TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

1 OCTOBER 2017

          When Saint Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi, he encouraged them to live in harmony with one another.  Because this is the living Word of God, he is writing to us, the Church of Saint Pius X in Granger.  To live in harmony with one another, we must avoid selfishness and vainglory.  When we are selfish, we think only of our own wants and needs and ignore the needs of others.  Because Saint Paul defines vainglory as “empty glory,” we must avoid trying to act like God, bringing glory to ourselves.  In acting like God, then we make our own rules.  Instead of conforming ourselves to God’s standards, we make up our own and do what we want.

            In contrast to acting out of empty glory, Saint Paul gives the example of Jesus Christ, who is God.  He emptied himself and became one of us, taking on every part of our human condition, except for sin.  Not only that, but he submitted himself to enter into that dark cloud that hangs over each one of us – the cloud of death.  He endured a humiliating and painful death, trusting that the Father would raise him up and reveal his true identity.

            Saint Paul calls us to live that same self-emptying love in the way we work and live together as a parish.  Unlike Jesus Christ, we are not sinless.  That is why today’s parable can be so helpful.  Both sons are guilty of sin.  The first son refuses to go into the vineyard.  In the honor and shame culture of his day, he shows great disrespect for his father and shames him in public.  But, he changes his mind and goes.  The second son honors his father by agreeing in public to obey him.  But in the end, he does not go, and he does not obey.

            If we are honest, we can see ourselves in both sons.  Sometimes, we are like the second son.  We have a positive attitude and are filled with enthusiasm.  We hear the call to be good stewards and offer service to the parish and sign up for several ministries.  But, when the time comes, we find ourselves too busy with other things and neglect to bring the food for a funeral dinner or show up to be trained as a liturgical minister.  At other times, we are like the first son.  We complain when another parishioner gets up to talk about stewardship of service.  It is easier to go to the Mass in another parish, rather than listening to another talk on stewardship.  But, then we see the needs of a neighbor in trouble and go to the next Saint Vincent de Paul meeting, or we realize the importance of teaching the faith to our children and volunteer as a catechist.

            When we entered into this Mass, we honestly admitted that we are sinners in need of God’s mercy.  But then we heard the Lord speaking to us through his Word, calling us to a self- emptying love that impels us to be servants living in harmony in our parish.  On this first Sunday in October, known as Right to Life Sunday, we are given some specific ways to be servants of the culture of life.  Like the second son, we often talk about respecting the dignity of life from the moment of conception through natural death with action.  The first son encourages us to do more than talk.  For example, the Women’s Care Center welcomes pregnant women who come to them and offers specific ways to help them carry their babies to term.  Hannah’s House provides housing and support to young women who are expecting.  Those who serve the needs of the elderly either in nursing homes or in their own homes need more help.  The Creation Care Team explores ways in which we can respect and preserve God’s gift of creation.  The Social Justice Committee is studying the sin of racism and ways to heal that divide in our country.

            When we open our hearts and minds to the needs of those around us, we can imitate the example of the first son and put into action what we talk about as the second son.  When we combine the best qualities of both sons, we model ourselves on the example of Jesus Christ.  Even though he is God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped at.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

24 SEPTEMBER 2017

          This parable of Jesus grabs our attention, as it grabbed the attention of his original listeners.  It was not easy to make a living in that world.  A father who wanted to feed his family had to show up at the marketplace early in the morning.  With luck, a landowner would hire him to begin working at 6:00.  He would work all day under the hot sun until 6:00 that evening.  In return for his hard work, he would receive one denarius – enough to feed his family for one day.  He would have to repeat this every day, except for the Sabbath.

            The parable does explain why there are more workers showing up in the marketplace throughout the day.  Maybe they have difficulties that keep them from coming earlier, or maybe they do not have a good work ethic.  Whatever the reason, the landowner invites the latecomers to work in his vineyard at 9:00, at noon, at 3:00, and even one hour before quitting time.  That is when Jesus gets their attention.  The landowner hands out the daily wage – beginning with the last ones hired.  They receive the usual wage of one denarius.  The word spreads quickly through the line of those waiting to be paid.  Those at the end of the pay line are shocked to hear that those who had labored only one hour receive the same wage as they who had worked all day.  It is not fair, they complain.  And we have to shake our heads in agreement.  It is not fair.

            But Jesus is not talking about fair labor practices.  He is talking about the kingdom of heaven.  Like the landowner, the Lord is more interested in calling people to work in his vineyard than what their labor can produce.  At this Mass, we thank God for calling us to labor in his vineyard, in this parish community.  It is not always easy, but we are learning how to work together, to worship together, and to enter into a community of faith together. 

            For whatever reason, there are still lots of folks out there who are still waiting to be invited to work in the Lord’s vineyard.  Maybe they live in the same cul-de-sac and surprised us when they showed up at church with their second grader for First Communion. Maybe they are so busy with travel teams that they can’t find time to join us.  Maybe they are members of our family who have lost interest in any kind of organized religion.  Maybe they were hurt by someone or something in the parish and stay away because they are angry. 

            Whatever the reason their reason for staying away, the Lord is inviting us to be landlords going out into the marketplace searching for workers in the vineyard, because we are the Body of Christ in this time and in this place.  The Lord has given us some important tools.  The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a wonderful way for people to take a step in faith and begin the process of inquiring whether the Catholic Church is the right place for them.  We have found that Christ Renews His Parish has been an effective tool in renewing the faith of lots of people in this parish and connecting them more firmly with the parish community.  If you have participated in one of these processes or another ministry that has drawn you more closely into the mystery of Christ’s love, go into the marketplace, go to what Pope Francis calls the peripheries.  To do that, we have to go beyond our comfort zones and risk rejection.  Don’t yell at them.  Don’t preach to them.  Don’t judge them.  Just tell them what a great joy it is to be in relationship with Jesus Christ.  Invite them to come and see for themselves, as the Samaritan woman at the well did after her encounter with Jesus Christ.  Maybe they have been waiting to be invited.

            The prophet Isaiah is correct.  God’s ways are not our ways.  We can proclaim God’s ways and help people understand that laboring in the Lord’s vineyard is a wonderful opportunity. It does not matter when they respond to the invitation.  When they do, they learn that putting themselves last will allow the Lord to put us first in the kingdom of heaven.

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

17 SEPTEMBER 2017

          Last Sunday, Jesus taught how to respond when someone in our community sins against us.  Instead of putting the offense on Facebook for everyone to see, he tells us to confront the person.  Once we move past our emotions of anger, a loving confrontation with that person might resolve the issue.  If that doesn’t work, we should gather two others to attempt a negotiation.  We do this when someone we love is in denial about a destructive behavior, and we hope that the person will respond to treatment.  If that does not work, Jesus says that we should go to the Church – talk to the pastor or call the Bishop.  If that does not work, we need to treat the person as a Gentile or tax collector –someone outside our community of faith.  Even this most drastic step is intended to bring reconciliation, because Jesus welcomed Gentiles and tax collectors into his company.  As difficult as these steps may be, Jesus tells us to take them, because we trust that the risen Christ is in our midst, wherever two or three are gathered.

            Peter had been with Jesus long enough to know his teachings on mercy and forgiveness.  Now, he asks how many times he needs to forgive.  Peter thinks he is being generous when he suggests seven times: a Biblical number implying a large number.  But Jesus doubles down and insists that we need to forgive seventy times seven: a limitless number of times.  And to help Peter understand, he tells the parable of the king who forgives the debt of his servant who owes him a huge amount – 100,000 talents.  A talent was the weight that a soldier could carry on his back – 100 pounds.  It would take an army of 100,000 soldiers to pay off this guy’s debt!  The servant could never have paid him back.  But having been forgiven of a debt he could never have paid back, this same servant confronts a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii.  Instead of forgiving that debt, he throws him into prison.  Because of his lack of mercy, the king responds by handing him over to be tortured.  His lack of mercy becomes his undoing.

            The point of the parable is clear.  As Saint Paul tells us, Jesus Christ gave us his entire life and died on a cross to forgive our debts, to reconcile us with the Father.  We could never pay off the debt of our sins.  He forgave those who murdered him with his last breath and extends that mercy to us.  Saint Paul encourages us to live and die for the Lord.  If we have the courage to forgive another person, then we experience with the Lord a taste of his death, letting go of resentment and anger.  But in dying to our resentment and anger, we also experience a taste of his resurrection, rising to move on without being hindered by bitterness, hatred, and anger.

            We often misunderstand what Jesus means by forgiveness.  In forgiving someone who has hurt us badly, we are not nullifying the damage done.  Nor are we required to be best buddies and continue to allow that person to harm us.  Maybe forgiving that person might mean avoiding any contact.  The act of forgiving moves us past the anger and resentment resulting from the harm done to us.  It may take a very long time, but we know we have forgiven when we can move forward without harboring those angry, hurtful feelings that make us bitter people with chips on our shoulders.

            As a confessor, I have learned a lot about mercy and forgiveness.  If you were ever concerned that the priest may judge the sin of a penitent, there is no need to worry.  We’ve heard just about everything.  In addition, we priests are also sinners in need of God’s mercy.  As a confessor, I think of the mercy that the Lord has given to me in so many times and ways.  And that is the grace of a truly good Confession.  We cannot make the mistake of the servant whose debt was forgiven.  Knowing the mercy we have received, we must move forward and extend that mercy to those who have harmed us, trusting in the Lord’s dying and rising.

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

10 SEPTEMBER 2017

          If we can put the words of Jesus in modern terms, we can understand his words when someone sins against us:  don’t post it on Face Book!  If someone in the parish community does great harm to himself or herself or to other members of the community, Jesus tells us to approach that person with love and in private.  That is much more difficult than posting it on Face Book for all to see!  This approach allows the person to change.  If that does not work, then Jesus tells us to bring two or three witnesses to attempt an “intervention.”  If that does not work, then Jesus tells us to take it to the Church.  Today, that probably means going to the Bishop if the pastor does something stupid!

            However, today we go in the opposite direction.  Please turn your attention to the screen and listen to Bishop Rhoades, as he asks for our support for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and explains how our funds are used.

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

3 SEPTEMBER 2017

            Last Sunday, Simon Peter correctly identified the true identity of Jesus.  He is the Christ, the Messiah for whom his people had waited for centuries.  In response, Jesus pointed out that Simon Peter did not have a lucky guess.  He had been open to this inspiration from the heavenly Father.  It was a transforming moment for Peter, so transforming that Jesus changes his name to Peter (Petrus, or rock).  On the rock (Petra) of Peter’s faith, Jesus would build his Church.  Firmly established on that rock, the Church would stand firm and weather any storms.

            Today, Jesus explains what kind of Messiah he is called to be.  He is not the Messiah of the popular imagination.  He is the suffering servant.  He turns his face toward Jerusalem, to the city which had rejected the authentic prophets who spoke for God, and announces that he will save his people not by power or force, but by dying on a cross and being raised from the dead. 

Because we are so accustomed to artwork which depicts Jesus dying on a cross, it is difficult for us to imagine what this statement meant to Peter and the other disciples.  They had seen the horror of criminals and insurgents being executed in this most cruel and humiliating fashion.  They knew how the Romans had controlled rebellious people by perfecting this horrible way of dying.  Peter cannot imagine that this kind of death would befall the true Messiah for whom they had waited for so long.  So, Peter rebukes Jesus, “God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

            Jesus responds to him with anger and firmness.  He calls Peter “Satan,” because the “Rock” has become an obstacle, a “stumbling stone.”  After his forty day fast in the desert, Satan had urged Jesus to satisfy his hunger by changing rocks into bread.  He had offered to Jesus all the power and kingdoms of the earth without going through the cross.  Jesus had come to know that this is not the will of his Father.  He rejects this same temptation from Peter and tells him to get behind him.  In other words, he is offering Peter the chance to change.  He wants Peter and the other disciples to get behind him, to continue to follow him on his way to Jerusalem, to learn the truth of his mission, and to share in the life that will come from the resurrection.  Those who follow Jesus will have to share in his cross, trusting that self-sacrificing love will bring life.

            Jesus is not just speaking to a group of disciples a long time ago.  Because this is the living Word of God, he speaks to us.  He tells us that we too must embrace the cross and deny ourselves, even to the point of losing our lives.  Embracing the cross of Jesus Christ comes in many forms.  We experience the cross when a family member is diagnosed with cancer, or when we lose our job, or when we are confronted with so many of life’s disasters.  We see Christians in Africa and the Middle East literally embracing the cross of martyrdom.  But no matter what form the cross may be, embracing it is always a commitment to give ourselves in sacrificial love and putting that sacrificial love at the center of all of our efforts.

            That is not the message of our culture.  So much of our culture urges us to put ourselves first as number one, to surround ourselves with as many possessions as possible, and to use whatever violence we need to protect ourselves.  Saint Paul had tried that path, until he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus.  That is why he tells us not to conform ourselves to this age.  He insists that following Jesus Christ and embracing the cross of sacrificial love will transform us.  Like Jeremiah the prophet, we may suffer hardship and even opposition.  But like Peter and the other disciples, we will also learn that embracing the cross of Jesus Christ brings a life that we could never imagine.

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

FEAST OF SAINT PIUS X

27 AUGUST 2017

          Jesus leads his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a regional center of the Roman Empire.  The city was built beside a dramatic cliff face.  A famous spring emerged from the base of the cliff.  Before Roman occupation, the spring had been known as Panias, because it was the center of worship of pagan gods, especially the god Pan.  To this day, visitors can see carved niches which held the images of the pagan gods.  The city also had political significance.  Herod the Great named it after his patron, Caesar, who regarded himself as a god.  Herod’s son, Philip, changed the name to Caesarea Philippi, to bring attention to his power and control over the area.

            It is here, where civil governments and pagan gods competed for attention that Jesus asks his disciples his famous question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  They give him their Gallup Poll findings, each one identifying him with a dead prophet from the past.  But Jesus is more interested in their opinion, who they think he is. Simon Peter blurts out the correct answer, identifying him as the Christ, which literally means “the anointed one.”  In other words, Peter asserts that they cannot depend on the pagan gods to save them.  Nor will Caesar or any of his regional allies save them.  When Simon Peter adds to that title “the Son of the living God,” he identifies the true nature of the teacher to whom he has dedicated his life.

            Jesus points out that Peter could never have figured out his identity on his own.  He says that his heavenly Father has revealed his identity to Peter.  And so, he changes his name.  He is no longer Simon, but Peter (Petrus – rock).  On this rock (Petra), he will build his church.  And he gives to Peter the keys to the kingdom.  Peter will use those keys for the good of the Church. We see those keys pictured in the image of Saint Peter on our triumphal arch.  Those keys will open the gates to eternity.  The way to eternity will not be through the cave at Caesarea Philippi, but through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

            Today we celebrate our patronal feast, who was one of the successors of Saint Peter (pictured on the other side).  Unlike Shebna, who used the keys to the king’s palace for his own good, Pope Saint Pius X used the keys of his office for the good of the Church over a hundred years ago.  In fact, he complained to his friends about how they fussed over him and dressed him up with finery after he was elected Pope.  Today we ask his intercession, as we answer that same question of Jesus, which is addressed to us.  Like the disciples who gathered at Caesarea Philippi, we also live with forces competing for our allegiance.  The false gods today are more subtle than the pagan god, Pan.  Those gods might be wealth, or fame, or glamour, or pleasure.  All pagan gods promise ultimate happiness or success.  Political leaders make all kinds of promises, telling us that our complete allegiance to them will bring happiness or success.

            Just by gathering here at Mass on our feast day, we are acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Some of us had a great time at Casino Night, and we will enjoy each other’s company at the picnic this afternoon.  The real challenge for us is to proclaim the identity of Jesus Christ outside of this church building.  We don’t have to carry signs or stand on street corners and harangue people.  All we have to do is to live our faith – to show others by our actions that love is stronger than hate, that putting ourselves last is the way to become first, and that dying to ourselves will give us a share in the rising of Jesus Christ.  Now that we are becoming accustomed to our new church, now is the time for us to realize our status as the Church of Jesus Christ and engage people to join us.  We remain as members of his Church, because we trust his promise that the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against us.

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

20 AUGUST 2017

            A careful reading of the Sacred Scriptures reveals God’s habit of calling certain people over others.  God chose Abel instead of Cain, and Abraham instead of Lot.  God chose David instead of Saul.  God chose the Israelites instead of the Egyptians.  The history of those choices is seen in the mosaics in the center aisle.  God made the first covenant with Adam, promising our first parents that he would never abandon them, even though they had abandoned him.  God promised Noah that he would never again flood the earth, and Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands on the shores of the earth.  God promised Moses that he would remain faithful to his people, no matter what.  To David he promised that the messiah would come from his house, and he entered into the New Covenant with us through his Son, the Lamb of God pictured on the mosaic on the Altar.

            God did not choose any of these people because they deserved it or earned it.  In fact, all who have been chosen by God have sinned and not kept the covenant.  That is why Matthew begins his Gospel with Jesus calling the chosen people to repent.  Jesus calls them to conversion, so that they can respond better to God’s choice and be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

            That is also why Jesus responds to this Canaanite woman in such a shocking and rude way.  After arguing with the Pharisees about what is clean and unclean, Jesus travels to an unclean territory – Tyre and Sidon.  God’s chosen people considered these pagan residents as dogs because of their cruel treatment.  When this pagan woman approaches him and begs him to help her daughter, she addresses him with the words any good Jew would have understood, calling him Lord, Son of David.  Not only does he ignore her, but he insists that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  When she persists, he says that it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.  With her sense of humor intact, she points out that even dogs get scraps.  Finally, Jesus responds with compassion and heals her daughter. 

            In healing this woman’s daughter, Jesus follows the insights of the prophet, Isaiah.  Isaiah had spoken to his people in Babylon centuries earlier.  In their captivity, members of God’s chosen people had interacted with their pagan neighbors, and some of those neighbors accepted their faith and joined them.  Isaiah points out that God did not choose people so they could be better than anyone else.  Instead, God chose people to be instruments of his mercy, to share God’s love with people different from them.  That is what Jesus does in the Gospel.  He recognizes the woman’s deep faith.  He admires her perseverance and her humility to admit that she did not deserve to be chosen, any more than God’s chosen people had deserved to be chosen.

            We hear this message at time of great division in our country.  Instead of promoting hate, racism, and division, Jesus provides a very different message.  Instead of isolating ourselves from those who are different from us, he pushes us to look at those of different races or ethnic backgrounds as people created in the image of God.  Instead of acting out of fear, he challenges us to get to know them.  Instead of yelling and screaming at each other, he wants us to enter into an honest dialogue.  That is what Saint Paul did.  As a Pharisee, he regarded all non-Jews as dogs.  But after he had encountered Jesus Christ and was rejected by his own people, he got to know the Gentiles on a personal level.  Instead of condemning them, he proclaimed the Gospel to them and welcomed them as God’s chosen people in the New Covenant.  God has chosen us, not because we have earned his choice or deserved it.  He has chosen us to move beyond our comfort zone, to get to know those different from ourselves, and to enter into a personal dialogue inviting conversion and the Kingdom of heaven.