Let us remember to keep our eyes on Jesus - to see the gifted sight of him who not only shows us the way, but is the way to the Father, to the promises of everlasting life. And, consoled by the victory he promises, let us pray "Thy Kindom Come! Thy Will Be Done! On Earth As It Is In Heaven!" Let us keep asking "why are there poor people today" and stand as he did for the dignity of every human life, especially for those who are poor and voiceless.

Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Francis Borgia, S.J.

Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29

Psalm 69:33-35, 36-37

Luke 10:17-24 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (18) And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. (20) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (21) In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (22) All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (23) Then turning to the disciples he said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! (24) For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

Meditation by Andy Alexander, S.J.

As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him;

For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.” Baruch 4

The Lord listens to the poor.

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive!

For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” Psalm 69

Today's readings bring great joy to the heart of anyone who loves to see good win out over evil, who loves to see the end of an incredible story that's full of battles and intrigue and underhanded stuff - lots of good people and bad people - and in the end, the heroes triumph!

We just love stories like that because we live in a world that is so often filled with such battles. At times it seems like evil is winning out. I remember as a kid hearing my father tell us that "crime never pays," and wondering if he was correct. Even growing up I somehow sensed that the people who played by the rules and lived a hard life, like most of the people in the neighborhood I grew up in, just didn't get very far ahead. The people that lived in other parts of town seemed to be born into a much easier life. Some lived, as my parents said, "high off the hog" (referring to those who could afford choicer cuts of meat.) Of course, I learned that there were bad people in my neighborhood and really good people in those wealtheir neighborhoods, but I grew up realizing that the mystery of good and evil was complex.

I remember the first time I was really scandalized as a young boy. My dad took me with him when he went to the Italian barber who always cut his hair. The front window of the shop was boarded up. When I asked my father how the window got broken, he told me that some of the other barbers in town threw bricks through this barber's window because he was charging a lower rate to poorer people. I'll never forget the shock of that day. My whole inner being was stunned that people could do that to each other. And, that poorer people just had to pay more because some business people didn't want them to pay less. Oh, how that hurt. Of course, throughout the rest of my life, I learned, like the rest of us learn, that greed and lust for power are terrible. It took a while to see what has become displayed on our news all the time now. Those that "have" don't want to surrender what they have very easily, no matter how many people there are that "have not," now matter how unjust the system is that distributes the goods and services of the earth so unfairly.

I remember being emotionally stunned the first time I heard that Archbishop Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara, of Brazil said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist." Today we might ask, "Should it be easy to be totally in the defense of the dignity of every human life - from conception to natural death - and, at the same time, with the same passion speak credibly and forcefully against unjust social structures and on behalf of those who are systemically poor?" It should be easy because it is consistent with our faith tradition, as disciples of Jesus, but it is not easy because it is not the way of the world around us. Next month we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the El Salvador Martyrs, who were killed for speaking out against injustice. And today, I taste deep sadness when I see that those who try to speak on behalf of justice and the heart of the counter-cultural Gospel are branded with unfair and sometimes horrible slurs. "Preaching politics!" is too often the cry.

But, when I read these readings, I have hope. The seventy-two discipels return after experiencing the power of evil fleeing before them. I love to see Jesus so full of joy at these victories over the forces of darkness and division. He lifts up his face to heaven and screams out, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."

Let us remember to keep our eyes on Jesus - to see the gifted sight of him who not only shows us the way, but is the way to the Father, to the promises of everlasting life. And, consoled by the victory he promises, let us pray "Thy Kindom Come! Thy Will Be Done! On Earth As It Is In Heaven!" Let us keep asking "why are there poor people today" and stand as he did for the dignity of every human life, especially for those who are poor and voiceless. It will be counter cultural. The dominant forces of the status quo will push back against us with everything imaginable. And, some of us might be martyred, as witnesses to the Gospel were in El Salvador. We can rejoice, as Jesus said, not because the evil spirits retreat before our solidarity against injustice, but because our names "are written in heaven".

Supplementary Reading

BAD mAGAzINE

God’s wisdom, however, is shown to be true to those who accept it. – Luke 7:35

I leafed through a new men’s magazine with an editor’s critical eye. The pictures were clear. There were no typo errors in the publication. And the layout was fantastic. But even as I chose to objectively see the positive points of the publication, the fact remained that it was a porn magazine. So no matter how technically excellent it was, the mag was still bad!

Margaret Hungerford, who wrote the famous line, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” was right. Yes, depending on one’s perception, the ugly can be beautiful. And conversely, the beautiful can be ugly, just like in today’s Gospel where Jesus lamented about how wrongly people had judged him and John the Baptist. Forming their opinions based on superficial things, they called John possessed and Jesus a glutton and a drunkard.

That, of course, was the farthest from the truth. But people missed it. They lacked God’s wisdom to discern the truth. Let’s pray that in our often confusing world, we may be wise to discriminate between what seems to be good and what actually is. Even when it’s beautifully packaged in a glossy magazine. Cynthia Santiago

REFLECTION:

What have you been reading — and appreciating — lately?

Lord, I pray that the public will buy reading materials that celebrate Your wisdom and glorify You.