lives are temporary. The world will end when Christ returns. But, long before that, it is likely that our own life in this will come to an end. When someone receives new life in Christ, no one can observe this new life, much less explain it. That is because our life in Christ is not of this world, but of the world to come, not of the flesh, but of the spirit. When Christ returns in his glory, we who been faithful to our commitment to him – and repentant of our failings in fulfilling this commitment, will be invited to enter into his glory, and be revealed in all our glory with him.

As the followers of Christ learn to focus on Christ, we learn to live a holy life. By baptism, we have received sanctifying grace, which is a sharing in divine life, which will be revealed when he comes in his glory to judge the living and the dead. In the meantime, we may have a new nature, but we still have old habits, and the Enemy can uses them to tempt us. Paul gives us a list of the habits we must break in order to live fully in our new life: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is a form of idolatry (worshiping money instead of God). We are urged to cleanse ourselves of angry, fury, malice, slander and obscene language. We must learn to be truthful in speaking with one another, for we have taken off our old nature, and put on our new nature. This is vivid imagery. It describes how someone talks off old, dirty clothes, and puts on new, clean clothes.

Finally, Paul reminds the Christians of Colossae that God does not play favorites among nations. In this epistle, Paul makes particular mention of Jew and Greek, circumcised and uncircumcised, civilized and barbarian, slave and free. These were the distinctions people often made in Paul’s time, but he insists, with the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, that there are no such distinctions in God’s eyes. There is only one Christ, and Christ died to open the gates of heaven for every person from the first man and woman who ever lived, to the men and women, boys and girls who we be alive in the flesh when He comes in glory. All in all, Christ IS all in all.
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Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

Luke 6: 20-26

Matthew has eight ‘Beatitudes’, while Luke has four, followed by four ‘Woes’. Here Luke is using a very old style of teaching: an instruction on “the two ways”. This is seen in the Psalms. It is also explicit in the Didache, a very early Christian writing. “There are two ways, one of life, and one of death. Between the two ways there is a great difference….”

There are other differences too between Matthew’s and Luke’s Beatitudes. Luke said (in v. 17), “He came down and stopped at a piece of level ground.” From that point to the end of chapter 6 is therefore called ‘The Sermon on the Plain’, in contrast to Matthew’s ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Mt 5-7). But it is the same sermon, with differences. In Luke’s gospel the mountain is a place of prayer or revelation; it is as if he doesn't want the crowds to go up there, so he brings Jesus down! But there are more significant differences too. Let St Ambrose say it: “’Blessed are the poor.’ Not all the poor are blessed, for poverty is neutral. The poor can be either good or evil…. Matthew fully revealed this when he said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ (5:3).”

Of course there is then the danger of spiritualizing poverty as a way of escaping its inconvenience, so Luke’s emphasis is also essential: “Blessed are you who are poor.” Throughout his gospel Luke places an exceptional emphasis on poverty, and his version of the Beatitudes is consistent with this. So we need both versions.

The virtues mentioned in the Beatitudes are not the virtues of superman or Iron John. They are not the virtues of the heroes of sport or entertainment. They are not the virtues of a person saturated with a sense of his or her own importance, but of a person saturated with the consciousness of God. It struck me that they are the best portrait we have of Jesus himself.

Donagh O’Shea, O.P.

Blessed Are You Mary, Deserving Of All Praise. From You Rose The Sun Of Justice

Reading 1: Micah 5:1-4

The LORD says:You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,too small to be among the clans of Judah,From you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel;Whose origin is from of old,from ancient times.(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the timewhen she who is to give birth has borne,And the rest of his brethren shall returnto the children of Israel.)He shall stand firm and shepherd his flockby the strength of the LORD,in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;And they shall remain, for now his greatnessshall reach to the ends of the earth;he shall be peace.

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,but before they lived together,she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,yet unwilling to expose her to shame,decided to divorce her quietly.Such was his intention when, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,“Joseph, son of David,do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.For it is through the Holy Spiritthat this child has been conceived in her.She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”All this took place to fulfillwhat the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
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Before the birth of our Lord, all good men who lived in expectation of Israel’s Redeemer constantly longed for his coming. They ardently desired that the Eternal Father should hasten the hour of sending them their Deliverer; and the transports of joy with which they would have greeted the slightest sign of that hour was approaching may well have been imagined by us.
Suppose, then, that they had known when the Blessed Virgin was born that she was to be the Mother of the Savior, what may we not conclude would have been their delight? Even as those races that worship the sun rejoice at the sign of his herald, the dawn, so would men of faith in Israel have been enraptured at the thought of beholding the glorious birthday of her who was to usher in the coming of the “Desired of all Nations”.

We who come after them can understand their feelings. Moved by reverence for him who chose her for his Mother, we come today to do honor to this newly-risen star; to deck her cradle – not, indeed, with actual lilies and roses – but with the holy desires and heartfelt praise that are the true flowers of the Spirit. This new-born maiden is unspeakably blessed in being predestined to experience such exceeding love for him who is alone worthy of our hearts.

Jacques Benigne Bossuet (+ 1704) French Bishop

Blessed Be The Lord, Who Carries Us Day By Day: Ours Is A God Who Provides For Us

In today’s First Reading (Gen 1:26-2:3) we are reminded that “In the beginning”, God created animals, birds of the air, fish and other sea creatures, cattle and wild beasts on the land. But God saved the best for last! He created people – men and women – to be reflections of divinity. Unlike other creatures, we can think, and we can choose. We can know what God wants, and we can decide whether or not to obey the will of God. In a word, we have free will.


Because we human beings have intelligence and will, we are “like God”. That is why God as made us “rulers” over the rest of creation. All other living creatures, birds of the air, fish in the sea, animals on the land are there for our food, and the latter also as cattle.

Then, God gave the command that men and women should start families. Like individual human persons, but even more so, human families are “created in the image of God”. Why? Because God is not one person, but three persons, each of them having their own part in the family enterprise: the work of creation. The First Person of the Trinity is the architect and engineer, through whom all things are made. His creative will is responsible for the existence of creatures capable of understanding and making choices, which is why we call him Father. The Second Person of the Trinity is the living image of the Father, and the model for the only creatures who, like God, are capable of understanding and making choices. The Third Person of the Trinity is often characterized by scripture commentators as the “feminine” member of the Holy Trinity. That observation is called “reverse imagery”. The Holy Spirit – the Paraclete who came down from Heaven upon the apostles after Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father is the source and teacher of all virtues, both those that lead us closer to our heavenly destination, and those that guide us to avoid desires, words and actions that will take us on a path leading away from the place God has prepared for us in his kingdom.

Finally, God looked at everything that had been made, and found that it was perfect. It was precisely as they (the Trinity) had planned.

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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 6:31-34), we find ourselves in a world very different from the way it was God created it (but, recalling the First Reading, precisely as they (the Trinity) had planned it). That is a paradox we have been dealing with since the beginning of time, and when Jesus comes again in glory, we still will not have figured it out completely. The question is one every human mother and father has asked repeatedly (and human sons and daughters as often): Why did God created people who are capable of disobeying the Ten Commandments (one perspective) , of doing things that are contrary to the good of other people – and for that matter, to their own good (the other perspective)? We are never going to resolve that conundrum in this life. For today, it is best to listen to what Jesus has to say about it to his disciples.

In the preceding verses of Matthew 6, Jesus had been speaking to his disciples about the dangers of wealth and prosperity. For the most part, Jesus’ disciples are not well-to-do; in fact, they may be quite poor. He reminds them that life is more than having the basic necessities. God gave us life, and he will provide for us what we need in order to live.

He asks them to look at the birds. They do not store food for the future. They do not work to grow their food. They do not work to make clothing for themselves. But God provides for them. And we, his children, have greater worth in the Father’s eyes than do the birds.

Worry is useless. In fact, it is counterproductive. You will not increase the length of your life by worrying. In fact, that would be more likely to shorten your life.

Again, Jesus asks his disciples to look at nature. Consider the flowers in the fields. They are more beautiful than a king’s raiment. Even Solomon in all his glory was not so well arrayed. But the flowers bloom in the spring, and by the autumn, they fade and wither and die.

Someone who has confidence in God does not worry about such things, Jesus says here. In other places he reminds his disciples that the Tempter will not cease to exaggerate our legitimate concerns by various temptations. We are called to enter a more perfect world at the end of our life, but in the meantime, the Enemy will not cease trying to confuse us, to disturb us, and to make us lose hope.

If we trust the Lord our God to rule our lives, according to his will, we have no need to worry, Jesus tells us. Even the efforts of the Prince of Darkness have a positive purpose in God’s plan: to build strength and endurance by spiritually “aerobic” and “anaerobic” exercise.

Keep your perspective focused on short-term goals. That’s a “businesslike” transcription of what Jesus says in verse 34: Don’t worry about tomorrow; today has problems enough of its own. In conclusion, worry about tomorrow is futile in two senses:
a. It makes it more difficult to focus on today’s situations;
b. The things we are worried about may never happen.

The Ears Of The Deaf Will Be Cleared. And The Poor Will Inherit God's Kingdom

In this country, we will pause on Monday from our work, and celebrate Labor Day. Tuesday, will we go back again to the work we do to gain our living.

We would do well by taking some time this weekend to reflect on how the work we do is a blessing for us, and for those around us. In the Book of Genesis, work was one of the curses that resulted from the fall of Adam and Eve. When we leave the church after the Eucharist, we are sent to reverse the curse, and help God to “bless the mess.” Let us consider for a few minutes the ways in which, by our efforts, we can help to bring our world closer to the way it was when God created it.

Think back to the first time you went swimming, or to the day you started your first job, or your first airplane flight. Every time I was in that situation, there always was someone there telling me, “Don’t be scared; everything will be all right.” Easy for them to say, I’m the one standing at the edge of the pool or at the end of the diving board, all by myself!

The people Isaiah is talking to in the First Reading are in exile, a long way from home. They are standing on the edge of life, and they feel like they’re all along. The prophet tells not to be afraid, that their situation is bound to get better.

God will be coming soon, the prophet told them, and when he comes, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and anyone with a speech impediment will be able to talk clearly. And Isaiah goes on from there: God is going to change the course of nature: springs will gush forth in the deserts, and water the wilderness. I imagine some minds and hearts were just a bit skeptical, “So you say, prophet! I’ll believe it when I dive into one of those cool pools!”

Pay no attention to the Second Reading. Some people are going to hear that all of us are going to be millionaires and we won’t have to lift a finger to earn it. Other people are going to hear that the government is going to take away most of the money we’ve earned and put in the bank, and give it to people who have never lifted a finger to earn it. You might thing Saint James knew that there was going to be a national election this year. Whatever your politics, turn off your heart’s hearing aid, and the Reading won’t bother you so much.

Today’s gospel is a genuinely touching story. Some people bring to Jesus a man who has a severe hearing loss, and a speech impediment. When I was a lad, such folks were labeled “deaf and dumb”. How cruel! The man’s friends ask Jesus to lay hands on him, but Jesus goes a step further, and puts his fingers into the man’s ears, while he turns his eyes up to heaven and starts to pray. The people around him can’t hear any words, only grunts and groans. Then he says, “Ephphata!” -- “Open up!” Jesus tells the man who was healed and the people in the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news.

Here we see Jesus performing the ministry of the Messiah. Jesus doesn’t only heal the man of his deafness, he offer him redemption. This is the labor of Jesus, the work for which he has been sent into the world: to open our eyes to the needs of others, and our ears to their pleas for help. Jesus fulfills his mission perfectly, but still, there is one part missing from the mission of salvation: our part. Jesus cannot force any of us to really listen, and to all what we have heard to help us do our part in the work of creation as fully as God knows we can. Sometimes, listing to the words by which other people define us – or those we use to define ourselves – and those we use to describe other people – lessens our ability to hear the voice of the Lord speaking to our hearts. If we keep our fingers in the ears of our souls, we can become so used to not listening, that we don’t pay attention to the speaker. Jesus is speaking to ME!

Christ Has Reconciled You Through His Death, To Present You As Holy Before God.

Long before history began to be recorded, some man decided to do what he wanted, instead of what he knew God wanted. Either in the same incident – or not – some woman decided to do what she wanted, instead of what she knew God wanted. The author of the third chapter of Genesis, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, placed a man and a woman in the Garden of Eden, from which they were exiled after disobeying God’s will.

In today’s First Reading, (Colossians 1:21-23) Paul reminds the Christians of Colossae that from the beginning of time, all men and women separate ourselves from God by our own evil thoughts and actions. Yet God, in his love and mercy, did not allow that separation to endure forever. So, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to take upon himself the burden of the sins of humankind, from the first man and woman who ever lived, until the last men and women who are alive when Christ comes again in glory at the end of time. This does not mean that Christ’s death will be effective to free every single one of us from the burden of our sinfulness. It is possible for us to refuse God’s grace no matter how often he grants it, and those who make that choice and never repent from it (if any such person exists) will condemn themselves to everlasting banishment from God’s kingdom in Heaven.

The Christians at Colossae have heard the true message of the gospel, and they have believed it. Now Paul encourages them to be steadfast in their faith. He cautions them not to drift away from the assurance they received when they first heard the Good News, which has been – and continues to be – preached to every creature under heaven, and of whom Paul has been chosen as a minister.

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In today’s gospel (Luke 6:1-5) as Jesus is walking through a field of grain on the Sabbath, his disciples begin to break off heads of grain, rub the husks off in their hands, and eat the kernels. Some Pharisees see this and say, “Why are you breaking the Law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus replies: “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Yesterday’s reading was a discussion about freedom; today’s is about freedom in action. St Ambrose of Milan (c. 333 – 397) said that this piece of lawbreaking in the cornfield was designed to lead the disciples into freedom in action, not just to get them talking about freedom. “The Lord Jesus begins to free them from the old law... not only through the understanding of words but also through actions performed in plain view.”

“Do you want to be well?” Jesus once asked a man at the Sheep Pool (John 5:6). It wasn't a foregone conclusion that he wanted it. We often have a stake in our illnesses. We can imagine Jesus asking us, “Do you want to be free?” Quite often we don't.

‘Freedom’ is a buzz word in advertising, and that alone should make us wary. Advertisers tout all sorts of slavery before us under the brand name of freedom. These pretended forms of freedom don't carry much weight, and a moment’s reflection is enough to dispel them. But we are usually quite afraid of real freedom. We have a stake in our many forms of slavery, and freedom is often a heavier burden. I suppose it’s partly because there is always the question, How am I going to eat tomorrow?

Jesus said his burden was light (Mt 11:30), but it is light only if we get under it fully. When we try to hold onto it with one hand while holding our addictions and attachments with the other, it becomes heavy. When we have a moment of real freedom we attract another enemy or two. Still, we pray to set free. Free for what? Free to set others free. He himself came “to set the downtrodden free” (Lk 4:18).
Donagh O’Shea, O.P.