August 21st is the Feast of St. Pius X.

Eamon Duffy in his fine study of the popes, “Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes”, describes St. Pius X as a pope who looked forward and looked backward. His pastoral reforms of the liturgy, his encouragement of frequent Communion and reform of church prayers, for example, anticipated many of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. In fact, he promoted the beginnings of the modern liturgical movement.

His fear for the integrity of church doctrine, on the other hand, slowed the church in adapting itself to a changing world. Like us all, popes have their strengths and weaknesses. Even saints have their strengths and weaknesses.

The pope’s reflection on the psalms, found in our liturgy today, reveals his love for the psalms, which are such an important part of our liturgy.

The psalms teach us how to pray. They provide a way to praise God and the words to bless God. 

“The psalms have also a wonderful power to awaken in our hearts the desire for every virtue. Athanasius says: Though all Scripture, both old and new, is divinely inspired and has its use in teaching, the Book of Psalms, like a garden enclosing the fruits of all the other books, produces its fruits in song… The psalms seem to me to be like a mirror, in which the person using them can see himself and the stirrings of his own heart; he can recite them against the background of his own emotions. 

Augustine says in his Confessions: How I wept when I heard your hymns and canticles. Those voices flowed into my ears, truth filtered into my heart, and from my heart surged waves of devotion. Tears ran down, and I was happy in my tears.

Who could fail to be moved by those many passages in the psalms which set forth so profoundly the infinite majesty of God, his omnipotence, his justice and goodness and clemency, too deep for words, and all the other infinite qualities of his that deserve our praise?

Who could fail to be roused to the same emotions by the prayers of thanksgiving to God for blessings received, by the petitions, so humble and confident, for blessings still awaited, by the cries of a soul in sorrow for sin committed? 

Who would not be fired with love as he looks on the likeness of Christ, the redeemer, here so lovingly foretold? His was the voice Augustine heard in every psalm, the voice of praise, of suffering, of joyful expectation, of present distress.”

Unfortunately we get use to war and then don’t question it. I was looking recently at what the Catholic Catechism says about war. It’s an evil we should never get used to. Here’s some of what our faith tells us:

“The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life. Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war. 2307

All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war. However, as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed. 2308

The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time: 

• the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain; 
• all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; 
• there must be serious prospects of success;  the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. the power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition. 2309
• The Church and human reason both assert the permanent validity of the moral law during armed conflict.The mere fact that war has regrettably broken out does not mean that everything becomes licit between the warring parties. 2312

• Non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely.
• Actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes, as are the orders that command such actions. Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out. Thus the extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority must be condemned as a mortal sin. One is morally bound to resist orders that command genocide. 2313
• Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation. A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons – to commit such crimes. 2314
• The accumulation of arms strikes many as a paradoxically suitable way of deterring potential adversaries from war. They see it as the most effective means of ensuring peace amongnations. This method of deterrence gives rise to strong moral reservations. the arms race does not ensure peace. Far from eliminating the causes of war, it risks aggravating them. Spending enormous sums to produce ever new types of weapons impedes efforts to aid needy populations; it thwarts the development of peoples. Over-armament multiplies reasons for conflict and increases the danger of escalation. 2315
• The production and the sale of arms affect the common good of nations and of the international community. Hence public authorities have the right and duty to regulate them. 2316

Wouldn’t it be good if every day major news outlets like Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, the New York Post would publish one of those guidelines for reflection?

The Jewish Encyclopedia describes the period of the Judges, the period we’re reading about this week in our lectionary, in this way:

“Israel remained for some time a rough people, barbarized by continuous wars. Sword law and the vendetta reigned supreme. Neither expeditions undertaken for pillage and plunder (comp. Judges xvii. et seq.), nor treacherous dealings with the enemy, as practiced by Samson, nor assassinations, as those committed by Jael and Ehud, gave offense; and even the lives of those nearest and dearest were sacrificed to satisfy a vow, as in the case of Jephthah.”

“Barbarized by continuous wars.” War became the only way to settle things at this time, and that led to warrior leaders, some more measured than others. The allegory of the trees which we will hear tomorrow from the Book of Judges ends with the buckhorn tree ruling over the people. That’s Abimelech, the vicious son of Gideon, who kills anyone in his way and, in turn, suffers a violent death. 

The Book of Judges was an admonition to the Jewish people to beware of seeing war and violence as a way of life. It creates a barbarous society. It’s a way to death.

An admonition to us too?

Most of this week the OT readings in our lectionary are from the Book of Judges, recalling the period after the Israelites, led by Moses and then by Joshua, took possession of the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.

It was not a vacant land; the Canaanites were strongly entrenched there. Instead of establishing themselves according to the commands of God, the Israelites decide to fit in, becoming isolated families rather than a united people, They intermarry with the Canaanites and even set up altars to Baal, the Canaanite god.

It’s one of the most violent times in Jewish history, a time of religious and political disorder. On Thursday of this week Jephthah kills his own daughter because of a vow he made to God. Not an easy story to make sense of. Hard to make sense of anything in this violent age. The leaders God raises up, judges, are not powerful enough to unite the community.. Gideon– his story’s told this week– is an example of a judge. The word “judge” is nowhere near what we associate with the word today.

Gideon’s a lonely farmer expecting an invasion by the Midianites, a tribe of nomads who periodically raided the land of Canaan. He’s busy saving some wheat from his fields before they come; then, he’ll hide. 

The angel of the Lord appears, calling him a “Champion of Israel,” but Gideon wants no part of championing Israel. He’s lost faith in the promises of God, with no big dreams to do anything except saving himself. Even when God gives him a sign, one sign isn’t enough. Gideon wants out.

“Go with the strength you have.”  That’s what the angel says to Gideon as he and so many others lose trust in God’s promises. The strength you have, not the strength you would like to have, or the strength you once had. Go with the strength you have.

That’s God’s command in the time of the Judges. Is it God’s command to us now?  

For this week’s homily please watch the video below.

For this week’s homily please watch the video below.