Month: July 2024

Jesus explains what is meant by “learn to do good” (Is 1:16) in the Gospel, saying, “Whoever loves father or mother . . . . son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. . . . Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:37–39). We are to do good in the sense of being just and charitable, but also in the sense of loving God without hesitation, letting no other love surpass our love for Him. We should be willing to lose our lives for His sake, recognizing that anything He asks of us is infinitely more important than our own aims.

This is critical for the life of a disciple. As God points out through Isaiah in the first reading, it is crucial for us to be good if God is to honor our sacrifices and ritual observations. If we read the first reading quickly, we may think that God does not care about sacrifice, and that His only concerns are justice and mercy. But really God is saying that He does not care how many sacrifices the Israelites make if they do not do good outside the confines of the Temple. Ritual observation is important, but it is fruitful in the context of a life of love for God. This is why later in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus speaks out against the hypocrisy of paying tithes while neglecting judgment, mercy and fidelity. (see Matt 23:23). It is not that tithing is immaterial, but it needs to be united with actions and attitudes of judgment and mercy and fidelity.

If we are to truly heed the words of God, we must not skew toward either extreme of piety. On the one hand, we cannot rely exclusively on frequent Mass attendance and liturgical devotion to carry us to heaven if we do not live a virtuous, holy life in love of God and neighbor. On the other hand, we should not focus soley on charitable works while neglecting liturgical living. Jesus teaches us to do good by loving both in heart and in deed.

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Jesús explica lo que se entiende por “aprendan a hacer el bien” (Is 1,16) en el Evangelio, diciendo: “El que ama a su padre o a su madre…a su hijo o a su hija más que a mí, no es digno de mí; y el que no toma su cruz y me sigue, no es digno de mí. El que salve su vida, la perderá y el que la pierda por mí, la salvará.” (Mateo 10,37-39). Debemos hacer el bien en el sentido de ser justos y caritativos, pero también en el sentido de amar a Dios sin vacilación, sin permitir que ningún otro amor supere nuestro amor por Él. Deberíamos estar dispuestos a perder la vida por Él, reconociendo que cualquier cosa que Él nos pida es infinitamente más importante que nuestros propios objetivos.

Esto es fundamental para la vida de un discípulo. Como Dios señala a través de Isaías en la primera lectura, es crucial que seamos buenos para que Dios honre nuestros sacrificios y observaciones rituales. Si leemos rápidamente la primera lectura, podemos pensar que a Dios no le importa el sacrificio y que sus únicas preocupaciones son la justicia y la misericordia. Pero realmente Dios está diciendo que a Él no le importa cuántos sacrificios hagan los israelitas si no hacen el bien fuera de los confines del Templo. La observación ritual es importante, pero es fructífera en el contexto de una vida de amor a Dios. Por eso, más adelante en el Evangelio de Mateo, Jesús habla contra la hipocresía de pagar el diezmo descuidando el juicio, la misericordia y la fidelidad. (ver Mateo 23:23). No es que el diezmo sea inmaterial, sino que tiene que estar unido a acciones y actitudes de juicio, misericordia y fidelidad.

Si realmente queremos prestar atención a las palabras de Dios, no debemos inclinarnos hacia ninguno de los dos extremos de la piedad. Por un lado, no podemos depender exclusivamente de la asistencia frecuente a Misa y la devoción litúrgica para llevarnos al cielo si no vivimos una vida virtuosa y santa por amor a Dios y al prójimo. Por otro lado, no debemos centrarnos únicamente en las obras de caridad y descuidar la vida litúrgica. Jesús nos enseña a hacer el bien amando tanto de corazón como de obra.

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Are you an over or under packer? For most of my life, I have been an over-packer. The person who packs both a sweatshirt and a jacket, just in case. Enough socks for every day of the trip knowing the forecast is sandals weather. Slowly, I am working on letting go of this need for control. I have even participated in a challenge to wear the same dress for 100 days, just to push myself to think more creatively and sustainably about my clothing choices. And, at the end of the day, laundry is always an option.

Jesus takes things to a whole new level with the disciples. “Take nothing for the journey…no food, no sack, no money in their belts” (Mark 6:8). They were permitted a walking stick and sandals, their means of movement, but no sustenance. Jesus asks them to be totally dependent on others and on the providence of God. 

They didn’t know the road ahead. If their past experiences with Jesus were any indication, it wasn’t going to be easy. The verses immediately before this reading depict how Jesus was rejected in Nazareth. His message was not always popular, and now the disciples were being asked to go out and preach it on their own, without Him there to back them up. Even more risky, they had nothing to offer by all worldly standards. 

But here’s the catch, that all of us should be aware of – the world’s measuring stick is faulty. The world’s attachment to control leads nowhere. The desire to dictate the who, when, where, why, and how of every single moment of every single day will drive us ultimately to despair and disappointment. The disciples had seen the miracles. They had eaten the bread and fish and had witnessed the healings. They knew firsthand that when people opened themselves up to rely on Jesus, He provided for their needs. It was now the disciples’ turn to do the same. 

Jesus extends the same invitation to us. I’m not saying I’m striving to pack nothing when I go on a trip. However, even packing can be an opportunity to recognize that I am not ultimately in control of what comes next, no matter how many layering options I shove into my bag. Give Jesus the chance to take care of you, no matter where you head next.

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¿A usted le gusta empacar demasiado en la maleta o muy poco? Durante la mayor parte de mi vida, he empacado demasiado. Soy la persona que lleva consigo sudadera y chaqueta, por si acaso, y suficientes calcetines para cada día del viaje sabiendo que el clima me permitirá ponerme sandalias. Poco a poco, estoy haciendo el esfuerzo de dejar de lado esta necesidad de control. Incluso participé en un reto de utilizar el mismo vestido durante 100 días, solo para obligarme a pensar de manera más creativa y sostenible sobre la ropa que escogo. Y, al final del día, lavar la ropa siempre es una opción.

Jesús lleva las cosas a un nivel completamente nuevo con los discípulos. “Les mandó que no llevaran nada para el camino: ni pan, ni mochila, ni dinero en el cinto…” (Marcos 6,8). Sí se les permitió un bastón y sandalias, para poder moverse, pero ningún sustento. Jesús les pide que sean completamente dependientes de los demás y de la providencia de Dios.

No conocían el camino a seguir. Si sus experiencias pasadas con Jesús fueran una indicación, no iba a ser fácil. Los versículos inmediatamente anteriores a esta lectura describen cómo Jesús fue rechazado en Nazaret. Su mensaje no siempre fue popular, y ahora a los discípulos se les pedía que salieran y lo predicaran por su cuenta, sin que Él estuviera allí para defenderlos. Aún más arriesgado, no tenían nada que ofrecer según todos los estándares del mundo.

Pero aquí está el problema, del que todos deberíamos ser conscientes: la vara de medir del mundo está defectuosa. El apego del mundo al control no lleva a ninguna parte. El deseo de dictar el quién, cuándo, dónde, por qué y cómo en cada momento de cada día nos llevará en última instancia a la desesperación y la decepción. Los discípulos habían visto los milagros. Habían comido pan y pescado y habían sido testigos de las curaciones. Sabían de primera mano que cuando las personas se abrían para confiar en Jesús, Él proveía para sus necesidades. Ahora le tocaba a los discípulos hacer lo mismo.

Jesús nos extiende la misma invitación. No digo que me esfuerce por no empacar nada cuando salgo de viaje. Sin embargo, incluso empacar puede ser una oportunidad para reconocer que, en última instancia, no tengo el control de lo que viene después, sin importar cuántas opciones de ropa guarde en mi maleta. Dale a Jesús la oportunidad de cuidar de ti, sin importar hasta dónde te lleve tu próximo paso.

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When I was a youth minister, “What Would Jesus Do” was everywhere. Do you remember that? “WWJD” was plastered on hats, tee shirts, rubber bracelets, lollipops, stickers, keychains, notebooks and more. It was a good question, meant to encourage us all to pause and consider, before speaking or acting, what Jesus would say or do in that situation. I’m not sure how much it really helped. We cannot think like Jesus in any way unless we know him. And before we can know him, we need to believe that he loves us and saved us; to believe that his Father is our Father and we are deeply loved and cared for by the Father. 

Two phrases cause me to pause in today’s Gospel: “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher (Matthew 10:25) , and “So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:41). How often do we think enough is not quite enough? We can do more, better, try harder, say more prayers, serve only organic, fresh food cooked by our own hands to our family, make our own clothes, never overdo it on screen time, and spin flax into gold. Then, maybe then, we will be enough. 

What Jesus wants for us is to be like Him. When you look at Jesus and think, okay, I want to be like Him, what comes to mind for you? For me, it is His love, compassion, radical obedience to the Father, prayer, solitude, community, healing, and service. That is the disciple I want to become, so then, when the Father calls me to do something that my humanity says is not possible, I can go to the other verse that struck me, “Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

In life, we are often asked to serve one another in a way that seems insurmountable. If we rely on our own organized, competent selves without first turning toward God, we may not serve well or have the best outcome, for ourselves or the other person or situation. Become like our Teacher; become like Jesus. He knows who He is, the Son of the Father. Know who you are, a child of the Father. If we become like Jesus in knowing who we are, then we will not need to be afraid. We will be able to embrace enough, doing what God asks of us.

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