for July 11
Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot

For years I taught undergraduate students at a Jesuit university. As time went by I began to notice that my students were becoming more and more anxious about many things. Exams and grades especially worried them. Students would often come by my office to talk about their fears when facing exams and the completion of term papers. They were especially afraid of not doing well. I began to see that a central part of my role as their teacher was to encourage my students and help them to move beyond their fears so that they could use more of their time and energy to focus on learning and growing. I found that this part of my work with students became as important as anything else I was trying to accomplish at the university.

In today’s readings the prophet Isaiah and the disciples in Matthew’s Gospel are being encouraged to trust in God’s acceptance and care so that they can move forward into the real work they should be doing. The passage in the first reading is sometimes described as “the call of Isaiah,” which presents an autobiographical report of the prophet being chosen and sent to deliver Yahweh’s messages to the people. Isaiah is commissioned to share Yahweh’s judgment to the people and this demanding task brings him much concern and fear. Isaiah encounters the Holy and also Yahweh’s power and judgment. This encounter with Yahweh naturally disturbs him and he likely feels not up to the task. In today’s Gospel reading, Matthew presents Jesus as the true teacher who shows the way for all of his followers. For Matthew, discipleship means being a life-long student of Jesus’ way—a path that is based on truth and boundless life wisdom. For us, Jesus is not only our true teacher but our Risen Lord. Relationship with him and the life he gives makes it possible for us to live beyond our fear—that is, we can live in hope now and in the future.

I think it is often easy for us to be distracted by our own personal weaknesses and sinfulness—dimensions of our lives that move us away from God and one another. Today’s passage from Isaiah presents a consoling message and suggests that God’s desire and capacity to gift us with healing and forgiveness can give us the confidence and direction we need to live not only in hope but also become more and more able to do God’s work in the world. Similarly, Jesus teaches his disciples in Matthew “do not be afraid” and to trust in God’s intimate knowledge and care for us. There are many things in our lives now that have potential to bring us fear and desolation. Matthew’s gospel today reminds us of our deep value in the eyes of God even and especially when life in the world is so unsettled. David Tracy, a highly regarded American theologian, was once asked during an interview about the complex “modern problem of evil and suffering in the world” and whether or not religious faith makes any sense at all in our time. The discussion centered around the reasonableness of Christian faith in light of the serious evil and suffering in the world. Tracy replied to these questions, (paraphrasing) “Yes, we can live in hope and we can live well even in times of great turmoil and suffering in the world because of God’s offer of salvation in the Cross of Christ.” Today’s scripture readings present to us a similar message.

On this feast day of Saint Benedict (d. c. 546), an important leader in the development of Christian monasticism, we are reminded of our own desires for prayer and meditation—important spiritual practices that prepare us for deeper union with the Lord and one another.
—Francis T. Hannafey SJ

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.